Devils converge in Lithuania

Press, 24 September 1987, Page 44

Devils converge in Lithuania

By

TONY BARBER

NZPA-Reuter Kaunas, Soviet Union On a quiet street in Kaunas, Soviet Lithuania’s second-biggest city, a long-nosed, bearded, wooden demon with a fiendish smile stands guard at the Museum of Devils. Visitors, who must remove their hats to prove they do not have horns, see satanic figures in clay, blown-glass, wood and plastic, with horns, tridents and tails. They compete for attention with witches wearing conical hats and riding broomsticks. The diabolical exhibits are a reminder that, despite the Baltic republic’s abiding Roman Catholic traditions, devilry has deep roots in Lithuanian mythology.

According to folklore, devils — or “velniai” in Lithuanian — live in mills, attics and forests. They disguise themselves as angels, peasants, horses and other creatures. The Lithuanian language is rich with expressions such as “You are not a man, you are a devil” and “You are as mad as a devil.” When dusk falls, a Lithuanian can be heard to observe: “It is time for the devil to be here." Children are reluctant to go to sleep because they suspect the devil is in their bedrooms. On Shrove Tuesday, Lithuanian boys and girls don devils’ masks and sing songs outside people’s homes. They are rewarded with pancakes. According to one legend, a huge rock called Puntukas which stands in

the river Nemunas, Lithuania’s longest river, was dropped there by a devil in a hurry. The Museum of Devils, which has about 800 fiends on show, sprang from a private collection by a Lithuanian artist called Antanas Zmuidzinavlcius. He decided to acquire carvings and pictures of demons after his best friend, a priest who was increasingly dismayed by the painter’s agnosticism, told him in exaspesation one day that he might as well start a collection of devils. Zmuidzinavicius, who was bom in 1876, was fond of observing that Lucifer seemed to have brought him good luck. “He used to say that perhaps the devil helped him, because he had had

a happy life. He lived to the ripe old age of 90,” museum guide Rasa Kondrotaite said. About 4000 people visit the museum every day to inspect exhibits from countries as far flung as Japan, Bolivia, Mongolia, Australia and Mexico. Devils, sorcerers and witches vary in appearance from country to country. Pointing to a puppet East German witch with attractive red hair, a museum guide told a group of tourists: “Devils, in their youth, are rather beautiful.” Hungarian demons have the most impressive long beards and horns, while Czechoslovak devils have cheery expressions and pot bellies that suggest they are not unlike their

countrymen in their fondness for good beer. Less sinister is a miniature devil donated from the United States. With horns, a two-pronged trident, a long nose and sharp eyes, he stands above an inscription that says: “Have a helluva nice day.”

Other exhibits show a woman in a bath sharing a glass of wine with a devil-wolf, a devil with a goat’s face carrying a priest off to hell, a snakecharming devil, and a devil photographing a naked sunbathing woman. With its bright lights and clean, spacious rooms, the museum in Kaunas seems an unlikely place for a collection of evil spirits. “Aha,” said a guide. “That is how the devil tricks you.”