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983 the approval of the whole community was needed for that. This form of govemment guaranteed adherence to the traditional religion. A dynastie ruler, who - as the exampłes of Poland and Bohemia as well as domestic experience showed - might betray paganism, was simply absent in Lutizens’ system.

Resistance against Christianity did not exclude temporary alliances with Christian powers. In the conflict of the Polish king Boleslaus the Brave with the Empire the Union supported the Germans. At Easter 1003 Henry II received the envoys of “the Redars and Lutizens” in Quedlinburg and madę an alliance with them (Thietmar, V, 52). Although monk Gunther tried to preach the Gospel to the Lutizens (Thietmar, VII, 52), they remained pa-gans, missing a perfect opportunity of entering the Christian community. In 1005 Lutizen troops reinforced the Emperor in his campaign against Poland. As Thietmar (VI, 22) wrote “on the day before our folks reached the Oder, they were joined by the Lutizens, who marched following their idols.” This fact provoked the chronicler to a lengthy digression describing the tempie in RadogoŚĆ and the rituals held there. Due to the drcumstances Thietmar should be considered a fully reliable source, as during the German-Lutizen alliance be definitely met knowledgeable informants. Moreover, if the Lutizens sent envoys to the Emperor, he might have dispatched his own envoys to RadogoSć. Perhaps they supplied Thietmar (VI, 23-25) with the following information: “In the land of Redars there is a triangular strong-hold with three entrance gates, called Riedegost (RadogośĆ), surrounded with a great forest untrodden by the natives and worshiped as sacred. Two gates are open to all that want to enter, the third one, facing the east, is the smallest one and opens onto a path leading to a nearby lakę, which looks very frightful. In the stronghold there is nothing but a tempie built skillfully of wood on the foundation from wild animals’ homs. Its exterior is decor-ated with efllgies of gods and goddesses carved in an amazing way, as can be noticed from a close distance. Inside there are man-made idols, wearing terrifying helmets and cuirasses, and each has a name engraved. The flrst of them is called Zuarasici (Svarożic) and is specially worshiped by all pagans. In the tempie there are also standards, which are never taken out, unless they are needed them for a war campaign, and then infantry carries them. The natives have chosen priests to take care of the tempie with due solici-tude. When they gather there to make oblations or conciliate the gods, only the priests sit, while others have to stand. Murmuring secretiy, they shakily dig in the ground in turns, in order to decide doubtful matters by casting lots. Having fmished the divination, they cover the lots with green sod, thrust two spearheads crosswise in the ground and lead a horse over them with great reverence, as this animal is the highest and sacred for them. After the lot-casting, which was the flrst divination, they tell the fortunę again using the divine animal. If both rituals give the same result, they act accord-ing to it, if not, they abandon the enterprise at all. From ancient times, when many fatse and erroneous stories were spread, comes a testimony that whenever a calamity of long civil war hangs over them, a big boar with foam on its tusks emerges from the above mentioned lakę and in front of every-body wallows in a puddle with great satisfaction, causing terrible tremors. The country has as many temples as districts, and the same number of idols is worshiped by the pagans, but among them the mentioned stronghold has primacy. When they set out to war, they always salute it, when they come back after a victory, they honour it with due gifts. Through lots and the horse, as described above, they eagerly inąuire what should be offered to the gods. They appease the silent anger of gods by sacrificing people and cattle.” Thietmar stresses that the Lutizens “have no single ruler over them,” and important matters of the union are decided by the counselling meeting, in which acclamation is required. If somebody opposes the ap-proved decisions, he is beaten with sticks. Those who obstinately contradict the community are punished with fines, confiscation of property or arson. According to Thietmar, the Lutizens confirm a peace treaty - probably concluded ceremoniously in RadogoSć - “by shaking the right hands and simultaneously presenting a tuft of cut hair and a bundle of grass. But they can be easily bribed to break the treaty.” It is possible that the latter details were drawn from the ceremony of ratifying the treaty with the Emperor, which Thietmar does not mention straightforwardly, as it was nothing to boast about. A similar example can be found not very far. Byzantine em-perors madę alliances with Ruthenia and the pagan side swore to keep them according to their own customs.

The Lutizens concluded another treaty with the prince of the Abodrites, Mstivoy. According to Helmold (I, 16), Mstivoy, offended by prince The-odoric, who called him “a dog,” “came back to the Slavs, and first of all went to the town of Rethra [Helmold’s name for RadogoSć, taken from Adam of Bremen], which is located in the land of the Lutizens. He gathered all the Slavs from the East, told them about the insult and said that in the Saxon language the Slavs were called “dogs.” But they answered him; ‘You are rightly suffering now, because you despised your own nation and you adored the Saxons, who are treacherous and greedy. Swear to us that you will desert them, and we will support you.’ And indeed, he swore to them.” The Slavs gathered troops and revolted against Christianity, they set fire to churches and murdered priests. In spite of that Helmold sympathizes with them and shows with praiseworthy impartiality the actual reasons of pagan reaction, blaming the German princes, whose “wickedness madę the SIavs abandon the new faith. They persecuted the Slavonic peoples, whose faith was still not Consolidated, and who used to be treated very leniently by best rulers, so cruelly that they felt the necessity to overthrow the bondage and defend their freedom with armed force.” Unfortunately, Helmold, who wrote his relation over a century after the events, mixed up the facts to such an extent that it is impossible to datę them precisely. It seems that he

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