Aušrinė ("dawning", not to be confused with Aušra, "dawn") is a feminine deity of the morning star (Venus) in Lithuanian mythology. She is the antipode to "Vakarinė", the evening star.

Her cult possibly stems from that of the Indo-European dawn goddess Hausōs and is related to the Latvian Auseklis, Greek Eos, Roman Aurora, and Vedic Ushas. Aušrinė is the goddess of beauty, love, and youth, linked with health, re-birth, and new beginnings. After the Christianization of Lithuania, the cult merged with Christian images and the symbolism of the Virgin Mary.

Historical attestation

Aušrinė was first mentioned by 16th-century Polish historian Jan Łasicki as Ausca. He described a "goddess of the rays of the sun that descend and rise above the horizon".

Folkloric role

According to folklore, each morning, Aušrinė and her servant Tarnaitis (possibly Mercury) prepare the way for Saulė (the Sun). In the evening, Vakarinė prepares the bed for Saulė.

In some stories, "Karaliūnė" and "Dangaus Kariūnė" ("Queen of Heaven") are used to refer to Aušrinė.

In Latvian folk-riddles, her name is the answer to a riddle about dew. In this riddle, a girl loses her keys (or spreads her pearl necklace), the Moon sees them, but the Sun takes them.

Myth of the "celestial wedding"

A popular myth describes how Mėnulis (Moon) fell in love with beautiful Aušrinė, cheated on his wife Saulė, and received punishment from Perkūnas (thunder-god). analyzed by Algirdas Julien Greimas in detail, tells a story of Joseph, who becomes fascinated with Aušrinė appearing in the sky and goes on a quest to find the "second sun". After much adventure, he learns that it was not the second sun, but a maiden who lives on an island in the sea and has the same hair as the Sun. With advice from the Northern Wind, Joseph reaches the island, avoids a guardian bull, and becomes the maiden's servant, caring for her cattle.

See also

  • Aušrinė (given name), Lithuanian feminine given name.
  • Hausos in reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion.
  • Zorya in Slavic mythology.
  • List of Lithuanian gods and mythological figures

References

Further reading

  • Laurinkienė, Nijolė. "Dangiškųjų vestuvių mitas" [Myth of the celestial wedding]. In: Liaudies kultūra Nr. 5 (2018). pp. 25–33.
  • Razauskas, Dainius. "Iš baltų mitinio vaizdyno juodraščių: Aušrinė (ir Vakarinė)" [From rough copies of the Baltic mythic imagery: the Morning Star]. In: Liaudies kultūra. Nr. 6 (2011), pp. 17–25.
  • Tumenas, Vytautas. "SIGNS OF MORNING STAR AUŠRINĖ IN THE BALTIC TRADITION: REGIONAL AND INTERCULTURAL FEATURES". In: Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry, Vol. 18, No 4, 2018. pp. 367–376.
  • Latvian dainas about the celestial deities