There are sparse records of dukes in this

area, but no records about the extension of

their duchies or any dynastic relations. The
first written record of any local Pomeranian
ruler is the 1046 mention of Zemuzil[4][37] (in
Polish literature also called Siemomysł) at
an imperial meeting. A "dux Pomorie" is
recorded for the year 997 in a 13th-century
vitae of Adalbert of Prague, most probably
seated in Gdańsk (Danzig).[38] Another
chronicle written in 1113 by Gallus
Anonymus mentions several dukes of
Pomerania: Swantibor, Gniewomir, and an
unnamed duke besieged in Kołobrzeg. A
mention of a battle between the
Pomeranians, Poles and Hungarians in
the Gesta Hunnorum et Hungarorum, taken
as historical by earlier historians, has been
identified as medieval folklore,[39] since the
author Simon de Keza mixed up historical
events with legends.[40] This 13th-century
chronicle reports that the
later Hungarian king Bela I had fled
to Mieszko II of Poland (mistaken
for Casimir I), and defeated a Pomeranian
duke ("Pomoranie ducem") in a duel.
[40]
 The Annals of Pegau (Annales
Pegaviensis), written in 1150, mention
a Wilk de Posduwc (Wolf of Pasewalk) as
one of the grandfathers of the founder
of Pegau Abbey and later margrave of
Meissen, Wiprecht von Groitzsch, born
1050.[40] The annals say that Wilk held a
"Pomeranorum primatum".[40] Since the
oldest parts of these annals are regarded to
resemble "legendary tales", it is uncertain
whether Wilk is a historical or legendary
figure.[41] Pomeranian historian Adolf
Hofmeister proposed that the record might
nevertheless have a grain of truth in it, but
in this case sees Wilk not as a universal
ruler of Pomerania, but as a local or
subordinate prince.[41]
Duchy of Pomerania-Stolp was fief of
the Crown of the Polish Kingdom 1390-1446,
1466-1474

Languages[edit]
The western Slavs included the ancestors
of the peoples known later as Poles,
Pomeranians, Czechs, Slovaks and Polabia
ns. The northern so-called Lechitic
group includes, along with Polish, the
dead Polabian and Pomeranian languages.
The languages of the southern part of
the Polabian area, preserved as relics
today in Upper and Lower Lusatia, occupy
a place between the Lechitic and Czecho-
Slovak groups.[42]
According to The Encyclopædia Britannica:
"Lekhitic languages, also spelled
Lechitic , group of West
Slavic languages composed of
Polish, Kashubian and its archaic
variant Slovincian, and the
extinct Polabian language. All these
languages except Polish are sometimes
classified as a Pomeranian subgroup. In
the early Middle Ages, before their
speakers had become Germanized,
Pomeranian languages and dialects
were spoken along the Baltic in an area
extending from the lower Vistula River to
the lower Oder River. Kashubian and
Slovincian survived into the 20th
century; there were still a considerable
number of native speakers of Kashubian
in Poland and Canada in the 1990s. The
extinct Polabian language, which
bordered the Sorbian dialects in
 eastern Germany, was spoken by the
Slavic population of the Elbe
River region until the 17th or 18th
century; a dictionary and some phrases
written in the language exist".[43]
Religion[edit]

A priest of Svantevit depicted on a stone

from Arkona, now in the church
of Altenkirchen.
Further information: Slavic mythology
In the Middle Ages,
Pomeranians, Liutizians and Rani worship
ped gods of the Slavic mythology:
The gods were worshipped in
temples, sacred groves, sacred trees
and sacred springs. The priesthood was
a powerful class of the society. The
elders held their assemblies in the
sacred places. Important decisions were
made only after asking an oracle.[44]
Among oracles were horse oracles in
Szczecin and Arkona.
Major temple sites were:
 Arkona (Swantewit temple)
 Charenza (numerous temples,
e.g. Porenut, Rugievit)
 Gützkow
 Wolgast (Jarovit temple)
 Wollin (worship an idol referred to as
"The iron lance of Caesar")[45]
 Szczecin, two to four temples,[45] most
notably the temple of Triglaw, a three-
headed god[45] and a sacred walnut
tree[44]