This a collection of posts that is no where near complete in explaining the Baltic view of the sfterlife and I will be adding to this post as details become enlightened to me so stay tuned. The problem of this study is that there are many regional differences and these views was never static and changed over time. All we can ascertain is what was earlier and what was later so the various views that turn into a web. The first belief is in the soul migration into nature and new born people.
This is an interesting depiction of the Lithuanian deities and fairly accurate for one stage of Lithuanian idea of the afterlife!
The souls in Dausos (paradise), which was believed to be located beyond the waters, where Velnias (the Devil) was understood to be the steward or shepherd of the souls! The souls were represented as sheep and those, in life, who were happy with little, grazed in barren lands but were plump and healthy but those who, in life, always wanted more, grazed in lush pastures but appeared to be emancipated and unhealthy.
I believe that the moral of this tale is to always be satisfied with what you have and not to spend your life constantly striving for more!
The Goddess Laima Dalia (Goddess of your allotted fate) does not change, as much as you want it to change or increase!
Like my kids have been taught, "be happy with what you get and don't be upset!"
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The underworld of the Lithuanians is often described as a dark and gloomy place which defies the logic of why Lithuanian peoples historically chose suicide to go there.
"Hints about the Lithuanian belief in the afterlife can be found in the testimonies of Vygandos Marburgietis, where he mentions the Lithuanian belief in the afterlife, which helps to meet death stoically in Pilėnai
(Mannhardt, 1936, 120)(Beresnevicius, Dausos),
It appears that in the Lithuanian case the whole world of the dead moved to the sky at some stage and is still believed to remain there to this day. There are a few corroborating facts to support this theory.
Lithuanian mythology is Velnias (the ruler of the Lithuanian Underworld) carrying a soul to the sky (Beresnevičius, 1990, p. 118). Although it is pointed out that he carries the soul not to the Heavens (“dangus” in Lithuanian), but to some place under the Heavens (the Lithuanian word used is “padangė”). Another detail showing the sky as the realm of the dead can be found in Lithuanian folk songs, providing the image of the World tree, such as this:
"Ant kalnelio jovaras žydėjo,
Slaunasai žolyne, rugeli,
Pašaknėlėj dūzgiančios bitelės,
Slaunasai...
Ant šakelių skambantys kankleliai,...
Viršūnėlėj sakalo vaikeliai,..."
(quoted in Laurinkienė, 1990, p. 57)
English translation:
On a hill a sycamore bloomed,
Slender lea, rye,
Under the roots buzzing bees,
Slender...
On the branches ringing kanklės,...
At the top falcon‘s children,
Note that the, "ringing kanklės" refers to the sound of the Souls.
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As I mentioned in a previous post that the "Aušros medis" (World Tree) can have parallels with a hill and can also be symbolically connected the Baltic mythic view of the afterlife. The journey of the deceased person must climb a hill known as Anafiel that is made of glass or crystal.
No one has died and come back to tell us what it's like but the epic journey of the deceased person is contained in
I read in Gintaras Beresnevičius book titled "Dausos" (Pg 20,21), and according to Norbertas Vėlius
The ascent is perilous and a Deity (some say Vėjas, Wind) blows a gale at an unworthy Soul to blow them off the steep, slippery hill and into the upper winds to reincarnate into a new born person to do better and earn the right to reach the summit where the "Souls bench" is located.
It's a very interesting mythology and well worth looking into!
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I've been reading a very interesting book called "Dausos" (paradise) by Gintaras Beresnevičius. It's a pity that his books have not been translated into English because his research would reach a larger audience. The following is my book review:
Even though, the Baltic peoples were a collection of tribes who had different mythologies about the afterlife, there was a common belief that death was not the end to life! This belief was demonstrated throughout history.
eg The, possibly hundreds of people who stoically killed themselves in the castle of Pilėnai, Jotvingiai people who fought to the death,
It was said that the wives of killed men in battles would "enthusiastically" hang themselves,
These accounts from various chronicles really depicts the Lithuanian belief that death was never an end to life and wasn't to be feared.
Another interesting belief was that there were some tribes, in the development of their own tribal culture, who believed in the transmigration of souls/spirits into various forms of nature and then into new born people. It was believed that some souls/spirits remain ethereal to act as guides.
All over Lithuanian lands burial customs changed from an earth burial to a sky burial (burnt) indicating a shift from European to Indo beliefs and myths, creating the beautiful blend of Indo European culture which can still be seen in Lithuanias customs and beliefs.
There are many things that I have learnt from this book and I would highly recommend reading it to learn about what our Prussian and Lithuanian ancestors believed about the afterlife. I just "feel" that the assertions presented in this book, "make sense" and I am comforted by the fact that, after my own death, that I also will also continue, like the dawn of a new day.
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I believe that the tale,"Eglė, queen of the serpents", (which can be found on this page), is a good example of metamorphosis of people into objects of nature in the creation of the world.
This belief comes from archaic times and is very similar to the beliefs of the Australian Aboriginal peoples who believed that when the world was created, there were many people transformed into trees, animals and stars.
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Understanding that Traditional Lithuanian peoples are a collection of tribes that have a different culture, cosmology, mythology, dress style and beliefs in the afterlife which changed over time and was eventually influenced by the Christian mythology, all tribes in all locations had a common belief in the transmigration of the spirit into plants, trees and animals for an allotted time before reincarnating in to a new person in order to continue evolving into a spirit worthy of eternal life.
Wives suicide with enthusiasm, men women and children who stoically killed themselves in Pilėnai castle, people and nobility burned in a funeral pire with their horse,dogs, food drink and jewellery are all examples of how Lithuanian people believed so strongly in the continuation of life after death of the physical body. The beliefs in how life is to be continued are varied. No one knows for any certainty what happens in the afterlife but traditional Lithuanians and Žemaičiai believed that the dead souls were active and able to disclose details of the afterlife and warn of hindering ghosts/spirits. Whether it be on the eastern side of the high glass or crystal mountain which the soul must climb or in nature and then back to a person. It is believed that the people who fall from the mountain,fall into the upper winds before falling back to earth, reborn as a baby.It is believed that if a soul makes the climb then they will live forever in Paradise with the Gods sharing beer which is located at the north end of the Milky way, beyond the sunset, as the sky was considered to be a lagoon or body of water, water is the veil to Dausos (paradise)
* Lithuanian peoples never believed that ghosts/spirits live in perpetual darkness in the underworld. That was a Christian idea. Ghosts/spirits act in the daytime too and even live among us.*There are four steps in Lithuanian necrocult customs.
1) calling
2) Feeding
3) sacrifices
and
4) bidding farewell
* It is believed that the returning spirits have a perilous journey from the afterlife real because on the way, there are many angry/malevolent ghosts who have become trapped because of their misdeeds and may cause them harm.
* More research needed on the concept of 2 spirits?
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