Iš Baltų šventviečių žodyno: stabakūliai

LTStraipsnis sugrąžina prie nepaprastą formą ir ypatingas žymes turinčią akmenų, kuriuos dažnai išvystame stovinčius, o dar dažniau - pastatytus sodybų darželiuose, prie muziejų ar kur pakelėje. Patirtą įspūdį apsakome kaip nuostabą, ir tai labai gilus jausmas: prie baltų šventviečių akmenų - stabakūlių jis, ko gero, buvo patiriamas nuo priešistorinių laikų. Krikščionybės laikotarpiu baltų religijos dievybės, kurias plačiausia prasme įkūnijo stabakūliai, imtos vaizduoti kaip už religinių draudimų pažeidimą nubausti asmenys. Antrame ir trečiame straipsnio skyriuose pateiktos žinios apie Žemaitijos ir tris Latvijos, Baltarusijos bei Lenkijos stabakūlius rodo, kad prie jų buvo aukojama, ir šių apeigų atgarsiai kai kuriais atvejais pasiekė XX-XXI a. sandūrą. Reikšminiai žodžiai: baltų religija, šventvietės, šventi akmenys (stabakūliai), Žemaitija. [Iš leidinio]

ENThe article is dedicated to extraordinarily shaped stones with special marks that we can often see standing and even more often — erected in the yards of houses, near museums, or by the roadside. We describe the experience of seeing them as astonishment and it is a very deep feeling that arises from prehistoric times, typical of the stones from the Baltic sanctuaries - stabakuliai. Research so far and the data collected by the author allow us to provide the following definition of stabakuliai: standing stones, which, from a mythical point of view, are beings that have been stopped (solidified, hardened, or frozen) in time. Moreover, stabakūliai evoke a sense of a wonder from observers. The deities of the Baltic religion, which were embodied in the stabakūliai — sometimes even with visible features - during the Christian period were portrayed as persons who violated religious prohibitions. The stabakūliai were also often seen as monuments marking graves.It should be emphasised that the definition of stabakūliai is not influenced by the geological origin and size of the stones. However, they are often uneven, distinguished by their distinctive shape and surface patterns. Data on three stabakuliai in Latvia, Belarus, and Poland not only expand the geographical area of research but also essentially enrich their narrative with knowledge about religious practices. In prehistoric times, sacrifices were made to the stabakūliai and echoes of these rituals survived until the 18th century, and in some cases - until the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. The stabakūliai tradition, which had almost been completely forgotten in modern times, was brought back to the attention of Lithuanian society a century ago by the texts of P. Tarasenka and his efforts to cultivate an interest in archaeological heritage. [From the publication]