Seven bustards stones
The seven bustard stones are eight cross stones that are located in Benthe , one of the districts of Ronnenberg in Lower Saxony , in a cross stone nest . They are among the most famous cross stones in Lower Saxony.
Location
In the Middle Ages there were seven hollows south of Benthe . It may have been sinkholes caused by leaching processes in the Benther salt dome below . At that time, seven cross stones were placed next to the hollows. The stones were apparently brought from locations unknown today to the hollows, where they stood until the corridor was separated in 1857. In 1978, the cross-stones were from the busy B 65 for their protection under one in that year 50-year-old lime tree in the named after the stones district Seven bustards added.
history
According to tradition, there was a place south of Benthe in the Middle Ages where the gographer held court with lay judges. The court was first mentioned around 1300 by the diocese of Minden as "curia benite". The "seven bustard stones" are said to have stood in a circle around the place of judgment. One statement said they should exhort the defendants to be honest. According to another interpretation, cross stones were set as atonement between the 13th and 16th centuries. Among other things, they helped prevent family feuds after a murder or manslaughter. The Church urged that a dead man who suddenly perished without absolution (absolution) in confession or without the so-called Final Unction and who therefore might face the penalty of hell should be placed a cross stone. There, if possible at the scene of the crime, one should pray for the salvation of his soul . The seven cross stones were first mentioned in writing on May 13, 1474 as "bey den syven crucen". An eighth stone was added later, which is said to come from the Benther salt dome .
description
The different types of construction and the different stone material indicate that the cross stones initially stood in different places before they were brought to the hollows. On each stone there is a cross on the front and the back. The stones are between 1.21 and 0.98 meters high and between 68 and 56 cm wide.
legend
There are various legends about the stones. All representations are about the false oath at a court hearing: the oath should be confirmed with steps within the judicial district. However, the perjurer did not succeed in doing so. A legend says that a farmer moved landmarks, another source speaks of a dispute over wages for his servant. In any case, the farmer swore in court: he wanted to sink into the ground with the seven steps (bustards) if he had given false statements. That happened then. That is why the stones were set at every step the deceiver took as a warning to all liars.
See also
literature
- Otto Bertram, Hermann Deiters, Hans-Erich Wilhelm: Contributions to the chronicle of the village of Benthe. Druckerei Hagedorn, Ronnenberg 1990, pp. 19 and 85–88.
- Ernst Andreas Friedrich : The seven bustards of Benthe , pp. 171–172, in: If stones could talk. Landbuch-Verlag, Hannover 1989, ISBN 3-7842-0397-3
- Peter Hertel et al. a. (Ed.): Ronnenberg. Seven Traditions - One City. Ronnenberg 2010, ISBN 978-3-00-030253-4 .
Web links
- Brief description of the seven bustard stones at hannover.de
- Description and photos of the stones at kreuzstein.eu
- Description and photos of the stones at suehnekreuz.eu
- Legends from Lower Saxony - The seven bustards at Project Gutenberg
Individual evidence
- ↑ Irmtraud Kosin and Helmut Radelfahr: Benthe, in: Peter Hertel u. a. (Ed.): Ronnenberg. Seven Traditions - One City . Ronnenberg 2010, ISBN 978-3-00-030253-4 , pp. 297 .
- ↑ Peter Hertel: Explorations around the outside and in the middle, in: Peter Hertel u. a. (Ed.): Ronnenberg. Seven Traditions - One City . Ronnenberg 2010, ISBN 978-3-00-030253-4 , pp. 34 .
- ^ Calenberg document book . tape 9 , no. 227 , p. 226 .
- ^ Otto Bertram, Hermann Deiters, Hans-Erich Wilhelm: Contributions to the chronicle of the village Benthe . Hagedorn printing works, Ronnenberg 1990, p. 87 .
- ^ Karl Henninger, Johann von Harten: Lower Saxony's Sagenborn. August Lahr, Hildesheim 1927, p. 27.
Coordinates: 52 ° 20 ′ 0 ″ N , 9 ° 37 ′ 42.7 ″ E