Patollos
Patollos was the god of death of the ancient Prussians .
Lore
The oldest mention of Patollos can be found in the Collatio episcopi Warmensis , according to which the pagan inhabitants of Prussia worshiped the "Patollum Natrimpe" and other monstrous spirits. Nothing is said about the function of Patollus and Natrimpe.
A more detailed description of Patollos can be found in the Prussian Chronicle by Simon Grunau , which is considered unreliable. Grunau writes how the brothers Widowuto and Bruteno came to Prussia from Sweden and that Widowuto became king, while Bruteno became the Crywo Cyrwaito or high priest of the three gods Patollos, Potrimpos and Perkunos in the sanctuary of Rickoyto . In it stood a large oak, which grew green in winter and summer and around which these three idols were worshiped in the form of three "jewels". Patoll's treasure was a skull of a human, a horse and a cow. According to Grunau, the three gods were also shown in the flag of Witowud:
"... the third picture was an old man with a long, big beard and its color quite deadly, was crowned with a white cloth like a morbant (turban) ..."
Grunau also notes that Patollo was the supreme god of the Prussians.
Peckols and Pockols
Later sources do not name the Patollos, but instead a Peckols or Picullus, who, for example, is described in the Sudauer Büchlein as the god of hell and darkness and is equated in the agenda with the ancient god of the dead Pluto . Pockols are also mentioned, as flying spirits or devils, which are equated with the ancient furies . The name is identical to apr . pickūls, lett . pikuls "devil", which was borrowed from a Slavic language (e.g. Polish pkiel "devil, hell").
literature
- Jonas Balys, Haralds Biezais : Baltic mythology . In: Hans Wilhelm Haussig (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 .