Old Prussian “Baba” Stones: An Overview of the History of Research and Reception. Pomesanian-Sasinian Case

Abstract

This article concerns anthropomorphic stone sculptures (so-called Old Prussian “baba” stones) of the two tribal territories of Pre-Teutonic Prussia – Pomesania and Sasinia. Only in the nineteenth century scholars became interested in this phenomenon, although the first information on the functioning and location of “baba” stones may already be found in medieval and early-modern sources. In this paper an attempt is made to examine the role which the stone sculptures may have played among the pagan population of Prussia in the period of Christianization, as well as how they were adapted in the modern folk culture and what interpretations around them appeared in scientific circles. Also in today’s postmodern times the interest in Prussian “babas” is unabated and the sculptures often become an inspiration for artists and a subject of many interpretations.