Altarpiece from a temple in Bomern
Witmar the white stallion - statue by the Archcathedral of Bilkona
Swantewit, (Bomerish Soanewit, Jilnovian Svatovit) is the sole deity worshipped in the countries that were parts of the former kingdom of Meckeln-Bomern, i.e. Meckeln-Flamlandt, Bomern and Jilnovia. The international centre of worship is the archcathedral of Bilkona in Meckeln-Flamlandt.
The central myth cycle concerns the white stallion Witmar (see picture to the right) which was sacrificed at a spring equinox feast in Swantewit's honour, but resurrected by Swantewit himself in the appearance of a white swan. This myth is said to symbolise the reconciliation and covenant between the deity and its worshippers. Some scholars point to certain similarities to Cruisanism as indications of influence from that religion, but others point to the fact that the equinox sacrifice of a stallion as an atonement and reconciliation between god and man is known in the region from sources earlier than the first known contact with Cruisian missionaries. All attempts through history to cruisianise this part of Longerath has met with fierce opposition.
The most widely agreed etymology of the deity's name - it's thought to mean "the holy one" in old Jilnovian - suggests that the cult originated among the Jilnovian people. Some purist groups in Meckeln-Flamlandt and Bomern prefer to base their etymology on the similarity of the name to 'swan' (swan) and 'wit' (white), and there is a possibility that the myth about the resurrection of the stallion by the white swan is of a later date, inspired by this folk etymological interpretation of the deity's name. In most circumstances the deity is, however, simply referred to as 'God' or 'the holy one' (Meckelish Gadt and De Hillige, respectively).