The information that modern people receive from mass culture about Baltic mythological beings is often very far removed from the information found in sources from the 14th–17th centuries.

In the card game “Baltic Gods,” the player is introduced to several dozen different Baltic mythological beings found in the works of Jonas Lasicki, Matas Pretorijus, Maciej Stryjkowski, and other sources written between the 14th and 17th centuries. Through this game, the player becomes familiar with these beings — aiming to encourage 21st-century society to take an interest in Baltic mythology. By combining Baltic mythology with card games, the goal is not only to promote accurate interpretation of this mythology, but also to address other issues — such as the decline in people’s social skills due to the widespread use of the internet, mobile devices, and social networks instead of real-life interaction, the excessive time spent on computer games, and most importantly — to fulfill an educational purpose, giving players the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the mythological beings of our land.

THE AUTHOR

I am Lina Kišonytė, known to most people who know me as “the one who draws beautifully.” I’ve had pencils in my hands since childhood. Back in primary school, my teacher used to say that I must have been born under that naked boy statue near the Žilinskas Art Gallery in Kaunas. How it really was — my parents could tell you — but transferring fantasies from my mind onto paper eventually became what I do almost every day. 

Many people ask me where I learned to draw, and whether I had to finish art school or an academy for that. To be honest, I completed neither, but I can assure you that the best tool for mastering a craft is persistent practice. 

My real practice and serious drawing lessons only began in the final years of school, privately, with watercolor artist Česlovas Banys. After school, since I wanted to pursue something related to both arts and computer science, I enrolled in Vytautas Magnus University, majoring in Media Arts. It was during my third year there that the idea to create a card game based on Baltic mythology emerged. Eventually, this project was presented as my final thesis and was released as a real game in 2016.

We presented the first cards at Lituanicon, ComicCon Baltics, and several other events, organized tournaments and game presentations. The current edition of the game has been updated — with improved rules, design, and material quality.

Gods mentioned in the cards:

• PRAKORIMAS
• LIETUVONIS
• AUŠRINĖ
• ŽVAIGŽDIKAS
• BRĖKŠTA
• VĖJOPATIS
• BANGPUTYS
• SAULĖ
• MĖNUO
• PERKŪNAS
• MUSIŲ BIRBIKAS
• RŪGUTIS
• UŽPELENĖ
• NUMĖJAS
• BUBILAS
• KAUKAS
• BAUBAS
• PIZIUS
• GONDAS
• AUŠLAVIS
• KRUKIS
• GULBIS
• JAVINĖ
• JAUČIŲ BAUBIS
• LAIMA
• SUTVARAS
• AITVARAS
• GARDAITIS
• GABIJA
• TELIAVELIS
• GILTINĖ
• MELETĖLĖ
• KRŪMINĖ
• GANIKLIS
• LAZDONA
• BARSTUKAS
•  LAUKPATIS
• AUSTĖJA
• GIRAITIS
• ŽVORŪNA
• EŽERINIS
• PUŠKAITIS
• UPIŲ DIEVAS
• MEDEINA
• KELIO DIEVAS
• UPINĖ
• LAUMĖ
• RAGAINA
• PIKULAS
• ŽEMYNA
•  ŽEMĖPATIS
• VELINAS
• ŽALTYS