By: Gašper Blažič
In the previous issue of Demokracija, we presented several interesting historical facts in the main topic about the fact that the heraldic panther is actually a historical symbol associated with the medieval noble family Spanheim. But in reality, this symbol is even older.
Joško Šavli wrote a few lines about the black panther in his book “The Slovene State of Carantania”. The story needs to be placed in a broader context, but due to the lack of space, we will only highlight the part that talks about the panther. In doing so, we also relied on articles published by Šavli online.
The Panther as the image of Christ
According to the author of the book, the symbol of the panther was first attested in the 12th century, but it was not original, it was based on drawings on Noricum stones from the Noricum period. During late antiquity, the mentioned symbol appeared in the area of Noricum or later Karantania and the Duchy of Carinthia, which is still called Kärnten in German and Carinthia in English. Apparently it also had Christian significance, at least as far as explained by a writer from Alexandria with the unusual name of Physiologist, who in the 2nd century AD also added explanations of animal depictions to the interpretations of the Gospels. He also described the panther as beautiful, peaceful, and meek. After it eats, it sleeps in his cave for three days. It then wakes up and roars in a strong voice, while spreading around a sweet scent that reaches all the animals near and far. Only the dragon, which is the panther’s relentless enemy, sneaks into its cave, and all the other animals come to the panther, who is their best friend. Because of this story, described by the Physiologist, the panther is a parable of Christ, as the latter was in the tomb for three days, after which he rose from the dead. His teaching is like a sweet smell. He is a friend to all, everything goes after him, only the dragon (Satan) remains his eternal enemy.
Two panthers at a secular church
Apparently, in late antiquity, the panther already had Christian significance in the Noricum area. “In the first centuries of Christianity and even there in the Romantic period, the panther in this way represented a parable of the resurrection of Christ. In the area of the former Roman Noricum, his depictions have been preserved in several places: Maria Saal and Gurk in Carinthia, and in Styria Kalsdorf, Seggau, Graz, Ptuj, and further Sombathely in Pannonia, etc.” listed Šavli. It is interesting that the depiction of the tree of life, guarded by two panthers with a horn of plenty, can also be found in the Holy See, the founder of which was St. Modest. This relief depiction dates back to the second century AD. In the middle between the panthers, which could also represent two angels (cherubs), is a vase (kantharos) or chalice from which the vine grows; on it are birds (souls) biting grapes. “From the position of the stone with the panthers above the main entrance to the cathedral of Carantania, it can be concluded that the character of the panther became a symbol of the early, Christianised Slovenian state,” wrote Šavli.
Battle sign of the Carantans
The panther apparently became part of the symbolism of the Carantans in this way, though not in the heraldic form as we know it today. It was certainly a battle sign of the Carantans at a time when each duchy (then within the East Frankish kingdom and later the Germanic empire) had its own army. By the time of Great Carantania in the 11th century, the panther was already appearing as a national symbol for all the then provinces that belonged to it, from then-Styria all the way to Friuli. Apparently, in Styria, when the latter became an independent duchy, it also remained a central symbol there at a time when Styria was ruled by the Babenbergs (late 12th century). Thus, even before the creation of the coats of arms, the first relief depictions of a panther on a pole appeared. Later, a black panther on a white background also appears on the battle flag. The panther thus also appears on seals associated with the Babenbergs. It is interesting to note how the current Austrian flag (red-white-red) was created in this development of symbols, but the panther did not become part of the Austrian coat of arms; the latter contains a double-headed eagle, which is an old imperial symbol. The eagle, however, slowly replaced the panther in the symbols of the dukes in the area of present-day Austria, perhaps also because the panther was too reminiscent of the original Carantania and did not represent the original symbol of the so-called Eastern landscapes (German Öster-Reich, this is the official German name of Austria). On the money double seal of Leopold VI. Babenberg has an eagle on one shield and a panther on the other, but both characters have a battle flag with a panther.
Police red panther
These facts, of course, show that the Carantanian panther has its real historical basis and is not a fictional symbol, as some historians claim. It is also true that Carantania is still owned by German history, but its origin is Slovenian. This also applies to the legal-political basis of Carantania, as it was also a special feature later in the Frankish and later German empires. Of course, neither German nor Slovenian historians acknowledge this (at least most do not). Well, the fact is that on the website grboslovje.si we can find quite a few interesting articles about the panther – Aleksander Hribovšek writes about the historical development of the panther, who also explained why Carinthia later got a new coat of arms (with three black lions on a gold basis). However, the panther has been preserved in the coat of arms of the present federal state of Styria, only in white and on a green background. The fact is that the special police unit has been using the red panther on a black background as its symbol since its inception (even before Slovenian independence). That says something too.
And last but not least. You can even find the panther on a fresco in the lobby of the Slovenian Parliament, although probably quite a few MPs from the left parties believe that it is a Nazi symbol. Well, if at the time of the Nazi occupation of Austria (actually annexation) the then Nazi government usurped the Styrian provincial coat of arms for its own needs, this is not yet proof that the panther is a Nazi symbol. By the way, in the Slovene communist coat of arms, which we used until the independence of Slovenia, Triglav was also depicted, which is probably not considered a totalitarian symbol.