Medeina

Medeina, Medeinė, sometimes synonymously named as Žvorūnė is a one of the main deities of Lithuanian mythology. She is a ruler of forests, trees and animals.

Firstly she was mentioned at 13th century in Russian Hypatian Codex as a one of deities praised by the king Mindaugas. In the transcription of Malalas Chronicle again there are the same gods mentioned but instead of Medeina Žvorūna is mentioned. Jan Długosz at 15th century was comparing Medeina with a Roman goddess Diana. Also she was mentioned by Jan Łasicki, Mikalojus Daukša, Bychowiec Chronicle^[1].

From the researches of Algirdas Julius Greimas, it is known that this goddess is a single, unwilling to get married, though voluptuous, beautiful huntress, girl or she-wolf (cf. vilkmergė “wanton”) with an escort of wolves-”greyhounds”. Basing on mythological, religious and ethnological references, it is thought that the sacred sites, called as "Hare Churches", were sites of the Žvėrūna-Medeina cult exercised by warriors-hunters^[2].

After Baptism of Lithuania the cult of Medeina decreased, she was treated as the mistress of the forests, laumė (fae). Medeina is similar to Latvian Meža Māte^[3].

References

^ Baltų religijos ir mitologijos šaltiniai“ I t. Norbertas Vėlius, Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidykla, 1996
^ http://www.istorija.lt/la/vaitkevicius2003en.html
^ Medeina. Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija, T. 3 (Masaitis-Simno). V.: Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija, 1987., 32 psl.

[1] Baltų religijos ir mitologijos šaltiniai“ I t. Norbertas Vėlius, Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidykla, 1996

[2] ttp://www.istorija.lt/la/vaitkevicius2003en.html

[3] Medeina. Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija, T. 3 (Masaitis-Simno). V.: Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija, 1987., 32 psl.

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