Quest (symbol)
The quest is a symbol with an unexplained history and meaning. It is associated with Germanic mythology, but it is more likely to come from Wendish (Slavic) tradition.
meaning
The quest may represent a variant of the Germanic Irminsul (Irmen column), but the popular Germanic derivation , which has been widespread since the time of National Socialism , has not been proven.
With a higher historical probability, it could also go back to Wendish traditions (Reinboth 2001). Reinboth's research results are finally able to explain in a comprehensible way why the quest symbol is not much more widespread. But that would have to be the case if it goes back to Germanic origins.
Appearance and structure
A huge wreath of brushwood is attached to a tree trunk about ten meters high . Bundles of brushwood, so-called tassels, are also attached to the ends of the cross.
The quest in the Harz Mountains
The custom of erecting a quest tree still exists in Questenberg , a village in the southern Harz ( Saxony-Anhalt ). There, every Whit Monday at 3 a.m., all villagers are woken up to take off the old wreath on the quest ( ⊙ ), which stands protectively and blessingly on a cliff overlooking the village , together at sunrise . The old sticks are burned and in the afternoon the wreath and tassels made of fresh birch and beech greens are renewed. The quest is included as no. 212 in the system of stamping points of the Harz hiking pin.
literature
- Ernst Kiel: The Quest Festival. Present and past . 2nd, expanded edition. Verlag Neukirchner, Nordhausen 1995. ISBN 3-929767-11-2
- Fritz Reinboth: Does the South Harz Quest Festival have Wendish roots? In: Our Harz . No. 12 , 2001, p. 230-233 ( online [accessed April 10, 2014]).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Questenberg and the historical Questenfest on harz-saale.de
- ↑ The Quest Festival in the community of Questenberg in the Harz Mountains in historical times on pfingstseiten.de
- ↑ Harzer Wanderadel: Stempelstelle 212 - An der Queste ( Memento of the original from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on harzer-wandernadel.de
