More than two thousand years ago, scientists of ancient Greece and Rome knew that in the east, between the Baltic Sea and the Carpathian Mountains, numerous peoples with their own religion lived. Our ancestors lived side by side with Indo-Iranian tribes, Cimmerians, Sarmatians, Scythians, Vikings, Taurians and many other peoples. Such proximity could not but affect the religion of the Slavs, and this is how the pantheon of Slavic gods arose. The list is quite impressive; pantheon implies diversity, totality, multitude. The pagan religion did not arise spontaneously; the proximity to various peoples had a great influence on it.
Primordial gods of Slavic mythology (list)
The genus is the creator of the whole world, the progenitor of the gods and the beginning of life for everything. Beregini-Rozhanitsy - his assistants, patroness of children and the elderly, newlyweds. Guardians of the home. Bereginya-Rozhanitsa, in turn, also had assistants - a brownie, a bannik, and a barn. The symbol of the goddess is the duck.
The Slavs also believe that Rod sends souls to earth when a child is born. Rod's second name is Stribog, representing Saturday, which today is called parent's day.
Belobog
A good god with many names, he was also called Svetich, Svyatovit. Belobog gave fertility to the lands and souls of people. He was presented as a white horseman, dispelling darkness, accepting the laws of good and light.
The symbols of Belobog are a horn, a sword and a bow. The day of the autumn solstice is considered the holiday of God; on this day, sweet pies were presented to him as a gift.
Veles
Veles is considered the guardian of antiquity, the patron saint of animals. Most often, God is represented in the form of a bear. Veles was especially revered, like all the ancient Slavic gods. The list of his knowledge is inexhaustible; he has the wisdom of his ancestors and animals. The day is his holiday. On the last night of October, our ancestors saw off their deceased relatives.
Pulp
What female Slavic gods existed? The list of names is headed by the goddess Myakosh, wife of Veles, goddess of the earth. Patronizes fertility, this and witchcraft. She is also considered a conductor between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The goddess helps housewives, imparts the ability to raise and raise children, work in the garden, field, and house, reveals healer secrets, and teaches them to understand herbs.
October 28 is considered a holiday (according to the Christian calendar, Paraskeva Friday), on this day Myakosh protects housewives and wives. One of the symbols of the goddess is a headdress with horns; her tree is aspen.
Krodo
The second name of God is Krat, the ancestor of Svarog, the lord of sacrificial fire. Patronizes sacred and sacrificial places. Crodo was represented in the image of Frost, cold and darkness follow him, they believed that God brings death with him.
Svarog
What are they, the male gods of Slavic mythology? The list is headed by Svarog, perhaps the most famous of all pagan gods. He is considered an ancestor, a progenitor. This is who gave people speech, knowledge.
This wise god is depicted sitting in a chariot, surrounded by ancestors, intelligent animals and birds. Svarog is everywhere around, you can hear, see, and touch it.
Dazhdbog
The first son of Svarog is Dazhdbog. Gives warmth and light, vitality. Patron of light and warmth. Commands the rains, gives life-giving moisture and fertility. Sunday is considered Dazhdbog's day, its stone is yakhont, and its metal is gold. The Russians considered themselves descendants of Dazhdbog, and in every house there was certainly a sign of the deity - the Solstice.
There were also kind and patient Slavic gods. The list is crowned by the goddess Lada, the patroness of love and family well-being; she protects the hearth. The symbol of the goddess is the swan and the dove; we associate these birds with fidelity, tenderness, and affection. The time of the goddess Lada is spring, the time of awakening of the spirits of nature, mermaids, mermans, and goblins.
Moraine
Morena comes from the words “haze”, “mara”, “haze”. Goddess of cold, winter, snow. Brings bitter cold, darkness, death. But this goddess is not so scary; she personifies the harsh Russian winter, which, as it were, tests people's strength. Morena's symbols are the Moon, the lynx and the owl.
Our ancestors were very sensitive to faith; Slavic gods and their meaning were inseparable from everyday life. The list of gods is very diverse, it is difficult to divide them by seniority. Each was important, they lived side by side with each, because the gods were, as it were, symbols of nature, the elements and were inseparable from the lives of people.
Yarilo
God of youth and fertile land, lord of the sun. Some consider him one of the faces in his spring form. Its month is March, day of the week is Tuesday. Symbol - iron, stones - garnet, ruby, amber.
Perun
Perun is the god of war and thunder, lord of the elements. Thunder was perceived as the voice of Perun, lightning - his arrows. They imagined God racing across the sky in a fiery chariot, with a mace in his hands. Our ancestors believed that Perun protects the visible world from the invisible world, the navy.
Perun's day is Thursday. His holiday was celebrated on August 2 (according to the Orthodox calendar - the day of Elijah the prophet). Of the metals, God prefers tin, his stones are sapphire and lapis lazuli.
Here, perhaps, all the main Slavic minor ones are even greater. Although it is difficult to call them secondary. Rus' is a northern land with a harsh climate, cold winds and severe frosts. And the gods of the Slavs personified the forces of nature.
Slavic pagan gods: list
Khors, Khoros - the lord of the solar disk, maintains world order. Depicted in the form of the sun. Its day is considered to be the winter solstice - December 22. According to the Slavs, on this day the old sun completed its course and gave way to the new sun, as if opening the beginning of a new year. Sunday is considered its day, and its metal is gold.
Viy
There were also dark Slavic gods. The list, perhaps, can be enumerated for a long time; the struggle between good and evil has always occurred. The personification of dark forces is Viy, the god of the underworld, the ruler of sinners. According to legend, Viy had a deadly gaze; not a single person could withstand it. They imagined him in the form of an old man with huge heavy eyelids that he could not lift on his own. The legend of Viya was preserved in Gogol’s story, and later a film was made based on it.
Kolyada
Kolyada, the son of Dazhdbog, embodies the New Year's cycle, he is a festive god. Symbolizes the departure of the old and the arrival of the new year. The celebration of Kolyada began on December 20, and with that began the festive ritual dedicated to God - Kolyadki.
Midday
There were also humorous, playful Slavic gods; the list is headed by Poludnitsa, the goddess of Slavic myths. She appeared in the form of a playful spirit. They believed that she was fooling travelers, putting them in a dark place. It was also Poludnitsa’s responsibility to ensure that no one worked at noon. She severely punished those who violated the ban, and could tickle them to death.
So, we can conclude that the gods were not good or bad. They were the personification of nature and the surrounding world, in all its manifestations. Each god had two hypostases. So, for example, Yarilo gives warmth, warms the earth, but on occasion it can also punish (sunstroke). The moraine, although it brings cold and severe cold, has helped Rus' more than once; for example, the cold stopped Napoleon’s troops in 1812, and during the Great Patriotic War it significantly complicated the movements of Hitler’s troops. You can also recall the Russian folk tale, where Frost generously gifted a good girl and punished a bad one. Not all Slavic gods are listed here; it is quite difficult to compile a list. Each phenomenon, each aspect of life had its own deity, who was responsible not only for its space, but also for life as a whole.
Christianity has never been the original religion of the Russian people. At the end of the 10th century, Vladimir the Red Sun tried to unite the disparate tribes of the ancient Slavs with the help of one common religion, forcibly implanting a new faith and destroying ancient temples. However, our ancestors did not disappear from the consciousness of the Russian people without a trace. Some have been preserved in myths and legends in the form of fairy-tale creatures, others have found new incarnation among many Christian saints.
Divine hierarchy
Russian pagan gods are a clear example of a polytheistic belief, where each deity was assigned its own sphere of activity. Neighboring tribes and peoples had a great influence on the paganism of the Slavs: Celtic, Scandinavian and Germanic. The gods of the Slavic pantheon were divided into solar and functional gods, depending on the role they played in the life of the tribe. Thus, the most popular among the Viking Varangians was Perun, the lord of thunder and lightning and the god of martial arts. At the same time, the Eastern Slavic farmers revered the god of sorcery and cattle breeding, Veles, above all deities. However, despite territorial preferences in beliefs, the supreme deity of the Slavs was always considered Rod, the creator of the world and the progenitor of all gods, and his four “solar” hypostases.
Solar gods
The sun has always been the central object of worship of Slavic tribes, and the celebration of the change of seasons and solar phases is an integral part of pagan rituals. And if Rod as the supreme deity was identified with the luminary, then the Slavic gods Khors, Yarilo, Dazhdbog and Svarog were his “solar” hypostases.
They were considered the patrons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively, and were revered throughout the season. Only faint remnants of ancient solar celebrations under the guise of Maslenitsa, legends about flowering ferns on the night of Ivan Kupala and New Year's carols have reached us.
Functional gods
In addition to the solar gods, the Slavic gods Veles, Stribog and Perun were the most revered by our ancestors. Among the Slavs, Veles patronized trade, art, wealth, luck and sorcery. He was also the god of hunting, herding and agriculture. And on the last night of October, the Slavs celebrated the day of remembrance of their ancestors and gave honor to Veles as the guide and protector of the souls of the dead. In the understanding of the Slavs, the god Perun was both merciful and cruel at the same time. He brought long-awaited rains to the fields, but he could also punish with his lightning. In ancient times, animals and human sacrifices were often made to Perun. Shields, swords, axes and other weapon paraphernalia of those times were objects of the cult of Perun. He was worshiped by warriors going into battle and young men entering the age of maturity. Stribog was the god of air currents and personified the wind. The Slavs believed that it was as gentle as a summer breeze, as deadly as a hurricane, and as omnipresent as the air we breathe.
Goddesses of the Slavs
Among the female deities of the pagan Slavs, the most revered were the Mother of Cheese Earth (the personification of the very earthly firmament and everything living on it) and Rozhanitsa (daughters of the god Rod): Lada, the goddess of love, marriage, family hearth and children, and her daughter Lelya, who patronized the young unmarried girls. However, the most powerful among the Rozhanits was considered the goddess Mokosh - the spinner of human destinies, equal in strength to Perun himself. Slavic feminine gods often bore the names of seasonal and agricultural concerns (Letnitsa, Zarya, Zhiva, Seva), human destinies (Share and Nedolya) or days of the week (Wednesday and Friday). There were also dark goddesses (Mora, Smergla) and fabulous bird maidens (Magura, Sirin, Gamayun).
The ancient Slavic pantheon is very complex in its structure and numerous in composition. Most gods were identified with various forces of nature, although there were exceptions, the most striking example of which is Rod, the creator god. Due to the similarity of functions and properties of some gods, it is difficult to determine for sure which names are just variations of the names of the same god, and which belong to different gods.
The entire pantheon can be divided into two large circles: the elder gods who ruled all three worlds in the primordial stage, and the second circle - the young gods who took the reins of power in the new stage. At the same time, some elder gods are present in the new stage, while others disappear (more precisely, there are no descriptions of their activities or interference in anything, but the memory that they existed remains).
In the Slavic pantheon there was no clear hierarchy of power, which was replaced by a clan hierarchy, where sons were subordinate to their father, but brothers were equal to each other. The Slavs did not have clearly defined evil gods and good gods. Some deities gave life, others took it, but all were revered equally, since the Slavs believed that the existence of one without the other was impossible. At the same time, gods who were good in their functions could punish and cause harm, while evil ones, on the contrary, could help and save people. Thus, the gods of the ancient Slavs were very similar to people not only in appearance, but also in character, since they simultaneously carried within themselves both good and evil.
Outwardly, the gods looked like people, and most of them could turn into animals, in the form of which they usually appeared to people. The gods were distinguished from ordinary beings by their superpowers, which allowed the deities to change the world around them. Each of the gods had power over one of the parts of this world. The effects on other parts not subject to the deities were limited and temporary.
Genus
The most ancient supreme male deity among the Slavs was Rod. Already in Christian teachings against paganism in the 12th-13th centuries. they write about Rod as a god who was worshiped by all peoples.
Rod was the god of the sky, thunderstorms, and fertility. They said about him that he rides on a cloud, throws rain on the ground, and from this children are born. He was the ruler of the earth and all living things, and was a pagan creator god.
In Slavic languages, the root “rod” means kinship, birth, water (spring), profit (harvest), concepts such as people and homeland, in addition, it means the color red and lightning, especially ball lightning, called “rhodia”. This variety of cognate words undoubtedly proves the greatness of the pagan god.
Rod is a creator god, together with his sons Belbog and Chernobog he created this world. Alone, Rod created Prav, Yav and Nav in the sea of chaos, and together with his sons he created the earth.
The sun then came out from His face. The bright moon is from His chest. The frequent stars are from His eyes. The clear dawns are from His eyebrows. Dark nights - yes from His thoughts. Violent winds - from the breath...
"The Book of Kolyada"
The Slavs had no idea about Rod’s appearance, since he never appeared directly in front of people.
Temples in honor of the deity were built on hills or simply large open areas of land. His idol was phallic in shape or simply shaped like a pillar painted red. Sometimes the role of an idol was played by an ordinary tree growing on a hill, especially if it was quite ancient. In general, the Slavs believed that Rod is in everything and therefore can be worshiped anywhere. There were no sacrifices in honor of Rod. Instead, holidays and feasts are organized, which are held directly near the idol.
Belbog
Son of Rod, god of light, goodness and justice. In Slavic mythology, he is the creator of the world along with Rod and Chernobog. Outwardly, Belbog appeared as a gray-haired old man dressed like a sorcerer.
Belobog in the mythology of our ancestors never acted as an independent individual character. Just as any object in the world of reality has a shadow, so Belobog has its integral antipode - Chernobog. A similar analogy can be found in ancient Chinese philosophy (yin and yang), in the Ynglism of the Icelanders (Yuj rune) and in many other cultural and religious systems. Belobog, thus, becomes the embodiment of bright human ideals: goodness, honor and justice.
A sanctuary in honor of Belbog was built on the hills, with the idol facing east, towards the sunrise. However, Belbog was revered not only in the sanctuary of the deity, but also at feasts, always making a toast in his honor.
Veles
One of the greatest gods of the ancient world, son of Rod, brother of Svarog. His main act was that Veles set the world created by Rod and Svarog into motion. Veles - “cattle god” - master of the wild, master of Navi, powerful wizard and werewolf, interpreter of laws, teacher of the arts, patron of travelers and merchants, god of luck. True, some sources point to him as the god of death...
At the moment, among various pagan and Rodnoverie movements, a fairly popular text is Veles’s book, which became known to the general public in the 1950s of the last century thanks to the researcher and writer Yuri Mirolyubov. The Veles book is actually 35 birch tablets, dotted with symbols, which linguists (in particular, A. Kur and S. Lesnoy) call Slavic pre-Cyrillic writing. It is curious that the original text really does not resemble either the Cyrillic or Glagolitic alphabet, but the features of the Slavic runitsa are presented in it indirectly.
Despite the wide spread and mass veneration of this god, Veles was always separated from the other gods; his idols were never placed in common temples (sacred places in which images of the main gods of this territory were installed).
Dazhdbog
God of the Sun, giver of heat and light, god of fertility and life-giving force. The symbol of Dazhdbog was originally considered to be the solar disk. Its color is gold, speaking of the nobility of this god and his unshakable strength. In general, our ancestors had three main solar deities - Khors, Yarila and Dazhdbog. But Khors was the winter sun, Yarilo was the spring sun, and Dazhdbog was the summer sun. Of course, it was Dazhdbog who deserved special respect, since a lot depended on the summer position of the sun in the firmament for the ancient Slavs, a people of farmers. At the same time, Dazhdbog was never distinguished by a tough disposition, and if a drought suddenly attacked, then our ancestors never blamed this god.
The temples of Dazhdbog were located on the hills. The idol was made of wood and placed facing east or southeast. Feathers from ducks, swans and geese, as well as honey, nuts and apples were brought as gifts to the deity.
Devana
Devana is the goddess of hunting, wife of the forest god Svyatobor and daughter of Perun. The Slavs represented the goddess in the form of a beautiful girl dressed in an elegant marten fur coat trimmed with squirrel. The beauty wore a bear skin over her fur coat, and the head of the animal served as her hat. Perun's daughter carried with her an excellent bow and arrows, a sharp knife and a spear, the kind used to kill a bear.
The beautiful goddess not only hunted forest animals: she herself taught them how to avoid dangers and endure harsh winters.
Dewana was first of all revered by hunters and trappers; they prayed to the goddess to grant good luck in the hunt, and in gratitude they brought part of their prey to her sanctuary. It was believed that it was she who helped to find the secret paths of animals in the dense forest, to avoid clashes with wolves and bears, and, if the meeting did take place, to help the person emerge victorious.
Share and Nedolya
Share is a good goddess, Mokosh’s assistant, weaving a happy destiny.
He appears in the guise of a sweet young man or a red-haired maiden with golden curls and a cheerful smile. He cannot stand still, he walks around the world - there are no barriers: swamp, river, forest, mountains - Fate will instantly overcome.
Doesn't like lazy people, careless people, drunks and all sorts of bad people. Although at first he makes friends with everyone, then he will figure it out and leave the bad, evil person.
NEDOLYA (Need, Need) - the goddess, Mokosh’s assistant, weaves an unhappy fate.
Dolya and Nedolya are not just personifications of abstract concepts that do not have objective existence, but on the contrary, they are living persons identical to the maidens of fate.
They act according to their own calculations, regardless of the will and intentions of a person: a happy person does not work at all and lives in contentment, because the Share works for him. On the contrary, Nedolya’s activities are constantly aimed at harming people. While she is awake, misfortune follows misfortune, and only then does it become easier for the unfortunate man when Nedolya falls asleep: “If Likho is sleeping, don’t wake him.”
Dogoda
Dogoda (Weather) - the god of beautiful weather and a gentle, pleasant breeze. Young, ruddy, fair-haired, wearing a cornflower blue wreath with blue butterfly wings gilded at the edges, in silver-shiny bluish clothes, holding a thorn in his hand and smiling at the flowers.
Kolyada
Kolyada is the baby sun, in Slavic mythology the embodiment of the New Year’s cycle, as well as a holiday character similar to Avsen.
Kolyada was celebrated on winter holidays from December 25 (the turn of the sun to spring) to January 6.
“Once upon a time, Kolyada was not perceived as a mummer. Kolyada was a deity, and one of the most influential. They called carols and called. The days before the New Year were dedicated to Kolyada, and games were organized in her honor, which were subsequently held at Christmas time. The last patriarchal ban on the worship of Kolyada was issued on December 24, 1684. It is believed that Kolyada was recognized by the Slavs as the deity of fun, which is why he was called upon and called upon by merry bands of youth during New Year’s festivities” (A. Strizhev. “People's Calendar”).
Kryshen
The son of the Almighty and the goddess Maya, he was the brother of the very first creator of the world, Rod, although he was much younger than him. He returned fire to people, fought on the shores of the Arctic Ocean with Chernobog and defeated him.
KUPALO
Kupala (Kupaila) is the fruitful deity of summer, the summer hypostasis of the Sun god.
“Kupalo, as I remember, was the god of abundance, like the Hellenic Ceres, to whom the madman offered thanks for the abundance to the Shah at that time, when the harvest was about to arrive.”
His holiday is dedicated to the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The night before this day was also sacred - the Night before Kupalo. Feasting, merrymaking and mass swimming in ponds continued all that night.
They sacrificed to him before collecting bread, on June 23, St. Agrippina, who was popularly nicknamed the Bathing Suit. Young people decorated themselves with wreaths, lit a fire, danced around it and sang Kupala. The games continued all night. In some places, on June 23, they heated bathhouses, laid grass for a bathhouse (buttercup) in them, and then swam in the river.
On the very Nativity of John the Baptist, weaving wreaths, they hung them on the roofs of houses and on barns to remove evil spirits from the home.
Lada
LADA (Freya, Preya, Siv or Zif) - the goddess of youth and spring, beauty and fertility, an all-generous mother, patroness of love and marriages.
In folk songs, “lado” still means a dearly beloved friend, lover, groom, husband.
Freya's outfit 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 warlike heroine, rushing through the heavens in storms and thunderstorms and driving away rain clouds. In addition, she is a goddess, in whose retinue the shadows of the deceased march into the afterlife. The cloud fabric is precisely the veil on which the soul, after the death of a person, ascends to the kingdom of the blessed.
According to popular poems, angels, appearing for a righteous soul, take it on a shroud and carry it to heaven. The cult of Freya-Siwa explains the superstitious respect that Russian commoners have for Friday, as a day dedicated to this goddess. Anyone who starts a business on Friday will, as the proverb goes, back off.
Among the ancient Slavs, the birch tree, which personified the goddess Lada, was considered a sacred tree.
Ice
Ice - the Slavs prayed to this deity for success in battles; he was revered as the ruler of military actions and bloodshed. This ferocious deity was depicted as a terrible warrior, armed with Slavic armor, or all-weapon. A sword at the hip, a spear and a shield in the hand.
He had his own temples. When preparing to go on a campaign against enemies, the Slavs prayed to him, asking for help and promising abundant sacrifices if they were successful in military operations.
Lel
Lel is the god of love passion in the mythology of the ancient Slavs, the son of the goddess of beauty and love Lada. The word “cherish” still reminds us of Lela, this cheerful, frivolous god of passion, that is, undead, love. He is the son of the goddess of beauty and love Lada, and beauty naturally gives birth to passion. This feeling flared up especially brightly in the spring and on Kupala night. Lel was depicted as a golden-haired, winged baby, like his mother: after all, love is free and elusive. Lel threw sparks from his hands: after all, passion is fiery, hot love! In Slavic mythology, Lel is the same god as the Greek Eros or Roman Cupid. Only the ancient gods hit the hearts of people with arrows, and Lel kindled them with his fierce flame.
The stork (heron) was considered his sacred bird. Another name for this bird in some Slavic languages is leleka. In connection with Lelem, both cranes and larks were revered - symbols of spring.
Makosh
One of the main goddesses of the Eastern Slavs, the wife of the thunderer Perun.
Her name is made up of two parts: “ma” - mother and “kosh” - purse, basket, shed. Makosh is the mother of filled koshes, the mother of a good harvest.
This is not a goddess of fertility, but a goddess of the results of the economic year, a goddess of the harvest, and a giver of blessings. The harvest is determined by lot, fate, every year, so she was also revered as the goddess of fate. A mandatory attribute when depicting her is a cornucopia.
This goddess connected the abstract concept of fate with the concrete concept of abundance, patronized the household, sheared sheep, spun, and punished the careless. The specific concept of “spinner” was associated with the metaphorical one: “spinning of fate.”
Makosh patronized marriage and family happiness. She was represented as a woman with a large head and long arms, spinning at night in a hut: superstitions forbid leaving the tow, “otherwise Makosha will spin it.”
Moraine
Morena (Marana, Morana, Mara, Maruha, Marmara) - the goddess of death, winter and night.
Mara is the goddess of death, daughter of Lada. Outwardly, Mara looks like a tall, beautiful girl with black hair in red clothes. Mara cannot be called either an evil or a good goddess. On the one hand, it gives death, but at the same time it also gives life.
One of Mara’s favorite pastimes is needlework: she loves to spin and weave. At the same time, like the Greek Moira, he uses the threads of fate of living beings for needlework, leading them to turning points in life, and, ultimately, cutting off the thread of existence.
Mara sends her messengers all over the world, who appear to people in the guise of a woman with long black hair or in the guise of doubles of people who are destined for warning, and foretell imminent death.
No permanent places of worship were erected in the part of Mara; honors could be paid to her anywhere. To do this, an image of the goddess, carved from wood or made from straw, was installed on the ground, and the area was surrounded by stones. Directly in front of the idol, a larger stone or wooden plank was installed, which served as an altar. After the ceremony, all this was dismantled, and the image of Mary was burned or thrown into the river.
Mara was revered on February 15, and flowers, straw and various fruits were brought as gifts to the goddess of death. Sometimes, during years of severe epidemics, animals were sacrificed, bleeding them directly at the altar.
Welcoming spring with a solemn holiday, the Slavs performed a ritual of expelling Death or Winter and threw an effigy of Morana into the water. As a representative of winter, Morana is defeated by the spring Perun, who strikes her with his blacksmith's hammer and casts her into an underground dungeon for the entire summer.
In accordance with the identification of Death with thunder spirits, ancient belief forced these latter to fulfill its sad duty. But since the thunderer and his companions were also the organizers of the heavenly kingdom, the concept of Death became twofold, and fantasy portrayed it either as an evil creature, dragging souls into the underworld, or as a messenger of the supreme deity, accompanying the souls of deceased heroes to his heavenly palace.
Diseases were considered by our ancestors as companions and assistants of Death.
Perun
The Thunder God, a victorious, punishing deity, whose appearance excites fear and awe. Perun, in Slavic mythology, the most famous of the Svarozhich brothers. He is the god of storm clouds, thunder and lightning.
He is presented as stately, tall, with black hair and a long golden beard. Seated on a flaming chariot, he rides across the sky, armed with a bow and arrow, and slays the wicked.
According to Nestor, the wooden idol of Perun, placed in Kyiv, had a golden mustache on its silver head. Over time, Perun became the patron of the prince and his squad.
Temples in honor of Perun were always built on hills, and the highest place in the area was chosen. Idols were made mainly of oak - this mighty tree was a symbol of Perun. Sometimes there were places of worship of Perun, arranged around an oak tree growing on a hill; it was believed that this was how Perun himself designated the best place. In such places no additional idols were placed, and the oak tree, located on a hill, was revered as an idol.
Radegast
Radegast (Redigost, Radigast) is a lightning god, a killer and eater of clouds, and at the same time a luminous guest who appears with the return of spring. Earthly fire was recognized as the son of Heaven, brought down as a gift to mortals, by fast-flying lightning, and therefore the idea of an honored divine guest, a stranger from heaven to earth, was also connected with it.
Russian villagers honored him with the guest's name. At the same time, he received the character of a guardian god for every foreigner (guest) who came to someone else’s house and surrendered under the protection of local penates (i.e., hearth), the patron god of merchants who came from distant countries and trade in general.
The Slavic Radigost was depicted with the head of a buffalo on his chest.
Svarog
Svarog is the creator god of earth and heaven. Svarog is the source of fire and its ruler. He creates not with words, not with magic, unlike Veles, but with his hands, he creates the material world. He gave people the Sun-Ra and fire. Svarog threw a plow and a yoke from the sky to the ground in order to cultivate the land; a battle ax to protect this land from enemies, and a bowl for preparing a sacred drink in it.
Like Rod, Svarog is a creator god, he continued the formation of this world, changing its original state, improving and expanding. However, Svarog’s favorite pastime is blacksmithing.
Temples in honor of Svarog were built on hills overgrown with trees or shrubs. The center of the hill was cleared to the ground and a fire was lit in this place; no additional idols were installed in the temple.
Svyatobor
Svyatobor is the god of the forest. Outwardly, he looks like an aged hero, representing an old man of strong build, with a thick beard and dressed in animal skins
Svyatobor fiercely guards forests and mercilessly punishes those who harm them; in some cases, the punishment can even be death or eternal imprisonment in the forest in the guise of an animal or tree.
Svyatobor is married to the goddess of hunting Devan.
Temples were not built in honor of Svyatobor; their role was played by groves, forests and forests, which were recognized as sacred and in which neither deforestation nor hunting was carried out.
Semargl
One of the Svarozhichs was the god of fire - Semargl, who is sometimes mistakenly considered only a heavenly dog, the guardian of seeds for sowing. This (storing seeds) was constantly carried out by a much smaller deity - Pereplut.
The ancient books of the Slavs tell how Semargl was born. Svarog hit the Alatyr stone with a magic hammer, struck divine sparks from it, which flared up, and the fiery god Semargl became visible in their flames. He sat on a golden-maned horse of silver color. Thick smoke became his banner. Where Semargl passed, a scorched trail remained. Such was his strength, but more often than not he looked quiet and peaceful.
Semargl, God of fire and the Moon, fire sacrifices, home and hearth, stores 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 sacred. Of course, this God does not live somewhere in seventh heaven, but directly among people! They try to pronounce his name out loud less often, replacing it with allegories. The Slavs associate the emergence of people with Fire. According to some legends, the Gods created a Man and a Woman from two sticks, between which a Fire flared up - the very first flame of love. Semargl does not allow 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 Bathing Lady, who calls him to love games on the day of the Autumn Equinox. And on the day of the Summer Solstice, 9 months later, children are born to Semargl and Kupalnitsa - Kostroma and Kupalo.
Stribog
In East Slavic mythology, the god of the wind. He can summon and tame a storm and can turn into his assistant, the mythical bird Stratim. In general, the wind was usually represented in the form of a gray-haired old man living at the edge of the world, in a dense forest or on an island in the middle of the ocean.
Stribog's temples were built on the banks of rivers or seas; they are especially often found at river mouths. The temples in his honor were not fenced off from the surrounding area in any way and were designated only by an idol made of wood, which was installed facing north. A large stone was also placed in front of the idol, which served as an altar.
Triglav
In ancient Slavic mythology, this is the unity of the three main essences-hypostases of the gods: Svarog (creation), Perun (law of Rule) and Svyatovit (light)
According to different mythological traditions, Triglav included different gods. In Novgorod of the 9th century, the Great Triglav consisted of Svarog, Perun and Sventovit, and earlier (before the Western Slavs moved to the Novgorod lands) - of Svarog, Perun and Veles. In Kyiv, apparently, from Perun, Dazhbog and Stribog.
The Lesser Triglavs were composed of gods lower on the hierarchical ladder.
Horse
Horse (Korsha, Kore, Korsh) is the ancient Russian deity of the sun and solar disk. It is best known among the southeastern Slavs, where the sun simply reigns over the rest of the world. Horse, in Slavic mythology, the god of the Sun, guardian of the luminary, son of Rod, brother of Veles. Not all gods were common among the Slavs and Rus. For example, before the Russians came to the banks of the Dnieper, Horses were not known here. Only Prince Vladimir installed his image next to Perun. But it was known among other Aryan peoples: among the Iranians, Persians, Zoroastrians, where they worshiped the god of the rising sun - Khorset. This word also had a broader meaning - “radiance”, “brilliance”, as well as “glory”, “greatness”, sometimes “royal dignity” and even “khvarna” - special marking by the gods, chosenness.
Temples in honor of Khors were built on small hills in the middle of meadows or small groves. The idol was made of wood and installed on the eastern slope of the hill. And as an offering, a special pie “horoshul” or “kurnik” was used, which crumbled around the idol. But to a greater extent, dances (round dances) and songs were used to honor the Horse.
Chernobog
God of cold, destruction, death, evil; the god of madness and the embodiment of everything bad and black. It is believed that Chernobog is the prototype of the immortal Kashchei from fairy tales. Kashchei is a cult character in Slavic mythology, whose folklore image is extremely far from the original one. Kashchei Chernobogvich was the youngest son of Chernobog, the great Serpent of Darkness. His older brothers - Goryn and Viy - feared and respected Kashchei for his great wisdom and equally great hatred of his father's enemies - the Irian gods. Kashchei owned the deepest and darkest kingdom of Navi - the Koshcheev kingdom,
Chernobog is the ruler of Navi, the god of time, the son of Rod. In Slavic mythology, he is the creator of the world along with Rod and Belbog. Outwardly, he appeared in two forms: in the first, he looked like a hunched, thin old man with a long beard, a silver mustache and a crooked stick in his hands; in the second he was depicted as a middle-aged man of thin build, dressed in black clothes, but, again, with a silver mustache.
Chernobog is armed with a sword, which he wields masterfully. Although he is able to instantly appear at any point in Navi, he prefers to move astride a fiery stallion.
After the creation of the world, Chernobog received Nav, the world of the dead, under his protection, in which he is both a ruler and a prisoner, since, despite all his strength, he is not able to leave its borders. The deity does not release from Navi the souls of people who ended up there for their sins, but the sphere of its influence is not limited to Navi alone. Chernobog managed to bypass the restrictions imposed on him and created Koshchei, who is the incarnation of the ruler of Navi in Reality, while the power of God in another world is significantly less than the real one, but still allowed him to spread his influence to Reality, and only in Rule does Chernobog never appear.
Temples in honor of Chernobog were made of dark stones, the wooden idol was completely covered with iron, except for the head, on which only the mustache was trimmed with metal.
Yarilo
Yarilo is the god of spring and sunlight. Outwardly, Yarilo looks like a young man with red hair, dressed in white clothes with a flower wreath on his head. This god moves around the world riding a white horse.
Temples in honor of Yarila were built on the top of hills covered with trees. The tops of the hills were cleared of vegetation and an idol was erected in this place, in front of which a large white stone was placed, which could sometimes be located at the foot of the hill. Unlike most other gods, there were no sacrifices in honor of the god of spring. Usually the deity was worshiped with songs and dances at the temple. At the same time, one of the participants in the action was certainly dressed up as Yarila, after which he became the center of the entire celebration. Sometimes special figurines in the image of people were made, they were brought to the temple, and then smashed against a white stone installed there; it is believed that this brings the blessing of Yarila, from which the harvest will be larger and sexual energy will be higher.
A little about the world order of the Slavs
The center of the world for the ancient Slavs was the World Tree (World Tree, Tree of the World). It is the central axis of the entire universe, including the Earth, and connects the World of People with the World of the Gods and the Underworld. Accordingly, the crown of the tree reaches the World of the Gods in heaven - Iriy or Svarga, the roots of the tree go underground and connect the World of the Gods and the World of people with the underground World or the world of the Dead, ruled by Chernobog, Madder and other “dark” Gods. Somewhere in the heights, behind the clouds (heavenly abysses; above the seventh heaven), the crown of a spreading tree forms an island, and here is Iriy (Slavic paradise), where not only the Gods and ancestors of people live, but also the ancestors of all birds and animals. Thus, the Tree of the World was fundamental in the worldview of the Slavs, its main component. At the same time, it is also a staircase, a road along which you can get to any of the worlds. In Slavic folklore, the Tree of the World is called differently. It can be oak, sycamore, willow, linden, viburnum, cherry, apple or pine.
In the ideas of the ancient Slavs, the World Tree is located on the Buyan island on the Alatyr-stone, which is also the center of the universe (the center of the Earth). Judging by some legends, light Gods live on its branches, and dark Gods live in its roots. The image of this tree has come down to us, both in the form of various fairy tales, legends, epics, conspiracies, songs, riddles, and in the form of ritual embroidery on clothes, patterns, ceramic decorations, painting of dishes, chests, etc. Here is an example of how the Tree of the World is described in one of the Slavic folk tales that existed in Rus' and tells about the extraction of a horse by a hero-hero: “... there is a copper pillar, and a horse is tied to it, there are pure stars on the sides, a moon is shining on the tail , in the forehead there is a red sun...". This horse is a mythological symbol of the entire universe
Of course, one post cannot cover all the gods that our ancestors worshiped. Different branches of the Slavs called the same gods differently, and they also had their own “local” deities.
When we say Lada, we think of the unfortunate Zhiguli.
Although Lada is the Goddess of love, beauty, family happiness, and the patroness of marriage. And also the keeper of the hearth, the wife of Svarog, the mother of Lelya and Dajbog... She belongs to the pantheon of light gods of Slavic paganism. Our ancestors worshiped them: the Drevlyans, Rus, Dregovichi, Polyans...
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, after all agricultural work was completed, the Slavs held weddings. There are three important milestones in a person's life: birth, wedding and death. If the first and last do not depend on us, then a 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 harp, pipes, horns, tambourines, drums and other musical instruments. Songs were sung that immersed listeners in the old days. Relatives, hugging their shoulders, sang their ancestral songs and praised the young. Some jokingly measured their strength with new relatives, while others took the lead in merry undertakings. Then the buffoons got down to business - and then hang on! - everyone will get the worst of their antics.
Goodness and peace reigned in the ancient Slavic families. The Russians revered their ancestors, gods, and kept the traditions of deep antiquity.
Bereginya the woman in labor had assistants: brownies, courtyard servants, barn workers, banniks. Her symbol is a duck.
Veles, hair, volokh, sorcerer, sorcerer, volokhaty, elk, ox, forest, fox, goblin, oleshka, deer - all these words are associated with the forest. Veles' children - this is what the Russians call themselves in "The Tale of Igor's Campaign."
Christians called Veles the “cattle god,” but can Veles’s totem animals—a bear, a wolf, a sacred cow—be called cattle? No, peoples living in a natural tribal system considered animals equal to people. For example, in Rus' they love bears very much and consider them brothers. And the bear is Veles. Veles has many images, including in the form of animals.
The Russians learned a lot from animals, imitated them with their voice, movements, methods of attack and defense.
Veles is an inexhaustible source of knowledge; every animal in his forest is unique. But people have moved away from nature - hence all the troubles of modern civilization. It’s 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, classes, people are valued not by intelligence and strength, but by money, so humanity is withering away 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 hoary antiquity and the silent bones of ancestors. The last night of October is the day of remembrance of grandfathers (in the West - Halloween). On this day, the Rus saw off the spirits of nature and their relatives who had died during the year under the snow with bonfires and the music of bagpipes and pipes.
Dazhdbog, give, rain - words with the same root meaning “to share, to distribute.” Dazhdbog sent people not only rain, but also the sun, saturating the earth with light and warmth. Dazhdbog is the autumn sky with clouds, rain, thunderstorms, and sometimes hail.
September 22 is the autumn equinox, the holiday of Rodion and Rozhanitsa, the day of Dazhdbog and Mokosh. The entire harvest has been harvested and the final harvests are underway in the orchards and orchards. All residents of a village or city go out into nature, light a fire, roll a burning sun wheel up a mountain, dance in circles with songs, play pre-wedding and ritual games. Then they bring tables to the main street, put the best food on them and begin a general family feast. Neighbors and relatives try food prepared by others, praise them, and all together glorify the Sun, the earth and Mother Rus'.
Dazhdbozhy (solar) grandchildren - that’s what the Rusichi called themselves. Symbolic signs of the sun (solar rosettes, solstice) were present everywhere among our ancestors - on clothes, dishes, and in the decoration of houses.
Every Russian man is obliged to create a large family - a family, feed, raise, educate children and become Dazhdbog. This is his duty, glory, really. Behind each of us there are countless ancestors - our roots, and each must give life to descendant branches.
A man who does not have children is doomed to hunger, shame, and poverty in old age. The clan must be large and 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 the spring with the first streams and snowdrops. Rooks, the first birds to fly home from warm countries, are the heralds of the birth of Lada. Along with Lada, flowers and young foliage appear. Birds begin to sing where Lada passes. The animals are also happy about 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. That's why girls sing calls to spring in the voices of birds. Every girl in Rus' is Lada.
Lada gains strength on 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 solar wheel is rolled into the water (meaning “bathing” the sun), round dances are held shouting: “Burn, burn clearly, so that it does not go out!” Everyone bathes, plays trickle and other love games, and runs after each other through the forest. Fornication, as Christians claim, did not actually occur on the holiday. Magi, old people, parents closely monitored the youth and, in case of violation of moral laws, expelled the offenders from the family - this was the most terrible punishment at that time, because in ancient times a person could not live alone, without relatives.
Love in Rus' was not a joy, but served for procreation and the conception of new children. It is the appearance of children that is the meaning of pairing not only people, but also animals and birds. Only married couples went into the forests at the end of the holiday, under the shade of warm fogs, where they basked and made love until dawn, lighting numerous bonfires 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, wallet, purse (bag, scrip), 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, the Mother of Cheese Earth. Women of ancient times learned to be Makosh in their family. Makosh is the 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 raise children properly. Makosh is a goddess who reveals healer secrets to women in the summer (Morena - in the 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 Rus' was symbolically represented by a Tree. His parents, grandfathers and great-grandfathers are roots that go into the depths of time, into hoary antiquity, feeding him with the vital juices of the family. The branches and crown of the tree are the future children and grandchildren that every Rusich looks forward to. He stretches out his hands to the souls of his ancestors - the stars and to the main ancestor - the sun. The Slav does not ask them for favors, like Christians, but simply speaks and assures them of his firm intention to have a family and children.
If before marriage a girl learned the work of Mokosh, then, after getting married, she fulfills sacred maternal duties, giving birth and feeding children, teaching them kindness and the correct 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, gloom, darkness. All these words mean darkness, bitter cold, death, dampness or unbearable heat. Similar sensations occur to 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 new life, spring.
On March 22, the spring equinox begins, after which, as was believed in Russia, spring begins. Before the equinox, our ancestors cheerfully celebrated Maslenitsa. Fires were lit again, again in towns and villages, as on Kolyada, young people gathered in groups, the funniest entertainers were chosen for jokes and practical jokes; ice slides, forts for playing snowballs, swings and carousels were made; there was troika riding, hand-to-hand combat and wall-to-wall battles, 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 up the pole and get from there a rooster (it was revered as a symbol of the sun, dawn, spring and the goddess Lada - Morena's successor), round rolls or boots. A burning wheel was rolled down the mountain and bonfires were lit - a symbol of warmth and rebirth.
But Morena is not as terrible as she might seem. She is the image of our harsh snowy homeland, which tests everyone's strength and survival and takes only the weak. She loves the strict purity of the snow and the transparency of the ice; she is delighted by the dance of snowflakes in the deep winter sky. Morena's favorites are owls and lynxes. Russian people love winter, its invigorating cold, sparkling snowdrifts and ringing ice.
Morena's symbol is the moon. Her face looks sternly at the earth, awakening in 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 Rus' these ancient letters were known as “traits and cuts”, mentioned in many written sources). Speech, stream, prophet, roar, roar, roar. Perun is the great god of the Russians, the god of war and thunder. His weapons are sparkling swords, axes, a huge thundering hammer, a mace and a spear that strikes without missing a beat. Animals and birds of Perun - aurochs, wolves, ravens, 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 rapid flight of blue-leaden clouds - his warriors - delights.
Perun was especially revered in times of war and danger. In a bloody battle or during martial games, everyone tried to ignite in themselves 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 had fallen in battle - they gathered on mounds and red mountains, held feasts, military fun, measured their strength in running, throwing weapons, swimming, and horse racing. They killed a bull bought by chipping in, roasted and ate it, and drank mead and kvass. They initiated initiations of young guys who had to undergo serious tests to become warriors and girdle themselves with the weapons of the Family.
Our ancestors always had many external enemies, and constant wars were fought. 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 killed Russians on the battlefield, enemies were surprised to find women fighting shoulder to shoulder with their husbands. They were also patronized by the golden-moustached Perun...
Svarog, bungle, cook, light, holiness, reduce, color. These words are united by the idea of the creation of life (horn, fate, birth, speech, name). Svarog is the greatest of the Russian gods. This is the ancestor, the ancestor, who set the course of life, who gave people knowledge and speech. He created the entire cosmos - the universe of Svarga. Svarog - in everything. Everything in the world is Svarog, a part of it. Among the Balts he bears the name Sotvaras, among the Iranians - Tvashtar, among the Romans - Saturn, among the Germans - Vodan, 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, striking lightning and sparks; for all of them, he has one relationship or another with 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 birth to the Tree of Life. Gods and people, animals and birds - all living things - originate from Svarog the grandfather. Svarog resides in every object, in every person, he is obvious, he can be seen, touched, heard.
Svarog is in Navi, in the past, but he (the old days) is remembered. Svarog is in charge, in the future, which we know and for which we live. He is in us, we are part of him, just like our descendants.
Svarog is the old sun riding in a chariot, cold and dark.
Chernobog reigns in the last days of the year, when the night is the longest and the coldest. Russians bathe in an ice hole, getting used to winter. Nature is silent like an old man, dressing in white snow clothes. People in their houses insulate the windows, burn splinters and eat what they grew in the summer, sing songs, tell fairy tales, sew clothes, repair shoes, make toys, heat stoves. And they wait for the birth of Khors, preparing outfits for caroling.
Semargl, stench, flickering, Cerberus, the dog Smargla, 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 Rus saw Semargl as a winged wolf or a wolf with the wings and 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 the dragon for the Chinese, and the unicorn for the Celts.
The wolf and the falcon are swift, fearless (they attack an enemy with superior strength), loyal (a wolf, even when hungry, will not devour a relative like a dog). Warriors often identified themselves with wolves (a warrior is a howling wolf).
Do not forget that the wolf and 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, and ancient written monuments, such as “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.”
In every Slav lives Semargl, who fights disease and evil in the human body. A drinking, smoking, lazy, degenerating person kills his Semargl, gets sick and dies
Stribog- swift, impetuous, fast, nimble, aspiration, stream, and even, if you want, a line. All these concepts mean flow, speed, spread, spreading. If we combine all this into one, we have before us the image of the wind and everything connected with it. This is either a warm breath of summer, or a violent gust of rain and thunderstorm, or a hurricane, a tornado, or a cold breath of the north, snowfalls and freezing temperatures.
Rus' is a northern land, and the icy midnight wind lives in it. Cold and hungry February is just the time; it is during this month that the howl of hungry wolves, which Stribog drives to hunt with his icy breath, is especially long and frightening. Only crows bathe in the currents of the north wind. And at night, the fast shadows of predatory lynxes glide through the snowstorm, flashing their yellow eyes and emitting a chilling meow.
In April, Stribog will arrive from the east with a young, warm daytime breeze. At night he will breathe cold dampness.
In summer, Stribog blows from midday (south), scorching with heat during the day and caressing with warmth at night. And in the fall, flying in from sunset (west), just like in the spring, it will warm during the day and cool at night.
In autumn and spring, Stribog disperses the clouds, revealing the warm, bright sun. In the summer, he brings rain during the drought so that the harvest does not perish; in the winter, he rotates the wings of the mills, grinding the grain into flour, from which bread is then kneaded.
The Rus considered themselves the grandchildren of Strigozh. Stribog is our breath, it is the air in which words sound, smells spread and light scatters, allowing us to see our surroundings. Stribog is vital to all living things. He is the lord of birds and is often depicted as a blowing head or horseman.
Horse, khorost, brushwood, chrest, cross, armchair, spark, round dance, horo, kolo, wheel, bracelet, 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, an image of the sun will appear before us, 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, fierce sun was 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, night and cold prevail on the earth, inherited from the old year, but every day the Great Horse (as mentioned in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”) grows, and the sun grows stronger.
Our ancestors celebrated the solstice with carols, wore a Kolovrat (eight-pointed star) - the sun - on a pole, put on the masks of totemic animals, which were associated in the minds of people with the images of 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 (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, fist fights and wall-to-wall fights, songs, dances, competitions, and 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.
The harsh northern Rus' 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 who embodies the desire of boys and adult husbands for knowledge, spiritual growth, self-improvement, to overcome difficulties encountered in life and find the right solutions.
Yarilo, rage, spring, Yar (among the northerners in ancient times it meant “village”, since they used to live in huts with a fireplace), brightness. These words are united by the concept of increasing brightness, light. Indeed, after the arrival of spring there is a rapid increase in days and increased 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 earth with melt water.
Yarilo - the sun in the form of a young, full of strength groom rides on a horse to his Lada. He is in a hurry to start a family and give birth to children (harvest, young 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. Yarila's condition is the condition 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 vegetable gardening. Such was the life of the peasants (by the way, the word “peasant” comes from “cross, cross, horse”, and “ognishchanin” - from “fire” that is made in the oven).
Readers may have the erroneous opinion that some gods served as the embodiment of evil among the Slavs, while others - good. No, the Russians, children of nature, accepted her in all its manifestations, knew how to be useful to her and gratefully take from her what they needed. The gods, like people, combined both principles - both positive and negative. For example, Yarilo gives warmth and light, but if you use them unwisely, there will be sunstroke. And Morena, although cold, helped Rus' more than once, freezing the troops of Hitler and Napoleon.
Slavic Gods- an embodied idea of the World and world rules. When getting acquainted with the Slavic faith and traditions, of course, one cannot ignore the Slavic Gods. A deep understanding of the faith of our Ancestors begins with knowledge of their characters.
Today there are various ideas about who the Slavic Gods are. Some sources list many Gods, 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 the way they talk about it in the Russian North. Many ancient traditions, tales, fairy tales, Slavic myths have been preserved here, from which we know this.
Division of 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, Reality and Nav. The bright Slavic Gods live in Prav. In Reveal there are people and elemental Gods. In Navi there are dark gods.
This division is simple, however, modern people often misunderstand it. We are accustomed to correlating “light” with “good” and “darkness” with “evil”. Therefore, many mistakenly believe that only the Slavic Gods of the world of Rule deserve veneration. 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; one cannot do without them.
Slavic Gods of the world Rule
Among the Slavic Gods of Rule we include, first of all, Svarog, Heavenly Father, and Lada, Heavenly Mother. Their children, Svarozhichi- one of the main characters of Slavic mythology. However, not all of their children live in the world of Prav. 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 is 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 wife, mother, sister - the most appropriate image will be the face of the Divine Mother Lada. Do you want to know more about the Goddess Lada, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rituals of glorification? Then welcome here to the big 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 stands on this love and struggle of two brothers, as our ancestors believed. This idea is similar to the global idea of the unity and struggle of opposites. Belobog is the one on whom the entire white light 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 obvious life. Do you want to know more about God Belobog, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “ Belobog - Patron God of the Slavs»
Sign of God Chura “Watchman amulet”
Chur
Slavic God Chur familiar to everyone, even those not interested in Slavic mythology. A well-known expression is a talisman: “Keep away from me!” calls upon our ancient Guardian God, God Chur. It is believed that this God preserves what belongs to a person by right, draws the line between “mine, ours” and “someone else’s”. Turning to this God helped to preserve one’s possessions, protected one from wrong actions, and protected one from troubles and enemies. “To come to your senses” in our language still means “to come to your senses from something incorrect 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 Chura, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rituals of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “ Chur - Guardian God of Slavic clans»
Sign of the Goddess Alive “Summer Oblique Cross”
Alive
Slavic Goddess Alive- wonderful daughter of the Goddess Lada. The wife of God Dazhdbog, from her children descended Slavic generations. The Goddess is Alive for the Slavs - like a sip of living water, pouring into a person the opportunity to live, love, and give birth to their own kind. This personifies the flow of vital forces that allow a baby to grow up, a boy and a girl to become a father and mother. By turning to the Goddess Alive, wounds heal, health returns, and the joy of life infuses. In a word, this is the Goddess who brings Life. Do you want to know more about the Goddess Alive, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “ Alive - the great Goddess of Life, Goddess of Summer»
Sign of the Goddess Lyolya “Lelnik”
Lelya
Young and beautiful Slavic Goddess Lelya- the one who embodies for the Slavs all the charm of a young smile, a ringing voice and a light tread. Goddess Lelya is the spring that descends to earth along with the Yarilo-Sun. The embodiment of these blossoming natural forces that restore man after a long and dark winter has been preserved in our culture in the form of the Guardian Goddess. The sign of the Goddess Lelya is often found in traditional embroidery and is called “bereginya”. All spring chants, round dances and sonorous songs are dedicated to her - the smiling and affectionate Goddess Lelya. Do you want to know more about the Goddess Lela, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big 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 simple horn. And this is perhaps the only image that is allowed by official culture. Meanwhile, for centuries, the image of God - a beautiful young man who kindled love in the hearts of people - was preserved in people's memory. God Lel is beautiful as the image of a loved one in the eyes of a woman in love. What is important is that God Lel is at the same time God’s twin brother Polelya. This God reigns in the hearts of already engaged people who have created their own family and patronizes a happy marriage. Thus, 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 glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “ Lel and Polel - two Gods, without whom happiness is unthinkable»
Sign of God Kvasura “Oberezhnik”
Kvasura
Slavic God Kvasura embodies the now forgotten culture of fun without alcohol intoxication, eating without gluttony, holidays without “massacre”. A moderate attitude towards bodily pleasures while maintaining the joy of life is what is embedded 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 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 Kvasura, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “ Kvasura - Slavic God of Fun and Temperance»
Sign of God Kitovras "Kolohort"
Kitovras
Slavic God Kitovras- an amazing creature from old myths. A representative of the fairy-tale 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 made. This figurine, oddly enough, represents a centaur. About Polkan, or, in other words, about Kitovras, this is what people say: they say, he was such a storyteller that people and animals, listening to him, went with their thoughts, and then with their bodies, into the world about which this bayun sang. 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 walked through the lands and villages, crossing paths, and began to tell fairy tales. And his tales were so heartfelt 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 glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “ Kitovras - Slavic God of Wisdom»
Slavic Gods of the World of 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, God of Wind, his children and grandchildren, such as a warm breeze Dogoda; Mother of Cheese Earth, one of the most revered Slavic Goddesses.
There are other Slavic Gods who appear most often in the world of Reveal. Sun God Horse and his sister Divya, Moon Goddess. Tara- Slavic Goddess of the Guiding Star (North Star), it was her bright light in the old days that prevented travelers from going astray. We often see lightning in reality Perun and the rich rains that his wife sends Diva-Dodola.
Sign of the God Horse "Ognivets"
Horse
Slavic God Horse- God Rules, whom, fortunately, we see in our world in the firmament. 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 Khors is the same Sun in its manifest physical form. Beautiful tales about God Horse tell that once upon a time the Creator Rod gave the day under his control, and every single morning God Horse rides out on his sparkling chariot to the sky, and every evening he 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 glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “ Horse - Slavic God of the Solar Disk»
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. Goddess Divya-Luna is the embodiment of mystery, changeability and predictive power. This Goddess is the patroness of Fortune Tellers, Sorcerers, and all Knowers. In the obvious world, its influence extends to women, determining the rhythms of life. The Beautiful Goddess is the twin of God Khorsa, who, by the will of the Creator Family, was given control of the night time. Every night the Moon Goddess rides into the sky on her white chariot and every morning she returns to herself, giving way to her brother in the sky. But, according to legend, she asked the Sky God Dy for permission to sometimes see her brother - so sometimes we see them meeting above our heads.Do you want to know more about the Goddess Divya, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rituals of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “ Divya - Slavic Moon Goddess»
Sign of God Dyya “Wealth amulet”
Dyy
Slavic God Dyy in our mythology - an ambiguous personality. Most likely, different attitudes towards wealth gave rise to a variety of explanations for the properties and incarnations of this God. We know from myths that God Dyy is the twin brother of God Viy, one of the darkest and most mysterious Gods of Navi. It is believed that God Dyy was born by the bright God at the dawn of time and is the embodiment of Heaven above our heads. It is believed that God Dyy is at the same time the Patron of Wealth and Prosperity - and we can understand this, since for our ancestors what happened in heaven directly affected the lives of people and the well-being of each family. Do you want to know more about God Dye, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “ Dyi - Slavic God of Wealth and Prosperity»
Sign of God Svyatogor “Godnik”
Svyatogor
Slavic God Svyatogor known according to myths as the God-hero of enormous stature. Late mentions of him are found even in epics about Ilya Muromets. Probably, in the image of this God we find some memories of a former race of people of enormous stature - 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 same one to whom Hercules came to accomplish his next feat. Do you want to know more about God Svyatogor, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “Svyatogor - Slavic Guardian of Heaven »
Sign of God Stribog “Bird amulet”
Stribog
Slavic God Stribog- the elemental God of Air, the embodiment of the winds blowing over Mother Earth. According to Slavic mythology, Stribog is the son of the mighty Svarog, born to him during the first battle of Prav and Navi. This famous battle occurred when Rhode planned to separate the Gods for different tasks. At that time, Svarog hit the Alatyr stone with his hammer, and from these sparks two twin brothers were born: 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 a clear element that helps man live in harmony with Nature.Do you want to know more about God Stribog, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big 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, and 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 Semargl is addressed as a clear element that helps man live in harmony with Nature.Do you want to know more about God Semargl, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “ Semargl - Slavic God of the element of Fire»
Sign of God Perun "Gromovnik"
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 and protector of the World of Revealing. They tell stories about various deeds of God Perun, one of the most important is the battle with the creature of Chaos, Skipper Serpent. There are many known signs with the power of this Slavic God; the holiday of Perun is now celebrated as a day of military prowess. We see the appearance of Perun during a thunderstorm - flashing lightning and heavenly thunder.Do you want to know more about God Perun, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rituals of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “ Perun - Slavic God of Thunder and Justice»
Sign of the Goddess Diva-Dodola “Perunitsa”
Diva-Dodola
Slavic Goddess Diva-Dodola, also known as Perunitsa, is the Slavic Goddess of the Thunderstorm, wife of the warlike Perun. According to 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 downpours and bad weather, but it always leads to a clear sky and a rainbow bridge. This Goddess manifests as a natural phenomenon and as a world cleansing force leading to calm through the storm.Do you want to know more about the Goddess Diva-Dodol, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “ Diva-Dodola - Slavic Goddess of Thunderstorms»
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, appears as the spring sun, giving rise to seedlings, as the life-giving force of Nature and, what is important, 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 ruler of wolves.Do you want to know more about God Yarilo, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rituals of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “ Yarilo - Slavic God of the spring Sun»
Sign of God Dazhdbog “Straight Cross”
Dazhdbog
Slavic God Dazhdboga (Dazhboga) many know from the famous statement in “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”: “We are the grandchildren of Dazhdbog!” It is believed that from the marriage of the God Dazhdbog and the Goddess Zhiva, Arius was born, from whom the Slavic families descended. They revered God Dazhdbog as the progenitor of the Slavic family, as a warrior-defender, but most of all - as the deity of light, fertility and, as a result, the blessings of life. 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 willing.” Do you want to know more about God Dazhdbog, about his symbols, signs, holidays and glorification rituals? Then welcome here to the big articleDazhdbog - Slavic solar God»
Sign of the Goddess Tara "Vaiga"
Tara
Slavic Goddess Tara considered the twin sister of Dazhbog, who is sometimes called Tarkh Perunovich. Like the twins Khors and Divya, who appear in the form of opposite phenomena (Sun and Moon), so Dazhdbog and Tara appear at different times of the day: Dazhdbog owns reflected sunlight, and Tara appears in the night as the guiding Polar Star. The goddess Tara was revered as the patroness of travelers, opening roads and helping to choose a 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 learn more about the Slavic Goddess Tara, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big 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. Nevertheless, this slightly frivolous, active 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 delighted 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 Dogod, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “Slavic God Dogoda - God of good weather, let's call him together!»
Sign of the Goddess Agidel “Heavenly Abyss”
Agidel
Slavic Goddess Agidel, granddaughter of the God Svarog, is known in the north as the Goddess of Water. Our ancestors depended on bodies of water; in the north, fishing was one of the main industries, so different types of water were endowed with different divine properties. Slavic mythology knows Vodyany, 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 river water. Thus, the Goddess Agidel is not the goddess of a specific body of water, but rather a manifestation of the divine properties of the water element that are merciful to humans. Do you want to know more about the Slavic Goddess Agidel, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “ Agidel - Slavic Goddess of water»
Sign of God Avsen "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 Avsen. God Avsen was endowed with calm wisdom - he is the eldest (and oldest) of the solar Gods, ruling the world for a quarter of the year. On the day of the winter solstice, God Avsen hands over the reins of power to his brother Kolyada, the young Winter Sun. Thus, God Avsen manifests himself as the autumn annual period, as the Sun and as the law of withering of what was once young. What is surprising is that at the same time God Avsen is a builder of bridges to the future. Do you want to know more about God Avsen, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then 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, 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 a state of calm “reaping the fruits.” In Slavic mythology, God Kupala 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 glorification? Then welcome here to the great article “God Kupala or Kupala - Slavic God of the Summer Sun"
Slavic Gods of the world Navi
Lord Navi - Chernobog, brother of Belobog. This dark God is not at all at war with his brother, he is only doing 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 world Navi also exist in order to not let the world stop developing. In addition, it is the Naval Gods who guard the world of the dead and stand on the border between the ordered world and chaos. We include Navi among the Slavic Gods Morenu, Koshcheya, Viya. Even the Slavic God of the Winter Sun Kolyada spends most of his time in the world of Navi.
Sign of God Viy “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. It must be said that this literary character has almost nothing in common with the Slavic deity that our people remember. According to ancient Slavic myths, which we are recreating at the present time, 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 Reality. 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 force that forces souls to be cleansed of obvious hardships, undergo purification by fire and be reborn again. Do you want to know more about God Viya, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “God Viy - 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, who embodies everything light and good, Chernobog embodies the opposite principle - darkness and evil. This is too simple and an incorrect idea of two opposing principles. So in the pair Horse-Divia, or Dazhdbog-Tara you can find light and darkness. But who said that this is good and evil? The idea of Chernobog will be correct if we think of him as the destructive principle of our worlds, of the one who takes on the role of the destroyer of the old and outdated. 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 glorification? Then welcome here to the great article “God Chernobog - Slavic God of Destruction”
Sign of the Goddess Morena “Winter Oblique Cross”
Moraine
Slavic Goddess Morena (Madder, Mora)- many people are familiar with the Maslenitsa holiday, where they drive away “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. You should not imagine the Goddess Morena in the image of a scary old woman - on the contrary, in Slavic myths she is a young black-haired beauty, full of strength and plans. Also, one should 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 glorification? Then welcome here to the great article “Goddess Morena - Slavic Goddess of Winter and Death »
Sign of God Koshchei "Koshchyun"
Koschey
Slavic God Koschey is often perceived as the same “Kosha” from the Soviet fairy tale film. Slavic mythology is much deeper and wiser than mass cliches. God Koschey is an associate of God Chernobog, who left with him during the battle of Light and Darkness, which took place in time immemorial. God Koschey is the commander of the army, whose task is to cleanse those who live unrighteously; every night he leaves Navi for Yav to restore justice and take souls so that they have the opportunity to start living again. The Slavic God Koschey is a just, punishing God of Death. Do you want to know more about God Koshchei, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “Koschey the Immortal - Slavic God of Death"
Sign of the Trojan God “Healer”
Trojan
Slavic God Trojan arouses both interest and bewilderment. The “three-faced idol” on the island of Rügen (Ruyan) is known, but this is not about him. From Slavic myths we know the son of the God Veles and a human woman, who so strove 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 as God. Since that time, the new God Trojan has been known as the God of healing. Do you want to know more about the Trojan God, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the great article “God Trojan - Slavic God of Healing”
Sign of God Kolyada "Kolyadnik"
Kolyada
Slavic God Kolyada Many people know it for the holiday of carols, which is celebrated on the winter solstice. The symbolism of this holiday coincides with the image of God Kolyada in the minds of the Slavs. God Kolyada is the God of the young winter Sun, emerging from 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 Avsen, from whom he takes the reins of government for a quarter of the year, in order to then give them to the bright Yaril on the day of the spring equinox. Do you want to know more about God Kolyada, about his symbols, signs, holidays and glorification rituals? Then welcome here to the big article “God Kolyada - God of the Winter Sun”
Sign of the Goddess Kostroma “Cross”
Kostroma
Slavic Goddess Kostroma known from Slavic mythology as the sister of God Kupalo. Because of her quarrelsome nature, a misfortune occurred with her brother Kupala in childhood, and the curse that Kostroma brought upon both of them led to an even greater tragedy in adulthood. These difficult events led to spiritual rebirth of both brother Kupala 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. 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 glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “Goddess Kostroma - 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 headstrong daughter of Perun wanted to become the most important in the world of Rule and rebelled against Svarog. After Perun pacified his unreasonable daughter, she became the wife of God Svyatobor, but their marriage was unsuccessful. Devana left her husband and began to commit robbery on long roads. The gods decided to stop Devan and sent her to Nav. Rebirth in Navi led to the fact that after this the Goddess Devana became wise, careful, but still loved traveling and hunting. Do you want to learn more about the Slavic Goddess Devan, about her symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the great article “Slavic Goddess Devan - Goddess of the Hunt” »
Sign of the God of Perplexity “Spiral”
Pereplut
Slavic God Pereplut 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 paths along which sailors can 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 Pereplut, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the great article “God Pereplut - God of Travelers”
Slavic Gods that stand apart
A special story Veles, God of the Three Worlds. The name of this Slavic God suggests that 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 destinies of both men and women, people and Gods. Due to its great action and influence on the well-being of people, the veneration of the Goddess Makosh 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 great sense, for the entire family line, and the Mother of Cheese Earth is a more “down-to-earth” 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 glorification? Then welcome here to the great article “Slavic Goddess Makosh - Goddess of Fate and Magic »
Sign of God Veles “Bull Head”
Veles
Slavic God Veles known also to those who are little familiar with Slavic mythology in general. The veneration of God Veles is due to the fact that he simultaneously embodies all the powers of the three Worlds - this was precisely the plan of the Creator Family for 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 manager of wild and domestic animals, in a word, the obvious well-being of people depends on his power. In addition, it is believed that it is God Veles who helps the Souls of the dead get to white Nav and then transfers the Souls of children across the Berezina River to be born in Yavi. By all accounts, 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 glorification rituals? Then welcome here to the big article “Veles - Slavic God of Three Worlds »
Sign of the God of the Family "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 order in the world order. According to Slavic mythology, God Rod is not exactly 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 sequence of development and cessation, light and darkness. Do you want to know more about God Rod, about his symbols, signs, holidays and rites of glorification? Then welcome here to the big article “God Rod - the Slavic God-Creator »
