vėlė

See also: vele, velé, vêlé, vêle, and vele-

Lithuanian

Etymology

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *weli̯a-, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₃- (“death”). Compare Latvian veļi.

Noun

vėlė f (plural vėlės)

1. Spirit of a dead human, ghost (Lithuanian mythology). It was said that these spirits were transparent as fog, yet soft as wool to the touch. Upon death, the soul separates from the body and does not return to it. It does not die with the body, but loses its individuality. The vėlė had to cross over to the realm of the vėlė.

Derived terms

• vėliava (flag)

References

• Relations between the living and the dead in Lithuanian folklore, Gražina Krivickas (1995)
• vėlė in Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia)