The second great chronicler of Polabian Slavs is Adam of Bremen. He was born circa 1050 and died on October 12, sometime in or after 1081 (by 1085). That is he was born some thirty plus years after the death of Thietmar of Merseburg. We note that Adam does not appear to be as accurate as Thietmar but, on volume and on the breadth of his observations regarding the Baltic area, he is the undisputed champion.
Adam’s “History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen” or, if you will, “Deeds of Bishops of the Hamburg Church” (Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum) contains all kinds of interesting Slavic stuff (and not just Slavic as, for example, the book also describes the Thor/Wotan/Freir temple at Uppsala – following Book 3 at Descriptio Insularum Aquilonis, chapter 26). His writings were later used by Helmold of Bossau, a 12th century priest, who wrote the Slavic Chronicle (Chronicon Slavorum) and, in fact, some of Helmold’s passages are almost carbon copies of Adam.
For starters, in keeping with our topic of Polabian Gods, we will examine only the parts of Adam’s work that deal with the Polabian Gods – specifically, Adam’s description of the Redarii and their Gods – which is slightly different than that of Thietmar. For starters, the God is not Svarosic but rather Redigast. The city is not Riedigost but rather Rethra. And instead of three gates there are nine.
While some of these changes may have occurred through time (e.g., adding new gates), it seems that the others may be a result of a mistake. It would seem that Redigast (or whatever version you prefer) should rather be the place name of the Redarii. That Rethra may be the same as Redigast (or whatever version you prefer) being the capital city of the Redarii after all. Finally, the God may then be Svarosic.
On the other hand, it is also possible that the God Svarosic became, over time, also known by the name of his temple’s location – Redigast and that the town Redigast also acquired the name of the people living there, i.e., Redarii, i.e., Rethra.
Book II (par 18 in some versions)
English:
“Among them [Polabian Slavs] the Retharii, centrally located, are the mightiest of all. Their city, very widely known as Rethra, is a seat of idolatry. There a great temple was erected to demons, the chief of whom is Redigast. His image is of gold, his bower bedecked with purple. The city itself has nine gates and is surrounded on all sides by a deep lake. A wooden bridge, over which approach is allowed only to those who would make sacrifices or seek oracular advice, affords a means of crossing. For this there is, I believe, a meaningful explanation: fitly “the Styx imprisons with its ninefold circles” the lost souls of those who serve idols. This temple they say is a four day journey from the city of Hamburg.”
[from a version by Francis J. Tschan translated in 1959, as edited in 2002 by Timothy Reuter]
full version here: http://hbar.phys.msu.su/gorm/chrons/bremen.htm
The pictures are from the GKS 2296 4° manuscript (put together c 1200 – c 1225) which is now at Det Kongelige Bibliotek and which you can look at the following address:
http://www.kb.dk/permalink/2006/manus/378/dan
(It does not have the Thor/Upssala section in case you are wondering – we were going to throw that in as a freebie)
Latin:
Ibi est terminus Hammaburgensis parrochiae. Sunt et alii Sclavaniae populi, qui inter Albiam et Oddaram degunt, sicut Heveldi, qui iuxta Habolam fluvium sunt et Doxani, Leubuzzi, Wilini et Stoderani cum multis aliis. Inter quos medii et potentissimi omnium sunt Retharii, civitas eorum vulgatissima Rethre, sedes ydolatriae. Templum ibi magnum constructum est demonibus, quorum princeps est Redigast. Simulacrum eius auro, lectus ostro paratus. Civitas ipsa novem portas habet, undique lacu profundo inclusa, pons ligneus transitum praebet, per quem tantum sacrificantibus aut responsa petentibus via conceditur. Credo, ea significante causa, quod perditas animas eorum, qui ydolis serviunt, congrue ‘novies Styx interfusa cohercet’. Ad quod templum ferunt a civitate Hammaburg iter esse quatuor dierum.
Book III (par 50 in some versions)
English:
“The aged bishop John was taken with other Christians in the city of Mecklenburg and held for a triumph. And because he confessed Christ he was beaten with cudgels and then was led in mockery through one city of the Slavs after another. Since he could not be turned from the profession of Christ, his hands and feet were lopped off and his body was thrown upon the road. Cutting off his head, the barbarians died it on a spear and offered it to their God Redigast in token of their victory. These things were done in the chief city of the Slavs, Rethra, on the fourth day before the Ides of November. The daughter of he king of the Danes was found with her women at Mecklenburg, the city of the Abodrites, and was sent away naked. For, as we said before, she was the wife of Prince Gottschalk, who also had a son, Henry, by her. Of another woman was born Butue: the two were begot to the great destruction of the Slavs. When, indeed, the Slavs had achieved victory, they ravaged the whole of the region of Hamburg with fire and sword. Nearly all the Sturmarians were either killed or led into captivity. The stronghold of Hamburg was razed ot the ground, and even crosses were mutilated by the pagans in derision of our Saviour. There was fulfilled for us the prophecy which runs, ‘O God, the heathen are come into thy inheritance; they have defiled thy holy temple,’ and the other sayings which prophetically bewail the destruction of the city of Jerusalem. The perpetrator of this desolation is said to have been Blusso, who was married to Gottschalk’s sister and who, on returning home, was himself murdered. And so all the Slavs, sworn to a general conspiracy, lapsed again into paganism, after they had killed those who persisted in the faith. In vain did or Duke Ordulf fight the Slavs time and again during the twelve years that he survived his father. Never could he obtain a victory, and because he was so often beaten by the pagans even his own men derided him. The expulsion of the archbishop and the death of Gottschalk took place almost within a year, that is, the prelate’s twenty-second. And, unless I am mistaken, a fearful comet which appeared that year about Easter time was a foretoken of the misfortunes about to me upon us.”
Latin:
Iohannes episcopus senex cum ceteris christianis in Magnopoli civitate captus servabatur ad triumphum. Ille igitur pro confessione Christi fustibus caesus, deinde per singulas civitates Sclavorum ductus ad ludibrium, cum a Christi nomine flecti non posset, truncatis manibus ac pedibus, in platea corpus eius proiectum est, caput vero eius desectum, quod pagani conto praefigentes in titulum victoriae, deo suo Redigast immolarunt. Haec in metropoli Sclavorum Rethre gesta sunt 4. Idus Novembris. Filia regis Danorum apud Michilenburg, civitatem Obodritorum, inventa cum mulieribus, diu caesa nuda dimissa est. Hanc enim, ut praediximus, Gotescalcus princeps habuit uxorem, a qua et filium suscepit Heinricum. Ex alia vero Butue natus fuit, magno uterque Sclavis excidio genitus. Et illi quidem victoria potiti totam Hammaburg provintiam ferro et igne demoliti sunt, Sturmarii fere omnes aut occisi aut in captivitatem ducti, castrum Hammaburg funditus excisum, et in derisionem salvatoris nostri etiam cruces a paganis truncatae sunt. Impleta est nobiscum prophetia, quae ait: ‘Deus, venerunt gentes in hereditatem tuam; polluerunt templum sanctum tuum’ et reliqua; quae prophetice deplorantur in Ierosolimitanae urbis excidio. Huius auctor cladis Blusso fuisse dicitur, qui sororem habuit Godescalci, domumque reversus et ipse obtruncatus est. Itaque omnes Sclavi, facta conspiratione generali, ad paganismum denuo relapsi sunt, eis occisis qui perstiterunt in fide. Dux noster Ordulfus in vanum saepe contra Sclavos dimicans, per duodecim annos, quibus patri supervixit, numquam potuit victoriam habere, totiensque victus a paganis, a suis etiam derisus est. Igitur expulsio archiepiscopi et mors Gotescalci uno fere anno contigit, qui est pontificis 22. Et nisi fallor, haec mala nobis ventura signavit ille horribilis cometa, qui ipso apparuit anno circa dies paschae.
For some other references to Slavic pagan rebellions see here.
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I thought Svaroz was like a sun-god, a sky-god/weather god, and that Svarozic was fire, like a hearth fire or any fire. The sun and the son of the sun. Father and son. Fire is the earthly son of the great fire in the sky. Good weather and warming/drying fires seem like the biggest concerns of open-boat sailing and rowing people on the cold Baltic Sea. I think these might be read as a boat-people’s biggest dreads. Stormy weather, and then not being able to start a fire to warm up or dry off. A temple at either end of the trail (Kiev and Wolin) makes sense because what better place to give thanks for your good fortune to have arrived. Fire and water. They sort of go together in a balancing way, if you ask me.
The father and son view is one view but, on the other hand, “fire” can be a Svarozic as in a little Svarog – or rather a “piece” of Svarog – being a diminutive expression rather than a parental relation. That was, we believe, Brueckner’s explanation and, in this, he seems convincing (to us).
Yeah, I get the diminutive and that seems like a bulls-eye. One obviously references the other. I guess I also see the water + fire connection as being revealing of something in addition. Rus = associated with water. I don’t think “horses” when I see the word Rus, I think “water”.
Note also the Etruscans were once supposed to have been of the Rus – according to some “out there” thinkers – as well as the Yazigi Roxolanii… If you believe the – Adriatic – Venethi were Slavs, it would not be much of a stretch if the Etruscans were the same – No one actually argues this seriously… but an interesting topic to talk about in the future
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