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

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- by
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- Folklore and archaeology, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Religion of the Balts
- by Vykintas Vaitkevičius
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- Mythology, The Balts, Religion of the Balts

The field research at Groß ottenhagen (Berezovka) conducted in 2003 and 2004 was the first international scientific collaboration between German and russian archaeologists in kaliningrad region since 1945. The Groß ottenhagen cemetery demonstrates almost continuous functioning for about 1,000 years, from the roman iron Age up to the middle Ages. The part of the site considered in the article belongs to the last stage of the development of sambian-natangian culture among the old Prussians in the 11th to the 13th centuries Ad. despite a first analysis by the excavators in 2005, this data from the cemetery has never been fully published. Groß ottenhagen graves from the discussed period are represented by so-called double layer burial features, with human cremations on top of horse burials. The burial rites and grave goods at the cemetery are discussed in the context of archaeological material from the sambian peninsula and southwest and central lithuania. The relative chronology of Groß ottenhagen is based on an analysis of grave goods, as well as the stratigraphy and the spatial distribution of the graves. According to the absence of imported/status goods at Groß ottenhagen, the cemetery probably belonged to a peripheral group of the late sambian-natangian region culture of the Prussians.

- by Roman Shiroukhov and +2
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- Medieval Archaeology, Viking Age Archaeology, Ancient Prussians, Baltic archaeology

The chapter provides an interpretation of certain, selected aspects of pre-Christian Baltic religion from the Middle Ages, prior to their official conversion to Christianity. The Balts were the last people on European continent that became Christians, albeit many rites, customs and beliefs entered into Baltic folklore and many survived till today. In a post-Soviet era we observed revival of scholarly interest in their ancient beliefs and many new interpretations. Moreover, we have observed a revival of Neo-pagan movements in all independent Baltic states. The paper attempts to interpret and reconcile some known Old Prussian deities with those of the Lithuanians and Latvians. It also explores the nature of Baltic beliefs addressing the question of its polydoxy, polytheism or henotheism.

- by Roman Zaroff
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- Medieval History, Paganism, Religious Studies, Old Prussian

The Balts' sacred sites in Lithuania: general, updated overview and conception, history of research, pictures and maps.

The article deals with the sacred groves of the Balts in Lithuania and
presents the linguistic background, the historical documents from the 12th–
18th century, the key folklore motifs of the topic, as well as selected examples of
groves. The article also discusses possible relationships between pre-Christian
religious traditions connected with the sacred groves and the ones which have
survived into the 21st century.
Despite the fact that the sacred groves of past ages have mostly disappeared
on the landscape, this tradition has not significantly changed. Various religious
activities which were carried out in sacred groves, at smaller groups of trees,
and beneath separate trees enable us to learn, even if insignificantly, about the
phenomenon. Interdisciplinary approach to sacred groves should be preferred in
modern research.

Anotacija. Atsižvelgiant į Lietuvos kaimo ir mažų miestelių gyventojų kultūrinėje sąmo-nėje vykstančius pokyčius, siekiama atlikti sistemišką mitologinių būtybių sampratos tyrimą. Straipsnyje analizuojama lauko tyrimo metu surinkta informacija, charakterizuojanti XXI a. Viduklės miestelio ir aplinkinių kaimų situaciją. Suformuoto sisteminio klausimyno pagrindu, atsižvelgiant į tokius aspektus kaip funkcijos, išvaizda, gyvenamoji erdvė, santykis su žmogumi, apibūdinamos dešimt populiariausių baltiškųjų mitologinių ir sakmių būtybių. Tyrimo metu surinkta informacija lyginama su XVI–XVIII ir XIX a. rašytinių šaltinių informacija, lietuvių liaudies sakmėmis ir mitologų darbais, siekiant nustatyti esminius skirtumus tarp ankstesnių laikotarpių ir XXI a. mitologinių būtybių sampratos. Esminiai žodžiai: mitologinės būtybės, Žemaitija, XXI a. visuomenė, mitologinės būtybės samprata, Viduklė. Abstract. Considering the changes in the cultural consciousness of Lithuanian rural and small town residents, intended to carry out a systematic study of the concept of mythological creatures. The article analyzes the field study collected information characterizing the twenty-first century town of Vidukle and surrounding villages in the situation. Formed a systematic questionnaire, taking into account aspects such as functionality, appearance, living space, the relationship with the man, described the ten most popular of the Baltic mythological and legendary creatures. The study collected information is compared with the sixteenth-eighteenth and nineteenth centuries written sources of information, Lithuanian folk legends and mythologists works to identify the essential differences between concept of mythological creatures in the earlier period and the twenty-first century.

- by Vilius Šadauskas
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- Education, History Teaching, Traditional Culture, The Balts
- by Paweł Kawiński
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- Sacred Landscape (Archaeology), Ancient Prussians, Sacred Space, Old Prussians
- by Vykintas Vaitkevičius
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- Medieval Archaeology, Lithuanian History, Lithuanian Studies, The Balts
- by Vykintas Vaitkevičius
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- Medieval Archaeology, Religion of the Balts
- by Roman Shiroukhov
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- Pagan Studies, Ancient Prussians, Old Prussians, Baltic Paganism
- by Paweł Kawiński
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- Ancient Prussians, Old Prussians, The Balts, Anthropology of Religion

All the Western Balts tribes have been connected by the burial rite of cremation since the Viking Age and till the intensification
of Baltic Crusades. Altogether with language features and therefore similarities of culture, cremation has connected Prussians,
Curonians, Scalvians, Galindians and Jotvingians in the 10-13th centuries.Despite this each Western Balts area had its own form
of cremation graves, often not typical to their neighbors. For example, so named “double layer” cremation graves of Prussians,
when cremated deceased was buried in the upper part of the pit above the unburned horse, were practiced in the region of Sambia
and Natangia almost unchanged from the 5/6th to the first half of the 13th centuries, and are rare for Scalvians and unknown in
Curonia. From the other point Southern Curonians began to burn their dead on a mass scale only in the 9-10th centuries. So, the
development of Scalvian and Curonian burial rite looks more dynamic in a comparison to Prussians. Investigating a phenomena
of Western Balts collective cremation graves it was concluded, that most of Curonian cremation graves of several individuals
were erected in huge pits probably at one moment and belonged to the members of warrior elite or some influential clans
and their relatives. In contrast to Curonian collective cremation, Sambian cemeteries Alejka-3, Kholmy and Kl. Kaup represent
„Aschenplätze“ as certain areas of individual double layer cremations erected very close to each other, and not at once. Their
stratigraphy is very different from Curonian, Scalvian or Galindian “collective” cremation graves...

- by Roman Shiroukhov
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- Ancient Prussians, Old Prussians, Western Balts, Horse Burials