Laumes The Baltic Fairies

Baltic mythology is part of the oldest mythical layer in European storytelling with its roots dating back to the Ice Age.

Baltic fairy is known as lauma (singular) (plural laumes). Worship of these creatures in Baltic lands dates back to Mesolithic times and belief for them is even older than Baltic pantheon with different gods and goddesses. Laumes were servants of Laimathe, (the name Laima translates as “luck”) Baltic goddess of faith. Laumes were also closely connected to Baltic earth goddess Zemyna. Worship of the mother earth is ancient and dates back over 30 000 years within Europe. Both Zemyna and Laima were some of the most worshipped and respected goddesses in Latvia and Lithuania during Pre-Christian times.

The earliest stories are primordial and include tales about she-dogs, she-wolves and she-bears. The creatures were half women and half-animals. Centaur-like creatures, that often had only one eye.

In rural environments, people often mythologized their surrounding nature and the animals and the wilderness.

Laumes had a dual role in society. They were protectors of women, children and orphans. Laima the goddess of the faith was highly worshipped especially among pregnant women because she was the one who was in charge of the child´s faith.

As time passed these were-women became more worshipped but also more sexualized. Animal features such as bear claws or horse´s hoofs as feet were not unheard of.

Laumes (plural) were a group of Baltic nature spirits. According to some sources, these primordial she-dog women were giants. In where these stories were told people have found fossils that look like bullets. Locals call them “stone nipples”. According to the legend, Laumes kept giant cows and they would provide milk for the men. During one especially harsh and cold winter, the cows of the Laumes died and all the left behind was their stone udders.

As time went by they were no longer hybrid creatures but instead, they looked like ordinary women. They were slim ladies dressed in silk. Laumes were not described to have wings but it was possible that some of them did have wings. According to some legends, Laumes were spirits of passed away orphans. Laumes were guardians of nature and connected to different elements. Air, fire, water and earth. They lived in forests, lakes, abandoned bathhouses, swamps and meadows. These fairies loved to sing and dance. After the dance, when they walked away, their footprints would turn into mushroom rings and flowers. Laumes had the power to invite the rain and create thunderstorms. This is probably influenced from Slavic mythology where Rusalki the water spirits had similar powers.

There are several bodies of water in Latvia and Lithuania named after the Laumes. They would gather around the water to dance during the full moon. In Baltic mythology moon is male and according to one story, Laima (the goddess) was married to the moon. Laumes were believed to be strongest in their magic during the full moon and during the rainiest months in Lithuania.

Songs of the Laumes were performed in Lithuanian and Latvian weddings all the way to the 19th century. The bride would dance in the middle and other women around her. It was believed to bring good luck and wealth to perform the dances of the Laumes.

In the Middle Ages with the spread of Christianity, the reputation of the Laumes changed. People thought they were evil and very dangerous, especially to men. They would tickle the men to death and eat their bodies. This myth is very similar to the story of Lamia in Greek mythology. Lamia was the first wife of Zeus and Hera in her jealousy, turned her into a she-snake/succubus and she was doomed to kill men and babies.

Laumes were believed to be afraid of iron and people would keep iron close to them. In many cultures, iron is believed to have protective powers.

Slowly the idea of Laumes being half animals faded away and they were depicted as beautiful women who were either naked or wore fine clothing.

Laima Goddess of Faith

Laima was said to be one of the most beautiful Baltic goddesses. She lived in the clouds and ruled from a diamond throne.

She was the bride of the thunder god Perkunas. That if they were married or not depends on the legend. In some stories, Laima is in love with the moon and she loves “the moonlight”.

Laumes were connected to weaving and spinning. Spinning wheel was the symbol of Laima, she was the goddess of faith and destiny. The thread that she was spinning was the symbol of human life. Laima was in charge of everything that happened in the lives of humans but also what happened in nature. She was told to be a talented weaver who weaved all human lives together. Laima was highly worshipped among humans because she was the one who was in charge of everyone´s final destiny.

In Lithuania, laumes were connected to the woodlands and to the fertility of the land but in Latvia, they were connected to motherhood and magic of birth. In Latvia, it was believed that if the mother died during childbirth lauma would become the fairy god-mother and the protector of the child. It was lauma´s duty to protect the child during their entire life.

In the Latvian stories, Laima often weeps when she is spinning the destiny of the child. This is because the faith of the child is not up to her so for example if the child dies young, Laima would cry while making the cloth. Making her a vessel of faith and maternal love.

Vaiva And The Story Of The Rainbow

There is a beautiful story from Lithuania about a fairy called Vaiva (according to some legends Vaiva is another name of Laima). Perkunas the thunder god was in love with Vaiva but she was in love with a mortal man. A musician called Straublus. Perkunas took Vaiva into the skies and forced her to live there with him. Vaiva had a colourful belt that she threw from the skies to earth to Straublus. This belt was the rainbow. There are other versions of the story and according to one Vaiva was getting married with Perkunas but the moon goddess Menulis was in love with her. In the second story, Lauma and Straublus got a son called Milonos. “Mili” — meaning “to love”. Son remained with his father on earth but Laima would descent from the sky from time to time to be with them. When the highest of the gods, Dievas, found out about this unsacred union and the child. He took the child and tossed him to the star sky where he became a constellation. Dievas cut Laima´s breasts as punishment.

In the Middle Ages, Europe was a constant battlefield between different countries, cultures and religions. Goddesses like Laima the goddess of faith was demonized and she was turned into an old hag. This was also the time when Baltic society became more patriarchal and warmongering. The ancient pagan belief system in Baltic lands had been matriarchal and goddess-oriented without bashing male deities. All fairies were demonized together with the goddesses. When before Laima was someone who guarded the child and was the protector of orphans, Now Laima became an evil character who killed the child or purposely killed the mother so that they could keep the child to them-self. Faith that Laima faced was a faith she shared with several other goddesses around the world.

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