Laima is a Baltic goddess of fate. Often part of a goddess triad, she relates to childbirth, marriage and destiny. She's patron of pregnant women. Her sacred tree is the linden (Tilia). Linden is also called the Tree of Love.
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Fate Goddesses
Laima and her siblings can be compared with the to the Greek Moirai or Norse Norns. The Moirai of Greece are three sisters: Clotho (the spinner), Lachesis (the allotter), and Atropos (the inevitable, or death). Their Roman equivalents are the Parcae.
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The Roman Parcae decide when a person is born, dies, and how much the person suffers in between. The Parcae record the thread of life of every mortal and immortal from birth to death. The gods fear them, for not even immortal gods live forever.
In Norse myth the Norns Urðr, Verðandi, and Skuld are a similar trio, ruling the destinies of gods and humans. They spin, measure and cut the thread of life. They also connect to law and justice. According to mythologists they define the past, present and future respectively.
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Another Fate trio is Hurrian Underworld Goddess Allani, who with twins Fate goddesses Hutena and Hutellura form a triad to decide the birth, life and death of humans. The twins also preside at births and are sometimes seen as midwife goddesses.
Latvia
In the myth and folklore of Latvia, the fate deity trinity is composed of Laima and her sisters, Kārta and Dēkla. Laima is the most popular of the three though their duties are similar. Laima is particularly a goddess of luck, mothers and childbirth.
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Dēkla is in charge of children, and Kārta has dominion over the life of an adult. In modern Dievturi (Dievturība) the goddesses are known as the three Laimas, or the same deity in three different aspects.
Dievturība is among the pagan revival groups returning to nature-based ideas and pre-Christian deific concepts. These are part of the people's daily lives for hundreds of years. In Latvia and Lithuania Christianity isn't introduced until the 13th - 14th century.
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Laima lives on Earth, and is closely involved in human life. She oversees childbirth and determine the fate of an infant. Birth rituals are given extreme reverence due to the high number of infant and birth mother deaths.
Birth rituals at the end of the 19th century include offerings of hen, sheep, towels or other woven materials to Laima. Only women could participate in the ritual, which is performed in a sauna or bathhouse (pirtis).
Traditionally women would give birth in bathhouses. The path leading to a bathhouse is cleansed so Laima can easily make her way to help in the process of giving birth.
The mother in labor is ritually cleansed. She and attendants offer prayers and give ritual offerings to Laima. Following a successful birth, married women feast. Laima gets a place of honor in the bathhouse as sign of gratitude.
She supports the general well-being of the people. Unmarried girls would once pray to her for good husbands and a happy marriage. Laima also bestows fertility on fields and animals, especially horses.
Leima's sacred tree is the linden, a gently fragrant shade tree with heart-shaped leaves giving it the name "Tree of Love". Linden is a symbol of protection, especially of the home; romance, and domestic harmony.
Lithuania
In Lithuanian mythology, Laima is associated with fate and destiny while Laimė represents luck, and Laumė is a forest fairy guardian of orphans, who lives in the Sky until she feels compassion for the suffering of humans, then descends to earth.
Other related deities include Dalia (fate) and Giltinė (The Reaper). Laima is first mentioned in older written sources collected by Daniel Klein in 1666.
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Giltinė the goddess of death is sometimes considered the sister of Laima. She's also called the Reaper; Kaulinyčia, Maras (black death or the Plague), Maro mergos, Kolera, Pavietrė, Kapinių žmogus. Her sacred bird is the owl.
Laima is a goddess of prophecy (Lithuanian: lemti). She knows how the life of a newborn will be. There may be one Laima, or three. In a triad each Laima might give a contradictory prediction. The final pronouncement is irrevocable. Not even Laima herself can change it.
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While scholars disagree about the possibility of three such fate goddesses, the concept is familiar in world religion. Some historians consider the belief in predestiny by Laima to create a fatalistic view of Lithuanian religion.
According to Manfred Tietz (1837) the belief of Lithuanians in pre-determined fate makes them fearless warriors. Ancient Germanic tribes are also adherents of predestination and among the fiercest warriors of the known world. Views of the connections differ.
Many Christians also believe in predestination. Calvinists even believe in damnation pre-destination. Lutherans are the exception; otherwise all things are decreed by Yahweh (God), such as when one is born, dies, what happens in between.
Within that scope humans can make decisions, and these decisions plot one's life. Yahweh already knows about it, though. Perhaps this belief in predestination makes the Crusaders, the Teutonic Knights and the Knights Templar such fierce fighters.
The Cuckoo
Laima relates to Gegutė (cuckoo) which may be an incarnation of the Fate goddess herself. Gegutė is responsible for time and progression of the seasons. The number of her calls can predict the number of years a person has left to live.
This concept also exists in German lore. Besides longevity the cuckoo is associated with money. In Germany, patting one's pocket or wallet on hearing the bird can bring money. In Lithuania, if one with no money hears a cuckoo, the person will stay poor the rest of the year.
In Scotland and France it's unlucky to hear a cuckoo before breakfast. In Germany, Kuckuck is also another name for the devil. Hearing a cuckoo while eating predicts a year of hunger. In Norway, a cuckoo calling from the north is a sign of death.
Laima is sometimes found in a triad with Thunderer storm god Perkūnas, and Māra, dawn goddess. Māra is the greatest goddess in Latvian mythology, an ancient deity previously called Austra. In many pagan traditions the dawn goddess ranks even higher than the Sun.