Lithuanians...

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Hey there,

I'm about a quarter Lithuanian, and I hold this part of my ancestory very close to me. They have such amazing legends and folk historys...not to mention the Pagan Religion of Romuva. I was wondering if anyone else has any Lithuanian blood in them! ;)

[Blueowl]

I don't personally...I have a lot of Celtic ancestory in my blood...but what is kewl, (and I thought of this while reading your post is how it blows me away) that despite all the different religions in the world and the vast differences in how people practice is that it always in some form or another shows how closely connected we all are despite where we come from. As souls...we connect on a level that is just known and understood no matter the background...it all is "THIS" just as we are in this forum...and throughout life when we run into one another...all the religions just have one common factor and we all acknowledge it every day....when I look at things this way...it is to me what religion is truly all about and shows what we are all trying to accomplish through life...the unspoken connection...unspeakable bond per say....and I do believe I have taken this so far out in left field no one will get whatI am saying ...8O I am having a difficult time trying to xpress in words my point, but I will post this anyway and see what ahppens lol..sorry if there is any confusion...I am not crazy its just my bday lol

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

lol...

That was quite an excursion you went on, Blueowl! :sunny:

"despite all the different religions in the world and the vast differences in how people practice is that it always in some form or another shows how closely connected we all are despite where we come from."

Gorgeous thinking! Thanks for your words...

[Cinnamon Girl]

Originally posted by NoOrdinaryPrincess
Hey there,

I'm about a quarter Lithuanian, and I hold this part of my ancestory very close to me. They have such amazing legends and folk historys...not to mention the Pagan Religion of Romuva. I was wondering if anyone else has any Lithuanian blood in them! ;) I don't have any Lithuanian ancestry (that I know of) but I'd like to hear more about the legends and folklore of Lithuania. Do you have any stories you'd like to share?

[Blueowl]

You are very welcome Princess...like I said, I have no clue where that came from...the thought rolled out! lol Hopefully, it will help others see more clearly a path they may be down on isn't so bad or turmultuous...:)
I would love to hear more about your back ground though...I am sorry for not stating that earlier...I meant to lol8O
Many Blessings to you and yours and I look forward to seeing you around more often!

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Here are a few Lithuanian legends/folk tales I'd like to share:

THE ORIGIN OF WITCHES

Once upon a time, a young woman went off into the woods to pick mushrooms and with her she took her new hope chest. While she was searching for mushrooms it began to rain very hard. She quickly removed her clothes and placed them in her hope chest; then stood naked under a tree, until the rains subsided.
Later, she dressed and continued picking mushrooms, until she was spotted by Velnias, (Lithuanian Horned God of the Underworld). Velnias asked if she had been picking mushrooms during the rainstorm, and if so, how had she remained dry?

The young woman replied that she had a secret that prevented rain from touching her.

Velnias was intrigued and pressed the woman for her secret. The young woman agreed to tell Him, but only if He revealed all His magical arts. So a bargain was struck and Velnias taught the woman all that He knew of magic and healing.

It was then that the woman told Velnias how she had avoided the rain. Velnias spit and flew away, raging and screaming that He had been tricked.

Thus, the woman became the first witch and passed on her teachings to others from that time on. And so, witches flourished.

and my favorite...

Lithuanian Myth of Lost Love

Perkunas, God of Thunder, was the father God. The fairest goddess was Jurate, a mermaid who lived in an amber palace in the Baltic. Kastytis, a courageous fisherman living along the coast near the mouth of the Sventoji River.
Kastytis would cast his nets to catch fish from Jurate's kingdom. The goddess sent her mermaids to warn him to stop fishing in her domain. He did not stop. After the mermaids failed, Jurate went to demand he stop. When she saw how handsome and courageous he was she fell in love with him and brought him to her amber palace.

Perkunas, knowing Jurate was promised to Patrimpas, god of water, was angered to find an immortal in love with a mortal. In anger, Perkunas sent a bolt of lightning to destroy the goddess' palace and kill her mortal lover. Her palace was destroyed and Jurate was chained to the ruins for eternity.

She weeps tears of amber for her lost lover. When the storms stir the sea, fragments of her palace ruins are driven onto the shores of the Baltic. Tear drop shaped pieces are thought to be particular treasures as they are the tears
*************************************
I love the legend of Jurate...I would love to incorporate her into my spiritual path...but I'm not sure if that's "proper" since she's not a traditional deity...anyone have thoughts on that?

[Blueowl]

That was a great story! As far as I know you can incorproate any god/dess into your spiritual path...your path is whatever you make of it...I see no problem with taking it and making it work for you and I am sure others will agree with me on that...Any more myths and legends?

[Cinnamon Girl]

Originally posted by NoOrdinaryPrincess
I love the legend of Jurate...I would love to incorporate her into my spiritual path...but I'm not sure if that's "proper" since she's not a traditional deity...anyone have thoughts on that? You may want to look in on the Gods & Goddesses forum, as I'm sure this general topic would have been addressed in there. You may also find other admirers of Jurate. :)

As to your question, you will find differing viewpoints. Some of these include:
- You should be a part of a specific culture if you are to honor their gods.
- Gods and goddesses should only be honored/worshipped within their particular pantheon.
- As long as you know the background and context of the particular, then you're fine.

I'm sure there are other beliefs about this, but you'll find more in-depth answers in G&G. :)


I've looked around a bit and found quite a few websites dealing with Lithuanian folklore/history/religion. Here are a couple that particularly interested me:

http://www.lithuania.host.sk/socium/pagonybe-en.htm

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/lithuania/history.htm

http://www.lfcc.lt/publ/roots/node64.html

http://ausis.gf.vu.lt/eka/songs/intro_song.html

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Thanks for clearing that up for me MoonOwl. I would love to combine aspects of "Romuva" the Lithuanian Pagan religion with my own eclecticism. Of course, I don't want to make some awful faux paus in the meantime! I figure, if it's part of my ancestory it'll feel more genuine to me.

Thanks so much for the links...

[Maryte]

Thanks for clearing that up for me MoonOwl. I would love to combine aspects of "Romuva" the Lithuanian Pagan religion with my own eclecticism. Of course, I don't want to make some awful faux paus in the meantime! I figure, if it's part of my ancestory it'll feel more genuine to me.

Thanks so much for the links...

Speaking as a Romuvaite, because Romuva traditions are very much rooted in the Lithuanian culture and language it is generally not a good idea to mix it with other beliefs unless you have a feel for Lithuanian/Baltic Faith. Romuva ran into a problem with a Druid Organisation a little over 10 years ago - experimenting with Baltic Faith. The fall-out was not good.

Because Lithuanian faith has descended into the 21stC virtually intact it is a living tradition... much like the Shamen of Siberia, the Natives of North America, the Suomi of Finland and so forth. If you are going to incorporate Lithuanian tradition into your eccleticism I would suggest you do it carefully and with much research before actually "taking the plunge". Many of our traditions do not fit into the standard neo-pagan calendar of 8 Festivals. For example, in the next 4 weeks there are approximately 4-6 celebrations - starting with Kirmeline (Day of Worms...a celebration of snakes), Pusiauzemis (mid-winter), Perkuno Diena, Gabijos Diena, and Uzgavenes.

[Heathen Dawn]

My mother’s parents were Lithuanian Jews. Does that count? I don’t think so. :fpatricks

[Maryte]

My mother’s parents were Lithuanian Jews. Does that count? I don’t think so. :fpatricks

Why not? :) They were "Litvaks" and Vilnius in the Middle Ages had a huge Jewish population - and did right up to the Second World War.

They were as Lithuanian as my ancestors were, just not Pagan. The Grand Dukes at the time (Middle Ages) had decreed religious tolerance and especially embraced Litvaks for their well documented level of scholarship and knowledge.

[Kaylara]

Not Lithuanian as far as I know, but I am Part Hungarian and Part Slovakian.

[Earthcup]

Nope but I do find Romuva fascinating!

[Maryte]

Not Lithuanian as far as I know, but I am Part Hungarian and Part Slovakian.


There are Slovakian Traditions. :)

[NoOrdinaryPrincess]

Thanks Maryte!

I thought this thread was long over. :)

At this point I am most comfortable following some sort of Celtic Paganism, since I am 1/2 Irish as well. If I found a group in my area where I could learn more about Romuva I would consider that. Sometimes it's enough just knowing I have it in my blood. I have a feeling if I took a Pilgrimage to Lithuania I would feel very connected to the land and nature and would think more seriously about following Romuva. Like I said, I mean no disrespect, I just have pride in my roots. I feel it is my responsibility to uphold at least some of the Lithuanian traditions that I can handle (cooking and passing on stories) that I have been researching for quite sometime now. Learning Lithuanian may also help...

Thanks so much!

[Maryte]

I noticed you don't live too far from DC. There's a Lithuanian singing group called "Jore" (which is also the name of a spring festival), I believe their URL is http://www.jore.us

One of the members is Martynas Gircys-Shetty, a long time member of Romuva and site administrator for the Romuva website.

Food is very important to Lithuanians, we can't stop eating and enjoy our food. :-)

Stories are good too.

Just wanted to let you know that there is a singing group out there, not too far from you. Singing is extremely important to Lithuanian ritual and life in general. There are huge song festivals every year in Lithuania, and even in Chicago (the mecca of Lithuanians outside of the country).