When Gods War - Salvation in Art
The Slavs could no longer make a living in their overpopulated homeland, so the Slavic tribes set out to find a new homeland. This is a period of great change known as the Migration of Peoples. As early as the 7th century, some Slavs settled along the coast of the Baltic Sea, which was then called the Slavic Sea. The remnants of the Celts and Germans in this area were expelled.
Where the Odra flows into the Baltic Sea is a large island with many lakes - Rügen. The Slavic tribe of the Rana people lived here for centuries. At the northernmost tip of the island, protected by defensive ramparts and steep chalk cliffs, was the capital of Arkona and the temple of the god Svantovít.
The painting depicts the autumn festivities of Svantovít. The priests thanked this god for the rich harvest and prophesied things to come. Arkona was to the Slavs what Delphi once was to the ancient world. To the right, a procession led by a high priest exits the temple. Ahead of him, he carries a bull, a symbol of the power that will be sacrificed. On a sunny afternoon, people are rejoicing, singing and dancing, only the mother with her child on her lap - in the lower centre of the painting - is sombre, perhaps anticipating how bleak the future of the tribe of the Ranas will be.
During the Crusades of 1168 against the Baltic Slavs, the Danes, led by Valdemar the Dane, managed to conquer Arkona, demolish the temple and burn the statue of Svantovít. This event is symbolically depicted in the upper part of the painting. On the left is the Germanic god of war Wödan with his shield, accompanied by a pack of sacred wolves. In the middle, the last Slavic warrior dies on a sacred white horse. Svantovít takes the sword from his hand to fight for his people himself. The group of chained persons symbolizes the Slavic peoples conquered by the Germans. The figures of the bards remind us that we only know about the Baltic Slavs from chronicles, myths and legends.
Below right, a young carver creates a new idol to replace the destroyed statue of the god Svantovít. The darker colour tone makes the mother and son pair stand out plastically from the two-dimensional environment. This pair symbolizes the twilight and eventual demise of the Baltic Slavs.
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