Lel and Polel
Lel and Polel (Latin: Leli, Poleli) are Polish divine twins, first mentioned by Maciej Miechowita in the 16th century where he presents them as equivalents of Castor and Pollux and the sons of the goddess Łada, the equivalent of Leda. There is no complete agreement about the authenticity of the cult of Lel and Polel, but in recent years there has been an increase in confidence in its authenticity.
| Lel and Polel | |
|---|---|
 A copy of the twin statue from the island of Fischerinsel | |
| Major cult center | Fischerinsel (probably) |
| Region | Poland, Veleti (probably) |
| Parents | Łada (mother) |
| Equivalents | |
| Roman equivalent | Castor and Pollux |
Sources
Lel and Polel were first mentioned in the Chronica Polonorum by Maciej Miechowita where he is correcting Jan Długosz who wrote that Łada was Polish equivalent of Roman god of war Mars[1]:
They worship Leda, mother of Castor and Pollux, and twins from one of the eggs born, Castor and Pollux, which is still heard today by singing the most ancient songs of Łada, Łada, Ilela and Leli Poleli with clapping and beating hands. Łada is – as I dare say according to the testimony of the living word – name of Leda, not Mars, Castor [is named] Leli, Poleli [is name of] Pollux
Marcin Kromer, Maciej Stryjkowski, Marcin Bielski and his son Joachim also mention the twins. Alessandro Guagnini claimed that the cult of Lel and Polel existed during his lifetime in Greater Poland. The priest Jakub Wujek also mentions "Lelipoleli".[2]
The state of research
Initially, the authenticity of the gods Lel and Polel was not denied, as evidenced by their popularity among many great Polish writers such as Ignacy Krasicki, Juliusz Słowacki and Stanisław Wyspiański.
Alexander Brückner, who was one of the first researchers to tackle the topic of the Polish pantheon, categorically rejected the authenticity of Lel and Polel. He believed that the cry Łada, Łada, Ilela and Leli Poleli cited by Miechowita was in fact only a drinking song, an exclamation similar to tere-fere or fistum-pofistum, and the alleged names were derived from the word lelać "to sway".[3][4] Despite Brückner's significant achievements, many modern researchers accuse him of a hypercritical or even pseudoscientific approach to the subject of the Polish pantheon.[5][6]
Archaeological discovery
The attitude towards the cult of Lel and Polel changed in 1969 when two cult figures of oak tree dating from the 11th-12th century were discovered on the island of Fischerinsel on the Tollensesee in Mecklenburg. One of them is 178 cm. high and presents two male figures with a mustache, in headgear (helmets?), which are fused with heads and torsos. The second, primitive figure, 157 cm. high, shows a female figure with clearly outlined breasts. For many researchers, these idols depict Lel and Polel and their mother Łada.[7][8][9]
Further research
After rejecting Brückner's hypercritical attitude and discovering the figures on the island of Fischerinsel, modern researchers are more confident about the cult of twins. Against the origin of names from drinking songs are testified by Karol Potkański the own names Lel and Lal and the Russian song Lelij, Lelij, Lelij zelenyj and my Lado! where the first word may be associated with the dialectal Russian word lelek, which meant a "strong, healthy youth".[10][11] Voditь leli is a women's pageant to honor young married women - which shows the ritual and mythical connotations, which after several centuries could have become drunken chants. From the 17th century, the term lelum polelum in the sense of "slow, sluggish" was recorded, which could have been the result of desacralization.[10] According to Andrzej Szyjewski, Lelum and Polelum could have been zodiacal twins,[12] and according to Alexander Gieysztor they brought happiness, which may be reflected in faith in the magical power of a double ear [of grain].[13] However, according to Grzegorz Niedzielski, Lel and Polel are the invention of Miechowita and the Slavic twin brothers were to be Łada and Leli, where Łada was the fire god and the remains of the divine twins is the legend of Waligóra and Wyrwidąb.[14]
An argument for the truthfulness of the cult of Lel and Polel may also be the fact that the Slavs certainly knew the archetype of divine twins and their functions were adapted by saints. In the folklore of St. Florus and Laurus and St. Boris and Gleb were attacked by a fire viper and they had to hide in a forge. When the viper put his tongue in through the crack, they grabbed him with pliers and forced him to obey, then harnessed him and forced him to plow a huge space. This is how Serpent's Wall was created, which from now on protect Ukraine from dragons.[8] Another pair of saints may be St. Nicholas and St. Gregory, who sometimes performed in the triad with St. Elijah, Michael Archangel (both as Christianized Perun) or with the Holy Mother (Christianized Mokosh). They were also associated with the goddess of dawn, Zorya.[15]
Lel and Polel in culture
Literature
- Ignacy Krasicki: Myszeis. ("Popiel calls, begs Lelum Polelum")[16]
- Juliusz Słowacki: Lilla Weneda. Lelum and Polelum are sons of king of Veneti and they were kidnapped by Lechites.[17]
- Stanisław Wyspiański: Skałka. ("Lel, cause it, my friend")[18]
- Adam Mickiewicz: Pan Tadeusz. ("Castor and his brother Pollux glittered at their head, once called among the Slavs Lele and Polele")[19]
- Władysław Orkan: Drzewiej. Powieść. ("there was Lel, uncle of the god, and Lada or Polel, the son who charged the sword; there was Lelej or Lelek, the keeper of the herds")[20]
Music
- Lao Che – Lelum Polelum
- Rod – Lelum Polelum (album)[21]
- Sulin – Lelum Polelum
References
- Kolankiewicz 1999, p. 427.
- Kolankiewicz 1999, p. 428-432.
- Brückner 1985, p. 39.
- Brückner 1985, p. 75.
- Gieysztor 2006, p. 85.
- Niedzielski 2011, p. 239.
- Gieysztor 2006, p. 200, 309-310.
- Szyjewski 2003, p. 229.
- Kolankiewicz 1999, p. 452.
- Gieysztor 2006, p. 199-200.
- Kempiński, Andrzej (2001). Encyklopedia mitologii ludów indoeuropejskich, Warszawa. Iskry. p. 255. ISBN 83-207-1629-2.
- Szyjewski 2003, p. 21.
- Gieysztor 2006, p. 309.
- Niedzielski 2011, p. 125-127.
- Sanko, Siarhei (2018). "Reflexes of Ancient Ideas about Divine Twins in the Images of Saints George and Nicholas in Belarusian Folklore". Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore. doi:10.7592/FEJF2018.72.sanko.
- Krasicki, Ignacy (1830). Myszeis. Paris: U Barbezata.
- Słowacki, Juliusz (1894). Lilla Weneda. Lviv: Księgarnia Polska.
- Wyspiański, Stanisław (1907). Skałka. Kraków. pp. Act I.
- Mickiewicz, Adam (1921). Pan Tadeusz. Lviv, Warsav, Kraków: Zakład Narodowy imienia Ossolińskich.
- Orkan, Władysław (1912). Drzewiej. Powieść. Kraków.
- "Rod - Lelum Polelum". karrot.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-06-19.
Bibliography
- Brückner, Aleksander (1985). Mitologia słowiańska. Warszawa: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe. ISBN 8301062452.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Gieysztor, Aleksander (2006). Mitologia Słowian. Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego. ISBN 83-235-0234-X.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Szyjewski, Andrzej (2003). Religia Słowian. Kraków: Wydawnictwo WAM. ISBN 83-7318-205-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Kolankiewicz, Leszek (1999). Dziady. Teatr święta zmarłych. Gdańsk: Słowo/Obraz Terytoria. ISBN 8387316393.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Niedzielski, Grzegorz (2011). Królowie z gwiazd. Mitologia plemion prapolskich. Sandomierz: Armoryka. ISBN 978-83-7950-077-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)