Editing Latvian mythology (section)

===Fate goddesses===
[[File:Old Latvian bathhouse with a pond.jpg|thumb|250px| 19th-century bathhouse in [[The Ethnographic Open-Air Museum of Latvia]]. As bathhouses traditionally were used for birthing, related rituals honoring Laima also were carried out there]]

The most important goddess of fate is [[Laima]] (Goddess of luck). She lives on Earth and is closely involved in human life. Her basic function is related to childbirth and deciding a child's fate.<ref name="skygods" /> Traditionally women would give birth in bathhouses. The path leading to a bathhouse would be cleansed so Laima could easily make her way to help in the birthing process. The woman would be ritually cleansed and would offer prayers and give ritual offerings to Laima. After a successful birth, married women would feast, with Laima being reserved a place of honor in the bathhouse as sign of gratitude. She would also determine a person's fate – a decision even she herself could not alter afterward. She was expected to help in other important aspects of life as well and cared for well-being of the people in general. Unmarried girls would pray to her to give them good husbands and happy marriage. She also ensured the fertility of fields and animals (horses in particular) to some extent.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia| last =Biezais |first =Haralds | editor-last =Jones | editor-first =Lindsay | title =Laima | encyclopedia =Encyclopedia of Religion | volume =8 | pages =5285–5286| publisher =Thomson Gale| year =2005|edition=2nd}}</ref>

Another goddess, Māra, also has several functions in common with Laima.<ref name="bur I">{{cite book | last =Straubergs | first =Kārlis| title =Latviešu buramie vārdi | publisher =Latviešu folkloras krātuve | volume =I | year =1939 | location =Rīga | language =lv}}</ref> Although this view has been criticized, many researchers agree that Māra is synonymous with [[Mary (mother of Jesus)|Saint Mary]]. It has been suggested that Mary took over some functions of earlier deities, including Laima.<ref name="Māra">{{cite encyclopedia| last =Kursīte |first =Janīna | editor-last =Jones | editor-first =Lindsay | title =Māra | encyclopedia =Encyclopedia of Religion | volume =8 | pages =5691–5694 | publisher =Thomson Gale| year =2005|edition=2nd}}</ref> However, Māra was used to refer to Saint Mary, who was also called upon during childbirth and to help with a number of ailments by either her modern Latvian name Marija or number of [[Titles of Mary|Christian euphemisms]].<ref name="bur I" /> All these were also used as euphemisms to refer to [[uterus]] in folk magic.<ref name="bur I" /><ref name="Māra" /> The opposing view, based on [[comparative linguistics]] linking her with a wide range of other Indoeuropean deities, is that she was an important pre-Christian chthonic deity that both gives and takes life.<ref name="Māra" />

Other two goddesses with similar functions are Kārta and Dēkla.<ref name="skygods" /> Dēkla is mainly mentioned in folklore from a single Catholic area of [[Courland]], historically the [[District of Pilten]]. Kārta is even more rarely mentioned in folklore, she is thought to execute the decisions Laima and Dēkla make, as suggested by her name. She is always alongside Laima and may likely a historically recent occurrence that has more to do with [[phonesthetics]] of folksongs than religion.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://gramatas.lndb.lv/periodika2-viewer/view/index-dev.html?lang=fr#panel:pp{{!}}issue:/g_001_0307070116{{!}}article:DIVL3765{{!}}page:277{{!}}issueType:B |title=Seno latviešu galvenās dievietes, Haralds Biezais, Zinātne 2006 |access-date=2020-05-17 |archive-date=2019-04-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190421111401/http://gramatas.lndb.lv/periodika2-viewer/view/index-dev.html?lang=fr#panel:pp{{!}}issue:/g_001_0307070116{{!}}article:DIVL3765{{!}}page:277{{!}}issueType:B |url-status=dead }}</ref>