Page:The Mythology of All Races Vol 3 (Celtic and Slavic).djvu/485

Rh Russian and Slovak folk-tales the sun is represented as a ruler of twelve realms, or as served by twelve maidens, ever young and fair.$10$ The real destroyer of the tower was Perkunas, god of thunder and the chief Baltic deity; and in this connexion it may be noted that the Lithuanian name for a prehistoric celt is Perkúno kulka ("Perkunas's ball"), a term which, like Perkúno akmuú ("Perkúnas's stone"), is also applied to a belemnite. The parallel with the hammer of Thor in Eddie mythology at once suggests itself.

The other myth is still briefer. Perkune Tete, "mother of lightning and thunder," we are told,$11$ receives at night the weary, dusty sun, whom she sends forth on the morrow, bathed and shining.

We have seen the difficulties with which Baltic national consciousness was forced to contend. It was not until the rise of the Lithuanian poet Christian Donalitius (1714-80) that any real literature could be created either in Lithuanian or in Lettish; Prussian was long since dead.$12$ Then attention was directed to the rich store of folk-songs in both the living languages, and their treasures became available for mythological investigation,$13$ the foremost name in this study being that of Wilhelm Mannhardt.$14$ Late as these dáinos are, the mythological material which they contain is very old, far antedating the introduction of Christianity and presenting a point of view prior to the thirteenth century;$15$ and though, as we shall see, certain Christian changes and substitutions have been made, these are not sufficient to cause serious confusion. Unfortunately our material is restricted to myths of the sun, moon, and stars, although surely there had once been myths of other natural phenomena, especially as we are told that when the Aurora Borealis appears, the Murgi or lohdi (spirits of the air and souls of the dead) are battling, or that the souls of warriors are engaged in combat.$16$ It is inconceivable that, with the wealth of Baltic deities of very diverse functions, no myths were associated with at least some of them.