Aušrinė

For the magazine published between 1910–1933, see Aušrininkai.

Aušrinė ("dawning", not to be confused with Aušra, "dawn") is a feminine deity of the morning star (Venus) in Lithuanian mythology. She is the antipode to "Vakarinė", the evening star.

Aušrinė
Morning-Star
Planet	Venus
Region	Lithuania
Equivalents
Greek	Eos
Roman	Aurora
Latvian	Auseklis
Vedic	Ushas

Her cult possibly stems from that of the Indo-European dawn goddess Hausōs and is related to the Latvian Auseklis, Greek Eos, Roman Aurora, and Vedic Ushas.^[1] Aušrinė is the goddess of beauty, love, and youth, linked with health, re-birth, and new beginnings. After the Christianization of Lithuania, the cult merged with Christian images and the symbolism of the Virgin Mary.^[2]

Historical attestation

Aušrinė was first mentioned by 16th-century Polish historian Jan Łasicki as Ausca. He described a "goddess of the rays of the sun that descend and rise above the horizon".^[3]

Folkloric role

According to folklore, each morning, Aušrinė and her servant Tarnaitis (possibly Mercury)^[4] prepare the way for Saulė (the Sun). In the evening, Vakarinė prepares the bed for Saulė.^[2] The relationship between Saulė and Aušrinė is complex. Sometimes, Saulė is described as the mother of Aušrinė, Vakarinė, and other planets – Indraja (Jupiter), Sėlija (Saturn), Žiezdrė (Mars), Vaivora (Mercury), and even Žemyna (Earth).^[5]

In some stories, "Karaliūnė" and "Dangaus Kariūnė" ("Queen of Heaven") are used to refer to Aušrinė.

In Latvian folk-riddles, her name is the answer to a riddle about dew. In this riddle, a girl loses her keys (or spreads her pearl necklace), the Moon sees them, but the Sun takes them.^[6]

Myth of the "celestial wedding"

A popular myth describes how Mėnulis (Moon) fell in love with beautiful Aušrinė, cheated on his wife Saulė, and received punishment from Perkūnas (thunder-god).^[3] Different myths also depict rivalry between Saulė and Aušrinė, as Saulė is jealous of Aušrinė's beauty and brightness (Venus is the third-brightest object in the sky after Sun and Moon).^[3][5] Despite the adultery or rivalry, Aušrinė remains loyal and continues to serve Saulė in the mornings.^[5]

Other roles

Another myth, Saulė Ir Vėjų Motina ("The Sun and the Mother of Winds"),^[7] analyzed by Algirdas Julien Greimas in detail, tells a story of Joseph, who becomes fascinated with Aušrinė appearing in the sky and goes on a quest to find the "second sun".^[8] After much adventure, he learns that it was not the second sun, but a maiden who lives on an island in the sea and has the same hair as the Sun. With advice from the Northern Wind, Joseph reaches the island, avoids a guardian bull, and becomes the maiden's servant, caring for her cattle.^[8] In the tale, Aušrinė appeared in three forms: as a star in the sky, as a maiden on land, and as a mare in the sea. After a few years, Joseph puts a single hair of the maiden into an empty nutshell and throws it into the sea. A ray from the sea becomes reflected into the sky as the biggest star. Greimas concludes that this tale is a double origin myth: the story describes the origin of Tarnaitis and the ascent of Aušrinė herself into the sky.^[8]

In popular culture

According to Jonas Vaiškūnas, Aušrinė also gives its name to the morning star in Lithuanian folkly astronomy: Aušrinė žvaigždė, Aušros žvaigždė, Aušràžvaigždė, Aušrinukė.^[9]

See also

• Aušrinė (given name), Lithuanian feminine given name.
• Hausos in reconstructed Proto-Indo-European religion.
• Zorya in Slavic mythology.
• List of Lithuanian gods and mythological figures