Prussian mythology ("krivė krivaitis") and female "waidelinns" (similar to Roman vestales). Various later authors simply copied information from Grunau and the "Sudovian Book" adding no or very little new information. The 1249 Treaty of Christburg mentioned Curche, an idol worshiped during harvest festivals. Scholars were unable to positively determine its gender, function, or etymology. Various suggested functions include god of food (Simon Grunau), smithing god (similar to Slavic Svarog and Greek Hephaestus), god creator (derived from related Lithuanian word "kurti" – to create), god of harvest and grain, evil spirit, god of fire. Some even doubted whether it was a god at
Aulë Aulë Aulë is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, who is primarily discussed in "The Silmarillion", but appears also in Tolkien's other works. In Tolkien's pantheon of Middle-earth, Aulë is a knowledge deity, sometimes worshipped as a god by men, representing skill and craftsmanship, who is also thematically associated with Earth, stone, metal and the dwarves. Because of his associations with smithing and skill, Aulë is similar in thematic role to the Greek god Hephaestus, the Roman god Vulcan, the Finnish god Ilmarinen, the Yoruba god Ogun, and the Norse god Völundr. Aulë the Smith is a