Maausk
As Maausk (literally "Land Faith"), Estonian today describes the ethnic-religious faith of the Estonians before the medieval Christianization of Estonia and Livonia , which is strongly influenced by pantheistic ideas. The term originated in modern times from the combination of Estonian maa ("land") and usk ("faith"). It is based on the term Maarahva ("country people"), the Estonian-speaking self-name of the Estonians until the 19th century.
Today Maausk is also used as a term for a neo-pagan movement that propagates a religious self-identification of the Estonians. The aim is to promote a return to Estonian roots in the religious field without "foreign" beliefs.
Belief content
Only sparse sources exist about the pre-Christian-pagan Maausk as a belief of the Estonians, mostly from the pen of the Christian conquerors and missionaries of the Baltic States. The Maausk is understood as part of Estonian folk mythology or a religious folk culture. The worship of nature and one's own ancestors was probably the focus of religion. The Maausk is therefore characterized as an Estonian form of pantheism or understood as a belief in nature and animism .
Neopaganism
Neo-pagan followers of the Maausk tried to revive the Maausk in the 20th century. They emphasize the unity of the Estonian with the land, the plants, animals, stones etc. Metaphorically speaking, the entire world comes from a single “mother”, the Maaema . The (sacred) groves ( hiis ), where earth, water, stones and plants come together, are particularly revered . The basis of the Maausk is the diversity of nature. He propagates a natural way of life for humans.
The charisma of the Maausk as a neo-pagan movement is limited in today's Estonia. In the 2000 Estonian census, 1058 people said they were followers of Taarausk or Maausk. The transitions to traditional medicine, popular superstition and "natural" ways of life are fluid. In 1995 the Taarausuliste yes Maausuliste Maavalla Koda was founded as a religious association for the care of the Maausk and the Taarausk.
Differentiation from Taarausk
The transitions to the Taarausk are not clearly defined. While the Taarausk consciously sees itself as a neo-pagan national movement with clear doctrines, one sees in the Maausk an “original”, “undogmatic” belief of pagan Estonians. The Maausk is understood to mean the religious lived cultural heritage of the Estonian people. In contrast to Taarausk, he rejects dogmatics in the narrower sense.
Web links
- Official website of Maavalla kodu (Estonian)
- Self-description of today's followers of Maausk (Estonian)