Świętowit / Światowid / Swantowit / Swantewit / Svątevit / Svetovid / Svantovit - one of the major Slavic deities, god of war, fertility and abundance.
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| "Świętowit" by Stanisław Jakubowski |
WHAT IS ACTUALLY KNOWN?
The Slavic tribe dedicated to Świętowit was Rani (Ranowie), West Slavic Polabian (Lechitic) tribe, which inhabitated the southwestern mainland across the Strelasund and the island of Rügen (also known as Rugia and in the extinct Polabian language probably Rana, Roja, Ruja or Rujana), today located in the northeastern part of Germany. Main worship centre of Świętowit was located in the legendary Jaromasburg / Arkona at the Cape Arkona.
[Side note: all Slavic people were free to worship any deities from the Slavic pantheon, but it is known that (certainly among the West Slavic tribes) each deity was having one specific tribe dedicated to her/him - the tribe was erecting and maintaining the main temple, which was becoming a place of pilgrimages for the deity's worshippers from all around Slavonia. Some popular deities could have a number of such worship places, but one of them being the most respected / first.]
The oldest known informations about Świętowit can be found in the documents of Friedrich Barbarossa (from the year 1170), in the Helmold of Bosau's chronicle ("Chronica Slavorum", ca. 1120 - after 1177) and in the Danish chronicIe of Saxo Grammaticus ("Gesta Danorum" from the 12th century with descriptions of the wars with Slavic people).
According to Helmold, Świętowit was the highest god, deus deorum, among alI the Slavic tribes (although it should be read as the "West Slavic" tribes, as those were the only Slavonic people with whom he came into contact) and the high-priest of Świętowit had a greater power and enjoyed a greater obedience than some kings and counts of that time. He also mentioned that Świętowit was believed to be the most effective of all deities to turn to during the oracles. Świętowit's name in the medieval manuscripts was Latinized to e.g. Zuantevith, Zvantevich, Zuentevich, Zuanteuit.
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| "Bogowie Ranów" ("Gods of the Rani") by Marek Hapon |
The main tempIe of Świętowit was located on the Cape Arkona, not far from the place where the smalI village of Altkirchen extends today. Arkona was raised at the summit of the lofty cape and was a naturaI enclosure, surrounded on three sides by the torn rocks sloping down to the sea, and protected by a rampart (which was nearly 13-15 meters high) on the fourth side. On the Northern slope of the cape a natural stream was flowing, which was supplying the inhabitants of Arkona with fresh water. Most of the cliff where the gord was located had already been washed away by the sea over the centuries (it is believed that the current area within the ramparts represents only a third of the original total).
A square wooden tempIe was built in the very middle of the inner enclosure of the gord, adorned with sculpture of Świętowit in its centre. Only one entrance was leading inside. The statue was described as being of extraordinary height and made of few different types of wood. The deity was sculpted with four heads and four necks, the beard and the hair of each head being cut short. In the right hand he held a horn made of various metals and his left hand rested on the hip. Beside the statue only a saddle, bridle and saddle-cloth were placed, all belonging to the holy white horse consecrated to Świętowit, and between them a sword of large dimensions with a silvern scabbard and hilt was situated. The archaeological excavations that uncovered the site of the Świętowit temple did reveal that the temple was completely free of artifacts, as in contrary to many offerings, including parts of broken weapons, that were unearthed around the temple's rectangular area. That would be consistent with the historical account by Saxo Grammaticus, who states that the priests inside the temple were not even allowed to breathe within its confines, so as not to defile it.
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| "Svetovid" by Andy Paciorek |
The solemnization in Świętowit's honour was taking place at the end of the harvest season when a feast was thrown - around that time the worshippers of this god from the whole Slavonia were assembling. The high-priest conducting the ceremony was blessing the crops and the people, he was also predicting the abundance of the next harvest during these ceremonies, reading from the traces of honey (or mead) left in the horn that was held by the statue. During that feast wine was sacrificed to Świętowit and a honey bread, circular in shape and tall as a man, was prepared; the feast was lasting all night and it was offensive towards Świętowit to stay sober (see: Gesta Danorum, book 14). It is worth mentioning that these ceremonies, coined together with other harvest-season customs dedicated to the Slavic Mother Earth or other deities, are now considered cut off their roots but not forgotten: nowadays still alive in the form of dożynki / dozhinki festivals.
The holy horse of Świętowit was the main figure in many ceremonies of forecasting the future and some decisions were made on the basis of its behaviour (e.g. the result of an upcoming war was predicted basing on the horse's leg movement - right leg used as first to jump over the specially arranged spears was providing for a victory). It was considered sacrilegious to pull off the hair of its mane or tail. No one besides the high-priest was allowed to feed or ride it, so that the horse wouldn't lose its divine purity or dignified appearance.
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| "Święty rumak" ("Holy Steed") by Marek Hapon |
The rich treasury of Świętowit, where whole heaps of various precious objects were collected, was the desired object of alI the neighbours. The faith in Świętowit was so strong that, as mentioned by Saxo Grammaticus, Arkona (which was mainly a worship centre - a Slavic "cathedral") had only 300 warriors devoted to be stationed in the permanent garrison, as the inhabitants believed that their god was enough to protect the fortification. It is a fact that Arkona was one of the longest-defended Slavic gords and the last Slavic cult centre to fall down and become Christianized. The Danish king Valdemar I, "led by eagerness", invaded Arkona and captured it in June 1168. He plundered the treasury and ordered his knights to pull down the old statue of Świętowit, which before this final defeat was secretly worshipped, hidden under the name of St. Vitus (see: Gesta Danorum). As Helmold stated, the holy statue idolized by all the [West] Slavs was taken down with a rope around its neck and hauled in front of the Rani survivors, at the end being shattered and thrown into fire. Some of the plundered treasury was funded for the construction of Christian churches in that area (Helmold mentions 12 churches being founded by Valdemar not long after capturing Arkona).
INFORMATIONS COLLECTED FROM:
- Helmold of Bosau "Chronica Slavorum": Polish translation by Kazimierz Liman.
- Saxo Grammaticus "Gesta Danorum": Polish translation by Jan Wolucki.
- Joachim Lelewel "Cześć bałwochwalcza Sławian i Polski", Poznań, 1857.
- Józef Widajewicz "Słowianie Zachodni na Bałtyku", Toruń, 1933.
- Stanisław Jakubowski "Bogowie Słowian" ("The Gods of the Slavs"), Kraków, 1933.
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This article was originally published on my tumblr blog [link].
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Please leave a credit to lamus-dworski.blogspot.com in case of quoting ♥
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