Prillwitz idols is a large number of bronze

figurine A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many media, with cl ...

s and bronze

relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

plates allegedly found in late 17th century. The first publication about them, in 1768, further claimed that the figurines found by the village of

Prillwitz Prillwitz is a small village in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (Mecklenburg-West Pomerania), on the shores of the lake Lieps, Germany. It is part of the municipality Hohenzieritz. It lies approximately 125 kilometres north of Berlin through the B96 or 205 ...

(now part of

Hohenzieritz Hohenzieritz is a municipality in the district Mecklenburgische Seenplatte, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie; 10 March 1776 – 1 ...

) came from a pagan shrine in

Rethra Rethra (also known as ''Radagoszcz'', ''Radegost'', ''Radigast'', ''Redigast'', ''Radgosc'' and other forms like ''Ruthengost'') was, in the 10th to the 12th centuries, the main town and political center of the Slavic Redarians, one of the four m ...

, a major town of

Polabian Slavs Polabian Slavs ( dsb, Połobske słowjany, pl, Słowianie połabscy, cz, Polabští slované) is a collective term applied to a number of Lechitic ( West Slavic) tribes who lived scattered along the Elbe river in what is today eastern German ...

, and Prillwitz is the location of Rethra."Słowo o bałwankach przylwickich", in: Franciszek Piekosiński,
Kamienie mikorzyńskie
', Kraków, 1896 While the story was questioned from the very beginning, many experts believed their authenticity, and disputes about them continued well into the 19th century. Finally, with the progress in research techniques in

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

have led to the conclusion that the technique of some of the molds was from recent times, while others, while being apparently authentic, had no evidence of the connection with

Slavic peoples Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic language, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout ...

. Sfalšowani přibohojo Słowjanow
, 2005 Nowadays

Slavic neopagans The Slavic Native Faith, commonly known as Rodnovery * bg, Родноверие, translit=Rоdnoverie * bs, Rodnovjerje * mk, Родноверие, translit=Rodnoverie * cz, Rodnověří * hr, Rodnovjerje * pl, Rodzimowierstwo; Rodzima ...

insist that further research may confirm their authenticity. 02018 0515 slavic apocrypha, the Prillwitz idols 1794, Mecklenburgischen Volkskundemuseum – Freilichtmuseum Schwerin-Mueß.jpg,

Radegast Radegast () is a small town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the smallest town in Saxony-Anhalt and is located about 13 km south of the district capital of Köthen. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of th ...

02018 0525 slavic apocrypha, the Prillwitz idols 1794, Mecklenburgischen Volkskundemuseum – Freilichtmuseum Schwerin-Mueß.jpg,

Triglav Triglav (; german: Terglau; it, Tricorno), with an elevation of , is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak of the Julian Alps. The mountain is the pre-eminent symbol of the Slovene nation. It is the centrepiece of Triglav Natio ...

02018 0510 slavic apocrypha, the Prillwitz idols 1794, Mecklenburgischen Volkskundemuseum – Freilichtmuseum Schwerin-Mueß.jpg 02018 0516 slavic apocrypha, the Prillwitz idols 1794, Mecklenburgischen Volkskundemuseum – Freilichtmuseum Schwerin-Mueß.jpg 02018 0527 slavic apocrypha, the Prillwitz idols 1794, Mecklenburgischen Volkskundemuseum – Freilichtmuseum Schwerin-Mueß.jpg 02018 0532 slavic apocrypha, the Prillwitz idols 1794, Mecklenburgischen Volkskundemuseum – Freilichtmuseum Schwerin-Mueß.jpg 02018 0534 slavic apocrypha, the Prillwitz idols 1794, Mecklenburgischen Volkskundemuseum – Freilichtmuseum Schwerin-Mueß.jpg

References

{{Authority control Archaeological forgeries Fakelore Slavic neopaganism Modern pagan texts Religious hoaxes