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to which we should add over 20 topographical names containing the mor-pheme ho/-, which testify that temples existed in other regions of Scandina-via. In Scandinavia a tempie in the strict sense, a smali building on a square plan was called horg, while a large, elongated cult hall corresponding to the above description was named hof,\ godahus or, in case of a private sanctuary, blothus (de Vries 1956-1957, vol. 1, p. 372-384; Olsen 1966, p. 55-115; Stróm, 1975, p. 214-228). The plan of such a building is known from the excavations in Hofstadir in Iceland. The hof there was a large, elongated building composed of a long aisle, called langhus, where banąuets and meetings took place, and an adjacent smaller room, afhus, where the idols stood. Outside there was a special place surrounded by an embankment, used for preparing meat for ritual feasts (Olsen 1970, p. 272-274). Traces of similar buildings were found in the I9thc. in other places in Iceland (Haraldsson 1992). A similar building existed also in Maere near Trondheim in Norway (Liden 1969). The tradition of erecting large buildings by Germanie peoples goes back at least to the Roman period, which is proved by the examples from Feddersen Wierde (Haarnagel, 1979), or - as far as polish territories are concemed - from Wólka Łasiecka (Bender, 1964, 1980; Bender, Balke, 1980).

Temples were probably built by the Balts as well. The contrary opinion, expressed by A. Bruckner (1984, p. 167) seems too critical. Some mentions about Lithuanian and Samogitian temples come from Długosz, whose infor-mation conceming Baltic paganism should not be dismissed. In 1387 king Władysław Jagiełło (Ladislas Jagiełło), having come back from Cracow after his baptism, ordered “in the presence of the barbarians to put out the fire that they considered etemal in the city of Wilno (Vilnius), the main town and Capital of the nation (...), and to puli down the tempie and altars where oblations had been madę” (Annales, X, vol. 6,1985, p. 160). The existence of that tempie is confirmed by the document issued on the 12th of March 1388 by Pope Urban IV, which allows to erect the Wilno cathedral in the location of the tempie (Cod. eccl. Vilnensis, 1938-1948, No 10, p. 20-12; cf Jan Długosz, Annales, X, vol. 6, 1985, p. 160-163). In Samogitia in 1413 king Władysław Jagiełło, having explained to the people how odious their errors had been, extinguished the holy fire of the Lithuanians, situated at the top of a tower near Niewiaża Lakę, fed by priests and regarded as etemal (Długosz, Annales, XI: Opera Omnia, vol. 13, 1887, p. 159). Also the Prussians might have had their tempie at the holy oak-tree in Romowe the main sanctuary of this tribe, described by Peter of Dusburg (III, 5; Mierzyński, 1892-1896, vol.2, p. 6) and Simon Grunau (1875, vol. I, after the index; cf Bruckner, 1984, p. 217-218, gloss 86). Sustaining the holy fire, if it was supposed to be etemal, reąuired locating it in a roofed building. Until now, however, no remains of Baltic temples have been discovered.

In comparison with the data available to the historians of Germanie and Baltic religion, the picture of Slavonic temples in the sources is surprisingly elear and impressive. Until now only the materials conceming Western Pomerania and Northern Polabia coming from the llth and 12th century have been considered reliable (Palm, 1937, p. 168). This thesis needs verifi-cation. The problem can be outlined in the following ąuestions: In which Slavonic territories did temples appeąr? How are thy dated? Did their erection result from foreign influence? As far as the first ąuestion is con-cemed the traditional opinions are best motivated. Indeed, almost all records conceming temples come from Pomerania and Polabia, but there are some exceptions. It is also true that the most recent archaeological finds of that type are concentrated in this region, but some objects that can be - although not without reservations - interpreted as temples or cult halls have been found in the territory of Bohemia and Moravia, Southern Poland and Ruthenia. Until now their existence among the Southern Slavs has not been confirmed.

Answering the two latter ąuestions we can try to falsify the traditional views. The beginnings of the cult building from Gross Raden, the remains of which are rather unąuestionable, as we will see, are estimated at the 9th c. In the 1 lth c., when the epoch of Slavonic temple-building allegedly started, Gross Rosen had already been deserted. The tempie in Ralswiek is dated to the 8th c., and another one, discovered near Feldberg even earlier.

Thus, if the Slavs built temples already in the early 8thc., the claim that they adopted the custom of erecting roofed buildings for deities under the influence or pressure of Christianity is unmotivated. The Christian hierarchy had enough problems in the neighbourhood with converting the Germanie tribes, who were only tuming into the German nation. After all the Saxons were christened at the end of the 8th c. What remains is the possibility of adopting the idea of tempie by the Slavs from the Continental Germanie tribes or Scandinavians. Both theses have already been posed, especially by German specialists (Palm, 1937, p. 165; Wienecke, 1940, p. 241-256). But if the Germans were able to conceive the idea of the tempie, why should we not assume that the Slavs did the same. Moreover, the Germanie temples are not confirmed in sources much earlier than the Slavonic ones. They are mentioned - apart from Tacitus - by Pope Gregory the Great at the tum of the 6th c. At the end of the 7th c., if we rely on the archaeological finds from Feldberg, Slavonic temples already existed and the thesis, which is logical only on the assumption that the beginnings of Slavonic temple-building go to the llthc., breaks down. It is morę natural to assume that the Germans (including Scandinavians), Slavs and Balts adopted the idea of tempie from the common heritage. Still, if the idea had been present in Slavonic religious concepts before they appeared in the history, it is surprising that it surfaced only in some borderland tribes. A ąuestion arises whether we are not dealing with a serious gap in the sources or perhaps, whether the impressive records conceming the Polabian and Pome^nian temples did not outshine the

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