Radgosc
Encyclopedia
Radgosc was the main town and political center of the Slavic
Redarians, one of the four major Lutici
an tribes, located most likely in present day Mecklenburg
. It was also a major worship center, devoted to the cult of the Slavic deity
Radegast
-Swarożyc
.
, who used the name Riedegost, while, writing about fifty years later, Adam of Bremen
referred to it as Rethra.
Thietmar (VI, 23) described Riedegost as a castle (urbs) with three horns (tricornis) and three gates (tres in se continens portas), two of which could be reached by land, while the third, smallest one, faced a lake (mare) to the east. This complex was surrounded by a virgin forest (silva), and a wooden temple elevated on animal horns was located inside. Idols of several pagan deities were located there, each of whom had a name engraved and wore helmet and armor, with "Zuarasici" being the highest deity. Guidons (vexilla) of these deities were stored inside the temple and were only to leave the room during a war.
Thietmar wrote his chronicle when the Lutici were allies of the Holy Roman Emperor, an alliance he opposed, and composed his report with the purpose of advising the German ruler against it. He also explicitly addresses the reader and advises them not to follow the pagan Lutician cult, but instead adhere to the Holy Bible.
, on near Tollensesee
lake. Theories that the town might have been at Feldberg
, Wanzka Abbey
or Gnoien
were refuted.
In addition to the disputed location of the place, even the assumption that Thietmar and Adam were writing about the same town has been controversial. This is in part because the main deity worshiped in Riedegost/Rethra was reported as Zuarasici (Swarożyc) by Thietmar (VI, 23), and as Redigost (Redigast, Riedegost) by Adam of Bremen (II, 21; III, 51) as well as the 12th century chronicler Helmold (I, 2). This is interpreted by historians and linguists in different ways: probably, the different names mark the transition from an appellativum related with the Iranian root xvar, "sun", to a distinct personalized deity with the name Riedegost. This could then have been adopted as the name of the temple in the town and as the name of the tribe settling there (Redarii, Redarians, Redars). Following the alternative hypothesis, it was the other way around: Adam of Bremen and Helmold mistakenly adopted the name of the temple site as the name of the deity, which was correctly identified by Thietmar and corresponds with Svarožič or Svarog. According to a third theory, Riedegost was the second name of Thietmar's Zuarasici.
The name "Radgosc" (or its close forms) derives from old Slavic and roughly translates as "hospitable" ("radosc" or "radi" meaning "glad" or "happy" and "gosc" or "gost" meaning "guest").
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
Redarians, one of the four major Lutici
Lutici
The Lutici were a federation of West Slavic Polabian tribes, who between the 10th and 12th centuries lived in what is now northeastern Germany. Four tribes made up the core of the federation: the Redarians , Circipanians , Kessinians and Tollensians...
an tribes, located most likely in present day Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
. It was also a major worship center, devoted to the cult of the Slavic deity
Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology is the mythological aspect of the polytheistic religion that was practised by the Slavs before Christianisation.The religion possesses many common traits with other religions descended from the Proto-Indo-European religion....
Radegast
Radegast (god)
Radegast, also Radigost, Redigast, Riedegost or Radogost, is mentioned by Adam of Bremen in his Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum as the deity worshipped in the Lutician city of Rethra. Likewise, Helmold in his Chronica Slavorum wrote of Radegast as a Lutician god...
-Swarożyc
Svarog
Svarog is a Slavic deity known primarily from the Hypatian Codex, a Slavic translation of the Chronicle of John Malalas. Svarog is there identified with Hephaestus, the god of the blacksmith in ancient Greek religion, and as the father of Dažbog, a Slavic solar deity...
.
Chronicles
Radagosc is described in the chronicles of Thietmar of MerseburgThietmar of Merseburg
Thietmar of Merseburg was a German chronicler who was also bishop of Merseburg.-Life:...
, who used the name Riedegost, while, writing about fifty years later, Adam of Bremen
Adam of Bremen
Adam of Bremen was a German medieval chronicler. He lived and worked in the second half of the eleventh century. He is most famous for his chronicle Gesta Hammaburgensis Ecclesiae Pontificum .-Background:Little is known of his life other than hints from his own chronicles...
referred to it as Rethra.
Thietmar (VI, 23) described Riedegost as a castle (urbs) with three horns (tricornis) and three gates (tres in se continens portas), two of which could be reached by land, while the third, smallest one, faced a lake (mare) to the east. This complex was surrounded by a virgin forest (silva), and a wooden temple elevated on animal horns was located inside. Idols of several pagan deities were located there, each of whom had a name engraved and wore helmet and armor, with "Zuarasici" being the highest deity. Guidons (vexilla) of these deities were stored inside the temple and were only to leave the room during a war.
Thietmar wrote his chronicle when the Lutici were allies of the Holy Roman Emperor, an alliance he opposed, and composed his report with the purpose of advising the German ruler against it. He also explicitly addresses the reader and advises them not to follow the pagan Lutician cult, but instead adhere to the Holy Bible.
Location
The precise location of the city is unknown, however, the most likely place is the present day settlement of Gross Raden. This identification is based on archeological excavations which discovered the ruins of an old pagan temple. An alternative hypothesis puts the town at the site of the present day village of Alt RehseAlt Rehse
Alt Rehse is a village and a former municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. On 1 July 2008, it was incorporated into the town Penzlin....
, on near Tollensesee
Tollensesee
Tollensesee is a lake in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It belongs to the Mecklenburg Lake District. At an elevation of 14.8 m, its surface area is 17.4 km². Its maximum depth is about 33 m. The lake is 10.4 km long and between 1.5 and 2.5 km wide....
lake. Theories that the town might have been at Feldberg
Feldberger Seenlandschaft
Feldberger Seenlandschaft is a municipality in the district Mecklenburgische Seenplatte, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany....
, Wanzka Abbey
Wanzkaer See
Wanzkaer See is a lake in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. At an elevation of 58.5 m, its surface area is 2.03 km².- External links :...
or Gnoien
Gnoien
Gnoien is a small town in the Rostock district, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany. It is situated 40 km southeast of Rostock....
were refuted.
In addition to the disputed location of the place, even the assumption that Thietmar and Adam were writing about the same town has been controversial. This is in part because the main deity worshiped in Riedegost/Rethra was reported as Zuarasici (Swarożyc) by Thietmar (VI, 23), and as Redigost (Redigast, Riedegost) by Adam of Bremen (II, 21; III, 51) as well as the 12th century chronicler Helmold (I, 2). This is interpreted by historians and linguists in different ways: probably, the different names mark the transition from an appellativum related with the Iranian root xvar, "sun", to a distinct personalized deity with the name Riedegost. This could then have been adopted as the name of the temple in the town and as the name of the tribe settling there (Redarii, Redarians, Redars). Following the alternative hypothesis, it was the other way around: Adam of Bremen and Helmold mistakenly adopted the name of the temple site as the name of the deity, which was correctly identified by Thietmar and corresponds with Svarožič or Svarog. According to a third theory, Riedegost was the second name of Thietmar's Zuarasici.
The name "Radgosc" (or its close forms) derives from old Slavic and roughly translates as "hospitable" ("radosc" or "radi" meaning "glad" or "happy" and "gosc" or "gost" meaning "guest").