Water in Pre-Christian Beliefs in Pomerania (Northern Poland) of the Early Medieval Period<br>Woda w przedchrześcijańskich wierzeniach na wczesnośredniowiecznym Pomorzu (północna Polska)</br>

Abstract

Based on written sources and archaeological evidence, ethnographic and linguistic material, and the knowledge of the rest of Slavonic-occupied regions, the authors research early medieval Pomeranian communities in which water played a significant role. Water, as a life-providing element on the one hand, and a destructive element on the other, was not only essential for the economy, but also indispensably carried symbolic meaning and played an important role in religious ceremonies and magical rites. An attempt at characterizing Pomeranian water ritual also defining the sacred spaces of pre-Christian sanctuaries is made in the following article.

Keywords

• water
• pre-christian beliefs
• pomerania
• poland
• slavonic beliefs
• pre-christian rituals
• archaeology