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 Hexenring - Thale, Germany
N 51° 44.158 E 011° 01.817
32U E 640191 N 5733622
A Group of sculptures, featuring Devil, Homunculus and Witch
Waymark Code: WMPXFE
Location: Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany
Date Posted: 11/04/2015
Views: 13
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The Hexentanzplatz (German for Witche's Dance Floor) is deeply embedded in German folklore. This is, where the forest and mountain spirits, called Hagedisen meet for their rituals every year during the night from April 30 to May 1. This date is known in German folklore as Walpurgis Night and pagan rituals honoring the ancient spirits are still celebrated throughout Germany, although the custom has become extremely commercialized, similar to America's Halloween. |
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The artist and the Devil
(from the artist's website) |
In 1996, local artist Jochen Müller created a group of mythical sculptures called Hexenring (Witche's Circle), that soon became one of the most fotographed objects in the Harz Mountains.
The sculpture features the Devil, his "assistant" Homunculus and Wadelinde, the grandmother of all witches.
The Devil and Homunculus are sitting on boulders, inviting visitors to enter the circle. Witch Wadelinde is pushing the last remaining boulder to complete the circle and to capture all souls within it.
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The whole ensemble consists of about 20 boulders. These boulders are not a natural feature but have been placed by the artist, making this a man-made location.
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Devil and Homunculus from front ...
... and back
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All sculptures, especially the one of Witch Wadelinde, are very realistic and, lets just say, sexually graphic.
In order to keep this a decent waymark, we focused on some of the other details.
The witch is covered with all kind of creatures, from cockroaches to rats.
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Here are Devil and Homunculus again ...
... and then, all of a sudden, everything just disappeared in fog.
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It was a truly spooky experience!
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Visit Instructions:
Post at least one picture of location. Tell us about your experience.
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