Nuhne-Ursprung

Winterberg-Züschen (51.152367 | 8.564905)

Separated - connected

Confluence of the Ahre and Sonneborn rivers to form the Nuhne. Village square with benches, fountain and information boards on Germanic mythology.

At first glance, the Winkeln, where the Nuhne has its source, is above all a nice place to rest. I sit down on one of the wide Rothaarsteig benches, cozy open-air sofas with a view of a fountain in which fish-tailed mermaids cavort, gracefully seductive, unfortunately made of bronze. Paved paths form a strange ypsilon, with the vertical bar extended upwards. Two streams flow past on the left and right, Sonneborn and Ahre, creating a kind of peninsula. Their restrained murmur merges into a cocoon of sound that muffles all other noises. Wordless invitations to unpack my provisions, take off my hiking boots and cool my feet in the water.

At second glance, the place becomes exciting. Sturdy ring binders, screwed onto stone blocks, tell stories from a long history in which the Nuhne plays a leading role. It has marked a border since time immemorial, but at least since the Middle Ages. Back then, the Saxons lived on one side and the Chatti on the other. Just this much from the repertoire of power politics: they fought each other and made peace; sometimes one side had the upper hand, sometimes the other; waves of destruction, irrepressible will to rebuild. The Nuhne divided, because rivers were not easy to cross in those days. The Nuhne united, because from its source to its mouth it bore the same name for the same water. Züschen seems to have been located on an important traffic route in the Middle Ages, the Alte Landstraße, which connected the north and south of Germany. Did traders and entire armies stop here?

A third look makes the invisible visible. Walter Peis, 80 years old, local historian and passionate amateur historian, helps me with this. He looks after Borg's barn, where the long history of the village is brought to life. At least 775 years, perhaps even 1225 years, depending on which source you believe. Peis has written numerous books, brochures and essays. Whenever his work as a photographer allowed him to, he acted as a tracker and storyteller. "Even in my youth, I was driven by questions: What was here in the distant past? Where do we come from? What are our roots?"

He is particularly fascinated by the world of Germanic myths. He is certain that Züschen was a sacred place long before Christianization. He points to the church hill that dominates the townscape: "Look, seen from there, the Nuhne-Ursprung lies on an exact line to the east, towards the sunrise. That had divine significance for the Germanic tribes." Now he explains the significance of the unusual paving: it is not an alienated ypsilon, but the runic symbol for the god Nun, who may have given the river its name. For Indo-Germanic tribes, Nun was the primordial god, creator of the universe - one who created everything from nothing.

Peis believes he can read the trace of the gods in many old field names. The name "Oskuhle" has been preserved for the Winkeln where the two rivers meet - a reference to Asgard, the home of the Asen dynasty of gods? Peis' voice trembles a little - in awe, I think I sense - when he asks such questions. Does he, the homeland detective, only want to trace his origins back in time? Or does the desire for his own village to have a great past that is still relevant today also play a role? In any case, Peis has helped shape the confluence as a mystical place. His production reminds us that history has staying power. And that, despite all too human efforts, its course is unpredictable. "The bronze fountain also stands for this," says Walter Peis, "it shows the three Norns, the goddesses of fate of the Germanic tribes. They stood for the past, present and future. They controlled all destinies. Not the people themselves."

I sit down near the stone monolith that marks the Nuhne-Ursprung and close my eyes. Questions arise. What do I already have in my hand? Am I ready to throw myself into the river called life - without knowing where I'm drifting? Can I give up identities, just as Sonneborn and Ahre gave up their names to merge into the Nuhne? Can I let thoughts flow without believing that I am my thoughts?

This place has a pull that leads me deeper and deeper. The fourth glance is inwards. I realize: this is a good place to meditate.

Author: Michael Gleich