ANCIENT LITHUANIAN MYTHOLOGY AND RELIGION

The main sources of knowledge of the Lithuanian religion and mythology are the archaeological and etnographic data, as well as various written sources, toponymy and other objects of linguistic study.
ALDONA DROSEIKIENE GENERAL SECRETARY LITHUANIA
The history of Lithuanian faith and mythology can be subdivided into three epochs
• The first epoch is that of the early matriarchal tibal system, during which religious imagery (totem, animist and craft cult imagery) connected with feminine supernatural beings appeared in the hunters' and gatherers' society (the Upper Palaeolithic and the Mesolithic).
• The second epoch was that of the late matriarchal tribal system, based on hoe agriculture, during which religious imagery connected with the cult of feminine deities of the Sun, the Moon, the Earth developed as well as those representing fertility and water. In the period of matriarchy the goddesses were responsible for the birth, existence and death of man, fauna and flora. Those deities took care that the continuity of life and fecundity be maintained in the Universe through constant interchangeability of life and death. The goddesses supervised the sky, the earth, water, fire and the atmosphere. Art, especially the symbolic art, was created in the sphere of the cult of feminine divinities, while the rites of this cult was performed by women themselves survived into the the period of patriarchy.
• The third epoch was the period of the patriarchal tribal system and its disintegration, followed by the formation of class society. The chief gods appearead during this period, while most of the feminine deities lost their supremacy, though not all: some of them remained in the pantheon of Lithuanian gods together with masculine deities. After the state of Lithuania was formed and the Christianity was adopted in the country, the Lithuanians still refused to renounce their gods for a considerable period of time.
The periods of Lithuanian mythology
• Pre-Christian mythology is known mainly through speculation and reconstruction. It is reflected in folk tales, such as Jūratė and Kastytis and Eglė the Queen of Serpents.
• The next period of Lithuanian mythology started in the 15th century, and lasted till approximately the middle of the 17th century. The myths of this period are mostly heroic, concerning the founding of the state of Lithuania. Perhaps two the best known stories are those of the dream of the Grand Duke Gediminas and the founding of Vilnius the capital of Lithuania.
• The last period of Lithuanian mythology began in the 19th century, when the importance of the old cultural heritage was admitted, not only by the upper classes, but by the nation more widely.
The elements of Lithuanian mythology
God and nature
Stories, songs, and legends of this kind describe laws of nature and such natural processes as the change of seasons of the year, their connections with each other and with the existence of human beings.
Inner heroism
Lithuanian myths often reveal the inner heroism of a human being, symbolising this inner being in terms of various feats in the mystic lands on the opposite side of the Earth, or in the sky of the South polar regions.
The god of morality
Myths that talk about problems of morality are the simplest, and are close to popular fables common to all European nations. The main idea in these stories is that god often visits people to guide them in moral questions, but people aren't able to recognise him .
Lithuanian historyThe Grand Duke Mindaugas established the first Lithuanian State in 1230,
• By the time the Thirteen Colonies were fighting, their war of independence from Great Britain, Lithuania had been a considerable force in Eastern European history and politics for over 400 years.
• Lithuania reached its peak with the accession of Grand Duke Vytautas Didysis, who ruled from 1392 to 1430. Under his rule, the borders of the Grand Duchy stretched from the Baltic to the Black Sea. It also included much of modern day Ukraine and Russia, excluding the Duchy of Muskovy. In 1410, together with his cousin Jogaila, he beat back the Teutonic Order at the battle of Tannenberg -he celebrated his victory with the building of Trakiu Pilis.
That city was Vilnius, the new capital of the Grand Dukes.
The Grand Duke Gediminas, 1316-1341, is credited with founding the capital, Vilnius, at the confluence of the Neris and Vilnia rivers
There is a story that surrounds the founding of Vilnius. Gediminas went out hunting with his friends in a sacred forest. While twilight was creeping in, Gediminas spied upon a large bull. Gediminas hunted the bull and finally caught up with it on a hill -standing where the Neris and Vilna Rivers meet. Here it was that Gediminas made his kill. The hunt for the bull took so long that night had fallen. Gediminas and the rest of the hunting party decided to camp in the woods for the night. Legend
In the morning the Grand Duke awoke saying, "An amazing dream did I dream this night! I dreamt of a great Iron Wolf, standing on that hill. His howl was so great and terrible; his voice was that of one hundred wolves. Who would know what this dream means?" No one could interpret his dream, but know it he would. Not far from the hill lived "Kriviu Krivaitis" - the High Priest of Lithuania. Gediminas decided to ride out to his homestead and ask him to interpret the dream. Kriviu Krivaitis heard the dream and said, "Most noble Grand Duke, the Iron Wolf symbolises a large and formidable city, and it must be built on that hill. That city will be as strong as iron. The wolf’s howl -the city’s life and strength. Build it!"
Geographical position :
Lithuania today
• Lithuania is one of the states in the East ringing the Baltic Sea. Lithuania is the Centre of Europe (18 km from Vilnius). To the north it borders on the Republic of Latvia (the lenght of the border 610 km) to the east and south it borders on Belorussia (724 km), to the southwest - on Poland (110 km) and on districal of Kaliningrad (303 km). The Territory of Lithuanian is 65200 square km. In 1992 the population was 3.76 million. Capital of Lithuania is Vilnius .
• Lithuania is a small plot of land at the Baltic Sea. The whole west fringe of the country (appr. 100 km) is occupied by the amber coastline with marvelous beaches of white sand. Clean waters of Sesupe, Dubysa, Nevezis and Nemunas flow. Sometimes Lithuania is called the Nemunas land due to the great love Lithuanians have to the river Nemunas.
• The Baltic is the common sea of over 85 million people living withing the large drainage area (parts of 14 countries.). The countries are all heavily industrialized, and many of them also carry out intensive agriculture and forestry over large areas.
Baltic Sea in Trouble
Around the Baltic Sea, one finds a considerable number of cities, towns and harbours, and there is abundant sea traffic in almost all parts of the area. The Baltic Sea suffers from eutrophication due to the too high load of nutrients, and from pollution with toxic substances.
The sea is also much affected by transboundary air pollutants transported from most of Europe. Fishing fleets from many countries exploit fish stocks.
The Baltic Sea is neither dead nor dying –but it is a sea in great trouble. Its natural weaknesses will not go away, but we can relieve the pollution pressure from human activites on land and at sea.
chemical weapon sunk at the bottom of the Baltic Sea
• The Baltic Sea is home to thousands of tons of old chemical weapons. Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States captured these from Nazi Germany. The Allies thought the best thing to do was to sink them, sometimes on ships, after World War Two. Poisons like arsenic, sarin and mustard gas are among the weapons in the Baltic. Some bombs and shells under the sea date back to World War One.
Trouble around the world
• Other waters around the world also hold weapons. But some people say the Baltic Sea may be at greater risk. It is only fifty meters deep on average. And it is a major shipping area with many people living along its coasts.
New lifestyles, new attitudes and new practices are required to safeguard the future health and carrying capacity of the Baltic Sea - a sea which is very much worth fighting for.
Think globally
Nuclear troubleLithuania has only one nuclear facility: the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is highly important to the country, as it provides about 75 percent of Lithuania's energy. It has also been the subject of much controversy, as the EU is concerned that Ignalina's Soviet-built RBMK reactors, similar to those at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, are unsafe. Unit 1 at Ignalina was shut down in December 2004.
• The second and final reactor, Unit 2, will be shut down in December 2009 as a condition of Lithuania's European Union accession treaty.