ZEMES MATE

(Latvian), Lithuanian Zemyna the Earth Mother of Baltic religion. Zemes mate represents the female aspect of nature and the source of all lifehuman, animal, and plant. Interacting with Dievs (the sky), Zemes mate stimulates and protects the power of life. Libations of beer were offered to her at the opening of every festival, and such products of the earth as bread, ale, and herbs were buried in the ground or thrown into rivers and lakes or tied to trees in her honour. The birth of a child was also celebrated with an offering to the Earth Mother. The various functions of Zemes mate were eventually assumed by demigoddesses of forests, fields, stones, animals, water, and, in the Christian era, by the Virgin Mary. The male counterpart of Zemes mate is Zemnieks (Latvian), known as Zemininkas, or Zemepatis, among the Lithuanians. Zemepatis was considered the brother of Zemyna and functioned as master of the earth and guardian of farms.