Milda, in the

Lithuanian mythology Lithuanian mythology () is the mythology of Lithuanians, Lithuanian polytheism, the religion of pre-Christian Lithuanians. Like other Indo-European studies, Indo-Europeans, Lithuanians (tribe), ancient Lithuanians maintained a polytheistic myth ...

, is the goddess of love. However, her authenticity is debated by scholars. Despite the uncertainty, Milda became a popular female given name in Lithuania.

Neo-pagan Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, spans a range of new religious movements variously influenced by the beliefs of pre-modern peoples across Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. Despite some common simila ...

societies and communities, including Romuva, organize various events in honor of goddess Milda in May. The Milda Mons, a mountain on Venus, is named after her.

Narbutt's information

Milda was first mentioned by

Teodor Narbutt Teodor Narbutt (; 8 November 1784 – 27 November 1864) was a Polish–Lithuanian romantic historian and military engineer in service of the Russian Empire. He is best remembered as the author of a nine-volume Polish-language history of Lithuani ...

in his 1835 work on the

history of Lithuania History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

. According to Narbutt, Milda was also known as Aleksota. Her temples stood in

Aleksotas The Aleksotas Eldership () is an eldership in the southern section of the city of Kaunas, Lithuania, bordering the left bank of the Nemunas River. Its population in 2006 was 21,694. The elderate borders Vilijampolė and Centras in the north, ...

Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

and in

Antakalnis Antakalnis (''literally'' ) is an elderships of Lithuania, eldership in Vilnius, Lithuania. Antakalnis is one of the oldest, and largest historical suburbs of Vilnius. It is in the Eastern section of Vilnius, along the left bank of the Neris, ...

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, where the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul now stands. The month of April was dedicated to Milda. In a December 1835 letter to Narbutt, Szymon Ławrynowicz (a teacher from Kaunas) described two figurines found at the

House of Perkūnas The House of Perkūnas is one of the most original and Gothic secular buildings, located in the Old Town of Kaunas, Lithuania. Originally built by Hanseatic merchants and served as their office from 1440 until 1532, it was sold in the 16th cen ...

at the end of the 18th or beginning of the 19th centuries. Narbutt identified the figurines as those of

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 ...

, the god of thunder, and Milda. Another bronze figurine was found at

Vilnius Castle Complex The Vilnius Castle Complex ( or ) is a group of cultural, and historic structures on the left bank of the Neris River, near its confluence with the Vilnia River, in Vilnius, Lithuania. The buildings, which evolved between the 10th and 18th cen ...

and acquired by Adam Honory Kirkor and

Władysław Syrokomla Ludwik Władysław Franciszek Kondratowicz (29 September 1823 – 15 September 1862), better known as Władysław Syrokomla (), was a Polish romantic poet, writer and translator working in Vilnius and Vilna Governorate, then Russian Empire, whos ...

who with the help from Narbutt identified it as that of Milda. This figurine was later held at the

Museum of Antiquities in Vilnius The Museum of Antiquities (, ) in Vilnius (Vilna, Wilno) was a museum of archaeology and history established by Count Eustachy Tyszkiewicz in 1855 at the premises of the closed Vilnius University. It was the first public museum in the former Gran ...

Scholastic analysis

However, other authors, including

Aleksander Brückner Aleksander Brückner (; 29 January 1856 – 24 May 1939) was a Polish scholar of Slavic languages and literature (Slavistics), philologist, lexicographer, and historian of literature. He is among the most notable Slavicists of the late 19th ...

Norbertas Vėlius Norbertas Vėlius (1 January 1938 in Gulbės, near Šilalė – 23 June 1996 in Vilnius, buried in the Antakalnis Cemetery) was a Lithuanian folklorist specializing in Lithuanian mythology Lithuanian mythology () is the mythology of Lithuani ...

Gintaras Beresnevičius Gintaras Beresnevičius (July 8, 1961 in Kaunas – August 6, 2006 in Vilnius) was a Lithuanian historian of religions specializing in Baltic mythology. He together with Norbertas Vėlius is considered to be the best specialist in Lithuanian my ...

, expressed serious doubts whether such goddess actually existed in the Lithuanian mythology due to lack of evidence. According to

, Narbutt invented Milda borrowing the idea of a beautiful Roman

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

Alexothe from the writings of Dominik Szybiński. As one of Kaunas' suburbs is

, it was only natural that Milda's temple stood there. There is no evidence, either in written documents, archaeological research, or folklore, to support Narbutt's claims. In the same vein, Latvian ethnographer Pēteris Šmits argues that Milda is a fabrication by Narbutt, since there are no traces of her as a deity either in the languages, the historical chronicles, or in Baltic folk tradition.Šmitas, Pėteris. ''Latvių mitologija''. Iš latvių kalbos vertė Dainius Razauskas. Vilnius: Aidai, 2004. pp. 117-118.

Cultural legacy

Narbutt's information was later repeated and popularized by many other writers and historians, including

Dionizas Poška Dionizas Poška (; October 1764 – 12 May 1830) was a Lithuanian poet, historian and lexicographer sometimes described also as Polish-Lithuanian He contributed to the early 19th-century Samogitian Revival, the early stage of the Lithuanian Nati ...

, Jonas Totoraitis, Pranė Dundulienė. Milda owes her popularity to

Józef Ignacy Kraszewski Józef Ignacy Kraszewski (28 July 1812 – 19 March 1887) was a Polish novelist, journalist, historian, publisher, painter, and musician. Born in Warsaw into a noble family, he spent much of his youth with his maternal grandparents in Romanów ...

. In 1840, he wrote ', a three-part epic poem in Polish. The first part, ''Witolorauda'', mentioned Milda and her festival in early May. The poem was translated into Lithuanian and published several times popularizing the goddess. Its Polish publication in 1846 was illustrated with 50

woodcuts Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with Chisel#Gouge, gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts ...

by Wincenty Smokowski. His image of Milda continues to influence Milda's representations. In 1918, wrote a poetic

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

dedicated to Milda.

Narbutt's information

Scholastic analysis

Cultural legacy

References

Further reading