Date
Name Lazdona
Gender Feminine
Usage Baltic Mythology
Other Forms FormsLasdona (Latinized form)
Edit Status Status
Meaning & History
The name of an alleged Lithuanian goddess of hazels and hazelnuts.The name was first recorded in the Latinized form Lasdona 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 Lazdona in his work Dzieje starożytne narodu litewskiego, written between 1835 and 1841.
If there ever was an original form, it is lost, however modern-day academics agree that it most likely would have been Lazdona.
It has been suggested that in this case the name might be derived from Lithuanian lazda "hazel".Since neither Łasicki nor Narbutt were intimately familiar with Lithuanian culture or language, the academic opinion on the value of their documents ranges from a valuable resource to a practical joke.
If there ever was an original form, it is lost, however modern-day academics agree that it most likely would have been Lazdona.
It has been suggested that in this case the name might be derived from Lithuanian lazda "hazel".Since neither Łasicki nor Narbutt were intimately familiar with Lithuanian culture or language, the academic opinion on the value of their documents ranges from a valuable resource to a practical joke.