Žemyna

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Žemyna, in the Lithuanian mythology is the goddess of the earth. She personifies the fertile earth. The word zemė in Lithuanian means "earth".

Žemyna was prayed to with reverence by the Lithuanian people. Like many other countries whose native religions were absorbed into Catholicism, worship of a mother goddess continues in the form of the Madonna. This is why Lithuania is considered to be "The Land of Mary".

Those who worship Žemyna bring offerings and say the following prayer: "dear Earth, you give to me, and I give to you".

While Žemyna is honored throughout the year, she is honored in the springtime by pouring ale onto the earth or by burying barley, wheat or rye bread in a field. When making this offering, farmers kiss the earth and say the following prayer: "the Earth, my mother, you have given me life, you feed me, you carry me and after death I will rest in you."

A common theme of matriarchal religions is the notion of female existence as both womb and tomb. In old Lithuania, remembrance of the dead was a central feature in every holiday. These rituals and beliefs faded as science and logic and "rational thinking" became prevalent.