Since time immemorial human beings have been attracted to that mysterious and unknown. Ancient sacred sites are wrapped up into myths and legends provoking our curiosity, they give us a chance to get a glimpse into our past. Tales and written records have survived until nowadays telling us about rituals held at ancient sacred sites, for example, offerings, worshiping the nature in accordance with the annual course of the Sun, cult of the fire and the dead.
Our ancestors believed that trees, stones, groves, forests, hillocks, and water are graced by miraculous powers that can help treating diseases, protect against misfortune, as well as insure health and fertility. Nowadays, a natural sacred site can look as an ordinary stone or a hill at first sight, still the tales and legends passed over from generation to generation herald something else. It is breathtaking evidence about our ancestors’ long history and their perceiving of the powers of the nature, relationship between the man and the gods.
It turned out to be quite a challenging undertaking to discover anew the former natural sacred sites, about which sometimes only their names or legends speak out, because throughout the centuries there were economic activities performed, religions replaced, villages constructed and many places destroyed in the course of time. And still, while conducting our research, we have identified quite a large number of still existing ancient sacred sites, each of them having their own story to tell us, playing their own role in the human life.
At present, our data base comprises information about natural sacred sites in the regions of Riga, Vidzeme, Zemgale, and Kurzeme in Latvia, the County of Gävle in Sweden, Muhu and Juuru Parishes in Estonia.
We believe this information will help you not only discover new nature and cultural heritage, but also acquire knowledge about the traditions of the ancient tribes of the Baltic Sea area!
Come and explore your past anew!
