Šventaragis' Valley
Valley in Lithuania
Šventaragis' Valley is a valley at the confluence of Neris and Vilnia Rivers in Vilnius , Lithuania . According to a legend recorded in the Lithuanian Chronicles , it was where Lithuanian rulers were cremated before the Christianization of Lithuania in 1387. Maciej Stryjkowski further recorded that it was the location of a pagan temple dedicated to Perkūnas , the god of thunder. While the legends are generally dismissed as fiction by historians, they have been studied and analysed from the perspective of pre-Christian Lithuanian mythology by Vladimir Toporov , Gintaras Beresnevičius , Norbertas Vėlius , Vykintas Vaitkevičius , and others. [1] [2]
Legend
Duke Šventaragis (from the legendary Palemonids dynasty) selected a beautiful location in a valley at the confluence of Neris and Vilnia Rivers and ordered his son Skirmantas to establish a temple where he would be cremated after his death. [3] He also ordered other Lithuanian dukes and nobles to be cremated here. Some years later, Grand Duke Gediminas was on a hunt and stopped in the valley. There he had a dream about a howling Iron Wolf which pagan priest Lizdeika interpreted that Gediminas should built the capital of Lithuania at this location. Thus, Gediminas became the founder of Vilnius . [3] The legends, as recorded by the Lithuanian Chronicles , do not mention any kind of temple at the location. [4]
Historiography
These legends were retold and elaborated upon by various historians, including Maciej Stryjkowski and Teodor Narbutt , and became very popular. In his work, published in 1582, Stryjkowski elaborated that the valley has a temple dedicated to Perkūnas , the god of thunder, maintained an eternal flame , and was located where Vilnius Cathedral stands today. [5] Narbutt, citing the dubious Chronicle of Rivius , even provided a description of the temple's measurements and the rituals performed within. [6]
There is a continued academic debate whether the legends were rooted in a historical fact that there was a pagan temple in Vilnius. [4] A pagan temple, demolished and replaced by a Catholic church, was mentioned in a 1388 papal bull of Pope Urban VI . However, the papal bull is vague in its wording and the descriptions of King Jogaila's actions are similar to those in the Book of Deuteronomy (12:3–4). [4] In 1980s, archaeological research by Napaleonas Kitkauskas and Albertas Lisanka uncovered remnants of an earlier square structure under the present-day Vilnius Cathedral . Historians proposed that it was the remnants of a cathedral built by King Mindaugas after his conversion and coronation in 1253. They further argued that, after Mindaugas' assassination, this cathedral was converted into a pagan temple. [7] However, in 2010, Gediminas Vaitkevičius published a monograph in which he dated the remnants to 1300–1320 based on artifacts found at the site. This dating is supported by the Letters of Gediminas (written in 1323–1324) that mention a newly built church. [4] Kitkauskas rejected Vaitkevičius' arguments. [5]
References
- ↑ Vaitkevičius, Vykintas (10 April 2011). "Senosios Vilniaus šventvietės (2)" . Šiaurės Atėnai (in Lithuanian). 677 . Retrieved 30 March 2018 .
- ↑ Paulauskytė, Teresė (2013-06-03). "Šventaragis" . Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija (in Lithuanian). Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras . Retrieved 1 April 2018 .
- 1 2 Beresnevičius, Gintaras (1995). Baltų religinės reformos (in Lithuanian). pp. 135–137. ISBN 9986-514-02-9 .
- 1 2 3 4 Baronas, Darius (2012). "Perkūno šventykla Vilniuje (Senų mitų ir naujų mokslinių tyrimų nedermė)" . Naujasis Židinys-Aidai (in Lithuanian). 7 . ISSN 1392-6845 . Retrieved 1 April 2018 .
- 1 2 Kitkauskas, Napaleonas (2012). Vilniaus pilys (in Lithuanian) (2nd ed.). Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras. pp. 179, 189–190, 206. ISBN 978-5-420-01716-6 .
- ↑ Narbutt, Teodor (1835). Dzieje starożytne narodu litewskiego (in Polish). Vol. I. pp. 227–231.
- ↑ Rowell, S. C. (1994). Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire Within East-Central Europe, 1295–1345 . Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series. Cambridge University Press. pp. 135–137. ISBN 978-0-521-45011-9 .
54°41′08″N 25°17′25″E / 54.68556°N 25.29028°E / 54.68556; 25.29028