Pasaulėkūros mitų filosofija

ENThis article explores the philosophy of world-creation myths, using a Lithuanian etiological legend, recorded in the 20th century, as a case study. The legend features two deities from the ancient Lithuanian religion — the Sky God and the chthonic Velinas, ruler of the spirits of the dead (vėlės), who together shape the world. Velinas embodies the dynamic principle and also reflects the primacy of the earthly element in the religious and mythological worldview of the Lithuanians and the broader Baltic tradition. The study draws comparisons with cosmogonic narratives from the Vedic tradition, particularly those centred around Prajapati. Additionally, the analysed Lithuanian myths are compared to typologically similar Slavic cosmogonic legends, which were studied by the Polish mythologist Alexander Gieysztor and discussed in the research of Mircea Eliade in the 1950s–60s.