The Image of Souls Climbing a Mountain in the Bychowiec Chronicle An Echo of Pagan Customs in Renaissance Literature?
The Image of Souls Climbing a Mountain in the Bychowiec Chronicle An Echo of Pagan Customs in Renaissance Literature?

Summary/Abstract: Historiography has thus far focused primarily on the pagan rituals and burialcustoms of Lithuanians (Balts). However, the image of souls climbing a mountain,depicted in the Bychowiec Chronicle (likely from the first half of the sixteenth century),has not received specific attention. Traditionally, this image has been presented in thehistoriography as a pagan rite, associated with pre-Christian burial customs of theBalts. To determine whether this image genuinely is of pagan origin, it is necessaryto begin the research with the earliest written sources describing funeral customs ofthe Balts from the tenth to fifteenth centuries. This article examines how the burialcustoms of Lithuanians and other Balts, as recorded in medieval sources, correlatewith the information provided by the Bychowiec Chronicle. It becomes clear that themotif of souls climbing a mountain does not appear in any earlier written sources. Thisabsence suggests that the image in the Bychowiec Chronicle may have originated fromother influences, either from ancient Indo-European traditions or from the ChristianScripture, with the latter being the more likely source.

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