Velns

Basics Latvian culture, along with Lithuanian, is among the oldest surviving Indo-European culture. Much of its symbolism (for example, the "fire cross" or swastika) is ancient. Its seasons, festivals, and numerous deities reflect the essential agrarian nature of Latvian tribal life. These seasons and festivals are still noted, if not also celebrated today—for example, Jāņi is a national holiday.
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[Latvian] Velns ("devil") is an extremely contradictory personage. In folksong texts the word is mentioned mostly in idioms and exclamations (i.e., what the hell/devil...), but also the mother of a bridegroom or husband is called Velna mate "Devil's mother", displaying complete demythologization. In general Latvian devil as the evil spirit appears to be a result of Christian diazotization. There are (but very few) song texts speaking about devil, hell and souls, thus showing direct influence of the Christianity. Much more can be found in the folk-tales, but they are also dominated by international motifs. To sum them up: the Devil is living in a different world, possessing wealth and magic powers, which can be earned or taken by wit or force; the Devil tends to kidnap people (mostly young maidens); and Ragana ("witch") may be his wife. Again many of the traits seem to be coming from Christianity. There are some motifs when the devil is honest and helping the weak and poor; maybe this is som...
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