The Glisborn, or Glißborn, is a small, short () stream that rises from a spring of the same name. The spring is located close to the Odenberg hill near

Gudensberg Gudensberg () is a small town in northern Hesse, Germany. Since the municipal reform in 1974, the nearby villages of Deute, Dissen, Dorla, Gleichen, Maden and Obervorschütz have become parts of the municipality. Geography Gudensberg is situated ...

in the northern Hessian district of

Schwalm-Eder-Kreis Schwalm-Eder-Kreis is a ''Kreis'' (district) in the north of Hesse, Germany. Neighbouring districts are Kassel, Werra-Meißner, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Vogelsberg, Marburg-Biedenkopf, and Waldeck-Frankenberg. History In 1821 districts were create ...

. The spring is connected with numerous legends (see below).

Course

The Glisborn spring is situated m north of the summit of the Odenberg hill and northwest of Scharfenstein hill, at an elevation of . The spring water flows directly in to a large pool (see photo) before emptying into the stream. Its very short course of flows through arable land and then into the Pilgerbach stream near

Edermünde Edermünde is a municipality in northern Hesse, Germany. Geography Location Edermünde lies in the north of the Schwalm-Eder district not far southwest of Kassel. This is where the river Eder empties into the river Fulda. The constituent commu ...

-Holzhausen at an elevation of . This gives an average gradient of 1.7%. Glisborn-2

Legends

The first written versions of legends about the Glisborn were recorded by the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...

Charlemagne Agostino Cornacchini Vatican 2

Odin, Sleipnir, Geri, Freki, Huginn and Muninn by Frølich

It is, however, most probable that this legend is based on an older

Chatti The Chatti (also Chatthi or Catti) were an ancient Germanic tribe whose homeland was near the upper Weser (''Visurgis''). They lived in central and northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony, along the upper reaches of that river and in the va ...

legend which states that the god Odin came riding from the Odenberg on his white, eight-legged horse Sleipnir. At every hoof-fall of the horse, a spring arose, such as the Glisborn. For this reason the Chatti held the Glisborn sacred. After the Chatti were

Christianised Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...

in the 8th Century by Saint Boniface, the legend was changed to the Charlemagne story. Both variants of the legend are "supported" by a stone with the imprint of a horse's hoof that was embedded in the wall of a church (Karlskirche) in Karlskirchen, a long abandoned village nearby. During the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...

in the

Landgraviate of Hesse The Landgraviate of Hesse (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen) was a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a single entity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided among the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. History In the early Midd ...

in the year 1526, the church was destroyed because it was also still used for certain pagan practices. Many years later this stone was cemented into the wall that surrounds the St. Margarethen church in Gudensberg, where it can be still seen today.

Water quality

In 2010, the water at Glisborn was found to have a total nitrate content above 50 mg/L, which is the maximum value that is allowed in drink water by German law (Trinkwasserschutzverordnung) and European

drinking water quality standards Drinking water quality standards describes the quality parameters set for drinking water. Despite the truth that every human on this planet needs drinking water to survive and that water may contain many harmful constituents, there are no univers ...

. The Hessian Water Authority have stated that in a study from 1994 it was found that the soil around Glisborn is composed of thick loess deposits in various states of

weathering Weathering is the deterioration of rocks, soils and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with water, atmospheric gases, and biological organisms. Weathering occurs ''in situ'' (on site, with little or no movement) ...

. The high nitrate values are caused by natural loess decomposition and are not due to farming practice.

References

{{Reflist Rivers of Hesse Springs of Germany Rivers of Germany

Course

Legends

Water quality

See also

References