Swan (symbol)

Luther with the swan, painting Strümpfelbach Church in the Remstal

In the Christian context, the swan is a symbol for the reformer Martin Luther .

history

That the swan to the symbol for Luther was, is mostly explained by a legend: The as Vorreformator applicable Jan Hus was in 1415 during the Council of Constance executed as a heretic, even though it safe conduct had been granted. Before he was cremated, he is said to have said: “Today you will roast a goose, but a swan will rise from the ashes” ( Czech “Hus” means “goose”). This saying was later interpreted as referring to Martin Luther.

After Luther's death, the image of "Luther with the swan" spread. The first pictures date from the 16th century. In the following two centuries the motif in the most varied of variations played an essential role in the artistic representation of Luther's life and work. It found its way into many churches as wall and gallery painting, on canvas and panel paintings and occasionally as sculptural decoration ( altar of the Martinikirche Halberstadt ). In addition, the covers of Bibles and hymn books were decorated with the symbol and thus contributed to the significant spread of the symbol.

The swan can therefore be found in numerous Lutheran parishes instead of a weathercock on the top of the church tower , especially in northwest Germany and in the Netherlands, where the so-called "Luther swan" made the denominational demarcation to the Reformed parishes clear. An exception in East Friesland is the Reformed Church in Groothusen , which, at the instigation of Katharina von Wasa, got a Luther swan and at times a Lutheran pastor.

The Luther swan can also be found in other places such as Monschau in the Eifel , Wuppertal- Barmen at the old church in Wupperfeld or at the Protestant church in Sprockhövel-Haßlinghausen .

Churches, church and bell towers with the "Luther Swan"

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  Bell tower of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ardorf

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  St. Dionysius Church Asel

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  Spire of the Maria Magdalena Church Berdum

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  Spire of the dike church Carolinensiel

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  St. Marcus Church Marx

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  Spire of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Middoge

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  Swan on the spire of the Evangelical Church in Monschau

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  Evangelical Lutheran St. Victor Church Victorbur

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  Evangelical Lutheran Petrikirche Westeraccum

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  Bell tower of the St. Nicolai Church Wittmund

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  Spire of the church in Svaneke ( Bornholm / Denmark )

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  Spire of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Amersfoort ( Netherlands )

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  Tower of the New Lutheran Church in Amsterdam ( Netherlands )

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  Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kampen ( Netherlands )

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  "Luther Swan" of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Leiden ( Netherlands )

Other churches, church and bell towers with "Luther swans" :

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Amdorf Evangelical Lutheran Boniface Church Arle Evangelical Lutheran St. Petri Church in Aurich-Oldendorf Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Laurentius and St. Vincenz in Backemoor Bagband Evangelical Lutheran Church Evangelical Lutheran island church on Baltrum Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bangstede Evangelical Lutheran Church of Peace in Berndorf Evangelical Lutheran Church Bloherfelde Evangelical Lutheran St. Sebastian and St. Vincenz Church in Breinermoor Evangelical Church in Büderich Evangelical Lutheran St. Florian Church in Burhafe Evangelical Lutheran Christ Church in Cäciliengroden Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church in Collinghorst Evangelical Lutheran St. Stephen and Bartholomew Church in Detern Evangelical Lutheran St. Mark's Church in Emden Martin Luther Church in Emden Evangelical Lutheran Church of John the Baptist in Engerhafe Evangelical Lutheran St. Stephen's Church in Fedderwarden Evangelical Lutheran St. Paulus Church Filsum Evangelical Lutheran St. Andrew's Church in Firrel Evangelical Church Nierswalde in Goch Evangelical Eastern Church Pfalzdorf in Goch Evangelical Lutheran parish church of St. Marien in Göttingen Evangelical Reformed Church in Groothusen Evangelical Lutheran Maria Magdalena Church in Hatshausen Evangelical Lutheran Pauluskirche in Heisfelde Evangelical Lutheran Liudgerikirche in Hesel Evangelical Lutheran Christ Church in Hollen Martin Luther Church in Holterfehn

Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Mary in Holtland Evangelical Lutheran St. Mauritius Church in Horsten Evangelical Lutheran St. Elisabeth Church in Hude Evangelical-Lutheran Trinity Church in Langholt Luther Church in Leer Evangelical Lutheran Christ Church in Leer Evangelical Lutheran Emmaus Church Leezdorf Martin Luther Church Leybuchtpolder Evangelical Lutheran Peace Church in Loga Evangelical Lutheran Church in Logabirum Evangelical Lutheran Church in Loquard Evangelical Lutheran cruciform church in Marcardsmoor Evangelical Lutheran St. Severinus and Jacobus Church in Minsen Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Münkeboe Evangelical Lutheran Church in Neuburg Evangelical Lutheran Church in Neustadtgödens Evangelical Lutheran Warnfried Church in Osteel Evangelical Lutheran St. Anthony Church in Petkum Evangelical Lutheran Nicolai Church in Pewsum Luther Church in Pirmasens Evangelical Lutheran St. Andrew's Church in Plaggenburg Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pogum Evangelical Lutheran St. Martin Church in Potshausen Evangelical Lutheran St. John's Church in Rechtsupweg Evangelical Lutheran St. Martin Church in Remels Evangelical Lutheran St. Matthew Church Resterhafe Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rhaude Evangelical Church of Ribbeck Evangelical Lutheran Church in Riepe Evangelical Lutheran Church Roggenstede Evangelical Lutheran parish church of St. Peter and Paul in Rüdenhausen Evangelical Church of St. George in Schermbeck

Evangelical Lutheran St. John's Church in Schwanewede Evangelical Lutheran St. Florian Church in Sillenstede Evangelical Lutheran old island church on Spiekeroog New Evangelical Lutheran Church on Spiekeroog Evangelical Lutheran St. Aegidien Church in Stedesdorf Evangelical Vogelsang Church in Stolberg Evangelical Lutheran Barbara Church in Strackholt Evangelical Lutheran St. Mary's Church in Thunum Gnadenkirche Tidofeld Evangelical Lutheran Peter and Paul Church in Timmel Evangelical Lutheran Peter and Paul Church in Völlen Martin Luther House in Völlenerfehn Evangelical Lutheran St. Martin Church in Voslapp Evangelical Lutheran Matthäuskirche Wallinghausen Evangelical Lutheran St. Mary's Church in Waren (Müritz) Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Weener Luther House Wesel Evangelical Lutheran Church Westerbur Evangelical Lutheran St. Martins Church in Westerende-Kirchloog Evangelical Lutheran St. Petri Church in Westerstede Evangelical-Lutheran Resurrection Church in Westerstede-Ihausen Evangelical Lutheran Hope Church in Westrhauderfehn Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. John the Baptist in Wiesens Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Mary in Woquard Evangelical Lutheran Old Church Wupperfeld in Wuppertal - Barmen Evangelical Lutheran Church in The Hague ( Netherlands ) Evangelical Lutheran Church in Den Helder ( Netherlands ) Evangelical Lutheran Church Stadskanaal ( Netherlands ) Evangelical Lutheran Church in Utrecht ( Netherlands ) Medieval church of Zuidwolde ( Netherlands )

literature

• Wilhelm Rotscheidt: Church spiers in the Rhineland. In: Monthly Bulletins for Rhenish Church History. Vol. 34, Evangelical Press Association for the Rhineland, Essen 1940, p. 33 f., Digital version (40.1 MB) .
• Friedrich Goethe: The swan on churches in East Friesland and Oldenburg. In: Ostfriesland - magazine for culture, economy and traffic 1971/4; Ostfriesische Landschaft (Ed.), Verlag Rautenberg, Leer 1971, pp. 7-19.
• JK Schendelaar: Luther, de Lutheranen en de Zwaan. Publishing house Dabar / boekmakerij Luyten, Aalsmeer / Woerden 1993.
• Lutherhalle Wittenberg in connection with Gerhard Seib (Hrsg.): Luther with the swan. Death and transfiguration of a great man. Verlag Schelzky & Jeep, Berlin 1996, ISBN 3-89541-120-5 , (exhibition catalog).
• Ummo Lübben: Weather swans on Lutheran churches between the Ems and Jade. SKN Druck und Verlag, Norden 2010, ISBN 978-3-939870-35-7 .
• Brage bei der Wieden : Luther and the swan. In: Brage bei der Wieden: Man and Swan - Cultural-historical perspectives on the perception of animals. transcript Verlag, Bielefeld 2014, ISBN 978-3-8376-2877-7 , p. 180 ff.

Web links

Commons : "Luther swans"  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Ummo Lübben: Luther swans as weather vanes. In: NWZonline of November 18, 2006 , accessed March 20, 2017.
• Luther with the Swan - Death and Transfiguration of a Great Man, accessed on March 9, 2016.
• Greetings from Wetter-Hahn and Luther-Schwan in East Friesland , accessed on March 9, 2016.
• The Church Lexicon - S for Luther-Schwan, accessed on March 8, 2017.
• Luther and the Swan , accessed March 15, 2017.
• Rooster or Swan , Retrieved March 18, 2017.

References and footnotes

1. ↑ The Luther picture , accessed on March 22, 2017.
2. ^ Friedrich Goethe: Swans as weather vanes on Lutheran churches in East Friesland, Oldenburg and elsewhere. In: Luther with the swan - death and transfiguration of a great man ; Catalog for the exhibition in the Lutherhalle Wittenberg on the occasion of the 450th anniversary of Martin Luther's death, publisher: Lutherhalle Wittenberg in conjunction with Gerhard Seib, Verlag Schelzky & Jeep, Berlin 1996, ISBN 978-3895411205 , pp. 70–79.
3. ↑ Nielsen, Jörg: IN EAST FRIESLAND GREETINGS WETTER-HAHN AND LUTHER-SCHWAN. In: https://www.landeskirche-hannovers.de . July 21, 2011, accessed March 9, 2020 . 
4. ↑ A weather swan as a landmark , accessed on March 18, 2017.
5. ↑ ^{a b c} Luther symbols , accessed on March 18, 2017.
6. ↑ Lutherhalle Wittenberg in connection with Gerhard Seib (ed.): Luther with the swan. Death and transfiguration of a great man . Verlag Schelzky & Jeep, Berlin 1996, p. 78 .
7. ↑ A swan adorns the steeple of Wittmund Church , accessed on March 18, 2017.
8. ↑ ^{a b} The swan on the church towers in Schwanewede and Svaneke is both a symbol for Martin Luther and a sign for the respective place names.
9. ↑ The Luther Church in Amsterdam by Willem Koekkoek , accessed on March 20, 2017.
10. ^ Sprengel Ostfriesland-Ems , accessed on March 18, 2017.
11. ↑ Weather swan instead of weather cock , accessed on March 18, 2017.
12. ^ Luther swan adorns the top of the church tower , accessed on March 16, 2017.
13. ↑ The swan on the Friedenskirche in Berndorf is both a symbol for Martin Luther and a reference to the swan in the coat of arms of the former patron saints, the Lords / Counts of Giech .
14. ↑ Brief history of the Evangelical Lutheran. Parish Bloherfelde , accessed on 16 March 2017th
15. ^ The Story of the Swan , accessed March 16, 2017.
16. Jump up ↑ Church gets a weather swan , accessed on March 18, 2017.
17. ↑ ^{a b c} The rooster on the roof , accessed on March 20, 2017.
18. ↑ Ev. Wesel- Büderich Church , accessed on March 20, 2017.
19. ^ History of the Büderich Church ( memento from March 20, 2017 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on May 19, 2019.
20. ↑ ^{a b} The swan on the church tower in Cäciliengroden , accessed on March 16, 2017.
21. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Church towers carry a golden weather swan. In: Community letter of the Ev.-luth. Municipalities Lingen, September-October-November 2011, p. 2 ( Memento from January 10, 2017 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 16, 2017.
22. ^ The church in Nierswalde , accessed on March 17, 2017.
23. ↑ ^{a b} Swan as Luther's "heraldic animal" , accessed on March 18, 2017.
24. ^ Die Ostkirche Pfalzdorf , accessed on March 17, 2017.
25. ↑ Gottfried Kiesow : Architectural Guide Ostfriesland. German Foundation for Monument Protection, Bonn 2010, ISBN 978-3-86795-021-3 , p. 79.
26. ↑ The St. Elisabeth Church in Hude , accessed on March 17, 2017.
27. ↑ History of the Luther Church in Leer , accessed on March 17, 2017.
28. ↑ The swan on the tower of the Luther Church in Pirmasens is both a symbol for Martin Luther and for the County of Hanau-Lichtenberg .
29. ↑ The Church in Rhaude , accessed on May 19, 2019.
30. ^ Church of Ribbeck - picture gallery , accessed on March 18, 2017.
31. ^ The Protestant Church of St. George in Schermbeck , accessed on March 18, 2017.
32. ↑ The center of the place was and is the church. , accessed on March 21, 2017.
33. ↑ Evangelical Church Community Stolberg - Vogelsang Church , accessed on March 17, 2017.
34. ↑ Altstadtkirchen: Hahn, Schwan, Engel , accessed on March 17, 2017.
35. ↑ Ev.-luth. Parish Voslapp - “St. Martin ” , accessed March 17, 2017.
36. ↑ The weather swan on the roof of St. Martin's Church , accessed on March 18, 2017.
37. ^ A community center for Wallinghausen , accessed on March 19, 2017.
38. ^ The St. Marienkirche in Waren , accessed on March 18, 2017.
39. ^ Luther swans as weather vanes , accessed on March 20, 2017.
40. ↑ A rooster or a swan? , accessed on March 21, 2017.
41. ^ Church Stadskanaal , accessed on March 20, 2017.
42. ^ Lutheran Church Utrecht , accessed March 20, 2017.
43. ↑ Church of Zuidwolde , accessed on 20 March 2017th