RODE
The Rode is our Nordic cult pole. Our rodes have mainly been made out of wood, and it has not been possible to find many remains from them. A few have been found in mosses, where the wood can be preserved. Many writers tell about rodes of different kinds. In the arabic teller "Ibn Fadlans" story about how the so called Rusers went about in Russia, there are passages about rodes, and about how they offered fur to them. The largest cult pole, Irminsul, was placed outside Hamburg, in the area of Weser. It was destroyed for religious reasons by Karl the Great in the year of 772 AC.
The rode ( råde, rud or rod) has held an important position in
the religious life. People have danced around it, it has served as a meeting
place. Names of places that come from rode or råd can be found in
different parts of Sweden, such as Rånäs, Roslagen and Stora
Råda. This particular Rode has been decorated with rock carvings
from Tanum in Sweden and from the Onega lake area in Russia. The two countries'
rock carvings remind of each other to a great extent. Sun tokens that can
be found on English early historic monuments are also quite similar to
our own sun symbols. The colours: red, white and blue, derive from the
rode that was always painted in Östergötland in Sweden. If it
was not painted, there was a failure of the crops, which is why they kept
on painting it. There are still a number of phallic stone that are painted
as a cult each year in Sweden. A white phallic stone can be found in Nordheim,
Rogaland in Norway. Phallos has probably been called "Völse" in the
early Nordic languages.
The russian word "rus" could come from rod, meaning birth. In russian
language there are many worlds connected
with "rod" for exampel, "rodsvennik" = relative or kinsman, "narod"
= people, meaning the people going to the
rod, the cult pole. "Priroda" = nature, meaning the suroundings around
the rod.
Karelian Greystone (granite)
Height: 13 feet 10 inches (420 centimeters)
Weight: 9777 lbs (4.4 tons)
