The Mythical Flight Paths of Lake Sauka
Volume 15 (2011): Archaeology, Religion and Folklore in the Baltic Sea Region, pp. 31–34
Pub. online: 20 September 2011
Type: Article
Open Access
Received
18 December 2008
18 December 2008
Revised
4 April 2011
4 April 2011
Accepted
16 May 2011
16 May 2011
Published
20 September 2011
20 September 2011
Abstract
Lake Sauka is the largest lake in the district of Augšzeme in Latvia. It features very often in tales and legends, which mostly relate the story of its flight and its settling down in its present location. The nearest place from where it might have flown is approximately 30 kilometres away, but the most distant place is about 70 kilometres away. The places of origin, flight routes and conditions of settling down mentioned in numerous tales, when confronted with modern knowledge about the layout of archaeological sites, allow us to see yet unknown connections between the mythical world reflected in tales, and the real world represented by the relief and by archaeological sites.