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Astronomical knowledge
Since the Zodiac is now
viewed as the product of the Indo-European culture [46], it is quite
probable that the Balts were familiar with it from a very early date.
Lithuanians were well acquainted with the 12 Zodiacal constellations
throughout which the Sun makes its annual journey. The Rivius chronicle
[47] says that in the 13th century in the ¦ventaragis valley, at the
confluence of the Neris and Vilnia rivers, there stood a Perkunas
temple which had 12 steps, each with an altar. Every month in
succsession, holly fire was burnt on one of the 12 altars. The latest
archaeological excavations in the basements of the Vilnius Cathedral
completely confirm this information [48]. However, the ancient
Lithuanian names of the Zodiacal constellations probably did not
survive to our days. Their names, recorded in the 17th century by M.
Sarbiewski [49], resemble translation from Latin. It is interesting to
note that in Lithuanian the planets are called ¸verynes (from ¸veris,
the beast). This probably means that planets always move along the
Zodiac, the beast circle [50].
Also, we have a collection
of unique Lithuanian constellation names which were recorded in
Lithuanian dictionaries by K. Sirvydas (C. Syrwid, 1620), P. Ruigys (P.
Ruhig, 1747), K. Milkus (Ch. G. Mielcke, 1800), G. B. F. Nesselmann
(1851), F. Kur¨aitis (F. Kurschat, 1868-1874), A. Ju¨ka (A. Jushkevich,
1897) and W. Kalwaitis (1888-1894, published in 1910). Part of these
names are still in use. These are:
Lithuanian name and translation Latin name
Gri¸ulo Ratai (Big Cart) Ursa Major
Perkuno Ratai (Thunder's Cart) Ursa Major
Kau¨as (Dipper) Ursa Major
Gri¸ulo Rateliai (Small Cart) Ursa Minor
Juostandis (Belt) Cassiopeia
Kulejai ir Spragilas (Threshers and Flail) Perseus?
Kelias i Ba¸nycia (Path to Church) Andromeda
Ba¸nycia or Stalas (Church or Table) Pegasus
Grebejos (Rakers) Taurus and Auriga?
Sietynas or Sietas (Lustre or Bolter) Pleiades
Dievo Dar¸elis (God's Garden) Hyades
¦ienpjoviai (Haymakers) Orion
Trys Sesutes (Three Sisters) Orion Belt
Artojas (Ploughman) ir Jauciai (Oxen) Leo and Gemini?
´agre (Plough) Cancer?
Biciu Spiecius (Swarm of Bees) Praesepe
Valgio Ne¨eja (Food-bearer, faminine) Virgo
Sejikas (Sower) Bootes and Coma Berenices?
Dar¸elis (Flower Garden) Corona Borealis
Dangaus Svarstykles (Heavenly Scales) Lyra-Cygnus-Aquila
Pauk¨ciu Takas (Way of Birds) Milky Way
Gerviu, ´asu Takas (Way of Cranes, Geese) Milky Way
Veliu Kelias (Road of Souls) Milky Way
The surviving names of the
brightest stars are not so numerous: ¦iaurine (the Northern star),
Polaris; Perkuno O¸ka (Thunder's Goat), Capella; Tikutis (no
translation), also Capella; Mergele (the Maiden), Spica and Skalikas
(Hound), Sirius. There are some unidentified star names.
Similar or the same names of
some constellations are still being used by Latvians [51]. The great
number and originality of names of constellations, stars and planets
demonstrate that the ancestors of the Baltic nations were well
acquainted with the starry sky.
Other celestial objects and
phenomena have specific Lithuanian names. Comets are called dangaus
ryk¨tes (the sky rods), Aurora Borealis are gaisai or pamenai (the
glow), circles around the Moon are drignes, meteors are krintancios
¸vaig¸des (the falling stars). Every man was believed to have his own
star in the sky. When the man dies, his star falls down. According to
another version, a meteor is a mythological creature aitvaras that
flies in the air bringing wealth to his owner. The rainbow (vaivoryk¨te
or Vaivos juosta, drignis) is a frequent personage of mythological
tales. The sky in Lithuanian is "dangus": this word originates from the
verb "dengti" (to cover).
It is quite possible that
more unique Lithuanian constellation names survived to our day, since
some constellations could have the same names as in Latin or Greek,
i.e. pre-historic Indo-European names. These names could have been
brought to the Baltics from Asia Minor or northern Mesopotamia 2500
B.C. by the people of the Corded Ware culture which would explain the
appearance in the Lithuanian sky of Lion, Dolphin, Scorpio and other
southern creatures. The strange frequency of lion (liutas, levas) in
the Lithuanian folk-tales, noted by Basanavicius [52], could be
explained in a similar way.
In adjusting the solar and
lunar calendar cycles, accurate measurements in the sky and the use of
special equipment were required. Properly educated people were also
needed for the task. Historians such as M. Praetorius, A. Rotund, M.
Stryjkowski and T. Narbutt present evidence that the motions of
heavenly bodies were being observed by special prophets (men and women)
called ¸vaig¸dininkas (a star man) or krivis (a priest). The
observations were needed to construct the calendar, to foresee
important astronomical events, and to appoint the time for sacrificial
rites. Crusader chronicles mention the Prussian prophets called
tullissones and ligaschones [53]. The prophets used to take part in
burial ceremonies, they observed the riding of souls on horseback
across "the middle of the sky". Cardinal Peter d'Ailli, who visited
Lithuania in 1418, mentions that he saw there skillful astronomers who
were managing the calendar [54].
Rudimentary observatories
were erected in certain places. For instance, the Rivius chronicle [47]
mentions a round tower for observation of stars and the Sun, built in
1263 by duke Gerimantas in the ¦ventaragis valley in Vilnius, near the
Perkunas temple. A pole observatory once existed on the Birute hill in
Palanga, near the Baltic sea [55] consisting of a horseshoe-shaped sand
embankment with eleven dug-in posts. Each pair of posts marked some
important azimuths of the Sun and the Moon at the moment of setting to
the sea (Fig. 16). Solar azimuths at the days of solstice and the Moon
extreme azimuths in the Meton cycle are fixed.
Sometimes stones were used
to mark the positions of heavenly bodies on the horizon. For instance,
at the site next to the Purmaliai mound near Klaipeda, seven huge
boulders, arranged to mark astronomical directions, have been found
[55]. On the day of summer solstice, the Sun rose like a "golden crown"
(quoted from a folk song) over the biggest boulder. Over other boulders
it rose on the mornings of the equinoxes. Circles of stones and other
regular stone configurations were common in the Baltics [56]. However,
only their scarce remains are found. Most observatories must have been
wooden and, naturally, did not survive. Some boulders with astronomical
symbols are still present in territories of the ancient Balts (Fig.
17).
In addition to having
calendric significance, stone circles might have served also as
instruments to determine the azimuth while burying the dead [57]. It is
known that in the 1st - 4th centuries in central Lithuania the dead
were buried facing directly towards sunrise (men) or sunset (women).
Also, many mythological stones in Lithuania are called Mokas (from the
word mokyti, to teach), as if in such places young people were trained
to make astronomical observations. |
