Religion of the Balts Research Papers (original) (raw)

2025

Šis straipsnis -tąsa ankstesnių publikacijų ir pranešimų, skaitytų mokslinėse konferencijose. Visuose juose vienu ar kitu aspektu analizuojamas gaidžio / vištos vaizdinys baltų religijoje ir mitologijoje. Šio tyrimo tikslas -nustatyti, koks gaidžio / vištos santykis su įvairiomis lietuvių dievybėmis bei mitinėmis būtybėmis, kokių šio santykio refleksijų galime aptikti XX a. pabaigos -XXI a. pradžios tikėjimuose. Lietuvių pasakojamosios tautosakos kataloge užfiksuota gana daug sakmių, tikėjimų, kuriose gaidys / višta pasirodo (vaizduojami) gaidžio arba vištos pavidalu. Savo gausa labiausiai išsiskiria sakmės, kuriose gaidžio pavidalu pasirodo aitvaras. Aitvaro -gaidžio vaizdinys (aitvaras perinamas iš gaidžio kiaušinio, maitinamas kiaušiniene, neša grūdu, gyvena ūkiniuose pastatuose, kuriuose džiovinami, kuliami, saugomi javai, suartina jį su lietuvių jaujos ir jaujos ugnies dievu Gabjauju. Savo originalumu išsiskiria M. Pretorijaus XVII a. pabaigoje aprašyta dievo Vėjopačio stovyla, ant kurio galvos pavaizduotas gaidys. Jo paskirtį turimais duomenimis įmanoma nustatyti tik hipotetiškai. Sakmės ir tikėjimai, kuriose vištos (kiek rečiau -gaidžio) pavidalu pasirodo arba turi kai kurių šių paukščių laikytinos vėlesnės kilmės, kai krikščionybės įtakoje buvo demonizuoti senojo tikėjimo vaizdiniai.

2025, BURIALS WITH BUCKETS AT THE OSTRIV THE 11th CENTURY CEMETERY IN THE MIDDLE DNIPRO REGION. LIETUVOS ARCHEOLOGIJA. 2022. T. 48, p. 221–284

he article focuses on the analysis of the wooden buckets used in human burials of the Ostriv cemetery
studied in 2017–2020. The discovery of dominant culture-defining artefacts, such as penannular and
ring brooches, zoomorphic bracelets, and spiral neck-rings, suggest that this ancient population may
be originated from the coastal part of the East Baltic region, including Sambian Peninsula, historical
Curonia and Semigallia and the results of anthropological and paleogenetic studies reinforce this theory.
One of the characteristic features of the burial rite of the Ostriv cemetery was the presence of sacrificial
food stored in vessels (buckets). Remnants of buckets – in the form of bandings hoops, handle mounts, and
forged handles – were found placed at the feet of the deceased. Taking into account the fact that buckets
were not generally incorporated into the burial practices of the Baltic tribes of that time, the authors
of the article suggest that this rite infiltrated into their society after migration to the Porossya region
of Ukraine and was associated with the complex processes of the Christianization of the Baltic settlers.

2025, Archaeology: Just Add WAter, volume 3

This article presents the results of the underwater expedition conducted in the summer of 2021 in Lake Śniardwy, near Zdory village in the Masurian Lakeland (Poland). In the winter of 1938, a boy found an iron spearhead near the shore of the lake — both the documentation of this discovery and the mentioned spearhead (which is now housed in the Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte in Berlin, Germany) survived the Second World War. Members of the expedition have successfully located the previous discovery’s position, furthermore, in the direct vicinity, another very interesting artefact was found, i.e. a partially preserved massive fibula, decorated with rings on the bow and foot. Similar brooches, described as a type 4–5 by Nils Åberg, are known from the area of the Olsztyn Group and dated to the sixth–the beginning of the seventh centuries (phase E). They have parallels on the Sambian Peninsula and within the territory ofLithuania. Sambian brooches, which are believed
to be derived from the Late Roman and the Early Migration Period fibulae with ring decoration, declined at the beginning of the sixth century. By this time they were popular among Lithuanian tribes, where the earliest specimens of type 4–5 belong to the second half of the fifth century and the latest even to the eleventh century. Among all known brooches with ring decoration, there is one specimen found in the peat bog at Užpelkiai in western Lithuania. This leads us to the question of the proper interpretation of the fibula from Śniardwy. The question of whether it was a part of a ‘war booty sacrifice’, or something different, must be postponed until the next explorations although some speculations are presented in this paper.

2025

Šlajus, Ignas. Dievo vilkai: XVI–XVII a. Livonijos vilkolakių mįslė [Wolves of God: A Riddle of Sixteenth-Seventeenth-Century Livonian Werewolves]. Iš praeities šaknų [Senovės baltų kultūra, 11]. Sudarytoja Elvyra Usačiovaitė. Vilnius: Lietuvos kultūros tyrimų institutas, 2023, 421–452. // Vilkolakio vaizdinio istorija yra sena kaip Gilgamešo epas, o jo priešistorė mena žmonijos sąmonės aušrą. Dėl medžiagos gausos ir įvairumo tenka tirti paskiras vilkolakių istorijas, kurių viena yra XVI-XVII a. Livonijos vilkolakiai, savo ruožtu slepiantys gerųjų (Dievo) vilkolakių giją. Šio darbo tikslas - pristatyti ir kontekstualizuoti šį fenomeną, gerokai išsiskiriantį iš krikščioniškosios demonologijos persmelktų susijusių Europos tikėjimų. Darbo prieiga - į pirminius šaltinius orientuotas mitinio pasaulėvaizdžio pjūvis. // The prehistory of the werewolf reaches back into the dawn of human consciousness, while the history of the werewolf begins with the epic of Gilgamesh. Due to the richness and diversity of this history, one should investigate separate werewolf histories before attempting major comparisons. One of these histories is the history of the sixteenth-seventeenth century Livonian werewolves, which conceals something truly phenomenal. By delving into various sources, a thread becomes visible: that of the benevolent werewolves, the wolves of God, rather than the wolves of the Devil, as they were portrayed by Christianity. The aim of this article is to present and contextualize this mild anomality, demonstrating its coherence within a mythological framework. This is accomplished by examining primary sources and utilizing folklore as much as possible to avoid common distortions found in secondary literature regarding this case. The article begins with a brief overview of the history of Livonian werewolves in general, then presents the sources related to benevolent cases. It proceeds with an analysis of two mythologems, namely, “God's wolves’’ (also referred to as the “dogs of God”) and the so called “rye wolves” (or Roggenwölfe). The article concludes by reminding that departing from the wolf paradigm is necessary for anyone hoping to unravel the mystery of benevolent Livonian werewolves. Far from aiming to provide a definitive answer, this article is rather just a prolegomena for a deeper analysis.

2025, Folklore Fellows Network Bulletin

Will ICH Replace Tradition? – Heidi Henriikka Mäkelä; 11th Folklore Fellows’ Summer School, Interdisciplinarity and Involvement: Enduring and Emerging Sites of the Vernacular; More a Lore than a Literature – Jonathan Roper; Biomimetic Figurations in Contemporary Biohacking – Antti Lindfors; Book Review: The God Perkūnas of the Ancient
Lithuanians – Daiva Vaitkevičienė; FF Communications’ Storage Clearance Book Sale – Most books only 2€!

2025, FROM PAGANISM TO CHRISTIANITY BURIAL RITES DURING THE TRANSITION PERIOD

The paper gives an overwiew of the results of an analysis of archaeological investigations at the Mosiężysko site 8 at Szurpiły in northeast Poland, a cemetery with dispersed cremation burials. Significant quantities of burnt human bones, pottery sherds and metal objects were found in the humus layer. The site is dated to the 12th and 13th centuries.
The results are compared with other cemeteries in the Czarna Hańcza Group (a cluster of sites dated to the ninth to 13th centuries, encompassing the territories between Ełk and Marijampolė along a SW–
NE axis, and between Gołdap and Augustów along a NW–SE axis), and other Baltic and Finno-Ugrian sites. The possible relations with Christianity are also discussed.

2025, WARSAW STUDIES IN ARCHAEOLOGY 9, Brepols: Turnhout

The spurs of horse riders have long been acknowledged as an important item of grave furniture in the Late Roman and Migration period burials of Poland, a reflection of the high social position held by the deceased. Yet while spurs have been studied at a general level, and typo-chronological studies have been conducted on spurs found in southern and central Poland, no such research has so far been conducted on finds from the West Balt Circle, in north-eastern Poland. This volume is an attempt to rectify the situation by offering a thorough examination of finds attributed to the Bogaczewo and Sudovian Cultures. The author here offers a comprehensive assessment of surviving materials from the period, many of which are scattered through museums across Europe, together with an in-depth analysis of archival sources (included among them the private inventories of archaeologists working in the pre-war period) in order to reconstruct our understanding of the furnishings and data relating to spurs. This detailed research, carefully contextualized against our wider understanding of Barbarian Europe, offers an important new reference for our understanding both of the West Balt Circle and its inter cultural relations with surrounding regions, as well as of the symbolic meaning of spurs and their significance in burial rites.

2025, Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture

This study will examine unique monuments of the Baltic religion consisting of 231 stones with impressions reminiscent of human and/or animal footprints recorded in Lithuania. Data are drawn from archaeology, linguistics, folklore,... more

2025, Prakalbinta priešistorė: leidinys, skirtas Audronės Bliujienės sukakčiai

XIII-XIV a. ornamentuotų raginių dirbinių tradicija apima lietuvą ir aplinkinius kraštus: lenkiją, baltarusiją, Rusiją, estiją, latviją. Istoriografija šiuo klausimu negausi. Po Peterio Paulseno monografijos pasirodymo 1956 m. naujų apibendrinančių tyrimų šia tema nebuvo atlikta. Šio straipsnio tikslas -paskelbti 2013 m. birželį Ukmergėje, Šventosios upės dugne, atsitiktinai rasto ornamentuoto raginio kirvio nulaužtu mediniu kotu radimo aplinkybes, aprašymą, atliktų laboratorinių tyrimų rezultatus ir interpretaciją. Vilniaus Fizinių ir technologijos mokslų centro (FtMC) laboratorijoje nustatyta, jog šis kirvis buvo pagamintas XIV a. -XV a. pradžioje. tai kol kas vienintelė Viduramžių laikotarpio raginio dirbinio data iš lietuvos ir antroji iš rytinės baltijos pakrantės (datuotas dar vienas raginis kirvis iš estijos). Visos kirvio iš Ukmergės plokštumos, išskyrus jo apačią ir pentį, yra ornamentuotos; grioveliai buvo užpildyti balta kreidinės kilmės medžiaga. simbolikos požiūriu raginis kirvis iš Ukmergės siejamas su Griausmavaldžio kultu. ant jo išraižyti pilnatvės (gausos, gėrybių) ir skalsos (išlaikomo, daugėjančio turto) ženklai suartos žemės fone, siejami su pavasarine žemdirbių švente, skirta Pergrubiui (tai vienas iš dievo Perkūno vardų). Reikšminiai žodžiai: lietuvos Didžioji kunigaikštystė, Šventoji (upė), Ukmergė, raginis kirvis, simboliai, baltų religija ir mitologija. 2013 m. birželio 27 d. Viktoras kličius Šventosios pakrantėje prie Ukmergės hipodromo rinko stiklo šukes ir iš upės dugno pakėlė, jo žodžiais tariant, kažkokią keistą šukę. supratęs, kad radinys vertas dėmesio, radėjas susisiekė su lietuvos nacionalinio muziejaus (lnM) Priešistorinės archeologijos skyriumi, atsiuntė nuotrauką ir jau kitą dieną vienas iš šio straipsnio autorių kartu su egle Griciuviene išvyko į Ukmergę, susitiko su V. kličiumi, apžiūrėjo vietovę, perėmė radinį. Šventoji šiame ruože teka į pietus, upės slėnis -apie 600 m, o vaga -apie 26-32 m pločio; upės dugnas -smėlingas. Istoriniai XIX a. antrosios pusės -XX a. topografiniai žemėlapiai rodo, jog Šventoji nešė daug smėlio, vis keitė vagą, vietovė ilgai buvo neapgyventa. tėkme aukštyn Šventosios slėnis netrukus siaurėja iki 250 m, o ties piliakalniu ir senovės gyvenviete vėl platėja, pasiekia net 700 m plotį. toje vietoje keliautojai į Vilnių ir iš jo nuo seno

2025, Būdas

Redakcija nereikalauja, kad diskusinio pobūdžio nuomonės sutaptų su redakcijos nuomone.

2025

xvii • romec • zagreb 2010 • radovi • proceedings • akten r i m sk a v oj n a opr e m a u p o g r e bno m k on t e k s t u • w e a p on s a nd m il i ta ry e q u ip m e n t in a f u ne r a ry c on t e xt • m il i ta r i a a l s g r a bbe... more

xvii • romec • zagreb 2010 • radovi • proceedings • akten r i m sk a v oj n a opr e m a u p o g r e bno m k on t e k s t u • w e a p on s a nd m il i ta ry e q u ip m e n t in a f u ne r a ry c on t e xt • m il i ta r i a a l s g r a bbe il a g e

2024, Archeologiniai tyrinėjimai Lietuvoje 2023 metais

Saločių mūšis – didžiausias Didžiojo Šiaurės karo (1700–1721 m.) pirmajame etape (1700–1705 m.) vykęs mūšis dabartinės Lietuvos teritorijoje, vykęs 1703 m. kovo 18/19/29 d. (datos pagal Julijaus, Karolio XII švedų ir Grigaliaus kalendorius) tarp Saločių mst. (nuo jo ir šio mūšio pavadinimas) ir Šakarnių kaimo. Pirmieji archeologiniai žvalgymai šioje vietoje vykdyti 2022 m. Jų metu žvalgyti suarti laukai – Šakarnių k. P dalyje, Murziškio vs. V dalyje. Žvalgytas bendras apie/iki 55 ha plotas, surinkti 573 vnt. Ankstyvojo bronzos amžiaus (~2350–1700 m. pr. m. e.), Viduramžių (XIV a.), Naujųjų ir Naujausių laikų (XVII–XX a.) artefaktai, kurių didžiąją dalį sudaro vėlyvi XIX–XX a. pirmosios pusės radiniai (inventorinti 271 vnt. / 47,3%) (žr.: ATL 2022 metais, Vilnius, 2023, p. 487–493; Vasiliauskas E., Saločių mūšio vietos beieškant: naujausi archeologiniai radiniai, Šiaurietiški atsivėrimai: Pasvalio krašto istorijos ir kultūros žurnalas, 2023, Nr. 2 (55), p. 22–31). Tyrimai buvo tęsiami (tyrimus inicijavo PsKM ir Žiemgalos draugijos Pasvalio skyrius, vykdė KU BRIAI) ir 2023 m. rugsėjo 16–17 d. Jų metu Šakarnių k. P ir R dalyje žvalgytas apie/iki 22,5/23,52 ha plotas. Žvalgymuose dalyvavo tie patys metalo ieškotojų klubai kaip ir 2022 m. (Metalo ieškiklių naudotojų klubo (MINK, vad. Emilijus Petukauskas) – 21 narys; Pasvalio artefaktų ieškotojų klubo „Metalo broliai“ – 4 nariai (prez. Giedrius Armonavičius), kiti savanoriai iš Pasvalio, Joniškio ir Šiaulių (7 asmenys) (1 pav.). Jų metu surinkti 708 vnt. Geležies amžiaus (VIII–XI/XII a.), Viduramžių (XIII–XIV a.), Naujųjų ir Naujausių laikų (XVI–XX a. pirmoji pusė) artefaktai, kurių didžiąją dalį sudaro vėlyvi XIX–XX a. radiniai, taip pat XX a. antrosios pusės metalo laužas (68,5 kg). Radiniai saugoti perduoti PsKM. Bendras žvalgytas plotas 2022–2023 m. siekia apie/iki 73,1/74,25 ha, t. y. 1640 m ruožas Š–P kryptimi ir 220–850 m – R–V kryptimi.

2024, Sprawozdania Archeologiczne

The paper presents a stray find of an axe head from the Przeworsk culture settlement at Janowiec. It is a medium
weight head attributed to sub-Group II.2 after B. Kontny (2018), dated generally to the Roman Period (Phases
B2-C1a). Its shape does not allow the function to be determined univocally. Most probably it was a multifunctional tool. The aforementioned axes were used mainly in the Balt milieu, but they were also known but rather
not used as weapons in the Przeworsk culture. Single finds from northern Europe may be explained by the participation of the Balt warriors in the military events at these areas. One may consider the possibility that the
axes and some other parts of the military equipment became commonly used thanks to multi-ethnic military
expeditions and the migrations with a military background connected, among other things, with the crisis of the
Roman Empire in the 3rd century

2024, Unveiling History

A sword recently re-identified in the holdings of the Museum of Prehistory and Early History, with a makeshift number, can be assigned to the Curonian swords according to E. šturms (šturms 1936). it was discovered in the cemetery at Anduliai in 1895, and sold to the Berlin Museum the same year. there are references to two other Curonian swords in the museum's inventory. Both are lost today.

2024, Making Places, Making Lives. Landscape and Settlement in Coastal Wetlands Proceedings of the 72nd Sachsensymposion, 9-12 October 2021 Castricum-Alkmaar

The article presents the first results of the
field investigation of the medieval unfortified
settlement Privol’noe-1, carried out in 2016. The
monument is located in the northern part of the
Kaliningrad Peninsula, within the borders of the
former settlement area of the Prussian tribe of
Sambians, and is dated by the currently known
archaeological material to the end of the 11th to
the beginning of the 13th century AD – the socalled ‘Late Pagan time’ of local chronology. The
monument in question differs from the few so far
excavated Prussian medieval settlements, both
by the unusually high number of individual and
mass finds, as well as by the character of some
of them. Alongside with the artefacts, which are
widely represented in the archaeological material
of the peninsula and are typical for both medieval
Prussians and their close neighbors – Curonians,
Scalovians and Livs – material evidence of contacts
with the medieval Western Europe was found.
Besides that, and for the first time in the history
of the peninsula’s research, a high number of objects from
the Ancient Rus’ was found in the settlement context. These
finds – i.e, their concentration in the settlement – testify to the
presence of cultural, trade and, obviously, legal interactions
between the inhabitants of the settlement and those of
Ancient Rus’ in the period between the Viking Age and the
beginning of the crusading expansion of the Teutonic Order to
the lands of the Prussians.

2024, Archaeologia Lituana 7

Just after the World War I, in archaeological periodic "Pussia" was published a short paper, written by eminent Gennan archaeologist, Heinrich . He continued discussion with Otto Tischlerwhich had been already started before 1914 (cf. Tischler, Kemke, 1902;. In his text H. Kemke mentioned excavations onAschenplatz at Schulsteiner Miihle, on SamJand [Fig. ]. That site, known also as Schulstein (now Volnoe, Kaliningradskaja Oblast', Russia), is situated less then 4 km to the east of famous cemetery at Kaup by Wiskiauten (now Mochovoe, Russia) [Fig. :10]. German archaeologist did not described cemetery at Schulsteiner Miihle in details. He also did not explained the term Aschenplatz he used. Heinrich Kemke only pointed out that there was not possible to distinct any single grave complexes at Schulsteiner Miihle. It means no possibility to use O. Tischler method of correspondence analysis, and consequently there was no possibility to establish relative chronology (Kemke, 1919,passim). The basic interpretation of the tennAschenplatz used by H. Kemke led to connect it with the place of funerary pyre. Such interpretation could be falsified by the other infonnation given by Gennan scholar -there were many selected artifacts recorded onAschenplatz at Schulsteiner Miihle, among them elements of horse harnesses and weaponry. After excavations they were filled 42 (forty two!) cartoon boxes. It is hard to believe that so many items had been left on the funerary pyre. The question arises -what could be the Prussian Aschenpliitze dated to early Mjddle Ages (eg. Viking Age)? Were they new (not fully described until now) type of burial practices? In my opinion -yes. In late phase of Migration Period (mid 7th c. -Phase E; cf. Engel, 1931a) in the Prussian lands disappeared some earlier archaeological cultures and groups,

2024, Archaeologia Lituana 10

State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw has in its keeping certain amount of Stone Age finds from nowadays Lithuania and several hundreds of Iron Age artifacts being the subject of this article. In the Department of Bait Archaeology in our Museum there are ca 1200 items from Lithuania (including fragments)-ornaments and costume elements, weapons, tools and clay pots as well as above 2900 pottery fragments (see Appendix). Additionally there are also survived human and animal bones (eg from Zwirble, now Zvirbliai-Vilnius - Iwanowska, 2006, s. 130-139) as well as charcoal fragments and textile remains (eg from Miezany, now Mezionyscomp. KaczyTIski, 1963a, s. 122-124, fig. 7-8, 15-20; Die Balten, 1987, S. l33). The finds were recorded in 43 sites including cemeteries, hill-forts and loose finds, however some them are not located precisely and described only as Vilnius region or Samogitia I. There is also a number of finds from unknown sites situated somewhere in Lithuania (see Appendix nos 44--62). The distribution map (Fig. ) reveals the concentrations in central and eastern Lithuania and dispersed finds from Samogitia. The chronology ofthe materials kept in StateArchaeological Museum covers long spectrum of time -from Early Iron Age up till Middle Ages and even Modem Times, however the proportions of them are different. It is presented on the diagram (Fig. ) -50 % of the materials are dated to the Early Middle Ages, 40 % to the Roman and Migration Periods while 5 % belonged to Early Iron Age. The next 5 % has got uncertain chronology. The story of the Lithuanian finds in State Archaeological Museum reached 19 th c., long before this museum was erected. Our nowadays collection includes

2024, Archaeologia Lituana 4

2024, Lietuvos Archeologija

This paper focuses on a unique Nortycken-type bronze battle-axe recently discovered as part of the Late Bronze Age hoard (Br D – Ha A1) at the site Olešná in Southern Bohemia. The battle-axe probably originates from the Eastern Baltic or Northern Poland, where similar artifacts are primarily dated to Period I-III of the Bronze Age. The possible role of this artifact in Southern Bohemia remains in question. The Nortycken-type battle-axe was likely imported over a considerable distance, but there is no evidence
of a connection to local Bronze Age elites. The archaeological record does not indicate the presence of such elites in the region of Southern Bohemia (Czech Republic).

2024, Kanaplianikau Dz. Traditional world-view bases of nature protection: sacred sites of natural and natural-artificial origin Natural recourses. 2004. — No 4. — P. 132—138. Канаплянікаў Дз. Г. Традыцыйнасветаглядныя падставы аховы прыроды: святыя месцы прыроднага i прыродна-штучнага паходжання Прыр...

For many peoples of the world, as well as Belarusian, sacred natural sites are important areas for environmental conservation. Traditional respect for the sacred sites have often led to well-conserved areas with high biological diversity within otherwise degraded environments. Such nature protection efficiently grounds on traditional world view and is an important factor of sustainable development. Establishing the conservation of the environment on traditional cultural values and land-based belief systems natural and natural-artificial sacred sites can play an important complementary role to legally protected areas such as national parks, strict nature reserves, or forest reserves. Sacred sites are the associative cultural landscape where there are religious, artistic or cultural associations with its natural element rather than material cultural evidence, which may be insignificant or even absent. The Seville Strategy for Biosphere Reserves suggests establishing, strengthening or extending biosphere reserves "to include areas where traditional lifestyles and indigenous uses of biodiversity are practiced and including sacred sites"
The range of kinds of Belarusian sacred sites of natural or natural-artificial origin actually includes all the diversity of natural or natural-artificial objects. Belarusian laws do not maintain the term "sacred sites of natural or natural-artificial origin", the only possibility to legally protect them is enrolling into lists of historical-cultural values or of natural memorials according to the law. In contradiction to international legal practice Belarusian laws do not take into account traditional nature using activities, religion practice, customary law. As a result, a great number of sacred sites of natural or natural-artificial origin are not legally protected. A greater part of well-known sacred stones are protected as natural memorials, but only 2 sacred lakes, a few sacred hills and brooks while there are more than 122 sacred brooks in Belarus, often regard is not paid to the complex structure of sacred site which can include several objects.
All the sacred sites must be legally protected, and not only some separate objects, but the whole associative cultural landscapes. The conservation of sacred natural sites can be greatly enhanced by establishing "buffer zones" around the sacred site itself, promoting ideas of sustainable development and biodiversity conservation on the basis of traditional nature using and cultural practice. All activities in sacred sites must be held after analysis and estimating of their ecological, social, economic, cultural sequences. Well-conserved areas with high biological diversity can become models of land management and of approaches to sustainable development. To achieve these goals further complex investigations of traditional nature use and sacred sites of natural and natural-artificial origin are necessary.

2024, Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos institutas eBooks

Lietuvių griaustinio dievo tyrinėjimų apžvalga 11 Perkūnas indoeuropiečių mitologijos kontekste 23 Perkūno etimologija 27 Vietovardžiai, susiję su žodžiu Perkūnas 33 Perkūno vardai 47 Perkūno vieta ir vaidmuo panteone 55 Perkūnui skirti ritualai ir šventovė 73 Bendroji Perkūno charakteristika 87 Perkūno atributai 93 Pirmasis griaustinis pavasarį 115 Perkūnas -vestuvių dalyvis 129 Teisingumo priežiūra 135 Perkūno ir velnio nesantaikos priežastis 141 Perkūnas medžioja velnią 155 Keli yra perkūnai 167 Perkūno šeima 173 Apsisaugojimas nuo perkūnijos 185 Perkūno sąsajos su pranašu Eliju ir šv. Jurgiu 193 Mito atspindžiai stebuklinėse pasakose 203 Baigiamosios pastabos 211 Šaltiniai ir jų santrumpos 215 Literatūra 217 Mitinių būtybių ir vaizdinių rodyklė

2024

The aim of this study is to provide a more complete understanding of the phenomenon of cup-marked stones in the regions of Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Belarus. Cup-marked stones are common in certain geographic regions, with particular concentrations in areas historically associated with the onset of agricultural during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Probably, stones were used to mark the territory and for ritual purposes. Climate change and landscape transformation have influenced the spread of cupula-making traditions. Most of the stones in Lithuania and Belarus are located near roads and borders, which indicates that they were moved from the fields due to land reclamation and changed their location. The folklore associated with cup-marked stones varies from country to country, but there are similarities in mythological associations, healing properties, and supernatural beliefs.

2024

Žemaitiu baltu tikiejėma bėndruomenės „Šatrėjės Ruomova“ laikraštis Nr.4

2024

Žemaitiu baltu tikiejėma bėndruomenės „Šatrėjės Ruomova“ laikraštis Nr.5

2024, Liaudies kultūra

Straipsnyje bus apžvelgta vandenyno (jūros, marių) simbolika vedose – seniausiose indoarijų religinėse giesmėse,
kurios galėjo būti sukurtos apie II tūkstantmečio pr. Kr. vidurį. Vedinė vandenų simbolika jau buvo nagrinėta
pristatant „Rigvedos“ giesmių apie upes („Liaudies kultūra“, 2015, Nr. 4 ) ir Sarasvatę (2015, Nr. 6) vertimus,
tačiau platūs vandenys taip pat pasižymi reikšminga simbolika, kuri, regis, dar išvis nėra tinkamai tyrinėta.
Šiais laikais dažniausiai telkiamasi į „gamtinį“ vedų aiškinimą: vedų tekstuose minimiems vaizdiniams įtemptai
ieškoma daiktiškųjų atitikmenų. Taip aiškindami klaustume, ar senovės indoarijai pažino jūrą, vandenyną
šiuolaikine šio žodžio prasme. Gal įvaizdis atsineštas iš indoeuropiečių prosenovės? O gal buvo įkvėptas vietoje
esančių plačių upių, didelių ežerų? Klasikinėje Vakarų indologijoje plačiau įsigalėjusi nuomonė, kad indoarijai
vandenyno kaip tokio nepažino, o jo vaizdinys bus arba atsineštinis, arba įkvėptas vietinių upių santakų, arba
dargi dangiškojo vandenyno metaforos1. Kita vertus, gausu veikalų, kuriuose įrodinėjama senovės arijus nuo
seno gyvenus prie jūrų2. Apie tai dabar išvis nekalbėsime: mums rūpės įvairių vandens telkinių simbolika.

2024

This paper through a use of syntactic descriptive tools explores a presence of Catholic morphological implications that are discreetly woven into the organic spatial configuration of Bernardines cemetery-culturally and historically significant afforested scape. A case study is approached as a sum of internal connections, able to communicate attitudes to death and memory in the nineteenth-century Vilnius, Lithuania. The article involves overlaying axial network, topography, burial directions and chronological occupation data over each other, aiming at understanding correlation between them, and how they help to explain the configuration of unplanned burial ground. Bernardines cemetery functioned as a suburban branch of overcrowded churchyard burial ground that was in need of extension. A chapel was built 15 years after cemetery foundation. Even today chapel is a central figure in the spatial composition of Catholic cemeteries-in Bernardines cemetery the centrality of the chapel is not that apparent. After processing topographical and syntactical analysis it was possible to detect network's structural potential gathered around the chapel, its configurative relation to the burial directions and the location on the highest altitudes of the whole plot. In this case spatiality of religious hierarchy was implemented discreetly, but a tight dialogue with the natural terrain enabled Catholic cemetery to be identified with a pagan forest necropolis.

2024

Įvadas Keliaujant po Lietuvą, nereta pamatyti prie medžio kamieno prigludusiąapsamanojusią koplytėlę su dievdirbio išdrožta skulptūrėle. Kelių sankryžose, buvusiose sodybvietėse, senkapiuose šitaip yra dar labiau sureikšminti, papuošti išskirtiniai medžiai. Išskirtiniai drūtumu, amžiumi, vainiko forma; dažniausiai tai ąžuolas, lie pa, uosis, pušis. Galima manyti, kad šis paprotys bus kilęs iš priešistorinės mitinės pasaulėžiūros. Medžio archetipas kadaise buvo suvokiamas kaip simbolinė pasau lio modelio ašis, per kurią malda pasiekia dievų pasaulį. Tad tautodailėje jis vadin tinas Pasaulio medžiu, pagal paskirtį tai ir Gyvybės medis. Viena svarbiausių liaudiškų tikėjimų ir papročių funkcijų-ugdyti ekologinės elgsenos nuostatas. Žemdirbiškoje baltų bendruomenėje vyravusi ciklinė laiko sam prata sudarė prielaidas susiformuoti tausojantiems žmogaus veiksmams gamtinės aplinkos atžvilgiu. Ne veltui priežodis sako: "Kiekvienas vyras turi pasodinti me dį, išauginti sūnų, pastatyti namą." Liaudiškoji patirtis gali būti įdomi, naudinga ir šiandien-kaip subtilus metodas įtvirtinant harmoningus žmogaus ir gamtos santy kius, suteikiant jiems doros ir moralės normų pavidalą. Tai išsakyta tautosakos kū riniais ir tautodailės įvaizdžiais, o visos kalendorinės šventės yra kuo glaudžiausiai susijusios su fenologiniais reiškiniais. Mitologiniai personažai, senojo tikėjimo die vai ir dievybės-tai gamtos galios, išreikštos personifikuotai. \ dievus prosenovės žmonės kreipdavosi alkavietėse. Tai šventos giraitės, gražiai ar net keistai nuaugę pavieniai medžiai, dideli akmenys, šaltiniai ir verdenės, kalneliai ir ežero salos. Per gyvąją gamtą būdavo kalbamasi su dievais ir gaunama jų patarimų. Žyniai čia pranešdavo dievų ištarmę svarbiausiais genties gyvenimo atvejais: ar pasiseks ka ro žygis, ketinama sudaryti sutartis, numatyta tolima kelionė, ar užderės derlius, ar tinkama vieta piliai statyti... Dievams aukojama ir pradedant pagrindinius žemės ūkio darbus-sėją, ganiavą, pjūtį. Rudenį jiems padėkojama už išaugintą derlių. Aukojimo laužo liepsna tarsi susiedavo visas kosmoso dalis, pavaldžias skirtin giems dievams. Tačiau svarbiausia, kad ir visas pasaulio supratimas senojoje baltų

2024, Darbai ir dienos

Lietuvos bajorų politinės kultūros teisiniai pagrindai Politinė kultūra pagal amerikiečių tyrinėtojus G.A.Almondą ir S.Verbą-tai visuomeninė-politinė orientacija, pagrįsta valstybės piliečių požiūriu į politinę sistemą, žmogaus vietos toje sistemoje suvokimas, arba, kitaip tariant, politinės sistemos narių individualios nuostatos bei orientacijos politikos atžvilgiu, jų bruožai (27, p.5). Skiriami trys politinės kultūros aspektai: (1) pažintinisvisuomenės domėjimasis politine sistema, žinios ir įvaizdžiai apie ją, (2) emocinisvisuomenės jausmai, pasitenkinimas arba nepasitenkinimas šia sistema, (3) vertinimo-politinių institucijų vertinimas visuomenės vertybių sistemos požiūriu. Almondas apibūdina tris politinės kultūros tipus: (1) periferinį-kai siauros politinės savimonės visuomenė nepripažįsta politinės sistemos centro, (2) pavaldųjįkai visuomenė pasyviai pritaria politinio centro veiklai, (3) aktyvų pilietinį-kai aukštos politinės savimonės visuomenė dalyvauja politinio centro veikloje, kelia reikalavimus (27, p.5-7). Šie tipai politinės kultūros procese nuolat keičia vienas kitą.

2024, Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos institutas eBooks

2024

Remarkable finds have been discovered in the Migration Period Plinkaigalis cemetery in central Lithuania: four burials contained drinking horn mounts decorated with recurring zoomorphic and geometric motifs, and four more burials contained other fragments of drinking horns. Similar elaborate ornate mounts can be found elsewhere in Central and Western Lithuania, as well as in Scandinavia, northern Poland, and the Königsberg region.
The article discusses the chronology of the Plinkaigalis drinking horns, with all eight burials radiocarbon dated. The burials are dated to between the early fifth century and the first half of the sixth century AD, with a high probability that they all belong to a narrow time span or are relatively contemporaneous. The similarity of the grave good assemblages and the close spacing of the burials in the cemetery area serve as supplementary evidence of this. All the burials were of armed men, most or all of which were distinguished by their richness. Thus, we may argue that drinking horns were an attribute of a community’s military elite for a relatively short period of time. It is still unknown how these unique objects arrived in central Lithuania, and how much migration or distant contacts had to do with it. At the present stage of research, the chronological analysis carried out allows us to challenge the idea of direct connections with Scandinavia.

2024, Brepols Publishers eBooks

2024, Tautosakos darbai (66)

ANGELS AND DEVILS IN THE TRADITIONAL LITHUANIAN WORLDVIEW: AFFINITIES AND OPPOSITIONS
In the article, I examine the allegedly opposing supernatural beings of the traditional Lithuanian worldview – angels and devils. Primarily, I discuss the ways of depicting the relationship between angels and devils in the Lithuanian folk narratives. The article aims at establishing features of angels and devils revealed in folklore, when both of them perform their activities under similar circumstances. It focuses on mythical common origins of the angels and devils and their activities as human companions.
According to my study, the affinity of the angels and devils is based, first, on their common primeval angelic nature, and on the functions that they perform, including their proximity to humans: following them in the course of their entire life and transporting their souls to another world after death. However, the actions of angels and devils respectively have different motivation, since they obey opposing forces that govern the world, namely, God or Lucifer. In folk narratives, activities of angels and devils are largely related to humans, and the human soul is their main goal; this reflects the important side of the traditional Lithuanian worldview – a constant battle between forces divine and demonic.
KEYWORDS: angels, devils, Lithuanian folklore, traditional worldview, Christian mythology.

2024, Žemaitijos kaltiniai kryžiai: Adelės Genovaitės Zinkevičiūtės archyvo pėdsakais. Tautodailės metraštis, 2023, nr. 55, p. 23 - 29

2024, 9. Žemaitijos kaltiniai kryžiai: Adelės Genovaitės Zinkevičiūtės archyvo pėdsakais. Tautodailės metraštis, 2023, nr. 55, p. 23 - 29

2024, FF Communications 327

The God Perkūnas of the Ancient Lithuanians is the most thorough and extensive work on the Lithuanian thunder god to date. This book’s nineteen chapters follow the god’s Indo-European origins through the evidence in histories, place... more

2024, Kultūros Barai

Sutartinės turi bruožų, kurie akivaizdžiai nurodo, kad jos yra iki mūsų laikų išlikęs ritualas (arba jo dalis). Vienas iš šios sinkretinės apeigos atributų yra maginiai prarastų prasmių žodžiai, bet ne mažiau mįslingas ir kitas jų elementas – šlubčiojantis žingsnis, būdingas tik joms ir tiesiogiai susijęs su sinkopine garsinės medžiagos ritmika, taip pat būdinga tik sutartinėms. Taigi (toteminio) vandens paukščio pėda galėtų būti tas elementas, kuris šiek tiek labiau praskleistų „slėpiningąją“ sutartinių pusę. O ieškant šlubčiojančio žingsnio „tarp-tautinės“ prasmės (susiejant jį su Prancūzijoje gyvenusiais kagotais ir mitiniu/realiu karalienės Pėdaukos personažu), reikėtų atsakyti į šiuos klausimus: ar moters su žąsies pėda personažas Europoje yra universalus? Ar toks galimai universalus personažas susijęs su sutartinėmis? Ar sutartinėse užkoduoti archetipai galėjo peržengti lokalumo ribas, kitaip tariant, palikti tam tikrus kultūrinius pėdsakus Vakarų kryptimi, ten, kur link kėlėsi aisčių-baltų gentys, kur jų gyventa?

2024, Brepols Publishers eBooks

2024, The Archaeology of War. Studies on Weapons of Barbarian Europe in the Roman and Migration Period

From graves to settlements, and from the battlefield to underwater sacrificial sites, weapons dating to the Roman and Migration Period have long been found in an array of contexts throughout the region that forms modern-day Poland. This volume for the first time aims to draw together research into these finds, gathered throughout the author’s career, in a synthetic approach that sees discoveries of swords and other armaments analysed against a broad, comparative background. The work begins with a focus on votive deposits from lakes, here used as a lens for addressing questions about military strategy and war ritual more generally, before moving on to explore the weapons and warriors of the Przeworsk and Wielbark Cultures, as well as shedding light on the lives of the Balts. Finally, an in-depth analysis is made of shields from the protohistoric period, exploring the genesis and variability of the forms taken by this protective weapon. Through this approach, this richly illustrated volume sheds new light not only on the typology and chronology of weaponry from the Roman and Migration Periods, but also on the symbolism and functionality that these arms held.

2024, Journal of the Korean Archaeological Society

In the tombs of the period when Korean-type bronze daggers existed, various composite
objects associated with bronze daggers, such as hilts, dagger pommel fittings, scabbards,
etc., were also buried as grave goods, forming various compositions. The period in which
Korean-type bronze daggers existed could be divided into 7 temporal stages as a whole. In
Stages Ⅰ and Ⅱ, only bronze daggers were buried and all composite objects were excluded.
In Stage Ⅲ, a complicated pattern with multiple composite relationships appeared for
the first time, albeit on a limited scale. Such a trend led to the formalization and burial of
bronze daggers with multiple composite relationships in Stage Ⅴ, and to the formalization
of such burial aspects in Stages Ⅵ and Ⅶ. At that time, the change of composite patterns
was deeply related to notions of burial and burial conventions associated with bronze daggers,
as well as to the renegotiation of the significance of burying the bronze daggers by
the groups that owned them.
The burial methods of bronze daggers and composite objects also continued to be
gradually transformed. Although they were not generally revealed as features in Stage Ⅰ,
they were deposited and then buried either in the coffin by early groups in the Korean-type
bronze dagger culture or in the grave boundary by dolmen groups. However, in Stage Ⅱ,
of the two above-mentioned methods, only the former existed. In Stages Ⅲ to Ⅳ, away
from the existing burial method in the main distribution area of the Korean-type bronze
dagger culture, there were some methods, such as deposition in a coffin for bronze objects
(such as bronze daggers, etc.) or smashing and then scattering those objects against a coffin
lid, etc., which had resulted in regional transformations centering on the Jeolla provinces.
In Stages Ⅴ to Ⅶ, the method of burial by laying bronze daggers with multiple composite
relationships in a coffin was formalized in the same context as the change of composite
patterns.

2024, Radiocarbon

ABSTRACTA set (n = 37) of new human bone radiocarbon accelerator mass spectrometry (14C AMS) dates from 11 Lithuanian Late Roman Period–Migration Period cemeteries is presented and discussed in the light of the established schemes of archaeological chronology. The focus of the paper is on the burials of the military and social elite, which indicate the emergence of new cultural traditions in E–S and W–Central Lithuania or the immigration that took place during this time. The 14C dates allow us to suggest corrections to the dominant chronological pattern of cultural development in the region.

2024, Šiaurietiški atsivėrimai

(LT) Tęsiamas 2018 m. pradėtas Pasvalio krašto senųjų vėjo malūnų istorijai, etnografijai ir paveldui skirtas straipsnių ciklas. Šis jau paskutinis ciklo straipsnis, kaip ir ankstesni, paremtas Pasvalio krašto muziejaus ir Vilniaus universiteto Istorijos fakulteto organizuotose ekspedicijose surinkta sakytinės istorijos (žmonių atsiminimų) medžiaga. Viliamasi, kad pu- blikacija padės atkreipti dėmesį į dar kelių išlikusių malūnų liūdnas realijas ar bent jau užfiksuos ir paskleis žmonių liudi- jimus, prisiminimus apie juos.

2024, Lietuvos etnologija: socialinės antropologijos ir etnologijos studijos 23 (32)

By applying the internal reconstruction and comparative methods, the article details the ethnological discourse of the 1262 insertion in the 6th-century Chronicle of John Malalas. It also disputes earlier authors’ hypothetical claims about how the meaning markers 9 boar spleens, 9 gates of hell, etc. relate to the referents abundance and the inherent vitality of the defeated enemy or the sun’s annual movement across the heavens and the 9 gates of the city of Rethra, and others. These ethno-mythological symbols are interpreted harnessing factography from the Old and New Testaments, the Christian dogmatism of the deadly sins (9 [→ 8 → 7]), also detailing Evagrius Ponticus’ and Slavic apotropes, such as the spleen (↔ food of the dead) and their ritual tradition of placing food in gates/gateways for the spirits of the deceased.

2024, Lituanistica

Prahos lingvistinio būrelio narės prof. Bronislavos Kerbelytės 80-mečio sukakties proga

2024, International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The Balts' Road tourism route in Latvia and Lithuania is an interesting example of how religious tourism may be packaged within a framework of cultural heritage tourism. The Balts' Road offers travellers insight into the medieval Baltic world before the coming of Christianity. In this context, pre-Christian religious beliefs and practices constitute but one dimension of the historical tableau that the tourism route is intended to conjure. This article examines the manner in which the pre-Christian Baltic religion is represented on the Balts' Road, displaying a certain ambivalence that seems related to the past religious history and current religious power relations in the region.

2024, Archaeologia Baltica

Grobiņa is internationally known as a landing site of Scandinavian settlers during the seventh to ninth centuries. In modern-day Grobiņa and in its close vicinity, there are multiple monuments: a Gotlandian flat burial ground by the Smukumi home (now Rudzukalni), and Swedish barrow fields in Priediena (in literature, known as Priediens II, Priedulājs, Pastorāts and Mācītājmuiža), and by the Porāni (Pūrāni) home. The Grobiņa archaeological heritage complex also includes the burial sites of local Curonian inhabitants: Priediena ancient burial ground (also known as Priediens I), and Atkalni ancient burial ground. The complex also includes dwellings: the Skābāržkalns hill-fort and settlements (Plate IV. 1). Archaeological research into Grobiņa Scandinavian burial grounds began at the end of the 19th century, but the first extensive research was carried out in 1929 and 1930, led by Francis Balodis and Birger Nerman (Nerman 1958). Further research into the Scandinavian burial grounds during later years was carried out by

2024, Žemaičių praeitis, 1997, t. 5, p. 151-155

2024, Žemaičių žemė

yra " kepśos, veln 's, kotcep sakont " (uźr. 1994 01 Mockaićią km. aut.) , beje, M. Rubiniene, gim. 1914 m. Mockaićiuose, prisimine mamą pasakodavus apie tris: Laumią , Platelią eźeraose ir Pikćiaus kulyje (?) buvojanćius Velnius, kuriems neśant ar besimetant akmenimis. pasilikęs irminimas Mockaićią mitologinis akmuo (uźr. 1994 01 Mockaif trą km. aut.). Jau prie pietyakarines Barstyćią miestelio ribosnedidelis. puikiai źmonems źinomas Raganos kalnas. Vieniems toji Ragana tai pikta ponia , bausdayusi baud źiauninkus ir, baudżiavą panaikinus, ant Sio kalno pasikorusi (uźr. 1994 02 Barstyć ią km. aut.). Kiti savo akimis matę ćia kartu net keletą raganą: "Veizu , kad sokas tuokes panas. susikibe, jau sakiau neźinau keik ten tu panu, tokees grażees drabuźees, te ons blezg ir visokiu spalvu, visokiausiu... kaap aś artiau pradiejau biegłe, saka kulees anuos: ratarai, ratarai, ratarai ir nureitieje pakalniou ir nebleka.. . Aiśkee matiau, kad ten sukuos tuos raganas " (uźr. 1994 01 Mockaićią km. aut.). Mikytą Alkos kalnas, supamas Did źiąja ir Maźąja Alkos pelkemis yadinam ą tym. Śiauriniame kalno ślaitekone 4 m. aukśćio akmuo su duobutemis, laikomomis " Velnio pieda " ar pasilikusiu arklio kanopospasagos atspaudu , Akmcnj, kaip pasakojama, Velnias neśęs Salantą baźnyćios durims uźremti (uźr. 1994 02 Mikytą km. Z. Baniulaityte ir M. Uźpelkis) , nekart źmones po juo ir aukso ieśkoję. Netgi Napoleono prancuzai, sako, pro śalj keliavę. Alkos kalne buta śyedą sandelią , o prieś audrą, lietingą orą virś Mikytą Alkos kalno źmones matydavę pakilusj ruką ar miglą (uźr. 1994 02 Mikytą km. Z. Baniulaityte ir M. Uźpelkis; 1994 02 Gudalią km. aut.). (domus mitologinis akmuo yra Maćiuką kaimo źemeje prie Bartuvos aukśtupio pelkią. Jam ę; du Laumes pedos, vienas plaśtakos, kulniuko bei uźpakalio atspaudas. Pedos, manoma, tos pać ios kojos-' kaap veinu kuoju śuokis par tu akmeni" (uźr. 1994 02 Dvarviećii) km. aut.). Kiti linkę atspaudus skirti Yelniui ar net " beźdźionei": Kartografavus śiaures vakarą Lietuvos archeologinius paminklus kuiśią gyventose teritorijose, iśryśkejo daugelis ją spiećią, nurodanćią 1 atskiras istorines źemes ar kitus junginius teritoriniu principu. Apie tai, jog jau ir IX a. pab. kurśią źemese buta iśsiskirianć ią tentorinią bendruomenią, liudija Rimberto apraśytas Apuoles puolimas 853 m. , kur sakoma , kad pilies ginti kurśiai susirinkę iś penkią srić i ą-"civitates" vos istorijos tyrinejimą. Vilnius, 1991, p. 27). Plotai, skiriami istorinei Keklio (Ceklis) źemei taip pat suskilę j daugelj salolu; Tarp jąatskiri śiandienines Żem. Kalyarijos bei Platelią-Noteną apylinkią prieśistorinią paminklą spieć iai , apie kuriuos ir bus kalbama. Archeologai V. Śimenas ir V. Źulkus yra atkreipę demesj j atskiras gentis, istorines źemEs, teritorinius junginius, skyrusius plotus