PERKŪNAS apartment

Perkūnas is the governor of the atmosphere and nature, the maintenance of the vegetation of the Earth, custody, care for fertility, various atmospheric phenomena are also under his ruling, as well as at his disposal are the inexhaustible water reserves accumulated above the "stony celestial sphere". In spring, during the first thunder, using this water, Perkūnas fertilizes Goddess Žemyna banging in the celestial sphere, waving the rod of God – lightning, throwing stone axes or arrows, and she gains the power to give birth to fruit. When the first "axes" of Perkūnas holding the incredible power to fertilise Goddess Mother, fall down on the Earth, the Earth awakes, which attributed the extraordinary power to wake up and fertilize Goddess Mother, woke the earth, grass and trees start to germinate.
When the drought comes, Perkūnas kills the creatures closing water (a winged snake, a winged dragon), who had stolen God’s instrument, Perkūnas regains it, thunders, the winged snake falls down dead, the rain begins and revives the dry soil.
Perkūnas took care of a human being, his life, morality, justice, and goodness. He often descended to the earth to find out how people live. This God is impatient, but fair, and he was unforgiving to perpetrators. People believed that he stroke lighting to an unfair person. Perkūnas helped God to manage the world - God pointed out Perkūnas, where to strike: Let us not displease God! He will send Perkūnas, who will strike lighting, the home will burn. Perkūnas could kill animals, burn houses, shatter stones, temples, trees. He could change the relief of the earth, pour out pits, fill them with water and turn to ponds, swamps, etc.
On the 20-th of July the feast of Perkūnas was celebrated all over Lithuania. For a long times, people sacrificed to Perkūnas bulls and other animals on that day.
It was considered that a thunder was the language of God Perkūnas. People prayed to Perkunas to have good weather for warfare, haymaking, rye harvesting, or working other works. They sacrificed to him crops, livestock, clothes. When the people heard the voice of Perkūnas, they fell down frightened on the ground crying loudly out loudly: "Dear God Perkūnas, save us, protect us." To prevent houses from thunder striking, people poked the branches of holy trees – spruce and osier into the walls of their houses. They incensed clouds using them. Moreover, when storm occurred, people tolled a bell, burned wax candles, and so on. Such actions also had to protect from bad spirits. If Perkūnas stroke a human being, people believed that he/she was accepted to the friendship of Gods.

Ancient Lithuanian gods and goddesses