|
Rambynas - the last remaining sacred place of Balts. It is a hill on the right bank of the Neman River in western Lithuania (Tauragė County, Pagėgiai Municipality). Across the river is Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast. The hill belongs to the territory of Rambynas Regional Park, Lithuania. The nearby cities include Pagėgiai and Tauragė in Lithuanian Republic and Neman (Ragainė) and Sovetsk (Tilžė) in Kaliningrad Oblast. The hill is thought to have been the place of an ancient Skalvian fort, destroyed by the Teutonic Knights in 1276. Later it was used for the religious ceremonies of pagan Lithuanians. An old pagan altar stood atop the hill until the early 19th century, when the top of the hill was washed out by the Neman. In the 20th century the area was popularized by Vydūnas, who organized concerts of Lithuanian choirs. A number of legends concerning the Rambynas Hill exist. The place is still popular for Lithuanian festivals. Saint Jonas' Festival (Rasos) is celebrated on this hill annually. A large part of this hill is already washed out by the Neman River. Major conservation works were finished in 2003 to preserve it from further erosion. Now Rambynas is about 46 metres above seal level. ==Legend== The holy mountain is wrapped in many legends and stories. According to them, the mountain has been blessed and protected by the god of Thunder “Perkūnas”and the Goddess “Laima“. In the middle Ages, Crusaders attacked the land thrusting their faith onto the local people and attempting to destroy the old beliefs of the Lithuanian people in every possible way. Although the Lithuanians adopted the Christian faith, secretly continuing to worship the ancient gods of their forefathers, they made offerings at the great altar stone of Thunder, drank and washed themselves with the holy water on the mountain to remain healthy. They state that "Happiness will never leave this region until the stone will stand and the mountain after him. And if any strangers hand dares to touch this stone, the mountain will vanish into the depths of the Nemunas river." Along with the Crusaders, strangers who did not know of the land, the gods and their shrines arrived. An attempt was made to destroy the holy stone. The Oracle's prophecy was fulfilled: A disaster will strike all of the land if the people dare to move the stone. Once the shrine lost its guardians, parts of Rambynas repeatedly fell into the Nemunas river and people suffered wars and plagues for many years. The large sacrificial stone is mentioned in many historical sources. It is known that the stone’s top was flat, and the stone’s circumference - 15 cubits. (Approx. 9.82 meters - Note: Cubit measurement historically differs from one age to another). Legend says that a German named Schwartz from the Bardinai village was searching for a millstone for his mills and split the sacred altar stone. Since that time, the incantation has come true – the mountain has started to go downhill to the Nemunas river. In 1811 the stone was blown up into small pieces, so to this day it has not survived. It is known that one of the fragments before the Second World War was stored in the museum of Königsberg. In 1867 Otto Glagau, an inquisitive journalist from Berlin, traveled through East Prussia and the Curonian Spit. After he visited Rambynas he heard many stories about its history and the pagan rites performed there. He wrote: "Even now Rambynas is a holy mountain: old and young climb to it with deep respect and avoid the mountain with fear at the darkness of night." Also, Laima’s are still alive in the hearts of Lietuvininkai - Laima does not dress a baby's cot sheets when a baby is born, she does not call in Rambynas in the face of unexpected danger, but people still believe her to be the goddess of fortune and destiny. In the event of an unexpected disaster, Lietuvininkai, all of which are strict fatalists, even today say: "It is due to Laima", or in trying to gain something more important, say: "I will succeed with Laima!". 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rambynas」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|