Giltinė

Giltinė, sculpture in the Church of St. Peter and Paul in Vilnius.

Giltinė is the goddess of death in Lithuanian mythology . The name is derived from the verb Gelti " stechen ".

Giltinė is first mentioned by Matthäus Praetorius , who ascribed her a servant, Magyla, who, however, is probably to be counted among the pseudo-deities .

In folklore, Giltinė is described as a white woman who stabs people to death with her long tongue. Dogs announce their approach with barking and whining. Since it cannot cross water, care was taken to ensure that a stream is located between the cemetery and the village.

literature

• Jonas Balys, Haralds Biezais : Baltic mythology. in: Hans Wilhelm Haussig , Jonas Balys (Ed.): Gods and Myths in Old Europe (= Dictionary of Mythology . Department 1: The ancient civilized peoples. Volume 2). Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1973, ISBN 3-12-909820-8 .