Alus - apeiginis baltų gėrimas

LTAlaus kaip apeiginio baltų gėrimo tema nagrinėjama remiantis rašytiniais bei žodiniais baltų religijos ir mitologijos šaltiniais, sutelkiant dėmesį į šio objekto mitologinį kontekstą. Aiškinamasi, kurioms dievybėms ir mitinėms būtybėms buvo aukojamas alus ir kokiu būdu tai būdavo atliekama, išskiriant šio gėrimo libacijos ritualą. Pabrėžiamas alaus kaip priemonės, palengvinančios individo ir kaimo bendruomenės religinę komunikaciją su jų dievybėmis, vaidmuo, taip pat liaudies tikėjimuose atsiskleidžiantis įsivaizdavimas apie alaus ir jo gėrimo akto poveikį žemės vaisingumui, ypač javų derliui. [Iš leidinio]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Alus; Apeiginis gėrimas; Baltų mitologija; Ritualinis gėrimas; Baltic mythology; Beer; Ritual Drink; Ritual drinking.

ENThe subject of beer as the traditional drink of the Balts is analyzed in this article on the basis of written and oral sources of the Baltic religion and mythology, focusing on the mythological background of this subject. The ritual role of drinking beer in the context of ancient Baltic traditions is attempted to elucidate, as well as the deities and mythical beings to which beer and its offerings could be related, including ways of performing such rituals, especially the libation. Since ancient times, beer for the Balts was a festive drink, associated with various significant events. Functioning of beer in the ritual plane, related to the expression of sacredness, endows it with special quality, associated with religious phenomena, particularly bearing in mind the ritual aspects of its brewing in certain cases. Historian Teodor Narbutt attributed beer to the category of sacred drinks. Beer, first mentioned in the sources of the Baltic religion and mythology as early as the 9 th century, was primarily consumed by the western Baltic tribe - the ancient Prussians. The Balts absorbed this drink from the Goths, who were neighbors of the Balts, living at the mouth of the Vistula River until the 3 rd century.Beer rapidly took root among the western Balts, subsequently also becoming the favored drink of the eastern Balts - Lithuanians and Latvians. Beer used to be offered to certain deities in the course of rituals or consumed in their honor. Drinking of beer was believed to enhance fertility of the crops. The most typical ritual performed with beer as an offered drink was its libation, credibly verified in the historical sources of the 16 th -17 th centuries. The drinking of beer in particular, as a constituent of many Baltic rituals, was believed by its performers to facilitate their communication with gods. Beer was most frequently offered to chthonic deities. The connection of beer with them is substantiated by its origins as a product of the crops, supplied by the soil. [From the publication]