Scene Two: The Feast of Svantovit on Rügen. This second scene of the epic, packed with motifs, always struck me as a scene full of contrasts. From celebration to the frenzy of a wolf pack, everyday life exists at the point between the end and the beginning of something new, yet there is a sense of eternal unrest and fear of the unknown that lies just beyond. In their overcrowded homeland, the Slavs could no longer sustain themselves, so Slavic tribes set out to find a new home. This was a period of great upheaval known as the Great Migrations.

As early as the 7th century, some Slavs settled along the coast of the Baltic Sea, then known as the Slavic Sea. The remnants of Celts and Germans in this area were Slavicized. Where the Oder River flows into the Baltic Sea is a large island with many lakes – Rügen. For centuries, the Slavic tribe of the Rani lived here. At the northernmost tip of the island, protected by defensive walls and steep chalk cliffs, was the capital of Arkona and the temple of the god Svantovit.

The painting depicts the autumnal feast of Svantovit. The priests offered thanks to this god for a bountiful harvest and prophesied future events. Arkona was for the Slavs what Delphi once was for the ancient world. On the right, a procession led by the high priest emerges from the temple. He drives a bull, a symbol of strength, which will be sacrificed. In the sunlit afternoon, people rejoice, sing, and dance, but a mother with a child on her lap – in the lower center of the painting – is somber, perhaps foreseeing the bleak future of the Rani tribe.

During the Crusades of 1168 against the Baltic Slavs, the Danes, led by Valdemar of Denmark, managed to conquer Arkona, destroy the temple, and burn the statue of Svantovit. This event is symbolically depicted in the upper part of the painting. On the left is the Germanic god of war, Wodan, with a shield, accompanied by a pack of sacred wolves. In the center, the last Slavic warrior dies on a sacred altar. Svantovit, wrapped in laurel leaves, takes a sword from his hand to fight for his people. A group of bound people symbolizes the Slavic nations subjugated by the Germans. The figures of the bards remind us that we only know about the Baltic Slavs from chronicles, myths, and legends.

In the lower right corner, a young sculptor, inspired by his muse, is creating a new deity to replace the destroyed statue of the god Svantovit. The darker color tone makes the mother and son stand out from the two-dimensional background. This couple symbolizes the twilight and eventual demise of the Baltic Slavs. The temple, filled with treasures, was a sacred place that was a destination for pilgrims in the 8th to 10th centuries AD. In Mucha's time, the conquered and destroyed Arkona had a mythical significance, symbolizing proof of the original Slavic glory, and Svantovit became its symbol.

Mucha deliberately focused not on the temple, but on the celebrating pilgrims in white in the lower third of the canvas. It seems they are not paying attention to the gods above them, who are fighting with the approaching enemy led by a pack of wolves. The ominous sky contrasts with the sun-drenched scene below. A young mother holding her child, with suffering in her eyes, looks at the viewer, as if she alone is aware of the inevitability of the city's demise. The importance of artistic endeavors as a response to war is emphasized by the three musicians in the center of the composition, as well as by the figure of the sculptor.

Also read: Alphonse Mucha's Slavic Epic – Painting first: Slavs in their homeland – Between the Turkic whip and the Gothic sword – The birth of Slavic civilization from swamps and blood

Jan Vojtěch, Editor-in-Chief of General News