Stein-Zeit-Mensch

Schmallenberg-Schanze (51.111599 | 8.380608)

Reverence

Monumental sculpture by the artist Nils-Udo in the middle of the extensive forests of the Rothaar ridge on the Forest Sculpture Trail from Schmallenberg to Bad Berleburg.

Earth, stone and wood. Nothing else. So simple. And at the same time, this image hits me with archaic force. The dark block of rock lies on a pedestal, infinitely heavy, unassailable, as if it had fallen from eternity. Where does it come from? How did it get here? What giants were able to move it? Why did it end up here, in this clearing? It is surrounded by eight tree trunks, pale without their bark, smooth and naked, massive too. Pillars of the forest. The monster timbers resting horizontally on them delimit the enigmatic structure at the top.
I sit down on one of the forest sofas at the edge of the clearing, take in the sight and watch my imagination run wild. A temple in honor of the stone goddess? The sarcophagus of a giant king? A Hessian-Westphalian announcement to the pharaoh: 'We can build a pyramid too - but more beautiful'?

Fantasies in the spirit of the inventor. That's what he wants: cast off, thoughts are free! The clearing comes to life. Becomes the scene of a historical tussle. Köllsche against Nassauer. The Kölls settle north of the Rothaar ridge, the Nassauers south. To keep the game exciting over the centuries, two different dialects are invented, hostile sovereigns, one worshipping the cross on the left, the other on the right. When the rulers change, they swap. Köllsche and Nassauer face each other in the clearing, swear at each other, threaten with their fists, roll across the forest floor in a wrestling match, the usual testosterone trip. Once everyone is thoroughly battered and looking pretty demolished, the fighting comes to an end. The warriors realize that they have a lot more in common than they always thought. The first fraternizations take place around flickering campfires. And then the decision: We will build a monument to peace here, on the Rothaar ridge. Made of earth, stone and wood. Nothing else. But it was to be immovable, unbreakable like the new friendship. And that's how it turned out. At least in my flights of fantasy.

Fantasies in the sense of the inventor. That's what he wants: cast off, thoughts are free! The clearing comes to life. Becomes the scene of a historical tussle. Köllsche against Nassauer. The Kölls settle north of the Rothaar ridge, the Nassauers south. To keep the game exciting over the centuries, two different dialects are invented, hostile sovereigns, one worshipping the cross on the left, the other on the right. When the rulers change, they swap. Köllsche and Nassauer face each other in the clearing, swear at each other, threaten with their fists, roll across the forest floor in a wrestling match, the usual testosterone trip. Once everyone is thoroughly battered and looking pretty demolished, the fighting comes to an end. The warriors realize that they have a lot more in common than they always thought. The first fraternizations take place around flickering campfires. And then the decision: We will build a monument to peace here, on the Rothaar ridge. Made of earth, stone and wood. Nothing else. But it was to be immovable, unbreakable like the new friendship. And that's how it turned out. At least in my flights of fantasy.

The soulfulness of this place lies in the fact that it immediately awakens ancient images in me. Temple. Tomb. Stone pyramid. Place of worship. Place of worship. A thread can be felt that stretches back thousands of years, to prehistory. Even back then, people showed reverence for something so much greater than themselves. They made heavy sacrifices and built something that was also much greater than themselves. Just like here: Earth, wood, stones and the beauty of their arrangement. I understand this language even without words.

Author: Michael Gleich