Paganism in Estonia 🇪🇪 | History and Modern Revival

[@balconybaroness9156]

As an Estonian I was really happy to see a video popping up about our heritage and culture. However I'm gutted that you didn't actually contact the people who have dedicated their lives on researching and popularizing the folklore, beliefs and rituals. As a matter of fact there's a whole faculty in the University of Tartu (ps. Alternative name is Taaralinn = Taara's stronghold/town) with actual professors, cholars researching and teaching this topic. There're also a few museums (etnography, literature/folklore museum, open air museum etc) and 1 or 2 organisations dedicated to cultural heritage as well as paganism. It would be wonderful if you'd find time and interest in your busy schedule to look at it again. I'm saying "you" because you're doing magnificent job at recearching and talking about paganism all over! Admirable, really! And many thanks for the work you've already done.

[@AzUniverzumUraesParancsoloja]

In Hungarian contemporary shamanism there is a currently very widespread Yotengrit prophecy (the ‘Nyírkai jóslat’) which at its very end foresees the religious return of the Hungarian people to the worship of Ukko.

[@zipphora9456]

Can you recommend any good books/articles about Hungarian paganism? I’m a Hungarian as well, but I’ve never really heard or read about these.

[@EstViking]

Not a word about the myth that Island Saaremaa (Oeselia, Ösel) was the birth place of Thor ( Scandinavian god ) - as when the meteor hit it and formed the Kaali crater, all of Scandinavia and Estonia saw the meteor fall ans make a fire in the sky - a lightning so strong that the sky lit up. Also, by the words of missionary called Henry of Livonia, when german blasphemous crusaders came to invade Estonian pagans, Estonians yelled Taara!, while going into battle. This might just raise the suspicion that Taara might have been indeed Thor, as the main way of transportation back in the days was not by land, but by sea. Also, lets not forget about Estonian Viking heritage, as even Icelandic sagas speak about vikings from Oeselia. Estonians also raided Swedish capital and burned it down in 1187. Paganish people nowadays likr to think of Estonians as peace loving farmers who were "maarahvas" and worshipped land, but in reality Estonia was the longest standing Pagan land in Europe with its tall and strong murderous Viking-like people. Sadly, medieval mini ice-age wiped out most of its people and Estonian population collapsed. Even strong people couldnt survive nature and hunger.

[@walgekaaren1783]

They yelled Taar appita or Taar avita. since it was yelled, its normal to hear Taara Its still like Thor help us.

[@Microphunktv-jb3kj]

@@walgekaaren1783 Tharapita duuh.. 2 peopel who are not estonians,talk about estonian paganism, funny to me.. since most estonians themselves don't know what the origin of the word Tere even is . Tere - same meaning like for Islamists is "allah akbar" , Tere is "All heil Thor" , "god is great" i guess. They use it all the time, not even knowing what comes out of their mouth, sad. If you want to know a glimpse into estonian roots, should watch Lennart Meri 7 documentaries instead, many of them available on youtube. Well they kind of are generally Finno-Ugrics in general, not about Estonians or Finns specifically. You're t alking about Saaremaa crater and Kaali Lake? , could not think of a better proof of estonians being satan worshippers, than Hindu destruction of God Kali aka Lucifer as name of the crater in Saaremaa.. a metero from Saturn, wich in theology is known as another name for Satan , if i'm not mistaken. Estonian pagans were actually called Sons of Satan in 12th century, and currently Estonia is most Godless country in the world officially.

[@MrPoppints]

It honestly seems to me that Anett has forgotten most of the folklore and ancient belief stuff we are taught in schools and doesn't pay that much attention when those things are mentioned in media... Estonians are usually made to read Kalevipoeg (at least a bit or a simplified version if not the whole thing) and when we are taught about the ancient times we are taught about the beliefs to some extend as well (I clearly remember learning the word animism from school). Not to mention, folklore and myths are obviously brought up as well, usually in literature lessons.

[@whatth444444]

Kalevipoeg was translated to English by Triinu Kartus and published by Eesti Kirjandusmuuseum in 2011. Full translations to 12 other languages also exist.

[@aly.kelterborn]

We went through Estonia on our honemyoon-motocycle trip to Finland. I was amazed by the endless forests and beautiful coast. We stopped in a pine forest somewhere in the south for the night. There were empty fireplaces and sites for camping. All ready to use and completely free (It´s illegal to do that in my country, so we were surprised). And the breathtaking sea!

[@lurree1904]

Anette is an incredible artist. I have many things from her! So glad you found her to have her on 😁

[@TheWisdomOfOdin]

She was a lot of fun to be around! Glad to have had her on!

[@sacspir]

A fun fact - we call recyclable plastic and glass bottles also "taara".

[@robcreel4257]

Great video! I read up on Estonia back when I was studying Wicca back in the 90s. I've forgotten a lot since then but I found this intriguing all over again. Anette's art is beautiful!

[@HonneTheFinnicHeathen]

Olemme todella otettuja että perehdyt kansojemme uskomuksiin! 🫎🐻🦢🇫🇮🇪🇪

[@TheWisdomOfOdin]

Such beautiful culture and history. Very honored to have been there

[@jbbburg8633]

Great video today makes me want to see it when I travel to Europe

[@ItsGrail]

man i would never have left Estonia, it looks perfect

[@TheWisdomOfOdin]

It’s easy to migrate there!

[@sliipknoot]

looks very peaceful

[@kiizukiti]

@@TheWisdomOfOdinnot really only if you are from a EU country.

[@ItsGrail]

@@TheWisdomOfOdin i might look into it, definitely worth a trip at least!

[@martinkoitmae6655]

You can move here tho

[@kiizukiti]

I am happy that you went to Estonia. It is such a lovely country. Maausk means that you believe in nature and treat it well as you believe you will get your reward back. I wish you interviewed someone with a bit more knowledge of the country though.

[@Chadwickheiberg]

Im From USA of Polish and Spanish descent, Husband Norwegian. But we have always eyed Estonia for our future and my partner is curently interviewing in Saaremaa ! We both feel a draw there but totally agree most people i tell are just like ????

[@martinkoitmae6655]

Oh Saaremaa is such a nice place (and very pagan)!

[@hellomate639]

I'm a Christian who has become interested in the "lower level" spiritual world. It's like there's a reason we're not simply just God existing in some state of eternal potential and bliss; multiplicity itself is how anything happens, fracturing this. I see Paganism these days as the worship of God at a level of reality that we actually exist at. It's like the worship of the high is still core, but bringing that light down to Earth, rather than rejecting the Earth. "God so loved the world," and you know the rest. When the Bible talks about rejecting the world, it's rejecting the materialistic world of society. This is distinct from the world of spirit made manifest on Earth. I feel like knocking Paganism out from the hierarchy of reality left us with a spirituality that is rootless, and left us with a society that is nihilistic and LITERALLY soul sucking.

[@TheCurtainLift]

I live in Canada but ethnically I’m Estonian. I can’t afford it now but I would love to visit one day

[@martinkoitmae6655]

Sure, you are very welcome to visit! Estonia is just as cold as Canada is tho🥶🥶

[@brigidwell]

I have a copy of Kalevipoeg but it’s in Estonian! I’ve tried running passages through translators, but it gets too garbled in the process. A huge difficulty in translating these poems is holding the meter still - like Kalevala, it looks like it’s in the 8 syllable Longfellow-esque meter, and it makes sense to try to keep that “song” intact as much as possible for aesthetic motivations.

[@123canadagirl]

I visited Estonia in 2014 to Tallin and an island in the west. I’d like to go back. Lots of great nature there!

[@MrOnly666]

Which island Saaremaa or Hiiumaa

[@123canadagirl]

@@MrOnly666 Saaremaa

[@EEX97623]

Saaremaa is beautiful! Estonia is 50% forest and bogs, with five large national parks, nature is our thing.

[@D_Halvig]

Really enjoyed the video man!

[@joutavainen2920]

the reason why the poems are distant to regular people is because they were / are bard tradition, singers or laulajat as they´re called. regular people were the audience, that is how it was in all the finno-ugric lands (no regular person can remember the epics, it was a real profession). in the folklore most that people can usually remember is like one sentence :) the real pagan customs are just how people are, that and local nature, and the language.. don´t need no myths from the beginning of time to do that. ps. it´s Tara-ukko (ukko=grandfather, old-man, that´s how they put together the spirit names, which there are hundreds and hundreds, you could even claim that most birth, animal and place names are spirit names). so there is a pantheon, just not for those who don´t understand the language :)

[@MUHAMMADKHAN-hf3tg]

Amazing vlog! ❤😊

[@Jazzit1900]

Bedankt

[@TheWisdomOfOdin]

Thank you so much!

[@MerkGBG]

Elagu eesti 🇪🇪

[@ohprudence]

Nearby Lithuania also has a living pagan culture.

[@toomasnelson4561]

Very nice effort with your video, I have read an English version of Kalevipoeg as well as the Estonian version but a lot of the poetry is lost in the translation. I have also done a brief series of histories of religion in Estonia on my FB page for my followers.

[@jandunn169]

Even in Wales, the Gods and Goddess became diminished in the medieval stories to become characters. The "Fairytales" give many clues who the old gods were. Yes the sound of silence in the forest is the most beautiful place of worship. I love your statutes. Are they on Etsy?

[@MetalHead123345]

I love to visit i love nature and i need some of that silence in the forest

[@MichelleDunne-s8k]

I agree with the above , i was lucky enough to get the chance to go to a re-treat , and study inwardly and out worldly , silence was my teacher and nature was my wisdom , x

[@moss_on_mushroom]

I heard Kalevipoeg was partly created by Kreutzwald (and someone else?) not just written down but rather inspired by real mythology. The thing is we are forced to read Kalevipoeg in school so it pushes as away and kinda seems "formal" (like other school things like some terms even if they have finnougric roots) and not like heritage

[@samarkham3]

one of your best

[@TheWisdomOfOdin]

Thank you 😊

[@finnishculturalchannel]

Kaleva is also the primordial king of Finns: "Iroquoian mapper History of the Uralic languages", "Aldeigjuborg: The Lost Viking City near Europe's Largest Lake", "Kaleva - Finnish Primordial King and Ancestor", "Breakthrough in the discovery of DNA in ancient skulls buried in water in Levänluhta", "Gói - Saivo", "Story To Tell Tuonela - The Finnish Underworld - Finnish Mythology", "The myth of the Sampo- an infinite source of fortune and greed - Hanna-Ilona Härmävaara", "The Goddess Louhi and the Sampo | Finnish Mythology | Mythology Stories", "Bjarmien Maa: Historia Suomi", "Suomen muinaiskuninkaat" and "Myth of Ancient Finnish Kings | TheyTalk 199".

[@alexandervinum_setinum4879]

There is a beautiful Russian translation of Kavevipoeg. It's very poetic. There were few awesome editions of this book actually, issued in 50s by soviet union. I like my copy much, made in 1956 and illustrated in vintage Art Deco style.

[@mrsmerily]

I think this is then our school system disservice, because when I went to school i studied about them. Either they removed it from the school or children just dont care. in 90s-2000s it was actually talked about in school.

[@kevinspaganjourney2593]

Very interesting, I didn't know anything about Estonian paganism. Would love to see its pagan history preserved.

[@chippufferdown]

Say jacob I have a question. how do you say twelve months in estonia?

[@martinkoitmae6655]

Ahh the classic

[@Lukejb2Butterworth]

the thing about not having Gods , the Seto in Estonia have the God Peko and the Volga Finns or Maris have a pantheon .

[@andresmusta]

the late Oskar Loorits has written most extensively on the Estonian Old Faith, also Matthias Johann Eisen

[@Aethuviel]

Come on, just buy Jacob a cup of coffee or two a month!

[@TheWisdomOfOdin]

Maybe three in Estonia! It’s very cheap

[@rometvalting]

Cheap??? ​@@TheWisdomOfOdin

[@jevgenijskaktins1066]

Very important beliefs could be called Lätiusk is missing here, i.e. belief in Latvians, apart of FinnoUgric world visiting neighbouring Latvian villages for some icecream always has its religious connotations, first pilgrimage could be to Rīga people are being scared with... at least someone believes in Latvians

[@zeph6439]

Very interesting. I wonder what actual scientific proof there is of human sacrifices?

[@katipohl2431]

Wow, beautiful ladies!

[@arturlinnus]

Not a word about Peko...

[@BFWRT]

Maybe because it's more of a Seto thing... just a guess.

[@icup8647]

ESTONIA MENTIONED RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[@TheWisdomOfOdin]

🇪🇪 !

[@Alasdair37448]

Outside of greek religion the idea that their would only be one god for everything and that every god had to be the god of something is really not very common. In most spiritual practices gods where really more like guardian spirits. The greek concept of a god as a sort of divine king who rules over a particular thing like war the sky or the underworld should not be applied universally the concept of what is a god changes quite a lot in various cultures.

[@DmytroZinkiv]

Olen ise pagan. Teie religioon on väga helge. Ma armastan Eestit väga ja plaanin reisi teie riiki. Olen ameerika pagan, palun tehke rohkem eestikeelseid videoid eestlaste tõelisest usust. Hoiduge moskalite eest.

[@MrOnly666]

If you didn't use Google translate to write it then good job

[@moss_on_mushroom]

kes on moskalid?

[@mihkel86]

​@@moss_on_mushroommoslemid?

[@MetalHead123345]

So disrespectful of the government to interfere with them sacred lands.

[@prateekrai1795]

Hinduism is also pagan religion.

[@cummings_144]

For sure. The dictionary says basically all non Abrahamic religions are Paganism.

[@henrikmanitski1061]

MAA + USK = MAAUSK

[@kassimees]

The audio needs to be boosted.

[@bullvinetheband7260]

Due to global climate change the forest may not come back like it use to.

[@jamesgibbons5705]

You should do Slavic paganism

[@TheWisdomOfOdin]

One day!

[@jamesgibbons5705]

Ok

[@DennisMay-vf9vi]

Poetic edda rules over the Quran and Bible

[@PeepPoopuu]

We don't know who we're the people first here...

[@Pagan_Prince]

If I seen "Old beardless" son, this be a good representation. Some grooming would be good less one doesn't prefer hygiene but "good" clothing. Really spinning someones wallet out there. Can't run from a bad reputation 😂

[@antsmuts9152]

Jesus, this girl kows nothing, just expert lol. You should ask lockan nonna

[@sadeeshaperera]

I was thinking the same

[@danolivier4899]

The revival of paganism in Estonia is actually very artificial, which is why when you ask Estonians about the details of the nature worship, you get something half-baked and clueless back - and ultimately an assurance that Estonians simply are not religious. In reality, Moravian monks were responsible for the education of the Estonian population during the era of serfdom and had a hand in taking Estonia from a disunified, illiterate population of serfs and creating movement towards an estonian folk spirit that became nationhood. The Moravians put a special emphasis on service to the greater community and practical cooperation, which is so binding and important in modern Estonian culture - Estonians are some of the only people you will meet who take vacations from work to clean trash on the islands. But even native Estonians of today are unaware of the origin of this sense of community and service. That Moravian influence was purposely suppressed in the rewriting of Estonian history in order to create a more unique mythology of Estonia, to bolster the push for a unified, and rarified national identity. Loan words from other European languages were rooted out and new ultra-Estonian replacements were forced into the language in order to make Estonian language more inscrutable to outsiders. These steps were taken as a matter of security - the make Estonia even more exclusive both practically and psychologically - ensuring a stable environment in which to nurture the seedling of independence in a neighbourhood absolutely inhospitable to growth, hope and progress (i vy znaete o kom ja gavorju). So paganism was revived and the moravian christian influence (which was absolutely massive) is all but forgotten. Nevertheless, Estonia is replete with disused churches.