Vaidevučio vardo kismas ir interpretacijos istoriniuose šaltiniuose

LTStraipsnyje apžvelgiami Prūsijos kronikininkų pateikti legendinio Prūsijos karaliaus vardo variantai, jų kaita ir istoriografų svarstymai tiek apie jo asmenvardžio kilmę, tiek apie legendos atsiradimą: ar ji galėjusi gyvuoti kaip žodinė prūsų liaudies tradicija, ar buvusi sukurta ir kuriais laikais sukurta kronikininkų. Reikšminiai žodžiai: prūsai, Vaidevutis, kronika, Pretorijus, asmenvardis. [Iš leidinio]

ENNumerous variants of the name of the legendary founder and king of Prussia Vaidevutis have been recorded by many of the chroniclers and historians who have written about Prussia’s history. In this article, the author tries to determine whether the authors of narratives about Vaidevutis would provide grounds for choosing an always different form of his name, whether they attributed a particular social status or duty to him and whether they would associate his status or duties with his name. In 16th - 19th century works written about the history of Prussia that mention Vaidevutis, different forms of his name were selected and a chronological comparative source analysis was carried out. Researchers’ insights about the possible origins of this name given in historiography were also used, as well as deliberations as to whether Vaidevutis was a real or a fictional figure. Judging by the information at hand, authors who wrote about Vaidevutis as a person and his activities drew their knowledge of him exclusively from written sources. The first surviving mention of Vaidevutis’ name is in Erasmus Stella’s De Borussiae Antiquitatibus.This article presents an overview of versions of the name of the legendary king of Prussia given by Prussian chroniclers, how these versions changed and historiographical discussions both about the genesis of his name and the rise of the legend: could it have existed as an oral Prussian folk tradition, or was it created by chroniclers, and if so, when? According to the available data, Matthaeus Praetorius was the first to try to clarify the origins ofVaidevutis’ name. Simonas Daukantas was the first to write about Vaidevutis as the king of Prussia in Lithuanian texts. The origins ofVaidevutis’ name became a topic of intense analysis along with deeper research into the Prussian language in the 18th century. We cannot assert that Vaidevutis’ legend was created as an ancient Prussian folk narrative, passed on orally from one generation to the next. The existing source material allows stating that this myth was created and developed by Prussian chroniclers. There is no data about what the initial form of this legendary figure’s name could have been or who was the first author to have recorded this name in writing.Keywords: Prussians, Vaidevutis, chronicle, Praetorius, name. [From the publication]

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