Apie Vėlino kalną

LTŠį rudenį pasirodė Antano Gudelio knyga „Vėlino kalnas, Vėlinas ir Vilniaus kosmogonija“ (Vilnius: Tautos namų santara, 2025, 268 p.). Dalijamės dar vienu šios tematikos tyrimų fragmentu, kuriame istoriniais šaltiniais ir dokumentais pagrindžiama žinia, kad senasis Vilniuje stūksančio Tauro kalno pavadinimas buvęs kitas.

ENThe article explores the history of Tauro Hill, which rises in the center of Vilnius, and traces the changes in its name from the 15th to the 20th century. It is believed that the hill’s current name, which echoes the legend of Vilnius’s founding, is a borrowed form. The original Tauro Hill was located in the eastern part of the city. The oldest recorded name of the hill discussed here appears in a mid-15th-century document, where it is called Czartowa Góra, meaning “Devil’s Hill.” Drawing on historical sources as well as evidence from Lithuanian mythology and linguistics, the author argues that this name may be linked to the ancient Baltic deity Velinas (or Vėlinas), the guardian of ancestral spirits.