Songs, Rites, and Identity in the Religious Folklore of Latvia and Lithuania

Abstract This chapter examines the enduring presence of pre-Christian, Pagan religious elements in Baltic folklore—the related but distinct folk traditions of Lithuania and Latvia—and the purposes these remnants of Baltic Paganism serve as expressions of ethnic and/or national identity. Particular attention is paid to a genre of folk songs known as dainasin Latvia and dainos in Lithuania, solstice celebrations, ancestral rites, and folk symbols. The Indo-European background of Baltic languages and mythology is also discussed along with the utilization of Pagan gods, symbols, and traditions in national independence movements and their continuing resonance in post-Soviet Baltic society and culture.