‘The Bog Offerings of the Balts: I give in order to get back’

By Audronė Bliujienė

 

“In one way or another, offerings were related to water, and, by their essence, they were offerings into water as a universal mediator in the journey to the afterworld or the eventual realm of the dead. Without doubt, a portion of these votive offerings were intended for the gods. Water is one of the principal components of the world’s structure, from which, according to myths about the creation of the world, the Earth was created (Greimas 1990, p.133). Slack water, water flowing westwards or eastwards, a spring gushing from the ground, or the source of a river, or water falling from the sky: all these were given the role of a mediator in various situations (Vaitkevičius 2008a, p.77). Therefore, water in all its states could act as a mediator with gods and ancestors. Water was also an ideal medium for the transfer of desired valuables into the transcendental space; through this substance, as time went on, the owner would follow the valuables he had sacrificed. Water not only gives an opportunity to transfer desired objects into the afterworld, it also gives the person who performed the rites the right to use the objects after his death.” p. 136

 

” On the other hand, hoards deposited in the ground also carry a similar meaning (Riekstiņš 1930, p.477; Quast 2009). Consequently, in principle, the ground, too, could serve as a mediator between different spaces of the world.” p. 136

 

 

“According to Richard Bradley, mankind’s offerings into water were ‘a mirage but permanent’; in other words, it was a long-running tradition (1990, pp.9-16). This ‘permanent mirage’ as a particular phenomenon characteristic of a specific time and space has been ascribed by many authors who divide bog finds into different categories: familial and tribal sacrifices of a village, great tribal sacrifices at central sites, boat sacrifices as an act of cult-worship in order to obtain a greater esprit de corps, and special sacrifices and human sacrifices (Hagberg 1967b, p.67ff, with further literature).

*Consequently, water was always important as a transcendental space and a contact zone intended for communication with the gods and with ancestors in prehistoric times.

In the Neolithic, offerings into water became extremely widespread. Furthermore, the attitude towards offerings in bogs changed. Offerings into water became a site of contact with the spiritual world, whereas a votive offering became the basis of community rites.” p. 137

 

(Votive: “A votive offering or votive deposit is one or more objects displayed or deposited, without the intention of recovery or use, in a sacred place for religious purposes. Such items are a feature of modern and ancient societies and are generally made in order to gain favor with supernatural forces.” )

 

 

Map from ‘The Bog Offerings of the Balts’ showing the Kunda deposit in the North East.

 

 

“In the Bronze Age, the number of offerings in the bogs of Central and northern Europe increased again; however, the composition, and apparently the main intentions of the offerings, changed. At that time, the ambition of people who enjoyed a high social status to become divine tribal chiefs or ancestors worshipped by future generations attributed more importance to the rites of offerings in water, and revealed the principal wish of those making the offerings: ‘I give in order to get back’ (Hänsel 1997, p.13ff). Therefore, exclusive regalia, weapons, work tools, ornaments and other valuables2 became a component of such offerings. Bronze Age offerings into water became widespread in the east Baltic region ” p. 138

 

“Some water offering sites were long-term ones, because at certain intervals of time offerings were made at the same site for several hundred years (such as the village of Šernai in the Minija valley). People would come to make an offering at a certain lake shore or river bank for several hundred or even a thousand years or more ” p. 138

 

The Kunda deposit.

 

“we can presume that it was only in a small part of the water offering sites that offerings were made intermittently or for a longer period of time (Barstyčiai, Bernsteinbruch and Užpelkiai and the Late Migration Period and even earliest Estonian bog war booty sacrifices at Kunda, Rikassaare, Alulinna and Igavere; for this, see Tamla 1995, p.103ff, Fig. 1).” p. 141

 

“Most east Baltic region votive offerings in water, especially during the Migration Period, should be ascribed to war booty sacrifices. However, the question arises whether offerings were the booty from attacking or defending armies? And this is not an issue that is easily solved. In other words, the question of the intentions of these offerings arises. It has been suggested that war booty might have been brought home from victories abroad to be sacrificed, perhaps copying the Roman Triumph, and that these sacrifices would be psychologically bizarre to risk for life, honour and property (Ilkjær 2003, pp.44-65). One more suggestion has begun to circulate in archaeological literature that the sacrifices represented warriors returning from battles around the limes, where they might have fought on either side, or that war booty offerings bear witness to migrations from the continent to Scandinavia. Seeking land as they returned, they engaged in fighting with the local tribes of southern Scandinavia (Hagberg 1967b, p.65; Lund Hansen 2003, p.84ff). Of course, it is possible that a votive offering is performed in the area of a battle between two or more tribes, and the defeated tribe would lose its treasury to the victor (Grane 2007, pp.242-259, for an overview). At the same time, it is possible that votive offerings were made by the inhabitants of surrounding regions to their dead during a certain period as great tribal sacrifices.” p. 138

 

 

Naming.

 

“Sacred sites of the Balts are known under a common name, alka,-s (elk, olk), which means a sacred offering site. There is quite a large number of bogs called alka (os)/aukos (cf. Vaitkevičius 1998, p.338ff, Figs. 11-22; 2003a, pp.21, 155). Therefore, it would seem self-explanatory that offering sites should coincide with sacred waters: sacred offering sites (alkos), sacred rivers (alkupiai), sacred islets (alkos salos) and meadows, as well as holy rivers and springs considered to be sacred, in other words, with former sacred sites. However, on one hand, there are far fewer known offering sites into water than there are locations considered to be sacred waters. On the other hand, there is no clear-cut connection between offerings found on the banks and shores of clogged-up rivers, lakes, marshy meadows or quagmires, and sites that were considered to be sacred waters and are known from stories or which exist as mere place names” p. 141

 

“Nearly 200 names of bogs, marshes or swamps known in Lithuania and Semigalia (11 out of 15) contain the roots vel, pikt-; therefore, it is believed that the name indicates that the bog used to be the abode of a devil (velinas or velnias); we cannot deny the possibility that offerings might have been made to him there” p. 141

 

‘Holy Groves in Estonian Religion’

by Tõnno Jonuks

 

(Grove- a small wood or group of trees)

 

Holy groves in eesti – hiis or hiied (plural).

 

*”The place of the Kunda prehistoric lake is situated between the grove-hill with the graves and the settlement site (see Jaanits et al. 1982, 36). Even now the ancient lake site is filled with water at the time of high water in springs and has been a wet place until the middle of the 20th century.”

 

I am yet to fully read this article, but it’s detail is incredibly useful.

Somehow I found this place – The Kunda Hiiemägi.

 

http://eestiloodus.horisont.ee/artikkel1060_1029.html :

 

“a field of mounds and a holy place”

“The Kunda Hiiemägi – Sacred Hill – has held an important place in the minds of the local people. Currently, the ancient burial site is on the verge of destruction due to former mining in the area and the later erosion. The place is extraordinary for the fact that it functioned both as a sacred grove and a burial site.”

“Unfortunately, the ancient burial ground along the edge of the quarry is being destroyed. Although mining on Hiiemäe ended decades ago, the grave is threatened by natural erosion: *gradually the grave surface crumbles and parts of it move to the bottom of the quarry.

 

 

The dig was done in 2005 so it is most likely completely destroyed now.

 

example of translation-

“Scientific treatment of sand. The giants were examined more scientifically in the first half of the last century, although a romantic approach is still to be found.” (http://vana.loodusajakiri.ee/eesti_loodus/artikkel1037_1029.html)

 

 

 

Maausk (Estonian neopaganism, nature worship, indigenous religion) ritual, making porridge on Hiiemägi hill.

 

Some dodgy articles, referring to the international people moving into the country as taking away the native Estonian culture, published in a strongly conservative newspaper.

 

 

 

Hiiumaa Island.

 

The inhabitants of Hiiumaa were associated with the souls of the dead (from Holy Grove article).

 

Departing from this life. Changes in death culture in Estonia at the end of the 20th century.

By Tiia Ristolainen.

 

Death connection to weather.

“Beside other signs Estonians have looked for weather forecasts and death omens from dreams. Interestingly, these are closely connected. Nearly literally, by seeing weather conditions death was predicted and by seeing the dead, weather was predicted. Through his existence man sensed his link with nature and therefore omens were looked for in nature – predictions of weather as well as of death. For the inhabitants of islands these two are identical. Bad weather could become fatal for people who are connected with the sea  (Saaremaa island, Hiiumaa island).”

 

*Dying is not a biological process only (see more Sootak 1996: 1821-1822). In the 1992 folklore trip of the University of Tartu an 80-year-old informant from Hiiumaa andswered the question, what she thought life was:

Dear child, there is nothing else about death than the human organism just stops existing and that is all. [Adding later:] Don’t you read “Eesti Loodus” [‘Estonian Nature’, the journal]? (Hiiumaa island, Suuremõisa parish).”

 

 

Seasonal water.

 

Offerings by the Balts into water are in some respects similar to burying in water and offerings made by sinking various artefacts in water basins or seasonally wet areas around burial grounds. Certain stretches of lake shores or river banks were selected for burying in water (Obeliai, in the Anykščiai district; Bajorai, in the Kaišiadorys district; Lake Vilkmuiža, not far from Talsi hill-fort; in the 14th and 15th centuries people were buried in Lake Laizde Kalni [in the Talsi district]; during the drainage of the River Mazroja, artefacts from cremation graves were found; finds dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries were found in Lake Kaķīši next to Ēdole) (Urbanavičius, Urbanavičienė 1988, pp.35-46; Asaris et al. 2008, p.64ff; Grinkevičiūtė, Vaitkevičius 2006; Vaitkevičius, Grinkevičiūtė 2008; Vaitkevičius 2009). It is difficult to tell whether there might have been water in natural terrain depressions located in Marvelė burial ground, or if the water appeared there periodically. It is not clear whether the layer of cremated bones and abundant fragments of artefacts formed at this point in Marvelė burial ground during Viking times due to a unique manner of burying the deceased, or whether the layer formed due to offerings made (Bertašius 1994, p.56; 2009, pp.108ff). However, the very fact of burying in water does not eliminate the possibility that offerings were made in the same place, too, for the simple reason that no cremated bones are found in water (Lake Vilkumuiža) (Šturms 1936, pp.85-86)” p.142

 

The fifth season.

 

The spring high waters. Combination of melting of snow and river network structure and sloping of the land.

The propping of floors with sticks to stop them floating up.

 

Soomaa park family (https://www.soomaa.com/experiences/five-seasons/fifth-season/):

 

“People get used to much, especially to regular phenomena, which occur without failing each year. Flooding is like this. Living with the flowing water has introduced its own way of life. Local people were prepared for the floods and were expecting them like a visit of a rich relative. When the feet splashed water while getting up in the morning, the saying went “Hey! Our guest has arrived!”

“Strange things became possible. For instance, when the water level was extremely high, the boat could be rowed right through the window into the living room. Preparation for the floods also provided extra work each year. Props were thrust against the ceiling to prevent the floor floating up. Grain-bins were lifted up on trestles, or taken to the loft. Special rafts were built for the cattle, sometimes pulling out the boards from the ceiling to give the animals more space. Firewood was tightly roped against fences. Several makes of bread were baked. The ovens had to be dried and repaired after the floods.”

“The floods in Soomaa are a combined result of the flat relief, small height differences in the lower reaches of the rivers and many small streams discharging their water close together. A tectonic fault further influences the flow of the left-side tributary streams to the Pärnu River. The uplift of the Earth’s crust is therefore faster in northwestern part where the Navesti River flows than in the Halliste River drainage basin. Floods are frequent in the lower reaches of the rivers Navesti, Halliste, Raudna and Lemmjõgi, since drainage is hindered. The neighbourhood of the Riisa village is known as the Riisaküla flood area, which covers more than a hundred square kilometres and is the biggest in Estonia.”

 

 

five – viis

 

Tuhala witch’s well:

“As the water levels rise in spring, this well is known to overflow at a speed of 100 litres per second. This creates an effect that is considered one of the most unique natural phenomenons in Europe.” (visitestonia.com/en/why-estonia/the-spectacle-of-the-5th-season)

 

Water and watershed maps.

(Watershed – an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins or seas. An even or period marking a turning point in a situation.)

 

Most important watershed in Estonian territory – Pandivere Upland. Highest area in Northern Estonia.

 

The Phosphorite war protecting the water sources around Kunda. Specifically a key watershed in the county.

 

 

Rituals for dissertation reading – Van Gennep.

Bog iron.

Kaali lake meteor – iron falling from sky.

Parts of meteor preserved in bottom of ocean in clay, discovered when oil bed drilling.

 

 

Anu Põder referring to 70s in Estonian art as the ‘bronze age’.

Bogs are the acidic spots within the limestone plateau.

Edible inner bark, phloem. Bark bread. Bark yeast. Famine times, Estonia, Finland.

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