56 Ethnographical Memoir on the Nations of Slavonian Race. 



Percunust. 

 AVe DOW come to a divinity more celebrated aud better known among 

 other nations than Podaga^ namely, Percunust, the god of thunder. The 

 worship of this God was well known in Prussia, Poland, Lithuania, and 

 Rnssia. His name is variously given — Percuus, Percunust, Parchunst ; 

 and Von Westphal calls him Occipirnus. The name Percunust is inscribed 

 on the idol found at Rhetra, which means, according to the author last 

 mentioned, the god of lightning, thunder, and rain. Even in Lithuania, in 

 the present day, a storm of thunder is called Parcunust. The anterior 

 figure of this image represents the head of an old man, with a long beard, 

 reaching down to the breast. The body is covered with a long robe, which 

 conceals the feet. The head of the posterior figure, is supposed to 

 be borrowed from that of the destroying god, and to allude to the devas- 

 tation occasioned by lightning. The name of Percunust is easily read 

 over the head of the posterior figure, in Runic characters ; and on the robe 

 of the anterior figure, is an inscription, as follows : — '•' Percun deuuaite 

 nemusea und man," This is explained in the following way by Lasitius, 

 an old writer on the gods of the Samogitians, or natives of Prussia, who has 

 preserved an ancient AVendisli prayer to Percunust. When a storm arose, 

 the AVends of Prussia were accustomed to take a piece of salted swine's 

 flesh, and draw it round their field. After the storm was over, they con- 

 sumed it with their family, and uttered the following prayer. " Desist, 

 Percunust, and injure not my field 5 no ! I will sacrifice to thee this flesh." 



Nemksa. 



The preceding gods are 

 not entirely unknown to 

 historical writers. We now 

 come to an idol wliose attri- 

 butes can only be determined 

 by conjecture. The coun- 

 tenance of this figure is, 

 according to Masch, the beau 

 ideal in the Wendish notion 

 of beauty. The forehead 

 and eyes are like the hu- 

 n:an ; the nose is very large, 

 and spread upon the cheeks ; 

 the upper lip is very small, 

 and falling in almost closely 

 under the nose, and giving 

 to the jaw the resemblance 

 of a hound's. A broad beard 

 hangs down upon the breast ; 

 from the head, on each side. 



