Hemp, or cannabis, has a long history in Lithuania. Marijuana was used as an ingredient in medicine and had a legal status in the country until 1783, when the Russian Empire banned it. Folk songs were often written about hemp; children would play with hemp dolls and use hemp to tie up their infants to cradle boards. Hemp was also commonly used in traditional magic practices and rituals performed for healing purposes.
In one Lithuanian fairytale, a girl creates a shirt out of hemp and gives it to her grandmother who puts it on; this shirt then turns into iron chains, imprisoning the old woman. In another tale, an old woman throws hemp seeds into the fire, which turn into gold coins.
Lithuanian folklore attributes various magical powers to hemp plants: they can protect against evil spirits and bring good luck to people if they rest near them; they can cure diseases; and they can even chase away witches and prevent their evil spells from succeeding.
Lithuanians have a long history of using hemp for magical purposes, such as making amulets and guarding against evil spirits. Hemp leaves were often used to decorate homes during festivals, and in villages there were special songs about hemp. Hemp played an important role in folk rituals—people burned the plant at weddings because they thought it would bring fertility to the couple’s marriage.
In Lithuanian mythology, hemp is associated with the sun goddess Saule (Saulė). She walked across the sky every day carrying two baskets: one filled with food that she gave to humans, and another full of hemp seeds that she gave to animals. Lithuanians believed that if they didn’t show respect to the goddess, she would become angry and would not bring the sunshine anymore. The people could avoid her anger by making sure they wore hemp clothing on holidays.
People believed that hemp grew from the earth and its roots could reach the underworld. Hemp was seen as a cure-all, healing everything from skin rashes to infertility. Hemp was believed to have been given to people by God himself, since it had so many uses.
In Lithuanian fairytales hemp is often mentioned as a gift or a food source. For example: in the fairytale “The White Snake” a white snake turns into a girl after eating bread and a comb made of hemp; in the fairytale “Salvonia” hemp seeds are given to king’s daughter as well as a magical seed; in the fairytale “The Bride from Afar” hemp seeds are given to bride on her wedding day so she can spin them into thread.
