by Anda Vitols 2010

animism

The Latvian language uses animism. Something is alive when said in the diminutive. Anything can by animated, from people to chairs to rocks and air. Animism in the language reinforces the founding principle of wholeness. Everything is alive, and therefore special in its own way as it fits into the world.

anthropomorphism

The Latvian language uses anthropomorphism. When something is personified, it is its own identity, and given a name (īpaš vārds). People have their own names, but so can entities in nature like light, sun, thunder. All personifications start with capital letter.

sun(saule)

animated sun (saulīte)

This is the definition of life in Latvian folklore. It is the pilot light inside you. Just as pilot light, can grow huge, or seem to be off, but while you are living it is on.

personified sun (Saule)

This is the sun personified as a god entity. Our ability to perceive its light and warmth, often makes it a more tangible and realistic spiritual device than the believed, imagined God (dievs).

personified light (Gaisma)

This is the life aspect of god (dievs), or god itself.

fence, border (sēta):

All property and people within the fence.

gods fence (dieva sēta):

symbol of roof over everything <graphic symbol>

castle-fence (pilsēta)

i.e. city: Are legal, political entities.

country-fence (lauku sēta)

i.e. farm; house-fence (māju-sēta): The smaller entities are smaller fractal components off the identical larger composition.

community (biebrība, sabiedrība):

Biedrība is a group of people, while sabiedrība is a group of people working together.

homestead (saime):

In old days a farm homestead would be an extended family. Since there are many family last names, the homestead itself is given a name. The homestead names have something to do with daily living or nature. (esp bees (bitītes), embroidery (adumi)) Even today, in Latvia’s postal system, you can send mail to a person in the “homestead”. A fictitious address for me could be: Anda Vītola “Ezeros” LV 1111. Thats it. my name, homestead, postal code.

man of the fence (saimnieks):

The man of the house. This is role play ideally played by a male. A healthy male ensures fenced area is safe, and the house and living needs are engineered and functioning so that the female nurturing instinct has best opportunity to succeed.

woman of the fence (saimniece):

The woman of the house. This is role play ideally played by a female. A healthy female has instinctive compulsive caregiving motives, but needs to be in a safe and functioning environment to do so.

family (ģimene):

one family unit. I use a family analogy in latvian folklore to understand ones psyche or personality. The different parts of the family represent the different parts of the psyche.

well-balanced (saderēta):

When a family is well-balanced, it is healthy. Similarly, when a psyche is well-balanced, it is healthy.

mother (māte):

Is key in nurturing and hence determining success in ability to grow healthy. Without a mother nothing can grow properly. Instinctively mothers are considered kind and caring. Animated dimunitive mother (māmiņa, māmulīte, mamukiņš...) stresses the importance of her life essence through the sun, her animated sun (saulīte). Other words that often describe a nurturing mother are white (balta), good (laba), beautiful (skaista), gentle (maiga), loving (mīļa)...

orphan (bārenīte , sēderīte):

Without a mother. The mother may physically not exist, or the mother may not behave as one, the nurturing instincts not working. Latvian folklore regards orphans highly. They are thought of as self-reliant and hard working, as this is the way they had to grow up. They are the preferred mating partner, because of those strong personality characteristics. Latvian folklore are filed with resources for orphans. Nature (daba) and its spiritual entities give preferential treatment for orphans. They play the roles of mother and rest of family. Of course in healthy families and communities everything is not perfect all the time. Everyone experiences the feelings of an orphan from time to time. Loneliness, fear, disorientation, despair. In similar fashion as for orphans, nature and goddesses offer support in those troubled times.

servant (kalpone/is):

Household run by servants, usually orphans (barenītes)

shepherd (ganiņš):

Children who are removed from homestead to work. A loving family may exist, but is not accessible, therefore they feel like orphans (barenItes)

step mother (pamāte):

This is the cruel mother. The mother the orphan depends on and is obligated to be with, is the person the orphan fears the most.

step (pa - the prefix)

Any character who is difficult is given the prefix “pa”. For example,

a stepdaughter (pameita):

could be a spoiled brat, but her corresponding stepmother could be nice, and therefore given the name “māte” instead of “pamāte”.

father (tēvs):

Ideally he protects and maintains order of the fence-family. He does the heavy work (stiepšana) and is well-mannered (laipnība). He is encouraged to be strong (stiprs) and well-learned and developed, like a large oak tree (dižozols). Realistically this tends not to happen, demonstrated by the personified story of the strained relationship between the sun as wife, and moon as husband. The moon, shines brightly once a month, and is only half there or not at all the rest of the time. The sun, on the other hand is consistently shining and warm, and it is this reliability that is absolutely required for nurturing good health. This is why the father is of secondary importance to the mother. A father can increase his importance with reliability.

sister (māsa):

Is described as always working, doing house chores, schoolwork, knitting, field and garden work. She feels responsibility for everything in her surroundings, and feels that she can make things better.

brother (brālis):

When he works, he does good work. He often takes breaks, playing games, especially provoking sister. He fantasizes of making the world at large a better place, while his immediate surroundings are not as important.

grandmother (vecmāte):

Always nice, patient, huggable and has time for you. Is often referred to in diminutive (vecmāmiņa) stressing importance of life essence (saulīte)

grandfather (vectēvs):

Is nice as well; always able to give practical advice.

overall psyche (es, esma):

Many latvian versus refer to “es”. This is not a reference to personal experience, but the psychological experience as a whole. The traits of the adult psyche encompass all members of the family. For example, a real father would definitely have some mother psyche tenderness, otherwise no one would want to be near him, yet alone marry him. A real mother would not just watch a child put her hand on the stove. She would set rules, and get angry if child disobeyed, which is part of the father psyche.

positive connotations:

when an old person is addressed in the diminutive. (sirmīte, vecīte, vecmāmīte, vectētiņš) They are highly regarded. If a balanced life was lead, then old people will pass on gifts they received throughout life, such a material things, knowledge and magic (burvestība).

negative connotations:

when an old person is described as a bent over, falling object (krupītis). It describes someone who can’t function. Even young dysfunctional people can be given a slang name of an old person.

• white (balts) the colour of light from the sun
• white life (baltā dzīve)
• balanced (saderēta) “combined to fit”)
• beautiful (skaists) Lithuanian “skaistas” meaning Latvian “skaidrs” (clear)
• clear (skaidrs) something makes sense when it is clear, not foggy. A light shines best when everything is clear. This idea reflected on ourselves.
• harmony and balance (daiļums) the ability to create this white light which is clear (skaidrs) and beautiful (skaists)

Sun’s family (Saules ģimene):

This family is the stars in the sky. Versus describe the Sun’s father, mother, brother, sisters coming to visit. The Sun herself has daughters, sons and daughter-in-laws. The household is run by servants, both male and female.

Sun’s daughters (Saules meitas):

Are most important. They are the essence of life the is shared with the universe including earth.

god’s fence (dieva sēta):

This is the sun family (saules ģimene) and the rest of the universe, including ourselves.

god (dievs):

Has no capital letter as it is an entity, not a personification. It represents the whole.

the whole (visuma): Means god.

parts of dievs (dieviņi)is dimunitive plural:

The diminutive suggests that every part is important for health. A whole is comprised of parts, so universe is described as “parts of the whole.” These parts help us understand the universe and its resources.

• Saules meitas
• Laima
  • Kārta
  • Dekla
         Laidene
• Māra
  • Māras meitas (Lieldiena and 3 sisters)
• representation through nature (daba) - plants and animals

• Dieva dēli
  • tools and work functions: Pērkonis,Jānis
  • seasonal work function: Metenis, Ūsiņš, Jānis, Miķelis, Mārtiņš, 4 brothers Ziemassvētki
  • other workers: Auseklis, Zvaigznes, Sietiņš
  • representation through nature (daba): Jumis, Pēteris, Jēkabs, plants animals

• saule (sun)
• šī saule (this sun)
• viņa saule (that sun)
• aizsaule (behind the sun)
>

• dievības (god’s entities), spīdekļi (shining entities)
• Laima (Fate goddess)

• Mātes (Mothers goddesses)
• Māra (Mara goddess)

• daba (nature), dabiski (naturally)
• cilvēki (people), es (myself)
• augumiņš (growing entity in diminutive) “aug” means “grow”

• pasaule (earth) “pa” means “under”, “saule” means “sun”, therefore earth is “under-sun”
• zeme (ground)
• pazeme(underground)”pa” means “under”, “zeme” means “ground’
• kapu kalns (grave hill)

• velis (spiritual shadowed entity)
• veļa (laundry) cloths do not have form anymore or move anymore, when their owners, people wearing them, are gone.
• veļu valsts (spirited shadows - country)
• veļu māte (spirited shadows - mother)
• velīši (individual spirited shadows) former cilvēki (people)

Saulīte

saulīte [sun in diminutive] Provides light and warmth to grow biologically (zied) and spiritually (dzied). It calmly brightly shines at the core of our lives.

Life essence begins when a sunray begins to shine on its own within a body.

zied [blossoms]

dzied [sings]

Augumiņš

augumiņš [growing thing. Body] Is the structure in which sunray starts to shine.

augumiņš zied. The biological structure starts new growth by blossoming.

augumiņš dzied. „d” added from dvēs ele [breathing thing] The biological structure sings (dzied) because it breaths (dvesma)

Dvēsele

Dvēsele is our personal sence of being.

Begins to grow when saulīte and augumiņš unite. It continues its growth throughout life.

All life form have dvēseles, from grass blades to humans.

elpa [breath]

• dvesma, dvesmot, dvasa, dvašot [good easy breathing]
• dvest [hard breathing]

esma [es – yourself, ma-rule] The rules of yourself. Your personality, being, intelligence. Your truth.

dves ele [breathing thing]

dv-esma [esma – yourself] dv-esmot [esmo – behaving as yourself]

-> dvēsele [breathing spirit] is „truth” in the breath.

Velis

spirited shadow of deceased body