An article about the not-so-famous Lithuanian Devil Museum: [link]
Hidden away in the obscure Lithuanian town of Kaunas, the MK Ciurlionis Velniu Muziejus or Devil Museum is a well-kept secret. I visited mid-week, when the museum was virtually deserted, which only added to its inherent creepiness. There's something unnerving about being alone with 2000 devils...
Velniu Muziejus contains three floors, and a stunning array of devils in all shapes, sizes, colours and materials and hailing from all corners of the globe, is spread over them. The museum has a long-standing tradition: any visitors from foreign lands can bring their own native devil art to add to the collection, making for some interesting viewing.
I began my visit on the third floor, which showcases devil figurines from former Soviet territories. Virtually every state and subculture from Armenia to Yakutia is represented. Those originating in Slavic countries (such as Poland, Ukraine or Russia) appear to share a common theme, namely that of the devil's very closeness to us as he plays out a never-ending battle of one-upmanship with mankind. Some statues show the devil carrying off an unfortunate fellow on his back, others a group of villagers getting their revenge.
The devil has an important place in Slavic folklore: Russian peasants were permanently on guard against him. The most feared place in a traditional peasant village was the banya, or bath house, this being the only place where people removed their prayer belts, thus laying themselves open to attack. Stories abound of devils boiling and flaying unwary late night bathers.
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In such a view, the devil is part of the natural world, and in some ways a personification of the forces of nature.The devil is also a joker, though one with a sick sense of humour, and is motivated by mischief rather than outright evil. In many ways he is similar to the Norse god Loki, another earthy figure deeply involved in the affairs of men, and a thorn in the side of the organised and predictable. He is associated with chaos, always on hand to stir up trouble if things look to be going too smoothly. In Pagan times the devil had equal status with the gods, accepted by the people as a normal part of life; it was only after the advent of Christianity that he was reviled and demonised.
Unlike the popular Western view of Satan as a potent source of terror, or of demons as the powerful representatives of evil, the East European devil is fallible, operating on the same The devil is a joker with a sick sense of humour level as man. If we are clever we can beat him. Arunas believes the collection to be humorous rather than sinister, and seemed surprised when I asked him if the museum ever received unwelcome attention from Satanists, or criticism from the religious establishment.
After a little prompting, he revealed the story of a group of Polish priests who came over the border for a visit. Although initially reluctant to enter, due to their fear of contamination by Pagan idols, they eventually plucked up the courage, resolved on getting to know their enemy. They were so thorough in their research that they were found downstairs in the bar several hours later, downing shots of vodka.
There's more - it's a long, interesting article.