Editing Laima (section)

==In Lithuania==
In [[Lithuanian mythology]], Laima (fate, destiny) is often confused with [[Laimė]] (good fortune) and [[Laumė]] (fairy).<ref name=greimas111/> Other related deities include [[Dalia (mythology)|Dalia]] (fate) and [[Giltinė]] (The Reaper). Laima was first mentioned in written sources as ''Laimelea'' by Wilhelm Martini in the Latin prologue to Lithuanian songs, collected by [[Daniel Klein (grammarian)|Daniel Klein]] and published in 1666.<ref name=darbai/> She was also mentioned by [[Matthäus Prätorius]], [[Jacob Brodowski]], [[Philipp Ruhig]] and others.<ref name=zinkus/>

One of the most important duties of Laima is to prophesy (Lithuanian: ''lemti'') how the life of a newborn will take place.<ref name=greimas111/> Sometimes there was only one Laima, while in other cases three Laimas would give often contradictory predictions. The final pronouncement would be irrevocable and not even Laima herself could change it.<ref name=beres151/> While three fate goddesses have less support among academics, the concept is well-established in European religions (e.g. Greek [[Moirai]]).<ref name=greimas114/> In the earlier historiography, the example of [[predestination]] by Laima was used to judge the Lithuanian religion as [[fatalistic]]. For example, in 1837 Manfred Tietz wrote that, because Lithuanians believed in the determined fate, they were fearless warriors.<ref name=beres90/> [[Algirdas Julien Greimas]] argued that such a view is superficial and that Laima did not determine the fate but only knew about it.<ref name=greimas114/>
In one Lithuanian version of the [[Great Flood]] myth, Laima participates in the birth of the humankind.<ref name=greimas148/>

Laima was related to Gegutė ([[common cuckoo|cuckoo]]), which Greimas considered a separate goddess<ref name=greimas116/> while others see her as an incarnation of Laima. Gegutė was responsible for time and the succession of the seasons. The number of her calls was believed to predict how long a person had left to live. In spring she would also determine how a person would spend the remainder of the year; for example, if a man had no money on him when he heard the cuckoo, he would be poor for the rest of the year.<ref name=greimas116/> Laima's sacred tree is the [[Tilia|linden]].<ref name=klimka/>