Porevit
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Porevit, Porovit or Borovit (, , , , , ) is a
Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...
god with unknown functions mentioned in only two sources: ''
Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", literally "the Grammarian"). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essentia ...
'' and in ''
Knýtlinga saga ''Knýtlinga saga'' () is an Icelandic kings' saga written in the 1250s, which deals with the kings who ruled Denmark from the early 10th century to the time when the book was written. There are good reasons to assume that the author was Óláfr ...
''. The only historical information about this god is a description of a statue depicting him that had five faces and no weapons.


Sources

The first source to mention Porevit is the ''
Gesta Danorum ("Deeds of the Danes") is a patriotic work of Danish history, by the 12th-century author Saxo Grammaticus ("Saxo the Literate", literally "the Grammarian"). It is the most ambitious literary undertaking of medieval Denmark and is an essentia ...
'' by
Saxo Grammaticus Saxo Grammaticus (), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author ...
. Saxo describes when, after Arkona was captured by the Danish king
Valdemar I Valdemar I Knudsen (14 January 1131 – 12 May 1182), also known as Valdemar the Great (), was King of Denmark from 1154 until his death in 1182. The reign of King Valdemar I saw the rise of Denmark, which reached its medieval zenith under his s ...
, its inhabitants made an agreement with him, which encourages the inhabitants of
Charenza Charenza, also Karentia or Karenz, later also Gharense, was a medieval '' Slavic burgwall'' on the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea. It was the administrative centre of the Rani tribe and of the Principality of Rugia. Today, the remnants are ca ...
to make a similar agreement and surrender the city without a fight. Saxo describes that in this gord (stronghold) there were three temples dedicated to
Rugiaevit Rugiaevit, Rugievit () or Ruyevit is a god of the Slavic Rani worshipped on Rügen, mentioned in only two sources: ''Gesta Danorum'' and in ''Knýtlinga saga''. His temple, along with those of Porevit and Porenut, was located in the gord of Char ...
, Porevit and
Porenut Porenut (, ) is a god with unknown functions mentioned in only two sources: ''Gesta Danorum'' and in '' Knýtlinga saga''. The only historical information about this god is the description of a statue depicting him with four faces on his head and ...
. After the destruction of the temple and the idol of Rugiaevit by the Danes, Saxo writes: The same information is then given by the ''
Knýtlinga saga ''Knýtlinga saga'' () is an Icelandic kings' saga written in the 1250s, which deals with the kings who ruled Denmark from the early 10th century to the time when the book was written. There are good reasons to assume that the author was Óláfr ...
'', which lists Porevit in the distorted form ''Puruvit''.


Etymologies and interpretations


From ''*pora'' "strength"

The first part is usually connected with the word ''pora'' in its original,
Proto-Slavic Proto-Slavic (abbreviated PSl., PS.; also called Common Slavic or Common Slavonic) is the unattested, reconstructed proto-language of all Slavic languages. It represents Slavic speech approximately from the 2nd millennium BC through the 6th ...
('' *pora'') meaning "push, thrust", "force, effort, full strength", "period of effort, hard work". In the context of this etymology, the name is read as ''Porevit'' or ''Porovit''. Supporters of the reading ''Porovit'' cite, for example, the
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
word порови́тый, ''porovityy''. According to Jacek Banaszkiewicz, a
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
professor of medieval history, the three
Charenza Charenza, also Karentia or Karenz, later also Gharense, was a medieval '' Slavic burgwall'' on the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea. It was the administrative centre of the Rani tribe and of the Principality of Rugia. Today, the remnants are ca ...
deities are not a "random" group of deities, but a group of deities that patronize areas fundamental to the existence of society. He considers Rugiaevit as the chief god, who patronizes war and the community, and Porevit and Porenut as
divine twins The Divine Twins are youthful horsemen, either gods or demigods, who serve as rescuers and healers in Proto-Indo-European mythology. Like other Proto-Indo-European divinities, the Divine Twins are not directly attested by archaeological or writte ...
, who complement the chief deity with their universal characteristics. Banaszkiewicz points out that a common feature of divine twins is the repetition of the first part of the name or the second part of the name; according to him, Porevit and Porenut share the first part (''pora''). He also points out that twins often have contradictory features; Porevit is considered a "positive" twin whose name should be understood as "Lord of strength, Lord who can cope with everything", while Porenut is considered a "negative" twin and translates his name as "Lord in need of support", reading the suffix ''-nut'' as ''-nud'' and connecting it with the
Old Polish The Old Polish language () was a period in the history of the Polish language between the 10th and the 16th centuries. It was followed by the Middle Polish language. The sources for the study of the Old Polish language are the data of the co ...
''nuda'' and the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
''Nut'' meaning "need, compulsion". Banaszkiewicz also points to the fact that they both have five faces, two less than Rugiaevit, with Porenut having only four faces on his head, and the fifth one he holds with his hands on his chest, which according to him may indicate that his character's importance is diminished in relation to Porevit. It may also be important that the right hand supports the fifth face, while the left hand holds it by the forehead. Andrzej Szyjewski is also in favor of combining the first part of both Porevit and Porenut with the word ''pora''. According to
Roman Jakobson Roman Osipovich Jakobson (, ; 18 July 1982) was a Russian linguist and literary theorist. A pioneer of structural linguistics, Jakobson was one of the most celebrated and influential linguists of the twentieth century. With Nikolai Trubetzk ...
, the ''*per''/''*por'' root exchange would link Porovit to
Perun In Slavic paganism, Slavic mythology, Perun () is the highest god of the Pantheon (religion), pantheon and the god of sky, thunder, lightning, storms, rain, law, war, fertility and oak trees. His other attributes were fire, mountains, wind, ir ...
.


From ''*borъ'' "forest"

Less common readings of the name include ''Borovit'' "Lord of the forest". There is an assumption that both Saxo and the author of the ''Knýtlinga saga'' used one common, unpreserved source when describing the deities of Charenza. The Porevit/Porovit reading is supported by the fact that in Saxo's Latin, and Old Icelandic, the Slavic initial ⟨p⟩ was always rendered as ''p'', but it is possible that this theonym was deformed before it found its way into the ''Gesta Danorum'' and ''Saga''. The notation with ''p'' appears in only one manuscript (the Danish copy) of the ''Gesta Danorum'', which became the basis for the Paris edition of 1514, which became the basis for all later editions. However,
Thomas Kantzow Thomas Kantzow (died 1542) was a chronicler in the Duchy of Pomerania. He studied at the universities of Rostock and Wittenberg, and was a secretary of the Pomeranian dukes. His manuscripts, rediscovered in 1729, 1832 and 1973, are written in Low ...
in 1538 gives the ''Borveit'' notation. Kantzon probably relied on an unpreserved manuscript kept in
Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...
or
Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...
, where it originated. Additionally,
David Chytraeus David Chytraeus or Chyträus (26 February 1530 – 25 June 1600) was a German Lutheran theologian, reformer and historian. He was a disciple of Philip Melancthon. He was born at Ingelfingen. His real surname was Kochhafe, which in Classical Gr ...
, who was a professor at the
University of Rostock The University of Rostock () is a public university located in Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Founded in 1419, it is the third-oldest university in Germany. It is the oldest university in continental northern Europe and the Baltic Se ...
, gives the notation ''Barovit'' in his ''Chronicon Saxoniae'' which may indicate that there was a copy (or copies) that used a different notation system than the Danish manuscripts. It should also be noted, knowledge of the Paris edition is only demonstrated by Peter Albina of the late 16th century, who is the first to quote the ''Poreuit'' notation from that edition. All of this may indicate that records before the 16th century were based on different, non-existent manuscripts. In German notations of Slavic names, ''b'' is often replaced by ''p'' and ⟨o⟩ written with ''u'', cf. German ''Pürschutz'', ''Burtschütz'' ← Old Sorbian ''*Borušici'', German ''Portitz'', ''Borticz'' ← Old Polabian ''*Borêtici''. Additionally, Slavic ''bor'' "(conifer) forest" in German records is rendered as ''-bure-'', ''-buru-'', ''-buri-'', cf. ''Zutibure'', ''Mesaburii'', ''Medeburu'' from the 10th/11th century, as well as ''Priburiwitz'' "Priborevic" (1215), ''Pritbur'' "Predbor" (1284). In the Polabian theonymy, Pan-Slavic names of gods, e.g. because of
taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...
, were replaced by alternative names, common words, or given names, cf. god
Yarovit Yarovit, Iarovit (or Yerovit, Ierovit) is a Polabian god of war, worshipped in Vologošč ( Circipanians) and Hobolin ( Hobolians; modern Havelberg). Sources give only a brief description of his cult, his main temple was located in Vologošč, ...
and Serbian јаро̀вит, ''yarovit''. The notation ''Borveit''/''Barovit'' can be read as ''Borovit'', which would be indicated by words such as
Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...
''borovitý'',
Serbo-Croatian Serbo-Croatian ( / ), also known as Bosnian-Croatian-Montenegrin-Serbian (BCMS), is a South Slavic language and the primary language of Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. It is a pluricentric language with four mutually i ...
боро̀вит/''boròvit'', Slovene ''borovit'', as well as first and last names, e.g.
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
''Borowity'', Old Polabian ''*Borovit'',
Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...
Боровит, ''Borovit''. However, unlike other Polabian theonyms, ''Borovit'' would not consist of the suffix ''*-ovitъ'', but of the adjective ''*borovъjь'' "of or pertaining to a conifer forest" and the suffix ''*-itъ''. ''Borovy'' is also a synonym for ''
Leshy Leshy or Leshi, ; literally, ' efrom the forest'. is a tutelary deity of the forest in pagan Slavic mythology. As Leshy rules over the forest and hunting, he may be related to the Slavic god Porewit. A similar deity called ''Svyatibor'' ('' ...
'' – the spirit of the forest in East Slavic folklore.


Turupit

''Knýtlinga saga'', which uses the same source as Saxo, also mentions a deity named ''Turupit'' (in variants ''Turupit'', ''Turtupit'', ''Turtuput'', ''Turupið''). This is generally thought to be a corruption of the ''
Porenut Porenut (, ) is a god with unknown functions mentioned in only two sources: ''Gesta Danorum'' and in '' Knýtlinga saga''. The only historical information about this god is the description of a statue depicting him with four faces on his head and ...
'' (Perunits) form: the Old Icelandic notation ''Ruivit'' would correspond to the notation ''Rugiaevitus'' of Saxo, Old Icelandic ''Puruvit'' would correspond to the notation ''Porevit'' of Saxo, and ''Turupit'' would correspond to the notation ''Porenutius'' of Saxo. Attempts have also been made to read this theonym literally, e.g. as ''T(o)ropiec'' from ''*trepati'' "to flutter", or to regard it as a loan from
Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...
''
Taranis Taranis (sometimes Taranus or Tanarus) is a Celtic thunder god attested in literary and epigraphic sources. The Roman poet Lucan's epic ''Pharsalia'' mentions Taranis, Esus, and Teutates as gods to whom the Gauls sacrificed humans. This rare ...
'' "Celtic god of the storm" (allegedly to the Proto-Slavic ''*Taranъ'' "god of the storm"). However, according to Michał Łuczyński, ''Turupit'' could confirm the reading ''Borovit''. Latin ''d'' and ''b'', and ''b'' and ''t'' were sometimes interchanged, e.g., ''Liduit'' → ''Liubi'' "Liduit", ''Syeba'' → ''Sieta'' " Živa"; a copyist, therefore, as a result of a mistake, could render the Slavic ⟨b⟩ as ''d'' (''t''). The suffix ''*-vit'' in Icelandic was also written as ''-pit''.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * {{Authority control Slavic gods