[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-56353-en":3,"doc-seo-56353-105":29,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":90},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":4,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":20,"is_downloadable":20,"audit_status":20,"page_count":21,"language":22,"language_code":23,"site_id":24,"html_lang":23,"table_of_contents":25,"faqs":26,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":27,"read_time":28},56353,687197207057,"Sage","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_29158cc5080c5b710cf443261637dec0",9,"Religion & Spirituality","Silence of the Gods","Silence of the Gods traces how Christianity’s formal adoption in 1387 did not end pagan religion across Europe’s northern and eastern margins. Spanning five centuries, it follows forgotten peoples—from the Sámi to Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, and Finno-Ugric communities of Russia’s Volga-Ural region—who adopted Christian belief belatedly while creatively responding to Christianity’s challenge. The work examines resistance, unlikely survival, and ingenuity in non-Christian faith traditions.","SILENCE OF THE GODS  \nThe formal conversion to Christianity in 1387 of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania seemingly marked the end of Europe’s last ‘pagan’ peoples. But the reality was different. At the margins, often under the radar, around the dusky edgelands, pre-Christian religions endured and indeed continued to flourish for an astonishing five centuries. Silence of the Gods tells, for the first time, the remarkable story of these forgotten peoples: belated adopters of Christian belief on the outer periphery of Christendom, from the Sámi of the frozen north to the Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians around the Baltic, as well as the Finno-Ugric peoples of Russia’s Volga-Ural Plain. These communities, Dr Young reveals, responded creatively to Christianity’s challenge, but for centuries stopped short of embracing it. His book addresses why this was so, uncovering stories of fierce resistance, unlikely survival, and considerable ingenuity. He revolutionises understandings of the lost religions of the last pagans.  \nFrancis Young grew up in Bury St Edmunds, England, and holds a doctorate in history from the University of Cambridge. He has written over twenty books in the fields of folklore and the history of religion and supernatural belief, including Pagans in the Early Modern Baltic (Arc Humanities Press, 2022), Magic in Merlin’s Realm (Cambridge University Press, 2022), and Twilight of the Godlings (Cambridge University Press, 2023). His work has also appeared in History Today, BBC History Magazine, and The Catholic Herald, as well as other periodicals. A regular podcaster, and broadcaster on BBC Radio, he is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a lay canon of St Edmundsbury Cathedral, and teaches courses in religious history and folklore for the Department for Continuing Education in the University of Oxford.  \n[https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009586559](https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009586559)  \nThe continuance of pagan religious practices in Christian Europe has attracted considerable interest amongst scholars of medieval and early modern popular religion and contemporary paganists and spiritualists. A significant aspect of this curiosity has been the search for shamanic survivals in the magical beliefs of Eastern and Northern Europe, and the persecution of the Sámi during the era of the witch trials. The likes of Ronald Hutton have tried to reappraise critically the concept of shamanism and its relevance in a European context, and Baltic scholars have explored notions around late paganism and national identity. But there is plenty of scope for providing a wider perspective on the enduring nature of non-Christian faith in the history of the region. Francis Young has carved out a justified reputation for accessible, scholarly research in areas such as the history of exorcism, fairies, and ecclesiastical history, as well as pagan studies. He wears his erudition with a light touch and has an excellent command of early modern Latin manuscripts and texts. With his knowledge of Lithuania and Lithuanian, he is the ideal scholar to be writing on Baltic paganism. His book convincingly argues for the continuance of non-Christian religions in the Baltic and far north and supersedes previous work on the topic in its breadth and scholarship. There is a scholarly and general readership ready and waiting for new, innovative work on European paganisms. This is a welcome, up-to-date, and refreshing history of a thoroughly tantalising subject.  \nOwen Davies, Professor of Social History,  \nUniversity of Hertfordshire, author of Art of the Grimoire:  \nAn Illustrated History of Magic Books and Spells (2023)  \nFrancis Young lifts the veil on a lost world of pre-Christian European religions in their final stages. A fascinating, moving and genuinely new exploration of the continent’s religious history.  \nTom Holland, author of Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind (2019)  \nFrancis Young has established himself firmly over the past decade asan ","cbCaitZEPd69PwJc","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaitZEPd69PwJc","pdf",1800335,1,453,"English","en",105,"# Christianity and the European “pagan” margins\n# Persisting non-Christian religions for five centuries\n## Peoples and regions covered\n# Interactions with Christianity and reasons for partial adoption","[{\"question\":\"What central idea does Silence of the Gods present about the impact of Christianity’s arrival?\",\"answer\":\"The book argues that formal Christian conversion did not eliminate pagan religions. Non-Christian traditions persisted and developed for centuries along Europe’s outer northern and eastern edges.\"},{\"question\":\"Which groups and regions does the book focus on?\",\"answer\":\"It covers the Sámi in the far north, Baltic peoples including Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians, and Finno-Ugric communities in Russia’s Volga-Ural plain.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the book explain why these communities did not fully embrace Christianity for a long time?\",\"answer\":\"It explores creative responses to Christianity’s challenge, including fierce resistance, unlikely survival, and considerable ingenuity, which together help explain delayed and partial adoption.\"}]",1783811084,1142,{"code":4,"msg":30,"data":31},"ok",{"site_id":24,"language":23,"slug":32,"title":13,"keywords":33,"description":14,"schema_data":34,"social_meta":85,"head_meta":87,"extra_data":89,"updated_unix":27},"silence-of-the-gods","",{"@graph":35,"@context":84},[36,53,67],{"@type":37,"itemListElement":38},"BreadcrumbList",[39,43,47,50],{"item":40,"name":41,"@type":42,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":44,"name":45,"@type":42,"position":46},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":48,"name":12,"@type":42,"position":49},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/religion-spirituality/",3,{"item":51,"name":13,"@type":42,"position":52},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/silence-of-the-gods/56353/",4,{"url":51,"name":13,"@type":54,"author":55,"headline":13,"publisher":57,"fileFormat":60,"inLanguage":23,"description":14,"dateModified":61,"datePublished":61,"encodingFormat":60,"isAccessibleForFree":62,"interactionStatistic":63},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":56},"Person",{"url":40,"name":58,"@type":59},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-11",true,{"@type":64,"interactionType":65,"userInteractionCount":4},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":66},"ViewAction",{"@type":68,"mainEntity":69},"FAQPage",[70,76,80],{"name":71,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":73},"What central idea does Silence of the Gods present about the impact of Christianity’s arrival?","Question",{"text":74,"@type":75},"The book argues that formal Christian conversion did not eliminate pagan religions. Non-Christian traditions persisted and developed for centuries along Europe’s outer northern and eastern edges.","Answer",{"name":77,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":78},"Which groups and regions does the book focus on?",{"text":79,"@type":75},"It covers the Sámi in the far north, Baltic peoples including Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians, and Finno-Ugric communities in Russia’s Volga-Ural plain.",{"name":81,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":82},"How does the book explain why these communities did not fully embrace Christianity for a long time?",{"text":83,"@type":75},"It explores creative responses to Christianity’s challenge, including fierce resistance, unlikely survival, and considerable ingenuity, which together help explain delayed and partial adoption.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":51,"og:type":86,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":58,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":88,"canonical":51},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":24},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":91},[92,96,100,104,109,114,119,124,127,130,134],{"id":20,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":97,"show_sort_weight":98,"slug":99},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":101,"show_sort_weight":102,"slug":103},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":105,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":106,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":120,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":122,"slug":123},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":125,"slug":126},20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":125,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":125,"slug":129},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":131,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":132,"show_sort_weight":131,"slug":133},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":135,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":45,"category_name":136,"show_sort_weight":105,"slug":137},19,"General","general"]