Holy spring

Sacred springs are man-made sources where acts of spiritual or religious worship are performed. They are often said to have a beneficial effect on the body and / or mind.

St Brendan's Well , Ireland

history

In Europe and beyond there are a large number of such sources, which were important in prehistory . In Portugal ( Pedra Formosa ), on the British Isles since the Celtic times (50 recently used facilities in Ireland alone) and in Sardinia ( fountain sanctuaries ) and elsewhere, a water cult emerged from this , which is documented until the early Neolithic . In some places today it is still customary to place offerings and say prayers there.

The sources that have been venerated since prehistoric times have been partially Christianized and are therefore still in use. Many were set with stones, and well houses were built over some. In the British Isles, colorful ribbons, scarves or clothing are tied to the surrounding trees in some places (see Clootie Well ). The custom is based on the magical notion that as soon as they are rotted, the sickness of the person who made the ribbon as a sacrifice will also pass. This custom has been and is observed from Ireland to Armenia to Central Asia . This appears regardless of sources also on so-called desire trees ( english Wish tree ). Such is z. B. Near Clonfert Cathedral in County Galway .

Up to 20,000 people are said to have made the pilgrimage to the Hermannskogel in the Vienna Woods to drink from what is now known as the “Agnesbrünnl” spring.

Germany, Austria, Switzerland

There are many sources in the German-speaking world that are considered sacred. They are often named after saints. In the south of the German-speaking area, for example, there is a tradition of naming sources after Saint Ulrich of Augsburg , the so-called Ulrichsbrunnen . The tradition has been documented since the 11th century (shortly after Ulrich's death) and continues to this day.

Great Britain

Holy Spring with Spring House in St. Clether, Cornwall

In England , especially in Cornwall , Scotland and Wales, there are a large number of these so-called holy wells ( Holy Wells ). You will there u. a. Called Clootie Wells . Often times they are neglected and overgrown and many are forgotten. In some places, however, in the Central and West English Peak District , the elaborate ritual of well dressing is still celebrated in the warm half of the year . They are wells or springs with a tree by their side. Strips of cloth or rag, which are usually part of a ritual act, are hung in the tree. There are legends associated with every source.

Ireland

Sacred spring near Galway

Water cults have a tradition in Ireland that goes back at least to the late Bronze Age (1200–500 BC). Most of the knowledge about their age goes back to metalwork from the early Iron Age (500 BC - 400 AD) and relates to objects that were deposited as votive offerings. Although holy wells appear to be Christian monuments, the rituals show strong pre-Christian elements. Frequently to be found are votive offerings (today mostly coins, small statues or everyday objects), wishing trees ( rag trees ), small stone altars or cairns and portholes . Most are associated with a person, usually a saint. The water of the holy springs is said to at least alleviate diseases. In Killina, west of Tullamore in County Offaly , Ireland, there is a sacred spring, a mass rock and a porthole in close proximity.

There are 130 monuments in Connemara. Tober Cáillίn in Keerhaunmore and Tobar Phádraig (see web link) in Maumean ( Mám Éan ) are still frequented today. In County Galway , there are 210 traditional Holy Wells. There is often a rag tree nearby , a tree hung with scraps of cloth and a mascot. One of the practices is a strip of cloth after washing, bathing or drinking the well water - a Clootie - to bind to the sacred tree. This is said to allow disease to pass into the cloth that is left behind. In some places a needle or a coin is thrown into the well, as in Tobercornan . Tobercornan (the Pinnacle Well) at Ballyvaughan in County Clare and Struell Wells at Downpatrick ( County Down ) are sources without a rag tree. Tober (also tubber ) is the Gaelic word for source and occurs as a prefix for places like Tobercurry , County Sligo , and Toberdoney, County Antrim (Northern Ireland). Another name for springs is Uaran. The name appears in connection with the Anglicized form Oran in Oranmore .

Portugal

In Portugal , Iron Age buildings in megalithic technology , which are considered to be sanctuaries of water and wells, are called Pedra Formosa (= "beautiful stone"). The sanctuary consists of chambers and water basins. The Pedra Formosa by Briteiros , Sanfins (both as high altitude cult places), Castro das Eiras, Freixo and Santa Maria de Galegos as well as the particularly beautifully decorated monument in Vila Nova de Famalicão are known.

Sardinia

Another area of designed sacred springs and wells is Sardinia. There are older fountain sanctuaries ( Italian Pozzi Sacri ) such as Santa Cristina , Mitza Pidighi and the fountain sanctuary of Coni and younger ones such as San Leonardo de Siete Fuentes ( German “Seven Sources” ) or Sa Scabizzada ( German “the source of the beheaded” ) with the St. Barbara is connected.

Romans

The Romans called the spring or fountain sanctuaries nymphaeum .

Middle East

One of the better known holy springs in the Middle East is the Hittite spring sanctuary Eflatun Pınar .

literature

Wolfgang Bauer , Sergius Golowin , Clemens Zerling : Holy springs, healing wells. Verlag Neue Erde, Saarbrücken 2009, ISBN 978-3-89060-275-2 .
Walter L. Brenneman, Mary G. Brenneman: Crossing the circle at the holy wells of Ireland. University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, VI 1995, ISBN 0-8139-1548-1 .
Alois Döring: sources. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2nd Edition. Volume 24, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2003, ISBN 3-11-017575-4 , pp. 11-15.
Arthur Gribben: Holy wells and sacred water sources in Britain and Ireland. An annotated bibliography. Garland, London 1992, ISBN 0-8153-0831-0 .
Elizabeth Healy: In search of Ireland's holy wells. Wolfhound Press, Dublin 2001, ISBN 0-86327-865-5 .
Patrick Logan: The holy wells of Ireland. Smythe Books, Gerrards Cross 1992, ISBN 0-86140-046-1 .
Friedrich Muthmann: mother and source. Studies on source worship in antiquity and in the Middle Ages. Basel - Mainz 1975, ISBN 3-805-30269-X .
Britt-Marie Näsström, Wolf-Rüdiger Teegen: Spring shrines and spring cult. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde (RGA). 2nd Edition. Volume 24, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2003, ISBN 3-11-017575-4 , pp. 15-29.
Stiofán Ó Cadhla: The holy well tradition. The pattern of St. Declan, Ardmore, County Waterford. Four Courts Press, Dublin 2002, ISBN 1-85182-706-4 .
Anne Rackard (text), Liam O'Callaghan (photos): Fishbonewater. Holy wells of Ireland. Atrium Books, Cork 2001, ISBN 0-9535353-1-2 .
Massimo Rassu: Pozzi sacri. Architetture preistoriche per il culto delle acque in Sardegna 2016
Petra Skyvova: Fingallian holy wells. Fingal County Libraries, Dublin 2005, ISBN 0-9549103-0-3 .
Siegferd Svane: 100 Danske helligkilder and their historie in korte træk. Landesmann, Copenhagen 1979, ISBN 87-15-07395-5 .
Karl Weinold: The adoration of the sources. In: Heide Göttner-Abendroth , Kurt Derungs (Hrsg.): Mythological landscape Germany. Bern 1999, first published in: Karl Weinold: The veneration of sources in Germany. Berlin 1898.

Web links

Commons : Sacred Sources - collection of images, videos and audio files

heilige-quellen.de A page about the importance of holy springs and other waters in the religions and in German and international popular belief. With many examples and descriptions.
Holy sources in Ireland - English.
Holy sources on the Brit. Islands
Image Tobar Phádraig