Silence of the Gods: The Untold History of Europe’s Last Pagan Peoples

Historian Young (Twilight of the Godlings) meticulously surveys the “last five centuries of Europe’s unchristianized peoples” under Christian rule. After Lithuania became the last European country to officially convert to Christianity in the 14th century, Young writes, “vast swathes” of unchristianized people remained on the continent, often “rejecting, ignoring, or incorporating” elements of the faith into their cultures. Lithuanian Samoglitans slotted elements of Christianity into existing religious frameworks, viewing the Christian God as simply “another deity among many,” while inhabitants of the Canary Islands “creolised” the faith by infusing “indigenous female power” into the “almost infinitely versatile cult of the Virgin Mary.” Young contends that other peoples ascribed to animistic notions of religion that so vastly differed from Christianity that they “flew under the radar” of leaders who believed they’d completely converted—the Sámi of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, for example, attended church while still practicing their native rites. Astutely acknowledging gaps in primary sources (many of which were written by Christian commentators), Young effectively complicates how religious and cultural identity are historically understood. Scholars of religion will want this on their bookshelves. (June)