Rugievit
Rugievit was a local deity of the Ranen on the island of Rügen , he was worshiped as the god of war. Ten percent of the spoils of war were sacrificed to him. The sanctuary was located in the castle of Charenza , which, according to the latest research, has been identified with the castle wall of Venz bei Gingst .
The old Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus described the sanctuary as follows: ... The larger sanctuary was in the center of its gallery, but both (sanctuary and gallery) were closed off by curtains instead of walls, the pointed roof rested only on columns. The commissioners were able to reach for the curtains of the inner sanctuary after tearing down the vestibule decorations. When these too had fallen, the oak idol that bore the name RUGIEVIT showed itself from all sides in a hideous distortion. Because from the swallows, which had built their nests under the edge of the head, the excrement had continuously trickled down onto the chest of the picture. A beautiful deity whose image is so horribly desecrated by the birds! Otherwise the head had seven human faces, all of which were covered by a parting. Just as many real swords, hanging in sheaths on a belt, the artist had put at his side. He held the eighth in his right hand. ... The dimensions of the picture went beyond human dimensions.
swell
- ↑ Ingrid Schmidt: "Gods, myths and customs of the island of Rügen, page 51"
literature
- Ingrid Schmidt: Gods, myths and customs from the island of Rügen . Hinstorff Verlag Rostock 2002 ISBN 3356007203
- Michael Handwerg: The Slavic Gods in Pomerania and Rügen , Elmenhorst 2010, ISBN 978-3-939680-06-2