Res Humanitariae

The article deals with the diachronic interpretation of material from the Indo-European, Altaic and Afro-Asiatic language families, reaching, on one hand, the etymons of the first level (Ancient Greek *okṷịe-, Albanian *okṷi-, Turkic *uk(ā)-, Mongolian *ukа-) and the second level (Indo-European *hṷekṷ- / *heuk-, Altaic *uka-, Afro-Asiatic *Hwq-), and on the other hand, the third level (Nostratic *HuḲa), and allows us to fix both a divergent and convergent relationship of correspondences, taking into account the established laws.

The particular phenomenon of a Baltic style emerges in contemporary Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian organ music, related to the dimension of the depth and the cycles of waves, rising to appocalyptic transcendentality. Its features are like the style of eternity: eternal melody, monotony of rhythm, the power of the depths concentrating on eclipse and enlightenment. The philosophy of religion and nature, as well as aspects of pantheism, the search for ‘another space’, and the paradigm of the horizon of visuality, are clearly hidden in this semantic. All these ideas featured in the music could be called a Baltic phenomenon, the motivation of which is based on a confrontation with the agressive nature of the north and the Russian Empire. This concept is supported by the Baltic self, and is extended by the Lithuanian identity reconcept: the turn to Baroque and European connections in culture, statehood and the rationalism of the Enlightenment.

The article presents the oldest forms of puppet theatre in Samogitia, the use of puppets in their natural environment, from Church feasts to entertainment or educational activities with puppets in the home environment. It discusses the sources of puppet theatre in ethnic culture, presents the beginnings of the artistic language of puppet theatre in the spontaneous development of puppet theatre, from dolls and masks in ethnic culture and religious ceremonies, to playing with dolls in the home environment and family celebrations. Authentic testimonies from inhabitants of Samogitian towns and villages are presented: a real treasure for those exploring the material and intangible cultural heritage tradition of this region, introducing it into the region’s ethnic cultural space.

Предлагаемая статья является публикацией обнаруженного почти три десятилеития тому назад зольника в юго-восточной части грунтового могильника Гора Великанов (южная окраина г. Пионерский). Этот зольник, как и ряд участков на восьми других грунтовых могильниках Самбии содержат останки куршей (обряд типа Аschenplatz-2), появившихся на Янтарном берегу в сер. XI в. после прекращения контактов пруссов со скандинавами. Это продвижение на запад жителей Литовского Взморья сопутствовало или предварялось заселением куршами Куршской косы и во многом было связано, очевидно, с нежеланием пруссов (из культовых соображения?) заниматься мореходством и селиться на морском берегу. Их место в Северной Самбии заняли курши.

The aim of this article is to ascertain what kinds of traditions were common among the communities of cultural workers in the Ukmergė region at the start of the 20th century and in the first half of the 21st century. Based on fieldwork collected in Ukmergė in 2019, it can be claimed that cultural workers were related in both their professional and their social relationships. During Soviet-era government-approved celebrations, seminars for cultural workers and anniversaries were the most popular; while during the period of independence, gatherings of separate collectives, Christmas celebrations, and various organised professional and recreational trips were preferred. The tradition of awarding the best employee, which began with socialist competitiveness in the Soviet era, continues today in the cultural worker workplace.

Theophany is the manifestation of a deity, an act of revelation to the world. Traces of theophany (a visit or activity of the gods) are left in stone and dendromorphic features. Therefore, theophany is possible at any time, or at least at some point, for example, in the event of an accident or illness. Sites of theophany are visited in the hope of recovering or preserving health, to carry out therapeutic procedures, or perform ritual actions. This paper analyses data on stone and dendromorphic theophany in 15th to 18th-century written sources, and identifies reflections of it in 19th to 21st-century therapeutic methods of folk medicine, on the basis of archival records and the author’s records of healing beliefs.

This article deals with undated and wrongly dated correspondence of Sergei Bortkiewicz. It presents the hypothetical dates of some letters and postcards as the result of previous studies by other scholars. Other incorrect dates have been corrected using postage stamps and the contents of letters. A description of every undated letter allows us to place them among the others. The article discusses controversial hypotheses, and refutes some of them. Several new hypotheses are put forward instead. Dates for three undated letters by Bortkiewicz are suggested for the first time.

Daiva Vaitkevičienė. Žydinti taurė. Baltų gėrimai ir apeigos. Monografija. Vilnius: Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos institutas, 2019. 431 p.