Perkūnas: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:30, 8 February 2007

Revision as of 21:32, 8 February 2007

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In songs about a "heavenly wedding" [[Saulė]] (the Sun) cheats on Perkūnas with [[Mėnulis]] (the Moon); Perkūnas splits Mėnulis in half with a sword. According to another, more popular, version, Mėnulis cheats on the Sun with [[Aušrinė]] (the morning star) just after the wedding, and Perkūnas punishes it. However, it does not learn and repeats the [[adultery]] and is punished again every month. Other explanations say it is why the Sun shines during the day and the Moon at night. Though divorced, both want to see their daughter [[Žemyna]] (the Earth).

In other songs Perkūnas, on the way to the wedding of [[Aušra]] (dawn; the daughter of the Sun), strikes a golden oak, (most likely in order to expel evil spirits - velnias or snakes - that usually hide below the roots of an oak). The oak is a tree of the thunder god in the [[Baltic mythology]]. Lithuanian ''Perkūno ąžuolas'' or Latvian ''Pērkona ozols'' ("oak of Perkūnas") is mentioned in a source dated to the first half of the [[19th century]]).

Other myths say that Perkūnas and one [[Laumė]] (or [[Vaiva]] ([[rainbow]]) in some other accounts) were supposed to get married on Thursday, but the bride was kidnapped by [[velnias]] (devil) and Perkūnas hunts velnias ever since.