Tradition: Latvian Mythology
Alternative Names: Devil’s Pit
Category: Ghost
The Myth
Velna Bedre, meaning the Devil’s Pit, is a sinister place in Latvian legend associated with dangerous supernatural forces. According to Andrejs Pumpurs’s epic poem Lāčplēsis, the pit lies in a landscape shaped by the actions of the devil and the thunder god Pērkons. In the tale, the devil digs a bottomless hole in the course of the Daugava River, causing the river to plunge into its depths. Pērkons responds with lightning and redirects the waters, raising a steep-sided hill around the pit.
The place retains its frightening reputation long after these events. Travellers passing through the area at night are warned that ghosts appear and attempt to deceive them, luring them into the pit and bringing them harm. The legend presents Velna Bedre as a dangerous place where the ordinary world borders a realm of malevolent supernatural beings.
Velna Bedre is also connected to the witch Spīdala and her companions. After travelling through the night on enchanted wooden blocks, they descend into the Devil’s Pit, where witches gather in a strange underground dwelling filled with bones, skulls, magical objects, and monstrous creatures. The pit thus serves not merely as a haunted landmark but as an entrance to a hidden world of witches, devils, and dark magic.
Sources
Pumpurs, Andrejs. “II daļa.” In Lāčplēsis. Archived version, Internet Archive Wayback Machine, January 31, 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060131100630/http://www.ailab.lv/Teksti/Senie/Pumpurs/2.dala.html