Religion and temple cults
The territory of the north-western Slavs was one of the few areas in medieval Europe which retained pagan beliefs and cults well into the twelfth century – a stumbling block for the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the neighbouring feudal states, and to some extent a thorn in the side of Christian Europe. From about 700 onwards Christian missions, therefore, attempted to convert these areas and to integrate them under Christian control. The tribes of the north-western Slavs, however, were equally steadfast in warding off these attempts, the more so as they were more or legs veiled pretexts for conquest and suppression by either the Frankish or the German kingdom. In such circumstances the pagan religion of the north-western Slavs also became the focal point of resistance to foreign conquest. The display of religious and cult practices was therefore of great importance and was stressed by Christian apologists.
According to the chronicler Thietmar (c. 1015), each tribe had its own god: 'There are', he said, 'as many temples as there are tribes.' Some of the names of the gods can be traced back to old Indo-European roots. The Wagrians around Oldenburg worshipped a god called Prove; those at Plon the god Podaga; the Polabs had a god Siwa and the Obodrites at Mecklenburg the god Radigost. Swarozyc was the principal god of the Wilti. He was worshipped at a ceremonial fort at Rethra (Riedegost) in the vicinity of the modern town of Neubrandenburg in Mecklenburg. The temple is described as follows: 'The outer walls, as far as one can discern, are decorated with various splendidly carved images of gods and goddesses. Inside are statues of gods each inscribed with a name; they are awe-inspiring and clad in helmets and armor; the highest of the gods is called Swarozyc and he is specially revered and worshipped by all heathens. The standards may only be removed in times of war and then only by warriors on foot’.
One of the characteristics of the Slav gods was that they had man y heads. In Arkona the Rugian god Svantevit is supposed to have been depicted with four heads. Other gods in Rügen are described as having had seven heads. Triglaw, a three-headed god, stood in Brandenburg, and the town of Szczecin also had a Triglaw as its special communal god. A few years ago a two-headed wooden statue was excavated on the island of Tollensesee near Neubrandenburg. At Wolin a miniature wood carving with four faces interpreted as Svantevit was associated with strata datable to the end of the ninth century.
Slav places of worship brought to light in excavations in Poland and the USSR show that in some regions the modes of worshipping gods in temples and by means of statues differed. The earlier places of worship of both the Slavs and the Baltic tribes usually consisted of a circular setting enclosing either symbolic posts or wooden figures. The best known of these sites is devoted to Perun at Novgorod. Archaeology shows that this type of site also occurred in Poland and east of the Oder. It is possible that the particular north-west Slav tradition of idols and temples may be due to Celtic influences from southern Poland and Bohemia.
From both documentary and archaeological sources we know of fertility and cattle gods such as Volos; gods of war and primeval power such as Svantevit; sky gods such as Perun; sun and file gods such as Svarog and Svarozyc and war gods such as Gerovit. There were also numerous other divinities and demons. Rethra is an example of a place where a complete pantheon was and created and priests or groups of priests established to serve it. Such priests were the religious leaders of the community and influenced social and politico-military life.