Revisiting the Polish Pantheon

You can view some theories on the nature of the Polish Pantheon here and here. I confess we are unlikely to have more answers without further review of all that is available on the topic. However, I believe that the three most likely versions of the myth go something like this…


Father & Mother
Children


Jasień the Sky God is the Didis Łado of His Łada (but maybe Didis Lela), that is, the Female Goddess (Mother Earth?). She is the protector of Jasień’s while He is with Her. The other Deities are the Leli, their offspring (from the Jasień-Łada/Lela union):

  • Pogoda (covering good weather and happiness)
  • Dziewanna (responsible for the hunt and the wilderness),
  • Marzanna (covering the sea, death and the cold generally), and
  • Żywie (the God of Life)
  • potentially Lela (covering fertility unless that Divinity is the same as Łada)

Perhaps the first Three are the Three Zorze, Zarzyce that is the Zarze Zarycze Trzy Szyestrycze Polonice (see here).

The Nothingness out there is Nya which can prevail if Jasień is not periodically rekindled over and over again.


Father Star Tree
Son & Daughter
Children


Another version is a little bit different. Jasień is the Eternal Tree-Star (gwiazda being just another name for a tree – gwozdgozd – see here). Jasień is also the Sky God, of course.

The female Goddess Didis Lela (potentially, though not necessarily, also aka Łada) and the male Didis Łado (the Jasieńczyk or Son of Jasień) are the Children of Jasień’s and the guardians (both) of Jasień’s who rekindle Jasień with every cyclical pairing.

The Children (the Leli) of the now Lela-Łado union are the same as above.

The Nothingness out there is Nya which can prevail if Jasień is not periodically rekindled over and over again.


Father & Mother
Son & Other Children


The other version is yet different. Here we have Jasień the Sky God Himself as the consort of the female Goddess (perhaps Lela; potentially, though not necessarily, also aka Łada).

Łado is the Hero of Jasień’s that guards Jasień’s descent to Earth to rekindle Mother Earth. He is the First of the Children (Leli of the slightly different Jasień-Łada/Lela union) with the Others being the same as above. He is the protector of Jasień’s and God of War.

Nya, once again is the nothingness.


Note that in each case the absolute key are the fertility rites that preserve the Jasień Family.

At least that’s my current take.

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August 22, 2020

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