# Buskam

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{{Short description|Prehistorical ritual site in Germany}}
{{One source|date=September 2024}}
{{Expand German|topic=geo}}
thumb|The Buskam in 2020
The '''Buskam''' ({{IPA|de|ˈbʊs.kam}}, {{IPA|de|ˈbʊːskɒm|local}}), also '''Buhskam''' or '''Buskamen''' is a large [glacial erratic](/source/glacial_erratic) boulder, 325 metres off the coast of [Göhren, Rügen](/source/G%C3%B6hren%2C_R%C3%BCgen), [northern Germany](/source/northern_Germany).<ref name=Schmidt>Ingrid Schmidt: ''Hünengrab und Opferstein'', Hinstorff, Rostock 2001, p.42, {{ISBN|3-356-00917-6}}</ref> Erratics ({{langx|de|Findlinge}}) have been scattered all over northern [Germany](/source/Germany) by the [glacier](/source/glacier)s of the [Ice Age](/source/Last_Glacial_Period), but are usually much smaller. The Buskam has a volume of about 600&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>, a circumference of about 40&nbsp;metres, and weights about 1,600&nbsp;tons.<ref name=Schmidt/> A third of it (206&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>) lies above the water surface.

Cavities in the rock indicate that the Buskam was used as a ritual place in [prehistory](/source/early_history_of_Pomerania),<ref name=Schmidt/> when such caved rocks were commonly used for [ritual sacrifice](/source/ritual_sacrifice). An iron [crucifix](/source/crucifix) was attached to it after the [conversion of Pomerania](/source/conversion_of_Pomerania).<ref name=Schmidt/>

According to local legends and [folklore](/source/German_folklore), the Buskam is the site where [witch](/source/witch)es dance during [Walpurgis Night](/source/Walpurgis_Night), and [mermaid](/source/mermaid)s are also supposed to dance often on the rock.<ref name=Schmidt/>

==Etymology==
There are several theories about the meaning of the name Buskam. The name Buskam could be derived from the [Proto-Slavic](/source/Proto-Slavic) ''*bogis kamien'', which means ‘god's stone’ (''*bog'' ‘god’, ''kamien'' ‘stone’). It is also conceivable that the syllable ''bus-'' stands for ‘atonement’ in a Christian sense. However, it is possible that the syllable comes from the [Middle Low German](/source/Middle_Low_German) ''buhsen'', which would mean ‘swell, rush’ and would describe the location of the stone off the coast.

==See also==
* [Glacial erratics on and around Rügen](/source/Glacial_erratics_on_and_around_R%C3%BCgen)
* [Early history of Pomerania](/source/Early_history_of_Pomerania)

==References==
{{reflist}}

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Category:Ice ages
Category:Glacial erratics of Germany
Category:Natural monuments in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Category:Göhren, Rügen
Category:Walpurgis Night

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Buskam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buskam) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buskam?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.