My name is Peter and I am singer/guitarist and also main lyricist of the Latvian pagan metal band SKYFORGER. With our band we are trying to shed some light on history, traditions and folklore of Baltic people: Latvians, Lithuanians and Old Prussians. I decided to make this blog, where I could give more insights about things I am writing in my lyrics and tell something more about history of Balts.
Few things about me:
I am not a professional historian, but history is one of my strongest life passions. I have gone through great piles of books, documentary films and the like, and thus have formed my own views on the past from doing so. Though I am not one of those crazy scholars who come up with really sensational ideas taken out of this world!
As not being historian myself I will mostly use sources and authors which in my view will fit the best for themes I want to share here. And in the end I must apologize in advance for my English, as it is not my native language.
So, I hope you will enjoy my writings and maybe will find some new information about things which is hardly known beyond borders of Baltic States.
Peter
Thanks to Peter for this blog and good luck:) It would be interesting to hear Peter’s opinion about modern pseudo-mystic who try to “restore” Latvian ancient holy places.
Hello Peter
Firstly, thank you for taking your Time for these kind of things. I really appreciate that.
I am 18 years old and I live in Switzerland. It’s always nice for me to hear something about a country or culture that isn’t well known. Since I know your band, I started to like that kind of music you did on the “Zobena Dziesma” album. I really like that stuff! Now I want to visit Latvia once, maybe next year š
So tell me please, do you have any traditional fests in Latvia? If yes, then what are they about? What about traditional food?
And what do you personally think about other countries?
Thank you for reading my questions. Have a nice day!
Denis
hello Peter,
i was in your country 4 years ago and i was surprised to read that you use to celebrate solstices or other traditionnal feasts. How can you explain that?
I hope I will write about Solstice celebrations in Latvia any soon.
It is here because it’s an old traditions which kept our people together through the darkest times of our history. Thanks to such traditions we had survived. In Soviet times some, like Summer Solstice for example, was even forbidden, but our people celebrated anyway!
To Denis:
1.The best fest for you to visit probably could be Summer Solstice around 21 -25 June. Then there is a lot of traditional things and festivities going on around the country.
Traditional food is more or less food which was eaten by farmers in olden times, like pot-cooked cabbage, grey peas and ham, dark bread plus beer. It is just a few examples.
2. Well, I love other countries too and have interest in their history and traditions, so it is not only Latvia/Baltic for me. Every country is different and someone can find many interesting things there in culture, traditions or history!
Labs sÄkums!Iedvesmu un laiku iesÄktÄ turpinÄÅ”anai š
Looking forward to read more on this. We’ve talked at Fonofest 2010 about history a lot and I think its awesome to get some more insight into the wonderful history of these ancient lands where perhaps the first European settlers established themselves and a culture which signs can still be seen in modern day Latvija. Cheers!
very interesting!
Hi Peter,
I think you are a great talented person, and you (and Skyforger) are the reason of my love to the baltic lands an people. Being russian, I feel very lucky to have as good neighbors as Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. I just wanna remind that Skyforger have fans all around the world, that your music are simply brilliant, and your messages about your fatherland have been very well received.
Slawa from Russia!
Tu nu esi viens kÄrtÄ«gs latvju vecis! Visu cieÅu! \m/
Thanks Peter…this is amazing….SKYFORGER RULES!!!
Hi Peter!
I’m happy with your blog!
I’m learning a lot about the history of my ancestors.
Continue this wonderful work!
Me and my family appreciate it.
Greetings from Brazil.
Sveiks Peter,
I am an American born son of parents born in Latvia who came to the US after WW II. I can speak Latvian but unfortunately cannot write it correctly. However, my parents have always taught me about my Latvian heritage, and the more I look into the roots of our people and culture, the more I have come to appreciate and admire what we are, and how we have managed to survive despite incredible odds and our larger neighbors to try and eradicate us completely. Despite their overwhelming numerical and military superiority, they have been unable to wipe us as a people and our culture off the map, which speaks a lot of our strength and tenacity. I have shared many videos of Skyforger with friends who are now aware of what we are as a people. Keep it up. I am still planning to visit Latvia one day, because I still have many blood relatives there. Maybe one day I can see the band live in Riga!
Paldies, Feliks! We all here hope that our nation will survive in future, though situation is not that bright right now in Latvia – lots of our native people left for better jobs and the big neighbor still has not abandoned all his plans…
Today I have read a book about quenn of Prussia Luise. Then the mind has came about my son’s name Mantas. My name Nomeda… So I wanted find more interesting facts and… I found your blog. It was wonderful. I am Lithuanian and live in Taurage, you know, it’s near Prussian lands. I am interested in Baltic pagons traditions but I am not active. I want to spread my view.Thanks for your work.