GLOSSARY OF PERSONAL AND PLACE NAMES
The entries in this section explain personal and place names for the purposes of the poem. I am not trying to give you a history or geography lesson! The material in square brackets after each Latvian word explains how I would like you to pronounce that word. This pronunciation is necessary for the metrical structure of the English-language poem, and may differ from standard Latvian pronunciation. I apologize for any offence that this causes. The syllable represented in the square brackets as "-a" should be pronounced as in "bad", the one represented as "-ah" as a long "bad". The syllable represented as "-e" should be pronounced as in "bed", "-o" as in "hot", "-oh" as in "throw,""oo" as in "zoo", "ow" as in "bough", "-u" as in "hut" and "uh" as in "book". Syllables in boldface should be stressed.
Aizkraukle [Eyes-krow-kle]: A Latvian stockade near the southern bank of the River Daugava, about 100 Km SE of Riga.
Aizkrauklis [Eyes-krow-kliss]: The Lord of Aizkraukle; father of Spidala.
Albert: The third Bishop of Uexküll (Latvian: Ikskile); sent by Pope Innocent III in 1199. He was the most effective in subjugating the Baltic people. He recruited the Sword Brothers (warrior monks and priests), who brought Christianity by force after diplo- macy and gifts failed.
All Souls Night: A night in October when the souls of the dear departed return to visit the living; comparable with Halloween.
Antrimps [Un-trimps}: The God of the Sea.
Austra [Ow-stru]: The Goddess of the Morning/the Dawn.
Azure Mountain: A sacred mountain where ancient writings were kept; meeting place of the folk at Midsummer.
Black Knight: A German knight brought to Latvia by
Bishop Albert to kill Bearslayer.
Burtnieks [Buhrt-nee-eks]: A wise Latvian Lord; teacher of Bearslayer
and father of Laimdota.
Crystal Palace: The home of Staburadze beneath the whirl-
pool of Staburags.
Dabrels [Dubb-rells]: A Latvian Lord whose stockade was on the
River Gauja near modern-day Sigulda. Across
the river was Kaupa's stockade (Turaida).
Daniel [Dunn-yell]: The German knight who occupied Lielvarde
(Bearslayer's home).
Daugava [Dow-g'vu]: The revered, almost sacred, principal river
of Latvia. Its course lies mainly SE of Riga,
but it flows into the sea to the west of Riga.
Destiny's Father: A pseudomythological figure invented by
Pumpurs; the arbiter of human destiny-Fate.
Devil's Pit: A huge underground chamber dug under the
River Daugava by the Devil.
Dietrich [Dee-trich]: A German priest who came to Latvia to
prepare the way for Bishop Albert.
Dog-Snout Ogres: Mythological monsters in Latvian
and Estonian folk tales.
Enchanted Isle: An island that draws ships to its shores. It
is inhabited by the demon sons of the
Old Witch (see Canto II).
Evil One (the): The Devil.
Fiend (the) The Devil (when capitalized; otherwise
a demon).
Gauja [Gow-yu]: The largest river entirely within Latvia.
Its course lies NE of Riga.
Henry: A Latvian who was educated in Germany and became a Christian priest in Latvia. He is remembered as "Henry of Livonia"
Holy Father: The Pope; Celestine III proclaimed the
third Northern Crusade (the Baltic Crusade) in
1193; Innocent III succeeded Celestine, and
appointed Bishop Albert in 1198.
Ikskile [Eeks-chill-e]: A Livian town on the northern bank of the
Daugava, SE of Riga; the Germans had already
built a fort there before the arrival of
Albert.
Kalapuisis [Kull-u-poo-iss-iss]: A gigantic Estonian warrior; more or less
the Estonian equivalent of Bearslayer.
Kangars [Kun-gars]: A Latvian holy man who had secretly made a
pact with the Devil.
Kaupa [Cow-pu]: A great Latvian Lord whose stockade was
at Turaida on the Gauja.
Kingdom of Dreams: A land in the east where sky and earth meet
and the gates of Heaven and Hell are found. It
is the home of the Sons of the Gods and the
Daughters of the Sun.
Koknesis [Kwock-ness-is]: A mighty youth who lived near the River
Perse; Bearslayer's close friend.
kokle [kwock-le]: Traditional Latvian musical instrument -
something like a zither.
Kegums [Chag-ums]: A town on the Daugava about 50 Km. SE of
Riga.
Laima [Lye-mu]: The Goddess of Destiny/of Happiness.
Laimdota [Lime-dwo-tu]: The beautiful, virtuous, learned and
wise daughter of Burtnieks.
Lake Peipus [Pay-puss]: A large lake along the border between Estonia
and Russia
Latvian Lords: Latvian chieftains or clan (family) heads who
lived in stockades (castles) behind wooden
palisades on higher ground along the
tributaries of the major rivers.
Lielvarde [Lee-ell-var-de]: A Latvian stronghold on the northern bank
of the Daugava, about 55 Km. SE of Riga;
home of Bearslayer and his foster father,
Lielvardis.
Lielvardis [Lee-ell-var-diss]: The Latvian Lord of Lielvarde; foster father
of Bearslayer.
Liga [Lee-gu]: The Goddess of Song.
Ligo [Lee-gwu]: Sing! (midsummer songs).
Ligusoni Priests [Lee-gu-swon-yee]: People selected to lead the (pagan)
midsummer rites at the Azure Mountain.
Livian lands: The lands of the Livs: In Western Latvia, and
thus the first area occupied by the Germans.
Livs: A Finnic (i.e., non-Latvian) people who lived
along the shores of the Gulf of Riga and the
Daugava estuary.
Lucifer: The Devil.
Midsummer's Eve: A traditional, extremely important,
still-celebrated Latvian folk festival-Jani.
Nine-Headed Demon: A son of the Old Witch. He lived on the En-
chanted Isle and was killed by Bearslayer.
North Wind's Daughter: The daughter of Ziemelis, the North Wind.
Northern Sea: The bitterly cold, stormy sea at the top of the world. The domain of Ziemelis.
Pakols [Pu-kwolls]: The God of Death.
Patrimps [Pu-trimps}: The God of Fertility and Wealth.
Perkons [Pah-kwons]: The God of Thunder; a strong supporter of the Latvian people.
Perse [Pair-se]: A river (and waterfall) that flows into
the Daugava near Aizkraukle, about 100 Km. SE
of Riga.
Pukaitis [Push-kye-tiss]: A pseudomythological figure invented by
writers in the nineteenth century; often
depicted as the God of Trees.
Riga's Bishop: Bishop Albert
Romove [Roo-oh-mwo-vu]: A town located near the site of modern-day
Vilnius in Lithuania; sacred to all three Baltic
peoples (Latvians, Lithuanians, Prussians).
Rusin [Roo-sinsh]: A Latvian warrior treacherously killed by a
crossbow bolt at the start of the battle for
Dabrels's stockade.
Sacred copse: A sacred grove of trees on the Azure Mountain.
Salaspils [Su-luss-pills]: A town on the Daugava where the Germans had already built a castle prior to the arrival of Albert.
Saulite [Sow-lee-tu]: The Sun-Goddess, wife of the Moon. At Midsummer she wore a headdress of red blossoms and danced on the hilltops in silver shoes. To honour her, at Midsummer human women wore similar braided wreaths in their hair, and walked through the fields singing songs to her- see "Ligo".
Sereniete [(Se-re-nee-e-te]: A witch, who assisted Spidala to throw Bear-
slayer down into the whirlpool of Staburags.
Six-Headed Demon: A son of the Old Witch. He lived on the
Enchanted Isle and was killed by Bearslayer.
Spidala [Spee-du-lu]: The beautiful daughter of Aizkrauklis. She was a witch who had entered into a pact with the Devil, but escaped with Bearslayer's help.
Staburadze [Stu-boo-rud-zu]: A goddess who lives in a Crystal Palace beneath the whirlpool of Staburags.
Staburadze's glass: A mirror given to Bearslayer by the Goddess
Staburadze. Evildoers who look into it see
the face of Perkons, and are frozen with terror.
Staburadze's maidens: Beautiful and especially virtuous young women,
who live for a time with Staburadze to be
educated.
Staburags [Stu-boo-rugs]: A high cliff above the River Daugava with a
whirlpool at its foot.
Strangers The German knights sent to christianize
Latvia , especially those sent by Innocent III
under the leadership of Albert.
Talvaldis [Tarl-vull-diss]: A Latvian leader; second-in-command to
Bearslayer (although hardly mentioned
in the poem).
Three-Headed Demon: A son of the Old Witch. He lived on the
Enchanted Isle and was killed by Bearslayer.
Tikla [Tick-lu]: The Goddess of Virtue.
Turaida [Too-rye-du]: A Latvian stronghold on the River Gauja NE of Riga, where Kaupa was the Latvian Lord; across the river from Dabrels's stockade.
Uzin [Oo-zinysh]: The God ("patron saint") of Bees (and Horses).
Vaidelots [Vye-de-lwots]: The Messenger of the Gods, who brings news
from them (from Romove) to mortals.
Viduveds [Vid-oo-vads]: A man of legendary wisdom, who lived in the
sixth century; also known in Prussian legends.
Witch (Old Witch): A crone who had authority over the younger witches in the Devil's Pit. She was the mother of the Three-, Six- and Nine-Headed Demons on the Enchanted Isle.
Ziemelis [Zee-em-ell-is]: The North Wind; hostile to human beings.
Zunda [Zuhn-da]: Narrow straits between the Estonian island of Saaremaa and the Kurzeme Peninsula (i.e., on the Estonia-Latvia border).