Stones-Goddesses in Granaries
Volume 15 (2011): Archaeology, Religion and Folklore in the Baltic Sea Region, pp. 56–60
Pub. online: 20 September 2011
Type: Article
Open Access
Open Access
Received
20 December 2010
20 December 2010
Revised
4 May 2011
4 May 2011
Accepted
16 May 2011
16 May 2011
Published
20 September 2011
20 September 2011
Abstract
The subject of this article is stones which were venerated in household surroundings. These stones that were kept in granaries were called goddesses (Deyues). Information about stones-goddesses is found in written sources on Baltic religion and mythology, mostly from reports by the Vilnius Jesuit College from the 17th and 18th centuries. The question arises: what deity is incarnate in theses stones, bearing in mind that the functions of the object are defined in relation to well-being in the home, full storage bins, the protection of grain and livestock?