The Kashubian Devil Smãtk as a Figure of Literary Reflection on the Negative German Policy toward the Kashubians and Poles

The paper traces the way the devil Smãtk took from Kashubian folklore to become a figure of literary reflection on the situation of the Kashubians and the Poles under German rule and to inscribe himself in the imaginary dictionary of symbols for German-Polish relations. The analysis of Smãtk variations in some canonical literary texts written by Kashubian and Polish writers reveals different ways of thinking about the experience of attributed cultural inferiority. For most authors, Smãtk embodies the destructive effects of colonial dependency, an existential degradation of the self. On the other hand, Smãtk can become a medium of narrative empowerment, as he is a presumed pre-Christian deity reminiscent of the indigenous Kashubian culture. The final part of the article examines texts from German literature containing (possible) references to the figure of Smãtk.