Gamta ir kultūra: šventos Viekšnių pušys

LTStraipsnyje dėmesys sutelktas į šventas pušis, augančias ir augusias Viekšnių apylinkėse (Mažeikių, Akmenės ir Telšių r.). Archyvinių duomenų ir publikacijų analizė, 2010-2011 m. autoriaus lauko tyrimų rezultatai rodo, kad pušų garbinimas pagrįstas baltų (lietuvių ir latvių) mitologijos vaizdiniais, jog į pušies viršūnę, tarytum krėslą, vakarais leidžiasi Saulė. Krikščionybės epochoje pušų garbinimas veikė vietinės kryždirbystės tradiciją. Šventvietės prie pušų buvo ir tebėra žemaičių apžadų vietos. [Iš leidinio]Reikšminiai žodžiai: Apžadai; Baltų mitologija; Kryždirbystė; Mitologija; Saulė; Senosios šventvietės; Viekšniai; Šventos pušys; Žemaitija (Samogitia); Baltic mythology; Cross-making; Forever; Lithuanian mythology; Old sacred places; Sacred pine trees; Sacred pines; Samogitia; Sun; Viekšniai.

ENThe article is dedicated to the sacred pine trees that grow or used to grow in Viekšniai environs (Mažeikiai, Akmenė, and Telšiai districts). It is the most significant part of the local tradifion of an cient sacred sites, which is still alive. The importance of its research transcends the boundaries of Samogitia and provides important data for the researchers of sacred sites of all Lithuania and the neighbouring countries. The results of field research carried out in 2010-2011, a s well as the analysis of archival data and publications, shows that the tradition of sacred pines is derived from Baltic (Lithuanian and Latvian) mythology, which has the image of the Sun as a pine tree, or the crown of a pine tree. This image is very close to the belief that a pine tree is a mythical chair, the place where the Sun goes to sleep at night - the red rays of the sun descending (into the chair) glow in the crown of a pine tree, lighting u p a branch or a space between the branches. With the arrival of Christianity, sacred sites near pine trees, usually located in forests, turned into open-air sanctuaries. Pine trees replaced the altar or performed the role of a cross. It is guessed that the worship of pine trees made a certain impact on the tradition of cross crafting; sacred pines were cut down and used to make the highest crosses and in church construction.The majority of sacred pines in Viekšniai environs were sites where vows used to be taken. They were visited by believers who had already taken vows at home, and those who took vows while addressing little crosses mounted on pine trees or looking to the sky through the tree tops. It is an important part of folk religion, which relates the attachment of Samogitians to the ancient sacred places with their unconditional faith in Jesus, Mary, and the Christian saints. Vows were imbued with secrets, faith, and hopes of the believers. Votive crosses, chapels, pictures, a n d rosaries were mounted on trees or placed next to them, votive ribbons, stones and mirrors were left, candles were burned, and plucked flowers were put in water. This tradition allows us to imagine, at least for a small part, the sacrifices and respect, which was placed on the Sun before Christianity. Until today, the researchers of the Baltic religion do not have any data tesfifying to the fact that prayers to the Sun were said and sacrifices were made in sacred sites. T h e results of the research in Viekšniai show that there were some sacred sites of this type at old pine trees with unusual trunks, form of the crown, or many other special qualities. [From the publication]

• Manifestation of physis in Vilnius county drymonymy / Alisa Stunžaitė. Acta linguistica Lithuanica. 2022, t. 87, p. 155-176.
• Naujas Birutės veidas / Vykintas Vaitkevičius. Būdas. 2019, Nr. 6 (189), p. 40-54.