Perkūnas

Deities

Tradition · Baltic
Alternate Names
Pērkons (Latvian)Perkūns (Prussian)Parkuns (Sudovian)
Gender Expression
Masculine
Titles
The ThundererLord of the OakKeeper of Order
Domain
ThunderLightningStormsRainFireWarLawOrderFertilityMountainsOak
Planetary Correspondence
Jupiter
Secondary Planets
MarsSaturn
Elemental Correspondence
AirFire
Zodiac Affinity
SagittariusAriesLeo
Correspondences
Colors
BlueWhiteRed
Scents
Pine resinJuniperFrankincense boswellia sacra
Metals
IronTin
Animals
BullGoatEagle
Sacred Timing
Hours
Storm timesNoon
Offerings
BeerBreadIronOak leavesFirst grain
Invocation Approach
Tone
Clean thunderous address
Address
PerkūnasThe ThundererLord of the Oak
Relationship
The active god who keeps the world in order
Warning
He enforces oaths and his strike is final
Resonance
Those swearing oaths and farmers waiting for rain
Symbols
OakAxeHammerThunderboltFire
Mythology Summary

Perkūnas (Latvian Pērkons, Prussian Perkūns) is the common Baltic thunder god, second only to Dievas: god of sky, thunder, lightning, storms, rain, fire, war, law, order, fertility, mountains and the oak. He strikes the devil (velnias) who hides under stones, in hollow trees and in the water, and the oaks split by lightning are his; his weapons are the axe and the hammer, and Thursday is his day. The sources are the 16th-17th century accounts (Łasicki, Praetorius) and the immense daina corpus rather than any temple text.

Modern Practice

Perkūnas is called in a storm and before an oath, at the oak and with iron in hand: beer, bread and the first grain, and the plain statement of what is being promised. The practice is the keeping of an order - oaths, boundaries, the law of the household - and the thunder is the witness.

Related Deities
PerunThorTaranisJupiterZeus

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