Pre-Christian Baltic Religion and Belief
Book • 2025
Francis Young's 'Pre-Christian Baltic Religion and Belief' examines the religious practices and beliefs of the Baltic peoples—Lithuanians, Latvians and Old Prussians—focusing on sources contemporary with the period of pagan practice rather than later folkloric material.
The book assesses medieval and early modern accounts, archaeology, and cultural continuity to offer a refined picture of Baltic deities, rituals, and sacred spaces.
Young critiques the dominant folkloristic approach and argues for the value of humanist and missionary-era writings as more direct evidence.
He discusses major deities such as Perkūnas and Žemyna, domestic spirits, and funerary customs, situating Baltic religion within wider Indo-European comparisons.
The work is aimed at both specialists and informed readers interested in the persistence of pre-Christian religions in Europe.
The book assesses medieval and early modern accounts, archaeology, and cultural continuity to offer a refined picture of Baltic deities, rituals, and sacred spaces.
Young critiques the dominant folkloristic approach and argues for the value of humanist and missionary-era writings as more direct evidence.
He discusses major deities such as Perkūnas and Žemyna, domestic spirits, and funerary customs, situating Baltic religion within wider Indo-European comparisons.
The work is aimed at both specialists and informed readers interested in the persistence of pre-Christian religions in Europe.
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Thomas Rowsell
Francis Young
Europe's Last Pagans
