The list of Lithuanian gods is based on scarce written sources and late

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

. Many of them were outright invented. Lithuania converted to Christianity in 1387, but elements of

Lithuanian mythology Lithuanian mythology () is the mythology of Lithuanians, Lithuanian polytheism, the religion of pre-Christian Lithuanians. Like other Indo-European studies, Indo-Europeans, Lithuanians (tribe), ancient Lithuanians maintained a polytheistic myth ...

survived into the 19th century. The earliest written sources, authored by foreigners and Christians, only briefly mention the Lithuanian gods. Beginning in the 16th century, the

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

religion received more attention from authors, but often their accounts were confused, contradictory, and heavily influenced by various religious agendas. Collection and recording of folklore began in the 19th century, by which time the pagan mythology had become fragmented and mixed with Christian traditions. The cults of old deities transformed into folklore (individual tales, myths, songs, etc.) without associated rituals. Because of such difficulties obtaining data, there is no accepted list of Lithuanian gods. Different authors present wildly contradictory reconstructions of the Lithuanian pantheon.

Names from folklore myths and legends

This section includes the names of gods, divine or demonic beings, and other personages from Lithuanian myths, legends,

, and fairy-tales.

Gods and goddesses

Ašvieniai Ašvieniai are divine twins in the Lithuanian mythology, identical to Latvian mythology, Latvian Dieva dēli and the Baltic mythology, Baltic counterparts of Vedic mythology, Vedic Ashvins. Both names derive from the same Proto-Indo-European langu ...

, the divine twins who pulled the chariot of the Sun (the Vedic

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Ashwins). *

Aušrinė Aušrinė ("dawning", not to be confused with ''Aušra'', "dawn") is a feminine deity of the morning star (Venus) in the Lithuanian mythology. She is the Wiktionary:antipode, antipode to "Vakarinė", the evening star. Her cult possibly stems fr ...

, the Morning Star, a goddess, a daughter of the God ("dievaitė"). She was the goddess of the morning. Alternatively her name is given as Aušra ("dawn"). Ushas in Vedic

hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. *Auštaras (Auštra), the god of the northeast wind, who stands at the gates of

paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

and lights the way for those going to paradise. His function of shining this beacon makes him similar to

; some consider him to be her cousin. * Bangpūtys, the god of the seas and storms ––he is two-faced like the Roman god

Janus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janus (''Ianu ...

. * Dalia, goddess of fate and weaving. *Deivės Valdytojos (Lithuanian: ''Governing Goddesses''), were the goddesses who made

garment Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

s from human's lives. They were seven sisters: Verpiančioji (who spun the threads of life), Metančioji (who threw rims of life), Audėja (the weaver), Gadintoja (who broke the thread), Sergėtoja (who scolded Gadintoja, and instigated war between people), Nukirpėja (who cut the cloth of life), and Išskalbėja (the laundress). They have similarities with the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

Fates The Fates are a common motif in European polytheism, most frequently represented as a trio of goddesses. The Fates shape the destiny of each human, often expressed in textile metaphors such as spinning fibers into yarn, or weaving threads on a ...

and the Norse

Norns The Norns ( , plural: ) are a group of deities in Norse mythology responsible for shaping the course of human destinies.''Nordisk familjebok'' (1907) The Norns are often represented as three goddesses known as Urd ( Urðr), Verðandi, and S ...

. Deivės Valdytojos were associated with Dalia and

Laima Laima is a Baltic goddess of fate. She was associated with childbirth, marriage, and death; she was also the patron of pregnancy, pregnant women. Laima and her functions are similar to the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. In Latvia In Latvian mythology, ...

. * Dievas ("God"), the supreme deity *Dievas Senelis ("God Old Man"), a teacher of people and judge of their morality. He looks like an old traveling beggar. Dievas Senelis is proficient at magic and medicine. Epithet of Dievas. * Gabija, the foster of the Holy Fire, a goddess, a daughter of Dievas ("dievaitė"). *

, goddess of Fate and pregnant women. *Mėnuo, the Moon, a son of Dievas ("dievaitis"). *

Perkūnas Perkūnas (, , Old Prussian: ''Perkūns'', ''Perkunos'', Sudovian language, Yotvingian: ''Parkuns'', Latgalian language, Latgalian: ''Pārkiuņs'') was the common Baltic languages, Baltic List of thunder gods, god of thunder, and the second m ...

, the Thunder, the main god. ("dievaitis") (

Parjanya Parjanya (, ) according to the Vedas is a deity of rain, thunder, lightning, and the one who fertilizes the earth. It is another epithet of Indra, the Vedic deity of the sky and heaven. Description It is assumed Parjanya is the udder and lightning ...

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

in Vedic

). *Praamžius, Praamžis, Pramšans, Pramžimas, Praamžimas, an

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

of Dievas (the chief god); probably of later literary origin."Praamžius". Mitologijos enciklopedija, vol. 2. Vilnius. Vaga. 1999. 291 p. * Saulė, the Sun Goddess (

Surya Surya ( ; , ) is the Sun#Dalal, Dalal, p. 399 as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchaya ...

in Vedic hinduism) *Vakarinė, goddess of the Evening Star. *Vėjopatis, god of the wind and master of Dausos (paradise) * Žemyna, goddess, the deified soil (

Thracian The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...

''Zemele;'' Zamin in Persian and Hindi for "land"). *Žvaigždės (

singular Singular may refer to: * Singular, the grammatical number that denotes a unit quantity, as opposed to the plural and other forms * Singular or sounder, a group of boar, see List of animal names * Singular (band), a Thai jazz pop duo *'' Singula ...

: žvaigždė), stars. Saulė (the sun) is their mother and sometimes with the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

as their father. One of the most important stars is

. Other stars, Aušrinė's sisters, are less important, but they sometimes appear in mythic stories too. Especially notable ones are Vakarinė or Vakarė (the evening Venus, who makes the bed for Saulė), ''Indraja'' (

indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

, the hindu devta) (Jupiter), ''Sėlija'' (

shani Shani (, ), or Shanaishchara (, ), is the divine personification of the planet Saturn in Hinduism, and is one of the nine heavenly objects ( Navagraha) in Hindu astrology. Shani is also a male Hindu deity in the Puranas, whose iconography cons ...

, the hindu devta) (Saturn), ''Žiezdrė'' (Mars), and ''Vaivora'' (Mercury).

Heroes and heroines

*Pajauta, the legendary princess of

Kernavė Kernavė was a medieval capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and today is a tourist attraction and an archeological site (population 238, 2021). It is located in the Širvintos district municipality located in southeast Lithuania. A Lithuanian ...

Jūratė and Kastytis Jūratė and Kastytis (Lithuanian language, Lithuanian: ''Jūratė ir Kastytis'') is one of the most famous and popular Lithuanian legends and tales. The first time it was recorded was in 1842, in the writings of . Since then it has been adapted ...

are heroes of a Lithuanian legend, which subsequently became popular, mostly because of its modern poetic interpretation by

Maironis Maironis (born Jonas Mačiulis, ; – 28 June 1932) was a Lithuanians, Lithuanian Roman Catholic priest and the greatest and most-known Lithuanian poet, especially of the period of the Lithuanian press ban. He was called the Bard of Lithuanian Na ...

. The queen of the amber palace

Jūratė Jūratė is a Lithuanian female given name. People named Jūratė include: * Jūratė Kiaupienė (born 1947), Lithuanian historian * Jūratė Ladavičiūtė (born 1985), Lithuanian freestyle swimmer * Jūratė Trimakaitė (born 1987), Lithuani ...

may be considered a manifestation of the goddess of Sea in this legend.

Local and nature spirits

*Ežerinis, a spirit of lakes *Javinė, a household goddess who protects

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G ...

s. *Jievaras, a household spirit who protects grain. Sacrifices to Jievaras are made after the

rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...

harvest. While cutting grain, women would leave a few grain tufts uncut, which would later be braided into plaits. They would also leave some

bread and salt Bread and salt are offered to guests in a ceremony of welcome in cultures around the world. This pair of foods is particularly significant in Slavs, Slavic countries, but is also notable in Nordic race, Nordic, Balts, Baltic, Balkan and other E ...

under the plait, and would say: ''Davei manei, Žemele, duodame ir tau'' ( ougave for us, Mother Earth, we are giving for you too), a request for the land to continue to be fruitful. *Kupolė, the spirit of springtime vegetation and flowers. The Festival of Kupolė (Kupolinės) was associated with Feast of

St. John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

(

Joninės Saint Jonas' Festival, also known as ''Rasos'' (''Dew Holiday''), ''Joninės'', ''Kupolė'', Midsummer Day or Saint John's Day) is a midsummer folk festival celebrated on 24 June all around Lithuania. The celebrations often involve flower wreat ...

). In this festival, women picked sacral herbs, danced and sang songs. Kupolinės is also known as Rasos. Compare this with Ziedu māte in

Latvian mythology Latvian mythology is the collection of myths that have emerged throughout the history of Latvia, sometimes being elaborated upon by successive generations, and at other times being rejected and replaced by other explanatory narratives. These myt ...

, Kupala in Polish mythology and Ivan Kupala in

Russian mythology Slavic paganism, Slavic mythology, or Slavic religion refer to the religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and the 13th century. The South Slavs, who ...

*Laukų dvasios (spirits of fields), spirits, who were running through the fields. When crops in the fields waved in the wind, people saw them as being the actions of spirits. Laukų dvasios include Nuogalis, Kiškis (hare), Meška (bear), Lapė (fox), Katinas (tomcat), Bubis, Bubas, Bubė, Baubas, Babaužis, Bobas, Maumas (bugaboo), Raudongalvis (red-headed), Raudongerklis (red-throated), Žaliaakis (green-eyed), Paplėštakis, Guda, Dizikas, Smauglys (boa), Ruginis (spirit of rye), Papiokė, Pypalas, Žebris, Arklys (horse), Vilkas (wolf). *Upinis, a spirit of rivers

Various lower beings

*Kaukas, spirits similar to leprechauns. * Laumė, a fairy-like female creature (

pixie A pixie (also called pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, piskie, or pigsie in parts of Cornwall and Devon) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are speculated to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas around Devon and Cor ...

s). Described as white and blue as the sky itself. Good spirit, very friendly with the Earth and Nature gods. However, if anyone tried to use them for personal gain, their punishment would be severe. *Nykštukas,

gnome A gnome () is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors, including those of modern fantasy literature. They are typically depict ...

s. *Vėlės, spirits of dead human beings.

"Demonic" beings

* Aitvaras, a household spirit bringing both good and bad luck *Baubas, an evil spirit with long lean arms, wrinkly fingers and red eyes. He harasses people and tears their hair or stifles them. To children, he is the equivalent of the boogeyman of the English-speaking countries. A misbehaving child could be told by the parents: "Behave, or baubas will come and get you". Also it could be described as a black and dark creature living under the carpet or in some dark spot of the house. *Giltinė – goddess of death, also The Reaper. Other names include Kaulinyčia, Maras (

black death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

or the Plague), Maro mergos, Kolera, Pavietrė, Kapinių žmogus. Her sacred bird is the owl. Sometimes she was considered to be a sister of

(luck). *, Lithuanian and Latvian word for

witch Witchcraft is the use of magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meaning. According to ''Enc ...

. *Slogutis means pain, misery or nightmare. Also can mean fear or bad feelings. *Pinčiukas or Pinčukas; the word literally means "inhabitant of

Pinsk Pinsk (; , ; ; ; ) is a city in Brest Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Pinsk District, though it is administratively separated from the district. It is located in the historical region of Polesia, at the confluence of t ...

" in Lithuanian (cf. " Pinchuk"). Bronislava Kerbelytė, in her work on classification of "devilish" beings in Lithuanian folklore remarks that often a stranger was seen as an evil being; on particular, "pinchuks" from Belarus were seen as strangers. She writes that in one East Lithuanian legend a ''pinčiukas'' was doing mischiefs. The devil Pinčiukas was popularized by the novel '' Baltaragis's Mill'' by Kazys Boruta, especially when it was turned into the first Soviet

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

and

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

'' Devil's Bride''. There Pinčiukas is a comic character: lazy, easily deceived, vengeful. *Žiburinis, a scary forest spirit that appears as a phosphorescent skeleton.

Holy places and things

*Dausos or Dangus, the home of good souls. Dausos is on a high mountain ( Latvian Debeskalns, or Norse

Valhalla In Norse mythology, Valhalla ( , ; , )Orchard (1997:171–172) is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. There were five possible realms the soul could travel to after death. The first was Fólkvang ...

), between two rivers. There are golden apple-trees in the Dausos garden. Day in the garden is perpetual but outside its confines is perpetual night. Master of Dausos is Vėjopatis (Lord of the wind) or Vėjas (Wind) who is also one of the oldest gods in Lithuanian mythology. Vėjas is identical to

Vayu Vayu (; ), also known as Vata () and Pavana (), is the Hindu deities, Hindu god of the winds as well as the divine messenger of the gods. In the ''Vedic scriptures'', Vayu is an important deity and is closely associated with Indra, the king o ...

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

. Auštaras and Vėjopatis are keepers of Dausos's gates (Dausų Vartai). While Auštaras shows the way for good souls, Vėjas (Vėjopatis) blows bad souls into oblivion.

Names by written sources

Earliest Rus' chronicles

Some names from Lithuanian mythology are also found in

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...

chronicles of the 13th century. These deities were secretly worshiped by

King of Lithuania This is a list of Lithuanian monarchs who ruled Lithuania from its inception until the fall of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1795. The Lithuanian monarch bore the title of Grand Duke, with the exception of Mindaugas, who was crowned king in 1 ...

Mindaugas Mindaugas (, , , , ; c. 1203 – 12 September 1263) was the first known grand duke of Lithuania, Grand Duke of Lithuania and the only crowned King of Lithuania. Little is known of his origins, early life, or rise to power; he is mentioned in a ...

after his baptism. Rus' chronicles are considered the best source of information about the ancient Lithuanian pantheon worshiped by nobles and the military. * Sovijus in 13th-century Rus' chronicles was a person who introduced the pagan custom of burning bodies after death, according to studies by

Gintaras Beresnevičius Gintaras Beresnevičius (July 8, 1961 in Kaunas – August 6, 2006 in Vilnius) was a Lithuanian historian of religions specializing in Baltic mythology. He together with Norbertas Vėlius is considered to be the best specialist in Lithuanian my ...

. *Žvoruna (Zvoruna) was a

euphemism A euphemism ( ) is when an expression that could offend or imply something unpleasant is replaced with one that is agreeable or inoffensive. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the u ...

for the hunting and forest goddess like Roman Diana. Her name is connected with wild animals. There was mentioned in chronicle that she is a bitch, it means that her

zoomorphic The word ''zoomorphism'' derives from and . In the context of art, zoomorphism could describe art that imagines humans as non-human animals. It can also be defined as art that portrays one species of animal like another species of animal or art ...

shape is female dog. * Medeina (Medeinė) is another euphemism of the hunting and forest goddess. Medeina also was mentioned in the 16th century by J. Lasicki. She was worshiped by King Mindaugas and represented military interest of warriors. *Teliavelis (Televelis) was a powerful smith who made the sun and threw it to the sky. This myth survived in folk tales in the beginning of the 20th century. Some scholars, like K. Būga, tried to prove that Televelis is incorrectly written Kalvelis (smith diminutive in Lithuanian). Teliavelis has connections with Finnish

Ilmarinen Ilmarinen () is a god and archetypal artificer from Finnish mythology. He is immortal and capable of creating practically anything. In addition, he is described as working the known metals of the time, including brass, copper, iron, gold, and sil ...

. *Andajus (Andajas, Andojas, etc.) was mentioned in medieval chronicles as the supreme deity. It may be euphemism for Dievas. It is mentioned in chronicle that warriors invoke Andajus in battle. *Nonadievis (Nunadievis; etimologized by some scholars as Numadievis) is an incorrectly written name of the supreme god or just another euphemism. *Perkūnas was the god of thunder, one of the most powerful deities. Perkūnas survived in popular belief and folk tales until the 20th century. *Diviriks is thought to be one of Perkūnas' euphemisms, meaning "leader of gods".

Martynas Mažvydas

Martynas Mažvydas Martynas Mažvydas (1510 – 21 May 1563) was a Protestant author who edited the first printed book in the Lithuanian language. Variants of his name include Martinus Masvidius, Martinus Maszwidas, M. Mossuids Waytkūnas, Mastwidas, Mažvyda ...

in his Latin introduction to '' Catechismusa Prasty Szadei'' (1547) urged the people to abandon their pagan ways and mentioned the following gods: *

(Percuno) – god of thunder *Laukosargas (Laucosargus) – god of grains and other agricultural plants *Žemėpatis (Semepates) – god of cattle and other farm animals *Aitvaras and kaukas (Eithuaros and Caucos) – evil spirits

Maciej Stryjkowski

Maciej Stryjkowski Maciej Stryjkowski (also referred to as Strykowski and Strycovius;Nowa encyklopedia powszechna PWN. t. 6, 1997 – ) was a Polish historian, writer and a poet, known as the author of ''Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia and all of Rutheni ...

(1547–1593) – Polish–Lithuanian historian and author of ''Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia and all Russia''. In this work, Stryjkowski provided two lists of gods, one Old Prussian and another Lithuanian. He listed 16 Lithuanian gods: #Prakorimas (Prokorimos) – the supreme deity. Stryjkowski elaborated that people used to sacrifice white cocks to Prakorimas. Their flesh was divided into three pieces: one for peasants, another for pagan priests (Lithuanian: ''žynys''), and a third for burning. Stryjkowski pointed out that Prakorimas was similar to the Prussian supreme god Okopirmas. #Rūgutis (Ruguczis) – god of fermentation and fermented foods #Žemininkas (Ziemennik) – god of land and agriculture. The cult of the žaltys (grass snake) is associated with the cult of Žemininkas. #Krūminė (Kruminie Pradziu Warpu) – deity of ears, provider of crops #Lietuvonis (Lituwanis) – god of rain #Kauriraris (Chaurirari) – deity of war and warhorses. The name etymology is unclear. Vladimir Toporov suggested that it is derived from the Lithuanian word ''kaurai'' (fur), while

Wilhelm Mannhardt Wilhelm Mannhardt (March 26, 1831, Friedrichstadt – December 25, 1880, Danzig) was a German mythologist and folklorist. He is known for his work on Germanic mythology Germanic mythology consists of the body of myths native to the Germani ...

argued it stems from ''karas'' (war). #Sutvaras (Sotwaros) – god of all cattle #Šeimos dievas (Seimi Dewos) – god of family #Upinis dievas (Upinis Dewos) – god of rivers #Bubilas – god of honey and bees #Didis Lado (Dzidzis Lado) – the great god. Festivities, songs, and dances in his honor lasted from May 25 to June 25. There are doubts whether this represents an actual god. #Gulbis (Gulbi Dzievos) – the good spirit of every human, guardian angel #Ganiklis (Goniglis Dziewos) – god of herds and shepherds #Šventpaukštinis (Swieczpunscynis) – god of all domesticated and wild birds. People did not offer sacrifices to him as he was a free spirit. #Kelių dievas (Kielu Dziewos) – god of roads, trade and travel #Pušaitis or Puškaitis (Puszajtis) – deity of land, dwelling in elder bushes and commanding

chthonic In Greek mythology, deities referred to as chthonic () or chthonian () were gods or spirits who inhabited the underworld or existed in or under the earth, and were typically associated with death or fertility. The terms "chthonic" and "chthonian" ...

dwarfs (barstukas)

Jan Łasicki

Jan Łasicki (Lasicius) was a Polish Protestant activist. He wrote a treatise on

idolatry Idolatry is the worship of an idol as though it were a deity. In Abrahamic religions (namely Judaism, Samaritanism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith) idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than the Abrahamic ...

''About the gods of Samogitians, other Sarmatians, and false Christians'' (''De diis Samagitarum caeterorumque Sarmatarum et falsorum Christianorum'', written ca. 1582 and published in 1615). This 18-page treatise contained a lists of 76 Lithuanian gods with brief description of their functions. Łasicki obtained most of his information from Łaszkowski, a Polish lesser noble who worked as a royal land surveyor. The list contained very minor deities, representing everyday household items. Łasicki was also not intimately familiar with Lithuanian culture or language. Therefore, the academic opinion on the list ranges from a valuable resource to a practical joke designed to poke fun of

Christian saints In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...

through an inverted mirror. Deities mentioned by Jan Łasicki were: # Aukštėjas (Auxtheias Vissagistis) – a

for the supreme god. Derived from the Lithuanian word ''aukštas'' (high). # Žemėpatis (Zemopacios) # Perkūnas (Percunos) – god of thunder # Audros – god of storms # Algis # Aušra (Ausca) – the morning star (

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

). Her other name was

. # Bežlėja (Bezlea) # Brėkšta (Breksta) – goddess of twilight. Also could be a euphemism for Vakarė. # Ligyčius (Ligiczus) # Datanus # Kirnis (Kirnus) – local god of cherries # Kremata – god of hogs # Pyzius (Pizio) – god of spouses # Medeina (Modeina et Ragaina) – goddess of forest and hunting # Kerpyčius and Šilinytis (Kierpiczus and Siliniczus) – gods of forest,

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

es and

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

s # Tavalas (Tavvals) – deity of physical strength.

noted that this deity could be the same as medieval Teliavelis. # Orthus # Ežerinis (Ezernim) – spirit or deity of lakes. Derived from ''ežeras'' (lake). # Sidžius, Simonaitis and Ventis Rekičionis (Simonaitem, Sidzium, Ventis Rekicziouum) – spirits worshiped by individual noble families # Karvaitis Ėraitinis (Kurvvaiczin Eraiczin) – deity of calves and lambs # Gardūnytis (Gardunithis) – protector of newly born lambs # Prigirstytis (Prigirstitis) – can hear whispers # Derintojas (Derfintos) # Bentis # Laukpatis (Lavukpatimo) # Priparšis (Priparscis) # Ratainyčia (Ratainicza) – god of horses # Valgina (Walgina) – god of cattle # Krikštas (Kriksthos) – protector of tombstones # Apydėmė (Apidome) – deity of changed residence. The name is also known from hand-written collection of sermons from 1573. # Kriukis (Krukis) – deity of pigs # Lazdona (Lasdona) – goddess of

hazelnuts The hazelnut is the nut (fruit), fruit of the hazel, hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus ''Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species ''Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or fil ...

# Bubilas (Babilos) – household god of bees, husband of Austėja # Žemyna (Zemina) – goddess of land and agriculture # Austėja (Austheia) – household goddess of bees, often presented as wife of Bubilas # Deuoitis # Vetustis # Guboi and Tvverticos # Veliuona (Vielona) – goddess of death # Warpulis # Salaus – no function recorded by Łasicki. # Šluotražis (Szlotrazis) – no function recorded by Łasicki. The name is derived from ''šluota'' (broom). # Tiklis – no function recorded by Łasicki. # Beržulis (Birzulis) – no function recorded by Łasicki. Based on etymology, it could be a god of

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

es and birch sap. # Šeryčius (Siriczus) – no function recorded by Łasicki. The name is possibly derived from ''šerti'' (feed). # Dvargantis (Dvvargonth) – no function recorded by Łasicki. # Klamals – no function recorded by Łasicki. # Atlaibas (Atlaibos) – no function recorded by Łasicki. # Numeias # Ublanyčia (Vblanicza) – patron of beggars # Dugnai – spirit of flour # Pesseias # Trotytojas kibirkščių (Tratitas Kirbixtu) – deity of spark, fire # Alabathis # Polengabia # Užpelenė (Aspelenie) # Budintojas (Budintaia) # Matergabiae # Raugo Žemėpatis (Rauguzemapati) – deity of sourdough, leaven and fermentation # Luibegeldas # Ziemennik # Vaižgantas (Waizganthos) – a god of flax # Gabija (Gabie) – goddess of household fire # Smik smik per velėną (Smik Smik Perleuenu) – a phrase rather than a being # Ežiagalis (Ezagulis) – god of death # Aitvaras (Aitvvaros) # Kaukas (Kaukie) # Gyvatė (Giuoitos) – black snake (see also žaltys) # Srutis and Miechutele – deities of paint and color

Matthäus Prätorius

Deities mentioned by Matthäus Prätorius (1635–1704) were: * Žalius (Zallus) – god of disagreement * Žėlius (Zelus) – god of grass * Šulininis (Szullinnijs) – god of wells * Bangpūtys, Vėjopatis, Bičbirbis, Giltinė, Gota, Jaučių Baubis, Karvaitis, Ėraitis, Skalsa, Biržulis / Beržulis, Prigirstytis / Girystis, Ligyčius / Lygėjus, Kelio dievas / Kelukis * Drebkulis and Magyla - Prussian Lithuanian * Gabjauja (Gabvartas)

Theodor Narbutt

Polish-Lithuanian historian Theodor Narbutt wrote the ten-volume work ''History of the Lithuanian Nation'' (''Dzieje starożytne narodu litewskiego'') between 1835 and 1841. The first volume contained a description of Lithuanian mythology. However, modern historians have accused Narbutt of falsifying historical facts and reporting speculations. Thus, some gods mentioned only by Narbutt and unknown from other sources are usually treated as inventions of the author.

Male deities

*Praamžius (Pramżimas) – highest god, determines the fate of people, world, and other gods *Ukapirmas (Okkapirmas) – preceded time, his feast is celebrated on December 25 *Viršaitis (Wirszajtos) – protected household, domestic animals. Narbutt claimed that he was equivalent to Auxtejas Wissagistis mentioned by Łasicki and to Roman

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant, with an average radius of about 9 times that of Earth. It has an eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 tim ...

(Perkunas) – thunder god *Kovas (Kawas) – god of war *Ragutis – god of beer, vodka, mead *Santvaras or Sotvaras (Sotwaros) – god of daylight, poets, doctors *Atrimpas (Atrimpos) – god of sea and water *Gardaitis (Gardeoldiis) – god of wind, storm, protector of ships *Poklius (Poklus) – god of death and underworld *Kriukis (Krugis) – god of smiths *Žiemininkas (Ziemienikas) – god of earth, harvest, and darkness *Patelas (Patelo) – flying god of air, similar to an angel *Šneibratas (Sznejbrato) – god of birds and hunting *Kibirai (Kabiry) – a trinity

Female deities

*Praurimė (Praurime) – goddess of sacred fire, she was served by vaidilutės *Lada (Lado) – the great goddess, Rasos festival is dedicated to her *Budtė (Budte) – goddess of wisdom *Laima (Lajma) – goddess of fate *Pelenų Gabija (Polengabia) – goddess of fireplaces *Moterų Gabija (Matergabia) – goddess of bread and bakery * Perkūnaitėlė (Perkunatele) – wife of Perkūnas *Pilvytė (Pilwite) – goddess of money, riches, and good luck *Lietuva (Liethua) – goddess of freedom, pleasure, joy *Veliuona (Wellona) – goddess of eternity, afterlife *Pergrubė (Pergrubie) – goddess of spring, flowers, gardens * Milda – goddess of love, courtship *Krūminė (Krumine) – goddess of grain, agriculture *Nijolė (Nijola) – mistress of the underworld, wife of Poklius *Alabatis – goddess of flax *Aušra (Ausssra) – morning goddess *Bezelea – evening goddess *Brėkšta (Brekszta) – goddess of darkness and dreams *Kruonis (Kronis) – goddess of time *Užsparinė (Usparinia) – goddess of land borders *Verpėja (Werpeja) – weaver of the thread of life *Gondu – goddess of weddings *Upinė (Upine) – goddess of rivers, springs *Ratainyčia (Ratajniczu) – goddess protecting horses *Valginė (Walgina) – goddess protecting domestic animals *Luobo gelda (Lajbegelda) – goddess of knowledge and rumors *Mėšlų boba (Mahslu baba) – goddess of garbage *Budintoja – spirit that wakes sleeping people *Austėja (Austheja) – goddess of bees *Ragutiene Pati (Ragutenapati) – wife of Ragutis *Žemės Motina (Zemmes mahti) – goddess of underground, responsible for lost items *Gaila (Gajla) – spirit torturing people and animals *Neris – nymph of Neris River *Dugnė (Dugna) – nymph of rivers *Ragana – goddess of trees *Lazdona – goddess of hazelnut *Medziojna – goddess of forests *Pajauta – worshiped woman, daughter of Duke Kernius, wife of

Živinbudas Živinbudas was one of the five senior Lithuanian dukes mentioned in the treaty with Halych-Volhynia in 1219. The treaty lists a total of 21 dukes, five of them being elder or superior. Since Živinbudas is mentioned first in the list, it is pres ...

* Birutė (Biruta) – worshiped woman, wife of

Kęstutis Kęstutis ( – 3 or 15 August 1382) was sole Duke of Trakai from 1342 to 1382 and List of Lithuanian monarchs, Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1342 to 1382, together with his brother Algirdas (until 1377), and with his nephew Jogaila (from 1377 to ...

Other written sources

This section contains those names of Lithuanian and Prussian gods or other mythical beings that are mentioned in old treatises on history or philosophy, sometimes accompanied by brief descriptions, and which are known from a few independent sources or from their counterparts under different names in later collections of myths and tales. *Dimstipatis (mentioned by Jokūbas Lavinskis), is a masculine deity (

genius loci In classical Roman religion, a ''genius loci'' (: ''genii locorum'') was the protective spirit of a place. It was often depicted in religious iconography as a figure holding attributes such as a cornucopia, patera (libation bowl), or snake. Man ...

). It is a household god, the guardian of

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

s and caretaker of the hearth. People sacrificed

rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

s and black hens to the deity. The birds were boiled; later people would gather around the kettle and eat the birds. The bones were burned. Sometimes Dimstipatis is reconstructed as a god of housewives, to whom pigs were

sacrifice Sacrifice is an act or offering made to a deity. A sacrifice can serve as propitiation, or a sacrifice can be an offering of praise and thanksgiving. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Gree ...

d. Dimstipatis was also seen as a power protecting from fires. * Dirvolika, Nosolus (Jesuit reports from 1605) *Pagirnis (Jesuit reports from 1605) *Baukuris (Kraziu kolegijos) *Velinas (mentioned by Konstantinas Sirvydas) *Javinė (Jawinne by Jacob Brodowski) *Laima ( Daniel Klein in 1666)

Other names

Names of figures that were more marginal in Lithuanian mythology or less known from existing sources are put here. In fact they denote some spirits or local deities that do not play a main role in the mythology of Lithuanians. *Blizgulis, a god of snow. His name means "He who sparkles." *Junda, Goddess of War *Baubis, a household god of meat and

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

. *Divytis, a god-like hero of fishermen legends. Fishermen at sea sang songs about Divytis. *Gardaitis, a god (a spirit?) of ships and sailors. *Jagaubis, a household spirit of fire and the furnace. *Rasa, Kupolė's and Kaupolis' daughter. She is the goddess of summer's greenage and flowers. *Mokas, a stone with an ability to teach people, sometimes they are found in families - with wife Mokienė and children Mokiukas