Tadas Blinda
Encyclopedia
Tadas Blinda was a Lithuania
n folk hero
of the 19th century. He was a subject of several popular books, plays, and movies and is often compared to Robin Hood
.
, in the region of Samogitia
, and inherited his father's 40 hectares at the age of 20. He then married, had three daughters, and became the village elder
. There are several versions of the turning point in his life that led to his later career. One story has it that he participated in the 1863 uprising
, and was sentenced to exile in Siberia
. Another has it that his landlord, Duke Oginskis
, ordered him to flog some serfs, became angry when he refused, and then struck Blinda with a whip. Blinda responded in a flash by thrashing the nobleman.
When Blinda chose to live outside the law, he gathered a band of followers in the dense forests near Byvainė. According to his admirers, he was a latter-day Robin Hood
– he stole from the rich and gave to the poor. His detractors argued that he stole from the poor as well. Other stories have him disguising himself as a priest and collecting alms that he then gave away. Many of the tales claim that he buried a treasure in the forest, which remains undiscovered to this day.
The circumstances surrounding his death have also been an object of contention. The popularly-held version was that Duke Oginskis was finally able to gain revenge by organizing the local authorities and murdering him. In 1993 an archivist uncovered police records indicating that he was lynched
as a horse thief on April 22, 1877 and buried in an unconsecrated corner of a cemetery in Luokė
. No traces of this burial have been found.
and Gabrielius Landsbergis-Žemkalnis. The play, entitled "Blinda, the Leveller of the World", presented him as a champion of the common people, battling the Polish
landlords and the Russian Empire
that governed Lithuania, and was enthusiastically received.
The legend lived on, and was made into a popular film in 1973. It featured a handsome leading man, Vytautas Tomkus, dramatic hand-to-hand combat and feats of horsemanship, and the beautiful scenery of Aukštaitija National Park
– it was an immediate success. Although the film was released with the approval of the Soviet government
, many of its viewers interpreted the movie as a veiled reference to the Lithuanian partisans
who, living in the forests, continued to resist the Soviet occupation during the 1940s and 1950s.
Blinda's life was recently dramatized in an eponymous rock musical by Andrius Mamontovas
that debuted in Vilnius
in 2004. A local railway tour re-enacts a train robbery by Blinda, and Blindos beer by Švyturys-Utenos alus appeared in the 2000s.
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n folk hero
Folk hero
A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...
of the 19th century. He was a subject of several popular books, plays, and movies and is often compared to Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
.
Biography
He was born in the village of Kinčiuliai, Telšiai CountyTelšiai County
Telšiai County is one of ten counties in Lithuania. It is in the west of the country, and its capital is Telšiai...
, in the region of Samogitia
Samogitia
Samogitia is one of the five ethnographic regions of Lithuania. It is located in northwestern Lithuania. Its largest city is Šiauliai/Šiaulē. The region has a long and distinct cultural history, reflected in the existence of the Samogitian dialect...
, and inherited his father's 40 hectares at the age of 20. He then married, had three daughters, and became the village elder
Elder (administrative title)
The term Elder is used in several different countries and organizations to indicate a position of authority...
. There are several versions of the turning point in his life that led to his later career. One story has it that he participated in the 1863 uprising
January Uprising
The January Uprising was an uprising in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the Russian Empire...
, and was sentenced to exile in Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. Another has it that his landlord, Duke Oginskis
Oginskis
Oginskis may have the following meanings:*The plural form of the Polish surname Oginski, e.g., in the meaning Ogiński family.*A Lithuanian form of the surname "Oginski"*A Latvian surname:**Aleksejs Kuplovs-Oginskis, Latvian football midfielder...
, ordered him to flog some serfs, became angry when he refused, and then struck Blinda with a whip. Blinda responded in a flash by thrashing the nobleman.
When Blinda chose to live outside the law, he gathered a band of followers in the dense forests near Byvainė. According to his admirers, he was a latter-day Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
– he stole from the rich and gave to the poor. His detractors argued that he stole from the poor as well. Other stories have him disguising himself as a priest and collecting alms that he then gave away. Many of the tales claim that he buried a treasure in the forest, which remains undiscovered to this day.
The circumstances surrounding his death have also been an object of contention. The popularly-held version was that Duke Oginskis was finally able to gain revenge by organizing the local authorities and murdering him. In 1993 an archivist uncovered police records indicating that he was lynched
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
as a horse thief on April 22, 1877 and buried in an unconsecrated corner of a cemetery in Luokė
Luokė
Luokė is a town in Telšiai County, Lithuania. According to the 2001 census, the town has a population of 777 people....
. No traces of this burial have been found.
Dramatizations
His life was first formally dramatized in 1907 by the Lithuanian writers Lazdynų PelėdaLazdynų Pelėda
Lazdynų Pelėda was the common pen name of two Lithuanian sisters writers:* Sofija Ivanauskaitė-Pšibiliauskienė * Marija Ivanauskaitė-Lastauskienė...
and Gabrielius Landsbergis-Žemkalnis. The play, entitled "Blinda, the Leveller of the World", presented him as a champion of the common people, battling the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
landlords and the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
that governed Lithuania, and was enthusiastically received.
The legend lived on, and was made into a popular film in 1973. It featured a handsome leading man, Vytautas Tomkus, dramatic hand-to-hand combat and feats of horsemanship, and the beautiful scenery of Aukštaitija National Park
Aukštaitija National Park
Aukštaitija National Park is a national park in northeastern Lithuania, about 100 km north of Vilnius. Established in 1974, it is the oldest of the five national parks in Lithuania. At first it was named Lithuanian SSR National Park to emphasize that it was the first such park in the republic...
– it was an immediate success. Although the film was released with the approval of the Soviet government
Lithuanian SSR
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Lithuanian SSR, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union...
, many of its viewers interpreted the movie as a veiled reference to the Lithuanian partisans
Forest Brothers
The Forest Brothers were Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian partisans who waged a guerrilla war against Soviet rule during the Soviet invasion and occupation of the three Baltic states during, and after, World War II...
who, living in the forests, continued to resist the Soviet occupation during the 1940s and 1950s.
Blinda's life was recently dramatized in an eponymous rock musical by Andrius Mamontovas
Andrius Mamontovas
Andrius Mamontovas is a Lithuanian rock musician, songwriter, actor, performer and record producer. He was one of the co-founders of the Lithuanian rock band Foje . He is also one of the masterminds of the LT United project.-Personal life:His father was Russian and mother Lithuanian...
that debuted in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
in 2004. A local railway tour re-enacts a train robbery by Blinda, and Blindos beer by Švyturys-Utenos alus appeared in the 2000s.