Belarusian (Asterism Names)
From All Skies Encyclopaedia
Authors: ASE Tech Team
Belarus is a country in Eastern Europe bordered by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus is landlocked and contains large tracts of marshy land and thousands of lakes. Forests cover about 40% of the country. Belarus is exceptional in that people in the villages have preserved their traditional knowledge about the stars and related beliefs, right through to the present time. The illustrations are by no means exhaustive. In fact, many asterisms have multiple recorded meanings, ranging from ancient to Christianized.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Solar System Names
| Lokono | English | Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | ||
| Moon | ||
| Mercury | ||
| Venus | ||
| Mars | ||
| Jupiter | ||
| Saturn |
Here is an overview on Belarusian asterism names
| Belarusian | English Term | Commentary |
|---|---|---|
| Baran | The Ram | |
| Blizniuki | The Twins | |
| Grabli | The Rake | |
| Gusina Daroga | The Goose's Way | |
| Gvozd | The Nail | The north star is seen as a nail around which the skies revolve. |
| Illyouo voz | Elias's Cart | The burning cart that is ridden by Elias, the Christianized version of a constellation previously seen as simply a large cart. |
| Karona | The Crown | The thorn wreath that was put on Christ’s head. |
| Kastsy | The Mowers | These three stars stand one after another in the manner of people mowing the fields. |
| Kaza | The Goat | |
| Kaziarog | The Wild Goat | |
| Kreselca Pana Jezusa | The Throne | Lord Jesus’s chair. |
| Kurki | The Chicks | |
| Maly Vos | The Small Cart | Ursa Minor resembles the large cart of Ursa Major. |
| Niavesta | The Bride | |
| Petrou Krest | The Cross | a Peter’s cross |
| Poland and Lithuania | Poland and Lithuania | These two stars served as a symbol of two states: the Great Lithuanian Princedom and the Polish Kingdom. |
| Rataj | The Ploughman | |
| Sito | The Sieve | It was said that “God used to sift grains of zhito through it“. |
| Vuzhy | The Grass Snakes | |
| Zmej | The Serpent | St. Yuri killed this serpent and hung it near the star that always stands in the same place |
References
- References (general)
- ↑ Авілін Ц. «Паміж небам і зямлёй. Этнаастраномія», Менск, Тэхналёґія, 2015. ISBN 978-985-458-261-0.
- ↑ Avilin, T. (2008). Astronyms in Belarussian folk beliefs. Archaeologia Baltica, 10, 29-34. pdf
- ↑ Avilin, T. Meteor Beliefs Project Belarussian meteor folk-beliefs. pdf
- ↑ Avilin, T. Meteor Beliefs Project: East European meteor folk-beliefs. pdf
- ↑ Avilin, T. Ethnoastronomical aspect of traditional belarusian fitonimicon: problem statement. pdf
- ↑ Avilin, T. Belarusian Ethnoastronomy. pdf
