Indo-European Poetry and Myth

cannot trust it as being an accurate typology of Baltic nymphs. But it is not to
be doubted that the Balts recognized beings of this character. Among the
pagan deities that Jakob Brodowski enumerates under ‘Götze’ in his German–
Lithuanian dictionary, compiled in the first half of the eighteenth century, are
‘Najades: Deiwaites, Göttinnen der Brünnen und Flüssen’ (sic).^44 Deiváite ̇s
means literally ‘(little) goddesses’. There were evidently female water-sprites
to whom the term was applied in Lithuania.
Another appellation of nymph-like creatures is Lau ̃me ̇s. They are beautiful,
with long fair hair, and good at spinning and weaving. They live in forests
or near expanses of water and stones. They like bathing, and when sighted
are usually naked. They sometimes have sexual relations with men, or even
marry them, though the marriage never lasts. They can be malicious when
offended. They are also in the habit of stealing children or substituting a
changeling.^45
A few of the Latvian songs refer to ‘Daughters of the Sea’, Ju ̄r ̧ as meitas, who
sit on the waves and weave bright and dark shawls that represent the visual
effects seen from the shore.^46 We might class them as sea nymphs, but they
may be local poetic creations rather than Indo-European heritage.

ELVES, DWARFS, AND SATYRS

We turn now to the male or mixed populations of the woods and mountains.
Naturally there is a wide variety of these in the folklore and mythology of
different peoples. A general account of all of them would not be profitable
and cannot be attempted here. We are concerned to identify distinctive motifs
such as may point to genetic relationships.

Beings with elements of animal physique

One such motif is the combination of a basically anthropomorphic physique
with animal features. The notion seems to be that in the half-way zone
between the human and the animal worlds there exist creatures endowed with
elements of both. Such are the Kim
̇

purus

̇

as or Kim

̇

naras of the Ra ̄ma ̄yan

̇

a

(^44) Mannhardt (1936), 612; cf. Usener (1896), 89.
(^45) M. Praetorius in Mannhardt (1936), 532; Usener (1896), 94; Gimbutas (1963), 197; Bie-
zais–Balys (1973), 421 f.
(^46) LD 30686, 34028, 30733, 30865 = Jonval nos. 513–16.
292 7. Nymphs and Gnomes