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Przewidywanie przyszłości w religii germańskiej

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Kowalski A. P.

Przegląd Religioznawczy

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2023

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nr 3/289

97-105

EN

The article discusses Germanic ideas and terminology about fate and predicting the future. The problem of prophetism in the history of the Germans is defined by two stages. The first is the “axial age” according to K. Jaspers. This is the time when the prophets known from the Old Testament begin their activity, when philosophy is born in Greece, and the question of fate and destiny matures among the “barbarian” peoples. The Germanic tribes used the achievements of the Celts in this regard. The ancient texts concerning the Germans speak mainly of divination, divinatory techniques. They are a typical interpretatio romana. The Germans did not know the beliefs related to the prophetic message or Providence. The second stage is Christian inspiration. Medieval records contain data on the relics of old epochs in the beliefs of the Germans. They talk about the gradual orientation of their divination interests towards the recognition of the judgments of Providence. This information is initially steeped in pagan heritage. Separating aspects of spirituality that knows prophetic institutions from pre-literate faith that trusts in divination is very complicated. In order to avoid the error of interpretatio christiana, one must carefully analyze the messages from the period of pagan conversion. Medieval information can then be useful to develop a model of providia specific to the ancient Germans.

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O religii starożytnych Germanów. Komentarze do księgi VII Geografii Strabona

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Kowalski A. P.

Collectanea Philologica

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2023

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nr 26

63-74

EN

In book VII of Strabo’s Geography there are passages about the religion of the ancient Germans. One of them mentions the name of the Chatti priest Libes. In two others, the customs of the Kimbrians are mentioned. The purpose of this article is to interpret the religious customs of these peoples, on the basis of which Strabo’s texts are created. In addition to historical data, linguistic and ethnological materials will be used in a comparative approach. A hypothesis will be presented that the considered texts of Strabo describe the Germanic religion subjected to strong Celtic inﬂuences. The following conditions were considered. In describing the religion of the Kimbrians, Strabo did not have to use Posidonius regarding them as Celts. Such an assumption results from the analysis of texts. Blood divination rituals are known to be a Celtic tradition, but they were performed by Druids. Among the Kimbrians, gray-haired soothsayers did it. The Gauls did not have women – priestesses. Meanwhile, among the Germans, women dealing in divination played an important role. The Germanic element in the activities of the Kimbrians is also the use of ritual stairs, which Strabo writes about. Archaeological and linguistic research proves the great inﬂuence of the Celts on the Germans. Probably Strabo, writing about the Kimbrians as a Germanic tribe, testiﬁed to such a process. Regardless of the ethnic identity of the Kimbrians, the picture of their customs given by Strabo is an important source for research on the religion of the Barbaricum peoples.

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Czarownice i nekromantki w kulturze starożytnych Germanów

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Kowalski A. P.

Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Germanica

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2018

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nr 14

139-151

EN

In the culture of the ancient Germans, women were of high rank. This was especially true of the prophets. Some of them, for example Veleda, Völva, Valuvurg, were named after the Indo-European root *h2wel-. It meant active vision, giving knowledge about the future. This root lies in the names of poets, deities of death and the land of the dead. Necromancers were also active among the Germans. They were called haliurunnae among the Gothic tribes. Their Proto-Germanic term *haljarūnō is applied to knowledge of the secrets associated with graves and of the goddess Hel. The article presents the hypothesis that these female necromancers dealt with the magic of graves and bodies of the dead. Their divination and magic had a “material” aspect. According to Jordanes, these witches were persecuted. The practices associated with the goddess Hel were dark and carried out in secret. Perhaps a vestige of the actions of these witches are tombs which have been destroyed, violated and disturbed. We know them from the area of cultures which have been identified with the Goths, of which Jordanes wrote. At the time, the prophetesses, such as Veleda, were acting officially. Their divination was more ‘spiritual’. Therefore, they were accepted and were found in the company of the Germanic chiefs.

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Nazewnictwo i symbolika ozdób starogermańskich

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Kowalski A. P.

Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Germanica

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2017

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nr 13

149-166

EN

The paper is devoted to possible concepts that ancient Germans held about ornaments. Cultural categories related to wealth, prestige, gift, sacrifice and deposit are carefully discussed. The main accent is on the etymological analysis of Proto-Germanic names for brooch or fibula, ring, necklace, belt, buckle. These are items found by archaeologists in the areas of Barbaricum dating from the period since the Bronze Age. The changes that led to the development of the Wielbark culture identified with the Goths were very important. The population of this culture did not place weapons and tools in graves, but only ornaments. Such a norm may have resulted from the mythical convictions confirmed in the Poetic Edda. The Old Norse goddess called Gullveig (literally ‘gold strength’) was the reason for the war of the divine generations of Aesir and Vanir.The Aesir were rulers and warriors, whereas the Vanir represented farmers and producers.Aesir used weapons, Vanir tools.Gullveig, burned three times at the stake and three times reborn, seems to be a symbol of ornaments. The Goths used only female burial equipment, putting a taboo on military accessories typical of Aesir.In addition, some Old Nordic poems associate ornaments with a mythical snake.This aspect is confirmed by archeological and linguistic data. The mythical technique of making jewellery is also important. The Old Nordic divine blacksmith called Völundr folds it from the bodies of the dead princes. In this way, he refers to the cosmogonic myth of the sacrifice of Ymir. The techniques of making ornaments, based on the reintegration of elements, resemble folk methods of treatment and are related to the Germanic idea of beauty as a complex whole.

PL

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