Potrimpo (also ''Potrimpus'', ''Autrimpo'', ''Natrimpe'') was a god of seas, earth, grain, and crops in the pagan

Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Prussian *Balts (or Baltic peoples), ethnic groups speaking the Baltic languages and/or originatin ...

, and

Prussian mythology The Prussian mythology was a polytheistic religion of the Old Prussians, indigenous peoples of Prussia before the Prussian Crusade waged by the Teutonic Knights. It was closely related to other Baltic faiths, the Lithuanian and Latvian mytho ...

. He was one of the three main gods worshiped by the

Old Prussians Old Prussians, Baltic Prussians or simply Prussians were a Balts, Baltic people that inhabited the Prussia (region), region of Prussia, on the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea between the Vistula Lagoon to the west and the Curonian Lagoon ...

. Most of what is known about this god is derived from unreliable 16th-century sources. He was first mentioned (as ''Natrimpe'') in a 1418 memorandum ''Collatio Espiscopi Varmiensis'' sent by the

Bishop of Warmia This is a list of Bishops and Prince-Bishops of the Diocese of Warmia (, , ), which was elevated to the Archdiocese of Warmia in 1992. The Bishopric was founded in 1243 as the Bishopric of Ermland, one of four bishoprics of Teutonic Prussia ...

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V (; ; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Oddone Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. His election effectively ended the We ...

. The document reminded the Pope that the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

successfully Christianized pagan Prussians, who previously worshipped "demons"

Perkūnas Perkūnas (, , Old Prussian: ''Perkūns'', ''Perkunos'', Sudovian language, Yotvingian: ''Parkuns'', Latgalian language, Latgalian: ''Pārkiuņs'') was the common Baltic languages, Baltic List of thunder gods, god of thunder, and the second m ...

, Potrimpo and

Peckols Peckols and Patollo (known under a multitude of different names) were gods in the pagan Prussian mythology who were worshiped by the Old Prussians. Most researchers believe that, despite varying names, Peckols and Patollo were probably the same ...

(and Patollo).

Simon Grunau Simon Grunau () was the author of ''Preussische Chronik'',Full title: ''Cronika und beschreibung allerlüstlichenn, nützlichsten und waaren historien des namkundigenn landes zu Prewssen'' or ''Chronicle and description of the most amusing, useful a ...

claimed that Potrimpo was a god of grain and together with thunder god

and death god Peckols formed a pagan trinity. He was depicted on the purported Flag of

Widewuto Widewuto or Videvutis (also ''Viduutus'', ''Vidvutus'', ''Witowudi'', ''Waidewut'', ''Vaidevutis'') was a legendary king of the Prussian mythology, pagan Baltic Prussians who ruled along with his elder brother, the high priest (''Kriwe-Kriwajto'') ...

as a young, merry man wearing a wreath of grain ears. Grunau further claimed that snakes, as creatures of Potrimpo, were worshipped and given milk (cf.

žaltys A žaltys (, literally: ''grass snake'') is a household spirit in Lithuanian mythology. As a sacred animal of the sun goddess Saulė, it is considered a guardian of the home and a symbol of fertility. People used to keep it as a pet by the stov ...

). The '' Sudovian Book'' (1520–1530) listed Potrimpo (''Potrimpus'') as god of running water and Autrimpo (''Autrimpus'') as god of the seas. The ''Constitutiones Synodales'', a church ceremony book published in 1530, likened Potrimpo with Pollux and Autrimpo with

Castor Castor most commonly refers to: *Castor (star), a star in the Gemini constellation *Castor, one of the Dioscuri/Gemini twins Castor and Pollux in Greco-Roman mythology Castor or CASTOR may also refer to: Science and technology *Castor (rocket s ...

and

Neptune Neptune is the eighth and farthest known planet from the Sun. It is the List of Solar System objects by size, fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 t ...

, from

Roman mythology Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans, and is a form of Roman folklore. "Roman mythology" may also refer to the modern study of these representations, and to th ...

. Later authors copied these descriptions, often merging Potrimpo and Autrimpo into one deity of earth and water. Jan Sandecki Malecki claimed that Prussians would pray to Potrimpo, pour hot wax into water, and predict the future based on the shapes of wax figures.

Maciej Stryjkowski Maciej Stryjkowski (also referred to as Strykowski and Strycovius;Nowa encyklopedia powszechna PWN. t. 6, 1997 – ) was a Polish historian, writer and a poet, known as the author of ''Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia and all of Rutheni ...

wrote that there was a copper idol (a twisted

) to Potrimpo in the temple of Romuva.

Simonas Daukantas Simonas Daukantas (; 28 October 1793 – 6 December 1864) was a Lithuanian/Samogitian historian, writer, and ethnographer. One of the pioneers of the Lithuanian National Revival, he is credited as the author of the first book on the history of Li ...

described Potrimpo as the god of spring, happiness, abundance, cattle and grain. According to

Kazimieras Būga Kazimieras Būga (; November 6, 1879 – December 2, 1924) was a Lithuanian linguist and philologist. He was a professor of linguistics, who mainly worked on the Lithuanian language. He was born at Pažiegė, near Dusetos, then part of the Russ ...

, the name was derived from the root ''trimp-'', which is related to

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

verb ''trempti'' (to trample, to stomp). Following this research,

Vladimir Toporov Vladimir Nikolayevich Toporov (; 5 July 1928 in Moscow5 December 2005 in Moscow) was a Russian philologist associated with the Tartu–Moscow Semiotic School. His wife was Tatyana Elizarenkova. He is also recognized as a prominent Balticist. ...

believed that initially there was a fertility god Trimps, who was later split into two deities. Further researchers speculated that the name could be related to fertility ritual – stomping to scare away evil spirits and to wake the earth in spring.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite book, title=Lietuvių ir prūsų dievai, deivės, dvasios: nuo apeigos iki prietaro , first=Rimantas , last=Balsys , publisher= Klaipėdos universitetas , year=2010 , isbn=978-9955-18-462-1 , pages=280–285, language=lt {{cite book , first=Endre , last=Bojtár , title=Foreword to the Past: A Cultural History of the Baltic People , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5aoId7nA4bsC&pg=PA304 , publisher=CEU Press , year=1999 , page=304 , isbn=963-9116-42-4 {{cite book , first=Algirdas , last=Matulevičius , title=Baltų religijos ir mitologijos šaltiniai , url=http://www.sarmatija.lt/images/stories/Baltu%20religija.pdf , volume=I , page=475 , publisher=Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidykla , location=Vilnius , year=1996 , isbn=5-420-01353-3, language=lt {{cite book, title=Myth in Indo-European antiquity , first=Jaan , last=Puhvel , chapter=Indo-European Structure of Baltic Pantheon , chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gsTW-RedBx8C&pg=PA79 , page=79 , publisher=University of California Press , year=1974 , isbn=0-520-02378-1 Prussian gods Baltic gods Fertility gods Sea and river gods Agricultural gods Snake gods