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Lel and Polel
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Lel and Polel
Lel and Polel (Latin: Leli, Poleli) are Polish divine twins, first mentioned by Maciej Miechowita in the 16th century where he presents them as equivalents of Castor and Pollux and the sons of the goddess Łada, the equivalent of Leda. There is no complete agreement about the authenticity of the cult of Lel and Polel.
Lel and Polel were first mentioned in the Chronica Polonorum by Maciej Miechowita where he is correcting Jan Długosz who wrote that Łada was Polish equivalent of Roman god of war Mars:
They worship Leda, mother of Castor and Pollux, and twins from one of the eggs born, Castor and Pollux, which is still heard today by singing the most ancient songs of Łada, Łada, Ilela and Leli Poleli with clapping and beating hands. Łada is – as I dare say according to the testimony of the living word – name of Leda, not Mars, Castor [is named] Leli, Poleli [is name of] Pollux
— Maciej Miechowita, Chronica Polonorum, (1519)
Marcin Kromer, Maciej Stryjkowski, Marcin Bielski and his son Joachim also mention the twins. Alessandro Guagnini claimed that the cult of Lel and Polel existed during his lifetime in Greater Poland. The priest Jakub Wujek also mentions "Lelipoleli".
Initially, the authenticity of the gods Lel and Polel was not questioned, as evidenced by their popularity among major Polish writers such as Ignacy Krasicki, Juliusz Słowacki and Stanisław Wyspiański.
Aleksander Brückner, who was one of the first researchers to tackle the topic of the Polish pantheon, categorically rejected the authenticity of Lel and Polel. He believed that the cry Łada, Łada, Ilela and Leli Poleli cited by Miechowita was in fact only a drinking song, an exclamation similar to tere-fere or fistum-pofistum, and the alleged names were derived from the word lelać "to sway". Despite Brückner's significant achievements, many modern researchers accuse him of a hypercritical or even pseudoscientific approach to the subject of the Polish pantheon.
The attitude towards the cult of Lel and Polel changed in 1969 when two cult figures of oak tree dating from the 11th or 12th century were discovered on the island of Fischerinsel on the Tollensesee in Mecklenburg. One of them is 178 cm high and presents two male figures with a moustache, in headgear (helmets?), which are fused with heads and torsos. The second primitive representation, which is 157 cm high, shows a female figure with clearly outlined breasts. Some researchers allege that these idols depict Lel and Polel and their mother Łada.
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Lel and Polel
Lel and Polel (Latin: Leli, Poleli) are Polish divine twins, first mentioned by Maciej Miechowita in the 16th century where he presents them as equivalents of Castor and Pollux and the sons of the goddess Łada, the equivalent of Leda. There is no complete agreement about the authenticity of the cult of Lel and Polel.
Lel and Polel were first mentioned in the Chronica Polonorum by Maciej Miechowita where he is correcting Jan Długosz who wrote that Łada was Polish equivalent of Roman god of war Mars:
They worship Leda, mother of Castor and Pollux, and twins from one of the eggs born, Castor and Pollux, which is still heard today by singing the most ancient songs of Łada, Łada, Ilela and Leli Poleli with clapping and beating hands. Łada is – as I dare say according to the testimony of the living word – name of Leda, not Mars, Castor [is named] Leli, Poleli [is name of] Pollux
— Maciej Miechowita, Chronica Polonorum, (1519)
Marcin Kromer, Maciej Stryjkowski, Marcin Bielski and his son Joachim also mention the twins. Alessandro Guagnini claimed that the cult of Lel and Polel existed during his lifetime in Greater Poland. The priest Jakub Wujek also mentions "Lelipoleli".
Initially, the authenticity of the gods Lel and Polel was not questioned, as evidenced by their popularity among major Polish writers such as Ignacy Krasicki, Juliusz Słowacki and Stanisław Wyspiański.
Aleksander Brückner, who was one of the first researchers to tackle the topic of the Polish pantheon, categorically rejected the authenticity of Lel and Polel. He believed that the cry Łada, Łada, Ilela and Leli Poleli cited by Miechowita was in fact only a drinking song, an exclamation similar to tere-fere or fistum-pofistum, and the alleged names were derived from the word lelać "to sway". Despite Brückner's significant achievements, many modern researchers accuse him of a hypercritical or even pseudoscientific approach to the subject of the Polish pantheon.
The attitude towards the cult of Lel and Polel changed in 1969 when two cult figures of oak tree dating from the 11th or 12th century were discovered on the island of Fischerinsel on the Tollensesee in Mecklenburg. One of them is 178 cm high and presents two male figures with a moustache, in headgear (helmets?), which are fused with heads and torsos. The second primitive representation, which is 157 cm high, shows a female figure with clearly outlined breasts. Some researchers allege that these idols depict Lel and Polel and their mother Łada.
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