History of Latvia: a Brief Survey

Āraiši – a reconstructed lake-dwellingsettlement of ancient Balts, 9th century.Jewellery of the ancient Balts, 6-11thcenturies: crossbow brooches, bracelet.dēli (Sons of God), Laima (Fate or Fortune) and other deities, mainly maternal figures —female patronesses of some specific activities or places (Mother of the Sea, Mother of theForests etc.). One of the most important gods was the god of thunder and storms, Pērkons,who fertilised the earth and cleared it of the power of evil. Pērkons was imagined as a stern,bearded and powerfully built man who traversed the sky in a fiery chariot drawn by swifthorses, or as riding a fiery horse. His head was crowned with a wreath of flames. In one handhe held lightning bolts, and in the other, a heavy stone axe. Historical records and Balticfolklore have preserved the names and functions of about 200 Baltic gods and goddesses.A Namejs ring, named after thelegendary 13th century Semigallianleader, Namejs. Historical informationsuggests that this identifying symbolwas worn by ancient Semigalliannobility. Today it is worn as an assertionof Latvian identity.6Written sources of the 13th century list the names of some of the greatest leaders or kingsof the Baltic and Finno-Ugrian tribes: Lamekins among the Couronians, Tālivaldis among theLatgallians, Namejs (Nameisis) and Viestarts amongthe Semigallians, and Ako and Kaupo among the Livs.The most renowned leader was Semigallian Namejs,almost a mythical figure in modern Latvian literature.He is believed to have attempted a significant militarycampaign in 1286, of allied Baltic tribes against theinvading German military contingent known asthe Livonian Order (Latin: Fratres militiae Christi deLivonia).