Stuffo
Encyclopedia
Stuffo is the name of a supposed Germanic god
, who originates from various late medieval legends from Germany
related to Saint Boniface
.
. The legend was taken up by German Romanticism
in the 18th and 19th centuries, which saw in Stuffo even a legendary origin for noble families like the Stauffenberg
s. Such etymologies and myths of origin are no longer accepted.
near Gießen
, in Hesse
; and the Stuffenberg, now Hülfensberg
, in the Eichsfeld district
, Thuringia
. At any rate, there are over half a dozen mountains of a similar name in Hesse alone (stouf meaning something like "sharp mountain peak").
The source for the latter designation comes from the 1602 Historia S. Bonifacii by Johannes Letzner
, who claims that after Boniface destroyed the Donar Oak near Geismar (now in Fritzlar
, Hesse
) he traveled to the Stuffenberg in Eichsfeld, where the god Stuffo was worshiped by the local population. Boniface fought and defeated the god, who fell into a hole, still called "Stuffo's hole," a story retold by Johann Nepomuk Sepp
in Die Religion der alten Deutschen (1890). Afterward, Boniface turned the pagan place of worship into a church in which he placed a priest to teach Christianity to the locals. Later versions expand on the account, conflating it with popular myth about Charlemagne; Erfurt bishop Nikolaus Elgard wrote in 1575 that "der heilige Bonifatius dort ein Götzenbild, durch das ein Dämon redete mit Namen Stauff, zerstört und bei dem Berge ein Heer der Ungläubigen geschlagen habe. Darum nannte er den Berg Hülfensberg (Inde salvatus salvatoris montem vocavit)" ("there, Saint Boniface destroyed an image of a god through which a demon called Stauff spoke, and at the mountain he defeated an army of unbelievers, which is why he named the mountain Hülfensberg").
word sûfen ("drinking to excess"), which led to Stuffo being associated with drunkenness. Graf's Gardenstone, which accepts Stuffo's existence, lists Becher ("drinking cup") as a possible etymology. However, as early as 1802, Eichsfeld historian Johann Vinzenz Wolf had stated that "seine Gottheit hat Stuffo der falschen Deutung des Wortes Stuffenberg zu verdanken" ("Stuffo owes his divinity to a false interpretation of the name Stuffenberg").
Germanic paganism
Germanic paganism refers to the theology and religious practices of the Germanic peoples of north-western Europe from the Iron Age until their Christianization during the Medieval period...
, who originates from various late medieval legends from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
related to Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface
Saint Boniface , the Apostle of the Germans, born Winfrid, Wynfrith, or Wynfryth in the kingdom of Wessex, probably at Crediton , was a missionary who propagated Christianity in the Frankish Empire during the 8th century. He is the patron saint of Germany and the first archbishop of Mainz...
.
Origin
Stuffo first appears in a few late medieval/early modern Bonifacian legends. A 1756 image of the god being overthrown by the saint is found in the village of KüllstedtKüllstedt
Küllstedt is a Thuringian municipality in the district of Eichsfeld in Germany....
. The legend was taken up by German Romanticism
German Romanticism
For the general context, see Romanticism.In the philosophy, art, and culture of German-speaking countries, German Romanticism was the dominant movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. German Romanticism developed relatively late compared to its English counterpart, coinciding in its...
in the 18th and 19th centuries, which saw in Stuffo even a legendary origin for noble families like the Stauffenberg
Stauffenberg
The Schenken von Stauffenberg are an aristocratic Roman Catholic family from Swabia in Germany, whose best-known member was Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg – the key figure in the 1944 "20 July plot" to assassinate Adolf Hitler....
s. Such etymologies and myths of origin are no longer accepted.
Locations and backstory
Two mountain-top locations have been proposed as sites of worship for Stuffo: the StaufenbergStaufenberg, Hesse
Staufenberg is a town in the district of Gießen, in Hesse, Germany. It is situated on the river Lahn, 10 km north of Gießen....
near Gießen
Gießen
Gießen, also spelt Giessen is a town in the German federal state of Hesse, capital of both the district of Gießen and the administrative region of Gießen...
, in Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
; and the Stuffenberg, now Hülfensberg
Hülfensberg
The Hülfensberg is a 448 m high, heavily wooded mountain in the Geismar municipality in the Eichsfeld district, Thuringia, Germany...
, in the Eichsfeld district
Eichsfeld (district)
Eichsfeld is a district in Thuringia, Germany, and part of the historical region of Eichsfeld. It is bounded by the districts of Nordhausen, Kyffhäuserkreis and Unstrut-Hainich, and by the states of Hesse and Lower Saxony .-History:In medieval times the Eichsfeld, which is larger than the...
, Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
. At any rate, there are over half a dozen mountains of a similar name in Hesse alone (stouf meaning something like "sharp mountain peak").
The source for the latter designation comes from the 1602 Historia S. Bonifacii by Johannes Letzner
Johannes Letzner
Johannes Letzner was a Renaissance-era German protestant priest and historian of Lower Saxony, in particular of Brunswick-Lüneburg....
, who claims that after Boniface destroyed the Donar Oak near Geismar (now in Fritzlar
Fritzlar
Fritzlar is a small German town in the Schwalm-Eder district in northern Hesse, north of Frankfurt, with a storied history. It can reasonably be argued that the town is the site where the Christianization of northern Germany began and the birthplace of the German empire as a political entity.The...
, Hesse
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
) he traveled to the Stuffenberg in Eichsfeld, where the god Stuffo was worshiped by the local population. Boniface fought and defeated the god, who fell into a hole, still called "Stuffo's hole," a story retold by Johann Nepomuk Sepp
Johann Nepomuk Sepp
Johann Nepomuk Sepp was a German historian, and politician.-Life:Johann Nepomuk Sepp was born the son of a tanner and dyer. He studied philosophy and Catholic theology, law, philology and history in Munich, 1834-1836 and 1837-1839...
in Die Religion der alten Deutschen (1890). Afterward, Boniface turned the pagan place of worship into a church in which he placed a priest to teach Christianity to the locals. Later versions expand on the account, conflating it with popular myth about Charlemagne; Erfurt bishop Nikolaus Elgard wrote in 1575 that "der heilige Bonifatius dort ein Götzenbild, durch das ein Dämon redete mit Namen Stauff, zerstört und bei dem Berge ein Heer der Ungläubigen geschlagen habe. Darum nannte er den Berg Hülfensberg (Inde salvatus salvatoris montem vocavit)" ("there, Saint Boniface destroyed an image of a god through which a demon called Stauff spoke, and at the mountain he defeated an army of unbelievers, which is why he named the mountain Hülfensberg").
Etymology
Various etymologies were offered for the name, including derivation from the Middle High GermanMiddle High German
Middle High German , abbreviated MHG , is the term used for the period in the history of the German language between 1050 and 1350. It is preceded by Old High German and followed by Early New High German...
word sûfen ("drinking to excess"), which led to Stuffo being associated with drunkenness. Graf's Gardenstone, which accepts Stuffo's existence, lists Becher ("drinking cup") as a possible etymology. However, as early as 1802, Eichsfeld historian Johann Vinzenz Wolf had stated that "seine Gottheit hat Stuffo der falschen Deutung des Wortes Stuffenberg zu verdanken" ("Stuffo owes his divinity to a false interpretation of the name Stuffenberg").