Mahte
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Latvian mythology Latvian mythology is the collection of myths that have emerged throughout the history of Latvia, sometimes being elaborated upon by successive generations, and at other times being rejected and replaced by other explanatory narratives. These myt ...
, the term Māte stands for "mother", sometimes written in English as Mahte. It was an epithet applied to some sixty-seventy
goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...
es. They were clearly distinct goddesses in most or all cases, so the term definitely referred to the mother-goddess of specific phenomena. According to professor
Lotte Motz Lotte Motz, born Lotte Edlis (August 16, 1922 – December 24, 1997), was an Austrian-American scholar, obtaining a Ph.D. in German and philology, who published four books and many scholarly papers, primarily in the fields of Germanic mythology ...
, scholar Haralds Biezais mentioned there were at least 70 characters in Baltic religion identified with the title of ''Mate''.


Overview

Latvian ethnographer Pēteris Šmits noted that the Mahtes seem to be a phenomenon exclusive to Latvian mythology, with no equivalent either in its Baltic neighbours (Prussian and Lithuanian), nor in other Indo-European mythologies. Scholars (e.g., Miriam Robbins Dexter, Lotte Motz, David Adams Leeming,
Martin Litchfield West Martin Litchfield West, (23 September 1937 – 13 July 2015) was a British philologist and classical scholar. In recognition of his contribution to scholarship, he was appointed to the Order of Merit in 2014. West wrote on ancient Greek music ...
) note that these deities were invoked with the epithet "mate" 'mother' and individually oversaw several aspects of nature, including features of the environment (forests, fields, mushrooms, sea, the wind, etc.), animals (for instance, elks), as well as cultural aspects, such as death and interrement, or milk and cattle. According to scholar Elza Kokare, the authenticity of some Mahte deities is dubious, but some are firmly established due to a great number of mentions in the '' dainas'' (Latvian folksongs).


List of ''Mahte''

Following are some of the ''Mate'' characters: #Bangu māte - Mother of Waves #Ceļa māte - Mother of Roads #Dārza māte - Mother of Gardens Vizgsd guises Mykdnx māte #Gausu māte #Jūras māte - considered a goddess of the sea (from ''Jura'' 'sea') #Kapu māte - 'Mother of Graves' #Kārta māte #Krūmu māte - Mother of Bushes #Lapu māte - Mother of Leaves #Lauka māte or Lauku māte - Mother of Fields #Lazdu māte - Mother of the Hazelbush #Lietus māte - Mother Rain #Linu māte - Mother Flax #Lopu māte - Mother of Livestock (Cattle) #Mieža māte - Mother of Barley #Meža māte - Mother of the Forest #Miglas māte - Mother of Fog #Pirts māte - Mother of the Bathhouse #Rijas māte - Mother of the Threshing Place #Sēņu māte - Mother of Mushrooms #Smilšu māte - Mother of Sands #Sniega māte - Mother of Snow #Tirgus māte - Mother of Markets #Ūdens māte - Mother of Waters #Uguns mate - Mother of Fire #Upes māte - Mother of Rivers #Vēja māte - 'Mother of Winds' #Veļu māte or Vélių motę - mother of the souls/spirits #Zemes māte - Earth Mother ( Māra) #Ziedu māte - Mother of Flowers


Role of the Mothers

Scholarship on Baltic and Latvian folklore remarks that some of the ''Mahte'' characters comprise a complex of deities related to that phenomenon. It is also remarked that, out of this mother cult, "the main Latvian mother deities are those of the dead, the sea, the forest, and the wind".


Death and the afterlife

For instance, goddess Zemes Mate ('earth mother') was associated with receiving the dead and acting as their ruler and guardian. In Latvian ''dainas'', Zemes Mate is associated with fellow ''Mahte'' ("Mothers") ''Velu Mate'' ('Mother of Dead Souls') and ''Kapu Mate'' ('Mother of Graves'). According to researcher Elza Kokare, Zemes Mate and Kapu Mate act as the resting places of the dead, guarding its body and holding the key to their graves. As an individual character, Zemes mate is invoked as a person's final resting place. A second personage is named ''Veļu māte'' or ''Vélių motę'' (Mother of the souls/spirits of the deceased), etymologically connected to Lithuanian ''veles'' 'shades of the dead', ''velionis'' 'dead person' and Latvian ''Vels'' 'god of the underworld' (as mentioned by scholar
Marija Gimbutas Marija Gimbutas (, ; January 23, 1921 – February 2, 1994) was a Lithuanian archaeology, archaeologist and anthropologist known for her research into the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of "Old European Culture, Old Europe" and for her Kurgan ...
) and, by extension, with some relation to Slavic Veles, deity of the underworld. She is considered to be a chthonic goddess and "queen of the dead", who welcomes them at the cemetery. Another figure named ''Nāves māte'' ("Mother Death") was presumed by scholar Nikolai Mikhailov to be connected to Slovenian word ''navje'', an etymon related to the '' Nav'' of
Slavic folklore Slavic folklore encompasses the folklore of the Slavic peoples The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inh ...
, a designation for the dead. He also cited the possibility that Naves mate is another name for Latvian Velu mate and Lithuanian Veliona. The word ''nāve'' also means 'death' in Latvian. Other deities connected with the worship of the dead were ''Kapu māte'' ('Mother of Graves', 'Mother of the Grave' or 'Graveyard-Mother') and ''Smilšu māte'' ('Mother of Sand' or 'Mother of the Sand Hillock').


The natural world

Another set of ''Mahte'' figures relate to the natural world, such as Veju Mate ("The Mother of Winds"); ''Meža mate'' ("Mother of the Forest"; counterpart to Lithuanian '' Medeina''), protectress of wild life; ''Miglas mate'' ("Mother of the Fog") and ''Lietus mate'' ("Mother of Rain"). Veju Mate (or Veja mate) is said to be the goddess of winds and ruler of the weather.


Bodies of water

Another group is composed of several water divinities: ''Juras Mate'' ("Mother Ocean", "Mother of the Seas" or "Sea-Mother"), a goddess of waters; ''Udens Mate'' ("Mother of Waters"); ''Upes Mahte'' ("Mother of Rivers"), ''Bangu Mate'' ("Mother of Waves"; counterpart to Lithuanian '' Bangputys''). Juras Mate is said to rule the seas as a goddess. Deity Bangu mate is considered to be a recent and more poetical appellation of the Mother of the Water and Mother of the Sea.


Household and home

Lithuanian scholar
Marija Gimbutas Marija Gimbutas (, ; January 23, 1921 – February 2, 1994) was a Lithuanian archaeology, archaeologist and anthropologist known for her research into the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of "Old European Culture, Old Europe" and for her Kurgan ...
pointed out that Latvian traditions contain a ''Uguns mate'' ('Mother of the Fire') as a counterpart to Lithuanian '' Gabija'', a deity of the hearth and protectress of house and family. Other deities associated with the household and domestic affairs are ''Mãjas gars'' ("Spirits of the House") and ''Pirts mate'' ("Mother of the Bathhouse").


Agriculture

Mahte deities related to fields and agriculture include ''Lauka mate'' ("Mother of the Plough-Land"), a deity said to be worshipped at ploughing time.Jordan, Michael. ''Dictionary of gods and goddesses''. 2nd Edition. New York: Facts On File. 2004. p. 172. .


Footnotes


References

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Further reading

* Beldavs, Aija Veldre. "GODDESSES IN A MAN'S WORLD: LATVIAN MATRICENTRICITY IN CULTURE AND SPHERES OF INFLUENCE IN SOCIETY". In: ''Journal of Baltic Studies'' 8, no. 2 (1977): 105–29. Accessed April 21, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43210827. de:Mātes