USINS

[Latvian] A controversial deity, being attributed many different functions and etymologies. Namely: The Latvian god of horses, honored with a sacrifice of a black rooster (Stribingius); The ancient Latvian god of light as compared to Sanskrit Usas (Biezais? theory, see Biezais, H. Lichtgott der alten Letten, Uppsala, 1976); A god of bees, etymologized from uzas ("pants"), with some texts saying that those of Usins are yellow. The latter explanation is little credible as it uses a German word to interpret a supposedly ancient Latvian deity. A typical example of somewhat obscure deity. According to the theory put forward by Haralds Biezais, Usins is the god of light in Latvian mythology and closely connected to the morning or evening star. In other traditions (as derivable from the texts) he is also the protector of bees and horses. As such he receives many offerings.