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| {{Short description|Legendary Baltic Prussian king}} | |||
| '''Widewuto''' or '''Waidewut''', a legendary early king of the ], ruled along with his brother, the priest ] in the area known as ], according to ]s recorded in later times. | |||
| ] | |||
| '''Widewuto''' (also ''Viduutus'', ''Vidvutus'', ''Witowudi'', ''Waidewut'', ''Vaidevutis'') was a legendary king of the ] who ruled along with his elder brother, the high priest ('']'') Bruteno in the 6th century AD. They are known from writings of 16th-century chroniclers {{ill|Erasmus Stella|de}}, ], and ].<ref name=mle/> Though the legend lacks historical credibility, it became popular with medieval historians. It is unclear whether the legend was authentically ]n (i.e. recorded from ]) or was created by Grunau (possibly inspired by Biblical ] and ]),<ref name=hast/> though Lithuanian researchers tend to support its authenticity.<ref name=beres/> | |||
| ==Names== | |||
| ] was martyred by the Prussiansin ] after the holy oak of the Prussians was felled by Adalbert, Bishop of Ermeland, with an axe given to him by Christ himself. After seeing the power of their gods destroyed, the Prussians became Christian, according to ''Vita Sancti Adalberti''. It should be pointed out that the story of the holy oak and its felling closely imitates the story of ] felling the holy oak of the ] or the earlier Saint ] felling a sacred oak in ]. It is possible that either the evangelist or the story-tellers imitated earlier examples. | |||
| Widewuto's name is found in literature in different forms: Veijdenutus, Vydevutis, Vidowuto, Viduutus, Waidewut, Wejdewut, Wenedut, Widewuto, Widewutte, Widiwutus, Wydowudo, Wydowudus, Widowuto, Wydowuto, Widowutus, Witoud, Witoudo, Witouito, Witowudus, Witowuto, Wotowudo, Vaidevutis (modern Lithuanian emendation). As for his brother Bruteno, his name is also written in many ways: Brudeno, Bruteno, Brutenus, Brutheno, Brutteno. ]ian scholar Siarhiej Sanko interprets their names as "Widow's Son" and "Brother".<ref>SAŃKO, Siarhiej, and Aliaksej Shota. "PODSTAWOWE SKŁADNIKI BIAŁORUSKIEJ NARRACJI SAKRALNEJ W PERSPEKTYWIE PORÓWNAWCZEJ." Politeja, no. 22 (2012): 179-811. Accessed March 3, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24920134.</ref> | |||
| According to sagas, Waidewut had twelve sons, whose names were memorialized in the districts of Prussia and adjoining districts they controlled. Some of these names are coincidentally and anachronistically linked to the names of leaders of other peoples, for example, the ]n merchant leader King ], known to us from the Chronicle of ] (circa ]). King Samo ruled from ]-] in probably mainly in ], Lower ], ] and ]. | |||
| ==Legends== | |||
| More recent historiography posits the theory that Adalbert was murdered less for his opposition to "Prussian tradition" and more because he was believed to be a ] spy. | |||
| According to the legend, Widewuto and Bruteno were kings of the ], a tribe in ].<ref name=beres/> Driven out by the ] from their homeland, the Cimbri arrived to Ulmiganea, an area inhabited by rather primitive people who had no agriculture or cities.<ref name=mle2/> Widewuto and Bruteno civilized the region and named it ] after Bruteno (Pruteno). ] noted that such arrival has a lot in common with the origin legend of the ].<ref name=beres/> Widewuto ruled wisely and issued laws regulating family life (for example, men could have three wives; burning of gravely sick relatives was allowed; infidelity was punished by death), public life (for example, slavery was prohibited; distinguished warriors with a horse were raised to nobility), and punishments for criminal activity.<ref name=mle/> Bruteno was the high priest ('']'') in charge of religious life. Widewuto had twelve sons, whose names were memorialized in the districts of Prussia. For example, ] was named after eldest son Litvas, ] after Sudo, etc. Aged 116, Widewuto ] together with Bruteno in a religious ceremony at the ]. After their deaths the brothers were worshiped as god Wurskaito.<ref name=mle/> | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| {{hist-stub}} | |||
| ==Flag== | |||
| Widewuto had a white flag, measuring five by three ]s.<ref name=bojtar/> The flag had portraits of three Prussian gods, which Grunau reproduced in his work. On the left, there was the god of the underworld, ] – an old man with white beard and white scarf on his head. Middle-aged and fiery-haired ], god of sky, storm, and thunder, was in the middle. The god of sea, earth, and crops, ], was portrayed as a young beardless man wearing a wreath of ].<ref name=puhvel/> The flag also displayed mysterious symbols. Several linguists have unsuccessfully attempted to decipher the writing hoping to discover an ancient Prussian writing system.<ref name=bojtar/> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist|refs= | |||
| <ref name=beres>{{cite journal| first=Gintaras |last=Beresnevičius |author-link=Gintaras Beresnevičius |url=http://www.ceeol.com/aspx/getdocument.aspx?logid=5&id=f0cfcad8-0754-4f36-9cc9-d09de68a6d1b | title=Prūsijos amfiktionijos steigtis prūsų legendose ir germaniškasis kontekstas |journal=Tautosakos darbai |issue= XXXI |year=2006 |pages=190–191 |issn=1392-2831|language=lt}}</ref> | |||
| <ref name=bojtar>{{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=PA210 |publisher=CEU Press |year=1999 |pages=210–211 |isbn=963-9116-42-4}}</ref> | |||
| <ref name=hast>{{cite encyclopedia| title=Old Prussians |encyclopedia=] |volume=9 |first=James |last=Hastings |author-link=James Hastings |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HT0TAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA488 |pages=487–488 |publisher=T. & T. Clark |year=1917 |isbn=9780567065131 |oclc=3065458}}</ref> | |||
| <ref name=mle>{{cite encyclopedia| title=Videvutis |encyclopedia=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija | volume=4 |location=Vilnius |publisher=Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas |year=2009 |pages=714–716 |isbn=978-5-420-01470-7|language=lt}}</ref> | |||
| <ref name=mle2>{{cite encyclopedia| title=Ulmiganija |encyclopedia=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija | volume=4 |location=Vilnius |publisher=Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas |year=2009 |page=594 |isbn=978-5-420-01470-7|language=lt}}</ref> | |||
| <ref name=puhvel>{{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}}</ref> | |||
| }} | |||
| ==Further reading== | |||
| * Beresnevičius G. "". In: ''Res Balticae'', Nr. 03, 1997. pp. 153-164. | |||
| ⚫ | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 12:13, 21 December 2024
Legendary Baltic Prussian king.jpg)
Widewuto (also Viduutus, Vidvutus, Witowudi, Waidewut, Vaidevutis) was a legendary king of the pagan Prussians who ruled along with his elder brother, the high priest (Kriwe-Kriwajto) Bruteno in the 6th century AD. They are known from writings of 16th-century chroniclers Erasmus Stella [de], Simon Grunau, and Lucas David. Though the legend lacks historical credibility, it became popular with medieval historians. It is unclear whether the legend was authentically Prussian (i.e. recorded from Prussian mythology) or was created by Grunau (possibly inspired by Biblical Moses and Aaron), though Lithuanian researchers tend to support its authenticity.
Names
Widewuto's name is found in literature in different forms: Veijdenutus, Vydevutis, Vidowuto, Viduutus, Waidewut, Wejdewut, Wenedut, Widewuto, Widewutte, Widiwutus, Wydowudo, Wydowudus, Widowuto, Wydowuto, Widowutus, Witoud, Witoudo, Witouito, Witowudus, Witowuto, Wotowudo, Vaidevutis (modern Lithuanian emendation). As for his brother Bruteno, his name is also written in many ways: Brudeno, Bruteno, Brutenus, Brutheno, Brutteno. Belarusian scholar Siarhiej Sanko interprets their names as "Widow's Son" and "Brother".
Legends
According to the legend, Widewuto and Bruteno were kings of the Cimbri, a tribe in Jutland. Driven out by the Goths from their homeland, the Cimbri arrived to Ulmiganea, an area inhabited by rather primitive people who had no agriculture or cities. Widewuto and Bruteno civilized the region and named it Prussia after Bruteno (Pruteno). Gintaras Beresnevičius noted that such arrival has a lot in common with the origin legend of the Lombards. Widewuto ruled wisely and issued laws regulating family life (for example, men could have three wives; burning of gravely sick relatives was allowed; infidelity was punished by death), public life (for example, slavery was prohibited; distinguished warriors with a horse were raised to nobility), and punishments for criminal activity. Bruteno was the high priest (Kriwe-Kriwajto) in charge of religious life. Widewuto had twelve sons, whose names were memorialized in the districts of Prussia. For example, Lithuania was named after eldest son Litvas, Sudovia after Sudo, etc. Aged 116, Widewuto burned himself together with Bruteno in a religious ceremony at the temple of Romuva. After their deaths the brothers were worshiped as god Wurskaito.
Flag
Widewuto had a white flag, measuring five by three ells. The flag had portraits of three Prussian gods, which Grunau reproduced in his work. On the left, there was the god of the underworld, Peckols – an old man with white beard and white scarf on his head. Middle-aged and fiery-haired Perkūnas, god of sky, storm, and thunder, was in the middle. The god of sea, earth, and crops, Patrimpas, was portrayed as a young beardless man wearing a wreath of grain ears. The flag also displayed mysterious symbols. Several linguists have unsuccessfully attempted to decipher the writing hoping to discover an ancient Prussian writing system.
References
- ^ "Videvutis". Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Vol. 4. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas. 2009. pp. 714–716. ISBN 978-5-420-01470-7.
- Hastings, James (1917). "Old Prussians". Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics. Vol. 9. T. & T. Clark. pp. 487–488. ISBN 9780567065131. OCLC 3065458.
- ^ Beresnevičius, Gintaras (2006). "Prūsijos amfiktionijos steigtis prūsų legendose ir germaniškasis kontekstas". Tautosakos darbai (in Lithuanian) (XXXI): 190–191. ISSN 1392-2831.
- SAŃKO, Siarhiej, and Aliaksej Shota. "PODSTAWOWE SKŁADNIKI BIAŁORUSKIEJ NARRACJI SAKRALNEJ W PERSPEKTYWIE PORÓWNAWCZEJ." Politeja, no. 22 (2012): 179-811. Accessed March 3, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24920134.
- "Ulmiganija". Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Vol. 4. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas. 2009. p. 594. ISBN 978-5-420-01470-7.
- ^ Bojtár, Endre (1999). Foreword to the Past: A Cultural History of the Baltic People. CEU Press. pp. 210–211. ISBN 963-9116-42-4.
- Puhvel, Jaan (1974). "Indo-European Structure of Baltic Pantheon". Myth in Indo-European antiquity. University of California Press. p. 79. ISBN 0-520-02378-1.
Further reading
- Beresnevičius G. "Die Religionsreform des Brutenis". In: Res Balticae, Nr. 03, 1997. pp. 153-164.