We’ve already discussed the interesting runic spears found at:
The other famous spear from the Central European region is the spear from Dahmsdorf-Müncheberg in Germany but close to the Polish border. In historic times this land lay firmly in the Suavic settlement area though the spear itself is dated to the first century. The modern settlement was in the Lubusz Land and was founded by monks (hence Müncheberg) brought in by the Piast duke Henry the Bearded (the grandson of Władysław II the Exile and the great-grandson of Bolesuav the Wrymouth). Henry and the Silesian “Piasts” got this land from the Piast family of Greater Poland. This was one of the few lands West of the Odra that the Piasts managed to retain for awhile in the face of Frankish and Saxon invasions (the Lubusz diocese is shown below; also with the location of Müncheberg).
Here is that spear:
Just a couple of observations. First, the runes on the spear are supposedly to be read:
ranja
This would be the case only if you read this right to left but if this, in fact, is the correct reading then an immediate question arises what that means. The Suavic verb ranić means “to wound” or “to injure.” Another explanation may tie this to the tribe of the Rani (whose tribal name, the Greater Poland Chronicle explains by reference to their alleged war cries of rana meaning “wound, wound!” Whether this is just a “folk etymology” is another matter. Curiously the Rani, although firmly attested as a Suavic/Wendish tribe by every medieval source contemporary to the wars that the neighboring tribes as well as Franks and Saxons led against the Rani is also attested much earlier in Getica. Rana was also the Suavic name for the island of Rügen and the tribal name may well be derived from the island’s name Rugiani> Ruiani> Rani. But, interestingly the Rügen name may itself be Suavic as in referering to “horn” or rog.
All of this suggests a rather interesting progression of the Rügen name:
Suavic > Teutonic > Suavic
Since the Rugians are mentioned already in ancient sources (Tacitus) this would suggest a Suavic presence first but then a subsequent and relatively early Teutonic invasion with a Suavic reconquista later on (or just some of the Teutonic Rugians having moved on south).
For more on that Rani topic see here. For even more fun reading go see volume 25 of the Reallexikon der germanischen Altertumskunde (edited by Johannes Hoops).
With that said, the above reading is not necessarily convincing as it is not even clear whether the runes are correctly seen as r a n j a runes as opposed to being some other runes. This is quite separate from the question of which direction they should be read from.
Secondly, regarding the symbols, i am, again, reminded of the often downplayed passage in Caesar’s Gallic War (Book 6, chapter 21):
“The Germans differ much from these [Gallic] usages, for they have neither Druids [like the Gauls] to preside over sacred offices, nor do they pay great regard to sacrifices. They rank in the number of the gods those alone whom they behold, and by whose instrumentality they are obviously benefited, namely, the sun, fire, and the moon; they have not heard of the other deities even by report.”
My guess is that the above symbols correspond quite nicely to that description and what remains to be determined is which is which.
Incidentally, this is the Torcello (Venice) spear found in a local museum in 1883 and which has been suspected of being a fake (based on the Dahmsdorf-Müncheberg lance).
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