Good gods of the Eastern Slavs and their meaning. Pantheon of Slavic Gods

When we say Lada, in our thoughts 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 require no explanation. This goddess is the keeper of the hearth, warmth, nurse, mother, patroness of newlyweds and children, 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. Its symbol is a duck.

Veles, hair, volokh, sorcerer, sorcerer, volokhaty, elongated, ox, forest, fox, goblin, oleshka, deer - all these words are associated with the forest. Children of Veles - 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 are 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 out onto the main street and place them on the best food 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, - 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 At the end of the holiday, they went into the forests, 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, purse, 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 medicine 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 him.

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 Svarga universe. Svarog - in everything. Everything in the world is Svarog, a part of it. Among the Balts he is called Sotvaras, among the Iranians - Tvashtar, among the Romans - Saturn, among the Germans - Wodan, among the Etruscans - Satr, and so on - among them all consonant names and similar features. In the myths of the white peoples, God forges with a hammer - creates the world, striking out 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 they remember him (the old days). 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 rules in last days the year when the night is the longest and the coldest is severe. 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, having flown in from sunset (west), as 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, khrest, 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 totem 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 the 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” comes 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, 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.

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Paganism of the ancient Slavs. On the eve of the adoption of Christianity (Slavic peoples were baptized in the 9th-10th centuries), paganism reached its highest development among the Slavs. The ancient Slavs worshiped the natural elements on which their life and the work of farmers depended. The veneration of ancestors also played an important role. There were many gods. There were even more spirits with which the Slavs inhabited the entire nature around them. Different tribes especially revered different gods. But all the Slavs have long worshiped two main deities - Perun and Veles.

God Perun. An ancient Byzantine author wrote that the Slavs consider their ruler to be God, the creator of lightning. The thunder god Perun was represented as a middle-aged strong man with a gray-haired silvered head, with a golden mustache and beard. He rode across the sky on a horse or chariot, armed with lightning, axes or arrows. Perun was the ruler of the upper part of the world - the top of the World Tree, he was the master of the sky and the mountains, he commanded the clouds and heavenly waters. It was in his power to water the earth with life-giving rain or punish it with drought or storm. Perun's arrows could hit anyone on earth.

Over time, Perun becomes the patron of the prince and his squad, their assistant in military affairs. Perun was especially revered by the East Slavic princes. Prince Vladimir the Red Sun installed a wooden image of this god with a silver head and a golden mustache in Kyiv, on a mountain next to the princely palace, and proclaimed Perun chief among the gods.

Bulls and roosters were sacrificed to Perun; they were placed near the idol of god or near the sacred oak tree. In especially important cases, when they wanted to ask God for help in defeating their enemies, human sacrifices were made to Perun. They killed captives or even fellow tribesmen by lot: “We cast lots on a boy or a maiden; Whoever it falls on, we will kill him for God’s sake.”

God Veles. No less than Perun, the ancient Slavs revered Veles (or Volos, that is, hairy, shaggy) - the “cattle god”, the patron of domestic animals, trade and wealth. The word “rich” originally meant “having God,” “enjoying the protection of God”; poor, “wretched” - on the contrary, meant “deprived of God.” In ancient times, the ancestors of the Slavs imagined Veles in the form of a huge fire-breathing Serpent. He could also take on the image of a shaggy bear; in general, he was capable of all sorts of transformations. He was considered the ruler of the underworld, the master of earthly waters.

The Slavs did not have a very clear distinction between the “occupations” of the gods. Therefore, Veles, although he was considered primarily a “cattle god,” also influenced other economic affairs. According to Slavic legends, the fertility of the land depended on it. He was close to his mother, the raw earth; abundance, fertility and wealth were in his power.

Farmers made sacrifices to the god of fertility, leaving a bush of ears of ears in the field after the harvest - “for Veles’s beard.” In honor of Veles, ritual feasts were organized - brotherhoods.

Apparently, Veles was “in charge” and the afterlife- “the thirtieth kingdom.” It was believed that in this distant kingdom, lying “far away, beyond the rivers and beyond the sea,” everything was made of gold - both mountains and trees. And the owner of all gold is Veles the Serpent.

If Perun eventually became Eastern Slavs patron of the prince and his squad, Veles remained the people's protector, patron of “all Rus'.” In ancient times, Veles was undoubtedly a good deity. But after accepting Christianity, giving his good traits Christian saints (Nicholas, Blasius), Veles (aka the serpent, the bear, the goblin) turned into the leader of the dark forces.

Mokosh is the only female deity among the Slavs. Perhaps she was considered the wife of Perun. Mokosh patronized women's household crafts, but also influenced fertility. Her main occupation was spinning. Of the days of the week, Friday was dedicated to Mokosha. Out of respect for the goddess, women did not spin or wash on this day. The violator of the ban was threatened heavy punishment: the goddess could prick her with a spindle or force her to spin at night. Even after the baptism of Rus', women gathered for secret meetings, where they prayed to Mokoshi and sacrificed livestock and honey to her. Influenced by Orthodoxy positive traits pagan goddess eventually switched to Saint Paraskeva (Praskovya) Friday, and “mokoshka” began to be considered evil spirits, a demon who inclines women to do bad things.

Gods of fire, sun and wind. Upper part The ancient Slavs populated the world with a whole family of solar gods. Among them, the main one was the god of fire Svarog. He gave birth to fire, which was called “svarozhich”. He, Svarog, was a heavenly blacksmith who taught people to use fire and process metals.

The son of Svarog was the sun god Dazhdbog - the giver of good, warmth, wealth. He moved across the sky on a fiery chariot. This god was considered the patron and ancestor of all inhabitants of Ancient Rus', who called themselves “Dazhdboz’s grandchildren.” Khors was also a solar deity, a double of Dazhdbog. Apparently, under this name he was revered by representatives of the Iranian peoples who met among the population of southern Rus' and Kyiv. (In Iranian, the name Khors means “sun”). Next to them, another celestial being is mentioned - Stribog, the god of the wind, who spread divine goodness across the earth.

All the highest gods among the Slavs had a human form, except for the winged dog Simargl. The name and appearance of this god, in all likelihood, were also borrowed from the Iranian peoples, who revered the prophetic bird Simurgh. In Russian folk legends, the bird Div had a similar appearance, which, sitting on the top of a tree, screams like an animal, foreshadowing defeats and troubles.

Among the Western Slavs, the fiery Svarog was known under the name Radogost or Sventovita. He was considered their main god. Local priests turned him into a deity of war. In the Baltic city of Arkona there was a temple of Sventovit, crowned with a red roof (everything in this temple was red). The temple contained a wooden idol with four heads and a weapon dedicated to it. In his right hand, the idol held a horn, which was filled with wine every year. By the amount of the remaining drink they guessed about the future harvest. If there was little wine left, a crop failure was expected. At the temple there was a sacred white horse, which was used for fortune telling.

Zbruch idol

Pagan sanctuary. Unlike the Western Slavs, the inhabitants Eastern Europe no temple buildings were erected. The sanctuaries were built under open air. Each tribe had its own sanctuary. Usually it was a rounded area (the sanctuary of Perun near Novgorod had the shape of a flower), around which low ramparts and ditches were built, which had no defensive significance. A wooden idol was installed in the center of the site, ritual fires were lit in front of it and sacrifices were made: grain, domestic animals.

The sanctuary of the highest gods was built in Kyiv in 980 by Prince Vladimir, trying to give it national significance: “And he placed idols on a hill outside the courtyard of the chamber: Perun wooden, and his head is silver, and his mustache is golden, and Khors, Dazhdbog, and Stribog, and Simargla and Mokosh.” The idols looked like pillars with a carved image of a human head. Unfortunately, the wooden idols have not reached us. Several stone Slavic idols are known. The most famous of them is the Zbruch idol, found in the Carpathian region. The faces of the gods were depicted schematically, roughly, and were not endowed with individual features. Ritual actions Priests-magicians, or magi, performed in the sanctuaries. Elders and princes acted as priests.

They worshiped a whole pantheon of gods. In individual areas they differed significantly. History has preserved more than a hundred names, whose functions are quite definite and utilitarian. It is generally accepted that the gods of Ancient Rus' were divided into several levels. At first - main god, followed by the gods of the Sun, then the gods of everyday life, the last ones are the forces of darkness.

Supreme God and his pantheon

Let's take a closer look at how the pagan gods of Ancient Rus' differed.

The list is headed by the supreme god of the Slavs - Rod. He is located at the top of the divine pantheon. Rod is the ancestor, creator and ruler of all living things. He himself does not have a physical body and is a disembodied spirit that exists everywhere, uncreated and without beginning or end. Isn't it very similar to the Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu concept of God? The clan is capable of bursting with thunder, throwing lightning, and pouring rain. In his control there is life and death, abundance of the fruits of the earth and poverty. Everything is subject to him. No one has seen him, but he sees everyone. His name is still present in the words symbolizing our most important values ​​- “homeland”, “relative”, “spring” (in the sense - clean water), "rhodia" (ball lightning, that is, fire), "birth", "harvest", etc.

In terms of power and significance, he is followed by the Sun God. In Ancient Rus' he has four forms: Kolyada, Svarog, Yarilo and Dazhdbog. All incarnations operate according to seasons. In autumn, winter, spring and summer, people expect appropriate help from each of them. Each of them is associated with ritual meetings and farewells, popularly known as big holidays and festivities. Even today we enjoy baking pancakes for Maslenitsa, weaving wreaths and burning bonfires on Christmastide night.

Involvement of Divine Entities in Everyday Life

The gods of Ancient Rus', the list of which is very large, are mysterious entities that influence the entire cycle of life. They are divided into three levels according to their authority among other deities and according to their importance in everyday affairs. Upper - gods responsible for global, national issues: wars, weather, fertility. Middle - deities of more local governance - patrons of crafts, women's concerns, hunting and fishing, agriculture. All of them are similar in appearance to people.

The lowest level is reserved for spiritual entities whose appearance is significantly different from gods and people. These are all kinds of forest and house creatures - mermaids, goblins, brownies, kikimoras, ghouls, banniki, etc.

Kolyada

Without Kolyada, Yarila, Kupala and Svetovid it is impossible to imagine the paganism of Ancient Rus'. The gods responsible for the seasons begin their cycle with Kolyada.

Kolyada, or Horse, reigns on earth from December 22 to - from the winter solstice to spring equinox. This is the Baby Sun. They welcome his arrival in December. The celebration lasts two weeks, until January 7, at the very peak of winter, when agricultural work is not carried out and the short daylight hours are not conducive to handicrafts. These days are well known as Christmastide.

For the holidays, cattle were specially fattened and slaughtered, and barrels of pickles and fermentations were opened. Thrifty owners took the surplus to fairs. Most of the livestock were delivered from the burden of calves, kids, and lambs just at this time. Adult animals were used for food and sold, and mothers with newborn cubs were content with one portion. Everything was very reasonable and expedient.

Christmas time is the most fun time with songs, games, fortune telling, matchmaking and weddings. These are days and nights of unbridled fun, friendly gatherings, abundant feasts and completely legal idleness. Kolyada was praised with special songs - they thanked for preserving supplies, asked for a warm, snowy winter, health for themselves, their loved ones and livestock. It was customary to show generosity and mercy to the poor so that Kolyada would not bypass his benefactors with his mercy.

Yarilo

More adults follow solar gods Ancient Rus'. The list continues with Yarilo (Ruevit, Yar, Yarovit) - the Sun god young age. Wherever he looks, there will be a cornfield, where he passes, there useful plants will rise. Yarilo is also responsible for the fertility of animals. He is described as a young guy riding across the sky on a white horse. In his hands is a bow and arrows, his feet are bare, and on his head is a crown of rye ears with wildflowers. Its time is from March 21, when nature is actively awakening from winter sleep, until June 22. By this time, food supplies are completely running out, and there is a lot of work. In spring the day feeds the year. Peasants plow and sow the land, place chickens on nests, check pastures, and tidy up houses and outbuildings. Rituals pleasing Yarila are carried out immediately after the spring equinox. Intensive work ends on the day of the summer solstice, when the sun turns back.

Dazhdbog

Dazhdbog, or Kupaila, Kupala, is a god in his prime, a mature man. His arrival is celebrated on the longest night of the year - June 22. The gods of Ancient Rus', according to legend, love noisy holidays. When seeing off Yarila and welcoming Kupala, they organize games, burn an effigy of Yarila, jump over fires, float wreaths on the water, look for a fern flower and make wishes. The gods of Ancient Rus' and the Slavs react to them with goodwill.

As you know, our ancestors lived well and comfortably. They knew how to work well and have fun from the heart. During the Dazhbog season, the earth gives up all its juices to the fruits planted in it. Long daylight hours and a large amount of work - making hay, harvesting the first harvest, storing fruit for the winter, repairing and building housing - required dedicated labor from our ancestors. There is a lot of work in the summer, but it is not hard when Dazhdbog helps with rain and on sunny days. On September 23, on the day of the autumn equinox, the power of Dazhdbog ends.

Svarog

The fourth age of the Sun God begins with the autumn equinox on September 23 and ends on December 22, the winter solstice. The God of Ancient Rus' Svarog, or Svetovid, is an old god, the husband of the Earth, the father of the Sun, Dazhdbog and the gods of the most significant natural phenomena. He gave fire to Dazhdbog and gave him the power to throw thunder and lightning. In legends he is represented as a gray-haired old man. His time is a period of prosperity, satiety and peace. The people enjoy the stored fruits of the earth for three months, play weddings, organize fairs and do not grieve about anything. According to the chronicles, the god of Ancient Rus' Svarog is a tall man with four heads on four necks. It faces north, south, west and east. In his hand is a sword with which God defeats the forces of darkness.

Perun

Perun is the son of Svarog. In his hands are lightning arrows and a rainbow bow. The clouds are his face, beard and hair, thunder is the word of God, the wind is his breath, and the rain is the fertilizing seed. The Vikings and Varangians believed that the best god in the pantheon was, of course, Perun. Why is God the son of Svarog and the Earth in Ancient Rus'? Endowed with a cool and changeable disposition, the formidable and powerful Svarozhich is considered the patron saint of brave warriors. It gives them luck in military affairs and strength in confrontation with any enemy.

The Slavs attribute to him love and patronage of blacksmiths and plowmen. Both of them did the hardest work, and Perun patronizes everyone who does not shy away from putting physical strength into their work.

Perun is the god of war in Ancient Rus'. When preparing for military campaigns or expecting an enemy attack, the Slavs made sacrifices to him. Altars dedicated to Perun were decorated with military trophies, armor and weapons. The statue of the god was carved from the trunk of the largest tree. A fire was lit in front of her, on which the sacrificial animal was burned. Dances with pipes and rattles were accompanied by songs containing words of request for victory over the enemy.

Veles

Veles is the favorite god of farmers and cattle breeders. He is also called the bestial god. The Slavs did not separate these areas of peasant life - everyone had cattle, and everyone plowed the land. Veles (Hair, Month) - god of wealth. Veles was initially identified with Perun. He also commanded the clouds and was a shepherd of the heavenly sheep, but later he was ordered to care for the earthly flock. Veles sends rain to the fields and meadows. After harvesting, he was always left with one sheaf unmown. This tradition is also still preserved. It was the gods of Ancient Rus' Veles and Perun who were always the most revered by the people. Our ancestors swore allegiance and word of honor with them. This is mentioned in the “History of the Russian State” by N. M. Karamzin.

Stribog

If we analyze which gods were worshiped in Ancient Rus' with the greatest zeal, then these are mostly the gods of the elemental forces of nature. For modern Russians, it is very difficult not to confuse them with each other. Take the same Stribog. How to distinguish him from Perun, Veles, Posvist, Weather and other lords of wind and rain?

Stribog is the ruler of the wind, clouds, storms and blizzards. He can be both evil and good. The god holds a horn in his hands. He blows into it and summons the elements. From his wind arose music, songs and musical instruments. Understanding the magical effect of music on the human psyche was born from the sounds of nature - the sound of water, leaves, the whistling and howling of the wind in pipes, crevices and among trees. All this is Stribog's orchestra. They pray to Stribog for rain and for its cessation, as well as for the subsidence of the strong wind. Hunters ask for his help before going after a timid and sensitive animal.

Lada

The most information has been preserved about this goddess. Lada is the female incarnation of the supreme god Rod. Her clothes are clouds, and the dew is tears. In the morning haze - the goddess's veil - the shadows of the departed move, whom she leads to the afterlife.

The main temple of the goddess stood on Lake Ladoga. The High Priestess was chosen very carefully. This can be compared to how the Dalai Lama is elected. At first, the Magi identified the women most suitable for the role of mother goddess. They had to be distinguished by intelligence, beauty, dexterity, strength and courage. Then their daughters, who had reached the age of five, were collected for the competition. Several winners became students of the Magi. For eight years they learned the intricacies of various fields of knowledge, sciences and crafts. At thirteen they were tested again. The most worthy one became the high priestess - the embodiment of Lada, and the rest served as her retinue.

Sacrifices to Lada consisted of flowers woven into wreaths and pancakes or pancakes. They were burned in a ritual fire. This happened on the feast of Ladodaniya. The best young men and women lit torches from the sacrificial fire and, passing the baton, carried them throughout Rus'. On the morning of the holiday, the priestess gave a speech. She came out to people dressed up, wearing a wreath of the most beautiful flowers. It was believed that at that moment she entered her body and mouth. She talked about what awaited her fellow tribesmen, how they should live, what they could and should do, and what they couldn’t. If she named a person, then woe to him if it was a reproach. The whole clan turned against the one rejected by the goddess. She could have acquitted the innocently accused. Having finished her speech, the woman dropped to her knees. This was a sign that the heavenly Lada had left the priestess’s body. The Magi put a beautiful dress on her, and the fun began.

Lada is primarily the patroness of women. Under her protection are home, childbirth and love. Some sources draw a parallel between the Slavic Lada and the Roman Venus.

Friday is a day dedicated to Lada. The women rested on Friday. It was believed that any business started by a woman on this day of the week would back up, that is, slow down all other work.

Mokosh

Mokosh, or Makesha, is another goddess who guards the family hearth. Translated from Old Church Slavonic, her name means “full wallet.” Mokosh is the deity of trade, the final harvest, existing fruits, their sale and the most correct use. The statue of the goddess is made holding a large horn in her hands. Her arms and head are larger than those of the average person and are disproportionate to the rest of her body. She is credited with managing the fruits of the earth. Therefore, another purpose of Mokoshi is to control fate.

Mokosh is particularly interested in weaving and spinning. In many beliefs, spinning thread is associated with weaving destiny. They say that an unfinished tow should not be left overnight, otherwise Mokosha will ruin the yarn, and therefore his fate. In some northern regions she was considered an evil goddess.

Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa

Goddess Paraskeva-Friday is the successor of Mokosha. She wears a white dress. Patronizes trade and youth celebrations with games, songs and dances. For this reason it's Friday for a long time It was a market day in Rus', when women were not allowed to work. For disobedience, she can turn the disobedient girl into a frog.

The goddess is responsible for the purity of water in wells and helps to find underground springs. To ensure that Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa always helps, women sew pieces of woolen tow into their aprons.

Semargl

One of the most ancient and, if I may say so, stable gods is Semargl. This god is one of the seven most revered. The origin of the name is shrouded in mystery. Another name, Pereplut, seems more Russian, but its meaning has been lost over the years. Smargle is the only god who has the appearance of an animal - a winged dog. He serves as an intermediary between people and gods. Semargl transmits sacrifices. He is the god of fire.

Semargl once brought a branch of the tree of life to earth. Since then, he has taken seeds and crops under his protection. He is the god of plant roots and knows how to heal diseases.

Chernobog

Forest thickets, swamps, whirlpools and ponds with stagnant water are terrible. Ancient Rus' preserved many legends about various evil spirits living in them.

Slavic gods are not all kind and pleasant for Russian people. This is Chernobog - the ruler of the forces of evil, the god of darkness, disease and misfortune. In his hands is a spear, and his face is full of anger. He rules the night. And although Belobog opposes him, those subordinate to Chernobog are very numerous and insatiable. These are mermaids, sucking into pools of water, goblins, confusing forest paths, capricious brownies, cunning banniki.

Moraine

Morena, or Maruja, is the goddess of evil and death. She rules cold winter, on a stormy night, during wars and disease epidemics. She is represented as a scary woman with a black face, a bony body, a sunken snub nose and long curved claws. Her servants are diseases. During battle, she attaches herself to the wounded and drinks their blood. Morena never leaves on her own. Perun drives her away. During the festival of the meeting of the god Perun, the Slavs mercilessly destroy the idol of Morena.

The penetration of Christianity into pagan rituals

There is an opinion that Christianity is less close to Russians than paganism. It is no coincidence, they say, that for more than a thousand years we have not outlived many ancient customs, such as: the celebration of Maslenitsa, wedding rituals, pleasing the brownie, belief in black cat, a woman with an empty bucket, etc. Nevertheless, the advisability of introducing a new religion is beyond doubt. During the time of Prince Vladimir, who baptized Rus', there was great disunity between individual principalities and tribes. Only a common ideology could reconcile everyone. Christianity became such a binding force. His rituals, the times of holidays and fasts are organically included in the annual cycle of everyday affairs and everyday life, and Christian saints no less effectively help believers who have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ in urgent matters. The word “Orthodoxy” itself came from Ancient Rus'. The gods of the Slavs helped our ancestors no worse than the Christian saints. The appeal to them was the right word, that is, Orthodoxy.

The rejection by many of us of the current form of Orthodoxy is the rejection of church officials who make money in unjust ways. In pre-Christian times, there were also priests who weaved intrigues and grew rich on offerings obtained by cunning.

The gods of Ancient Rus' and the Slavs changed their functions from time to time and turned from good to evil, moving from one hypostasis to another. Their ancestry differed in many areas. This created conflict situations. The great gods of Ancient Rus' did not disappear anywhere, just as the one God, the creator of the whole world, did not disappear. They simply began to be called by other names - the names of Christian saints, and at the head of the divine pantheon is the son of the Creator, Jesus Christ, who died as a martyr on the cross in order to atone for our sins. He brought the New Testament - the law of people's love for each other. This didn't happen before. In earlier times, disputes were settled only by physical force. Correctly understanding and accepting this law is what we must learn and teach our children. If the pagan gods of Ancient Rus', the list of which with various incarnations and transformations, as well as by location exceeds hundreds, often caused strife between individual clans, then Christian saints were never the cause of disunity between Christians of different denominations.

Since ancient times, people have explained many phenomena as the “wrath” or “gift” of God. To the question “how many pagan gods were there?” no one can answer. Only a few pagan gods are known, such as the ancient Russian god Svarog or Dazhdbog, but they could also form a pantheon.

 There were also pagan gods of a “lower” class, who united minorities or were associated with seasonal rituals or economic cycles.

Also included in this class of pagan gods were female deities, in which only a few groups believed. 

 As a sign respect for all gods, feasts were held for everyone, where they sacrificed all kinds of livestock like goats and rams, thus influencing them, and sometimes they simply brewed beer with the whole tribe. At such holidays, pagan gods also ate alongside people.

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Various pagan gods and spirits controlled certain elements and impulses of natural phenomena. The gods represented the role of the creator in their domain. In turn, people with developed consciousness controlled natural gods and spirits.

 After listing some pagan gods, you can not only learn about that era, but also compare the cultures of different peoples.

Svarog, he is also a saint - researchers believe that he was supreme god Eastern Slavs and heavenly fire. He is depicted in the drawings as a warrior with a four-headed horse, which symbolizes the cardinal directions. In his hand you can see a cornucopia.

Perun - in Slavic mythology he took the place of the thunder god. At the end of the years of paganism in Rus', he was the main god, personifying princely power. Depicted in the drawings as an angry bull of Tours. There is also a mention of it in the book “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.”

 Veles is known as the central deity in Slavic mythology and was the patron of domestic animals. One of the greatest gods of the ancient world.

Rod is the parent of all living things and everything that we see around us. His merits included the separation of Truth from Falsehood. Some consider him one of the oldest deities.

 Avsen, aka Ovsen,

Usen is a pagan god who changes the seasons. Represented in images by a man on a golden-red horse, who brought spring and autumn.

Lada - harmony, love and beauty are under the rule of this Slavic goddess. In her images you can see a beautiful maiden with a huge bouquet of flowers.

Belobog is the god of fertility.

Niy, aka Viy, is a pagan god who acts as a posthumous judge and ruler of the underworld. Gloomy guardian of souls. Souls that have left their bodies.

Lelya is the daughter of Lada, the goddess of Spring. Inextricably linked with the awakening of nature in spring, as well as the resumption of field work.

Alive - youth, beauty, fruitful strength, all this in the personification of Spring.

Makosh is the pagan goddess of fate, as well as all women's handicrafts. "Makosh" can be referred to as "mother". Prefers female fertility and productivity, economic prosperity in the house.

Mara is the most ancient Slavic goddess. Death, aka Morena, Mara. Gloomy, but not at all angry.

Volkh - supposedly was a werewolf god, an earthly god, a god of hunting.

Stribog was the god of the wind in Slavic mythology. The tamer of the storm, found on the pages of the book “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.”

Yarila (Yarilo) - ardent, like a hot-tempered, cheerful, furious. Yarila was a rider on a white horse with red hair.

Chernobog - acted as the pagan god of darkness, the ruler of Navi and the Pekel kingdom. Depicted as a humanoid idol. Black body color and silver mustache.

Dajbog is the sun god who gives warmth and light. Ancestors believed that this pagan god was the patron of weddings.

Dogoda is the pagan god of warm winds and pleasant weather. God of the quiet. In the images one can see a ruddy young man in a cornflower blue wreath, with wings behind his back, who overshadows everything around with his smile.

Chislobog is the pagan god of numbers, conqueror of time. This god has two faces - one like the sun, and the other like a crescent. The sun symbolizes the flow of the day, and the moon symbolizes the night.

Horse is the Slavic god of the Sun, a relative of Veles. Scientists for a long time were unable to determine its entire nature.

Semargp is the Slavic god of fire, who is only mistakenly called the heavenly dog ​​who guards the seeds for sowing.

Chur - among our ancestors this pagan deity was of low rank, but many remember and honor him. It is believed that he was the ruler and guardian of land holdings.

 And many more different deities responsible for various moments life.

Prayer is the most popular genre of religious literature, inherited from the ancient pagans. Every culture and people had their own prayer. The Greek hymn, the Babylonian psalm, the prayers of the Romans in prose, the liturgy of the Vedas - all this is just a small part of the prayers raised to the pagan gods.

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Paganism (people, peoples) - it is generally accepted that these are different religions adopted before Christianity. In other words, there are many divine religions. Christianity is the direct opposite of these religions, since paganism meant people and “tongues”.

Pagan gods were a national religion, but the pagans themselves did not call themselves this definition. Pagan gods magically influenced nature and communicated with their ancestors. In the cult of pagan gods, in addition to the usual “calendar” holidays, there were also agricultural celebrations, as well as family feasts. Later, such religions began to be simply destroyed by Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism, but they failed to completely destroy such a cult.

 Scientists, in turn, try to avoid the term “paganism” because of the diversity of concepts in this word.

In 980, Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich made an attempt to create a nationwide pagan pantheon, but unfortunately the attempt failed. After which the baptism of Rus' took place in 988. This opinion should be considered erroneous, since initially many peoples already had a pantheon. This pantheon was erected for a different reason. But nevertheless, paganism was pushed into popular culture by official religions (Christianity, Buddhism, Islam).

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The ancient Slavic pantheon of gods was actually quite extensive and included about 70 different characters. Mostly these gods were associated with some forces of nature, and the most important of them was Rod. The Slavs believed that this deity created all visible reality, separated Reality from Navi (the visible world from the spiritual), as well as Truth from Falsehood. Rod is considered the most ancient deity, the patron of NATURE, fertility, and HARVEST. Our ancestors believed that he is the lord of the clouds and sends a soul to earth at the birth of a child. Its bird is considered to be a duck, and its fish is a pike, since in many legends women give birth to children after tasting fish soup from this particular fish.

Ancient Slavic gods have similar names to Indian ones

Nowadays, fans of the ancient religion erect monuments to Rod in the form of red phallic symbols made of ash, elm or beech, which echoes Indian tradition erect similar monuments in honor of the Indian forest of Rudra. The latter is also the god of thunder, agriculture and fertility and is a creature with red skin, black hair and a blue neck. Indian Rudra is also a warrior, dressed in animal skins. God Rod is still unconsciously worshiped in Rus', when they celebrate April 21, the day of the Orthodox Rodion the Icebreaker (in pagan - Radogoshche).

The customs of those times are still observed today

Next to Rod in the Slavic epic there are two goddesses (Lada and her daughter Lelya), who patronize pregnant and giving birth women. Lada is the wife of Rod, correlated in other cultures with Venus, Hyperborean Lato or Demeter. She was associated with the period of summer ripening of fruits, a home, and an established way of life. In Russian, this is expressed in the words LADit, ESTABLISH, that is, establish order, arrange. The goddess Lelya patronized among the Slavs maiden love, lovers, beauty, happiness, and the first shoots on arable land. Therefore, it was customary to call Lelya - Spring - at the end of April (then the climate was more severe and the winter was long). Ancient Slavic gods did not leave any tablets to the peoples living on the territory of Rus' (or perhaps they were lost over time). However for many years, up to our time, some customs bequeathed since then are observed. For example, it was customary to tonsure a child for the first time “on Rozhanitsa,” that is, on the day of the holiday in their honor, September 8-9.

Four Sun Gods in Rus'

The ancient Slavic god of the Sun, according to a number of versions, was not alone in Rus' in prehistoric times. Researchers discovered that people then worshiped different solar deities in different times year. Thus, the god Khors, identified with the growth of solar energy flows (Kolyada), was given offerings during the period from the winter solstice to the spring equinox (12/22 - 03/21). This deity “managed” directly the solar disk and brought the light to the sky on a chariot (for the Greeks, Helios performed such functions). The name of God comes from the word “choir”, which meant “circle”; the word “round dance” and “horoshul” - a ritual pie - a round-shaped kurnik - have the same root.

The ancient Slavic sun god Yarilo received his share of offerings and prayers between March 21 and June 22. His arrival brought increased productive power in plants, the awakening of people's feelings and temperament, as well as courage. Therefore, Yarilo was also a warrior, the son of Veles and Diva-Dodola, who conceived a child immaculately by smelling the lily of the valley into which Veles turned. He was associated either with a young, temperamental youth, or with a woman dressed in men's attire. Therefore in Slavic languages there are many “feminine” words associated with this god - rage, milkmaid, spring - “yara”, spring sheep - “yarka”, spring wheat, etc.

God taught people to forge iron

The ancient Slavic gods of the Sun - Dazhdbog (Kupala) and Svetovit - Svarog - were respectively responsible for solar energy in the second half of the year. Dazhdbog, identified among the Slavs with sunlight, “ruled” from the end of June to the end of September, and Svarog - from September 23 to the winter solstice. The circle was closing. Particularly revered in Rus' was Svarog, who was a great blacksmith, warrior and patron of the family hearth. He taught people to smelt copper and iron and, according to some researchers, he commanded a ban on polygamy or polyandry. Svarog was worshiped on the territory of modern Czech Republic and Slovakia, and his largest sanctuary was located in Poland. The ancestors of the Eastern Slavs called God Rarog, which is somewhat consonant with the name of Rurik, who became the first official ruler of the tribes of ancient Rus'.

The Slavs worshiped the earth

The ancient Slavic gods had a certain hierarchy, to the highest level of which belonged those who personified the most significant forces of nature. Including Svarog, Dazhdbog, Fire and Mother of Cheese Earth. The latter was an integral part of the universe, along with air, water, and fire. IN ancient rituals burial elements of the deification of the earth are represented by a special arrangement of the dead - in the form of embryos, which reflects the return to the mother's womb. The soil from such graves was considered sacred; people tried to touch it in order to cleanse themselves of misfortunes (the modern tradition is to throw a handful on the coffin lid). In Rus' it was customary to carry land in amulet when leaving. Until the beginning of the last century, peasants celebrated her name day on Spiritual Day (it was impossible to carry out any manipulations, plowing, sowing, digging, etc.).

Ancient Slavic gods and goddesses have differences in names and functions in different regions of residence of the Slavic tribes. For example, Grandfather the Omniscient, who is the deity of spring thunderstorms, is called by the Bulgarians “Grandfather the Lord” and is associated with the old man who came to people to teach them to plow and sow. The goddess Makosh, who was worshiped to obtain a good harvest, and even Prince Vladimir in Kyiv put her in the pantheon of gods, for northern peoples was Mokosh - the unkind goddess of cold.

Don't wake up - it will be worse!

The ancient Slavic goddesses Dolya and Nedolya were Mokosh’s companions and determined the fate of a person. The share wove a happy destiny and could instantly move around the world, without knowing any obstacles. She made friends with everyone, but did not like lazy people, drunkards, evil people, leaving them. Nedolya made a person’s life miserable, regardless of his own will. Troubles haunted the unfortunate man until Nedolya fell asleep, which was reflected in the warning proverb: “While Likho is sleeping, don’t wake him.”

Did Greek and Slavic gods wear similar “magic” shoes?

Ancient Slavic gods and their purpose are the subject of research by modern scientists. It is believed that the deities in question fulfilled the needs of society of that time to find explanations for the influence of natural forces and ways to appease these forces. Let us note that analogies with the cults of gods in other regions of the earth come across very often. For example, the Western Slavs had the god Dobrogost, who brought good news from “ heavenly office", who, like Hermes, was depicted in winged shoes, like walking boots. Therefore, it can be assumed that the ancient gods of those times may not have been only an expression of the forces of nature and manifested themselves visually in different parts of the planet, as recorded in myths, legends and customs of service among different peoples.