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(dark atmospheric music)
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(gulls squawk)
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(moody atmospheric music)
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(gulls squawk)
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- [Narrator] Our story begins
in the middle of the Baltic
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Sea on a Danish merchant ship
sailing to Prussian shores.
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Onboard is a young, seasick
and disheartened merchant.
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A Christian called Lars.
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The Medieval book Liburcenses
Dani mentions a merchant
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who would travel to the
territories of the Baltic tribes
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to spy on behalf of the
Danish king, Valdemar II.
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Lars will be our eyes
and ears in the lands
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of the last pagans of Europe.
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(moody folk music)
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(thunder claps)
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- [Lars] Had I known the
fate that awaited me,
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I would never have set
out on this journey.
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But I was young then and knew little
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of people and the world.
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I knew my craft well, where
to find goods for low prices,
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and places I could sell them for a profit.
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I met an old merchant friend
of my father's at the port.
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He had come here to buy amber.
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He praised the goods I had
brought with me and advised me
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not to travel the pagan lands
without a local guardsman.
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For one osse ring, a
bar of local currency,
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I hired a man named Kursaitis.
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He was the youngest son in his family
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and could not inherit
his family's property.
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So Kursaitis sold his strength
and skills for money instead.
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As was the custom,
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I exchanged gifts with my father's friend.
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He gave me an amber necklace.
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I must say, pagans or not,
they have very fine artisans.
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When I offered him something
in return, he declined,
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suggesting I'd better keep
Christian symbols to myself.
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Even though Prussians were
a peace-loving people,
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these were not safe times.
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When planning the long and
dangerous journey, I read about
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a merchant city called Truso
in King Valdemar's archives
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where Danes, Gotlanders
and Swedes met and traded
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with the pagans peacefully and amicable.
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When I arrived in Truso,
it was nothing like the
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description and instead resembled
a small fishing village.
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The once-renowned city of the Amber Road
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00:07:29,730 --> 00:07:33,503
had lost its former glory
and fallen into decay.
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00:07:38,586 --> 00:07:42,003
(dark atmospheric music)
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00:07:48,979 --> 00:07:52,709
As the evening progressed, I
began to think that the pagans
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are not as frightening
as I had thought and that
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the Prussians were not so
different from us Christians.
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My feeling of comfort came
to an end when I witnessed
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an event that made my blood run cold.
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The Prussians had captured
and shackled a holy father.
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(moody folk music)
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- [Narrator] Christianity
swept like a tidal wave
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from the Roman Empire across Europe,
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changing its world forever.
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00:08:55,820 --> 00:08:58,289
Upon converting to Christianity,
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the pagans renounced their
gods and their way of life and
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00:09:02,700 --> 00:09:06,749
gradually accepted European
Christian values and customs,
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including new social structures,
property rights and laws.
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The Prussian territory,
home to several small
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00:09:15,660 --> 00:09:19,439
related Baltic tribes,
was the borderland between
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the last remaining pagans
of Europe and Christendom.
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(dark atmospheric music)
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- [Lars] I was horrified by what I saw,
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and I remembered my last confession.
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"Lars," the bishop had said.
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"It's time to convert the
pagans to the Christian faith.
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"You will be our eyes and
ears in the pagan land.
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"Watch and listen carefully,
because when you return,
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"we shall expect to hear every detail.
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"May God be with you, son."
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I had heard that for the
past several hundred years,
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the church had been preaching
the teachings of Christ
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in the Prussian lands,
trying to turn the pagans
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to the one true faith, but not today.
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The priest's only crime
had been that, unknowingly,
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much to his misfortune, or
rather his wilful ignorance,
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he had entered a sacred
forest to gather firewood.
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A peasant saw this and reported the crime.
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Kursaitis knew that
whenever gods were involved,
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a pagan priest, Grieves,
would settle the dispute.
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The pagans called it
the Trial of the Gods,
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00:12:18,180 --> 00:12:21,073
but this had nothing to
do with our Christian god.
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I felt sick to my stomach
when I learned how the pagans
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determined whether a
person was guilty or not.
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00:12:33,400 --> 00:12:36,519
Those involved in the
dispute had to pull a stone
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out of a pot of boiling water
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and hold it in their
hands for a few moments.
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Unfortunately, and
understandably so, the hand of
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the servant of God was not
accustomed to such savagery.
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So the pagans declared him guilty.
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My blood ran cold when I saw the wild joy
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with which the pagans
gathered to watch the trial.
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(dark atmospheric music)
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00:14:03,430 --> 00:14:05,679
- [Narrator] As other Baltic tribes,
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Prussians venerated
specific natural sites.
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Large stones, springs, or
ancient trees and wood groves
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where they performed their
religious rites and rituals.
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Written records mention Prussia's
most important holy site.
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(speaks foreign language)
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A place of pagan worship,
overseen by a pagan high priest,
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00:14:30,450 --> 00:14:35,273
Krievu Grievitus, or Krievu Grieves.
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The pagans believed that the
spirits of their ancestors
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lived in sacred forests.
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In fact, the ancient Prussian symbol
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for the world was the oak.
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The gods lived in its branches.
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The Prussians worshiped
gods of the sky, the earth,
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and the underworld, and
believed that various natural
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and animal deities lived all around them.
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These deities influenced
everyday life, such as weather,
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health, fertility, life after
death, and fortune in war.
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They sacrificed food and
livestock to the gods.
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One archeological sacrificial
site revealed a stone idol
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and the remains of more than 200 horses.
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(moody folk music)
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Lars' journey continues through the lands
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of the Galindians and Yotvingians.
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In the early Middle Ages,
these territories were sparsely
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inhabited and the battles
with their Christian neighbors
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led to the demise or assimilation
of both these peoples.
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- [Lars] Few people lived
in the Galindian lands,
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which were covered in thick
forests and mostly inhabited
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00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:36,709
by wild animals.
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The hill forts were abandoned,
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00:16:38,710 --> 00:16:41,663
and with no cities, I
could not do any trading.
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Kursaitis knew that the
Galindians had a custom of never
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refusing a meal or shelter
to a traveler, if requested.
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So, seeking shelter for the night,
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we did not hesitate to
enter a Galindian farmstead.
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- [Narrator] Several
closely-related families often lived
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together in fortified farmsteads.
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Most buildings were
made of horizontal logs,
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built directly on the land
without brick foundations.
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The windows were small and usually covered
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with animal bladders or
sealed with wood shutters.
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00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:25,059
The log roofs were covered
with layers of spruce
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or birch bark.
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Records indicate the the
Galindians also built
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residential towers whose
height could've indicated
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the prestige of its owner.
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00:17:47,610 --> 00:17:50,549
- [Lars] The pagan diet
was similar to ours.
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00:17:50,550 --> 00:17:54,869
They ate peas, beans and
lentils, as well as root crops,
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turnips, black radish, onions, garlic.
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00:18:00,070 --> 00:18:04,859
Meat was salt-cured in barrels
so it would last the winter.
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00:18:04,860 --> 00:18:08,859
To my great surprise, the
pagans did not build chimneys
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00:18:08,860 --> 00:18:12,609
and even the wealthy were
unaware that every respectable
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00:18:12,610 --> 00:18:15,613
house should have a stove
with a chimney flow.
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The Galindians treated us with
a meal they highly enjoyed
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called (speaks foreign language),
a sweet scone made out of
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rye flour, fried and then
boiled in pork-fat soup.
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To be honest, these
(speaks foreign language)
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were not very tasty, but
we ate everything our host
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offered us out of respect and
hunger from our long journey.
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00:18:47,605 --> 00:18:50,629
That evening, we were
served by the owner's wives
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and (speaks foreign language),
the local name for slaves.
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As in other Baltic tribes,
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having many wives was
common among the Galindians.
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I noticed that our host
was particularly fond
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of his youngest wife and
while the oldest wife
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00:19:07,950 --> 00:19:10,719
managed the household,
the middle one seemed
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to be in need of a man's attention.
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00:19:13,700 --> 00:19:18,569
I will say this, pagan
women were in no way worse
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than those raised in accordance
with the Christian faith.
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00:19:23,340 --> 00:19:26,893
And in some ways, maybe
they were even better.
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(woman pants)
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(rooster crows)
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00:20:00,352 --> 00:20:04,019
(dramatic percussive music)
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00:20:08,542 --> 00:20:11,209
(woman screams)
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00:20:14,819 --> 00:20:16,736
(slap)
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00:20:22,570 --> 00:20:26,829
The next morning, visibly
nervous, Kursaitis told me
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that the servants had seen
what had happened last night.
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Even Galindian hospitality has its limits,
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so we had to leave quickly.
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00:20:36,420 --> 00:20:41,420
Kursaitis warned us of impending
pursuit, but unfortunately,
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00:20:41,460 --> 00:20:44,239
I paid little heed to what he said,
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as I did not feel that
sleeping with a pagan woman,
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even though a married one,
had been such a serious sin.
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00:20:51,540 --> 00:20:55,359
Suddenly, a few well-aimed
arrows from the woods meant
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that our Galindian host had taken offense.
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He engaged the aid of his
relatives and servants
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so they could hunt us down.
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00:21:04,243 --> 00:21:06,826
(horse neighs)
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00:21:11,165 --> 00:21:13,748
(steel clangs)
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00:21:40,726 --> 00:21:43,959
Fortunately, Kursaitis
knew that the sacred forest
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00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:46,939
lay just beyond the river
and that the Galindians
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00:21:46,940 --> 00:21:49,303
would never dare to follow us there.
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00:22:06,471 --> 00:22:09,888
(dark atmospheric music)
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00:22:38,769 --> 00:22:42,269
(moody atmospheric music)
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00:22:45,404 --> 00:22:48,904
(distant thunder rumbles)
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00:22:52,326 --> 00:22:54,993
(fire crackles)
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I didn't notice that my fellow
companions took deeper inland
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into the lands of the
Yotvingians and the Sudovians.
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The Lord was by my side
and we slipped away
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from the Galindians and
reached a local healer
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00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:17,783
who agreed to nurse me back
to health for a small fee.
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- [Narrator] In the Middle
Ages, the smallest injury
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or illness could prove fatal.
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00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:53,939
The average lifespan
was just 25 to 30 years,
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due to malnutrition, the
relatively harsh climate,
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00:23:57,730 --> 00:24:02,329
unsanitary conditions,
and lack of medicine.
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00:24:02,330 --> 00:24:06,289
The most difficult stage
in life was childhood,
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00:24:06,290 --> 00:24:08,953
and half of the children did not survive.
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00:24:10,953 --> 00:24:14,370
(dark atmospheric music)
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- [Lars] By taking us
into the sacred woods,
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Kursaitis saved our lives,
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00:24:26,180 --> 00:24:29,149
but he seemed concerned and frightened.
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00:24:29,150 --> 00:24:32,049
He had violated the
order of his pagan gods
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00:24:32,050 --> 00:24:33,783
and feared their wroth.
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00:24:34,890 --> 00:24:38,149
To beg their forgiveness,
Kursaitis offered the gods
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his hair, thereby lowering
his status in society,
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00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:46,213
and for a time, voluntarily
likening himself to a slave.
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00:24:56,745 --> 00:25:00,245
(distant thunder rumbles)
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00:25:03,146 --> 00:25:06,063
(moody folk music)
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00:25:17,350 --> 00:25:21,889
I was still sick with a
fever and barely conscious.
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Later, Kursaitis told me that
curing my wound was beyond
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00:25:25,570 --> 00:25:28,933
human means, so they had
asked the pagan gods for help.
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Jatwi, the priest, offered goat
as a sacrifice in my favor.
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This ritual seemed more
like a celebration to me
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because they had bought beer with my money
225
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and every man in the clan took part.
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The pagan gods frightened me then.
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While we honored our
god with bread and wine,
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00:25:56,510 --> 00:26:00,183
their gods demanded the
blood of dead livestock.
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00:26:12,139 --> 00:26:14,120
(goat bleats)
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00:26:14,121 --> 00:26:17,879
- [Narrator] A 16th Century
Lutheran theologian's records
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00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:22,689
offer insight into a Yotvingian
goat sacrifice ritual.
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00:26:22,690 --> 00:26:26,569
However, as the account is
from a Christian point of view,
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it must be viewed with some skepticism.
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00:26:29,060 --> 00:26:33,589
The blood of the sacrificial
animal was drained into a dish.
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Some of it was sprinkled
on ritual participants,
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00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:39,049
and the remaining blood was used
237
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to similarly bless their
homes and livestock.
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00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:44,879
An important part of the ritual
239
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was the cooking and eating of the animal.
240
00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:51,059
While the meat boiled,
the men took flat breads
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00:26:51,060 --> 00:26:53,899
made from wheat and buckwheat dough,
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00:26:53,900 --> 00:26:56,809
and tossed them to each
other through the fire
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00:26:56,810 --> 00:26:58,949
until the breads were cooked.
244
00:26:58,950 --> 00:27:03,179
Other rituals describe a
priest taking glowing amber,
245
00:27:03,180 --> 00:27:05,509
placing it on his bare head,
246
00:27:05,510 --> 00:27:08,829
and then tossing it back into the fire.
247
00:27:08,830 --> 00:27:11,823
Long horns were blown during the ritual.
248
00:27:16,910 --> 00:27:20,327
(dark atmospheric music)
249
00:27:41,510 --> 00:27:44,549
- [Lars] Miraculously, my wound healed,
250
00:27:44,550 --> 00:27:45,900
and I regained my strength.
251
00:27:47,760 --> 00:27:51,479
I cannot say whether it was
God's grace or the pagan
252
00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:56,480
witchcraft that proved so
strong, but I got my health back
253
00:27:56,600 --> 00:28:00,969
and I could continue my
journey to fulfill my task
254
00:28:00,970 --> 00:28:03,353
to learn more about the pagan lands.
255
00:28:06,530 --> 00:28:08,509
- [Narrator] Having regained his strength,
256
00:28:08,510 --> 00:28:12,159
Lars makes his way to
Lithuanian territories.
257
00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:15,719
Lithuanians and their Aukstaitian kin
258
00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:19,679
have been described in various
chronicles as powerful,
259
00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:22,599
militant and savage people.
260
00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:24,959
They were known to
terrorize their neighbors.
261
00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:29,689
The Chronicle of Henry of
Livonia notes that in 1205,
262
00:28:29,690 --> 00:28:34,509
some 2,000 Lithuanian horsemen
rode to the Estonian lands
263
00:28:34,510 --> 00:28:37,749
to plunder them and threaten to destroy
264
00:28:37,750 --> 00:28:42,313
the local trade metropolis,
Riga, upon their return.
265
00:28:43,958 --> 00:28:47,125
(men cough and groan)
266
00:28:56,240 --> 00:28:58,239
According to written records,
267
00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:01,369
Lithuanians had no fear of death.
268
00:29:01,370 --> 00:29:03,639
It was an honor to die in a battle,
269
00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:06,439
and sometimes, they took their own lives
270
00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:09,689
rather than surrender to their enemies.
271
00:29:09,690 --> 00:29:12,489
This is in stark contrast
to the Christians
272
00:29:12,490 --> 00:29:15,369
who considered suicide horrifying
273
00:29:15,370 --> 00:29:18,683
and one of the greatest sins
a Christian could commit.
274
00:29:21,110 --> 00:29:25,749
The threat of Christian crusaders
encouraged Duke Mindaugas
275
00:29:25,750 --> 00:29:30,289
to conquer other Lithuanian
and Aukstaitian rulers
276
00:29:30,290 --> 00:29:35,290
to unify these lands into
the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
277
00:29:38,110 --> 00:29:41,939
Mindaugas converted to
Christianity and was crowned king
278
00:29:41,940 --> 00:29:45,343
with the blessing of the
Roman Pope, Innocent IV.
279
00:29:46,440 --> 00:29:48,719
However, as the military threat
280
00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:50,969
from his Christian neighbors diminished,
281
00:29:50,970 --> 00:29:55,109
he renounced his newly adopted
faith and banished all monks
282
00:29:55,110 --> 00:29:57,259
and priests from his lands.
283
00:29:57,260 --> 00:30:01,189
At the height of its
glory in the 15th Century,
284
00:30:01,190 --> 00:30:04,469
the Grand Duchy of
Lithuania became the largest
285
00:30:04,470 --> 00:30:08,649
European state and a
significant military force,
286
00:30:08,650 --> 00:30:12,793
bringing together various
faiths, languages and cultures.
287
00:30:18,348 --> 00:30:21,681
(peaceful guitar music)
288
00:30:23,310 --> 00:30:26,559
- [Lars] I arrived at a large
city called Kernave considered
289
00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:30,209
to be the most important
city of the Lithuanian Duchy.
290
00:30:30,210 --> 00:30:34,049
Neither Kursaitis nor I
had ever seen such a city,
291
00:30:34,050 --> 00:30:35,983
covering five hill forts.
292
00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:39,499
My misfortunes were behind me,
293
00:30:39,500 --> 00:30:42,669
and they receded in my
memory as a wicked adventure,
294
00:30:42,670 --> 00:30:44,969
which, when I returned to Denmark,
295
00:30:44,970 --> 00:30:47,767
would surely enthrall many listeners.
296
00:30:55,087 --> 00:30:57,499
- [Narrator] Kernave has
been an inhabited area
297
00:30:57,500 --> 00:30:59,429
since the Stone Age.
298
00:30:59,430 --> 00:31:01,589
Unlike other medieval settlements,
299
00:31:01,590 --> 00:31:04,019
it did not have a defensive wall.
300
00:31:04,020 --> 00:31:07,569
But the city was protected
by its favorable geographical
301
00:31:07,570 --> 00:31:11,963
location near the marshy
banks of the Neris river.
302
00:31:12,870 --> 00:31:16,859
In times of peace, the
inhabitants lived in villages
303
00:31:16,860 --> 00:31:20,240
near the hill forts or on
the surrounding farmsteads.
304
00:31:21,310 --> 00:31:24,949
In the event of an attack or
siege, they could take shelter
305
00:31:24,950 --> 00:31:28,753
in the forts, each of which
could house up to 300 people.
306
00:31:30,150 --> 00:31:33,067
(moody folk music)
307
00:31:39,070 --> 00:31:42,053
- [Lars] Back then, as I
left Kernave behind me,
308
00:31:42,940 --> 00:31:45,879
I thought that I had some
understanding of the order
309
00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:47,683
established in the pagan lands.
310
00:31:48,770 --> 00:31:52,369
But once again, I could
not believe my eyes.
311
00:31:52,370 --> 00:31:55,199
Even though I had heard
that there were eastern
312
00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:57,749
or Byzantine preachers in these lands,
313
00:31:57,750 --> 00:32:00,729
I was surprised to see that
they had succeeded in building
314
00:32:00,730 --> 00:32:04,293
a church in a land hostile towards Christ.
315
00:32:05,570 --> 00:32:09,613
As Catholic, the Byzantine
faith was rather foreign to me.
316
00:32:10,500 --> 00:32:13,139
I hoped to speak with the holy father,
317
00:32:13,140 --> 00:32:16,567
as I was sure that we shared the same god.
318
00:32:31,010 --> 00:32:34,623
The holy father could not
control his anger towards me.
319
00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:38,829
I didn't know the reason
of his frustration,
320
00:32:38,830 --> 00:32:41,329
but maybe it was because
my brothers of faith
321
00:32:41,330 --> 00:32:44,259
had just attacked and
pillaged Constantinople,
322
00:32:44,260 --> 00:32:46,333
the center of Byzantine church.
323
00:32:47,230 --> 00:32:50,449
Probably he was furious to all Catholics,
324
00:32:50,450 --> 00:32:53,959
but honestly, even I did not understand
325
00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:56,193
and could not justify our actions.
326
00:32:57,499 --> 00:33:00,879
(thunder rumbles)
327
00:33:00,880 --> 00:33:03,129
But what's done is done.
328
00:33:03,130 --> 00:33:06,203
At least I managed to acquire
some horses in Karnave,
329
00:33:07,380 --> 00:33:11,183
which will surely make our
journey easier and faster.
330
00:33:12,310 --> 00:33:14,349
I also stocked up on some goods
331
00:33:14,350 --> 00:33:17,133
that I intended to sell
for good profit elsewhere.
332
00:33:18,220 --> 00:33:19,449
The horse trader,
333
00:33:19,450 --> 00:33:22,279
well acquainted with the
neighboring territories,
334
00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:26,619
suggested I go north where many
rich castles could be found,
335
00:33:26,620 --> 00:33:29,660
and a great river called
the Daugava flows.
336
00:33:30,629 --> 00:33:33,546
(moody folk music)
337
00:34:00,860 --> 00:34:03,579
- [Narrator] In the
first century of our era,
338
00:34:03,580 --> 00:34:06,889
the Roman senator and historian Tacitus,
339
00:34:06,890 --> 00:34:09,929
in his famous work, Germania,
340
00:34:09,930 --> 00:34:13,696
described the ancestors
of the Baltic tribes as,
341
00:34:13,697 --> 00:34:17,686
"In producing of grain and
the other fruits of the earth,
342
00:34:17,687 --> 00:34:21,776
"they labor with more
assiduity and patience
343
00:34:21,777 --> 00:34:25,507
"than is suitable to the
usual laziness of Germans."
344
00:34:28,300 --> 00:34:31,609
To reach the renowned water
route of the River Daugava
345
00:34:31,610 --> 00:34:35,989
and its ports, Lars and his
men had to cross the forested
346
00:34:35,990 --> 00:34:38,939
and fertile territory of Selonia.
347
00:34:38,940 --> 00:34:42,589
During the 10th to the 13th
Centuries, the Selonian
348
00:34:42,590 --> 00:34:47,590
territory covered several
districts with about 30 hill forts
349
00:34:48,030 --> 00:34:50,830
and had its center in the city of Selpils.
350
00:35:32,411 --> 00:35:36,639
- [Lars] In Selonia, I witnessed
some unbelievable events
351
00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:38,990
that would have been
impossible in Christendom.
352
00:35:40,630 --> 00:35:44,139
During the summer solstice,
the pagans not only decorated
353
00:35:44,140 --> 00:35:47,379
their livestock guiding them
around fields and meadows,
354
00:35:47,380 --> 00:35:49,569
and singing all the while in the belief
355
00:35:49,570 --> 00:35:52,469
that this would ensure
a bountiful harvest,
356
00:35:52,470 --> 00:35:55,879
they also engaged in lewd debauchery
357
00:35:55,880 --> 00:35:58,673
that was not practiced
in their daily life.
358
00:35:59,840 --> 00:36:03,669
I felt as though a dam had suddenly burst,
359
00:36:03,670 --> 00:36:06,319
flooding the land with blasphemy,
360
00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:08,893
carrying away the women,
as well as the men.
361
00:36:10,630 --> 00:36:14,369
The pagans may have some wisdom
in the fact that the summer
362
00:36:14,370 --> 00:36:17,273
solstice is the best time
for a woman to conceive.
363
00:36:18,750 --> 00:36:21,539
Children then would be born in March,
364
00:36:21,540 --> 00:36:24,589
and therefore live the
first most vulnerable months
365
00:36:24,590 --> 00:36:27,899
of their lives in the
sun and warmth of spring.
366
00:36:27,900 --> 00:36:29,523
It's the same with the animals.
367
00:36:45,700 --> 00:36:48,219
- [Narrator] To prepare for
the mystery and spirit of the
368
00:36:48,220 --> 00:36:53,220
solstice celebration, various
aids were known to be used.
369
00:36:53,410 --> 00:36:56,569
Ethnographic materials
and folklore suggest
370
00:36:56,570 --> 00:37:00,103
that the Baltic tribes knew
psychotropic plants well.
371
00:37:00,980 --> 00:37:04,199
The meadows were home of one
of the most hallucinogenic
372
00:37:04,200 --> 00:37:08,029
mushrooms in the world, the liberty cap,
373
00:37:08,030 --> 00:37:11,829
while the forests were full
of fly agaric mushrooms,
374
00:37:11,830 --> 00:37:15,823
a favorite among Sami shams
and the neighboring vikings.
375
00:37:17,300 --> 00:37:20,319
It is possible that
hemp, mugwort, poppies,
376
00:37:20,320 --> 00:37:23,579
marsh Labrador tea, henbane and belladonna
377
00:37:23,580 --> 00:37:26,163
were also used in rituals and medicine.
378
00:37:28,510 --> 00:37:30,639
However, further research is needed
379
00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:33,573
into the ethnobotany of the ancient Balts.
380
00:38:14,489 --> 00:38:18,489
(psychedelic atmospheric music)
381
00:38:53,050 --> 00:38:55,467
(wings flap)
382
00:40:30,100 --> 00:40:32,767
(fire crackles)
383
00:40:35,630 --> 00:40:37,729
During the summer solstice,
384
00:40:37,730 --> 00:40:42,219
people celebrated the victory
of light over darkness.
385
00:40:42,220 --> 00:40:44,569
Fire symbolized the sun.
386
00:40:44,570 --> 00:40:49,463
The goddess of life,
fertility, warmth and health.
387
00:40:50,450 --> 00:40:53,679
During the longest day and
shortest night of the year,
388
00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:57,599
people participated in the
ritual of purification,
389
00:40:57,600 --> 00:41:02,249
signifying a simultaneous
ushering in of new life
390
00:41:02,250 --> 00:41:04,413
in a struggle against death.
391
00:41:05,440 --> 00:41:07,709
All societal groups were welcomed
392
00:41:07,710 --> 00:41:10,429
in the summer solstice celebrations.
393
00:41:10,430 --> 00:41:13,009
All were considered equal in their union
394
00:41:13,010 --> 00:41:16,030
with the supernatural
and among themselves.
395
00:41:56,538 --> 00:41:59,455
(moody folk music)
396
00:42:23,482 --> 00:42:26,149
(rooster crows)
397
00:42:56,920 --> 00:42:59,659
- [Lars] I felt very odd after the pagan
398
00:42:59,660 --> 00:43:01,123
solstice celebration.
399
00:43:02,020 --> 00:43:06,159
I couldn't put my finger on
it, but something had changed.
400
00:43:06,160 --> 00:43:10,129
The pagans truly lived
in unison with nature,
401
00:43:10,130 --> 00:43:11,273
and I felt it, too.
402
00:43:12,140 --> 00:43:15,393
It was as if everything was
permeated by the divine,
403
00:43:16,450 --> 00:43:17,703
and I was a part of it.
404
00:43:18,730 --> 00:43:21,739
And I wondered whether I
was truly the highest being
405
00:43:21,740 --> 00:43:25,103
on earth, or merely a
part of something greater.
406
00:43:34,360 --> 00:43:38,240
The journey ahead took us
to the land of Latgally
407
00:43:39,133 --> 00:43:43,069
and to the river of Daugava,
which was so wide and so deep,
408
00:43:43,070 --> 00:43:46,297
that we had to pay a
ferryman to get us across.
409
00:43:48,661 --> 00:43:50,939
(dark atmospheric music)
410
00:43:50,940 --> 00:43:52,829
- [Narrator] In the 13th Century,
411
00:43:52,830 --> 00:43:57,119
the Latgalians were the most
populace of the Baltic tribes
412
00:43:57,120 --> 00:44:02,120
with about 50 to 70,000 people
living in the territory.
413
00:44:02,430 --> 00:44:06,459
The river Daugava had long
been an important trade route
414
00:44:06,460 --> 00:44:10,689
between the Catholic west
and the Orthodox east.
415
00:44:10,690 --> 00:44:15,309
The Scandinavians, Slavs
and North Germanic merchants
416
00:44:15,310 --> 00:44:20,310
all used cunning, force or
advantageous offers of alliances
417
00:44:20,910 --> 00:44:24,339
to seize control of the Daugava waterway.
418
00:44:24,340 --> 00:44:28,309
The Latgalians who lived on
the banks of the river Daugava
419
00:44:28,310 --> 00:44:32,179
were often among the first to
suffer from their encounters
420
00:44:32,180 --> 00:44:36,083
with the merchants, Christian
priests and crusaders.
421
00:44:42,330 --> 00:44:45,999
In Latgally, Christianity
was spread by representatives
422
00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:49,589
of both the Catholic and Orthodox churches
423
00:44:49,590 --> 00:44:52,939
who fought over the souls
of the local pagans.
424
00:44:52,940 --> 00:44:55,469
Some of the Latgalian political elite
425
00:44:55,470 --> 00:44:59,019
voluntarily converted to
the teachings of Christ.
426
00:44:59,020 --> 00:45:01,709
Perhaps they sought to gain strong allies
427
00:45:01,710 --> 00:45:04,169
in the battle against neighboring tribes,
428
00:45:04,170 --> 00:45:07,849
or saw new opportunities
in a different world.
429
00:45:07,850 --> 00:45:10,573
One brought to them by foreigners.
430
00:45:25,090 --> 00:45:27,789
Enemies and allies often switched sides
431
00:45:27,790 --> 00:45:32,329
during the northern crusades,
depending on the situation.
432
00:45:32,330 --> 00:45:36,059
The Livonian chronicler,
Henry, describes a typical
433
00:45:36,060 --> 00:45:39,806
Latgalian and German
raid on Estonia lands.
434
00:45:39,807 --> 00:45:42,526
"They destroyed the surrounding land,
435
00:45:42,527 --> 00:45:44,896
"burned houses and villages,
436
00:45:44,897 --> 00:45:47,466
"captured and killed many pagans,
437
00:45:47,467 --> 00:45:49,773
"took women and children captive,
438
00:45:50,697 --> 00:45:53,326
"seized livestock and horses
439
00:45:53,327 --> 00:45:57,817
"and returned home seven
days later in good spirits."
440
00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:02,049
Captured young women and
girls were forced to become
441
00:46:02,050 --> 00:46:05,979
their wives, concubines or slaves.
442
00:46:05,980 --> 00:46:10,649
The heads of noble-born enemies
became valuable trophies
443
00:46:10,650 --> 00:46:14,089
that could later be sold back
to their families who were
444
00:46:14,090 --> 00:46:18,203
willing to pay to be able to
bury the deceased properly.
445
00:46:31,588 --> 00:46:34,505
(moody folk music)
446
00:46:35,740 --> 00:46:38,709
- [Lars] Even though I had
spent quite some time in
447
00:46:38,710 --> 00:46:43,237
the pagan lands, I had not
met German crusaders before.
448
00:46:44,760 --> 00:46:47,569
Kursaitis explained that
the pagans and crusaders
449
00:46:47,570 --> 00:46:50,659
sometimes joined forces in common raids.
450
00:46:50,660 --> 00:46:53,469
Both sides benefited,
increasing the prospect
451
00:46:53,470 --> 00:46:57,309
of defeating the enemy
and pillaging the goods.
452
00:46:57,310 --> 00:46:59,619
I couldn't understand how enemies
453
00:46:59,620 --> 00:47:01,283
could march together like this.
454
00:47:02,280 --> 00:47:05,699
But I suspected that
this unlikely alliance
455
00:47:05,700 --> 00:47:09,229
might have helped to spread
the teachings of Christ and
456
00:47:09,230 --> 00:47:13,553
plant God's vineyard in the
thicket of the pagans' forests.
457
00:47:17,822 --> 00:47:20,600
(percussive music)
458
00:47:20,601 --> 00:47:22,599
- [Narrator] The crusades
offered an opportunity
459
00:47:22,600 --> 00:47:25,669
for Christians to obtain land, wealth,
460
00:47:25,670 --> 00:47:28,259
and even aristocratic status.
461
00:47:28,260 --> 00:47:30,829
The plunder was perceived as just rewards
462
00:47:30,830 --> 00:47:34,369
for the difficult work of
spreading Christianity.
463
00:47:34,370 --> 00:47:37,099
Not everyone, however,
who joined the crusades
464
00:47:37,100 --> 00:47:40,779
to the pagan lands did so
solely out of of greed.
465
00:47:40,780 --> 00:47:44,899
The ideology for the
crusades was purposeful.
466
00:47:44,900 --> 00:47:47,999
The Catholic faith must
be brought to the pagans
467
00:47:48,000 --> 00:47:51,139
neighboring the holy Roman Empire.
468
00:47:51,140 --> 00:47:53,469
Crusaders fought in the pagan territories
469
00:47:53,470 --> 00:47:55,559
for the short-term, yet,
470
00:47:55,560 --> 00:47:58,239
in order to control the
conquered territories,
471
00:47:58,240 --> 00:48:01,109
they needed a permanent military force.
472
00:48:01,110 --> 00:48:03,629
Following the example
of the Knights Templar,
473
00:48:03,630 --> 00:48:06,969
the first order of knights
outside of the Mediterranean
474
00:48:06,970 --> 00:48:08,799
was founded in Riga.
475
00:48:08,800 --> 00:48:12,029
They were called the Livonian
Brothers of the Sword
476
00:48:12,030 --> 00:48:14,473
and were comprised of warrior monks.
477
00:48:21,190 --> 00:48:23,759
- [Lars] A holy father
invited us to spend the night
478
00:48:23,760 --> 00:48:26,039
in a crusader camp.
479
00:48:26,040 --> 00:48:30,519
My king, Valdemar the Victorious,
wanted to obtain lands
480
00:48:30,520 --> 00:48:32,043
along the coast of this sea.
481
00:48:33,080 --> 00:48:36,959
However, what I have
seen leads me to believe
482
00:48:36,960 --> 00:48:39,943
that it might be not as easy as he thinks.
483
00:48:41,770 --> 00:48:45,039
German merchants and crusaders
were already feeling quite at
484
00:48:45,040 --> 00:48:48,573
home in these lands and shared
their lives with the pagans.
485
00:48:49,640 --> 00:48:54,059
I saw how they split the
loot after a successful raid.
486
00:48:54,060 --> 00:48:56,939
Part of it was offered to the gods,
487
00:48:56,940 --> 00:48:59,309
and not just by the pagans,
488
00:48:59,310 --> 00:49:02,473
but by the believers of
the one true God as well.
489
00:49:04,310 --> 00:49:08,799
I was surprised by the actions
of my brothers of the cross.
490
00:49:08,800 --> 00:49:12,459
Even though there are Christians
in Denmark and elsewhere
491
00:49:12,460 --> 00:49:15,719
who still honor the
gods of their ancestors,
492
00:49:15,720 --> 00:49:19,313
to openly worship pagan gods seemed a sin.
493
00:49:20,580 --> 00:49:25,200
Even the holy father pretended
not to see these activities.
494
00:49:28,039 --> 00:49:31,539
(moody atmospheric music)
495
00:49:54,020 --> 00:49:56,749
- [Narrator] Lars' travels
brings him to a town on the banks
496
00:49:56,750 --> 00:50:00,609
of the river Ah, now known as the Galia.
497
00:50:00,610 --> 00:50:04,079
The lands around the Galia
and the Daugava were sparsely
498
00:50:04,080 --> 00:50:06,927
populated by the Finno-Ugric
tribes of Finns and Livonians
499
00:50:09,040 --> 00:50:13,119
whose ethnic roots are the
mixture of Balts, Scandinavians,
500
00:50:13,120 --> 00:50:14,393
and Baltic Finns.
501
00:50:16,220 --> 00:50:19,509
Although neither the Finns
nor the Livonians were Balts,
502
00:50:19,510 --> 00:50:23,349
the medieval history of the
Baltic lands is incomplete
503
00:50:23,350 --> 00:50:25,933
without the Finno-Ugric
peoples of the region.
504
00:50:33,629 --> 00:50:37,708
(dark atmospheric music)
505
00:50:37,709 --> 00:50:41,609
Finno-Ugric peoples held
an animistic world view.
506
00:50:41,610 --> 00:50:43,869
Everything in nature was interconnected
507
00:50:43,870 --> 00:50:45,673
and had an immortal soul.
508
00:50:46,680 --> 00:50:50,359
The Balts may have adopted
their myths of many goddesses
509
00:50:50,360 --> 00:50:55,269
such as the earth, forest,
wind and sea mothers,
510
00:50:55,270 --> 00:50:57,170
directly from the Finns and Livonians.
511
00:50:58,630 --> 00:51:00,789
The pagan form of god worship
512
00:51:00,790 --> 00:51:04,733
was showing reverence to
nature in all its forms.
513
00:51:06,370 --> 00:51:10,729
It is believed that pagans
didn't idolize trees, rocks
514
00:51:10,730 --> 00:51:14,389
and hills as literal and tangible things.
515
00:51:14,390 --> 00:51:18,209
The objects of their worship
were similar to windows,
516
00:51:18,210 --> 00:51:22,199
simultaneously visible and transparent.
517
00:51:22,200 --> 00:51:25,989
Natural objects served
as a material mediator
518
00:51:25,990 --> 00:51:29,543
through which perception
was connected to revelation.
519
00:51:30,779 --> 00:51:33,696
(moody folk music)
520
00:51:54,570 --> 00:51:58,289
- [Lars] I found myself in a
large Livonian trading center
521
00:51:58,290 --> 00:52:00,829
not far from a castle called Turaida,
522
00:52:00,830 --> 00:52:02,983
also known as the Garden of Thor.
523
00:52:05,330 --> 00:52:08,559
I exchanged a few words
with the salt merchant
524
00:52:08,560 --> 00:52:10,733
who had come here from the German lands.
525
00:52:11,723 --> 00:52:15,119
He complained how difficult it
was to trade with the pagans
526
00:52:15,120 --> 00:52:19,009
because every ruler wanted
to collect a fee on goods
527
00:52:19,010 --> 00:52:20,260
passing through his land.
528
00:52:22,610 --> 00:52:26,319
As a merchant, I understood
him well and shared his hopes
529
00:52:26,320 --> 00:52:29,083
that these lands would
soon be brought to order.
530
00:52:30,450 --> 00:52:33,789
I didn't know the many local tongues,
531
00:52:33,790 --> 00:52:36,569
but this was no obstacle for trading.
532
00:52:36,570 --> 00:52:39,463
Sign language was used all over the world.
533
00:52:53,900 --> 00:52:56,089
- [Narrator] Goods could
be paid for by barter
534
00:52:56,090 --> 00:53:01,090
with valuable wax or salt
which was easily measurable.
535
00:53:01,210 --> 00:53:04,599
The unit of currency in
the Baltic Sea region
536
00:53:04,600 --> 00:53:09,600
was a roughly 200-gram piece
of silver called the osse ring.
537
00:53:10,130 --> 00:53:13,943
Smaller units of currency
were simply chopped off of it.
538
00:53:14,990 --> 00:53:19,489
The term osse ring is believed
to have meant horse's ring,
539
00:53:19,490 --> 00:53:22,439
as one osse ring was worth one horse.
540
00:53:22,440 --> 00:53:25,299
In the 13th century Baltic Sea region,
541
00:53:25,300 --> 00:53:30,179
one horse was equal to
three cows, 20 sheep,
542
00:53:30,180 --> 00:53:32,733
10 pigs or one slave.
543
00:53:36,800 --> 00:53:39,529
- [Lars] I had decided to bring beeswax,
544
00:53:39,530 --> 00:53:43,039
a famed good of pagan
lands, back to Denmark.
545
00:53:43,040 --> 00:53:46,139
With many forest bee trees
on this side of the sea,
546
00:53:46,140 --> 00:53:48,939
wax was much cheaper.
547
00:53:48,940 --> 00:53:51,799
I had heard that most
churches, monasteries,
548
00:53:51,800 --> 00:53:55,309
and manner houses in Western
Europe were lit with wax
549
00:53:55,310 --> 00:53:58,849
gathered by the Balts on their routes.
550
00:53:58,850 --> 00:54:02,489
I successfully traded my
remaining blades and spear tips
551
00:54:02,490 --> 00:54:04,889
for a few wheels of beeswax.
552
00:54:04,890 --> 00:54:07,119
I was planning on making quite a fortune
553
00:54:07,120 --> 00:54:08,613
by selling them in Denmark.
554
00:54:10,430 --> 00:54:13,459
I wished to spend a small
share of this fortune
555
00:54:13,460 --> 00:54:15,459
for my own enjoyment.
556
00:54:15,460 --> 00:54:19,629
In addition to high-demand
goods such as furs, grains,
557
00:54:19,630 --> 00:54:24,630
linen and hemp, the Turaida
market also offered slave women.
558
00:54:28,350 --> 00:54:31,289
Kursaitis saw a familiar face among them
559
00:54:31,290 --> 00:54:33,779
and had pointed her out to me.
560
00:54:33,780 --> 00:54:36,919
I was surprised to
recognize the second wife
561
00:54:36,920 --> 00:54:38,503
of the Galindian landlord.
562
00:54:39,450 --> 00:54:41,913
She had apparently been sold into slavery.
563
00:54:43,290 --> 00:54:44,879
But I couldn't imagine this woman
564
00:54:44,880 --> 00:54:47,329
in either my bed or in my house.
565
00:54:47,330 --> 00:54:51,569
So I chose another slave
girl, pleasing to the eye and,
566
00:54:51,570 --> 00:54:56,207
as the merchant claimed,
subservient and obedient by nature.
567
00:55:00,612 --> 00:55:03,029
(horn blows)
568
00:55:11,495 --> 00:55:14,974
(horn blows)
(peaceful atmospheric music)
569
00:55:14,975 --> 00:55:17,329
I had seen enough of the pagan lands,
570
00:55:17,330 --> 00:55:19,829
so it was time to return home.
571
00:55:19,830 --> 00:55:22,239
I decided to head down the river
572
00:55:22,240 --> 00:55:24,109
towards the port city of Riga
573
00:55:24,110 --> 00:55:28,049
where I was bound to find
passage to Danish lands
574
00:55:28,050 --> 00:55:29,680
before the sea froze over.
575
00:55:35,666 --> 00:55:37,979
- [Narrator] Riga should be
viewed in a separate category
576
00:55:37,980 --> 00:55:42,069
from the other cities Lars
had visited on his journey.
577
00:55:42,070 --> 00:55:46,289
The influx of Germanic,
Gotlandic and Danish merchants
578
00:55:46,290 --> 00:55:50,889
had merged two small Livonian
settlements, forming Riga,
579
00:55:50,890 --> 00:55:54,453
the metropolis of the
future state of Livonia.
580
00:55:55,710 --> 00:55:59,539
In just a few decades, Riga's
dolomite wall was built
581
00:55:59,540 --> 00:56:03,719
to protect merchant homesteads
and warehouses, churches,
582
00:56:03,720 --> 00:56:06,869
monasteries, multiple castles.
583
00:56:06,870 --> 00:56:09,969
Written sources poetically describe Riga
584
00:56:09,970 --> 00:56:13,359
as a colonial outpost in hostile lands,
585
00:56:13,360 --> 00:56:18,303
and a Christian citadel erected
boldly in Satan's territory.
586
00:56:19,244 --> 00:56:20,439
(gulls squawk)
587
00:56:20,440 --> 00:56:23,889
The origins of the city of
Riga as a Christian center
588
00:56:23,890 --> 00:56:26,599
date back to the early 13th Century,
589
00:56:26,600 --> 00:56:30,273
when Christianity arrived
on German merchant ships.
590
00:56:31,580 --> 00:56:34,709
The merchants did not come
to baptize the native pagans,
591
00:56:34,710 --> 00:56:37,009
but rather, to manage trading routes
592
00:56:37,010 --> 00:56:38,310
into the land of the Rus'.
593
00:56:39,520 --> 00:56:43,329
The timing of the crusades was
advantageous to the merchants
594
00:56:43,330 --> 00:56:46,509
enabling them to help subdue these lands
595
00:56:46,510 --> 00:56:48,643
under the guise of spreading Christianity.
596
00:56:50,564 --> 00:56:54,647
(solemn chanting music in Latin)
597
00:57:10,350 --> 00:57:13,419
Since the Livonians and the
Finns were the first tribes
598
00:57:13,420 --> 00:57:17,419
to encounter the merchants,
they were also the first tribes
599
00:57:17,420 --> 00:57:20,239
on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea
600
00:57:20,240 --> 00:57:22,943
to be forced to adopt the Christian faith.
601
00:57:25,400 --> 00:57:29,259
Historical evidence regarding
the baptizing of local pagans
602
00:57:29,260 --> 00:57:32,889
is contradictory and
describes both willing
603
00:57:32,890 --> 00:57:35,703
and enforced conversions to Christianity.
604
00:57:37,780 --> 00:57:41,139
The Chronicle of Henry of
Livonia describes a day
605
00:57:41,140 --> 00:57:44,713
when Christian priests
baptized the pagans in mass.
606
00:57:46,280 --> 00:57:51,019
More often, however, the
Christian faith was unwelcome.
607
00:57:51,020 --> 00:57:53,819
The same chronicle
describes the disobedience
608
00:57:53,820 --> 00:57:57,949
of newly baptized
Livonians who, afterwards,
609
00:57:57,950 --> 00:58:01,609
cleansed themselves of the
baptism in the Daugava,
610
00:58:01,610 --> 00:58:05,513
believing they were sending
Christianity back to Germany.
611
00:58:16,573 --> 00:58:21,573
(moody folk music)
(background chatter)
612
00:58:23,687 --> 00:58:26,437
(water splashes)
613
00:58:42,240 --> 00:58:44,229
- [Lars] It was a surprising coincidence
614
00:58:44,230 --> 00:58:46,393
that I met my father's friend in Riga.
615
00:58:47,260 --> 00:58:49,349
The same merchant I had already met
616
00:58:49,350 --> 00:58:51,253
in the struggling town of Truso.
617
00:58:53,120 --> 00:58:55,259
He told me that Riga would soon resemble
618
00:58:55,260 --> 00:58:58,023
the largest cities of Denmark and Gotland.
619
00:58:59,380 --> 00:59:02,379
He urged me to establish
ties quickly and to make
620
00:59:02,380 --> 00:59:05,909
arrangements with local German
and Gotlandian merchants,
621
00:59:05,910 --> 00:59:08,889
explaining that the Germans
would soon take control
622
00:59:08,890 --> 00:59:10,829
of the Daugava waterway,
623
00:59:10,830 --> 00:59:14,653
securing the trade route to
the Rus' and Constantinople.
624
00:59:15,640 --> 00:59:19,319
In the marketplace, I ran
over a theater performance.
625
00:59:19,320 --> 00:59:22,149
It was a traveling acting
company which used a translator
626
00:59:22,150 --> 00:59:24,649
to present the play in the local language.
627
00:59:24,650 --> 00:59:27,969
By my reckoning, the play
was about the prophets
628
00:59:27,970 --> 00:59:30,409
and the origins of Christianity.
629
00:59:30,410 --> 00:59:34,949
But when my eyes met with
pagan eyes, I could clearly see
630
00:59:34,950 --> 00:59:37,600
that they did not understand
the purpose of the play.
631
00:59:38,440 --> 00:59:42,359
They were being shown the way
to true peace and eternal life
632
00:59:42,360 --> 00:59:45,769
but all they could see
with their devilish eyes
633
00:59:45,770 --> 00:59:49,683
was filthy entertainment
that caused mad laughter.
634
01:00:10,540 --> 01:00:13,649
After the long and difficult
journey through the pagan lands
635
01:00:13,650 --> 01:00:15,279
I was exhausted.
636
01:00:15,280 --> 01:00:19,339
Obviously, my body's fluids
had become corrupted, so I
637
01:00:19,340 --> 01:00:23,169
decided to go to the nearby
Daugavgriva Cistercian Abbey
638
01:00:23,170 --> 01:00:27,273
to see the monks who knew how
to heal both spirit and flesh.
639
01:00:30,351 --> 01:00:34,434
(solemn chanting music in Latin)
640
01:01:00,800 --> 01:01:04,439
- [Narrator] In Medieval Europe,
phlebotomy or bloodletting,
641
01:01:04,440 --> 01:01:07,479
was the cornerstone of early medicine.
642
01:01:07,480 --> 01:01:10,819
It was a widely-recognized
method of treatment
643
01:01:10,820 --> 01:01:14,109
grounded in the assumption
that a person was healed
644
01:01:14,110 --> 01:01:17,193
after harmful fluids were
drained from the body.
645
01:01:18,360 --> 01:01:19,899
Bloodletting was used to treat
646
01:01:19,900 --> 01:01:23,009
almost all internal and external ailments
647
01:01:23,010 --> 01:01:26,113
and was also used as a
preventive treatment.
648
01:01:45,150 --> 01:01:46,589
- [Lars] I must say that my strength
649
01:01:46,590 --> 01:01:49,279
had not yet returned to my body,
650
01:01:49,280 --> 01:01:52,303
but my spirit was strong and
I was ready to head home.
651
01:01:53,860 --> 01:01:56,049
We were on our way back to Riga
652
01:01:56,050 --> 01:01:58,503
when an unexpected misfortune befell us.
653
01:01:59,376 --> 01:02:04,061
(dramatic music)
(crows squawk)
654
01:02:04,062 --> 01:02:06,475
(men yell)
655
01:02:06,476 --> 01:02:09,059
(steel clangs)
656
01:02:42,750 --> 01:02:46,349
- [Narrator] Historical
records mention several raids
657
01:02:46,350 --> 01:02:50,669
near the Riga city walls
in early 13th Century
658
01:02:50,670 --> 01:02:54,029
by Estonians from the island of Osil,
659
01:02:54,030 --> 01:02:58,449
or as they are called in
the Chronicles, Osilians.
660
01:02:58,450 --> 01:03:01,879
They were particularly
cruel towards Christians.
661
01:03:01,880 --> 01:03:04,199
They tortured German preachers,
662
01:03:04,200 --> 01:03:08,053
kidnapped newly-baptized
Livonians, and stole their cattle.
663
01:03:20,380 --> 01:03:25,156
Lars is captured and taken
by ship to Estonian lands.
664
01:03:25,157 --> 01:03:28,459
The Estonians are a
Baltic Finno-Ugric people
665
01:03:28,460 --> 01:03:30,909
related to the Livonians and the Finns
666
01:03:30,910 --> 01:03:35,139
and are known as either
mainlanders or islanders.
667
01:03:35,140 --> 01:03:37,579
The Osilians were the most difficult
668
01:03:37,580 --> 01:03:39,669
for the Christians to conquer.
669
01:03:39,670 --> 01:03:44,029
In the 13th Century,
Valdemar II of Denmark,
670
01:03:44,030 --> 01:03:46,899
the Swedish Army and the Bishop of Riga,
671
01:03:46,900 --> 01:03:49,589
with the Livonian Brothers of the Sword,
672
01:03:49,590 --> 01:03:52,349
made several attempts to conquer them.
673
01:03:52,350 --> 01:03:55,909
The Osilians' ability
to resist the crusaders
674
01:03:55,910 --> 01:03:59,619
may have been due to their
military organization,
675
01:03:59,620 --> 01:04:03,599
the geographic placement
of Osil, or possibly,
676
01:04:03,600 --> 01:04:07,049
bravery based on their
belief in the protection
677
01:04:07,050 --> 01:04:09,363
and might of pagan gods.
678
01:04:11,850 --> 01:04:14,509
The names of various gods and deities
679
01:04:14,510 --> 01:04:18,289
live on in Estonian folklore to this day.
680
01:04:18,290 --> 01:04:21,209
An ancient myth says that
the world spun around
681
01:04:21,210 --> 01:04:26,210
an eternal tree to which the
sky was nailed with stars.
682
01:04:26,290 --> 01:04:30,439
The Milky Way, or as the
Estonians say, the Bird's Way,
683
01:04:30,440 --> 01:04:33,759
was a branch of this tree
along which birds carried
684
01:04:33,760 --> 01:04:36,989
the souls of the dead into other worlds.
685
01:04:36,990 --> 01:04:40,339
Similar animistic myths about
the structure of the world
686
01:04:40,340 --> 01:04:43,119
are found in other Finno-Ugric cultures,
687
01:04:43,120 --> 01:04:45,219
all the way to Lapland.
688
01:04:45,220 --> 01:04:47,689
The ancient chronicles contain references
689
01:04:47,690 --> 01:04:50,629
to the Estonian supreme god, Tharapita,
690
01:04:50,630 --> 01:04:54,361
who flew over the sea and landed on Osil.
691
01:04:54,362 --> 01:04:59,362
(flies buzz)
(dark atmospheric music)
692
01:05:19,750 --> 01:05:23,515
- [Lars] Unlike my less
fortunate companions,
693
01:05:23,516 --> 01:05:25,653
the Osilian raiders did not kill me.
694
01:05:26,610 --> 01:05:29,699
I think the death of my
father's friend was also
695
01:05:29,700 --> 01:05:33,669
an unfortunate accident, as
the scoundrels would have
696
01:05:33,670 --> 01:05:36,903
received a much higher
ransom for two Danish men.
697
01:05:38,540 --> 01:05:41,769
Once a well-respected, honorable merchant,
698
01:05:41,770 --> 01:05:43,533
I had now become a slave.
699
01:05:45,890 --> 01:05:48,339
We were treated almost like cattle.
700
01:05:48,340 --> 01:05:50,199
We were not treated poorly.
701
01:05:50,200 --> 01:05:52,633
Though the food could have been better.
702
01:06:06,280 --> 01:06:08,879
I spent several years in slavery,
703
01:06:08,880 --> 01:06:12,299
and abandoned any hope that my
family would ever buy me out
704
01:06:12,300 --> 01:06:14,173
of this humiliating servitude.
705
01:06:15,570 --> 01:06:16,959
Other prisoners,
706
01:06:16,960 --> 01:06:19,639
who had already spent
some times in captivity,
707
01:06:19,640 --> 01:06:22,739
told me that slaves
who did their work well
708
01:06:22,740 --> 01:06:26,083
could even be promoted to
overseer of the household.
709
01:06:27,410 --> 01:06:29,683
So, I did the best I could.
710
01:06:31,030 --> 01:06:33,429
I learned the local language,
711
01:06:33,430 --> 01:06:36,939
by working for an Osilian
blacksmith near Tuyu
712
01:06:36,940 --> 01:06:40,743
where locals mined ore
and smelted it into iron.
713
01:06:41,710 --> 01:06:46,079
I never thought about where
and how iron was obtained
714
01:06:46,080 --> 01:06:47,533
when I traded blades.
715
01:06:48,560 --> 01:06:52,709
The digging and smelting
of swamp ore on Osil
716
01:06:52,710 --> 01:06:55,759
was some of the hardest
work I had ever done.
717
01:06:55,760 --> 01:06:59,959
Sometimes, the furnace we had
built just outside the forest
718
01:06:59,960 --> 01:07:03,209
had to be pumped with
bellows for several days
719
01:07:03,210 --> 01:07:06,297
before the iron bits
separated from the ore.
720
01:07:15,997 --> 01:07:18,159
It was easier in the smithy,
721
01:07:18,160 --> 01:07:21,149
where all I did was
bring firewood and water,
722
01:07:21,150 --> 01:07:23,679
keep the fire going in the forge,
723
01:07:23,680 --> 01:07:26,149
pump bellows for several hours,
724
01:07:26,150 --> 01:07:29,489
and help the blacksmith
in various other ways.
725
01:07:29,490 --> 01:07:32,539
In time, I came to love the blacksmith,
726
01:07:32,540 --> 01:07:35,979
and he became almost like a father to me,
727
01:07:35,980 --> 01:07:38,173
or perhaps even a mother.
728
01:07:41,240 --> 01:07:43,869
The blacksmith was also well respected,
729
01:07:43,870 --> 01:07:46,459
and held high esteem in the village.
730
01:07:46,460 --> 01:07:49,259
No wonder, the horses were always shoed,
731
01:07:49,260 --> 01:07:52,909
and women adorned themselves
with bronze jewelry
732
01:07:52,910 --> 01:07:55,249
and sewed clothes with needles.
733
01:07:55,250 --> 01:07:58,179
Yet, my master's most
highly esteemed skill
734
01:07:58,180 --> 01:07:59,749
was that of forging weapons.
735
01:07:59,750 --> 01:08:02,869
For an Osilian's life was unimaginable
736
01:08:02,870 --> 01:08:06,559
without a blood-stained sword in his hand.
737
01:08:06,560 --> 01:08:08,810
(men yell)
738
01:08:11,368 --> 01:08:14,519
- [Narrator] Written sources
describe Estonians from Osil
739
01:08:14,520 --> 01:08:17,849
as the most wicked enemies
of the Christianity.
740
01:08:17,850 --> 01:08:20,009
The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia
741
01:08:20,010 --> 01:08:22,159
describes a cruel incident.
742
01:08:22,160 --> 01:08:24,189
Estonians ripped out the heart
743
01:08:24,190 --> 01:08:26,709
of a Christian castle overseer.
744
01:08:26,710 --> 01:08:30,559
They cooked it over a fire,
divided it amongst themselves,
745
01:08:30,560 --> 01:08:33,469
and ate it so that they
would become courageous
746
01:08:33,470 --> 01:08:35,039
against Christians.
747
01:08:35,040 --> 01:08:38,713
His flesh, they fed to the dogs
and to the birds of the sky.
748
01:08:39,640 --> 01:08:42,159
We will never know whether
this really happened or was it
749
01:08:42,160 --> 01:08:44,973
written to scare with the
wickedness of the pagans.
750
01:08:47,168 --> 01:08:49,501
(men grunt)
751
01:08:53,980 --> 01:08:56,859
- [Lars] In the animal
world, the weaker exist
752
01:08:56,860 --> 01:08:58,743
only as food for the stronger.
753
01:08:59,850 --> 01:09:02,443
The pagans thought in much the same way.
754
01:09:03,480 --> 01:09:06,549
The raiders considered the
settlements of other tribes
755
01:09:06,550 --> 01:09:11,229
as places to be plundered for
captives, cattle, weapons,
756
01:09:11,230 --> 01:09:12,230
and other goods.
757
01:09:13,030 --> 01:09:16,383
If they did not do so, someone else would.
758
01:09:19,580 --> 01:09:22,899
I was brought along on
raids as an interpreter
759
01:09:22,900 --> 01:09:25,833
to negotiate ransoms with
the captives' relatives.
760
01:09:26,920 --> 01:09:27,963
This was not easy,
761
01:09:28,850 --> 01:09:31,363
as I saw the grief and
suffering we caused.
762
01:09:32,240 --> 01:09:36,449
But I had learned a simple truth
in my time with the pagans.
763
01:09:36,450 --> 01:09:39,620
If you run with the wolves,
you must howl with them.
764
01:09:40,880 --> 01:09:44,119
As soon as their eyes
retreated from the sea,
765
01:09:44,120 --> 01:09:45,593
the Osilians went raiding.
766
01:09:46,510 --> 01:09:48,879
They often joined forces
with their neighbors,
767
01:09:48,880 --> 01:09:49,880
the Curonians.
768
01:09:51,720 --> 01:09:53,909
Returning from one of our raids,
769
01:09:53,910 --> 01:09:57,263
we docked on the Curonian
shore to divide the booty.
770
01:09:58,200 --> 01:10:01,809
I had begun to feel like I
belonged with the Osilians,
771
01:10:01,810 --> 01:10:04,563
but I was sold, like a simple animal.
772
01:10:05,539 --> 01:10:09,159
(moody folk music)
773
01:10:09,160 --> 01:10:12,779
- [Narrator] Lars has
arrived in Curonian lands.
774
01:10:12,780 --> 01:10:16,529
The territory of ancient
Courland consisted of several
775
01:10:16,530 --> 01:10:19,887
kingdoms formed around castles
or (speaks foreign language).
776
01:10:21,670 --> 01:10:24,059
Scandinavian merchants and artisans
777
01:10:24,060 --> 01:10:26,669
had been building settlements in Courland
778
01:10:26,670 --> 01:10:30,529
since the middle of the first
millennium and established
779
01:10:30,530 --> 01:10:34,889
close trade relations
with the nearby Gotland.
780
01:10:34,890 --> 01:10:38,359
Yet, written sources mention
wars and raids between
781
01:10:38,360 --> 01:10:43,360
the Curonians, Swedes and Danes
more frequently than trade.
782
01:10:44,428 --> 01:10:49,428
(dark atmospheric music)
(people whine)
783
01:10:50,470 --> 01:10:52,439
For several centuries,
784
01:10:52,440 --> 01:10:56,259
the Curonians partially
ruled the Baltic Sea,
785
01:10:56,260 --> 01:10:59,279
but from the 13th Century onwards,
786
01:10:59,280 --> 01:11:03,279
North German merchants took
advantage of the crusades
787
01:11:03,280 --> 01:11:07,309
to gain control of the old trade routes
788
01:11:07,310 --> 01:11:10,853
that later turned into
the Hanseatic League.
789
01:11:11,860 --> 01:11:14,709
Sensing that their
former might was fading,
790
01:11:14,710 --> 01:11:19,710
the Curonians attacked the
Christian center, Riga, in 1210.
791
01:11:20,310 --> 01:11:24,879
After a three-day siege,
crusader reinforcements arrived,
792
01:11:24,880 --> 01:11:27,749
forcing the Curonians to retreat.
793
01:11:27,750 --> 01:11:32,149
They gathered their fallen and
spent three more days nearby,
794
01:11:32,150 --> 01:11:34,423
mourning and burning their dead.
795
01:12:09,560 --> 01:12:12,059
- [Lars] The Curonians
were like wild beasts.
796
01:12:12,060 --> 01:12:15,119
They would not give up their
forest and be domesticated
797
01:12:15,120 --> 01:12:17,393
to live like cattle with foreign masters.
798
01:12:18,640 --> 01:12:21,489
But they had learned the
same simple truth I had.
799
01:12:21,490 --> 01:12:24,533
If you can't beat them, join them.
800
01:12:26,110 --> 01:12:28,439
Hoping to avoid terrible bloodshed,
801
01:12:28,440 --> 01:12:32,369
and endless battles against
the Germans, Danes and Swedes,
802
01:12:32,370 --> 01:12:35,339
the Curonians adopted the Christian faith
803
01:12:35,340 --> 01:12:36,673
with the Pope's blessing.
804
01:12:41,480 --> 01:12:44,397
(moody folk music)
805
01:12:57,240 --> 01:13:00,349
Yet it was clear to me that
the Curonians only called
806
01:13:00,350 --> 01:13:03,969
themselves Christians to
fool their foreign masters,
807
01:13:03,970 --> 01:13:06,289
because the pagans were
not about to forget
808
01:13:06,290 --> 01:13:08,549
their ancestral gods.
809
01:13:08,550 --> 01:13:12,049
Moreover, at the time
of the winter solstice,
810
01:13:12,050 --> 01:13:15,170
I witnessed the Curonians
hunting in their sacred forest
811
01:13:16,100 --> 01:13:19,239
where, during the previous
year, they never killed a beast,
812
01:13:19,240 --> 01:13:21,849
nor did they fell a single tree.
813
01:13:21,850 --> 01:13:25,219
During the solstice, the
shortest day of the year,
814
01:13:25,220 --> 01:13:27,339
the pagans wore masks,
815
01:13:27,340 --> 01:13:31,309
believing they held the
spirits of their ancestors,
816
01:13:31,310 --> 01:13:34,329
which let them communicate
with their dead relatives
817
01:13:34,330 --> 01:13:35,493
and the gods of nature.
818
01:13:36,590 --> 01:13:40,249
Lamikins had heard that the
neighboring tribe, Samogitians,
819
01:13:40,250 --> 01:13:43,909
were preparing a battle
against the German crusaders.
820
01:13:43,910 --> 01:13:46,589
So he offered to sell a
large number of weapons
821
01:13:46,590 --> 01:13:48,977
to the Samogitian Duke, Vykintas.
822
01:13:50,220 --> 01:13:52,689
Although they often quarreled and warred,
823
01:13:52,690 --> 01:13:56,709
this was no obstacle to a
mutually beneficial deal.
824
01:13:56,710 --> 01:13:59,589
I would laugh, if I weren't crying,
825
01:13:59,590 --> 01:14:02,319
at how remarkably and insistently
826
01:14:02,320 --> 01:14:05,449
fate kept throwing obstacles in my way.
827
01:14:05,450 --> 01:14:10,003
Lamikins sold me for a wine
skin full of expensive wine.
828
01:14:30,419 --> 01:14:34,002
(somber atmospheric music)
829
01:14:59,107 --> 01:15:03,849
And so, in the winter of
the year of our lord, 1235,
830
01:15:03,850 --> 01:15:05,639
I was sent to Samogitia,
831
01:15:05,640 --> 01:15:08,203
along with a Curonian shipment of weapons.
832
01:15:09,080 --> 01:15:12,819
Duke Vykintas rode ahead with
his riders and village elders,
833
01:15:12,820 --> 01:15:15,309
and we followed behind more slowly,
834
01:15:15,310 --> 01:15:17,983
as we were encumbered
by the amount of goods.
835
01:15:33,290 --> 01:15:35,519
On the way, I once again realized
836
01:15:35,520 --> 01:15:37,969
that the given word was not to be trusted.
837
01:15:37,970 --> 01:15:40,959
The Samogitians could
expect kindness, hospitality
838
01:15:40,960 --> 01:15:45,889
and care from Lamikins, but
despite the agreed upon truce,
839
01:15:45,890 --> 01:15:49,069
my companions attacked
simple Curonian folk
840
01:15:49,070 --> 01:15:51,903
fishing on the ice and
robbed them of their catch.
841
01:15:53,480 --> 01:15:56,469
But such was the custom and the Curonians
842
01:15:56,470 --> 01:15:59,803
would not have acted any
differently, given the opportunity.
843
01:16:41,930 --> 01:16:45,029
Our path was difficult and dangerous,
844
01:16:45,030 --> 01:16:48,093
as the ice had become
fragile after the thaw.
845
01:16:50,820 --> 01:16:54,959
It was no surprise that it
could not hold so many people,
846
01:16:54,960 --> 01:16:56,793
and some of us fell through.
847
01:17:01,100 --> 01:17:04,873
One unfortunate man met
his end in the icy water.
848
01:17:06,750 --> 01:17:09,339
If he was baptized, he
would have been brought
849
01:17:09,340 --> 01:17:12,073
back to his family for a proper burial.
850
01:17:13,000 --> 01:17:17,029
But nobody cared about the
body of a pathetic servant.
851
01:17:17,030 --> 01:17:20,123
So, we left him to the wolves.
852
01:17:36,110 --> 01:17:39,839
- [Narrator] Lars, now a carrier of goods,
853
01:17:39,840 --> 01:17:43,039
was on the road to Samogitian lands.
854
01:17:43,040 --> 01:17:46,569
As the story suggests,
many of the Baltic peoples
855
01:17:46,570 --> 01:17:50,129
fought fiercely against the
preachers of Christianity.
856
01:17:50,130 --> 01:17:53,229
Samogitia too was turned
into a battlefield during the
857
01:17:53,230 --> 01:17:58,169
crusades and they fought fiercely
for 200 years to hold back
858
01:17:58,170 --> 01:18:01,579
the expansion of the
State of Teutonic Order.
859
01:18:01,580 --> 01:18:05,259
The Samogitians are considered
to be the last pagan tribe
860
01:18:05,260 --> 01:18:09,873
of Europe, adopting Christianity
only in the 15th Century.
861
01:18:11,660 --> 01:18:14,799
Their settlements were
surrounded by thick forests
862
01:18:14,800 --> 01:18:19,649
and deep, expansive marshes
with hidden underwater paths,
863
01:18:19,650 --> 01:18:22,119
known only to the locals,
864
01:18:22,120 --> 01:18:26,189
and providing good
defense against invaders.
865
01:18:26,190 --> 01:18:30,119
This terrain was easier to
traverse during the winter.
866
01:18:30,120 --> 01:18:33,793
So most trading and fighting
usually occurred then.
867
01:18:47,820 --> 01:18:50,699
- [Lars] I reached the Samogitian village
868
01:18:50,700 --> 01:18:52,383
during time of mourning.
869
01:18:53,860 --> 01:18:56,889
After all I had seen in the pagan lands,
870
01:18:56,890 --> 01:18:59,103
the sight did not surprise me.
871
01:19:01,310 --> 01:19:05,069
The body of the deceased was
dressed in ceremonial clothes
872
01:19:05,070 --> 01:19:08,949
and footwear and was seated
at the table with the living,
873
01:19:08,950 --> 01:19:10,999
taking part in the funeral feast
874
01:19:11,000 --> 01:19:13,663
while his kin ate, drank and feasted.
875
01:19:15,510 --> 01:19:18,939
People lamented throughout the evening,
876
01:19:18,940 --> 01:19:21,079
and the relatives wailed and listed
877
01:19:21,080 --> 01:19:23,453
the worldly possessions of the deceased.
878
01:19:24,380 --> 01:19:28,589
Namely his wife, children,
sheep, cows, horses, geese
879
01:19:28,590 --> 01:19:30,189
and other goods.
880
01:19:30,190 --> 01:19:32,659
They drank all night
and asked the deceased
881
01:19:32,660 --> 01:19:35,783
to pass their regards onto
their friends in the beyond.
882
01:19:36,860 --> 01:19:40,913
I suppose the deceased
was the only one silent.
883
01:19:52,820 --> 01:19:56,993
I was still a stranger, so I
was not allowed to come near.
884
01:19:58,650 --> 01:20:02,179
I watched from afar as
they finished their drinks
885
01:20:02,180 --> 01:20:04,569
and tossed the vessels into the grave
886
01:20:04,570 --> 01:20:07,963
along with a loaf of bread,
some salt and weapons.
887
01:20:09,260 --> 01:20:12,339
I heard talk of a fee the
deceased would have to pay
888
01:20:12,340 --> 01:20:16,789
the ferryman for passage
across the underworld river.
889
01:20:16,790 --> 01:20:20,533
So they placed jewelry and
silver coins next to the ashes.
890
01:20:22,430 --> 01:20:25,023
After so many years in the pagan lands,
891
01:20:26,000 --> 01:20:29,079
I no longer knew to whom I belonged.
892
01:20:29,080 --> 01:20:31,463
The Christians or the pagans?
893
01:20:33,160 --> 01:20:36,509
I sometimes wondered
whether the pagan gods
894
01:20:36,510 --> 01:20:40,299
weren't just part of our one great God,
895
01:20:40,300 --> 01:20:43,439
and whether their sacred hills and forests
896
01:20:43,440 --> 01:20:47,349
weren't like churches and
their solstice festivals
897
01:20:47,350 --> 01:20:50,933
celebrations of the birth of our savior.
898
01:20:51,770 --> 01:20:55,459
These thoughts frightened
me, so I fended them off,
899
01:20:55,460 --> 01:20:59,307
for they will surely condemn
me to hell, as a Christian.
900
01:21:03,650 --> 01:21:06,067
(horn blows)
901
01:21:17,625 --> 01:21:21,239
A large force of crusaders
had landed on the seashore.
902
01:21:21,240 --> 01:21:24,679
Seeking allies, Samogitian Duke, Vykintas,
903
01:21:24,680 --> 01:21:28,329
sent envoys to the neighboring
Semigallian region of Tarta
904
01:21:28,330 --> 01:21:30,949
hoping to make an alliance
and to devise a plan
905
01:21:30,950 --> 01:21:33,823
with his former rivals to
drive the crusaders off.
906
01:21:36,700 --> 01:21:39,209
Strange feeling came over me when I heard
907
01:21:39,210 --> 01:21:42,089
the crusaders' war
efforts were succeeding.
908
01:21:42,090 --> 01:21:45,003
Was this my chance to regain my freedom?
909
01:21:48,290 --> 01:21:51,389
- [Narrator] In the 13th
Century, Semigallian tribes
910
01:21:51,390 --> 01:21:54,734
were governed by two
main castle districts.
911
01:21:54,735 --> 01:21:57,385
Thervetene and Mesyote.
912
01:21:57,386 --> 01:22:00,599
The Semigallians and their
neighbors, the Samogitians,
913
01:22:00,600 --> 01:22:04,729
were fierce enemies and often
waged war against each other.
914
01:22:04,730 --> 01:22:08,039
The crusades put these old
conflicts to rest and many
915
01:22:08,040 --> 01:22:12,603
Semigallians fleeing the
crusaders migrated to Samogitia.
916
01:22:16,432 --> 01:22:19,849
(tense percussive music)
917
01:22:38,525 --> 01:22:40,599
- [Lars] This was not the
first time I saw the pagans
918
01:22:40,600 --> 01:22:43,519
use divination to reveal their future.
919
01:22:43,520 --> 01:22:46,509
They threw animal bones
in the fire and watched
920
01:22:46,510 --> 01:22:50,149
the direction of the smoke
and looked for images
921
01:22:50,150 --> 01:22:53,210
which would foretell whether
to fight or stay at home.
922
01:22:55,863 --> 01:22:59,613
(men speak foreign language)
923
01:23:18,218 --> 01:23:20,532
The Samogitians had
come to the Semigallians
924
01:23:20,533 --> 01:23:24,193
with an offer to join forces
and attack the crusaders,
925
01:23:25,530 --> 01:23:28,959
who, after raiding Lithuanian
lands, were about to return
926
01:23:28,960 --> 01:23:32,503
to Riga to sail home to North
Germany before the winter.
927
01:23:34,020 --> 01:23:38,289
This attack was meant to defeat
the brothers of the cross,
928
01:23:38,290 --> 01:23:39,977
once and for all.
929
01:23:42,800 --> 01:23:46,209
And here was my chance
to escape servitude.
930
01:23:46,210 --> 01:23:49,796
The Samogitian lord said
to me, "We want to decide
931
01:23:49,797 --> 01:23:53,176
"for ourselves how to live
and which gods to worship.
932
01:23:53,177 --> 01:23:56,486
"Not to live under the
rule of foreign conquerors.
933
01:23:56,487 --> 01:24:00,056
"Lars, come fight with us
and I will set you free
934
01:24:00,057 --> 01:24:01,617
"for the rest of your days."
935
01:24:02,740 --> 01:24:04,123
What was I to do?
936
01:24:25,990 --> 01:24:29,489
What sins had I committed
937
01:24:29,490 --> 01:24:33,723
that God, in his almighty
judgment, should punish me so?
938
01:24:34,710 --> 01:24:36,313
That remained a mystery to me.
939
01:24:37,310 --> 01:24:41,059
I spent many nights praying
to God to have mercy on me.
940
01:24:41,060 --> 01:24:43,079
My prayers went unanswered,
941
01:24:43,080 --> 01:24:46,653
and I sometimes thought
my lord had abandoned me.
942
01:24:48,310 --> 01:24:52,649
But now, armed with a spear
and marching into battle,
943
01:24:52,650 --> 01:24:54,719
against my brothers in faith,
944
01:24:54,720 --> 01:24:58,769
I smelled the scent of the
forest and the taste of blood,
945
01:24:58,770 --> 01:25:02,593
and freedom began to
pulsate in my old veins.
946
01:25:26,810 --> 01:25:30,309
We knew we would face the
entire army of crusaders
947
01:25:30,310 --> 01:25:34,269
and Sword Brothers, but
there were many of us, too.
948
01:25:34,270 --> 01:25:36,879
Maybe four or 5,000 Lithuanians,
949
01:25:36,880 --> 01:25:40,513
Samogitians and Semigallians,
outnumbering our enemy.
950
01:25:42,185 --> 01:25:44,809
Our plan was to strike at dawn,
951
01:25:44,810 --> 01:25:47,687
using the marshy terrain to our advantage.
952
01:26:05,390 --> 01:26:07,969
- [Narrator] The archives
contain several descriptions
953
01:26:07,970 --> 01:26:10,439
of the events of the Battle of Schaulen,
954
01:26:10,440 --> 01:26:13,533
directly translated, Battle of the Sun.
955
01:26:14,400 --> 01:26:17,389
The most prevalent belief
is that the pagan army
956
01:26:17,390 --> 01:26:19,003
cut the crusaders off.
957
01:26:20,102 --> 01:26:23,909
Volkwin, the Master of the
Brothers of the Sword, had warned
958
01:26:23,910 --> 01:26:27,029
the crusaders of the impending
danger and the battle.
959
01:26:27,030 --> 01:26:29,599
But the exhausted knights and mercenaries
960
01:26:29,600 --> 01:26:33,423
disregarded the advice and
set up camp for the night.
961
01:26:34,530 --> 01:26:38,049
The pagan army launched a
sudden attack the next morning,
962
01:26:38,050 --> 01:26:41,269
catching the crusaders off guard.
963
01:26:41,270 --> 01:26:44,459
Having lost the advantage of
a significant cavalry, the
964
01:26:44,460 --> 01:26:47,963
surrounded Brothers of the
Sword and crusaders were killed.
965
01:26:48,920 --> 01:26:51,159
The slaughter was so quick and brutal
966
01:26:51,160 --> 01:26:53,569
that the Brothers of the
Sword became the source
967
01:26:53,570 --> 01:26:56,899
of mockery in the
Livonian Grand Chronicle,
968
01:26:56,900 --> 01:27:01,069
the most famous surviving
written record of the time.
969
01:27:01,070 --> 01:27:04,579
It is believed that most of
the mercenaries, Germans,
970
01:27:04,580 --> 01:27:09,379
Latgalians, Livonians,
Estonians and Rus' of Pskov
971
01:27:09,380 --> 01:27:11,749
were overwhelmed by the pagan forces
972
01:27:11,750 --> 01:27:14,139
and fled the battlefield.
973
01:27:14,140 --> 01:27:17,369
Their retreat was cut
off and they were slain
974
01:27:17,370 --> 01:27:20,327
by the strategically-placed Semigallians.
975
01:28:38,378 --> 01:28:41,961
(somber atmospheric music)
976
01:28:53,070 --> 01:28:55,169
The Order of the Brothers of the Sword
977
01:28:55,170 --> 01:28:57,789
was crushed in the Battle of the Schaulen,
978
01:28:57,790 --> 01:29:00,283
but new armies soon replaced them.
979
01:29:02,380 --> 01:29:05,369
Faith has not been kind
to the Baltic peoples.
980
01:29:05,370 --> 01:29:08,389
In the centuries to
come, the eastern shores
981
01:29:08,390 --> 01:29:12,259
of the Baltic Sea would see
foreign powers come and go,
982
01:29:12,260 --> 01:29:15,739
but the Baltic peoples
maintained their unique identity
983
01:29:15,740 --> 01:29:18,029
based in nature and the land,
984
01:29:18,030 --> 01:29:20,593
never losing their desire for freedom.
985
01:29:25,180 --> 01:29:27,509
What kept them from perishing?
986
01:29:27,510 --> 01:29:30,999
Was it their ability to
adapt when necessary?
987
01:29:31,000 --> 01:29:33,829
Was it their ability
to hide in dark forests
988
01:29:33,830 --> 01:29:37,543
and wait out the war games of
kings and powerful neighbors?
989
01:29:39,540 --> 01:29:43,579
But perhaps it was the
strength, persistence,
990
01:29:43,580 --> 01:29:47,933
spite and will of their
ancestors to survive.
991
01:30:03,210 --> 01:30:05,369
- [Lars] I am no longer here.
992
01:30:05,370 --> 01:30:06,370
But nothing is over.
993
01:30:10,230 --> 01:30:12,083
I was only part of a larger story,
994
01:30:13,192 --> 01:30:15,609
and that story will continue.
995
01:30:17,227 --> 01:30:21,359
The blood in our veins flows from the past
996
01:30:21,360 --> 01:30:22,703
throughout human history.
997
01:30:25,200 --> 01:30:26,200
Times change.
998
01:30:27,090 --> 01:30:29,103
People's lives and customs change.
999
01:30:30,100 --> 01:30:32,339
Our knowledge of the order of the world
1000
01:30:32,340 --> 01:30:34,679
and our values change.
1001
01:30:34,680 --> 01:30:37,533
But human nature remains the same.
1002
01:30:41,720 --> 01:30:45,677
These natural laws have ruled
us for thousands of years.
1003
01:30:48,890 --> 01:30:53,397
Looking back, we are faced with
shadows of the past asking,
1004
01:30:54,907 --> 01:30:58,429
"Will we water the roots
of the tree of life
1005
01:30:58,430 --> 01:31:00,763
"with blood or clear water?"
1006
01:31:30,893 --> 01:31:35,893
(solemn chanting music
in foreign language)
1007
01:34:47,163 --> 01:34:50,080
(moody folk music)
79238
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