| Lel and Polel | |
|---|---|
 A copy of the twin statue from the island of Fischerinsel | |
| Major cult center | Fischerinsel (probably) |
| Region | Poland,Veleti (probably) |
| Parents | Łada (mother) |
| Equivalents | |
| Roman | Castor and Pollux |
Lel andPolel (Latin: Leli, Poleli) arePolishdivine twins, first mentioned byMaciej Miechowita in the 16th century where he presents them as equivalents ofCastor and Pollux and the sons of the goddessŁada, the equivalent ofLeda. There is no complete agreement about the authenticity of the cult of Lel and Polel.
Lel and Polel were first mentioned in theChronica Polonorum by Maciej Miechowita where he is correctingJan Długosz who wrote that Łada was Polish equivalent of Roman god of warMars:[1]
They worship Leda, mother of Castor and Pollux, and twins from one of the eggs born, Castor and Pollux, which is still heard today by singing the most ancient songs of Łada, Łada, Ilela and Leli Poleli with clapping and beating hands. Łada is – as I dare say according to the testimony of the living word – name of Leda, not Mars, Castor [is named] Leli, Poleli [is name of] Pollux
Marcin Kromer,Maciej Stryjkowski,Marcin Bielski and his sonJoachim also mention the twins.Alessandro Guagnini claimed that the cult of Lel and Polel existed during his lifetime inGreater Poland. The priestJakub Wujek also mentions "Lelipoleli".[2]
Initially, the authenticity of the gods Lel and Polel was not questioned, as evidenced by their popularity among major Polish writers such asIgnacy Krasicki,Juliusz Słowacki andStanisław Wyspiański.
Aleksander Brückner, who was one of the first researchers to tackle the topic of the Polish pantheon, categorically rejected the authenticity of Lel and Polel. He believed that the cryŁada, Łada, Ilela and Leli Poleli cited by Miechowita was in fact only a drinking song, an exclamation similar totere-fere orfistum-pofistum, and the alleged names were derived from the wordlelać "to sway".[3][4] Despite Brückner's significant achievements, many modern researchers accuse him of a hypercritical or even pseudoscientific approach to the subject of the Polish pantheon.[5][6]
The attitude towards the cult of Lel and Polel changed in 1969 when two cult figures of oak tree dating from the 11th or 12th century were discovered on the island ofFischerinsel on theTollensesee inMecklenburg. One of them is 178 cm high and presents two male figures with a moustache, in headgear (helmets?), which are fused with heads and torsos. The second primitive representation, which is 157 cm high, shows a female figure with clearly outlined breasts. Some researchers allege that these idols depict Lel and Polel and their mother Łada.[7][8][9]
Following the abandonment of Brückner's hypercritical attitude and the discovery of twin figures on the island of Fischerinsel, modern researchers are more confident about the authenticity of their cult. Against the origin of the names from drinking songs are testified byKarol Potkański the own names Lel and Lal and the Russian songLelij, Lelij, Lelij zelenyj and my Lado! where the first word may be associated with the dialectal Russian wordlelek, which meant a "strong, healthy youth".[10][11]Voditь leli is a women's pageant to honour young married women that shows the original ritual and mythical connotations, which after several centuries could have become drunken chants. From the 17th century, the termlelum polelum in the sense of "slow, sluggish" was recorded, which may have been the result of desacralization.[10] According to Andrzej Szyjewski, Lelum and Polelum could have beenzodiacal twins,[12][a] and in the opinionAlexander Gieysztor they brought happiness, which may be reflected in faith in the magical power of a double ear [of grain].[14]
However, according to Grzegorz Niedzielski, Lel and Polel are the invention of Miechowita and the Slavic twin brothers were to be Łada and Leli, where Łada was the fire god and the remains of the divine twins is the legend ofWaligóra and Wyrwidąb.[15]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)