Category Archives: History of Livonia

A Christmas Table at a Livonian Stable ?

Posted on December 18, 2023 by thegrailquest

Laying out a table at a stable – in this short blog, I briefly describe an old Latvian tradition related to Christmas and horses. No scholarly references, although this note is indebted to too many studies, including those by Kat … Continue reading →

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A historical Lenten Recipe

Posted on March 31, 2023 by thegrailquest
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Top 7 Latvian Horsy Superstitions

Posted on December 12, 2019 by thegrailquest

Two most superstitious groups of people are probably sportsmen and those who are involved in agricultural work. It follows that equestrians are bound to have twice as many superstitions as ordinary folk. With this in mind, I asked Edgar, who, … Continue reading →

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Of the Livonians’ Cults, religion(S) and (Im)morality – Again

Posted on May 17, 2019 by thegrailquest

Dyonisius Fabricius, writing his Livonicae historiae in the first half of the seventeenth century, more than half a century after Balthasar Russow, makes the history of Livonian mores – and immoralities – so much more exciting to read, as well … Continue reading →

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The Count of May Festival in Riga

Posted on May 13, 2019 by thegrailquest

With history being in fashion today, it is not surprising that many old traditions are revived or reinvented, attracting tourists and enriching the communities’ cultural lives. A good example of it is the Count of May festival in Riga, a … Continue reading →

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Sex and witchcraft in early modern Livonia: the eyewitness accounts by Balthasar Russow and Dionysius Fabricius

Posted on May 3, 2019 by thegrailquest

It’s been a long time since my promised post on the outrageous morals of early modern Livonians, which fired Protestant pastors (Balthasar Russow, quoted from in my previous post) and Jesuit brothers alike. In fact, I have found another chronicle … Continue reading →

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Livonia’s Horses and Immorality in Russow’s Chronicle

Posted on April 5, 2019 by thegrailquest

In 1577, Balthasar Russow, a pastor from Revel, completed The Chronicle of Livonia. In the chronicle, he provides a full history of Livonia from its beginnings in 1158, when merchants from Bremen entered the land, to his own days. Relying … Continue reading →

Posted in equestrian history, History, History of Livonia, Medieval animals, Medieval horses, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment