Maironio Dievas, pomirtinis likimas, sapnai ir veršio malda : Maironis - praamžės tradicijos dainius. §12-14, 20, 29-31, 37

ENThe object of the article is the lyricism of the Lithuanian poetic patriarch, Maironis, who has already been discussed by the author from different angles in a few previous articles. The goal is to show its deep ties with ancient Lithuanian and, even deeper ties with Indo-European tradition (poetics, folklore, mythology, religion). This time, several traditional ideas are discussed: 1) the syncretistic image of God (Lith. Dievas), considering the Vedic Deva in some translations of the Rigveda by Maironis (though being himself a Catholic priest); 2) the concept of God’s Trial, taking into account some ancient sources of Lithuanian mythology; 3) the idea of the warrior’s death as a “good death”, ensuring him a destiny beyond the grave; 4) the concept of death as oblivion and, vice versa, of ressurection and life as recollection, remembrance; 5) the concept of dreams, (Lith. sapnas, as “sway” – Lith. supti [cf. Lith. Svaja – “daydream”, cognate to Eng. sway]); 6) the idea of life and world as a dream; 7) the ancient traditional image of the “vast earth”; and, finaly, 8) the figure of the “ox’s prayer” best known from the Iranian Avesta and used by Maironis, oddly enough, as if to express the Lithuanian “soul cry”. The article amounts to the §12–14, 20, 29–31, 37 of the unpublished book Maironis – the Bard of Perennial Tradition (“Maironis – praamžės tradicijos dainius”) by the author. [From the publication]