The Buskam, also Buhskam or Buskamen is a large

glacial erratic A glacial erratic is glacially deposited rock differing from the type of rock native to the area in which it rests. Erratics, which take their name from the Latin word ' ("to wander"), are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundred ...

boulder, 325 metres off the coast of

Göhren, Rügen Göhren is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Geography The municipality of Göhren adjoins the easternmost point of the island of Rugen: Cape Nordperd. It separates the North Beach (''Nordst ...

, northern

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

.Ingrid Schmidt: ''Hünengrab und Opferstein'', Hinstorff, Rostock 2001, p.42, Erratics (german: Findlinge) have been scattered all over northern Germany by the

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

s of the

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

, but are usually much smaller. The Buskam has a volume of about 600 m³, a circumference of about 40 metres, and weights about 1,600 tons. A third of it (206 m³) lies above the water surface. Cavities in the rock indicate that the Buskam was used as a ritual place in

prehistory Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

, when such caved rocks were commonly used for

ritual sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exis ...

. An iron

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

was attached to it after the

conversion of Pomerania Medieval Pomerania was converted from Slavic paganism to Christianity by Otto von Bamberg in 1124 and 1128 (Duchy of Pomerania), and in 1168 by Absalon (Principality of Rügen). Earlier attempts at Christianization, undertaken since the 10th ce ...

. According to local legends, the Buskam is the site where

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

es dance during

Walpurgis Night Walpurgis Night (), an abbreviation of Saint Walpurgis Night (from the German ), also known as Saint Walpurga's Eve (alternatively spelled Saint Walburga's Eve), is the eve of the Christian feast day of Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century abbess in ...

mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are sometimes asso ...

s are also supposed to dance often on the rock.

References

Ice ages Pomerania Glacial erratics of Germany Natural monuments in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Göhren, Rügen Walpurgis Night {{glaciology-stub

See also

References