European Folk Religions

In Lithuania, Grand Duke Jogaila promoted Catholic baptism in 1387; his cousin Vytautas followed in Samogitia in 1413. Older Lithuanian myths nevertheless survived in stories, customs and festivals; from the late sixteenth century Jesuit missionaries also drew on popular beliefs in their work.

Farther north in Sápmi, local sacred places included unusual rocks and other features of the landscape. Sámi ritual specialists known as noaidi used drums in ceremonies to mediate between their communities and the spirit world.