BAFES

Research

BAFES studies folklore, vernacular belief, pre-Christian religious traditions, magic, dreams and the history of esotericism, with particular attention to Lithuania and the Baltic region.

Research areas

Our public research structure is organised around broad areas of inquiry and individual research projects. These areas describe what BAFES studies; they are not separate administrative programmes.

Baltic Folklore & Vernacular Belief

Folk narratives, customs, supernatural traditions, prohibitions and everyday systems of belief.

Pre-Christian Baltic Religion

Historical sources, sacred landscapes, ritual traditions and later reconstructions of pre-Christian religion.

Magic & Divination

Protective practices, charms, signs, ritual objects, divination and the movement of magical ideas.

Dreams & Experience Narratives

Dreams, omens and extraordinary experiences studied as narratives, interpretations and cultural models.

History of Esotericism

Esoteric movements, print culture, spiritualism, occult networks and their development in the Baltic region.

CURRENT RESEARCH

Ongoing projects

BAFES-R-005

Vodou in the Baltic Region: Practices, Reception and Historical Evidence

Ongoing source-critical research on Vodou and Vodun in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, distinguishing documented presence from local folklore and modern cultural representations.

Ongoing

BAFES-R-004

Systems for Conscious Change of Self, Life, and Reality

An ongoing commissioned comparative BAFES study of systems claiming conscious change of self, life trajectory, fate or external reality. Access to the full research output is restricted.

Ongoing

COMPLETED RESEARCH

Completed projects

BAFES-R-003

American Night Visions: Dreams, Omens, Memory, and the Hidden Mind in American Folklore

A completed commissioned BAFES study of selected American traditions about dreams, omens, dreams of the dead, print culture, memory and the ways dream meaning is interpreted after waking.

Completed

BAFES-R-002

Sacred Landscape of Lithuania

A completed source-critical study of thirty Lithuanian sacred places and landscape complexes, comparing historical evidence, archaeology, place-names, folklore and later reconstruction.

Completed

BAFES-R-001

Sources and Reconstructions of Pre-Christian Baltic Religion

Programme: Pre-Christian Baltic Religion & Religious Transformation Status: First research cycle complete with limitations; corrective primary-source review completed; public release package ready Project lead: BAFES Chair / Project Lead Research…

Completed

Research principles

BAFES research is source-based and contextual. We distinguish what sources directly document from later interpretation, scholarly reconstruction and contemporary belief. Uncertainty and conflicting evidence are stated openly.