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Paper short abstract

The paper explores Lithuanian meteorological and agricultural magic and the ways it was employed to communicate with mythical beings believed to be responsible for the atmospheric phenomena and harvest.

Paper long abstract

The current climate crisis may seem like a new phenomenon. However, pre-industrial societies, including rural Lithuanian communities, were even more vulnerable to climate changes, weather instability and natural disasters. Poor harvests resulting from bad weather often led to famine, which was frequently accompanied by epidemics such as the plague. Being dependent on nature and lacking rational means to control it, people resorted to magical measures. Therefore, various meteorological predictions, which allowed people to forecast the weather, and agricultural magic, used to influence future harvest on which people's survival depended, played a key role in vernacular culture. In Lithuanian mythology, atmospheric phenomena such as wind, rain and cold were perceived as personified mythical beings. It was also believed that certain insects and birds, as well as Christian saints and deceased ancestors, could influence the weather during the farming year and determine the abundance of future harvest. The paper will explore Lithuanian meteorological and agricultural magic and the ways it was employed to communicate with mythical beings believed to control atmospheric phenomena.