- 1Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization Polish Academy of Sciences, Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Research into the Anthropocene, Kopernika, Toruń, Poland (robert@geopan.torun.pl)
- 2Faculty of Geographical Sciences, University of Lodz
- 3Faculty of Oceanography and Geography, University of Gdańsk
Past knowledge, legends and inspirations for the future. The geo-cultural value of erratic boulders in the Southern Baltic Lowlands
Erratic boulders represent an important element of the Southern Baltic lowland landscapes. A network of dependencies and interactions developed between erratic boulders and humans. These relationships were both pragmatic and symbolic. Erratic boulders were attributed supernatural qualities – they were revered, perceived through the lens of demonic worldviews, and associated with epiphanies and manifestations of beings/entities deemed dangerous to humans (Juśkiewicz et al. 2025). Since the Neolithic period, erratic boulders were used in sepulchral rituals (Matuszewska 2022, 402, 408). Stone tombs were constructed from them, symbolizing the ‘stone sky,’ a concept present in Indo-European cultures. Erratic boulders were also used as a source of building materials and millstones. In the latter case, narratives exist in which the process of material extraction and production was linked to the supernatural (Piotrowski & Wróblewska 2024).
Erratic boulders with distinctive forms were given names, and their origins were interpreted. Most commonly, they were associated with giants or devils who transported them from distant lands, including Norway and Sweden. These interpretations, strikingly similar to contemporary data, are a compelling example of pre-scientific intuition. Analyzing these narratives helps uncover the cultural phenomenon of erratic boulders.
The combination of traditional local knowledge, legends, and contemporary scientific data provides a comprehensive – both holistic and inclusive – understanding of the geo-cultural phenomenon that erratic boulders represent. Only by integrating geological values with both tangible and intangible cultural values can a new geo-cultural quality be achieved, enhancing their significance. The geo-cultural potential of erratic boulders offers an excellent foundation for creating local and regional branding. Erratic boulders can be utilized in geo-cultural tourism, education, and regional promotion.
A holistic approach that combines geological and cultural values not only deepens our understanding of the phenomenon of erratic boulders but also creates opportunities to use them as symbols of local and regional identity.
References:
Juśkiewicz, W., Jaszewski, J., Brykała, D., Piotrowski, R., Alexander, K.M., and Juśkiewicz K.B. (2025). Supernatural beings of Pomerania: postmodern mapping of folkloristic sources. Journal of Maps 21 (1): 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/17445647.2024.2434015
Matuszewska, A. and Schiller, M. (2022). Is It Just the Location? Visibility Analyses of the West Pomeranian Megaliths of the Funnel Beaker Culture. Open Archaeology 8: 402–435, https://doi.org/10.1515/opar-2022-0236
Piotrowski, R. and Wróblewska, V. (2024). “Memory of stones”. The motif of millstones production from erratic boulders in folk narrations from northern Germany and Poland: between a memory of craft and an object of memory. Fabula 65 (3-4): 334-355, https://doi.org/10.1515/fabula-2024-0017
This work was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland (grants No. 2023/49/N/HS3/02181 and No. 2019/35/B/HS3/03933).
How to cite: Piotrowski, R., Brykała, D., Czubla, P., and Tylmann, K.: Past knowledge, legends and inspirations for the future. The geo-cultural value of erratic boulders in the Southern Baltic Lowlands , EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-6226, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-6226, 2025.
