THE ORACLE OF PERKŪNAS
Kai kryžiuočiai, pasinaudoję suirute,
kuri, karaliui Mindaugui žuvus, įsigalėjo Lietuvoje, kelis kartus
sunaikino šventąsias romuvas prie Nevėžio ir Dubysos, kunigaikštis
Šventaragis sumanęs pastatyti didžiulę dievaičio Perkūno
garbei žinyčią Neries ir Vilnios santakoj………
English Translation by Gloria O’Brien
When the Knights of the
Cross, taking advantage of the disarray in Lithuania which followed the death
of King Mindaugas, raided and destroyed several temples of the old gods near
the Nevėžys
and the Dubysa, Grand Duke Šventaragis decided to build a large temple to honor
Perkūnas at the confluence of the Neris and the
Vilnija. The Duke was familiar with the
area, having hunted there many times in his youth.
In the Taurakalnis valley,
Šventaragis built a sanctuary, where he erected a
statue of the wrathful god Perkūunas
which had been brought from Palanga, and before it, kindled a holy flame, to be
tended by vaidilas and vaidilutės (priests
and priestesses). An area beyond the
sanctuary was consecrated for the ritual
cremation of
glory of the gods, and in the presence of all of Lithuania’s nobility, put
the torch to his father’s funeral pyre.
In accordance with ancestral traditions, the Grand Duke was cremated
with his most splendid armor and weapons, and his most beautiful robes. His hunting dogs, hawks and falcons, warhorse
and personal servant were cremated with
their lord.
In front of the temple, there stood a short round tower*, from which the
krivės (high priests) would
proclaim to the people the will of the gods, or follow the paths of the sun and
stars.
As idolators, the old Lithuanians were superstitious and believed in magic,
and would embark upon no enterprise without first consulting the magicians,
sorcerers and oracles, of which in those days there were many. Some of them would forecast the future using
water, others from smoke, salt, wax, the flight of birds, the direction of the
winds, and myriad other natural phenomena.
And so the 96-year-old Grand Duke Šventaragis,
a pious believer in magic, decided he should consult an oracle before building
the Perkūnas
temple.
He knew of a sybil named Burinimė,
who lived in Žemaityja, by the lower reaches of
the Nemunas. He sent six grave elders
bearing many precious gifts to visit her, inquiring as to the future of the
temple.
The wise sorceress cast
several spells, and finally foretold that the temple would exist for as long as
Lithuanians remained pagan. She caused
122 bricks to be made, and inscribed each with a mark to signal good or bad
years. The last brick was engraved with
a cross bearing a double transverse.
This was a sign that, when this brick’s turn came, the Christians would
annihilate paganism and destroy the temple itself. The Duke had those bricks laid against the
south side of the temple.
Her prophesy came
true: 122 years later, Jogaila sold
himself to the Poles, was himself baptized and ordered the baptism of all
Lithuanians, demolished the temple and on its foundation built a
* The bell tower of
today’s
** The same altar on
which the ancient sacrificial flame had burned, can still be seen underneath
the altar of today’s Cathedral basilica.
Source:
From a
collection, “Vilniaus Legendos”,
compiled
by Stasys Lipskis, pulished by
“Žuvėdra“,
© English Translation - Gloria O’Brien 2003
This article was
printed in Bridges, Nov 2003