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ENThe paper deals with the asymmetry of the mediaeval pagan image and its change in the periphery of Christian Europe (and primarily on the eastern coast of the Baltic region) through the analysis of historical written sources (the chronicles of Latin Europe, the Annals of Rusʼ, and Chronographs). The author agrees that the image of pagans in Christian European literature was based on biblical concepts and the tradition coming from the Antiquity, however, next to that, there were direct contacts with adherents of different faiths. The formation of the image of evil/good or „Christian/barbaric” pagans was greatly affected by two main notions of pagans (first found in the Scriptures). On the other hand, the same canonists and chroniclers also formed the image of the „evil” pagans who opposed all the possible Christian moral norms, popular during the Crusades. As disclosed by the paper, none of the above-mentioned image groups was „pure” in their form. That is especially true of the image of pagans derived from direct relations with them and intermingled with the images coming from the Scriptures or the literary tradition. The direct relations with pagans (real politic), even though the pagan image was based on the „canonical” picture, still led to the change in the views on the adherents of other faiths. The image of converts, former pagans, also depended on the political and military realities. In that situation, the asymmetry is seen in the overall view of the transformation from an anti-hero into a hero, from the image of an „evil” pagan into the one of a „good” Christian. The author also argues that, while the actual relations with pagans hardly changed their image, they contributed to the development of a „neutral” or „better”, or even a quasi- Christian, picture of pagans.