New Trends in the Study of Religion in Estonia – Contemplations in the Grey Zone between Religion and Science

Abstract

The study of Estonian folk religion has traditionally been characterised by a relatively slight interest of academic scholars. Simultaneously, folk religion has been actively used in the creation of Estonian national identity. Such an old division has changed in the past fifteen years. Academic scholars have become more active in this field and concurrently a contemporary pagan movement has emerged as a new and influential participant in these studies. This national paganism has been presented not primarily as a religious movement but as cultural heritage. As a result, contemporary pagan views are partly accepted in scholarly works, thus creating a conceptually new understanding, in which religious arguments almost dominate over the classical academic ones. This paper criticises such an amorphous approach, which makes it difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish religious, national, and academic arguments and purposes.

Contemporary Deposits at Sacred Places: Reflections on Contemporary Paganism in Estonia and Finland

“…Leaving aside the academic arguments about the history and historical authenticity of the Maausulised movement, it is important to note that this movement has become highly influential not only among other contemporary Pagan movements but also in shaping contemporary Estonian identity (Jonuks 2018). For instance, in a poll from 2014 (Religious Trends in Estonia 2014), altogether 61.1% of respondents agreed that maausk is the real and original religion of Estonia, although only 4.1% identified themselves as Earth Believers.…”