Juras Mate and Jurate

Marija Gimbutas is from the Baltics. She writes about how her homeland is watched over by the Mates, the Mother Goddesses. There are over 60 known Mates, for different parts of nature, even after centuries of Christian suppression. Juras Mate is the Lithuanian Goddess of the Sea. Mate means mother.

Jurate is her Latvian counterpart, her maiden aspect who falls in love with a fisherman. She brings him to her amber palace beneath the waves, making the thunder god jealous. The thunder god retaliates by destroying her amber palace, killing her love. The amber that continues to wash up on the shores of the Baltic Sea is the detritus of her former castle, and tear shaped droplets are a testament to her broken heart.

Juras Mate Consoles Jurate original painting, prints, and merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Art America.

Baltic amber washes up on the shore to this day. (source)

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