The Latvian Lord’s Prayer, Two Folk Songs and Some Phrases by Johann Arnold Brand from 1673 Revised

This article provides an insight into the Latvian material published in Reysen (1702) by professor of law Johann Arnold Brand (1647–1691). It was recorded during his stay in the Latvian-speaking area in October 1673. The Latvian material includes a Lord’s Prayer, two folk songs, a sentence, some words and a glossary of travel phrases. An analysis of this material makes it clear that none of the Latvian texts had a printed source, but that they reflect the living usage of the period. Brand himself did not speak Latvian, so he must have had informants. However, the spelling of the texts is without a parallel within the Old Latvian tradition. Thus, it remains an open question whether the informants dictated or wrote down the text, as there are no indisputable arguments for or against

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