Lithuanian Mythology Part 6: Laima
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- Welcome to part 6 of our series on Lithuanian mythology!
In this episode we tell the story of Laima, Goddess of Fate, Destiny and Luck in the Lithuanian Pantheon.
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Wow, i just noticed now recent these uploads are! Ive been living in Lithuania for three years now, and these are exactly the kind of videos ive been looking for!
Thank you for producing and sharing :D
Please make mode videos on baltic mythology ❤
Please make one on the goddess Milda
There are 3 sisters - 3 goddesses of fate and destiny. Laima is the youngest and the most beautiful, her name is asociated with happiness (laimė) and usually helps to achieve it; the more mature woman is Dalia (Fate), which could lead the life in other way, and the oldest is Giltinė (Reaper) which wisely ends the lives. Some rituals to atract Laima and avoid Giltinė are still used in festivals; the worshipping of Dalia is weakest nowdays. In many tales young man (the third youngiest brother or young orphan girl ) seeks to catch Laimės paukštė (the bird of Happiness) and after the hero succeeds there are 2 endings: Laimės paukštė becomes a beautiful girl (mergelė) and wedding takes place or the Laimės paukštė is eaten and gives forever happiness.
Anksčiau sakydavo ne kokia tavo sėkmė, o kokia tavo laima, ką tau lėmė likmias. Žodžiai "palaiminti", "lemtis", "palaima", "nelaimė" yra bendrašakniai.
In old days it was customary to use word laima meaning luck or destiny (it's his laima). Lthuanian words "to bless" (palaiminti), "destiny" (lemtis) and "bliss" (palaima) have the same root.
Thanks
Laima is also related to a cuckoo and a linden tree (the same way as Perkunas is related to an eagle and an oak tree). It was believed that she can turn into that bird and tell the fortune of the man, she even can tell how long will you live (if you are stupid enough to ask). I just remebered a joke from Soviet times about it.
Belorussian partisans going through the thick Beloviezh forest in spring and stopped after hearing a cuckoo's song. One of them did ask a cuckoo:
- Cuckoo, cuckoo, tell me how long will I live?
The answer followed immediatelly:
- Eins kucku, zwei kucku, drei kucku...
Even now the superstition about having even a smallest coin in your pocket when you hear a cuckoo is still alive. It is used to say that in that case you will have no shortage of money this year.
This is great! Thanks.
yep my mom still believes very much about having coins in her pocket every spring if the cuckoo starts cuckooing xD