Archaeologia Baltica

In this article, I analyse places with toponyms connected with hiis (meaning ‘holy place’, usually associated with ‘holy grove’ in Estonian) in northern Estonia. Geographically, it is possible to distinguish between three main types of landscape for places of which the names include the word hiis: distinctive hills, plain fields, and isolated, hidden places. Research into holy places tends to focus on naturally prominent or spectacular places, which have shaped the view that holy places are usually situated on hills; but plain fields and other visually less attractive sites have been neglected. Here, I will give examples of different types of Estonian hiis-sites, and discuss the links between these places and other monuments, graves and cemeteries dating from different periods, and settlements and churches. Finally, the article points to the favouring of different landscapes selected for hiis-sites, and argues that the claim that only attractive sites are regarded as ‘holy places’ is not valid.