In Thietmar’s description of Henry II’s campaign against Boleslaw Chrobry – which campaign took place in Silesia – Thietmar takes some time to explain the source of the name Silesia by deriving it from the name of a local mountain (Ślęża). He then goes on to describe the source of its importance as being both its size/height and also its use as a pagan cult site.
Previously we discussed Polish pre-Christian cult places:
- at Gniezno – see Jan Dlugosz here mentioning a temple to Nia/Nyia
- at Łysa Góra (aka Łysiec, Święty Krzyż or, in English, Bald Mountain) – see here regarding the cult place to Lada, Boda and Leli
This then is a third Polish cult site and we mention it here.
Without further ado (Thietmar’s Chronicle Book 8 (59)):
“This town [Niemcza which was besieged by the Germans at the time] lies in the Silesian country, which country received its name at one time from a certain great and very tall mountain. This mountain was greatly venerated among all the inhabitants because of its size and its function, for there took place accursed pagan rites.”
“Posita est autem haec in pago Silensi, vocabulo hoc a quodam monte nimis excelso et grandi olim [sibi] indito; et hic ob qualitatem suam et quantitatem, cum execranda gentilitas ibi veneraretur, ab incolis omnibus nimis honorabatur.”
Thietmar then proceeds with the continued description of the siege of Niemcza a Polish town whose defenders he says, with some admiration, valiantly defended the town and even raised a cross “in the hope of defeating the pagans with its help” – the pagans being Henry II’s Slavic Liutizi allies – about whom we already wrote here.
Interestingly, he also remarks that Niemcza was founded by the Germans at some point earlier- a real possibility.
And, of course, since Ślęża was a pre-Christian cult site, the Christians had to top the old believers with their usual stake claiming activity, i.e., building a church on top:
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