Horse sacrifices were a mainstay of pagan rituals across the Baltic. The archaeology leaves no doubt: from the 1st to 13th centuries AD this pagan belief scarcely wavered in popularity: even the loss of such an important animal was worth it to please your Dark Age gods. Obviously, the ancient Baltic tribes needed a constant supply of horses for their ceremonial sacrifices. And, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances, we now know where they got them. The last of the pagan Balts were buying their horses from Christian Scandinavia. King Aelle and the Blood Eagle: Ritual Sacrifice in Viking Age Britain Horses as Symbols of Power in History and Mythology The new research is based on multiple pagan sites of horse sacrifice, in Lithuania and beyond (French et al / Science Advances) Read moreSection: NewsHistory & ArchaeologyHistoryAncient TraditionsRead Later