Orbis Linguarum
ISSN: 1426-7241 • e-ISSN: 2657-4845 • DOI: 10.23817/olin • Rejection rate: 25% (2021)

Westslawische Mythen, Sagen und Legenden auf dem Gebiet der Germania Slavica

Hans-Christian Trepte, Leipzig University (ORCID: 0000-0002-3118-7299)

DOI: 10.23817/olin.54-3 (published online: 2021-08-12)

pp. 35–61

Recently there has been a growing interest in Slavic mythology, gods and ritual practices prior to mainly forced Christianisation. Early Slavic mythology has been a challenge to many scholars. It is an interesting task to follow traces of Western Slavic pagan mythology and its gods. Unlike many other mythologies, there is no original material left since the pre-Christian heritage was violently destroyed. Documents and chronicles were mainly written by Christian clergymen, whose attitudes towards the indigenous Slavic population, and their cult of pagan gods were hostile. This text is focusing on “Slavia Germania”, a territory situated between Cape Arkona on the island of Rügen in the North and the Lusatian Highlands in the South of Saxony on the borderline with the Czech Republic. This area, originally settled by Slavic tribes, came under the influence of the Roman Catholic Church and the German Imperium. The most important location of Western Slavic resistance was the temple-stronghold of the pagan god Svetovid at Cape Arkona on Rügen, which surrendered to the Danish troops in 1168. Temple, castle and the statue of Svetovid were destroyed. The Lusatian Sorbs may serve as an illustrative example according to the topic. Worship of Slavic gods as well as the pagan cultural influence were mostly denied or eliminated. But myths, legends, and customs have persisted in folk beliefs, traditions, and tales until modern times. Recently neopaganism, and the movement of the Slavic Native Faith focus on the revival of ethnic religion, gods, and cults between natural religion of the native population, and nationalist ideas and mythologems.

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