"Shatriya Hill"
Legend of the hill where witches gather
There was a region called Samogitia near the town of Telshei in western Lithuania. The locals started to build a church, but by the next morning, what they had built was buried under the ground. People who wondered worked many times until the sun went down, but the next day they were buried in the same way. The next day, people from all over the town gathered together to complete the church in one day, but again overnight the church was buried under the ground and turned into a hill. It was the witches of Samogitia who filled the church, and since then they have gathered on the hill to enjoy their haven every night. One day, the witches, who had forgotten the time and danced all night, noticed that the morning was greeted by the sunshine and the crowing of roosters. Bathing in the sun's rays means death. It is said that there was a witch who screamed and searched. Hearing the voice, the locals began to call the hill 'Šatrija', taken from the broomstick 'shatra' (šatra). Today, as an ancient Shatriya ritual, every year on the third Saturday of July, Samogitia's Pagan (pre-Christian faith, mainly worshiping nature and living things) honors Gabija, the goddess of fire and hearth. A ceremony is taking place. In Lithuania before the spread of matches, people prayed to Gabija so that precious charcoal would last long in the furnace.
There is also a trekking route near the World Heritage Curonian Spit called “The Hill of Witches” where you can enjoy wood carvings that praise witches, devils, pagans, etc.
"The Legend of Šatrija"
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