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Sources were precious locations for our forefathers.

As diverse myths are also giving proof, they were addressed to with the greatest esteem. Already in prehistoric times, cultic rituals were celebrated at sources as excavations confirmed. The Celts were worshipping mother earth and also Christianisation did not succeed in abolishing the cult around the sources.

"Eye washing"

Even nowadays, there is still a number of village names like Frauenbrünndl or Marienbrunn, where mostly pilgrimage churches are found with a "holy" source. Up to our times, the "eye washing" has still existed as well as the throwing of coins at fountains.

Sacrificial offerings

Archaeological findings at sources give proof of the fact that already in prehistoric times people were worshipping the locations of sources as something very particular. In Tunisia stone tools were found at a now dry source which could be dated back to the Stone Age (100,000 - 30,000). Presumably, they served as sacrificial offerings. The ritual to give sacrifices to sources goes back through the Iron Age, the Bronze Age until the Neolithic Age.

In the Antique

For the Romans, the worshipping of water gods was playing a very special role. Costly fountains are giving proof of it. A Roman source sanctuary was discovered in Hochscheid in the Hunsrück. Apart from voluminous buildings, the remnants of statues of the there worshipped gods were dug out. A Gallo-Roman temple with a passage was put around the source sanctuary inside which a source rose.
Directly beside was a public swimming bath with three buildings. Probably, the sanctuary must have been a highly frequented place of pilgrimage, since close to the bath rose a guesthouse with several rooms arranged around a yard.

The worshipping of sources

WEINHOLD wrote in 1898: "The worshipping of wells and sources goes through the history of peoples as a very ancient service, with changing recipients of the worshipping, but with the same basic features from the incalculable beginnings until the presence".
One question has always been bothering mankind: Where does the source water come from? The mythology says: The water comes from the sky, the seat of the gods. The lightning parts the clouds so that the heavenly waters can stream down to earth. The lightning strikes the ground for the source to rise. But not only was the birth of the sources inspiring the motivation of the people. Already in prehistoric times, they were making prophesies at sources. Form and course of the whirls was supposed to give information about the destiny.

Sources have always been very particular places. There were sources used as sanatoriums, as courts of jurisdiction, or as locations for sacrifices. Mostly animals were given as sacrifice in order to pacify the gods, but also food, mainly bread. The decoration of sources with flowers and the sacrifice of plants have been preserved until today in the Upper Franconian tradition of decorating the Easter wells. Still nowadays, the throwing of coins at particularly impressive sources and fountains is practised, which is going back to the ancient worshipping of the source sanctuaries.

Christianization

Those rituals were considered pagan by the Catholic Church. For centuries those pre-Christian natural religions were strictly persecuted. In the year 731, Pope George III asked princes and the people to abolish the pagan tradition of prophesying at sources. In the year 789, Charlemagne even forbade the lighting of candles at water sources. All those interdictions were not really successful and, thus, the ancient traditions continued becoming more common. The old source shrines were Christianized and crosses and chapels were built. The name of the worshipping changed, but the basic nature of the customs remained unchanged.
Instead of the goddesses of the sources identified with fertility and purity, the worshipping of Maria started reaching its peak in the XII Century. Even nowadays this can still be recognized from the names of many villages like Marienborn, Marienbrunn or Frauenbrünnl. Around these sources were founded partly important places of pilgrimage and in some large churches, e.g. the Neumünster of Würzburg, sources were integrated into the building itself. Particularly, in the alpine regions there are many smaller pilgrimage churches in whose neighbourhood a source was surrounded or where the source rises directly inside the chancel.
In the Age of Romanticism, the transfigured look of the clear fountain with its lovely source nymphs and source gods was re-established as popular motive in art and poetry. Also in later times, the subject has been dealt with by famous artists like Pablo Picasso and Aristide Maillol until the presence.

Source mermaids

As in the source of the Stempfermill, also in the mountain well beneath Burggaillenreuth mermaids are said to have lived quietly and secretively. They loved lying in the sun at shallow areas of the Wiesent to have their silver coloured body warmed. Also on warm spring and summer days, they kept coming out of the cool water onto the shore to dance their rounds between rocks and shrubs. A young squire from the castle overlooking the valley wanted to observe them once, in spite of his knight having forbidden this under punishment. Nevertheless, he stole up on them being full of delight about their beauty. But when he intended to grab one of the mermaids, they escaped to their home casting a spell on him. As a grey butterfly he is constrained to flatter around high up in the rocks, until finally he will find his redemption.
By: H. Büttner: Legends from Franconian Switzerland, Erlangen 1988

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