Dievas

Lithuanian Dievas, Latvian Dievs and Debestēvs ("Sky-Father"),^[1] Latgalian Dīvs, Old Prussian Diews, Yotvingian Deivas^[2]^[3] was the primordial supreme god in the Baltic mythology, one of the most important deities together with Perkūnas, and the brother of Potrimpo. He was the god of light,^[4] sky, prosperity, wealth, ruler of gods, and the creator of the universe. Dievas is a direct successor of the Proto-Indo-European supreme sky father god *Dyēus of the root *deiwo-.^[5] Its Proto-Baltic form was *Deivas.^[6]^[7]

Dievas had two sons Dievo sūneliai (Lithuanian) or Dieva dēli (Latvian) known as the Heavenly Twins.

Since the conversion of Latvia and Lithuania to Christianity and continuing in modern times, this word refers to the Christian God.^[8]^{[unreliable source?]}^{[citation needed]}

In English, Dievas may be used as a word to describe the God (or, the supreme god) in the pre-Christian Baltic religion, where Dievas was understood to be the supreme being of the world. In Lithuanian and Latvian, it is also used to describe God as it is understood by major world religions today.^[9] Earlier *Deivas simply denoted the shining sunlit dome of the sky, as in other Indo-European mythologies.^[5] The celestial aspect is still apparent in phrases such as Saule noiet dievā ("The sun goes down to god"),^[10] from Latvian folksongs. In Hinduism, a group of celestial deities are called the devas,^[11] a result of shared Proto-Indo-European roots.

^ Saunders, Chas; Allen, Peter J., eds. (2019-05-10). "DIEVS". Godchecker. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
^ "Proto-Indo-European Roots". Archived from the original on 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2008-01-04.
^ Dictionary of Yotvingian language
^ Wilkinson, Philip; Carroll, Georgie; Faulkner, Mark; Field, Jacob F.; Haywood, John; Kerrigan, Michael; Philip, Neil; Pumphrey, Nicholaus; Tocino-Smith, Juliette (2018). The Mythology Book (First American ed.). New York: DK. p. 338. ISBN 978-1-4654-7337-0.
^ ^a ^b Beresnevičius, Gintaras (2000). "Lithuanian Mythology". In Jurate Baranova (ed.). Lithuanian Philosophy: Persons and Ideas. Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change; Series IVA: Eastern and Central Europe. Vol. 17. Washington, DC: Council for Research in Values and Philosophy. ISBN 1-56518-137-9. OCLC 45248219. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2008-12-05.
^ Gimbutas, Marija (1963). "Religion". The Balts. London: Thames & Hudson. p. 198. OCLC 1247359.
^ Fee, Christopher R.; Leeming, David Adams (2004). Gods, Heroes & Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain (1st paperback ed.). Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-19-517403-8. OCLC 64023503.
^ Saunders, Chas; Allen, Peter J., eds. (2019-05-10). "DIEVAS". Godchecker. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
^ Leach, Maria; Fried, Jerome (1949). Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend. Vol. 1. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 631. OCLC 3856950.
^ Nav saulīte dievā gaiša, Latvian Daina (traditional Latvian folksong)
^ O'Connor, Kevin (2006). Culture and Customs of the Baltic States. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-313-33125-1. OCLC 62281692.

[1] Saunders, Chas; Allen, Peter J., eds. (2019-05-10). "DIEVS". Godchecker. Retrieved 2023-12-25.

[2] "Proto-Indo-European Roots". Archived from the original on 2008-06-10. Retrieved 2008-01-04.

[3] Dictionary of Yotvingian language

[:3-4] Wilkinson, Philip; Carroll, Georgie; Faulkner, Mark; Field, Jacob F.; Haywood, John; Kerrigan, Michael; Philip, Neil; Pumphrey, Nicholaus; Tocino-Smith, Juliette (2018). The Mythology Book (First American ed.). New York: DK. p. 338. ISBN 978-1-4654-7337-0.

[Beresnevičius-5] Beresnevičius, Gintaras (2000). "Lithuanian Mythology". In Jurate Baranova (ed.). Lithuanian Philosophy: Persons and Ideas. Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Change; Series IVA: Eastern and Central Europe. Vol. 17. Washington, DC: Council for Research in Values and Philosophy. ISBN 1-56518-137-9. OCLC 45248219. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2008-12-05.

[6] Gimbutas, Marija (1963). "Religion". The Balts. London: Thames & Hudson. p. 198. OCLC 1247359.

[7] Fee, Christopher R.; Leeming, David Adams (2004). Gods, Heroes & Kings: The Battle for Mythic Britain (1st paperback ed.). Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-19-517403-8. OCLC 64023503.

[8] Saunders, Chas; Allen, Peter J., eds. (2019-05-10). "DIEVAS". Godchecker. Retrieved 2023-12-25.

[9] Leach, Maria; Fried, Jerome (1949). Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology and Legend. Vol. 1. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 631. OCLC 3856950.

[10] Nav saulīte dievā gaiša, Latvian Daina (traditional Latvian folksong)

[11] O'Connor, Kevin (2006). Culture and Customs of the Baltic States. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 39. ISBN 978-0-313-33125-1. OCLC 62281692.

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