Bode (river)

The Bode (German pronunciation: [ˈboːdə]) is a river in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, a left tributary of the Saale. It rises in the Harz mountains and drains them in a northerly direction. After 169 kilometres (105 mi) it discharges into the Saale at Nienburg. The river is named after a legendary giant, the wild, rampaging, Bohemian, Prince Bodo, who, according to the Rosstrappe legend, changed into a marauding dog that guarded the crown of Princess Brunhilde in the Kronensumpf ("crown marsh") in the present-day Bode Gorge (Bodetal). The gorge is the narrow section of the Bode valley between Treseburg and Thale. According to tradition, there was once a giant called Bodo who came from Thuringia, in modern-day central Germany, to pursue Brunhilde, the king's beautiful daughter, whom he wanted to marry against her will. Brunhilde fled on a white stallion (Ross), but they suddenly came to a deep ravine. With one bold leap she reached the rocks on the far side, but her pursuer fell into the abyss. According to legend, the hoofprint of her horse can still be seen today as the so-called Rosstrappe. Meanwhile, Bodo was turned into a dog. As her horse leapt the gorge, however, the princess lost her golden crown, which was now guarded by the dog Bodo in the valley of the river. The river was given the name Bode after the giant Bodo who was now under a spell.

The Bode is heavily divided in its source region on the Brocken, the highest peak in the Harz, but its two most important source streams are the: Kalte Bode, 17 kilometres (11 mi) long, which rises at Bodesprung at 860 m above sea level (NN) Warme Bode, 23 kilometres (14 mi) long, with its headstream, the Bodebruch The two rivers, which actually have a temperature difference of 2 °C, merge not far from the Königsburg Ruins immediately before flowing into the Königshütte Dam (a feeder dam or Überleitungssperre). Other tributaries of the Bode include the Rappbode and the Luppbode. The Rappbode is impounded near Wendefurth by the Rappbode Dam. At the northern end of this reservoir, the Rappbode joins the Bode, which is impounded here by the Wendefurth Dam. Other tribu

Flows through: Germany.

River data from Wikidata (CC0); lengths normalised to a common unit.