The Sacred Boar of Retra (Radegast)

According to the 11th-century chronicle by Thietmar of Merseburg, the Western (Baltic) Slavs believed a giant, white-fanged wild boar lived in the sacred lakes around the temple of Radogošč. Emerging from the water foaming and glistening, the beast was seen as an omen of war, shaking the earth with a destructive power reminiscent of lightning.