2024, Volume 21, Issue 2
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Maria Viacheslavovna Zavyalova LITHUANIAN PETRONYMS IN THE MYTHOLOGICAL CONTEXT
For citation Received on 30 April 2024 Abstract: The article examines the names of Lithuanian stones regarded as sacred and the legends associated with them. Researchers estimate that there are approximately 500 such stones in Lithuania. Popular beliefs link many of these stones with pagan deities and Christian saints, attributing to them the abilities to move, speak, teach, heal, advise, lend money, and even form families and have children. Evidence of stone worship during pagan times is reflected in their names, which often reference both chthonic figures and Christian saints, and may also be associated with the names of animals and people. The article systematically analyses these cases, considering legends about the stones’ origins, relevant historical evidence, and archaeological and folklore data. Lithuanian legends regarding the naming of stones suggest that those now bearing Christian names may have originally had pagan ones. The “baptism” of some stones by bestowing Christian names upon them not only alters some of their properties but is also believed to stop their growth and movement. The analysis leads to the conclusion that the mythological perception of stones has evolved over time. Historical data indicate that in pagan antiquity, stones were identified with deities, serving simultaneously as altars and idols. With the advent of Christianity, the focus shifted, and stones that were once venerated began to be associated with figures from lower mythology, such as the devil, witches, and Laumės (woodland spirits). Folklore traditions classify stones as “otherworldly” objects, emphasizing their connection with the chthonic realm, the world of the dead, and the “unclean”. Keywords: Lithuanian mythology; Lithuanian folklore; sacred stone; petronym; naming; altar; idol; paganism Acknowledgements References Agapkina, T. A., Berezovich, E. L., & Surikova, O. D. (2019). Toponimiia zagovorov Russkogo Severa. III: Kamni [Toponymy of Charms of the Russian North. III: Stones]. Voprosy onomastiki, 16(2), 7–68. https://doi.org/10.15826/vopr_onom.2019.16.2.014 2019 Beresnevičius, G. (1990). Dausos: pomirtinio gyvenimo samprata senojoje lietuvių pasaulėžiūroje. Vilnius: Gimtinė. Eliade, M. (1999). Ocherki sravnitel’nogo religiovedeniia [Essays on Comparative Religion]. Moscow: Ladomir. Greimas, A. Ju. (2021). O bogakh i liudiakh: issledovaniia po litovskoi mifologii. V poiskakh narodnoi pamiati [Of Gods and Men: Research into Lithuanian Mythology. In Search of Folk Memory]. Moscow: Indrik. Ivanov, Vyach. Vs., & Toporov, V. N. (1983). K rekonstruktsii Mokoshi kak zhenskogo personazha v slavyanskoj versii osnovnogo mifa [Toward the Reconstruction of Mokosh as a Female Character in the Slavic Version of the Main Myth]. In Vyach. Vs. Ivanov (Ed.), Balto-slavianskie issledovaniia 1982 (pp. 175–197). Moscow: Nauka. Kerbelytė, B. (2000). Padavimai apie akmenis Mokus ir jų analogijos. Tautosakos darbai, 13(20), 29–34. Kuzavinis, K., & Savukynas, B. (1994). Lietuvių vardų kilmės žodynas. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidykla. Laurinkienė, N. (2004). Vaivorykštė lietuvių žodinėje tradicijoje. Tautosakos darbai, 20(27), 184–202. Matulis, R. (1990). Istoriniai akmenys. Vilnius: Eksperimentinė technikos paminklų restauravimo įmonė. Poznansky, N. (1995). Zagovory. Opyt issledovaniia proiskhozhdeniia i razvitiia zagovornykh formul [Charms. Researching the Origin and Development of Spells Formulas]. Moscow: Indrik. Tokarev, S. A. (Ed.). (1980–1982). Mify narodov mira: entsiklopediia [Myths of the Peoples of the World: Encyclopedia] (Vols. 1–2). Moscow: Sovetskaia entsiklopediia. Toporov, V. N. (1995). Bogi [Gods]. In N. I. Tolstoy (Ed.), Slavianskie drevnosti: etnolingvisticheskii slovar’ [Slavic Antiquities. Ethnolinguistic Dictionary] (Vol. 1, pp. 204–215). Moscow: Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniia. Vaitkevičius, V. (2003). Alkai. Baltų šventviečių studija. Vilnius: Diemedžio leidykla. Vasmer, M. (1996). Etimologicheskii slovar’ russkogo iazyka [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (Vols. 1–4). St Petersburg: Azbuka.
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