Homeland in the Lithuanian Language and Culture

Abstract

The concept of homeland does not have deep roots in the Lithuanian language. According to Antanas Maceina, the notion of homeland, as understood today, is a product of the new times. The perception of homeland as a political entity, a state, emerged in the 19th century. An analysis of dictionaries and texts reveals two profiles of the Lithuanian homeland: (1) the native land (the forefathers’ home) and (2) the country/state. The former is particularly evident in Academic Dictionary of Lithuanian (ADL), reflecting the perception of rural inhabitants in the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century, when their parents’ home was the centre of the world. This conception is partly supported by data from folklore. The second profile, homeland as more than one’s birthplace or the parents’ home, is evident in folklore and literary texts. The literature of the first half of the 20th century and the enlightened society of independent Lithuania further elevated the second profile of homeland: emigrants, exiles, and partisans idealised and celebrated it through their works. Two main aspects are clearly visible: a profound love for homeland, intensified by longing, and a relentless struggle for its preservation. In the literature of today’s diaspora, homeland is often depicted through nostalgia and idealisation, while in the works of young writers in Lithuania, the concept of homeland may not be as pronounced: they live in peace and at home, and a new concept of homeland has not emerged yet.