Prussian Mythologemes Tulissones, Ligaschones

Rolandas Kregždys (Lithuanian Language Institute, Vilnius)

The report presents an etymological analysis of the Prussian mythologemes Tulissones, Ligaschones, mentioned in the peace treaty “Friedensvertrag zwischen dem deutschen Orden und den abgefallenen Preussen in Pomesanien, Warmien und Natangen, geschlossen unter vermittelung des päpstlichen Nuntius und Assistenz des Bischofs von Culm” (1249), signed between delegates of the Prussian tribes and crusaders. Reconstruction and analysis of the worship tradition to the Prussian gods is intended for the discussion. The objective of the presentation is a description of the origin and development of the Baltic pantheon.

The goals of the presentation are: 1) verification of the written sources in which the mythologemes are mentioned; 2) detailed linguistic analysis of the theonyms; 3) analysis of development and vicissitude of the established and reconstructed priestly functions; 4) comparison of mythological ideas of Balts, Slavs, Indians, Iranians, Hittite, Germen, Celtic, that is, the IE tribes on their image of etiology.

The paper is intended not only as a contribution to Prussian ethnological and mythological topics, but also to the origins of mythological ideas of Lithuanians, Latvians, and other IE tribes.

Keyword: Kregzdys