Popular Beliefs and Magic Promoting Fertility in the 20th Century and beginning of the 21st Century: The Case of Lithuania

Abstract

The article examines and analyses magic concerning fertility in Lithuania in the 20th and 21st centuries. The aim is to answer the following questions: What means stimulating fertility are and were used today and in the past? Which have continued from the past and what new ones have emerged, either borrowed from other cultures or taken from contemporary medicine? The article is based on analysis of ethnographic sources and research, and on data from field research conducted between 2020 and 2022 collected using the in-depth interview method with 60 informants in Lithuania.

Content analysis, comparative, and interpretation methods were used, enabling me to trace the development of magic, and the popularity and origin of beliefs diffused in contemporary society. Information gained from the mass media has also contributed to the definition of fertility magic, as given by members of modern society.