Slavic Gods- an embodied idea of the World and world rules. Getting acquainted with the Slavic faith and traditions, of course, one cannot ignore the Slavic Gods. From the knowledge of their characters begins a deep understanding of the faith of our Ancestors.
Today there are various ideas of who the Slavic Gods are. In some sources, many Gods are listed, and even those who are known to us from the myths of India or Egypt are classified as Slavic. In other sources, on the contrary, only a few Slavic Gods are named, believing that our ancestors did not develop a developed mythology. We will talk about mythology and Slavic Gods as they say about it in the Russian North. Many ancient traditions, bylichki, fairy tales, Slavic myths have been preserved here, of which we know this.
The division of the Slavic Gods into light and dark
Northern legends say that Rod, the Creator God, created the Slavic world and divided it into three parts: Rule, Yav and Nav. Bright Slavic Gods live in Prav. In Reveal - people and elemental Gods. In Navi - dark gods.
This division is simple, however, modern man often misunderstands it. We are accustomed to correlate "light" with "good" and "darkness" with "evil". Therefore, many mistakenly believe that only the Slavic Gods of the world of Rule deserve reverence. The ancient Slavs treated the Gods of Navi with no less respect than the Gods of the world of Rule, although they were afraid of them. However, in the Slavic picture of the world, Navnye, Dark Gods are needed, you cannot do without them.
Slavic gods of the world
We refer to the Slavic Gods of Rule, first of all, Svarog, Heavenly Father, and fret, Heavenly Mother. Their kids, Svarozhychi- one of the main characters of Slavic mythology. However, not all of their children live in the world of Rule. For example, Stribog and Semargl appear more often in the world of Reveal, among people.
Of course, one of the significant Slavic Gods of the world of Rule - Belobog, God of White Light, God of Creation. twin brothers Belobog and Chernobog symbolize the forces of creation and destruction, the balance of which is necessary for the development of the Slavic world, moving forward.
Sign of God Svarog "Konegon"
Sign of the Goddess Lada "Star of Lada"
Lada
Slavic Goddess Lada- Mother of the Gods, wife of God Svarog. For the Slavs, this Goddess became the embodiment of all the brightest, kindest things that can be in a family - harmony between spouses, good children, harmony and well-being of all home life. The sweetest, most merciful and understandable Slavic Goddess. When we think about a Slavic woman - a spouse, mother, sister - the face of the Divine Mother Lada will be the most appropriate way. Do you want to know more about the Goddess Lada, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Goddess Lada - Slavic Goddess of love and beauty»
Sign of God Belobog "Light"
Belobog
Slavic god Belobog- twin brother of God Chernobog. Our world is based on this love and struggle of two brothers, as our ancestors believed. Such an idea is similar to the global idea of the unity and struggle of opposites. Belobog - the one on which the whole world rests (this can be seen even from his name). Not the Sun, not the Moon, but a comprehensive idea of life, growth, development, movement. God Belobog, thus, is the personification of everything that forms the basis of explicit life. Do you want to know more about God Belobog, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Belobog - God-patron of the Slavs»
Sign of God Chur "Watchman amulet"
Chur
Slavic god Chur familiar to everyone, not even interested in Slavic mythology. A well-known expression is a talisman: "Chur, chur me!" calls to our ancient God-Guard, God Chur. It is believed that this God keeps what belongs to a person by right, draws a line between "mine, ours" and "someone else's." Turning to this God helped to keep their possessions, protected from wrong deeds, saved from troubles and enemies. “To turn away” in our language still means “to come to your senses from something wrong and not useful.” God Chur is sometimes considered the First Ancestor, from whom all Slavic clans descended - in the pantheon he is not revered as the son of God Dazhdbog, but is a common unifying symbol. Do you want to know more about God Chur, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Chur - Guardian God of the Slavic clans»
Sign of the Goddess Alive "Summer oblique cross"
Alive
Slavic Goddess Alive- the wonderful daughter of the Goddess Lada. The wife of God Dazhdbog, from her children Slavic clans went. The Goddess Alive for the Slavs is like a breath of living water, pouring into a person the opportunity to live, love, give birth to their own kind. This is the personification of the flow of vitality that allows the baby to grow up, the boy and girl to become a father and mother. From the appeal to the Goddess Zhiva, wounds heal, health returns, the joy of life flows in. In a word, this is the Goddess who brings Life. Do you want to know more about the Goddess Zhiva, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Zhiva - the great Goddess of Life, the Goddess of Summer»
Sign of the Goddess Leli "Lelnik"
Lyolya
Young and beautiful Slavic Goddess Lyolya- the one that embodies for the Slavs all the charm of a young smile, a sonorous voice and an easy step. The goddess Lelya is that spring that descends to earth along with the Yarilo-Sun. The embodiment of these flourishing natural forces, restoring a person after a long and dark winter, has been preserved in our culture in the form of the Guardian Goddess. The sign of the Goddess Leli is often found in traditional embroideries and is called the "coast". All spring calls, round dances and sonorous songs are dedicated to her - the smiling and affectionate Goddess Lyola. Do you want to know more about the Goddess Lela, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Slavic Goddess Lelya - Goddess of Spring»
Sign of God Lel and God Polel "Palm amulet"
Lel and Polel
Many people know the Slavic God Lelya based on the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden", where he, in the form of a shepherdess, played melodies of love on a plain horn. And this is perhaps the only image that is allowed by the official culture. Meanwhile, for centuries, the image of God, a beautiful young man who ignited love in the hearts of people, was kept in the memory of the people. God Lel is beautiful as the image of a loved one in the eyes of a woman in love. What is important - God Lel is at the same time the twin brother of God Paulel. This God rules in the hearts of already engaged people who have created their own family, patronizes a happy marriage. So the brothers embody those relationships that contribute to happiness: God Lel is the God of love, God Polel is the God of a happy family. Do you want to know more about the Gods Lele and Polele, about their symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Lel and Polel - two Gods, without which happiness is unthinkable»
Sign of God Kvasura "Oberezhnik"
Kwasura
Slavic god Kwasura embodies the now forgotten culture of fun without alcohol intoxication, eating without gluttony, holidays without "scuffle". A moderate attitude towards bodily pleasures while maintaining the joy of life - this is what is invested in the image of God Kvasura. To be healthy, to be cheerful, to lead a healthy lifestyle without the use of amusing and intoxicating substances - this is what the Slavic God of fun reminds us of. It is this image that is easiest to turn to when you want to straighten your life, get health and freedom from addictions!Do you want to know more about God Kvasur, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Kvasura - Slavic God of Joy and Temperance»
Sign of God Kitovras "Kolohort"
Kitovras
Slavic god Kitovras- an amazing creature from old myths. The representative of that fabulous people that we know from Greek myths - God Kitovras is described as a centaur, half-man, half-horse. It would seem that all this is far from our lands, but it is in the north that the Kargopol clay toy “Polkan” is still being made. This figurine, oddly enough, is a centaur. This is what the people say about Polkan, or, in other words, about Kitovras: they say that he was such a storyteller that people and animals, listening to him, left their thoughts, and then their bodies, into the world that this bayun sang about. That, they say, before Kitovras was a great warrior - a magician and even a commander, and won many battles, and did not lose a single one; but suddenly, at the zenith of his glory, he dropped everything and went through the lands and villages like a chalk, and began to tell fairy tales. And his tales were so penetrating and reasonable that they gradually began to call Polkan the God of Wisdom. XWould you like to learn more about God Kitovras, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Kitovras - Slavic God of Wisdom»
Slavic gods of the world Reveal
Slavic gods also live in the world of Reveal! First of all, the elemental gods: Agidel, Goddess of Water; Semargl, God of fire; Stribog, Wind God, his children and grandchildren, such as a warm breeze Dogoda; Mother Earth Cheese, one of the most revered Slavic Goddesses.
There are other Slavic Gods who most often appear in the world of Reveal. Sun God Horse and his sister Divya, Goddess of the Moon. Tara- Slavic Goddess of the Guiding Star (Polar Star), it is her bright light in the old days that did not allow travelers to go astray. We often see lightning in Yav Perun and the rich rains that his wife sends Diva Dodola.
Sign of the God Horse "Firefire"
Horse
Slavic god Horse- The God of Rule, whom, fortunately, we see in our world in the sky. When you look at the Sun, at its luminous image, you see the manifestation of the Slavic God Khors. There are other solar Gods (Kolyada, Yarilo, Kupala, Avsen), and the God of white light Belbog, and the God of reflected light Dazhdbog, but only God Horse is the same Sun in its bodily explicit form. Beautiful tales about God Horse tell that once the Creator Rod gave under his control a day, and every God's morning God Horse rides his sparkling chariot to heaven, and every evening ends up in a black boat, along a black underground the river returns to its mansions - in order to shine again in the morning and give warmth to all living things on earth.Do you want to know more about God Horse, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Khors - Slavic God of the Sun Disc»
Sign of the Goddess Divia "Lunnitsa"
Divya
Slavic Goddess Divya
our beautiful friend Luna. It is the manifestation of this Goddess that we see in our world in the form of either a thin sickle or a full circle. The goddess Divya-Moon is the embodiment of mystery, changeability and predictive power. This Goddess is the patroness of Fortunetellers, Soothsayers, all Knowers. In the manifest world, her influence extends to women, determining the rhythms of life. The Beautiful Goddess is the twin of God Horse, who, by the will of the Creator, is given control of night time. Every night the Goddess-Moon leaves on her white chariot to the sky and every morning she returns to her place, giving way to her brother in the sky. But, according to legend, she asked the God of Heaven Dyya for permission to sometimes see her brother - so sometimes we see their meeting above our heads.Do you want to know more about the Goddess Divya, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Divia - Slavic Goddess of the Moon»
Sign of God Dyya "Wealth amulet"
Dyy
Slavic god Dyy in our mythology - an ambiguous personality. Most likely, a different attitude towards wealth gave rise to a variety of explanations for the properties and incarnations of this God. We know from myths that God Dyi is the twin brother of God Viy, one of the darkest and most mysterious Gods of Navi. It is believed that God Dy was born by a bright God at the dawn of time and is the embodiment of Heaven above our heads. It is believed that God Smoke is at the same time the Patron of Wealth and Prosperity - and we can understand this, because for our ancestors, what happened in heaven directly affected people's lives and the well-being of each family. Do you want to know more about God Dyya, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Dyi - Slavic God of Wealth and Prosperity»
Sign of God Svyatogor "Bogovnik"
Svyatogor
Slavic god Svyatogor known by myths as a God-hero of enormous growth. Late references to him are found even in epics about Ilya Muromets. Probably, in the image of this God, we find some memories of the former race of people of enormous growth - the mythologies of many peoples tell of giants. In the Slavic epic God Svyatogor is known as the one who holds the heavens on his shoulders. In Greek mythology, he is known as Atlas - the one to which Hercules came to accomplish another feat. Do you want to know more about God Svyatogor, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article “Svyatogor - the Slavic guardian of Heaven »
Sign of God Stribog "Amulet Bird"
Stribog
Slavic god Stribog- the elemental God of Air, the embodiment of the winds blowing around mother Earth. According to Slavic mythology, Stribog is the son of the mighty Svarog, born to him during the first battle of Rule and Navi. This famous battle took place when Rod decided to divide the Gods for different tasks. At that time, Svarog struck the Alatyr stone with his hammer, and two twin brothers were born from these sparks: Stribog, the God of Wind and Semargl, the God of Fire. God Stribog is thus one of the oldest Gods, the Father of the winds. God Stribog is addressed as an obvious element that helps a person to live in harmony with Nature.Do you want to know more about God Stribog, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Stribog - Slavic God of the element of Air, God of the wind»
Sign of God Semargl "Rarog"
Semargl
Slavic god Semargl- the elemental God of Fire, the embodiment of the forces of earthly fire and heavenly fire. According to Slavic mythology, Semargl is the son of the mighty Svarog, born to him during the first battle of Prav and Navi, the twin brother of the God of the wind Stribog.God Semargl is thus one of the oldest Gods, the owner of all fire. God Semarglu is addressed as a clear element that helps a person to live in harmony with Nature.Do you want to know more about God Semargl, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Semargl - Slavic God of the element of Fire»
Sign of God Perun "Thunder"
Perun
Slavic god Perun- the formidable son of Svarog the blacksmith, the mighty defender of Reveal, God the Thunderer and Lada, the Heavenly Mother. God Perun is one of the most famous Slavic Gods, he is revered as the patron saint of warriors, the protector of the World of Reveal. They transmit stories about the various deeds of God Perun, one of the most important is the battle with the creature of Chaos, the Skipper Serpent. Many signs are known with the power of this Slavic God, the holiday of Perun is now celebrated as a day of military prowess. We see the phenomenon of Perun during a thunderstorm - sparkling lightning and heavenly thunder.Do you want to know more about God Perun, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Perun - Slavic God of Thunder and Justice»
Sign of the Goddess Diva-Dodola "Perunitsa"
Diva Dodola
Slavic Goddess Diva Dodola, also known as Perunica - the Slavic Goddess of the Thunderstorm, the wife of the warlike Perun. According to the ideas of the Slavs, it is during a thunderstorm that this Goddess appears in the sky, surrounded by her priestesses, her bright progress across the sky is accompanied by showers and bad weather, but it always goes to a clear sky and a rainbow bridge. This Goddess manifests as a natural phenomenon and as a world cleansing force leading to tranquility through a storm.Do you want to know more about the Goddess Diva-Dodol, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Diva-Dodola - Slavic Goddess of Thunder»
Sign of God Yarilo "Yarovik"
Yarilo
Slavic god Yarilo (Yarila)- Slavic God of the spring Sun, son of God Veles. Many mythological ideas have been preserved about God Yaril, mainly because among the people his veneration was hidden under the cult of St. George. God Yarilo, thus, manifests itself as the spring sun, giving rise to shoots, as the life-giving zilla of Nature and, importantly, as a protective force, male rage, as the embodiment of the power of love and life. God Yarilo is known as the patron of men and, interestingly, as the lord of wolves.Do you want to know more about God Yarilo, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Yarilo - Slavic god of the spring sun»
Sign of God Dazhdbog "Direct Cross"
Dazhdbog
Slavic god Dazhdboga (Dazhboga) many people know from the well-known statement in "The Lay of Igor's Campaign": "We are the grandchildren of Dazhdbog!". It is believed that Arius was born from the marriage of God Dazhdbog and the Goddess Alive, from whom the Slavic clans went. They revered God Dazhdbog as the progenitor of the Slavic family, as a warrior-defender, but most of all - as a deity of light, fertility and, as a result, life's blessings. It is in the manifestation of solar reflected light that we see God Dazhdbog in Reveal. Some believe that the name of the Slavic God Dazhdbog is associated with rain, but this is not true. The name of this God is a derivative of "God forbid". Do you want to know more about God Dazhdbog, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the big articleDazhdbog - Slavic solar God»
Sign of the Goddess Tara "Vaiga"
Tara
Slavic Goddess Tara is considered the twin sister of Dazhbog, who is sometimes called Tarkh Perunovich. Like the twins Horse and Divia, manifesting themselves in the form of opposite phenomena (the Sun and the Moon), so Dazhdbog and Tara appear at different times of the day: Dazhdbog owns the reflected sunlight, and Tara manifests itself in the night as the guiding Polar Star. The goddess Tara was revered as the patroness of travelers, opening roads and helping to choose the direction. Since the roads of travelers can pass through forests, at the same time the Goddess Tara was considered the patroness of sacred oak forests. Do you want to know more about the Slavic Goddess Tara, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Slavic Goddess Tara - Goddess of the guiding star »
Sign of God Dogoda "Vratok"
Dogoda
Slavic god Dogoda little known among the great Gods of the Slavic pantheon. However, this slightly frivolous, agile and cheerful son of Stribog was revered as the God of Good Weather. The life of our ancestors depended on nature and weather conditions, so this natural manifestation of God's mercy pleased the people. There are few legends about him, but today, more than ever, we are ready to welcome the beautiful God Dogoda! Do you want to know more about God Dogoda, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here, to the big article “Slavic God Dogoda - the God of good weather, let's call him together!»
Sign of the Goddess Agidel "Abyss of Heaven"
Agidel
Slavic Goddess Agidel, the granddaughter of God Svarog, is known in the north as the Goddess of Water. Our ancestors depended on reservoirs, in the north fishing was one of the main industries, so different types of water were endowed with various divine properties. Slavic mythology knows Watermen, Mermaids, even the sea king, the Goddess Dana and the Gods of large rivers (for example, God Don). The goddess Agidel is, first of all, the mythological savior of the earth from drought, who discovered the world's waters, a girl who turned into the water of a river. Thus, the Goddess Agidel is not the goddess of a particular body of water, but rather a manifestation of the divine properties of the water element that are merciful to man. Do you want to know more about the Slavic Goddess Agidel, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article " Agidel - Slavic Goddess of water»
Sign of God Avsenya "Tausen"
Avsen
Slavic god Avsen known primarily as the God of the autumn sun. The autumn harvest festival, thanksgiving to the Gods for the harvest, farewell to summer - for our ancestors, this meant the arrival of autumn and Avsenya. God Avsen was endowed with calm wisdom - this is the oldest (and oldest) of the solar Gods, ruling the world for a quarter of a year. On the day of the winter solstice, God Avsen hands over the reins of government to his brother Kolyada, the young Winter Sun. Thus, God Avsen appears as the autumn annual period, as the Sun and as the law of the withering of what was once young. It is surprising that at the same time God Avsen is the builder of bridges to the future. Do you want to know more about God Avsen, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the big article "Avsen (Ovsen) - Slavic God of Autumn"
Sign of God Kupalo "Fern Color"
Kupalo
Slavic god Kupala (Kupala) manifests itself in our world on the shortest night of the year. God Kupalo takes control of the world and is the God of the Summer Sun, the ruler of the annual period until the autumn equinox. The manifestation of God is a natural fall from its very limit, from the greatest height to the state of calm "reaping the fruits." In Slavic mythology, God Kupalo is the brother of the Goddess Kostroma, who experienced a terrible spell in childhood, which determined the subsequent difficult circumstances of life. Do you want to know more about God Kupalo, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the big article "God Kupalo or Kupala - Slavic God of the Summer Sun"
Slavic gods of the world Navi
Lord of Navi - Chernobog, brother of Belobog. This dark God does not fight with his brother at all, he only does his job, very important, but unappreciated by many: Chernobog destroys what there is no longer a place in the world of Reveal.
Other Slavic Gods of the Navi world also exist in order to prevent the world from stopping in development. In addition, it is the Navnye Gods who protect the world of the dead and stand on the border between the ordered world and chaos. We refer to the Slavic Gods of Navi Morena, Koshcheya, Viya. Even the Slavic God of the Winter Sun Kolyada spends most of his time in the Navi world.
Sign of God Viy "The All-Seeing Eye"
Viy
Slavic god Viy known from the work of N.V. Gogol, where Viy is a chthonic monster, an all-seeing monster. I must say that this literary character has almost nothing in common with the Slavic deity that our people remember. According to the ancient Slavic myths that we are currently recreating, God Viy is one of the oldest Gods created by the Creator Rod at the dawn of time. God Viy prefers Nav - the world of Spirits, where Souls go and from where they come to Yav. God Viy is a powerful wizard, gloomy, but striving to restore order. Slavic myths consider God Viy to be the "shepherd of souls" - the very power that makes souls cleanse themselves of obvious hardships, undergo purification by fire and be reborn again. Do you want to know more about God Viy, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article "God Viy is the Guardian of Souls among the Slavs"
Sign of God Chernobog "Navnik"
Chernobog
Slavic god Chernobog perceived by some as a villain and enemy of humanity. It is believed that the twin brother of the light God Belobog, embodying everything light and good, Chernobog embodies the opposite principle - darkness and evil. This is too simple and wrong notion of two opposite principles. So in a pair of Khors-Divia, or Dazhdbog-Tara, you can find light and darkness. But who said that it is good and evil? The idea of Chernobog will be correct if we think of him as the destroying beginning of our worlds, about the one who takes on the role of the destroyer of the old and obsolete. Chernobog is the governing force in the World of Navi, and that is why he was revered by our ancestors on a par with Belobog. Do you want to know more about God Chernobog, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article "God Chernobog - Slavic God of destruction"
Sign of the Goddess Morena "Winter oblique cross
Moraine
Slavic Goddess Morena (Marena, Mora)- the carnival is familiar to many on the holiday, on which they drive away the "Morena-winter" and burn a straw effigy. The Goddess of Winter Morena is also the Goddess of Death, which is understandable. This is the Goddess Navi, considered the wife of the ruler of this world, God Chernobog. It is not necessary to imagine the Goddess Morena in the form of a terrible old woman - on the contrary, in Slavic myths she is a young black-haired beauty, full of strength and ideas. Also, do not simplify the perception of this Goddess - from Slavic myths it is known that she is the daughter of Svarog, the Supreme God of the world of Rule and the beautiful and kind Lada. Do you want to know more about the Slavic Goddess Morena, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article “Goddess Morena - Slavic Goddess of Winter and Death »
Sign of God Koshchey "Koschyun"
Koschei
Slavic god Koschei often perceived as the same "Kosha" from the Soviet fairy tale film. Slavic mythology is much deeper and more wise than mass clichés. The God of Koschey is an associate of the God of Chernobog, who left with him during the battle of Light and Darkness that took place in ancient times. God Koschei is the voivode of the rati, whose task is to cleanse from the unrighteous living; every night he leaves Navi for Yav to restore justice and take the souls so that they have the opportunity to start living anew. The Slavic God Koschey is a just, punishing God of Death. Do you want to know more about God Koschei, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article "Koschey the Immortal - Slavic God of Death"
Sign of God Troyan "Healer"
Trojan
Slavic god Trojan arouses interest and confusion at the same time. The “three-faced idol” is known on the island of Rugen (Ruyan), but this is not about him. From Slavic myths, we know the son of God Veles and a human woman, who was so eager for knowledge of healing that, in the end, Troyan was compared with the Gods. After his departure to Nav, Troyan was reborn and was recognized by God. Since that time, the nav God Trojan has been known as the God of healing. Do you want to know more about God Trojan, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article "God Troyan - Slavic God of Healing"
Sign of God Kolyada "Kolyada"
Kolyada
Slavic god Kolyada known to many for the carols, which is celebrated on the winter solstice. The symbolism of this holiday coincides with the image of God Kolyada in the view of the Slavs. God Kolyada is the God of the young winter Sun, coming out of Navi at this time. God Kolyada in mythology is the light of the sun and the light of knowledge (the word "enlightenment" gives this image of the sun, light, knowledge, growth). God Kolyada is the brother of Avsenya, from whom he takes the reins of power for a quarter of the year, to then give them to the bright Yarila on the day of the vernal equinox. Do you want to know more about God Kolyada, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article "God Kolyada - God of the winter Sun"
Sign of the Goddess of Kostroma "Cross"
Kostroma
Slavic Goddess Kostroma known from Slavic mythology as the sister of God Kupalo. Due to her absurd nature, misfortune happened to her brother Kupalo in childhood, and the curse that Kostroma brought on both of them led to an even greater tragedy in adulthood. These difficult events led to the spiritual rebirth of both brother Kupalo and sister Kostroma. Once in the world of Navi, Kostroma has changed and is now the embodiment of the forces that support love in this world. The goddess Kostroma for the Slavs is the patroness of lovers. Do you want to know more about the Slavic Goddess Kostroma, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here, to the big article “The Goddess Kostroma is the Slavic patroness of lovers »
Sign of the Goddess Devan "Star amulet"
Devana
Slavic Goddess Dewans known as the Goddess of the Hunt. Like many Slavic Gods, she had a difficult history - as is known from myths, this proud and self-willed daughter of Perun wanted to become the most important in the world of Rule and raised an uprising against Svarog. After Perun pacified the unreasonable daughter, she became the wife of God Svyatobor, but their marriage was unsuccessful. Devana left her husband and began to rob on long roads. The gods decided to stop Devana and sent her to Nav. Rebirth in Navi led to the fact that after that the Goddess Devana became wise, cautious, but still loved wandering and hunting. Do you want to know more about the Slavic Goddess Devan, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the big article “Slavic Goddess Devan - Goddess of the Hunt »
Sign of the God of Interruption "Spiral"
Clue
Slavic god Clue little known among the Western Slavs, but in the Pomeranian north, on the contrary, it is one of the revered and famous Gods, the Patron of sailors. It is his influence in the world that creates a fair wind and opens the way for sailors to return home. God Pereplut is the God of Navi, and that is why he can help sailors who risk crossing the border between worlds, setting off on a long sea voyage. Do you want to know more about God Interruption, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the big article "God Pereplut - God of Travelers"
Slavic gods that stand apart
A special history Veles, God of the Three Worlds. The name of this Slavic God suggests that the paths to all three worlds are open to him, therefore we cannot attribute him to any of them. Veles is especially revered in the Russian North, the amazing story of this God is definitely worth learning. The Goddess also stands apart Makosh, Goddess of Fate and Magic.
Sign of the Goddess Makosh "Rodovik"
Makosh
Slavic Goddess Makosh known and loved like no other. This is the Goddess of Fate and Magic, who owns the threads of fate as well as men and women, people and Gods. Due to the great action and influence on the well-being of people, the veneration of the Goddess Makosh was mixed with the cult of the Goddess Mother of Cheese-Earth, also the giver of blessings. But Makosh is a giver of blessings in a big sense, for the entire family line, and the Mother of Cheese-Earth is a more “mundane” well-being, for a specific period. In mythology, there is no mention of the fact that God Rod, who created our Motherland, Worlds, Gods, ever created the Goddess Makosh. This silence may indicate that the Goddess Makosh is a force that came from outside. Do you want to know more about the Slavic Goddess Makosh, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the great article “Slavic Goddess Makosh - Goddess of Fate and Magic »
Sign of God Veles "Bull's head"
Veles
Slavic god Veles known to those who are not familiar with Slavic mythology in general. The veneration of God Veles is connected with the fact that he simultaneously embodies all the forces of the three Worlds - this was precisely the intention of the Creator Family in relation to him. That is why the influence of God Veles is great on human life and death. God Veles is revered as the Patron of nature, the ruler of wild and domestic animals, in a word, the obvious well-being of people depends on his strength. In addition, it is believed that it is God Veles who helps the Souls of the dead to get into the white Nav and then transfers the Souls of children across the Berezina River to be born in Yav. In everything, God Veles, who is the God of Wisdom and Magic, stands especially in the pantheon of Slavic Gods. Do you want to know more about the Slavic God Veles, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here to the big article “Veles - Slavic God of the Three Worlds »
Sign of the God of the Kind "Svaor"
Genus
And the last one we remember here will be the First God, Rod-Creator who created the Motherland in the middle of Chaos, creating the order of the world order. According to Slavic mythology, God Rod is not quite the Supreme Creator of the universe; he is the one who created the three worlds in which our bodies and souls exist. God Rod is the one who created the world order and maintains the rules, he is the force that gives meaning to our existence. It was he who created the Gods and gave them various manifestations, organizing a series of development and stop, light and darkness. Do you want to know more about God Rod, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of praise? Then please welcome here, to the great article “God Rod - Slavic Creator God »
Paganism is the common name for all the original beliefs of different peoples, originating from the depths of centuries. Slavic paganism is our faith, the faith of the entire Slavic people.
One of the oldest peoples, which today includes: Russians and Ukrainians, Belarusians and Poles, Czechs and Slovaks, Bulgarians and Macedonians, Serbs and Montenegrins, Slovenes and Croats. We bake pancakes, seeing off Shrovetide - Morena and telling ancient tales about Baba - Yaga. Bread is still the head of everything, and hospitality is in honor.
On Kupala we jump over fires and look for a flowering fern. Brownies live with us in our houses, and mermaids bathe in rivers and lakes. We guess at Kolyada, and sometimes we just flip a coin. We honor our ancestors and leave offerings to them on the day of remembrance. We treat ailments and diseases with herbs, and from ghouls - vampires we use garlic and aspen stake. We make a wish while sitting between the tesks and spit over our left shoulder when we meet a black cat.
Groves and oak forests are sacred to us, and we drink healing water from springs. We speak, fishing tackle and read amulets from the evil eye. Valiant courage finds itself in fisticuffs, and in case of trouble, our brave warriors will take her away from the Slavic land.
The pantheon of Slavic gods looks like a genealogical tree of a princely family: Rod was the most ancient supreme male deity among the Slavs. Already in Christian teachings against paganism of the XII-XIII centuries. they write about Rod as a god worshiped by all peoples. Rod - God Progenitor. Svarog, Semargl, Makosh, Lada - the gods Fathers; Perun, Veles - the second generation (sons), Dazhbog, Yarilo, Khors - the third generation (grandchildren).
The ancient pagan pantheon was divided into solar gods and functional gods. There were four hypostases of the Sun God, according to the number of seasons: Khors (Kolyada), Yarilo, Dazhdbog (Kupaila) and Svarog (Svetovit). All mythological creatures responsible for one or another side of human life can be divided into three main levels: the highest, the middle and the lowest.
So, at the highest level are the gods, whose "functions" are most important for the Slavs and who participated in the most common legends and myths. These include such deities as Svarog (Stribog, Sky), Semargl - the god of death, Veles - the black god, the lord of the dead, wisdom and magic, Earth, Svarozhichi (children of Svarog and the Earth - Perun, Dazhdbog and Fire).
At the middle level there were deities associated with economic cycles and seasonal rituals, as well as gods who embodied the integrity of closed small groups, such as Rod, for example, Chur among the Eastern Slavs. This level probably included most of the female deities, somewhat less human-like than the gods of the highest level.
The lower level housed beings that were less human-like than the gods of the higher and middle levels. These included brownies, goblin, mermaids, ghouls, banniks (banniks).
When worshiping, the Slavs tried to observe certain rituals, which, as they believed, made it possible not only to receive what they asked for, but also not to offend the spirits they turned to, or even protect themselves from them, if necessary.
Svarog
The supreme deity of the Slavs was Svarog (aka Rod). Svarog is a god - a blacksmith, the God of fire and the family hearth, the father of Dazhdbog. According to researchers - the supreme god of the Eastern Slavs, heavenly fire. Svarog greatly contributed to the development of knowledge. It was Svarog who gave people ticks and taught them how to smelt copper and iron. In addition, Svarog established the very first laws according to which each man was supposed to have only one woman, and a woman one man.
Yarilo was imagined as a young man: an ardent, loving groom dressed in white clothes, barefoot, riding a white horse. Yarilo belongs to the annually dying and resurrecting gods of fertility. He appeared at the right time of the year, spread the spring solar warmth, brought youthful freshness, ardor of feelings into the life of nature and the life of people, filled people with courage. Yarilo obeys wild animals, spirits of nature and lower deities. In winter, Yarila turns into Frost and destroys what he gave birth to in the spring. On Kupala, the ceremony of Seeing Yarila is held - since Yarilo, the God of the spring Sun, "dies" to be reborn next Spring. In its place comes the adult Sun, the Sun-husband Dazhdbog.
Dazhdbog is the god of fertility and sunlight. Dazhdbog rides across the sky in a wonderful chariot harnessed by four white fire-maned horses with golden wings. And the sunlight comes from the fire shield that Dazhdbog carries with him. Twice a day - in the morning and in the evening - he crosses the Ocean-Sea on a boat pulled by geese, ducks and swans. Dazhdbog had a majestic tread and a direct look that did not know lies. And also marvelous hair, sunny-gold, easily flying in the wind.
Khors is a male deity, embodying the desire of boys and adult husbands for knowledge, spiritual growth, self-improvement, to overcome the difficulties encountered in life and find the right solutions. During the day, this horseman slowly moves across the sky, and at night he returns back along the underground "Sea of Gloom" to reappear in the sky in the morning. The Patron God of good weather and giving rich Harvest to grain growers. He also patronized trade and exchange. Earth Protector God.
God Perun is the God of thunder and lightning, like heavenly fire, the patron of warriors and the princely squad, the God-governor, the god punishing for non-compliance with laws. It happened that God's punishment overtook the wicked, burning his dwelling with fire, or killed himself with lightning. And, besides, there was great faith among the people that Perunov's lightning was capable of expelling evil spirits, as well as a devilish obsession, and also protecting from sorcery and sending illnesses and disasters. Perun is the lord of heaven, but the earth is also under his rule. Dedicated to this formidable god of the forest and grove. Due to the fact that the oak was considered the main tree of Perun, oak groves were considered sacred forests.
Semargl was represented in the form of a bird (usually a predatory - "falcon") or a dragon with a sparkling body, flaming hair and radiance escaping from the mouth, as well as a fiery whirlwind.
He sat on a golden-maned horse of a silver suit. Thick smoke became his banner. Where Semargl passed, there was a scorched trail. Such was his strength, but more often he looked quiet and peaceful. Semargl, God of fire and moon, fire sacrifices, home and hearth, keeps seeds and crops. Can turn into a sacred winged dog. The name of the God of Fire is not known for certain, most likely, his name is so holy. Still, because this God does not live somewhere in the seventh heaven, but directly among people!
Kostroma
Kupalo
Semarg does not let evil into the world. At night, he stands guard with a fiery sword, and only one day a year does Semargl leave his post, responding to the call of the Bather, who calls him to love games on the day of the Autumn Equinox. And on the day of the Summer Solstice, after 9 months, the children of Kostroma and Kupala are born at Semargl and Kupala.
Veles
According to Slavic ideas, after the world was created by Rod, the god Veles set this world in motion. Day began to give way to night, the seasons began to change, winter was followed by spring, spring was followed by summer, then autumn and again winter. Very few knew that law - only sorcerers and magicians who served Veles. Veles could take on any guise. Most often he was portrayed as a wise old man, a protector of plants and animals. In the ancient Russian chronicles, Veles is considered the patron and protector of all domestic tamed animals and the god of material well-being. He was a werewolf god, the god of hunting and prey, the owner of the waters and the patron of warriors. The gray prophetic Wolf from Russian fairy tales was considered a distant ancestor of Veles. Veles also acts as the god of the Underworld. the god of the kingdom of Navi, where the souls of the dead go after death.
Stribog - In East Slavic mythology, the god of the wind. He can summon and tame a storm and can transform into his assistant, the mythical bird Stratim. In general, the wind was usually represented as a gray-haired old man living at the end of the world, in a dense forest or on an island in the middle of the sea - ocean. He was mentioned and revered along with Dazhbog. Probably, the wind, like rain and sun, were considered the most important for the farmer. Stribog was also prayed by seafarers to give "wind to sail".
Stribog
Stribog - in East Slavic mythology, the god of the wind. The name Stribog goes back to the ancient root "streg", which means "senior", "paternal uncle". He can summon and tame a storm and can transform into his assistant, the mythical bird Stratim. In general, the wind was usually represented as a gray-haired old man living at the end of the world, in a dense forest or on an island in the middle of the sea-ocean.
Whistle
The wind has many grandchildren and sons, small breezes:
Whistle - the elder wind, is considered the god of the storm;
Podaga - hot, withering wind, lives in the desert in the South;
Weather - warm, light breeze, God of pleasant weather;
Siverko (North wind) - brings cold from the Arctic Ocean, very severe.
Poludenik together with Midnighter frolic day and night.
Makosh. Goddess of lucky lot. Together with her daughters Doley and Nedolya determines the Fates of people and Gods, weaving the Threads of Fate. Goddess Makosh at all times was a very attentive and caring Patron of weaving and all kinds of needlework, and also made sure that a good harvest grew in the fields where the peasants put their Soul into their hard work.
To those who were not lazy, but worked in the fields, in gardens and orchards in the sweat of their brow, putting their Soul into their hard work, the Goddess Makosh sent her youngest Daughter - the blond Goddess Dole. The same people who worked poorly and negligently in their fields (no matter what kind he was), got a bad harvest. Therefore, the people said that "from Makosh Dolya came to measure the harvest" or "Makosh Nedolya sent the harvest to measure."
Lada is the patroness of family happiness, mothers, children, widows and orphans. Her golden hair is adorned with pearls, and her dress is adorned with rich embroidery and jewels. In the name of Lada, the ancient Slavs called not only the original goddess of love, but also the whole system of life - a way where everything should have been fine, that is, good. Lada is the goddess of youth and spring, beauty and fertility, a generous mother, the patroness of love and marriages. Her dress shines with the dazzling brilliance of the sun's rays, her beauty is charming, and the drops of morning dew are called her tears; on the other hand, she acts as a militant heroine, rushing through the heavenly spaces in storms and thunderstorms and driving rain clouds. In addition, she is a goddess, in whose retinue the shadows of the dead march into the afterlife. The cloudy fabric is precisely that veil on which the soul, after the death of a person, ascends to the kingdom of the blessed. Among the ancient Slavs, the birch, personifying the goddess Lada, was considered a sacred tree. The white swan is the sacred animal of Lada, whose name meant, among other things, "swan". Lada gave birth to twins - Lel and Polel.
Goddess Marena (Mara) - Great Goddess of Winter, Night and Eternal Sleep and Eternal Life. Goddess Marena, or Marena Svarogovna, one of the three named sisters of the Much Wise God Perun. Very often she is called the Goddess of Death, terminating the earthly life of a person in the Explicit World, but this is not entirely true. But the Goddess Marena, in addition to observing the rest of Nature on Midgard-Earth, when Mother Nature is gaining life-giving forces for the spring awakening and the life of plants and animals, also observes the life of people. And when the time comes for people to go on a long journey along the Golden Path, the Goddess Marena gives instructions to each deceased person in accordance with the creative experience gained.
Goddess Zhelya - the goddess of mortal sorrow, pity and funeral lamentation, the messenger of the dead, escorting to the funeral pyre. Even the mere mention of her name relieves the soul. From here and words: To wish, Pity. It symbolizes grief, Zhelya was revered as a memory of the ancestors. Karina's sister. Daughter of Mary and Koshchei. Unearthly beauty and sad, with a pale face and long black hair, that's how she was represented.
Jelly and Karna
Zhelya and Karna fly over the battlefield and notify who will be killed. When the battle ends, Zhelya sits with his head bowed and his arms around his knees, mourning the dead. According to those customs, fallen soldiers were burned on funeral pyres, and Zhelya carried their ashes in a horn.
There were always Belobog and Chernobog nearby, who were in constant struggle with each other: the daylight dimmed in the impending twilight, and the morning dawn scattered the darkness of the night; Joy hurried to replace sadness: after cruelty and envy, the time for selfless and good deeds came. Belobog was portrayed as a wise, gray-bearded and gray-haired old man, Chernobog as an ugly skeletal "koshchei". However, Belobog and Chernobog were equally revered.
Chernobog (black Serpent, Kashchey) Lord of Navi, Darkness and Pekelny kingdom. God of cold, destruction, death, evil; God of madness and the embodiment of everything bad and black. Sacrifices were made to him before the start of important matters, for example, before going on a military campaign. The victims were often bloody and human, they killed captives, slaves and horses.
They portrayed Radegast armed from head to toe, with a battle ax, in a helmet on which an eagle spread its wings, a symbol of glory, and with a bull's head, a sign of courage, on a round shield.
Radegast is a god of lightning, a killer and devourer of clouds, and at the same time a luminous guest, who appears with the return of spring. The idea of an honorary divine guest, a visitor from heaven to earth, was also connected with him. The Russian settlers honored him with the name of a guest. Along with this, he received the character of a saving god of any foreigner (guest), who appeared in a strange house and surrendered himself under the protection of a local hearth, a patron god of merchants who came from distant countries and trade in general.
Among our pagan ancestors, he was not a deity of the highest rank, but his name is still known and honored everywhere. He was revered as the patron and guardian of the borders of land holdings. On the boundaries of their plots, the farmers poured hillocks, enclosing them with a palisade, and no one dared to tear such a hillock for fear of angering the deity. The frontier strip was considered inviolable, no one could cross it arbitrarily. Chur also protected a person and all his goodness from evil spirits: as a resident of passers-by roads, he had more power over devils than anyone else. Therefore, in case of danger, it is still advised to remember this god and shy away, saying: "Chur me!", That is, to ask: "Chur, take care of me!" Even the secrets of a person's thoughts he guards
Syra Mother Earth
Syra - Earth Mother - the goddess of the earth, a fertile mother, the wife of Heaven. The earth was presented to the imagination of the pagan, who deified nature, as a living human-like creature. Herbs, flowers, shrubs, trees seemed to him her magnificent hair; he recognized the stone rocks as bones, the tenacious roots of trees replaced the veins, the blood of the earth was the water oozing from its depths. And, like a living woman, she gave birth to earthly creatures, she groaned in pain in a storm, she became angry, causing earthquakes, she smiled under the sun, giving people unprecedented beauty, she fell asleep in a cold winter and woke up in the spring, she died, burned by drought and was reborn after the rains. And, as if to a true mother, a person resorted to her at any time of his life. Remember fairy tales? The hero will fall to the damp earth - and will be filled with new strengths.
Bereginya
The ancient Slavs believed that Bereginya is a great goddess who gave birth to all things. She is accompanied everywhere by radiant riders, personifying the sun. She was especially often addressed during the ripening of bread - this indicates that the goddess belongs to the supreme patrons of the human race. After all, the great goddess was supposed to protect the people she created! Gradually, our ancestors came to believe that there are many coastlines in the world, they live in forests. According to popular beliefs, betrothed brides who died before the wedding turned to the coast. For example, those girls who committed suicide because of the betrayal of the insidious groom. In this they differed from the water mermaids, who always live in the water, and are born there.
Karachun
Karachun is a dark god. His servants were rod bears, in which snowstorms turned around, and packs of blizzard wolves. Karachun's day coincided with one of the coldest days of winter, December 12/25, when the nights cease to shorten, and the sun no longer looks at frost, but at warmth. The ancient Slavs considered Karachun an underground god, commanding frost. For Belarusians, "karachui" is a sudden death at a young age; evil spirit shortening life. In Russian, this is death, death. The leap year is especially terrible, it is considered the time of Karachun, His element. Therefore, the people believe that more people die on a leap year.
Lelya is the goddess of fertility according to the second Rozhanitsa, the daughter of Lada, the goddess of childbearing. She is the patroness of women and young maidens. She is asked for a betrothed.
Lel is Lely's brother. He is a fiery God, scattering or throwing sparks from his hand. His strength was in the kindling of love. He is the son of beauty, because beauty gives birth to love. He was depicted as a golden-haired youth.
The Goddess of Life in the broadest sense of the word, Life itself. Alive - the goddess of well-being, the deity of beauty and spring, as the flowering of all living things, the beginning of life. According to legends preserved in Poland, in the spring it turns into a cuckoo to “inform” people about the season and determine who will live for how long.
Perunica
This goddess is the wife of the god Perun (she is one of the incarnations of the Goddess Lada). She is sometimes called the thunder maiden, as if emphasizing that she shares power over thunderstorms with her husband. She is a cloud maiden - beautiful, winged, warlike.
Kolyada
Kolyada - God of feasts, food, fun. Seasonal god, holiday god. Kolyada marked the Slavic New Year. God-Kolyada comes into the world with light and goodness, having defeated evil and darkness. Kolyada is the Patron God of military people and Priests. Kolyada was often depicted with a sword in his hand, and the blade of the sword was pointed down.
Dobrogost
Dobrogost - among the Western Slavs, the patron of good news, the messenger of the gods - something like the ancient Hermes. Descending from heaven, he put on winged boots, reminiscent of boots-walkers of Russian fairy tales.
sea king
The sea king (Water) is the lord of all waters on earth. The sea king, according to popular belief, rules over all the fish and animals that are only found in the seas. In folk tales, the Sea King is also called the Water King.
Mother of God Rozhana - Goddess of prosperity, spiritual wealth and comfort. Goddess-Patron of pregnant women. This is the most ancient image in Slavic mythology. This goddess is a woman. She represents the feminine principle in the universe. Women in labor are a collective female image. To this day, we call women in the maternity hospital Rozhanitsy, as they are likened to the Mother Goddesses who give new life.
Baba Yoga is the Patron Goddess of orphans. She collected them from cities and villages, and delivered them to her Skete. She did this in order to save from death.
Treebog is a forest deity, thanks to which everything in Nature blooms and turns green.
Magura - Daughter of the Thunderer Perun, cloud maiden. The beautiful, winged, warlike Magura is akin to the Scandinavian Valkyrie. Her heart is forever given to warriors, heroes. On the battlefield, Magura cheers the fighters with warlike cliques, her golden helmet sparkles in the sun, instilling joy and hope in the hearts. Well, if a warrior fell from the blow of an enemy sword or pierced by an arrow, Magura will overshadow him with his wings, touch his cold lips - and let him drink water from a golden cup. Having tasted the living water of Magura, he will go to heavenly palaces - for eternal life, where, in the midst of unearthly bliss, he always remembers the last kiss of Magura.
Svyatobor - God of the forests, lord of the goblin. Brother of the Danube and Svyatogor.
Didilia is also from the Lada family. goddess of matrimony, childbearing, growth, vegetation, personification of the moon. She is present at the resolution of wives from the burden, and therefore barren wives made sacrifices to her and prayed to her to give them children. She appeared as a young beautiful woman, having on her head, like a crown, a bandage adorned with pearls and stones; one hand was unclenched, and the other was clenched into a fist.
Polelia is the second son of the goddess of love, the god of matrimony, marriage bonds. It is no coincidence that he was depicted in a simple white everyday shirt and a wreath of thorns, he gave the same wreath to his wife. He blessed people for everyday life, a family path full of thorns.
Numerogog - God of time and astrologers.
Triglav
Triglav - Triune god. Unites Nav, Yav and Rule. Represents space. Follows human karma. Big Triglav - Svaro Mr. Perun - Svyatovit or Perun - Dazhdbog - Fire, small - Horse - Veles - Stribog. He also patronizes the three families of Rurik, Sineus and Truvor.
Volkh - God of sorcery, hunting, war, daring, master of beasts. The mother of Volkh was the earthly woman Martha, and the real father was the god Veles. When Volkh was born, he was wearing a wolf skin. And although after he was washed in water, the skin fell off, Volkh, like his father Veles, was a werewolf. He hunted, turning into various animals.
baked
Baked - the god of lust. His appearance is changeable. Protects men. Married women did not revere this god, for he forced men to suddenly forget their family obligations, their duty to their wife and children. There were many admirers of Prypekala, however, they preferred to keep it a secret, for there were frequent cases when deceived wives, having gathered together, set fire to the sanctuary of this patron of troubles and even stoned his priests.
Siwa is the goddess of autumn and garden fruits. Depicted as a naked woman with long hair, holding an apple in her right hand and a bunch in her left. And sometimes in the form of a gray-haired old man. Siva is a deity not only of garden fruits, but also of the very time of their ripening, autumn. After Siva drove Kashchei from Mount Khvangur, he himself began to rule there. There was a well with living water nearby, and from this well fire beat up to the sky.
There are many more mid-level gods, here are some interesting ones:
Zibog is the god of the earth, its creator and keeper. It was he who created mountains and seas, hills and rivers, crevices and lakes. He watches over and tills the land. When he gets angry, volcanoes erupt, a storm rises on the sea, the earth shakes.
Zirka is the goddess of happiness. Every person has his own Zirka, who, like a guardian spirit, is constantly with her chosen one. There is a saying: “What will become of him if he is not in Zirka’s favor!”
Hall of Iria, where fallen warriors feast and hone their skills.
Niy (Viy) - the deity of the underworld, one of the main servants of Chernobog. He was also a judge over the dead. Viy is also associated with the seasonal death of nature during winter. This god was also considered the sender of nightmares, visions and ghosts. A huge humpbacked old man with long hairy arms and paws. Eternally angry, because you have to work without rest day and night - to receive the souls of the dead. Whoever fell into the clutches of the ugly Niy, there is no going back. In later times, this is the leader of the evil spirit Viy.
Nemiza is the god of air, the lord of the winds. Nemiza was depicted with a head crowned with rays and wings. Nemiza is called upon to restore order and pacify violent winds.
Dana is the goddess of water. She was revered as a bright and kind goddess, giving life to all living things. According to the ancient idea, the thunder god boils rainwater in a thunderstorm flame, bathes heaven and earth in its downpours, and thereby bestows the power of fertility on the earth.
The goddess Vesta - the Goddess-Keeper of Wisdom, manages the arrival of Spring and the Awakening of Nature. In sculptural images, very rare, however, this goddess is represented as a richly dressed girl with a veil thrown over her head.
Karna is the Patron Goddess of reincarnations, giving the right to a person to get rid of the mistakes made and fulfill his destiny.
Dzevana - Goddess-Keeper of small children. Patroness of breastfeeding mothers.
Mor - God of death, cold, disease. Son of Mary.
Frost - God of winter, snow, cold. Son of Veles and Mary.
Shchur is the god of the boundary, on the other side of which there is death.
Sandman - Goddess of drowsiness, sleepy dreams, drowsiness, laziness. Wife of Sleep.
Bayan - God of songs, music and musical instruments. Grandson of Veles, son of Tur.
Krivda - Goddess of lies, deceit, untruth. Daughter of the Court and Nedoli.
Truth - Goddess of truth, truth, honesty, loyalty to the oath. Older sister of Krivda.
Resentment - Goddess of resentment, trouble. Daughter of Mary
Zorya - Goddess of dawn, dawn, purification, health, children, love, vision, singing. Daughter of Dazhbog.
Troyan - God of health, healing herbs, medicine. Associated with fire and water. The patron of time and space.
Prince Vladimir of Kyiv (978-1015)
Having reigned in Kyiv in 980, Grand Duke Vladimir I carried out a kind of pagan reform, apparently trying to raise the ancient folk beliefs to the level of state religion - next to his towers, on a hill, the prince ordered to put wooden idols of six gods: Perun with silver head and golden mustache, Fire-Svarozhich, Dazhdbog, Stribog, Semargl and Mokosh.
temple
Around 988, Vladimir himself was baptized, baptized his boyars and, under pain of punishment, forced everyone to be baptized. Formally, Russia became Christian. The funeral fires went out, but for a long time pagan burial mounds were poured over the villages, secretly praying to Perun and Svarozhich, and celebrating the violent holidays of their native antiquity. Paganism merged with Christianity.
Sudarushka's blog
When we say Lada, in our thoughts we have an unfortunate Zhiguli.
Although Lada is the Goddess of love, beauty, family happiness, the patroness of marriage. And also the keeper of the hearth, the wife of Svarog, the mother of Lelya and Dadzhbog ... She belongs to the pantheon of bright gods of Slavic paganism. Our ancestors worshiped them: Drevlyans, Russ, Dregovichi, Polans…
Beregini Rozhanitsy- words that do not require explanation. This goddess is the keeper of the hearth, warmth, nurse, mother, patroness of newlyweds and children, the joy of the elderly.
In October, at the end of all agricultural work, the Slavs played weddings. A person has three important milestones on the path of life: birth, marriage and death. If the first and the last do not depend on us, then the wedding is a special ritual that links together two destinies, two lives - two families.
Wedding, light, holiness, Svarga - the concept of life, truth, connection. At the wedding they played the harp, pipes, horns, tambourines, drums and other musical instruments. There were songs that immersed listeners in the old days. Relatives, embracing their shoulders, sang their ancestral songs, glorified the young. Someone jokingly measured their strength with new relatives, someone ruled in fun undertakings. Then buffoons got down to business - and then hold on! - everyone will get from their antics.
Goodness and peace reigned in the ancient Slavic families. Russians revered their ancestors, gods, kept the traditions of ancient times.
The mother-in-law had assistants: brownies, courtyards, barns, banniki. Her symbol is a duck.
Veles, hair, volokh, sorcerer, sorcerer, hairy, elk, ox, forest, fox, goblin, oleshka, deer - all these words are associated with the forest. Veles children - this is how the Russians call themselves in the "Lay of Igor's Campaign".
The Christians called Veles a "cattle god", but can the totem animals of Veles be called cattle - a bear, a wolf, a sacred cow? No, peoples living in a natural tribal system considered animals equal to people. For example, in Russia, bears are very fond of and consider them brothers. And the bear is Veles. Veles has many images, including in the form of animals.
Rusichi learned a lot from animals, imitated them with their voice, movements, methods of attack and defense.
Veles is an inexhaustible source of knowledge, each animal in his forest is unique. But people have moved away from nature - hence all the troubles of modern civilization. It is time to realize that only a return to naturalness, to healthy natural principles can save the soul and body from final destruction.
We live in a disfigured world, divided into religions, parties, estates, people are valued not by intelligence and strength, but by money, so humanity is fading, and not developing spiritually. For spirituality is in our roots, and nowhere else. Spirituality - knowledge (Vedas). Know Ra (faith), know Rod.
Veles is the keeper of gray antiquity and silent bones of ancestors. The last night of October is the day of commemoration of grandfathers (in the West - Halloween). On this day, the Russians saw off with bonfires and the music of bagpipes and pipes the spirits of nature and relatives who died during the year under the snow.
Dazhdbog, give, rain - words with the same root, meaning "share, distribute." Dazhdbog sent people not only rain, but also the sun, which saturates the earth with light and warmth. Dazhdbog is an autumn sky with clouds, rains, thunderstorms, and sometimes hail.
September 22 - autumn equinox, the holiday of Rod and Rozhanitsy, the day of Dazhdbog and Mokosh. The entire crop has been harvested, the last collections are being made in gardens and orchards. All residents of a village or city go out into nature, light a fire, roll a burning wheel-sun up the mountain, dance with songs, play pre-wedding and ritual games. Then tables are taken out onto the main street, the best food is placed on them, and a common family feast begins. Neighbors and relatives taste the food prepared by others, praise, all together glorify the Sun, the earth and Mother Russia.
Dazhdbozh's (solar) grandchildren - this is how the Rusichi called themselves. Symbolic signs of the sun (solar rosettes, solstice) were present everywhere among our ancestors - on clothes, dishes, in decorating houses.
Every Russian man is obliged to create a large family - a clan, feed, raise, raise children and become a Dazhdbog. This is his duty, glory, truth. Behind each of us are countless ancestors - our roots, and everyone must give life to the branches-descendants.
A man who does not have children is doomed to starvation, shame, and poverty in old age. The clan should be large, healthy - our ancestors a thousand years ago did not know vodka and smoking, and therefore gave birth to strong and healthy knights and women in labor.
Lada, harmony, love, affection - all this speaks of a tender relationship between husband and wife in a family union aimed at having children and prolonging the Slavic family. Lada is a little girl born in spring with the first streams and snowdrops. Rooks, the first birds arriving home from warm countries, are heralds of the birth of Lada. Together with Lada, flowers and young foliage appear. Where Lada passes, birds begin to sing. The animals also welcome the young goddess, who brings them food after a long, hungry winter.
Lada's favorite birds - pigeons and swans - are compared in our minds with affection and fidelity. Therefore, the girls sing the calls to spring with the voices of birds. Every girl in Russia is Lada.
Lada is gaining strength at Kupala, at this time she is caressed by the rays of Yarila, and a small month is born in her womb - a symbol of life. On June 22, the Slavs celebrate the summer solstice, huge bonfires are lit, a burning sun wheel (meaning "bathing" of the sun) rolls into the water, there are round dances with shouts: "Burn, burn clearly so that it does not go out!" Everyone bathes, plays "brook" and other love games, runs after each other through the forest. Fornication, according to Christians, in fact, was not on the feast. Magi, old people, parents closely watched the youth and, in case of violation of the laws of morality, expelled the guilty from the family - this was at that time the most terrible punishment, because one, without relatives, could not live in ancient times.
Love in Russia was not a joy, but served to procreate, to conceive new children. It is the appearance of children that is the meaning of pairing not only people, but also animals, birds. Only married couples went to the forests at the end of the holiday, under the shade of warm fogs, where they basked and loved until dawn, lighting numerous fires of love throughout Russia, turning the world into a huge burning fiery fern flower, a flower of truth, happiness, naturalness and eternity.
The arrival of Lada also awakened the spirits of nature - goblin, field, water, mermaids.
Makosh, mother, kush, purse, wallet (bag, bag), piggy bank, merchant - these words are related to each other and mean an increase in goodness and wealth.
If Lada is more related to spring water, then Makosh is the goddess of the earth, Mother Earth. Women of antiquity learned to be Makosh in their family. Makosh is that woman who knows how to work in the field, in the garden, in the garden, in the forest, knows medicinal herbs, knows how to raise and properly educate children. Makosh is a goddess who reveals healer secrets to women in summer (Morena in winter).
Makosh is the goddess of life (some Slavic tribes called her Zhiva), she carries a month (a man) in her growing womb after Kupala.
Man in Russia was symbolically represented by the Tree. His parents, grandfathers and great-grandfathers are roots that go back to the depths of time, to hoary antiquity, feeding him with the vital juices of the family. The branches and the crown of the tree are future children and grandchildren, whom every Rusich is looking forward to. He stretches out his hands to the souls of the ancestors - the stars and to the main ancestor - the sun. The Slav does not ask them for favors, like Christians, but simply says - assures them of his firm intention to have a family and children.
If, before marriage, a girl studied the work of Mokosh, then, having married, she performs sacred maternal duties, giving birth and feeding children, teaching them kindness and the right attitude towards nature and relatives. Being Makosh is the sacred duty of all girls and women.
Moraine, pestilence, frost, drizzle (rain), sea, mara, haze, stained, dead, gloomy, trouble. All these words mean darkness, severe cold, death, dampness or unbearable heat. Such sensations visit the sick and dying. Morena is a goddess who fights with spring and, leaving, takes with her the remnants of the past year (cold, snow, darkness), giving way to a new life, spring.
On March 22, the spring equinox begins, after which, as they believed in Russia, spring begins. Before the equinox, our ancestors merrily celebrated Shrove Tuesday. Again bonfires were lit, again in towns and villages, as if at Kolyada, young people gathered in groups, the most cheerful entertainers were chosen for jokes and practical jokes; made ice slides, fortresses for playing snowballs, swings and carousels; troika riding, hand-to-hand fights and wall-to-wall battles were arranged, and in the end - the capture of a snowy town and the burning of an effigy of Morena.
A competition took place right there - who would be the most agile and be able to climb a pole and get a rooster out of there (he was revered as a symbol of the sun, dawn, spring and the goddess Lada - the replacement of Morena), round rolls or boots. A burning wheel was rolled down from the mountain and bonfires were lit - a symbol of warmth and rebirth.
But Morena is not as terrible as it might seem. She is the image of our harsh snowy homeland, which tests everyone for strength and survival and takes only the weak. She loves the strict purity of snow and the transparency of ice, she is pleased with the dance of snowflakes in the deep winter sky. Morena's favorites are owls and lynxes. Russian people are fond of winter-winter, its invigorating cold, sparkling snowdrifts and sonorous ice.
Morena's symbol is the moon. Her face looks sternly at the earth, awakening in the wolves the desire to howl, thickening the fogs in the air and giving rise to the movement of waters in lakes and seas.
Perun, rune (in Russia, these ancient letters were known as “features and cuts” mentioned in many written sources). Speech, stream, prophet, roar, roar, grey. Perun is the great god of the Russians, the god of war and thunder. His weapons are blazing swords, axes, a huge thundering hammer, a mace and a spear that smashes without a miss. Animals and birds of Perun - tours, wolves, crows, falcons. We love and honor Perun among the people. His roaring thunderous voice is mesmerizing. The unearthly brilliance of his weapon, lightning, shocks and evokes awe. The swift flight of blue-lead clouds - his warriors - delights.
Perun was especially revered in times of war and danger. In a bloody battle or during fighting games, everyone tried to ignite the fiery spirit of this formidable ancestor-god.
Although Perun was related to the cold (he was born in the first month of winter), the Days of Perun - his time - began on June 20 and ended in early August. At this time, the Russians celebrated feasts for the soldiers who fell in battle - they gathered on mounds and red mountains, arranged feasts, military fun, measured their strength in running, throwing weapons, swimming, horse racing. They killed a bull bought on a bargain, roasted and ate it, drank honey and kvass. They conducted initiations of young guys who had to pass serious tests into warriors and gird themselves with weapons of the Family.
Our ancestors always had many external enemies, there were constant wars. The shield and sword were revered as a symbol of Perun, his gift to a man. Weapons were worshiped and idolized.
But not only men went into mortal combat. Often, among the dead Russians on the battlefield, the enemies were surprised to find women fighting with their husbands shoulder to shoulder. They were also patronized by the golden-whiskered Perun ...
Svarog, bungled, cook, light, holiness, reduce, color. These words are united by the idea of the creation of life (horn, rock, birth, speech, name). Svarog is the greatest of the Russian gods. This is the progenitor, the ancestor, who gave life to the course, gave people knowledge and speech. He created the entire cosmos - the universe of Svarga. Svarog - in everything. Everything in the world is Svarog, part of it. Among the Balts, he bears the name Sotvaras, among the Iranians - Tvashtar, among the Romans - Saturn, among the Germans - Wodan, among the Etruscans - Satr, and so on - they all have consonant names and similar features. In the myths of the white peoples, God forges with a hammer - creates the world, carving lightning and sparks, for everyone he has one or another relation to the sun.
Svarog is wise, he sits surrounded by our deceased ancestors, smart birds and animals. Like an acorn that gave birth to a huge oak tree, this god gave rise to the Tree of Life. From Svarog-grandfather, gods and people, animals and birds - all living things originate. Svarog resides in every object, in every person, it is obvious, it can be seen, touched, heard.
Svarog - in Navi, in the past, but they remember him (about antiquity). Svarog and in the right, in the future, which we know and for which we live. He is in us, we are part of him, like our descendants.
Svarog is an old sun riding in a chariot, cold and dark.
Chernobog rules in the last days of the year, when the longest night and severe cold. Russians bathe in the hole, joining the winter. Nature is silent in an old man's way, dressing in white snowy clothes. People in houses insulate windows, burn torches and eat what they have grown in the summer, sing songs, tell fairy tales, sew clothes, mend shoes, make toys, heat stoves. And they are waiting for the birth of Khors, preparing outfits for caroling.
Semargl, stench, flicker, Cerberus, Smargle's dog, death - these concepts in their essence mean an otherworldly deity - a fiery wolf or a dog. Among the ancient Slavs, this is a fiery wolf with falcon wings, a very common image. The Russians saw Semargl as a winged wolf or a wolf with wings and the head of a falcon, and sometimes his paws were like those of a falcon. If we recall mythology, we will see that not only the horse was dedicated to the sun, but also the wolf and the falcon. It is worth looking at the chronicle letters, frames, ancient embroideries and decorations of houses, household utensils, armor, and we will see that the wolf-falcon Semargl is found on them very often. For the Rus, Semargl was as important as for the Chinese - the dragon, and for the Celts - the unicorn.
The wolf and the falcon are swift, fearless (they attack a superior enemy), devoted (the wolf, even when hungry, will not devour its relative like a dog). Warriors often identified themselves with wolves (warrior - howling wolf).
Do not forget that the wolf and the falcon clear the forest of weak animals, healing nature and making natural selection. Images of a gray wolf and a falcon are often found in fairy tales, epics, songs, ancient written monuments, such as "The Tale of Igor's Campaign".
Semargl lives in every Slav, who fights against diseases and evil in the human body. Drinking, smoking, lazy, degrading person kills his Semargl, gets sick and dies
Stribog- swift, swift, fast, nimble, aspiration, jet, and even, if you like, a string. All these concepts mean flow, speed, distribution, spreading. If we combine all this into one, we have before us the image of the wind and everything connected with it. This is that warm breath of summer, then a violent gust with rain and thunderstorms, then a hurricane, a tornado, then the cold breath of the north, snowfalls and cold.
Russia is the land of the north, and the icy midnight wind lives in it. Cold and hungry February is just its time, it is in this month that the howl of hungry wolves is especially long and frightening, which Stribog drives with his icy breath to hunt. Only crows bathe in the currents of the north wind. And at night, the quick shadows of predatory lynxes glide through the blizzard, sparkling with yellow eyes and uttering a chilling meow.
In April, Stribog will fly in from the east with a young, warm daytime breeze. At night, he will breathe cold dampness.
In summer, Stribog will blow from noon (south), burning with heat during the day, and caressing with warmth at night. And in autumn, having flown from sunset (west), as in spring, it will warm during the day and cool at night.
In autumn and spring, Stribog disperses the clouds, revealing a warm, bright sun. In the summer it brings rain during the drought so that the crops do not perish, in the winter it rotates the wings of the mills, grinding the grain into flour, from which bread is then kneaded.
The Rus considered themselves Stribog's grandchildren. Stribog is our breath, it is the air in which words sound, smells spread and light is scattered, allowing us to see the surroundings. Stribog is vital to all living things. He is the lord of birds and is often depicted as a blowing head or as a rider.
Horse, khorost, brushwood, cross, cross, armchair, spark, round dance, horo, colo, wheel, brace, stake, carols, circle, blood, red - all these words are related to each other and denote concepts associated with fire, circle, red color. If we merge them into one, we will see the image of the sun, described allegorically.
The Slavs celebrated the beginning of the new year on December 22 - the day of the winter solstice. It was believed that on this day a small bright sun is born in the form of a boy - Khors. The new sun completed the course of the old sun (old year) and opened the course of the next year. While the sun is still weak, the earth is dominated by night and cold inherited from the old year, but every day the Great Horse (as mentioned in the "Tale of Igor's Campaign") is growing, and the sun is getting stronger.
Our ancestors met the solstice with carols, wore Kolovrat (an eight-pointed star) on a pole - the sun, put on the guise of totem animals that were associated in the minds of people with the images of the ancient gods: the bear - Veles, the cow - Makosh, the goat - the cheerful and at the same time evil hypostasis of Veles , the horse is the sun, the swan is Lada, the duck is Rozhanitsa (the progenitor of the world), the rooster is a symbol of time, sunrise and sunset, and so on.
On the mountain they burned a wheel tied with straw, as if helping the sun to shine, then sledding, skating, skiing, snowball fights, fists and wall-to-wall fights, songs, dances, competitions, games began. People went to visit each other, everyone tried to better treat those who came, so that in the new year there would be abundance in the house.
Severe northern Russia loved valiant fun. Forced to live and work in difficult conditions, our ancestors until the 20th century were known as cheerful and hospitable people who knew how to relax.
Khors is a male deity, embodying the desire of boys and adult husbands for knowledge, spiritual growth, self-improvement, to overcome the difficulties encountered in life and find the right solutions.
Yarilo, fury, spring, Yar (among the northerners in ancient times it meant "village", since they used to live in huts with a hearth), brightness. These words are united by the concept of increasing brightness, light. Indeed, after the arrival of spring, there is a rapid addition of the day and an increase in heat. Everything comes to life, grows, reaches for the sun. Nature is resurrected in the form of the beautiful Lada. Yarilo, melting the snow, lives mother - the earth with melt water.
Yarilo - the sun in the form of a young, full of strength groom rides a horse to his Lada. In a hurry to start a family and give birth to children (harvest, cubs of animals, birds, fish, etc.).
By the summer solstice, Yarilo is gaining full strength. He lives in truth and love with the earth, giving birth to new lives in the summer. By June 22, Yarilo turns into Belbog, the day is the longest, nature is kind to him and loves him. The state of Yarila is the state of all young guys.
In the fourth month of the year (now April), the Russians began the most important agricultural work for the entire Slavic family: plowing, grazing, then hunting, fishing, beekeeping, gardening, and gardening. Such was the life of the peasants (by the way, the word "peasant" came from "cross, kresalo, Khors", and "fireman" - from "fire" that is bred in a furnace).
Readers may have an erroneous opinion that some gods served among the Slavs as the embodiment of evil, others - good. No, Russians, children of nature, accepted her in all manifestations, knew how to be useful to her and gratefully take from her what they need. The gods, like people, combined both principles - both positive and negative. For example, Yarilo gives warmth and light, but if they are used unwisely, there will be a sunstroke. And Morena, although cold, helped Russia more than once, freezing the troops of Hitler and Napoleon.
Before the trip to Arkaim, we held a lesson in a group, where we tried to get to know our Slavic Gods at least in general terms. For me, it was most interesting to understand this hierarchical ladder and understand who is who and who belongs to whom ...)) Now we know why Monday is a “hard day”, and it rains on Thursdays ...))
Genus– is the main deity in the Slavic Pantheon. Creator of everything, primary spirit, Pervobog, Prabog. Rod is also called the Supreme God or the Most High and Belbog, the White God, Sventovit. Sventovit can be translated as the Knight of Light, in contrast to Temnovit - the Dark Knight or Chernobog, which is the opposite of Belbog.
All other Gods originated from this Primal Godhead, obey it and are the more powerful, the closer they are to their Forefather.
Rod or Sventovid had many sons and daughters who are also the Highest Gods
Other Gods obey only him and fulfill all the requirements unquestioningly. Even after the adoption of Christianity, the Slavs continued to hold festivities and feasts on September 8 in honor of the God of Gods. The next day, September 9, they celebrate the day of Rozhanitsa - the daughters of the Family. Another holiday of the Family and Rozhanits is celebrated on September 25.
Chernobog – Black God, Chernobozh, Temnovit (Dark Knight).
The complete opposite of the bright god Rod. The owner of the world of the dark Navi, Hell, the underworld. The sons and daughters of Chernobog are Viy, Volkh, Usynya, Dubynya. In all legends, songs and tales, it appears as a kind of black entity, the enemy of the light gods and the ruler of all the armies of the evil underworld, the underworld, hell, the hellish world. In addition, Chernobog is called the Black Snake and all his sons, daughters, as well as descendants are called Zmeevich or Zmievich. So Viy is called ViemZmievich. It is believed that after the Christianization of Russia, the image of Chernobog passed to St. Kasyan, who is the cause of various disasters.
The day of Chernobog is traditionally considered Monday, which was also called villain, sinister. On this day, it is not recommended to start any new business. In ancient Russia, Monday was the day of public reprisal, punishment or execution for any crime. The symbol of Chernobog is the skull of an animal or a person. The black horse, kite, walnut and beech, the number one (1) and the stake, the planet Saturn are also symbols of this God Navi.
The world has always been divided, is being divided and will be divided into black and white, good and evil. These forces must always exist and maintain themselves in harmony, so that Chernobog is an integral part of the world, one of those laws without which existence is impossible. Belbog and Chernobog are inextricably linked forever.
The holiday of Chernobog-Temnovit is traditionally celebrated on February 29. At midnight from February 29 to March 1, chicken eggs are broken. According to the beliefs of the Slavs, this is the only day of the year when Chernobog is mortal. His death is in the egg, and only by crushing or breaking it could the dark God be defeated.
Svarog- one of the highest gods of the Slavic-pagan pantheon. Svarog is revered as the god of heaven and the creator of the Earth. Svarog is also considered the patron saint of warriors and weapons. He is a blacksmith god who taught people to forge metal products. Any forge in itself is the temple of Svarog, and the anvil and hammer are symbols of Svarog.
During the establishment of dual faith in Russia, the role of Svarog was taken over by Kuzma-Demyan. Kuzma and Demyan are Christian saints, healers, miracle workers, who, in folk beliefs, merged into one divine character, and took on many of the features of Svarog. This happened, most likely, due to the similarity of the name of one of the saints - Kuzma, very similar to the word "blacksmith". If we turn to dual faith, compare Christian deities and their qualities borrowed from pagan gods, then we can draw such an analogy as: the supreme Christian god Jehovah (Yahweh), who corresponds to Rod and Svarog, and his son Jesus, who during the time of dual faith adopted himself the traits of the son of Svarog Dazhdbog - the god of the good.
The holiday of Svarog falls on November 14th. This day is known as Svarozhki. In the era of Christianity, Svarozhki began to be called the day of Kuzma and Demyan.
Perun- one of the most important Gods of the Slavs. The son of God Svarog, along with Dazhdbog is considered the eldest 
Svarozhich. Thunder god, patron of warriors. Perun, as the God of thunder and lightning, meant inhuman strength and power.
In honor of Perun, eternal fires were lit on temples. Eternal bonfires, which never went out, were made of oak logs - a tree that directly refers to Perun. oak groves and the forests also belonged to this God and were carefully guarded as sacred. When there was no rain for a long time, in such groves they called on Perun to send his fat herds (clouds) to people, which would give the earth water to drink, and with their arrows (lightning) they would defeat the enemy and evil spirits.
It is worth knowing that after Christianization, many Gods, consciously or unconsciously, by Christians or Slavs who did not want to forget their Gods, were transferred to the images of Christian saints. This fate did not spare Perun either. In a sense, people renamed their God and the image of Perun was transferred to Elijah the Prophet, who is also called Ilya Gromovnik.
Iris is considered the flower of Perun. The South Slavic peoples, Bulgarians and Serbs call this flower - Perunika or Bogisha. In the form of a six-petalled Iris, judging by the excavations, the sanctuaries of Perun were also made.
Perun's day is Thursday. There is also a saying “After the rain on Thursday”, which refers us to ancient beliefs.
Veles(Volos), Veles Svarozhich, Veles Korovich - is one of the most famous and most mysterious Deities of the pagan pantheon of the ancient Slavs. The son of Rod and the heavenly cow Zemun, the brother of Svarog and Khors, the husband of the Goddess Makoshi. He is credited with the role of being responsible for people and the animal world as a whole. Some call him the cattle God, the patron of cattle, the animal nature of man, others argue that Veles is the God of poets and wealth, is the grandfather of the famous poet Boyan, his task is to meet souls after death and escort them to the world of the dead.
Since the cult of Veles was one of the main ones in ancient Russia, it is natural that he had his own temples and sanctuaries.
After the adoption of Christianity, the church needed to somehow quickly and painlessly assimilate pagan Rus with their saints. Suddenly, unexpectedly, many Christian saints began to acquire the features of purely Slavic pagan Gods, and the ancient Gods themselves began to be called evil spirits, demons and demons. So it happened with Veles. Veles was replaced by St. Blaise, who was also the patron saint of livestock. Some features of Veles were transferred to St. George. Veles was recognized as an evil ear, hence: Hairy, Hairy - hell. It is also worth saying that Nicholas the Wonderworker took over some of the features of Veles, who began to patronize wealth, trade, the underwater and underworld.
Holidays of God Veles: January 1-6 - Veles days, February 10, April 10 - Zimun Cow Day
Dazhdbog(Dazhbog, Svarozhich) - God of the Sun and God Giver among the Slavs. He is the son of God Svarog, that is, one of Svarozhich. His brothers are Perun, Stribog, Simargl, Troyan and others. Children of Dazhdbog - Ovsen, Kolyada, Maya Zlatogorka. Zhiva is considered the wife of this God, in addition, before Zhiva, Morana was considered his wife, parting with which at the same time symbolizes the end of winter. Dazhdbog, according to the ideas of the Slavs, opens the summer and closes the winter. Many, by the consonance of the name, believe that Dazhdbog somehow refers to the rain, but this is absolutely not the case. The first part of the name of God Dazhd or Dazh comes not from the word "rain", but from the words "give", "give". It is God who gives Sun God, Sunlight and, accordingly, the God of fertility.
In the Slavic holiday calendar, there are several dates that are dedicated to God the Giver. The main ones are considered to be March 18 - Dazhdbog Day and May 6 - Dazhdbog Day.
After the Christianization of Russia, the image of Dazhdbog in some of its features was transferred to Nicholas the Wonderworker (Nikolai Ugodnik). Both Nikolay and Dazhdbog are the bearers of gifts, patrons and helpers of those who suffer and pray for help.
Yarilo(Yarila, Yarovit) - pagan god of spring fertility. The very name "Yarilo", which has 
the root “yar” indicates the involvement of this God in fertility (spring, spring bread, spring bees, yarovik (young bull), yarovushka (young sheep)). Yarilo spreads spring light, excites strength in plants, and carnal love in animals. The name "Yarilo" means - white, that is, white light that penetrates the world with the advent of spring and charges everything with life.
Yarilo is not only the God of fertility, spring and resurgent life, but also one of the faces of the Sun. Yarilo is spring sun. It is he who is greeted with the advent of Maslenitsa and seen off with the advent of the summer holiday of Kupala.
He was credited with the role of a deity who arouses love in people and is responsible for birth, the beginning of life. The new religion recognized Yarila and the holidays associated with it as outrageousness, bacchanalia and debauchery, which is fundamentally wrong, because behind all this there are only external images designed to create a special ritual game. The pagan Slavs themselves were a highly moral and cultured people who always honored moral and spiritual purity.
After the Christianization of Russia, some of the functions and image of Yarila were taken over by St. George, who is also called St. Yegoriy and St. Yuri. It was St. Yuri, in consonance with "Yur" and "Yar", who became the new Yarila in the understanding of the era of dual faith.
Symbol Yarila is a shield (shield is an ancient symbol of the sun).
Yarila Day falls on March 21-22 or the Spring Equinox. On this day, when they say goodbye to winter and burn the effigy of Marena, they greet Yarila. Then, on Kupala, they burn the effigy of Yarila and greet Kupala. Games in honor of Yarila in March were called Yaril, Yarilki, Yarilin games, Yarilin festivities.
Yarilo Veshny April 23 is celebrated. On this day, Yarilo unlocks or fertilizes the Earth.
Makosh(Makosh, Mokosha, Mokusha) - Slavic goddess. It occupies one of the most important and significant 
places in the pagan pantheon of the Slavs. It is worth saying that the idol of Makosh was among others on the Kiev temple, which was erected and then destroyed by Prince Vladimir. The fact that Makosh was awarded such an honor as an idol on the main princely temple speaks of her extraordinary significance in the beliefs and ideas of our ancestors. Among other idols, Makosh was the only female deity.
Makosh is the goddess of the earth and rain, harvest, spinning, weaving, the patroness of crafts, the patroness of women, the goddess of fate. The very name "Mokosh" or "Makosh" is associated with several versions of origin. One of the versions put forward by M. Vasmer, Mokosh comes from the word “wet”, and in ancient times this goddess was directly associated with rain and harvest. Other researchers have suggested that Mokosh comes from the word mokos, which can be translated as "spinning". There are still beliefs that it is impossible to spin and do needlework on Friday, since this day is dedicated to Mokosh and the goddess can punish for such an offense. The name Makosh comes from the phrase "ma" - mother and "kosh" - lot. Such a phrase can be translated as - Mother of fate. In ancient times, "kosh" also meant a basket for grain, a barn, a corral for cattle, a cart for sheaves, and from this we can conclude that Makosh is the mother of the harvest. None of the names of the goddess is erroneous, that is, you can call her both Makosh and Mokosh.
Like a spinner who spins divine threads, Makosh is also goddess of fate. According to the beliefs of the pagan Slavs, it is she who is engaged in spinning the threads of life (pokuta, pokutnye threads). The assistants of this goddess are Share and Nedolya (Srecha and Nesrecha).
It is worth noting the irrefutable fact that after Christianization, the image of Mokosh was transferred to a Christian saint Paraskeva Friday or ParaskevaPnyanikh. Mokosh's day has always been considered Friday, which is why Paraskeva is also called Friday; Pnyanikha or Lyanikha - spinning flax, also refers to the image of Mokosh. Paraskeva, translated from Greek, means “Friday”.
Since Makosh is associated with the moon, the moonstone, rock crystal, is considered the stone-amulet of this goddess. Mokosh's metal is silver. The animal is a cat.
Makosh, together with women in labor Lada and Lelei, are the main patron goddesses of the Babi porridge holiday, which is traditionally celebrated on January 8th.
Goddess Lada is one of the most important goddesses in pagan pantheon. She is the daughter of Rod (sometimes considered the female form of Rod) and Duck. The duck is the mother of all mythological birds, and Lada is often depicted as a white Swan. She is also the mother of Zhiva, Lelya, Lelya and Morana. Therefore, she is the eldest Women in labor who were the mothers of the gods. In Slavic mythology, she is called the goddess of love, spring and beauty, the patroness of marriage. From her name went such words as: fret (family fret), okay, okay, get along. In the old days, loved ones called each other Lado and Ladushka. In addition, frets - an engagement, got along - a matchmaker, Ladkanya - a wedding song. All this is understood as a harmonious arrangement of the world and human life. Among other things, Lada meets the souls of the dead and accompanies them.
The sacred animal of this Slavic light goddess of childbirth is the white Swan. He is her embodiment and her symbol of purity and fidelity. Also, its symbol from the world of flora is Birch. In winter, Lada is depicted as a blonde in a light dress, and starting from spring, a golden-haired girl with a wreath of flowers on her head.
Flowers were the main sacrifice to Lada. Thus, we can assume that the tradition of giving flowers to beloved girls came from here.
The holiday dedicated to this goddess is called Ladodenie and is celebrated by pagan Slavs on March 30.
Alive, Zhivana is the great Slavic goddess of childbirth. She is the daughter of Lada and the sister of Lelya, Lelya and Morana. Zhiva's husband is Dazhd-God. The son is Peklenets, the owner of the underground hell. Alive is the personification of spring, love, youth, beauty, prosperity of nature. The cuckoo is considered to be the embodiment of Alive. According to legend, in the spring, the cuckoo flies to earth from Iriy (pagan paradise) and counts the hours of birth, life and death. The pagan sorcerers guessed by the cuckoo's call not only how long they had left to live, but also many other important things.
Zhivana is considered a life-giving goddess. She resurrects dead nature in the spring and returns joy to people. Makes living alive. Many of the Slavic words originated precisely from the name of the goddess Zhiva - life, housing, life, animal, stomach, healing, etc. She is depicted as a young girl with fruits in her hands. It is worth mentioning that the opposition to Zhiva was her sister Mara or Morana, who was the goddess of winter and death.
Zhiva's holiday is considered May 1 - Zhivin Day. Also on March 25, the Spring Festival is celebrated - according to legend, the gates of Svarga open on this day and Zhiva descends to the ground, bringing spring with it.
Morana (Madder, Morena, Mara, Morzhana, Bony, Dark Mother of God, Black Mother) – goddess of winter, death,
the queen of the night, the mighty and formidable deity of the Slavs. Mara is the daughter of the goddess Lada and Svarog (Marena Svarogovna), the sister of Zhiva, Lelya and Lelya. Her husband is Koschey, and her children are Bogumir, Zhelya and Karina. Judging by other legends, fairy tales, epics, Dazhdbog was also Mary's husband. Morana is the very embodiment of impure forces. She is in charge of Navi and hell. According to legends, he wanders in the snow and sometimes visits reality to do dirty deeds. In addition, every morning she lies in wait for the sun to destroy him, but every time she retreats before his power. Every spring, he fights with the forces of light (Yarilo, Zhiva), in order to prolong winter on earth as long as possible. But, in the end, she, being defeated, is burned on a symbolic fire, which we can now see at Shrove Tuesday. The name Morana gave rise to such words as: pestilence, haze, darkness, haze, fool, death, etc. Probably in ancient times this goddess was called the double name Mara-Marena;
The symbols of the goddess Morana are the Black Moon, broken skulls, sickle, black swan, vulture, raven. With the help of a sickle, she cuts the threads of life, as a result of which a person dies. Her sacred things are goat, juniper, aspen, spruce and pine. Her possessions are located beyond the Currant River and in order to reach them you need to cross the Kalinov Bridge, which connects Yav and Nav.
Mary is Dead Water, that is, the opposite of life-giving light or Solar Yari. However, without Mary, as well as without Chernobog, life on earth would be impossible, and she is also involved in maintaining balance. Taking souls from Reveal, Mara does a great job and gives the soul a new existence. Morzhana is the goddess of death and disease in the world of JAV and the goddess of eternal youth in the world of NAVI.
The Slavic goddess of death Morana is depicted in different ways. This may be a girl with black hair that is scattered over her shoulders, in a velvet dress embroidered with jewels. Sometimes she is depicted as a gray-haired old woman, who is dressed in black beggarly robes. Such different images are associated with the change of seasons. In late autumn or early winter, when the dark goddess comes into the world and calls winter with her, she is still young and full of strength, but at Shrove Tuesday (komoeditsy) she is already old and helpless, and gives way to the young Yarila, who brings spring into the world . In her hands, a sickle or a scythe is often depicted. Marena Day is traditionally celebrated on March 1st.
Judging by reliable sources, many historians and researchers believe that the temple of Morana was located on the site of the modern location of the Ostankino tower.
Semargl(Simargl, Simargl, Semargl) - pagan deity ,
Firebog, Messenger of the Gods, guardian of crops. Many scientists agree that Semargl looks like a winged dog. She was depicted with a fiery breath - a flame that escapes from her mouth. As a fiery god, Semargl refers to the Svarozhichs. In this sense, he is often compared to the Hindu Agni, the god of fire. Also, the Slavic Semargl is compared with the Iranian Simurgh (fabulous bird), which is a messenger between the heavenly and earthly worlds, between people and Gods.
Semargl here can act as a guardian of seeds, sprouts and shoots, that is, a guardian of plants, also a guardian of domesticated plants, fruit trees, field crops, vegetables, fruits, berries, mushrooms, and so on.
Researcher Boris Rybakov, among other things, points out that over time the name Simargl changed and he began to be called Twisted. This deity was revered and glorified during the holidays of Rusalia that have survived to this day, which are celebrated in June just before Kupala. In ancient times, mermaids were understood not as water maidens, but as spirits, cloud maidens, half-maidens, half-birds, who protect crops, patronize fertility, and also help people. In pagan times, the same mermaids were called Beregini, that is, guardians. In this regard, Pereplut-Simargl turns out to be closely connected with the shoreline mermaids. Subsequently, this led to a slight misconception, as a result of which some researchers began to mistake Pereplut for a merman, since he is associated with mermaids, who began to be mistaken for water maidens.
God Lizard(Yusha, Yasha, Yesha, Yazhe, Yaze, Yusha-serpent,) - one of the gods of the ancient pagan Slavs, who manages the underworld and underwater world. The very appearance of the god Lizard was presented to the Slavs in different ways - a huge snake, a dragon, a lizard with two heads, a crocodile. It is he who, in the form of dragons and snakes, is depicted on many household items, architectural elements, clothing items, and amulets.
The lizard symbolizes lower world, underground, according to the Slavic tradition, which is the world of ancestors. The lizard also entered folklore in the form of a dragon with several heads.
Not only fairy tales or myths, but also some ancient sources claim that a certain crocodile or corcodile lived in the waters of the river and lake, to which they made sacrifices. Even after the baptism of Russia, at each departure of a ship, boat or other sailing vessel, sailors always threw a few coins to the sea king Lizard, hoping for his favor for their journey. A large number of myths and legends are associated with beliefs in dragons or giant snakes. Moreover, these beliefs exist not only in Slavic paganism, but also in the beliefs of many other peoples. For example, one of the most ancient mythological snakes is considered Ouroboros, which swallows its own tail, and which existed in almost all cultures of the world - Egypt, Greece, India, China, Scandinavia, the Aztecs and so on. The lizard, also known as the Dragon, in many cultures has the special ability to spew fire from its mouth. The complexity of this character of the Slavic pantheon is truly grandiose. Perhaps it will be possible to understand it only in the future. For example, why was the prototype of the Lizard called the Serpent Gorynych? From the fact that the Serpent lived in the mountain (mountains)? Or from the fact that the Serpent with his ability caused burning (flame)? Why do some myths and fairy tales show the Serpent flying across the sky, like black clouds, and not at all under water, where, according to tradition, the Lizard's habitat was represented? Perhaps in this way information about the diversity of this God came to us, who could live both under water and rise into the sky, who could be the owner of the underworld, like Hades, and who could calmly rise to the surface.
Lizards and snakes are the guardians of underground riches. There were rituals and special magical actions, during which, on a certain day, with certain magic spells, people went into the forest to look for snakes or lizards that could indicate to them the location of the treasure. Remember the lizard in Bazhov's fairy tale "The Mistress of the Copper Mountain", which actually turned out to be the real ruler of the mountain, which is the same as the mistress of the underworld.
Santa Claus found in the most ancient Slavic tales, as the omnipotent God of Winter, Frost. In the same works, he is given the name Morozko. During the struggle of Christianity with paganism, the Slavic Gods, Deities, Light Beings, etc. demonized, presented as demons and devils. Figure Morozko this fight is no exception. Over time, even ordinary people stopped remembering who he really was. Now, in the understanding of people, the God of Frost is an evil Deity that hates every person and is ready to freeze him to death. Christians began to assure people that Morozko was stealing children and collecting human sacrifices. But, if until the 19th-20th centuries people still remembered Morozko, then later, when they began to look with envy to the West and actively adopt its traditions, God Frost finally disappeared in the memory of people.
Santa Claus- this is not a mythical, not an epic character, not a God and not a Spirit. Santa Claus is a prototype of a real person. He was the Christian Saint Nicholas of Myra (Santa - Saint, Claus - Nicholas). Nicholas was born in Patara in Turkey, received a church education and did good deeds. According to the legends, he tossed gold coins through pipes into the houses of poor girls. Most likely, he really was a good person and helped others, but this saint from sunny Turkey (!), where it is always summer, has nothing to do with our God, especially the God of Winter and cold.
However, the statement that only children believe in Santa Claus is absurd. Santa Claus, Morozko is one of the Slavic Gods, and not to believe in him means not to believe in Rod, Veles, Svarog, Perun, Makosh and many other Light Gods. Like other Gods, Morozko is not a fairy-tale character that was invented for the joy of children, but a real Deity for anyone who honors the Faith of the Ancestors. In ancient Russia, the God of Winter and Frost was also known under other names: Zimnik, Studenets, Grandfather Treskun and Korochun (Karachun). Korochun is an ancient god who commands frost.
Alas! This is a brief and incomplete account of the Slavic gods. But do you always have to start somewhere?
When we say Lada, in our thoughts we have an unfortunate Zhiguli.
Although Lada is the Goddess of love, beauty, family happiness, the patroness of marriage. And also the keeper of the hearth, the wife of Svarog, the mother of Lelya and Dadzhbog ... She belongs to the pantheon of bright gods of Slavic paganism. Our ancestors worshiped them: Drevlyans, Russ, Dregovichi, Polans…
Beregini Rozhanitsy are words that require no explanation. This goddess is the keeper of the hearth, warmth, nurse, mother, patroness of newlyweds and children, the joy of the elderly.
In October, at the end of all agricultural work, the Slavs played weddings. A person has three important milestones on the path of life: birth, marriage and death. If the first and the last do not depend on us, then the wedding is a special ritual that links together two destinies, two lives - two kinds.
Wedding, light, holiness, Svarga - the concept of life, truth, connection. At the wedding they played the harp, pipes, horns, tambourines, drums and other musical instruments. There were songs that immersed listeners in the old days. Relatives, embracing their shoulders, sang their ancestral songs, glorified the young. Someone jokingly measured their strength with new relatives, someone ruled in fun undertakings. Then buffoons got down to business - and then hold on! - everyone will get from their antics.
Goodness and peace reigned in the ancient Slavic families. Russians revered their ancestors, gods, kept the traditions of ancient times.
The mother-in-law had assistants: brownies, courtyards, barns, banniki. Her symbol is a duck.
Veles, hair, voloh, sorcerer, sorcerer, hairy, elk, ox, forest, fox, goblin, oleshka, deer - all these words are associated with the forest. Veles's children - this is how the Rus call themselves in the Tale of Igor's Campaign.
The Christians called Veles a "cattle god", but can the totem animals of Veles be called cattle - a bear, a wolf, a sacred cow? No, peoples living in a natural tribal system considered animals equal to people. For example, in Russia, bears are very fond of and consider them brothers. And the bear is Veles. Veles has many images, including in the form of animals.
Rusichi learned a lot from animals, imitated them with their voice, movements, methods of attack and defense.
Veles is an inexhaustible source of knowledge, each animal in his forest is unique. But people have moved away from nature - hence all the troubles of modern civilization. It is time to realize that only a return to naturalness, to healthy natural principles can save the soul and body from final destruction.
We live in a disfigured world, divided into religions, parties, estates, people are valued not by intelligence and strength, but by money, so humanity is fading, and not developing spiritually. For spirituality is in our roots, and nowhere else. Spirituality is knowledge (of the Vedas). Know Ra (faith), know Rod.
Veles is the keeper of gray antiquity and silent bones of ancestors. The last night of October is the day of commemoration of grandfathers (in the West - Halloween). On this day, the Russians saw off with bonfires and the music of bagpipes and pipes the spirits of nature and relatives who died during the year under the snow.
Dazhdbog, give, rain - words of the same root, meaning "share, distribute." Dazhdbog sent people not only rain, but also the sun, which saturates the earth with light and warmth. Dazhdbog is an autumn sky with clouds, rains, thunderstorms, and sometimes hail.
September 22 is the autumn equinox, the holiday of Rod and Rozhanitsy, the day of Dazhdbog and Mokosh. The entire crop has been harvested, the last collections are being made in gardens and orchards. All residents of a village or city go out into nature, light a fire, roll a burning wheel-sun up the mountain, dance with songs, play pre-wedding and ritual games. Then tables are taken out onto the main street, the best food is placed on them, and a common family feast begins. Neighbors and relatives taste the food prepared by others, praise, all together glorify the Sun, the earth and Mother Russia.
Dazhdbozh's (solar) grandchildren - this is how the Rusichi called themselves. The symbolic signs of the sun (solar rosettes, solstice) were present everywhere among our ancestors - on clothes, dishes, in decorating houses.
Every Russian man is obliged to create a big family - a clan, feed, raise, raise children and become a Dazhdbog. This is his duty, glory, truth. Behind each of us are countless ancestors - our roots, and everyone must give life to the branches-descendants.
A man who does not have children is doomed to starvation, shame, and poverty in old age. The clan should be large, healthy - our ancestors a thousand years ago did not know vodka and smoking, and therefore gave birth to strong and healthy knights and women in labor.
Lada, harmony, love, affection - all this speaks of a tender relationship between husband and wife in a family union aimed at having children and prolonging the Slavic family. Lada is a little girl born in spring with the first streams and snowdrops. Rooks, the first birds arriving home from warm countries, are the heralds of the birth of Lada. Together with Lada, flowers and young foliage appear. Where Lada passes, birds begin to sing. The animals also welcome the young goddess, who brings them food after a long, hungry winter.
Lada's favorite birds - pigeons and swans - are compared in our minds with affection and fidelity. Therefore, the girls sing the calls to spring with the voices of birds. Every girl in Russia is Lada.
Lada is gaining strength at Kupala, at this time she is caressed by the rays of Yarila, and a small month is born in her womb - a symbol of life. On June 22, the Slavs celebrate the summer solstice, huge bonfires are lit, a burning sun wheel (meaning “bathing” of the sun) rolls into the water, there are round dances with shouts: “Burn, burn clearly so that it does not go out!” Everyone bathes, plays "brook" and other love games, runs after each other through the forest. Fornication, according to Christians, in fact, was not on the feast. Magi, old people, parents closely watched the youth and, in case of violation of the laws of morality, they expelled the guilty from the family - this was at that time the most terrible punishment, because one, without relatives, could not live in ancient times.
Love in Russia was not a joy, but served to procreate, to conceive new children. It is the appearance of children that is the meaning of pairing not only people, but also animals, birds. Only married couples went to the forests at the end of the holiday, under the shade of warm fogs, where they basked and loved until dawn, lighting numerous fires of love throughout Russia, turning the world into a huge burning fiery fern flower, a flower of truth, happiness, naturalness and eternity.
The arrival of Lada also awakened the spirits of nature - goblin, field, water, mermaids.
Makosh, mother, kush, purse, wallet (bag, bag), piggy bank, merchant - these words are related to each other and mean an increase in goodness and wealth.
If Lada is more related to spring water, then Makosh is the goddess of the earth, Mother Earth. Women of antiquity learned to be Makosh in their family. Makosh is that woman who knows how to work in the field, in the garden, in the garden, in the forest, knows medicinal herbs, knows how to raise and properly educate children. Makosh is a goddess who reveals healer secrets to women in summer (Morena in winter).
Makosh is the goddess of life (some Slavic tribes called her Zhiva), she carries a month (a man) in her growing womb after Kupala.
Man in Russia was symbolically represented by the Tree. His parents, grandfathers and great-grandfathers are roots that go back to the depths of time, to hoary antiquity, feeding him with the vital juices of the family. The branches and the crown of the tree are future children and grandchildren, whom every Rusich is looking forward to. He stretches out his hands to the souls of the ancestors - the stars and to the main ancestor - the sun. The Slav does not ask them for favors, like Christians, but simply says - assures them of his firm intention to have a family and children.
If, before marriage, a girl studied the work of Mokosh, then, having married, she performs sacred maternal duties, giving birth and feeding children, teaching them kindness and the right attitude towards nature and relatives. Being Makosh is the sacred duty of all girls and women.
Moraine, pestilence, frost, drizzle (rain), sea, mara, haze, stained, dead, gloomy, trouble. All these words mean darkness, severe cold, death, dampness or unbearable heat. Such sensations visit the sick and dying. Morena is a goddess who struggles with spring and, leaving, takes with her the remnants of the past year (cold, snow, darkness), giving way to a new life, spring.
On March 22, the spring equinox begins, after which, as they believed in Russia, spring begins. Before the equinox, our ancestors merrily celebrated Shrove Tuesday. Again bonfires were lit, again in towns and villages, as if at Kolyada, young people gathered in groups, the most cheerful entertainers were chosen for jokes and practical jokes; made ice slides, fortresses for playing snowballs, swings and carousels; troika riding, hand-to-hand fights and wall-to-wall battles were arranged, and in the end - the capture of a snowy town and the burning of an effigy of Morena.
A competition immediately took place - who would be the most agile and be able to climb a pole and get a rooster out of there (it was revered as a symbol of the sun, dawn, spring and the goddess Lada - the successor of Morena), round rolls or boots. A burning wheel was rolled down from the mountain and bonfires were lit - a symbol of warmth and rebirth.
But Morena is not as terrible as it might seem. She is the image of our harsh snowy homeland, which tests everyone for strength and survival and takes only the weak. She loves the strict purity of snow and the transparency of ice, she is pleased with the dance of snowflakes in the deep winter sky. Morena's favorites are owls and lynxes. Russian people are fond of winter-winter, its invigorating cold, sparkling snowdrifts and sonorous ice.
Morena's symbol is the moon. Her face looks sternly at the earth, awakening in the wolves the desire to howl, thickening the fogs in the air and giving rise to the movement of waters in lakes and seas.
Perun, rune (in Russia, these ancient letters were known as “features and cuts” mentioned in many written sources). Speech, stream, prophet, roar, roar, grey. Perun is the great god of the Russians, the god of war and thunder. His weapons are blazing swords, axe-axes, a huge roaring hammer, a mace-mace and a spear that cuts without a miss. Animals and birds of Perun - tours, wolves, crows, falcons. We love and honor Perun among the people. His roaring thunderous voice is mesmerizing. The unearthly brilliance of his weapon, lightning, is shocking and awe-inspiring. The swift flight of blue-lead clouds - his warriors - delights.
Perun was especially revered in times of war and danger. In a bloody battle or during fighting games, everyone tried to ignite the fiery spirit of this formidable ancestor-god.
Although Perun was related to the cold (he was born in the first month of winter), the Days of Perun - his time - began on June 20 and ended in early August. At this time, the Russians celebrated funeral feasts for the soldiers who fell in battles - they gathered on mounds and red mountains, arranged feasts, military fun, measured their strength in running, throwing weapons, swimming, horse racing. They killed a bull bought on a bargain, roasted and ate it, drank honey and kvass. They conducted initiations of young guys who had to pass serious tests into warriors and gird themselves with weapons of the Family.
Our ancestors always had many external enemies, there were constant wars. The shield and sword were revered as a symbol of Perun, his gift to a man. Weapons were worshiped and idolized.
But not only men went into mortal combat. Often, among the dead Russians on the battlefield, the enemies were surprised to find women fighting with their husbands shoulder to shoulder. They were also patronized by the golden-whiskered Perun ...
Svarog, bungled, cook, light, holiness, reduce, color. These words are united by the idea of the creation of life (horn, rock, birth, speech, name). Svarog is the greatest of the Russian gods. This is the progenitor, the ancestor, who gave life to the course, gave people knowledge and speech. He created the entire cosmos - the universe of Svarga. Svarog - in everything. Everything in the world is Svarog, part of it. Among the Balts, he bears the name Sotvaras, among the Iranians - Tvashtar, among the Romans - Saturn, among the Germans - Wodan, among the Etruscans - Satr, and so on - they all have consonant names and similar features. In the myths of the white peoples, God forges with a hammer - creates the world, carving lightning and sparks, for everyone he has one or another relation to the sun.
Svarog is wise, he sits surrounded by our deceased ancestors, smart birds and animals. Like an acorn that gave birth to a huge oak tree, this god gave rise to the Tree of Life. From Svarog-grandfather, gods and people, animals and birds - all living things originate. Svarog resides in every object, in every person, it is obvious, it can be seen, touched, heard.
Svarog - in Navi, in the past, but they remember him (about antiquity). Svarog and in the right, in the future, which we know and for which we live. He is in us, we are part of him, like our descendants.
Svarog is an old sun riding in a chariot, cold and dark.
Chernobog rules in the last days of the year, when the longest night and severe cold. Russians bathe in the hole, joining the winter. Nature is silent in an old man's way, dressing in white snowy clothes. People in houses insulate windows, burn torches and eat what they have grown in the summer, sing songs, tell fairy tales, sew clothes, mend shoes, make toys, heat stoves. And they are waiting for the birth of Khors, preparing outfits for caroling.
Semargl, stench, flicker, Cerberus, Smargle's dog, death - these concepts in their essence mean an otherworldly deity - a fiery wolf or a dog. Among the ancient Slavs, this is a fiery wolf with falcon wings, a very common image. The Russians saw Semargl as a winged wolf or a wolf with wings and the head of a falcon, and sometimes his paws were like those of a falcon. If we recall mythology, we will see that not only the horse was dedicated to the sun, but also the wolf and the falcon. It is worth looking at the chronicle letters, frames, ancient embroideries and decorations of houses, household utensils, armor, and we will see that the wolf-falcon Semargl is found on them very often. For the Russians, Semargl was as important as the dragon for the Chinese, and the unicorn for the Celts.
The wolf and the falcon are swift, fearless (they attack a superior enemy), devoted (the wolf, even when hungry, will not devour its relative like a dog). Warriors often identified themselves with wolves (a warrior is a howling wolf).
Do not forget that the wolf and the falcon clear the forest of weak animals, healing nature and making natural selection. Images of a gray wolf and a falcon are often found in fairy tales, epics, songs, ancient written monuments, such as "The Tale of Igor's Campaign".
Semargl lives in every Slav, who fights against diseases and evil in the human body. Drinking, smoking, lazy, degrading person kills his Semargl, gets sick and dies
Stribog- swift, swift, fast, nimble, aspiration, jet, and even, if you like, a string. All these concepts mean flow, speed, distribution, spreading. If we combine all this into one, we have before us the image of the wind and everything connected with it. This is that warm breath of summer, then a violent gust with rain and thunderstorms, then a hurricane, a tornado, then the cold breath of the north, snowfalls and cold.
Russia is the land of the north, and the icy midnight wind lives in it. Cold and hungry February is just its time, it is in this month that the howl of hungry wolves is especially long and frightening, which Stribog drives with his icy breath to hunt. Only crows bathe in the currents of the north wind. And at night, the quick shadows of predatory lynxes glide through the blizzard, sparkling with yellow eyes and uttering a chilling meow.
In April, Stribog will fly in from the east with a young, warm daytime breeze. At night, he will breathe cold dampness.
In summer, Stribog will blow from noon (south), burning with heat during the day, and caressing with warmth at night. And in autumn, having flown from sunset (west), as in spring, it will warm during the day and cool at night.
In autumn and spring, Stribog disperses the clouds, revealing a warm, bright sun. In the summer it brings rain during the drought so that the crops do not perish, in the winter it rotates the wings of the mills, grinding the grain into flour, from which bread is then kneaded.
The Rus considered themselves Stribog's grandchildren. Stribog is our breath, it is the air in which words sound, smells spread and light is scattered, allowing us to see the surroundings. Stribog is vital to all living things. He is the lord of birds and is often depicted as a blowing head or as a rider.
Horse, khorost, brushwood, cross, cross, armchair, spark, round dance, horo, colo, wheel, brace, stake, carols, circle, blood, red - all these words are related to each other and denote concepts associated with fire, circle, red color. If we merge them into one, we will see the image of the sun, described allegorically.
The Slavs celebrated the beginning of the new year on December 22 - the day of the winter solstice. It was believed that on this day a small bright sun is born in the form of a boy - Khors. The new sun completed the course of the old sun (old year) and opened the course of the next year. While the sun is still weak, the earth is dominated by night and cold inherited from the old year, but every day the Great Horse (as mentioned in the "Tale of Igor's Campaign") is growing, and the sun is getting stronger.
Our ancestors met the solstice with carols, wore Kolovrat (an eight-pointed star) on a pole - the sun, put on the guise of totem animals that were associated in the minds of people with the images of the ancient gods: the bear - Veles, the cow - Makosh, the goat - the cheerful and at the same time evil hypostasis of Veles , the horse is the sun, the swan is Lada, the duck is Rozhanitsa (the progenitor of the world), the rooster is a symbol of time, sunrise and sunset, and so on.
On the mountain they burned a wheel tied with straw, as if helping the sun to shine, then sledding, skating, skiing, snowball fights, fists and wall-to-wall fights, songs, dances, competitions, games began. People went to visit each other, everyone tried to better treat those who came, so that in the new year there would be abundance in the house.
Severe northern Russia loved valiant fun. Forced to live and work in difficult conditions, our ancestors until the 20th century were known as cheerful and hospitable people who knew how to relax.
Horse is a male deity, embodying the desire of boys and adult husbands for knowledge, spiritual growth, self-improvement, to overcome the difficulties encountered in life and find the right solutions.
Yarilo, fury, spring, Yar (among the northerners in ancient times it meant "village", since they used to live in huts with a hearth), brightness. These words are united by the concept of increasing brightness, light. Indeed, after the arrival of spring, there is a rapid addition of the day and an increase in heat. Everything comes to life, grows, reaches for the sun. Nature is resurrected in the form of the beautiful Lada. Yarilo, melting the snow, lives mother - the earth with melt water.
Yarilo - the sun in the form of a young, full of strength groom rides a horse to his Lada. In a hurry to start a family and give birth to children (harvest, cubs of animals, birds, fish, etc.).
By the summer solstice, Yarilo is gaining full strength. He lives in truth and love with the earth, giving birth to new lives in the summer. By June 22, Yarilo turns into Belbog, the day is the longest, nature is kind to him and loves him. The state of Yarila is the state of all young guys.
In the fourth month of the year (now April), the Russians began the most important agricultural work for the entire Slavic family: plowing, grazing, then hunting, fishing, beekeeping, gardening, and gardening. Such was the life of the peasants (by the way, the word “peasant” came from “cross, kresalo, Khors”, and “fireman” - from “fire”, which is bred in a furnace).
Readers may have an erroneous opinion that some gods served among the Slavs as the embodiment of evil, others - good. No, Russians, children of nature, accepted her in all manifestations, knew how to be useful to her and gratefully take from her what they need. The gods, like people, combined both principles - both positive and negative. For example, Yarilo gives warmth and light, but if they are used unwisely, there will be a sunstroke. And Morena, although cold, helped Russia more than once, freezing the troops of Hitler and Napoleon.
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