| Svetovit | |
|---|---|
God of abundance, war | |
 Svetovit in Britannia Antiqua Illustrata | |
| Venerated in | Polabian religion |
| Major cult centre | Cape Arkona, Rügen |
| Weapon | sword |
| Artifacts | horn of plenty, saddle, bit, flag |
| Animals | white stallion, eagles |
| Texts | Chronica Slavorum, Gesta Danorum, Knýtlinga saga |
Svetovit, also known as Sventovit and Svantovit amongst other variants, is the god of abundance and war, and the chief god of the Slavic tribe of the Rani, and later of all the Polabian Slavs. His organized cult was located on the island of Rügen, at Cape Arkona, where his main temple was also located. According to the descriptions of medieval chroniclers, the statue representing this god had four heads, a horn and a sword, and to the deity himself were dedicated a white horse, a saddle, a bit, a flag, and eagles. Once a year, after the harvest, a large festival was held in his honor. With the help of a horn and a horse belonging to the god, the priests carried out divinations, and at night the god himself rode a horse to fight his enemies. His name can be translated as "Strong Lord" or "Holy Lord". In the past it was often mistakenly believed that the cult of Svetovit originated from St. Vitus. Among scholars of Slavic mythology, Svetovit is often regarded as a Polabian hypostasis of Pan-Slavic god Perun. His cult was destroyed in 1168.