Peter:
>Though Perkunas is a positive character, his name is also used
>for swearing: "May Perkunas strike you down!"
Yes. Of course Perkunas/Perkele, being Baal-like, is now associated
in Christian mythology with the Devil. Using the Devil as a tool
for swearing is common across all Scandinavian languages, both
Uralic and Indo-European ones. I know Swedish speakers do the
same but I never heard my (thunder)god-fearing grandmother say
such things.
Given this above, we can see how ideas layer on top of ideas.
Mythologies are a brilliant and almost acid-induced game of
association.
Here, Christian belief overlays the underlying pagan belief and
a merger results. Now Perkunas equals the Devil and his function
is altered. Such was the same in ancient prehistoric times.
So imagine tracing all these beliefs to the neolithic like I am,
and you can see why I carry a bottle of Advil with me everywhere
I go.
- gLeN
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