Lithuanian Paganism - Historum

**Salah** · April 29th, 2010, 07:02 AM

The Lithuanians were among the last people in Europe to hold to their pre-Christian religion; this was used to justify the "Baltic Crusades" by Scandinavian leaders, and the opression of Lithuania by the Teutonic Order.

What do we know about the Lithanian religion, and its gods? Did the religion survive the Middle Ages in isolated regions?

**Lawnmowerman** · April 29th, 2010, 07:08 AM

Have a friend of Lithuanian descent, he quite proudly claims that his grand parents to this day worship their pagan Gods. So I’d say the religion defiantly survived.

He claims (and i have no citation for it) that allot of the Lithuanians pretended to convert to stop them being massacred but continued to worship their old gods in private

barlier · April 29th, 2010, 07:43 AM

You may want to read these pages as a starter :

Lithuanian_mythology

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romuva_%28church%29
IMHO Catholicism is an appropriate religion to hide paganism.

corrocamino · April 29th, 2010, 08:01 AM

Pre-Christian religion never disappeared from Europe, or any other place -- just ostracized, anathematized, marginalized. People still worhip oak trees, I think. And oak trees clearly are not mythical.

barlier · April 29th, 2010, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corrocamino

People still worhip oak trees, I think.

The Worship of the Oak
The chief deity of the Lithuanians was Perkunas or Perkuns, the god of thunder and lightning, whose resemblance to Zeus and Jupiter has often been pointed out. Oaks were sacred to him, and when they were cut down by the Christian missionaries, the people loudly complained that their sylvan deities were destroyed. Perpetual fires, kindled with the wood of certain oak-trees, were kept up in honour of Perkunas; if such a fire went out, it was lighted again by friction of the sacred wood. Men sacrificed to oak-trees for good crops, while women did the same to lime-trees; from which we may infer that they regarded oaks as male and lime-trees as female. (Sir James George Frazer, The Golden Bough) http://www.bartleby.com/196/26.html

**Salah** · April 29th, 2010, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lawnmowerman

He claims (and i have no citation for it) that allot of the Lithuanians pretended to convert to stop them being massacred but continued to worship their old gods in private

Jews and Moors did the same thing in Spain during the Inquisition.

Hrodvitnir9 · April 30th, 2010, 06:22 AM

There is a religious group around me that practices Slavic Paganism. I don't think its specifically Lithuanian though.

**Perix** · May 2nd, 2010, 09:58 PM

An interesting thing, is the similarity between the lithuanian daina, and romanian doina, for popular songs. This designation is not found in any other language.

**Kirialax** · May 3rd, 2010, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salah ad-Din

The Lithuanians were among the last people in Europe to hold to their pre-Christian religion; this was used to justify the "Baltic Crusades" by Scandinavian leaders, and the opression of Lithuania by the Teutonic Order.

I can't totally agree with that. The first crusade in the Baltic took place against the Wends in 1147. Serious fighting between the Teutonic Order, their lay crusaders and Lithuania didn't start until 1280.

violet · May 3rd, 2010, 09:48 PM

Slavic paganism......present day wiccan religion....

I feel there are many similarities here...no?