 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
| Part ofa series on |
| Baltic religion |
|---|
 |
Deities
|
Māra is the highest-rankinggoddess inLatvian mythology, the ancient Dawn-goddess, previously called Austra,[1] and,[2] not at all, although often stated,[clarification needed] the same as Zemes māte (Mother Earth, pace).[3]
Alternative names: Māre, Mārīte (diminutive), Mārša, Māršava (Western Latvia).
She is the patroness of all feminine duties (children, cattle), patroness of all the economic activities ("God made the table, Māra made the bread"), even money and markets. Being the alternate side of Dievs, she takes a person's body after their death while Dievs is taking the soul. She is the goddess of the land, which is calledMāras zeme ('Māra's land'). She is called 'Mother of Cows' (Govu māte), the same way theVedic Dawn-goddess is calledgávām mātár- 'id'.
In westernLatvia, and to a lesser degree in the rest of Latvia, she was strongly associated withLaima, and may have been considered the samedeity.[citation needed]
The festivalMāras was held in her honor every August 15. This is probably a result ofChristian influence and identification of Māra withMary, whose main festival (the Assumption) has fallen on the same date since early times. Opinions are divided over whether Māra is a pre-Christian deity,[4] or originated as a reflection of the Christian Mary created by semi-Christian Livonian peasants.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)(in Latvian)