indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Gender Feminine
Other Forms FormsBrėkšta (reconstructed Lithuanian form); Brekszta (form used by Narbutt)
Meaning & History
An alleged Lithuanian goddess.The form Breksta was first recorded by Polish historian and theologian Jan Łasicki in his treatise on idolatry De diis Samagitarum caeterorumque Sarmatarum et falsorum Christianorum, written ca. 1582 and published in 1615, while Polish historian Theodor Narbutt referred to her as Brekszta in his work Dzieje starożytne narodu litewskiego, written between 1835 and 1841.
Both forms are Latinizations; the original form, if there ever was one, is lost, however a Lithuanian form has since been reconstructed: Brėkšta.Although both Łasicki and Narbutt mention this goddess by very similar names, they differ on her presumed function: Łasicki refers to Breksta as a goddess of twilight, opening the door to speculations that her name might in fact be an epithet (or a "euphemism") of the goddess Vakarė. In Narbutt's opinion on the other hand, she was a goddess of darkness and dreams.As for the meaning of her name, there is a theory that Brėkšta might be derived from Lithuanian brėkšti "it is dawning; dawn/dusk is falling" (which might corroborate Łasicki's notion of her being a goddess of twilight).
Since neither Łasicki nor Narbutt were intimately familiar with Lithuanian culture or language, the academic opinion on the value of their writings ranges from a valuable resource to a practical joke.
Both forms are Latinizations; the original form, if there ever was one, is lost, however a Lithuanian form has since been reconstructed: Brėkšta.Although both Łasicki and Narbutt mention this goddess by very similar names, they differ on her presumed function: Łasicki refers to Breksta as a goddess of twilight, opening the door to speculations that her name might in fact be an epithet (or a "euphemism") of the goddess Vakarė. In Narbutt's opinion on the other hand, she was a goddess of darkness and dreams.As for the meaning of her name, there is a theory that Brėkšta might be derived from Lithuanian brėkšti "it is dawning; dawn/dusk is falling" (which might corroborate Łasicki's notion of her being a goddess of twilight).
Since neither Łasicki nor Narbutt were intimately familiar with Lithuanian culture or language, the academic opinion on the value of their writings ranges from a valuable resource to a practical joke.