It's a story that sends shivers down your spine: in the north of Germany, in the small community of Strand Schleswig-Holstein, people tell each other that they can sometimes still hear church bells from a sunken medieval town, called 'Rungholt'.

Rungholt was a flourishing trading town in the Middle Ages and in 1362 the unthinkable happened: a century flood destroyed the dyke that protected the town from the wild sea and took this land, houses, churches and markets in the mud of the sea.

Rumors and stories about Rungholt have been circulating since those days, building up into true legends about the city's fabulous wealth.

Then, in May 2023, archaeologists actually discovered the foundation walls and structures of Rungholt in the North Sea silt with the help of thermal imaging cameras. The legend became truth, something tangible. Let's take a look back.

Historical Context and Mythological Roots

Runghold first appears in the medieval German epic "Kudrun," dating back to the 13th century. In the saga, Runghold is depicted as a magnificent island or city, ruled by the heroine Hild and her father Hagen, situated in the North Sea. It's portrayed as a place of great wealth and beauty, eventually falling due to betrayal and siege, reminiscent of other legendary cities' narratives in European folklore.

Archaeology Unlike the antique legendary twon Tartessos (probably located in Portugal), Runghold has not been the focus of extensive archaeological investigation until the found in 2023, primarily because its historical basis is more rooted in literary tradition than in tangible archaeological remains. The study of Runghold tended to be more literary and cultural, examining its role in medieval German epic poetry and its parallels with other myths of lost cities.

Psychology of the Rungholt Saga However, researchers interested in the cultural history of the North Sea region look at how the narrative of Runghold reflects medieval society's anxieties about land loss, the power of the sea, and the transient nature of human settlements. There's also an interest in how these stories might link to actual historical events like the Grote Mandrenke (Second St. Marcellus' flood) of 1362, which dramatically reshaped the Frisian and Danish coastlines, potentially influencing the creation or adaptation of such legends.

Philosophical and Cultural Implications Philosophically, the story of Runghold, like other lost city myths, can be seen as a meditation on human mortality, the impermanence of civilizations, and the relationship between humanity and the natural world. The narrative underscores themes of hubris, the inevitability of change, and the fragility of human endeavors against nature's forces.

Culturally, Runghold serves as a narrative tool for exploring identity, particularly in regions where the sea has both given and taken away. It reflects a collective memory of loss and adaptation, where communities had to rebuild and redefine themselves after natural disasters. This storytelling tradition also speaks to the human need to mythologize history, turning real or imagined losses into stories that resonate across generations.

Now that spade archaeology is at the helm, the bells of Rungholt are likely to fade away soon. Nevertheless, the shudder of the events of 1362 is palpable when you walk across the Wadden Sea at 'Strand' and one day come across shards or other finds from the sunken settlement.