Mājas gars

A Latvian household spirit that protects the inhabitants against the forces of evil. It also brings prosperity and good fortune to the family. There are also some individual names for such spirits, sometimes called Mājas kungs — the Lord of the House.

Johansons describes the spirit as shoeless and dwelling behind the stove or beneath the floor, but also appearing in other buildings of the farmstead. The Mājas kungs seems to have been honored in some places as recent as 1935.

Mājas gars is one of the lower deities (see dieviņi).

❧

References

Sources

  • Johansons, A. (1964). Der Schirmherr des Hofes im Volksglauben der Letten. pp. 14-20.
  • Jordan, Michael. (2004). Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc.