Mother-Goddess Žemyna in the context of Baltic deities

Tyrimo objektas: lietuvių deivė Žemyna ir jos santykis su kitomis baltų deivėmis, susijusiomis su chtoniškąja mitinio pasaulio sfera, turinčiomis mitinės Motinos bruožų. Straipsnis skaidomas į dvi dalis. Pirmojoje dalyje kalbama apie Žemynos sąsajas su aisčių Dievų motina, trakų-frigų Semele, taip pat apžvelgiamos tokios deivės kaip latvių Žemės motė, Mara, lietuvių, latvių Laima bei Laumė ir lietuvių Austėja. Antroji šio straipsnio dalis bus publikuojama kitame „Liaudies kultūros“ numeryje. Tikslai: atskleisti žemės deivės ryšį ir bendrus bruožus su kitomis baltų deivėmis, pademonstruoti jos vietą ir vaidmenį moteriškųjų dievybių kontekste. Metodai: rekonstrukcijos, struktūrinis-tipologinis, lyginamasis-istorinis. Išvados: Žemyna galėjusi būti viena svarbiausių baltų deivių, įkūnijusia charakteringiausius moteriškos chtoninės dievybės, paprastai kvalifikuojamos kaip Žemė motina ar Deivė motina, požymius. Kai kuriuos chtoniškumo ar mitinės Motinos ypatumus įžvelgiame ir kitose baltų deivėse.In this paper Laurinkienė focuses on the Lithuanian Goddess Žemyna (cites the earliest sources in which she is mentioned and defines her functions) and her relation to other Baltic Goddesses associated with the chthonic realm of the mythic world and to which the features of the mythic Mother are attributed. The paper is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the links between Žemyna, the Aistian Mother of Gods and the Thraco-Phrygian Semele. Furthermore, such deities are discussed as the Latvian Mother of Earth, Mara, Lithuanian and Latvian Laima and Laumė, and Lithuanian Austėja. The second part of the paper will appear in the following edition of the journal Liaudies kultūra (Folk Culture). It aims at pinning down the relation between Žemyna and other Baltic Goddesses and describing her status as well as role in the context of female deities. The earliest (I c.) female Baltic deity mentioned in a written source (by Tacitus) is the Goddess of Gods (mater deum) who could be identified with Žemyna. They both have distinct maternal qualities and the status of the divine mother. Both were venerated by peasants and associated with the chtonic animal, boar or pig. All the other Goddesses evoked in the paper, that is to say the Latvian Mother of Earth, Mara, Lithuanian, Latvian and Prussian Laima and Laumė, as well as Lithuanian Austėja also functioned as divine Mothers. As of the prehistoric times motherhood was revered as the fundamental female function, as the essence of womanhood both in real women and in the surrounding world. All the discussed Goddesses posses some of the characteristics of the chthonic Goddess. The Mother of the Earth, Mara, protected the dead. She was also prominent in the areas of agriculture and stock-raising. Laima and Laumė were also associated with agriculture, whereas Austėja protected bees as the field of a sedentary agricultural activity