For some reason, it so happened historically that we are interested in Greek mythology, antiquity, we read with delight about the 12 labors of Hercules, we study Ancient Egypt with enthusiasm, but we almost do not know our own past, our ancient traditions, we have the most vague ideas about paganism and mythology of the ancient Slavs, are indifferent to their own folklore, fairy tales, epics, folk ideas. But Slavic mythology is no less interesting and important for our peoples. Even a schoolboy knows who Zeus, Apollo, Hera are, but ask a Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, who his ancestors believed in, he will only remember one Perun, and even then he will not be able to really explain what function this god performed. The same applies to the so-called "lower mythology", the ancient Slavic bestiary. After all, even here we know Western mythological creatures better, although the same ghouls, werewolves, mermaids are part of Slavic culture.

Paganism, along with the Christian tradition, nourished our folklore, it is a rich source of images, associations, plots, heroes, artistic means, phraseological units, folk wisdom. But these riches did not remain in the past, they were also inherited by Russian literature: let us recall at least Gogol (“Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka”, “Petersburg Collection” and much more), A.K. Tolstoy (“Ghoul”, “ Prince Silver") and A.S. Pushkin ("Ruslan and Lyudmila", fairy tales). Our classics treated fairy tales, proverbs, folk songs with great respect and interest and used their images in their works. And for a better understanding of our own history, traditions, knowledge of this layer of Slavic culture is necessary. And this includes both Western and Southern Slavs, I'm talking here not only about Russians, there is a lot in common in the mythologies of our peoples, they have the same roots. Mythology, folklore is another thing that unites us, despite different historical paths, for all the differences. These ideas shaped our peoples, they influenced the life of ancient people, their actions, family life.

Study of Slavic mythology

In this article, I will not try to cover the whole topic, because it is extremely extensive and will require more than one article and even more than one book. Here we will talk only about some basic things, the pagan pantheon, the worldview of the Slavs. In addition, I have not yet had the opportunity to study all the available literature and summarize the rather contradictory material, and I do not pretend now to have any of my own discoveries. In this case, I rely mainly on the concept and books of Boris Alexandrovich Rybakov "Paganism of the Ancient Slavs" and "Paganism of Ancient Russia". Later I will turn to other books and write about more specific points, I will supplement this article, because. The topic interests me very much and I am immersed in it. I am also attracted by the history of Ancient Russia itself.

Unfortunately, the study Slavic mythology is greatly complicated by the lack of sources specifically describing all folk ideas and traditions. This is partly due to the fact that Christianity desperately fought against all pagan "survivals", the church authorities executed the Magi, condemned those who remained faithful to the old, grandfather's traditions, forbade folk holidays having pagan roots. Much has been forgotten; it is unlikely that the entire mythological system can be restored in its entirety. Ancient mythology was much more fortunate. However, not everything is lost, despite widespread assurances that Christianity was adopted in Russia painlessly and people did not resist, in fact, paganism existed for a long time after the adoption of Christianity, repeatedly in the 10th, and even in the 11th-12th centuries. there was a return of part of the population to the old traditions, the ancient gods. This was caused by the uncleanliness of the priests, the inconsistency of their behavior with the norms that they taught people, but also by objective conditions beyond their control - crop failure, drought, terrible famine, diseases. At these moments, people's faith in the Christian God weakened, and the Magi, experts in ancient traditions, who had survived to this time, again began to enjoy authority, led the people. Paganism was always closer to ordinary people, artisans, peasants, while the Christian faith most often supported the authority of the existing government. Even Ivan the Terrible found pagan holidays and rituals in the villages, personally participated in them at a young age, and then, having come to power and being a deeply religious person (which, however, was somehow combined in his nature with manifestations of extreme suspicion and cruelty), he condemned these festivities and ordered the church to fight in every possible way with such beliefs. Many rituals existed even until the end of the 19th century, as evidenced by the ethnographers who became interested in them at that time. It was then that the first attempts were made to study and describe these ideas. Even people who are far from philology will surely name at least one person who devoted his life to collecting fairy tales, studying folk traditions- Alexander Nikolaevich Afanasiev. The works of this scientist, however, are very outdated, at that time he had neither the appropriate methodology nor examples of studies that could be guided by. He had to think a lot, guess for himself, reconstruct Slavic mythology, which is inevitably accompanied by mistakes, although his books are still interesting and important, and in those years his works were very bold and original, almost unparalleled. Here it would be worth mentioning at least Izmail Ivanovich Sreznevsky, a Slavic philologist, ethnographer, teacher of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, as well as my countryman, a Slavic scholar from Tula - Ivan Petrovich Sakharov, A.A. Potebnya and V.Ya. Propp. It was these people who stood at the foundations of both philology in its modern form and Slavic ethnography.

Princely Mound Black Grave in Chernihiv

During the years of Soviet power, interest in paganism was not particularly welcomed, as, indeed, in many other things. Even if Christianity was not honored at that time, what can we say about some ancient religions and a strange interest in them. Even Afanasiev's books were not republished until the 80s, although now it is difficult to understand what could be counter-revolutionary and dangerous in them, because this is our history. At the same time, since the 80s and especially in the 90s, zero years, interest in paganism has increased dramatically. And not only at the level of study, there were even supporters of this ancient religion, "rodnovery". They also studied paganism, and, studying and reconstructing, they openly believed in the ancient gods. I am not going to condemn or praise this aspect, but the study of history and cultural studies is not even on the part of historians and philologists (and among these people there were many scientists from the natural and exact sciences, which is remarkable) - this is definitely positive moment. If only these studies were conscientious. At the moment, there is a huge amount of research, often contradictory, of a polemical nature. These are hundreds of books, thousands of articles, collections of archaeological reports. Slavic mythology was studied by scientists of the most different countries. These are Czech researchers, and Russian, and Ukrainian, Polish. Such a wealth of materials and points of view allows us to form a clearer understanding of the issue.

The main sources for the study of Slavic mythology

On the basis of what is ancient mythology restored, what helps us to reconstruct it, what are the main sources? Pagan ideas went through several stages, they did not remain unchanged, some basic ideas were formed back in the times of the first or second millennium BC, but it is quite difficult to judge that time. Rybakov in his book "Paganism of Ancient Russia" makes a very detailed digression of that time, below we will touch on this issue a little. Paganism developed and reached its peak just in time for the VIII-IX centuries, that is, by the time of the baptism of Russia. Old Russian chronicles, works of Greek, Roman and Eastern historians and travelers, Scandinavian sagas help us to restore the approximate direction of the evolution of mythology and its main features. Unfortunately, our ancient Russian Christian chroniclers did not have a goal to fully describe pagan ideas, to convey this information to posterity. They couldn't have predicted that far ahead. The chronicles themselves, despite a common misconception, were not written with the aim of writing history for future generations, the chronicle was supposed to legitimize the power of the prince, show its sacred character, unite different tribes and cities under his command, form a positive image of power (just like in our times ). Probably, the chroniclers were also driven by a purely research interest, but at that time people generally thought in other categories and almost every year expected the end of the world, and were not at all interested in looking into the distant future, abstract reflections on the historical process. Now it is difficult for us to understand that an ancient person is not our contemporary, but with a different language and in different clothes, he was brought up differently and thinks in other categories. Be that as it may, it is important that all descriptions of pagan rituals, folk festivals, ancient gods are sharply negative. The scribes wrote about what they themselves saw directly and what was well known to all their contemporaries, and they wrote about it for censure, in order to indicate how not to do it. Therefore, we receive information about mythology more often from teachings directed against them.

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov. Trizna according to Oleg

An interesting and important source is also the "Tale of Igor's Campaign" (XII century), the author of which widely used pagan images, epithets, metaphors, openly named the names of ancient gods, glorifying the era of Vladimir Monomakh, when Russia was united and could resist nomads, eternal a threat to our land. Here the gods are mentioned without judgment, which is important, and our princes and princesses are able to turn into birds and beasts. The heroes directly turn to the sun as a god and ask him for help. All this is explained by the existence in Russia of the cult of the wolf and solar deities and heroes.

What cannot be extracted from texts in which information about paganism is fragmentary, archeology helps to restore. Stone monuments, found mounds, household items, clothes, houses, decorations, applied art give us important information. All these things often have solar and plant symbols on them, which are aimed at bringing prosperity and protecting people from trouble, evil forces that have great power and are everywhere around. Ethnographic materials collected in the 19th-20th centuries also serve as an important source of information. In the villages and on the outskirts, old ideas and rituals were preserved for the longest time, where they continued to influence people's lives. These surviving traditions can be linked to ancient times. This also includes works of folklore, fairy tales, epics, myths, songs, proverbs and sayings. The language itself keeps the memory and wisdom of the ages, testifies to all the changes that have taken place. The names of villages and cities, rivers, mountains often convey to us knowledge about ancient, pagan times, so onomastics is a science that helps the study of mythology. In addition, much can be understood by comparing the ideas of different peoples, using the knowledge and methods of religious and cultural studies, referring to the materials studied by such scientists as C. G. Jung, James Fraser, Edward Tylor, A.A. Potebnya, V.Ya. Propp. Without knowledge of the works of these researchers, their concepts, the study of Slavic mythology is also impossible.

Worldview of the ancient Slavs. The main stages in the development of paganism

How did the ancient Slavs see the world, what did they believe in? For ancient people, the whole world was spiritualized, filled with life. Myths try to explain both the movement of the sun and planets, and the change of day and night, the seasons. To some extent, they try to describe how the world works, where it came from, what forces influence it. Magical creatures inhabited the whole earth, the Slavs prayed to sacred groves and trees, rivers, wells. They believed in mermaids (winged maidens, bringing heavenly moisture to the earth, giving life-giving rain and returning to us in the spring) and brownies, ancestral spirits who were honored and who helped people. They also believed in vampire ghouls, navi, evil spirits that did harm. People knew how to defend themselves from some and how to attract others, how to avoid danger, what to beware of, and how to influence natural processes with the help of a ritual in the right way.

In every nation, the sun was perceived as the main source of all earthly blessings, as a divine patron, sending light and heat, allowing fruits to ripen. Hence, many gods were associated with the sun. Sreznevsky in his short work correctly pointed out that many Slavic gods were related to the sun (Dazhbog, Khors, Svarog, Svyatovit). Sacrifices were made to the sun, they prayed to it. It was presented to people in the form of a warrior, often riding a chariot (a stable image in different cultures), harnessed by birds or fiery horses. It was the heavenly king governing earthly life. All major pagan holidays were associated with various cycles of solar activity. All beliefs are connected in one way or another with the basics of the life of peoples, their way of life. And, of course, the paganism of the ancient Slavs was associated at first with the activities of hunters and gatherers, and then, when the way of life changed, with agricultural labor and cattle breeding. No more, no less depended on the land and weather conditions - the survival of the entire tribe. Hence the animation and deification of the earth itself, not by chance, for example, the appeal "Mother Cheese-Earth" and the cult of the goddess of the earth. Fertility was associated not only with the harvest, but also with the safe birth of children, the replenishment of livestock and game. Fertility rituals were partly sexual in nature. The tribe needed new people for its well-being, they rejoiced at the birth of children and waited for it. The fertility of a woman was an important quality, she was associated with natural processes in nature itself. Surprisingly accurately, the people were able to notice when the sown fields need rain, and when it will be fatal for them, when it is worth especially beingware of a thunderstorm, and when it is necessary to say goodbye to too much heat. All this has been enshrined in pagan rituals and myths for centuries. These holidays have largely survived to our time, however, some dates were moved by the church, the place of the old pagan holidays was taken by the Orthodox, and some Christian saints took the place of the old gods, retaining their main functions and features (St. Blaise instead of Volos, Elijah the Prophet instead of Perun) . The ancient Slavs had a phallic cult, and the phallus, apparently, symbolized Rod. The famous Zbruch idol, found in the Zbruch River (a tributary of the Dniester), has a clear phallic character. Veiled and explicit images of the phallus played an important role in some ceremonies, especially in the wedding. The connection between the sexual sphere and agricultural magic can be traced, for example, in the tradition of performing ritual intercourse in a sown field.

The Slavs made sacrifices to the gods - grain, honey, cooked food, animals. For a certain time, people were also sacrificed, more often strangers, because of which some ancient pagan cities, which enjoyed such fame, travelers tried to bypass. The cult of Perun was especially bloody and warlike. The Slavs had special sanctuaries for the glorification of the gods and prayers - temples - with places for sacrifices - trebishments. Usually, temples were created in hard-to-reach, protected places - on hills, mountains, in the middle of swamps (apparently, a connection with water). Places that used to have ritual significance often still retain their pagan names - Red, Bald, Maiden Mountains, where, according to legend, witches gathered for their covens, the Volkhov River, where the pagan gods of Novgorod were thrown, the Peryn tract, where archaeologists were an ancient temple was found, the city of Dedoslavl (an obvious connection with the cult of ancestors). There was a custom to light bonfires on the tops of the mountains on the night of Ivan Kupala, which survived in the Carpathian region until the 19th century and was described by ethnographers. It was a very solemn spectacle, visible for hundreds of miles around.

Spell of flax and yarn on a bracelet from the settlement (Galician principality) of the 12th-13th centuries.

Certain objects of worship, wooden sculptures of brownies were also in residential buildings. There were idols in the temples, most often, apparently, the Slavs made them of wood, which is why most of them have not survived to our time. The idols were wooden pillars with anthropomorphic features and attributes traditional for each god. Perun was depicted with a sword, Veles with a horn, symbolizing abundance. The sanctuaries were surrounded by ditches and stone ramparts, usually in the center of the cleared area there was a figure of the main god or an altar. Bonfires, animal bones, and sometimes human remains are found in these places. They worshiped not only artificially made idols, but also unusual natural objects. Archaeologists have found trees with boar tusks in them, which apparently had ritual significance. Large stones of an unusual shape are found that served as idols or pebbles with natural holes inside, which, it was believed, drove away evil spirits and brought good luck. Among the ancient Slavs for a long time there were cults of the bear and the cult of the wolf. The bear, apparently, was a totem animal, hence the unusual descriptive, allegorical form of the name - “knowing” “honey”. A special holiday in Belarus was associated with the bear cult, which was also recorded in the 19th century - comedians. This holiday was celebrated around March 24 and closely adjoined Shrovetide. The awakening of the bear in the spring was associated with the awakening of all nature. The bear, as a totem animal, also had to convey to the tribe his strength, power, fearlessness, his knowledge of the forest. Winter holidays are associated with the cult of the wolf, among the Slavic peoples there are widespread beliefs about "wolves", "wolves", werewolves. According to Herodotus, the neurons (one of the tribes of the Proto-Slavs who lived on the territory of modern Ukraine and Belarus) believed that they were werewolves and once a year turn into wolves, on certain days they put on clothes with fur outside or wolf skins and performed ritual dances and rituals:

“These people (neuri) are apparently werewolves. After all, the Scythians and Hellenes who live in Scythia say that once a year each Nevr becomes a wolf for several days and then returns to its previous state again. Herodotus

Among the main pagan holidays, it is worth mentioning Ivan Kupala (June 24, old, July 7, new style), Kolyada (December 22, the winter solstice), Shrovetide (according to Rybakov, March 24, the day of the vernal equinox, from which in ancient times a new year), a harvest festival on September 8, when women in labor were revered - later it was replaced Christian holiday nativity of the virgin. These dates are related to the solar cycle. Holidays were celebrated both on the streets, in special places, in nature or in temples, and at home. Among the princely combatants, it was customary to arrange rich feasts, during which many important issues were often discussed, the soldiers openly expressed their opinion. These feasts also had a ritual character and existed for a long time even after the adoption of Christianity, with which the churchmen stubbornly fought. Meat food was of great importance here, and Christian fasts limited its use, which some rulers and soldiers were dissatisfied with.

Images of wolves or leopards with a dog-like head. White stone carving XII-XIII centuries. Vladimir-Suzdal land.

funeral rites in different time were different. Initially, apparently, our ancestors buried the dead in the ground, believing that in this way they help to get a rich harvest, patronize their relatives. Obviously, some tribes also had the idea that after death people turn into totem animals. Travelers describe rich and lengthy pagan funeral rites with the burning of the deceased in a boat with weapons and armor, victims. Together with a noble Russian warrior or prince, his wife was often buried, servants and animals were sacrificed. Surprisingly, there is evidence that the wives (one of the wives) volunteered for this sacrifice, it was considered an honor to accompany her husband to another life. Apparently, at this stage, the Slavs began to believe that when burned along with smoke, the deceased would rather go to heaven, to the gods. The rite of cremation existed for about two thousand years before the adoption of Christianity, and then continued to be preserved in some places, in the "Ukraines". Even the chronicler Nestor in the XII century found him: “The Vyatichi are still doing it today.” The ashes of the burned people were collected in a vessel and placed on a pillar.

In many places, these two traditions - burning and burial - were combined: the body was buried in the ground, and a domino was burned on top, which was an imitation of a dwelling. From above, on the burial places, mounds were often built. The more noble a person was, the more complex the funeral rite was, the more sacrifices were made. Pagan funeral traditions are reflected in The Tale of Bygone Years in the description of Olga's revenge on the Drevlyans and the burial of Prince Igor (hence the mythological nature of this plot is also obvious). It can also be assumed that both rites existed simultaneously in different territories of Ancient Russia. After the funeral, games were arranged - trizna, sports, apparently designed to prove that the rest of the people from the tribe were strong enough, strong, healthy, so that death would not take them with them. Such competitions are typical for different Indo-European cultures, and we know about them from Homer's Iliad.

A sorcerer played a special role in pagan rites. Unfortunately, we know very little about the pagan priests of the ancient Slavs, but references to them have been preserved in ancient sources. They were also called "enchanters", "cloud-catchers", and women were called "witches", "enchantresses", "accomplices", "nauznits" (churchmen in their texts called them "blameless women"). There was a feminine gender from the word "sorcerer" - "vlhva". The researchers suggest that the male wise men performed the main public ritual actions, and the "enchantresses" were responsible for the family hearth, divination about personal fate, and household chores. Even the holy fathers, apparently, were impressed by the knowledge and skills of the Magi and sometimes recognized their magical power. Apparently, initially their magic was associated with water and divination over the “charm” (which, perhaps, is the reason for the name “enchantment”), this is confirmed by the found female and male figures with vessels in their hands, performing some ritual actions on them. The name "Magi" is associated, as some researchers suggest, with "hairiness", hairiness and worship of Veles.

Pagan priests were believed to be able to make rain, predict the future, turn into wolves, know the entire agricultural cycle, the dates of all holidays and the essence of all rituals. They, apparently, preserved and transmitted knowledge about paganism, taught successors, and also collected legends, myths, and fairy tales. Pagan priests were also the first healers, they had knowledge of medicinal herbs. Their position in ancient society was especially strong, they had great influence, and ordinary people listened to them. They also led rebellions against the existing government in times of famine. The church actively fought with the Magi, they were burned at the stake as early as the 13th century, as evidenced, for example, by the Novgorod Chronicle I:

“In the summer of 6735 (1227) they burned the Magi 4 - they do their indulgence in action. And then God knows! And burned them in the Yaroslavl courtyard.

In Novgorod, in general, pagan sentiments were especially strong, and it is no coincidence that the pagan name of the Volkhov River, into which, as you know, even criminals and objectionable people were thrown from the bridge before, bringing, seeing, in this way a sacrifice to the gods. Over time, the Magi lost their former meaning, becoming by the 19th century simple village "sorcerers". Also, the princes themselves performed the function of priests and experts in rituals. The priestly estate manifested itself most fully not among the Baltic Slavs. Among the wounds, one of the tribes, as Hilferding writes, the sorcerer was revered even more than the prince. It was the same with the Bodrichi and the Pomeranians.
Each nation in its development inevitably passes through stages of evolution common to all. Over time, the spirits worshiped by the Slavs became more and more personalized, acquiring their own attributes, certain external features. An unknown ancient Russian traveler, a man who knew Greek mythology and observed pagan rites in his own country, in his "Tale of Idols" (XII century) singled out the stages of development of pagan ideas. The same stages are consistent with the concept of B.A. Rybakov:

1. Initially, the ancient Slavs "placed the requirements of the ghouls and coasts." Apparently, this stage dates back to the time of hunters and gatherers. The ghouls and beregini, who later transformed, apparently, into mermaids and pitchforks, personified a good, positive beginning, benevolent and helping spirits, while the ghouls were evil spirits. Ghouls, according to pagan beliefs, were people who did not die by their own death, suicides, people killed by lightning, fallen from a tree, drowned people, as well as strangers, ancestors from other, hostile tribes. They tried to appease the ghouls, that's why they brought "requirements" - sacrifices. Or to scare away, for which conspiracies and special symbols-patterns were used on clothes, houses, household items.

2. At a later stage and, apparently, under the influence of neighboring Mediterranean cults, the Slavs "began the meal, having become Rody and the Rozhanitsa." Rybakov considers Rod a more ancient god than Perun. Faith in him lasted much longer than in some other gods. The pagans considered him the creator of all living things, it was he who “blew the soul” into people. For this faith, the priests condemned the peasants in their teachings even in the 14th century. The clan at different times could also appear as Stribog or Svarog, also the supreme deities. It is worth saying that not all scientists consider Rod a god, some researchers argue that the god Rod appeared only due to a misreading of some texts, where this word did not mean any deity at all, but meant only the cult of ancestors, in the existence of which there is no doubt (this is the opinion, for example, of L.S. Klein, whose ideas differ in many respects from Rybakov's books).

Women in labor, who at first, presumably, were depicted as celestial elk deer (see, for example, the myths of the northern peoples) transformed into women with elk horns, producing animals that give prosperity, a rich harvest, patrons of the family and mothers, helping with childbirth. Images of women in childbirth can often be found in peasant embroidery, but the sacred, mystical meaning of these images disappeared over time. Too naturalistic images of them were later replaced by more abstract patterns, because. the church could not approve of this cult, and the people themselves forgot what meaning was put into these drawings before. However, these embroideries are known to ethnographers and survived until the end of the 19th century. It is difficult to doubt the existence of a cult of women in childbirth, especially since such worship of the maternal principle is known among various peoples, as evidenced by at least “Paleolithic Venuses”, roughly made ancient figurines of women, in the image of which pregnancy and fertility are emphasized.

3. Then the cult of Peryn moved to the center, heading the hierarchy of other gods. According to Rybakov and some other scientists (E. V. Anichkov), Perun is a later god, who occupied an important place during the formation of the princely squad. We'll talk about it in more detail below.

4. After the adoption of Christianity, "Peruna was rejected", but they continued to pray to the complex of gods headed by Perun, and to the more ancient Family and women in childbirth.

In his research, Rybakov puts forward the idea that the female gods (Makosh, the woman in labor, Lada and Lel) are historically older than the male ones (Perun, Rod, Stribog). Gradually, a transition was made to a system in which male gods headed the pantheon. This process was associated with a change in the structure, economic structure of society itself, where a strong and determined man, a warrior and a protector, a breadwinner, a hardy and hardworking worker, came to the fore. All religious ideas, in essence, always develop in connection with social changes, real conditions. The adoption of Christianity reflected the same need for reorganization and unification of society. Scientists argue about whether the ancient Slavs had a strict hierarchy of gods, which of the gods were the main and common to all tribes. The very etymology of the names of deities suggests that they appeared at different times under the influence of other cultures as well. Also, apparently, different gods were revered in different ways in ancient cities, the spread of the cult was influenced by the geographical factor, the nature of people's activities, natural conditions. It is difficult to say whether the pantheon was the same for Russia, or whether everything depended on the cities themselves and the population. What gods a person believed in also depended on his “profession”: the peasant, apparently, was much closer to Volos-Veles than Perun, while Makosh patronized women and their household chores, female labor. But let's talk more about specific gods and their functions.

pagan pantheon

At school, in history lessons, and even at university lectures, for some reason they tell us a very shortened and “smoothed” history of the adoption of Christianity. The one who has not completely forgotten at least school course , remembers this date well - 988, the baptism of Russia. The dates in the annals are rather arbitrary, they were set not in the year when the event took place, but often randomly, presumably, because. the chroniclers themselves lived later. Therefore, strictly speaking, the date is not at all accurate, but somewhere around that time a baptism took place, which seriously influenced our entire history, the relations of Russians with neighbors, with Byzantium, from where we adopted Orthodoxy, the Catholic Western world, Scandinavia, Bulgaria, which was baptized before us, and other countries. But teachers often forget to mention that Vladimir Svyatoslavich, called a saint by the church (and he really did a lot for Russia), did not immediately accept Christianity. A few years earlier, he tried to carry out the so-called "pagan reform", establishing a clear and common hierarchy of gods in Russia. We can judge this from the ancient temples found by archaeologists and the corresponding textual evidence. It is not known exactly why, in the early 980s, Vladimir forced Novgorod, for example, to accept Perun as the supreme god, and then, a few years later, became disillusioned with this reform of his and sent his soldiers to destroy idols and forcibly baptize the same Novgorod, which resulted in an armed clash with the townspeople, who were led into battle by a certain sorcerer - people defended their ancient faith. The confrontation ended, of course, with their complete defeat and plunder, and thousands of victims, but Christianity was eventually accepted. It layered on the pagan faith, and did not completely erase it, as we know. But the main thing is that the references to the pagan reform of Vladimir Svyatoslavich in The Tale of Bygone Years, the excavations of the alleged place where the idols of the Vladimir Pantheon in Kyiv stood, help us to imagine the nature of the religion itself, to highlight the most important gods. In the pantheon of Vladimir there were six gods (or five, depending on how to interpret): Perun, Stribog, Dazhbog, Makosh, Simargl (Semargl), Khors. Why can there be five gods, not six: the fact is that in Nestor's record between Khors and Dazhbog there is no union "and", as between other gods, from this it is possible to conclude that they represented the same god, as he believed, for example, Sreznevsky. For some reason, the important god for the Eastern Slavs, Veles (or Volos, spellings differ), did not get into the pantheon of Vladimir. It is evidenced by agreements with the Byzantines, in which it is indicated that the Slavs and Varangians, who participated in the wars on our side as mercenaries and at 9-10, by the way, were often already baptized into Christianity, swore by the names of Perun and Veles, "cattle god". This god was closer to the peasants, farmers, cattle breeders, and, perhaps because of this, he did not get into the pantheon of the 980s, because the princes and warriors worshiped Perun, and Dazhbog was also a solar god. Let's talk about these main gods, define their functions, based on what scientists know.

Zbruch idol. four sides

Perun- a god who came to the fore during campaigns in the Balkans in the 6th century. and the formation of the Kyiv state and the princely squad in the IX-X centuries. The god to whom they swore on weapons when signing treaties. He was especially revered by the military class. The god of war, lightning, thunderstorms, a thunderer, corresponding in other mythologies to Thor and Jupiter. Depicted with a sword, a silver head and a golden mustache, as Nestor points out. One of the bloodiest gods, because. it was to him that people were killed as a sacrifice, sometimes the victims were massive. Apparently, the holiday in honor of Perun was held on July 20 (Ilyin's day). Ethnography knows many examples of sacrifices to Perun. In the northern provinces of Russia, by Ilyin's day, a bull was specially fed and sacrificed. The week before this day was called "Ilyinsky".

Perun was of paramount importance for warriors and princes. Veles was closer to the peasants. Later, after the adoption of Christianity, Perun was likened to Elijah the prophet, whose temples appeared in those places where the sanctuaries of Perun could have been earlier. People believed that Perun was fighting evil spirits with his lightning, chasing them during a thunderstorm. Perun had a separate day of the week - Thursday. The same day was considered associated with Jupiter and Thor ("Thursday" - the day of Thor). Slavic Perun is identical to the Lithuanian-Latvian Perkunis-Perkons.

Veles (Volos)- "cattle god", patron of cattle, wealth, prosperity. Apparently, he was originally also a solar deity. The word "cattle" meant wealth in general, property. Veles was also considered the god of the underworld. It was he who, apparently, was depicted on the Zbruch idol as a male figure holding the earth on himself. Due to the fact that he was associated with the earth, he was considered the god of the dead, but this does not mean that he was evil and caused harm. Rybakov believed that initially Veles was considered the owner of the forest, the patron saint of hunters, and he became associated with the earth and the world of the dead because he was associated with a dead beast. He was closer to the peasants, the common people, agricultural work. In the name of Volos, along with the name of Perun, the Russians swore, concluding agreements with Byzantium. And in the 19th century, the peasants donated to Veles the last handful of ears of corn from the harvested field "To Veles on the beard." Veles also patronized musicians and poets. He was depicted as a bearded man with a horn, symbolizing always abundance. St. Blaise replaced Veles after Christianization and also became the patron saint of cattle. Other scientists believe that "Veles" and "Volos" are not different variants writing one god, but two different deities (Klein, Niederle). Some researchers oppose Veles and Perun as eternal opponents, but this is still a controversial issue, and, judging by the contracts, they swore at the same time, so it is unlikely that one of them is somehow connected with the evil inclination, it would not be logical.

Makosh (Mokosh)- one of the most archaic gods. Rybakov deciphers her name as "mother of the harvest." "Kosh" - a wagon for sheaves, a basket for grain, a barn for straw, a corral for livestock. Goddess of the earth, fertility, life, patroness of weaving and spinning, women's household chores. Compared with the Greek Demeter. It is functionally complemented by mermaids-forks, irrigating the earth. On archaic embroidery it is depicted between Lada and Lelya, two women in labor. Depicted on the Zbruch idol with a cornucopia. It is considered a mediator between heaven and earth. Makosh is the only female deity included by Vladimir in his pantheon. It is also believed that Makosh spins the threads of fate. The mythological Paraskeva-Friday inherited a lot from Mokosh. Friday was considered her sacred day, in other mythologies the same day also corresponded to female goddesses - Freya, Venus. Scientists draw parallels with the Scandinavian norns, Greek moirae.

Svarog- deity of the sky and the universe. The ancient scribes compared with Hephaestus, the son of Dazhbog, who was compared with Apollo. The Slavs believed that it was this god who taught them blacksmithing, agriculture, and introduced patriarchal monogamous marriage. The “cultural hero” of Slavic myths, replaced in heroic tales by Kuzma-Demyan (or Kuzma and Demyan), who made a huge plow and harnessed an evil Serpent to it, threatening the people, rode on it, drawing “serpent shafts” with a plow, which we we can still observe in Ukraine. Likened by the pagans to the Christian hosts. The sources also mention Svarozhich, possibly the son of Svarog and, according to B.A. Rybakov, personified divine fire. But it is also possible that Svarog and Svarozhich are the names of the same god.
Dazhbog is the son of Svarog, compared with Apollo. God of the sun, "white light", giver of blessings. Named the "grandfather" of the Eastern Slavs in the Tale of Igor's Campaign. It is considered a later god than Rod, Perun, since the very word "god", as some historians and linguists believe, could come from the Iranian language. We used to call the gods "divas". Dazhbog acts at times as the patron of fertility, the god of gold and silver.

There is a second spelling of the name in medieval texts - Dazhdbog - which, perhaps, reflects a new stage in the evolution of ideas about this god. The word "dazhbog" can be an epithet, Sreznevsky considers it an adjective from "dag" (cf. St. Germ. dag, Iceland. dagr) - daylight. Rybakov associates it with such words as the Sanskrit "dahati" - burn, burn, "dagha" - burned.

Semargl (Simargl)- one of the most mysterious gods along with Khors. Its meaning and functions are not entirely clear. Apparently, a god who came to us, like Khors, through contact with the Iranian peoples, the Scythians. The etymology of the name clearly indicates Iranian roots. Depicted as a winged dog. Often in ancient Russian teachings, Semargl was often incorrectly designated as two gods, Sim and Regla. Perhaps by that time it had already been forgotten what kind of god he was and what role he played. Semargl is the protector of crops, the god of soil, vegetative power, the mediator between heaven and earth. In Indo-Iranian mythology, it is compared by researchers with Senmurv, a bird-dog. Could have something to do with Makoshi. In a later period, the name Semargl was replaced by "Plut". According to Rybakov, Yarilo can correspond to him in ethnography.

Horse- the god of the sun, but not of light, but of the natural object itself, the luminaries. He could complement Dazhbog, but he could be one with him, a second name. In the ancient pantheon, it is compared with Helios.

Lada and Lel- two goddesses in childbirth, personifying spring, the awakening of nature, the beginning of life, patronizing women, mentioned at wedding ceremonies, associated with spring festive rites.

Stribog- the god of the winds. This word could be an epithet for Svarog, Rod, one of the names of the supreme deity.

Genus- the father of all living things, compared for a long time with the Christian god, the supreme deity, blowing life into people. At different times, Stribog, Svarog could correspond to him. Some researchers reduced the meaning of Rod to a domestic god, brownie, while others completely denied its existence among the Slavs.

In Slavic paganism, despite the large number of studies, archaeological finds, there is still a lot of obscure and controversial. Scientists from different countries argue about the origin of the gods, and about their functions and number, many questions have not yet been resolved. In this article, I have given only a general overview of the pagan pantheon and have not touched on a lot more. Subsequently, I think, we will return to this topic more than once and talk in detail, including about lower mythology, the Slavic bestiary. In addition, over time, I hope to make additions to this article, write separately about the work of other scientists. Here I relied mainly on Rybakov's concept.

List of sources
1. Rybakov, B.A. "Paganism of the Ancient Slavs".
2. Rybakov, B.A. "Paganism of Ancient Russia".
3. Rybakov, B.A. "Birth of Russia".
4. Sreznevsky, I.I. On the adoration of the sun among the ancient Slavs.

So, someone decided to become a Slavic pagan, or at least understand this topic enough to understand if it suits him. I, for many years now, as a pagan, and at the same time, as a scientist who studies the faith of the Slavs by a certified religious scholar, I will try to give such a small guide on this issue.

First, as I like to do, a few sobering facts:

1) There is not a single text written by a Slavic pagan in antiquity. It just so happened that the Slavic pagans, for example, unlike the Greek ones, despised writing, relying on the once highly developed oral tradition. Alas, the bet did not quite work. Folklore (= oral folk art), of course, brought to us some fragments of past traditions, but it is not possible to reliably identify basic things about paganism after a millennium of Christianity domination, heaps of losses, foreign borrowings and author's inclusions. So immediately throw in the trash "Veles Book" (1950s) and other "Vedic scriptures" on " Slavic runes”, especially if the names of Asov or Khinevich (1990s) are seen there. All authentic sources on Slavic paganism were sometimes written by unbiased bearers of Christianity or Islam before the 13th-14th centuries. Almost everything (with rare exceptions) that appeared later is speculation or direct forgeries of varying degrees of inadequacy. In my opinion, the greatest danger for a novice Slavic pagan lies in early falling under the influence of inadequate authors: too many such authors have divorced.

2) As with any Indo-European paganism of Europe (Germanic, Celtic, and the same Greek), the continuity of the transmission of faith in Slavic paganism is interrupted. That is, in 1150 there were still people who clearly spoke about themselves: “I am a Slavic pagan” and taught the basics of the faith of their ancestors. Perhaps the last such people were as early as 1250. But it is absolutely certain that there were no such people in 1550. Paganism as self-consciousness perished at the end of the Middle Ages. The remnants of paganism were carried by Christians by self-determination, even if they used magic that was completely pagan in origin or celebrated Maslenitsa, which was completely pagan in origin (no matter what individual shots grumbled). For at least 500 years there were no people in the world who recognized and called themselves a Slavic pagan. And suddenly - time! - and people appeared in the 20th century who again began to call themselves Slavic pagans and try to revive in one form or another the foundations of the old faith. In science, they are called neo-pagans, that is, "new pagans." No one forces you to call yourself that - but we must admit that this term is correct.

3) Thus, the main task of a beginner Slavic neo-pagan is to find such a form of a recently created spiritual system that would most adequately ensure continuity with the spirituality of the ancient religion of the Slavs, and at the same time be adapted to modern realities. It is not so simple: we know far from everything about the ancient faith, and how to adapt it to the current age and no one at all knows “how to” correctly. Hence the diversity of communities and teachings. But some build these systems on lies about Slavic antiquity and culture (what then is their "Slavic"?); and some - on the foundations that really constituted the spirituality of our ancestors.

Now let's move on to the positives.
- Slavic paganism is basically the faith of the ancestors. The ancient Slavs did not borrow this religion from anyone, but took the precepts of antiquity from their fathers and grandfathers, who learned to live in harmony with the environment typical of the Slavs, which is characteristic precisely and only for them. There is something in common between Slavic paganism and the Slavic language: it has the same amount of not always clear depth at first glance, it has the same amount of mysteriously “native” and accurate, and at the same time this is the heritage of the ancestors, somewhat changing over the centuries. No one invented it entirely, but everyone could offer him something new, which, if successful, could take root in him.
– Slavic paganism is really a “natural faith”. The ancient Slavs did not know the concept of "ecology" and in some ways would definitely not seem ecologically friendly to us. However, due to objective factors, they lived in harmony with nature and maintained this harmony - simply because it was impossible to do otherwise at that time. They were not even particularly aware of the concept of "nature", because it was not so clearly visible to its antipode - culture. I left the house - here is the field, then the forest: nature. There was a drought, and you are not ready - hunger. Late spring has come, and you are not ready - hunger, death. A wolf rushing from the forest to bite a cow is another disaster. With all these and far from only these natural phenomena, the Slavs were forced to skillfully interact. Of course, this influenced religion and a special spiritual connection with Nature in general, and its objects in particular. This concerned far more than everyday practical issues.
- Slavic paganism is a full-fledged religion that millions of people have preserved for many, many centuries. She did not die herself - she was destroyed from the outside, when people no longer corresponded to her level. And if some priest chuckles at the inferiority of paganism, laugh at him in response. They are much more stuck in the past than neo-paganism, which is being revived at a pace that frightens these priests.

Now - practical advice. First, read more and be smart less.
A) sources. There are quite a few of them, but don't expect them to be complete. These are pieces of the puzzle, having accumulated which, it will not be possible to recreate the whole picture. However, its common features will become clear, and, no less important, it will become clear what does not apply to it. The southern Slavs, Poles and Czechs poorly preserved pagan antiquity. Therefore, the two main corps are Old Russian and Polabsky (Polabsky Slavs have now disappeared, and in the Middle Ages they lived next door to the Germans in the east of present-day Germany and the west of Poland). The Old Russian Corpus compiles The Tale of Bygone Years, The Tale of Igor's Campaign, and teachings against paganism, which are nicely presented in Galkovsky's book (I recommend) The Struggle of Christianity with the Remnants of Paganism in Ancient Russia. The Polab corpus consists primarily of chronicles, which can be found by the names of the authors: Titmar of Merseburg, Adam of Bremen, Helmold from Bosau (I recommend him first of all) and Saxo Grammatik. Soon, I hope next year, we are waiting for the important edition of the Polabian sources in the book with the appendices “The Life of St. Otto of Bamberg” – so far their Russian translation is sorely lacking. All the most basic I have listed; approach the rest more carefully, and don’t draw big conclusions from what you read at the first stages. Moreover, some authors, like the same Saxo Grammatik, are very biased towards the Slavs.

B) One reading of sources for order in the head is not enough, although it is it that contributes to this order to the greatest extent. In parallel, you should get acquainted with the best scientific works. Not everyone will approve of my initial reading list, but I recommend the following books. I have already named Galkovskiy. Geishtor A. The mythology of the Slavs is an excellent survey work on all regions, texts and archeology, suitable for the very beginning. Mansikka V.J. The religion of the Eastern Slavs is the most detailed and qualitative examination of the Old Russian corpus of sources. Niederle L. Slavic antiquities - a description not so much of religion as of the whole life, customs and culture of the ancient Slavs as a whole. Klein L.S. The resurrection of Perun is a chic historiography, beautiful language and enough full review Old Russian paganism in all respects. This book is criticized a lot, but it is much better than the works of B.A. Rybakov, which I will not advise reading at all, especially at the beginning of the search. After the above, but not the first, Lovmyansky’s skeptical work, “The Religion of the Slavs and Its Decline,” will also go out of business, rather abstruse, but with a very wide coverage of source texts. For the Polabian Slavs, for a century and a half, Hilferding’s work “History of the Baltic Slavs” has remained unsurpassed, which lacks only an archaeological block.

B) practice. There are several approaches. Polytheists ("polytheists" from Greek) choose the closest Deities and establish a special connection with them. Higher Gods are popular, among which in the late ancient Russian pantheon Perun, the God of warriors, was supreme, but Veles, a shaman and sage with a special connection with nature, Svarog, an artisan and fire, and Mokosh, the “woman” Goddess, were also revered. Personally, I have a special respect for Heavenly Father - Dazhbog, whom I see as the head of the pantheon before Perun ( http://dajbojic.livejournal.com/2757.html), and self-explanatory Mother Earth. Rodnovers - those who re-read the not always adequate Rybakov - greatly elevate Rod, but in my eyes this is not God, but rather the image of their ancestors. To read - I read, but I do not attribute it to the highest Gods. Polabian Deities are not so popular, although it is quite possible that Sventovit is Perun, and Triglav is Veles, etc .; but it is not exactly. The gods are worshiped, communicated, meditated, sacrifices and vows are made, and in return they help - if it pleases them. Another approach is pantheistic (however, almost every polytheist is a pantheist), this is when the Universe or Nature is presented as Divine. It does not require the study of personal Deities, which is quite convenient in conditions of a lack of sources. This communion with Nature is also in a variety of ways.

D) The practice should also include festivities, of which three are the most important. The most important (although some argue) is the spring equinox or near it, preserved in Christianity as Maslenitsa. This is the beginning of the pagan year, although they still argue what it was called in the old days, and whether it is necessary to involve lunar cycles in its calculation. The second most important holiday is the summer solstice or around it, among the people - Kupala. Since the end of June is a vacation or vacation for many, and the weather finally pleases, many communities spend the most significant festivities on Kupala. Finally, on the winter Solstice or so, Karachun (Christian Kolyada) is held. There are several smaller holidays - I would be careful about those where the names of the Deities appear (such as "Day of Veles"). Basically, such holidays are sucked from the finger for no particular reason.

e) What is good and what is bad? – I tried to answer this question in detail here: vk.com/wall-119055965_1835 In short, there are three values, the well-being of which can serve as a sufficient meaning of life: Nature, People and Kin. How to combine it - now everyone decides for himself. But it is absolutely certain that, unlike world religions, Slavic paganism will not hope for “salvation” in the afterlife for a righteous life here. Paganism is paganism because it is aimed at the prosperity of these values ​​here and now. If you like, we are building a pagan paradise on earth for the benefit of our Nature, People and Family.

E) I tried to describe the device of the world here: vk.com/wall-119055965_7223 Three layers of worlds, the totality of which is infinite. Did you think that ancient mythology did not take into account something? What is there, it is far ahead of physics - I, a scientist (albeit a humanist), am firmly convinced of this.
G) I tried to describe something on the topic of theology and myths here.

History of Russia from ancient times to the beginning of the 20th century Froyanov Igor Yakovlevich

Paganism of the ancient Slavs

Paganism of the ancient Slavs

The religion of the Eastern Slavs was paganism. Its origins lie many millennia before the beginning of our era, and echoes persist to this day. The ideas of some researchers of the past that East Slavic paganism was a poor, colorless religion should now be abandoned. In East Slavic paganism, one can find all those stages that were characteristic of other pagan cults that existed among other peoples. The oldest layer is the worship of objects and phenomena of the immediate environment, which were woven into human life. Sources have survived to our time that testify to the worship of the ancient Slavs to such objects and phenomena. These are the so-called fetishism and animism. Echoes of such beliefs were worship, for example, stones, trees, groves. The cult of stone fetishes is very ancient. The object of worship was not only trees, but also the forest. Totemism was also widespread - this is the belief in the origin of the human race from some kind of animal. Along with the veneration of the oak, the Dnieper Slavs, for example, worshiped sacred animals - wild boars. The question of the totemic cult among the Eastern Slavs is rather complicated. It is possible that in a number of cases we are faced with the transformation of totemism into the cult of ancestors in the form of animals. The archaic layers of Russian folk tales testify to the existence of totemism among the Eastern Slavs.

A variation of the ancestral cult in the form of animals is werewolfism. So, in Russian epics, Volga hunts in the form of a falcon, turns into an ant. The Russian fairy tale makes extensive use of the motif of the transformation of a beautiful bride-maiden into a swan, a duck, a frog. The detachment of the "double" spirit from the object to which it is inherent, along with totemism, gives rise to faith in souls of the dead as well as the cult of ancestors. Invisible spirits - the souls of ancestors and relatives, twins of fetishized objects and phenomena, objects of a totemic cult gradually "inhabit" the surrounding ancient Slav world. The object itself is no longer the object of veneration. Worship refers to the spirit that lives in it, the demon. Not the object itself, but the spirit (demon) has a positive or negative impact on the course of events and on the fate of people. Paganism ascends to a new stage - the stage of polydemonism. Spirits, originally representing a homogeneous mass, are isolated. First of all, according to the habitat, becoming the "owner of the place." In the water element lived water and coastlines, the forest was the kingdom of the goblin or forest man, and field workers live in the fields in tall grass. In the dwelling, the “owner” of the brownie is a little hunchbacked old man.

Demonic beliefs brought the Eastern Slavs closer to the next stage - polytheism, that is, faith in the gods. Among the gods that were known in Russia, Perun stands out - the god of thunder, lightning and thunder. They also believed in Volos or Veles - the god of livestock, trade and wealth. His cult is very ancient. There were also Dazhbog and Khors - various incarnations of the solar deity. Stribog is the god of wind, whirlwind and blizzard. Mokosh, apparently, is the earthly wife of the Thunderer - Perun, who originates from the "mother of the damp earth." In ancient Russian times, she was the goddess of fertility, water, later the patroness of women's work and girlish fate.

Finally, Simargl is the only zoomorphic creature in the pantheon of ancient Russian gods (a sacred winged dog, possibly of Iranian origin). Simargl is a lower deity who guarded seeds and crops.

The shifts in East Slavic society, which are discussed below, led to pagan reforms. Archaeological research in Kyiv testifies that the pagan temple with the idol of Perun, originally located within the city fortifications, is transferred to a place accessible to all those arriving in the land of the meadows. Thus, Kyiv, being a political capital, turns into a religious center. Perun is nominated for the role of the main deity of all the Eastern Slavs. However, in 980 a new religious reform was undertaken - a pagan pantheon was built from the deities already known to us. “Setting idols” is an ideological action, with the help of which the Kyiv prince hoped to retain power over the conquered tribes.

Old Russian paganism was so widespread that even after the adoption of Christianity, in terms of worldview and practical actions, Ancient Russia was a pagan society with the formal existence of elements of the Christian faith and cult in it. Most of the pagan beliefs and customs continued to be observed without or with little introduction of Christian norms into them in subsequent times.

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Paganism is a religion based on the belief in the existence of several deities, and not in one creator God, as, for example, in Christianity.

The concept of paganism

The term "paganism" itself is inaccurate, as it includes too extensive a layer of culture, today the terms "polytheism", "totemism" or "ethnic religion" are used instead.

The paganism of the ancient Slavs is a term that is used to refer to the totality of religious and cultural beliefs of the ancient Slavic tribes before they adopted Christianity. There is an opinion that the term "paganism" in relation to the culture of the ancient Slavs does not come from the religion itself (polytheism), but from the fact that numerous Slavic tribes living on the territory of Russia had one language, although they were not connected with each other. Nestor the chronicler used the term "pagans" to refer to the totality of these tribes, that is, tribes united by one language. Later, paganism began to denote the features of the religious and cultural views of these ancient Slavic tribes.

The emergence and development of paganism in Russia

Slavic paganism began to form as early as the 1st-2nd millennium BC, when Slavic tribes gradually began to stand out from the peoples of the Indo-European group, settled in new territories and interacted with the cultures of neighboring peoples. It was from the Indo-European culture that the images of the god of thunder, the fighting squad, the god of cattle and the important image of mother earth arose. Also an important influence on Slavic paganism was the Celts, who not only brought certain images into the Slavic religion, but also gave the Slavs the very word "god" to designate images. With the German-Scandinavian mythology, Slavic paganism has a lot in common - the presence of the motif of the world tree, dragons and other deities, transformed taking into account the living conditions of the Slavs.

After the Slavic tribes actively began to separate and leave for different territories, paganism itself was also transformed, each tribe had its own elements. In particular, by the 6-7th century, the religion of the Eastern and Western Slavs was quite noticeably different from each other.

It should also be noted that often the beliefs of the ruling elite of society and the lower ones could also differ significantly, as mentioned in the ancient Slavic chronicles. What was believed in the big cities might be different from what the villagers believed.

With the formation of the ancient Russian centralized state, the relations of the Slavs with Byzantium and other countries began to develop, paganism was increasingly questioned, and in some cases even persecuted - teachings against paganism appeared. In 988, the Baptism of Russia took place and Christianity officially became the main religion, displacing paganism, however, it should be noted that, despite the fact that to this day Russia remains a Christian state, there are territories and communities where people still profess Slavic paganism.

The essence of Slavic paganism

Despite a sufficient number of historical sources, information about the beliefs of the ancient Slavs remains very fragmentary, so it is not easy to form an accurate picture of the world of our ancestors. It is generally accepted that the religion of the ancients was based on belief in the power of nature and the earth - hence the gods-rulers of certain natural phenomena. In addition to the higher gods, there were also lower creatures - brownies, mermaids and others - who could not seriously affect a person's life, but could participate in it. The Slavs believed in the existence of hell and heaven, in the existence of a soul in a person, which was one of the important values.

The Slavs had many rituals associated with the interaction of people and gods, they brought offerings, worshiped, asked for help and protection. As for sacrifices, oxen or other cattle were most often offered; there is no exact information about human sacrifices of Slavic pagans.

List of Slavic gods

Common Slavic gods:

• Perun - Thunderer, the main god of the pantheon;
• Mother - Cheese Earth - the female personification of the viviparous, fertile land, she was worshiped, asking for a good harvest or a large number of children; there was also an "oath by the earth", which was considered inviolable.

Gods of the Eastern Slavs (pantheon of Prince Vladimir):

• Perun is the main god, patron of the prince and squad, also a thunderer;
• Horse - the personification of the sun;
• Dazhdbog - a solar deity, is considered the ancestor of the Russian people;
• Stribog - a deity associated with the winds;
• Simargl - a messenger between heaven and earth;
• Mokosh - a female deity, the patroness of spinning and weaving;
• Hair is the patron saint of cattle;
• Veles is the patron of storytellers and poetry;
• Rod and women in labor - deities personifying fate;
• Svarog - the blacksmith god;
• Svarozhich is the personification of fire.

Characters such as Shrovetide, Kolyada, Kupala and others cannot be considered gods in the full sense of the word, they were only ritual personifications of certain phenomena that were often burned during pagan holidays and rituals.

The persecution of the pagans and the end of paganism

With the development of the Russian state and the increasing focus on more developed countries, paganism gradually began to be persecuted by supporters of Christianity. However, the population of many territories desperately resisted the adoption of Christianity even after the official baptism of Russia - many newly-born Christians returned again to paganism, secretly performed old rituals and worshiped the old Slavic gods. The relationship between Christianity and paganism has always been very tense, but along with the growing role of the Christian Church in the political and social life of Russia, the new religion gradually supplanted paganism and eventually almost destroyed it.

From this article you will learn:

What is Slavic paganism

What stages did Slavic paganism go through

What kind character traits has Slavic paganism

What is the essence of Slavic mythology

What gods were revered in Slavic paganism

What rituals are key in Slavic paganism

The system of religious beliefs among the ancient Slavs developed over many centuries. As a result, two cults were formed: veneration of ancestors and endowment with divine powers of natural phenomena. All this can be called in one term: "Slavic paganism." Our forefathers did not have a single God, since the Slavic tribes did not seek to unite in political and economic unions. Only common features of beliefs became widespread: funeral rites, family and tribal and agricultural cults. Most points of contact between different tribes are observed in the ancient Slavic pantheon. To date, only a few customs and rituals have remained unchanged, but they also bear the imprint of modernity.

The main stages and features of Slavic paganism

Each nation worshiped its own gods. Like the Greeks or Romans, the Slavs also had their own pantheon. Gods and goddesses were present in it very different: good and evil, strong and weak, main and secondary.

A religion in which people worship several gods at the same time is called polytheism or polytheism. The term comes from the combination of two Greek words: "poly" - many and "theos" - god. We began to call such a religion paganism - from the Old Slavonic word "languages", that is, foreign peoples who did not accept Christianity.

In Slavic paganism, there were several magical holidays, and such rituals were carried out strictly according to the schedule. Our ancestors necessarily met and saw off the seasons and agricultural seasons. For example, in December, the Slavs celebrated the arrival of Kolyada, the harsh god of winter. New Year, which was celebrated on January 1, was considered the best day for well-being spells for the year ahead.

With the advent of spring, the “solar” holidays began. The sun was symbolized by pancakes baked at Shrovetide, as well as a wheel tarred and lit on a high pole. At the same time, a straw effigy of winter was burned outside the village. After spring, summer came, and its first week was devoted to the patrons of love - Lada and Lelya. These days it was customary to sing cheerful songs and celebrate weddings.

In Slavic paganism, an important place was occupied by the worship of the gods of the elements, as well as those of the deities who patronized a certain type of human activity. City squares were decorated with images of the gods, entire temples were erected, followed by sorcerers, sorcerers and magician priests. Slavic paganism has its own myths about the life and deeds of the gods. The forefathers were especially grateful to the sun god, who taught people blacksmithing and established a set of family rules.

Today, much of Slavic paganism, unfortunately, has been forgotten. That is why modern scientists interpret the religious and mythological ideas of our ancestors in different ways.

If we talk about the periodization of Slavic paganism, then most often there are four main stages in the development of religion:

The cult of ghouls and coastlines

People who lived in the Stone Age endowed all natural phenomena with a spiritual beginning. The spirits that existed around could be disposed towards a person both hostile and benevolent. The most ancient cult is the worship of coastlines. For the Slavs, they were the guardians of life and patrons of the hearth.

But a special place among them was occupied by Bereginya-Earth. Needlewomen on some things depicted the rite of serving this goddess: Beregini's hands are raised, and several solar disks are above her head. In Slavic paganism, the great goddess was also inseparable from other symbols of life - flowers and trees. No wonder the sacred tree of our ancestors is called "birch" - a word similar in sound to the name of the goddess.

The cult of "Rod" and "women"

In Slavic paganism, Makosh and Lada (women in labor) appeared before Rod, back in the days of matriarchy. These goddesses of the fertility cult were responsible for female fertility. But matriarchy was replaced by patriarchy, and Rod, also symbolizing fertility, but already male, stood at the head of the pantheon. The formation of a monotheistic religion, where Rod is the main one, belongs to the VIII - IX centuries.

Cult of Perun

Founded in the 10th century Kievan Rus, and Perun became the supreme deity of the Slavic pagan pantheon. Initially, it was the god of thunder, lightning and thunder, but after some time, Perun began to be considered the patron of war, warriors and princes. Prince of Kyiv Vladimir Svyatoslavovich in 979–980 ordered to gather various Slavic gods in one place and arrange a temple, in the center of which to install the image of Perun. The supreme deity was surrounded by other gods:

Dazhdbog- the giver of heavenly blessings and the god of light;

Svarog- the father of Dazhdbog, the deity of the upper tier of heaven and the universe;

Horse- deity of the solar disk;

Makosh- the ancient goddess of the earth;

Simargl- was depicted as a winged dog and was responsible for seeds, roots and sprouts.

Time after the adoption of Christianity

Many Russians, even when they were baptized, continued to worship their gods at the same time. This is the so-called period of dual faith in Slavic paganism. Since the 10th century, Christianity has gradually taken over the pagan culture, and the times of ancient beliefs are coming to an end. But this can only be said in a formal sense. In fact, the ancient cults have not completely disappeared. They have lost their original magical meaning, but still remain in the oral folk art, their echoes are present in arts and crafts.

Myths of Slavic paganism

The Slavic belief system is no less interesting than any other. It is both similar and unlike Greek or Scandinavian myths. Having certain common features with them, Slavic pagan mythology contains many unique elements. The knowledge, traditions and legends of our ancestors, the order of the world are not repeated in the epics of any other nation.

Mythology, which we inherited from the times of Slavic paganism, has come down to our days not only in a greatly truncated, but also reworked form. The fact is that writing among the Slavs appeared much later than among the Greeks - already at the very end of pagan history. But, despite the diversity of ethnic groups and religions, the Slavs have still managed to preserve the ideas characteristic of their distant ancestors. There is no need to look far for an example, it is enough to recall the tradition of burning an effigy of winter at Shrove Tuesday.

Of particular interest is our most ancient mythology. The system of gods in Slavic paganism is as follows:

Inhabitants top level the gods were the personification of all living things. For example, Svarog was identified with Heaven. At the same level was the Earth and her children with Svarog - Perun, Fire and Dazhdbog.

The middle level, according to the myths of Slavic paganism, was inhabited by deities responsible for the economy, as well as for the development of certain tribes - Chur, Rod and many others.

At the lowest level, there lived entities that were somehow connected with the environment - goblin and mermaids, brownies and ghouls.

In Slavic paganism, the cult of ancestors was very important: the legendary forefathers were respected and revered in every possible way. The Slavs paid no less attention to questions of the origin and development of the world.

Scientists believe that Slavic pagan mythology developed even before the formation of individual tribes. Therefore, there was no need for any special rites; the priestly class failed to develop widely.

The main feature of Slavic paganism was that the real world was closely connected with beings of a lower level. Moreover, they could both help people and harm. Our ancestors believed in brownies and goblin, coastlines and ghouls. Based on this, ordinary life was full of mysteries, and any unusual phenomenon could be explained in terms of the intervention of these spirits.

If it was still possible to somehow negotiate with small entities or outwit them, then the will of the middle and higher gods should be carried out unquestioningly. The ancient Slavs were afraid of the forces of nature and the wrath of their ancestors. Our forefathers tried to propitiate the divine essences with the help of festive rites, some of which are known today.

Gods of Slavic paganism and their worship

Slavic paganism is based on a huge life experience our ancestors. People not only learned the world around them, but also tried to understand their own essence. The number of Slavic gods was very large, and it is not surprising that the names of many of them are now forgotten.

In the Slavic pagan religion, all the gods stood at one or another rung of the hierarchical ladder. Moreover, in different tribes, different deities could enjoy the greatest honor.

The most ancient male deity is considered Genus. This god of the sky, thunderstorms and fertility was worshiped by all nations without exception. According to the mythology of Slavic paganism, Rod moved on a cloud, sprinkled the earth with rain, and thanks to this, children were born. Rod was the creator of all things and at the same time its master.

If we talk about the etymology of Slavic words, many of them have just the root “genus”. Words with such a root have a lot of meanings: kinship and birth, water (spring) and profit (harvest). Everyone knows the concepts of homeland and people. "Rhode" can mean red and lightning (ball is called "rhodium"). The number of words formed with the help of this root is unusually large, which once again confirms the greatness of the Family as a god.

Svarog is the first incarnation of the Family on earth. This is a single deity of the Universe and at the same time a blacksmith god who gave people the secrets of working with metal. The symbols of Svarog are the hammer and the anvil, and any forge is a temple. The meaning of the Slavic root "svar" is something shining and burning. In many northern dialects, the word "var" still means heat or burning.

Regarding the god of the sun in Slavic paganism, the opinions of scientists differ. Some are inclined to Dazhdbog, others are convinced that it was Yarilo, according to others - Svetovid. But no one denies that the god of the sun among the Slavs (especially the southeastern ones, where no one ever complained about the lack of sunlight) was Horse.

The roots "horo" and "kolo" in ancient times meant a circle and a solar sign of the sun. Saying "mansions", the ancestors meant the circular building of the yard. And the words "round dance" and "wheel" are not even considered obsolete now.

Two major holidays are dedicated to this god in Slavic pagan culture. One of them is celebrated on the day of the summer solstice, the other - in the winter. In June, our ancestors rolled a cart wheel from the mountain to the river, implying by this action the sun would roll back for the winter. In December, Kolyada, Yarila and others were honored.

Word carol derived from "kolo". The latter meant "sun-baby". He was represented as a child - and it doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl. When a child is very small, gender does not matter, and the very word "sun" among the Slavs of the middle gender. The deity owes its birth to the holiday of the winter solstice: on this day, the sun of the next year was allegedly born.

Kolyada is a rather protracted holiday, which was celebrated for several days, from December 25 (Christmas Eve) to January 6 (Veles Day). Severe frosts and snow blizzards usually fell on carols. At the same time, evil spirits and evil witches were walking on the earth, stealing the moon and the stars.

Dazhdbog. Most of all, he was revered by the East Slavic tribes. The task of Dazhdbog is to preserve his family and give people earthly blessings. This deity is responsible for all the basic phenomena of nature: light, heat and movement. The latter is understood as the alternation of the seasons, the change of day and night, etc. Perhaps, in Slavic paganism, the role of Dazhdbog was even more significant than the role of the sun god, although they coincided in some ways. Dazhdbog meant the whole wide world.

Belbog in Slavic paganism, he was the god of good luck and happiness, the keeper of goodness and justice. A statue of Belbog, holding a piece of iron in his hand, has come down to us. In ancient times, iron testing was practiced to restore justice. If a person was suspected of any crime, he was forced to squeeze a red-hot piece of metal in his hand and walk at least ten steps in this way. If there were no burn marks, the charges were dropped. A man branded with iron was doomed to eternal shame. Based on this, we can conclude that Belbog was also responsible for justice. However, other supreme gods in Slavic paganism also carried this function, being the Supreme Judges and Zealots of Justice. They punished the guilty and protected the family from the loss of morality.

Perun The pagan god of thunder and lightning. He had a lot of relatives and assistants. In his retinue, in addition to Thunder and Lightning, there were Rain and Hail, mermaids and water, as well as four winds corresponding to the cardinal points. That is why Thursday is considered the day of Perun. Although in some traditions of Slavic paganism there were seven, ten, twelve or just a great many winds. The forests and rivers considered sacred were dedicated specifically to Perun.

Veles. One of the most ancient pagan gods worshiped by the Eastern Slavs. Initially, he was the patron saint of hunters. There was a taboo on the deified beast, so the god was called "Hairy", "Hair" and "Veles". This name also meant the spirit of the slain beast. The root "led" among the ancient Slavs had the meaning of "dead". To die for our ancestors meant to join, to join in soul to their heavenly ancestors, leaving a mortal body to the earth.

Also in Slavic paganism there was a tradition after the harvest to leave "the harvest of ears of hair to Hair on the beard." The Slavs were sure that the ancestors resting in the earth help it become more fertile. The worship of Veles as a pagan cattle god was at the same time a tribute to the ancestors, associated not only with a rich harvest, but also with the well-being of the family. Not without reason, in the Slavic pagan tradition, grasses and flowers, bushes and trees were called "hair of the earth."

The female goddesses revered by the Slavs came from the ancient pagan cult of Rozhanitsi. One of the main goddesses of the East Slavic tribes - Makosh. This name has two parts. "Ma" means "mother" and "kosh" is a basket or purse. It turns out that Makosh is the mother of full baskets, the goddess of a good harvest. Do not confuse her with the pagan goddess of fertility, because Makosh, unlike her, sort of sums up the agricultural season, gives people the corresponding benefits.

The harvest cannot be the same from year to year, sometimes it is more, and sometimes it is less. Slavic paganism implied faith in fate. It depended on her how the year would turn out - successful or not. Therefore, Makosh was also the goddess of fate. With the adoption of Christianity in Russia, the pagan Makosh was transformed into the Orthodox Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, who, like the Slavic goddess, is the patroness of marriage and family happiness.

One of the most beloved Slavic goddesses was Lada responsible for love, charm and beauty. As soon as spring came, the time came for the pagan Ladina holidays, the time to play burners. The word "burn" also had the meaning of "love." And love itself was often compared to red, fire and even fire.

In Slavic paganism, the root "lad" was common in words that have a marriage meaning. For example, a matchmaker was called a lad, a wedding song was called a lad, a favorite was a lad. AT modern language there are such words as "get along" (live in harmony) and "okay" (beautiful).

Lada had a child named Lel. Its task is to encourage nature to fertilize, to bind people with marriage bonds. There is also a female hypostasis of this pagan deity, called Lelei, Lelia or Lyalya.

The second son of the goddess Lada in Slavic paganism is called Paulel. The god of matrimony was depicted wearing a simple white shirt and wearing a crown of thorns on his head. The second same wreath Polel held out to his wife. Polely's task was to bless the lovers for a thorny family life.

Slavic pagan traditions associate with Lada and a god named Znich with his fire, heat and the sacred flame of love.

Light gods in Slavic paganism are opposed by dark gods. One of them - Chernobog who is the ruler of the underworld. Such concepts as "black soul", "rainy day" are associated with this deity.

As the goddess of death among the Slavs acted Mara(Mor). The words "die", "dead" and others probably came from her name. You can also recall the pagan goddesses of mortal sorrow I wish“the parent of the words “regret”, pity”, and Karnu, from which the expressions “ocarnate”, “punishment befell”, etc. came from. In other tribes, these deities, embodying boundless compassion, were called Zhurboy and Kruchina. In Slavic paganism, it was believed that a person can lighten his soul and prevent many troubles, only by pronouncing these names. It is no coincidence that Slavic pagan folklore is filled with all sorts of lamentations and lamentations.

Key rites of Slavic paganism

In addition to their own system of gods, Slavic paganism had various rituals and rituals. They accompanied a person throughout his life, being symbols of the next natural cycle or life stage. The very essence of Slavic paganism lies in the desire of man to unite with nature, and hence with the gods. Each ritual had its own deep meaning, not a single ceremony was carried out just like that. Faith in natural forces among the ancient Slavs was endless.

Naming ceremony

It was carried out by pagan priests, and only after a person acquired the Slavic faith. Over the years of life, the name could change several times, here much depended on the type of activity of a person, his abilities and inclinations. The peculiarities of Slavic paganism lie in the fact that in different communities such a rite could be carried out in different ways, and a lot depended on the priests. But the essence has always remained the same: a person had to acquire a native Slavic name, connecting him with the ROD in the energy-information plan.

The betrothed connected to the ancestral energy field and received the protection of the Slavic gods. Those who were called by their NATIVE name at birth no longer needed such a rite. According to essays on Slavic paganism, the choice of a name largely depended further fate person. The one who accepted a new name, as it were, was reborn and set foot on a completely new, unexplored path. This man could no longer remain the same.

The name for the Slavs was the key to family memory. The sorcerer performing the rite of naming (and sometimes the naming himself) had to “hear” the name in the Spirit and then pronounce it out loud, thereby connecting the World of Spirit and the World of Reveal. The choice of a name should never be rushed. First, a person had to absolutely determine the direction of his path - or else know the divine will. The name had to be born from the Gods, and not from the worldly light.

wedding ceremony

Truly, a wedding is the most glorious requirement of the ROD, performed in turn by each of the ROD of the Russian, from the Slavic Tribe, who are in good health in soul and body. Truly, you can’t take a Slav’s wife - it’s the same as not giving birth to a Slavic wife - it’s the same as not continuing the work of your Ancestors - it’s the same as turning blasphemy to the Native Gods and not fulfilling their will. To do the opposite is the same as dropping grain into the arable land - to live according to God's Rule - to fulfill the duty of the patrimonial - to extend the Rope of the Fathers. For the duty of every person on Earth is to preserve and continue their ROD, the duty of every Rusich and Slav is to continue the ROD Russian and Slavic. The chain of generations must continue and be inextricable.

This rite in Slavic paganism, like the birth of a person, and his introduction into the ROD, and burial was considered very important event. On this occasion, not even intra-family, but general tribal pagan festivities were organized. After all, the union of young people with the goal of living a future life together is a matter not only of close people, but of the entire Family, both Earthly (relatives), and Heavenly (ancestors), and even the Family of the Most High.

In Slavic paganism, the story only ended with a wedding. It all started with the matchmaking, followed by the bride and conspiracy. During the latter, the parties finally decided what size dowry the bride would have. After that, there was a betrothal and other pagan actions, for example, with mutual consent, the bride could be stolen. If this happened, the groom was obliged to pay the father of the bride a vein - a ransom. When there was a day or two left before the wedding, a special ritual loaf was baked, decorated with signs of fertility. In addition, a kurnik was being prepared for him - a chicken pie, which was supposed to personify happiness and prosperity in the future family.

Housewarming ceremony

Housewarming was considered one of the holidays in Slavic paganism. Even when the house was just starting to be built, our ancestors performed many rituals against the machinations of evil spirits. But the most dangerous moment was considered to be the actual move to new house. It was believed that evil spirits would do their best to prevent a happy and prosperous life for the owners. In order to avoid the evil influence of evil spirits, a pagan protective rite of housewarming was carried out, and in many regions of the country this practice continued until the middle of the nineteenth century.

According to Slavic pagan traditions, before building a house, it was necessary to choose a site suitable for it and Construction Materials. For search best place various spells were used. For example, it was considered a good sign if, in a cast-iron pot with a spider left on the site, the latter began to weave a web. Sometimes a vessel filled with honey was used for the same purpose. If ants crawled into it in search of food, the site was considered happy. Another pagan way of finding a good place to build was to let a cow out on a piece of land. Where she lay down, they began to build a house.

In Slavic paganism, there were also special conspiracies that helped in choosing a place to live. The person who started to put up a new hut had to collect stones from different fields and lay them out in a monitored area in the form of a quadrangle. Inside it it was necessary to put a hat and read a special pagan conspiracy. After three days of waiting, it was necessary to look at the stones again. If they lay untouched in their place, the site was determined by pagan beliefs as successful.

Belarusians still believe that it is impossible to build a house on the disputed land. A person who has lost a lawsuit can send a curse on the owner of the home, and happiness will turn away from him forever. According to the traditions of Slavic paganism, the hut could not be placed on the site where human bones were found. Even if someone cut their arm or leg in this place, another site should have been chosen for construction.

Bath ritual

Even today, this rite of Slavic paganism is not completely forgotten. It is assumed that a person who crossed the threshold of the bath should greet its Owner - Bannik. This greeting is at the same time a kind of pagan conspiracy of the space in which the ritual of washing will be performed. With the help of special words, the environment is tuned in a certain way. Moreover, these words can be both prepared in advance, and pronounced spontaneously, going into the steam room.

After reading this pagan conspiracy, you need to splash on the stove hot water from the ladle and with circular movements of the broom, distribute the rising steam throughout the bath. Instead of a broom, it is not forbidden to use a towel. This is how light steam is created. The secret is that the steam in the room is usually divided into several layers. At the bottom, these layers are wet and cold, but the higher, the drier and hotter the air becomes. Vapor that is not properly agitated is "heavy".

A person in such a bath is not very comfortable, because his legs are cooled, and his head, on the contrary, heats up. If you do not create a single space in terms of temperature and humidity, then the body will be in completely different layers of steam, and it becomes problematic to get any pleasure from the procedure. Because of the feeling of a certain disunity, this simply cannot be done.

Kalinov bridge (funeral rite)

The funeral rite adopted in Slavic paganism even has its own name, and more than one. It is called Kalinov Most or Star Bridge. It connects Yav and Nav, the world of the living and the world of the dead. It is by crossing this bridge that the human soul finds itself in the next world. The pagan legends of the ancient Slavs mention a magical bridge, which can only be passed by the souls of those people who, during their lifetime, were distinguished by kindness and courage, honesty and justice.

This bridge can be seen on clear nights in the sky, and its name is the Milky Way. The righteous - those who live according to the precepts of the Gods, according to the Rule and the Great-Vedas - can easily cross this bridge and end up in the Light Iria. Unrighteous people - all sorts of deceivers and envious people, rapists and murderers - fall from the star bridge and go straight to the Lower World of Nav. By the way, the killers mean people who committed a crime out of self-interest and malicious intent, and not at all those who committed this act, defending the Slavic ROD. If a person in his life had a lot of good deeds and a lot of bad ones, then he will have to go through trials - and for each they will be different.

During the funeral rite adopted in Slavic paganism, mourners were always present. Under their lamentations, the funeral procession was supposed to pass along the symbolic Star Bridge, as if escorting the human soul to the point of intersection of two worlds - Reveal and Navi. After that, the body of the deceased was laid on a funeral pyre, laid out in the form of a rectangle. The height of the steal (which means “sacrificial fire” in translation) should have been up to the shoulders of an adult or even higher. From the inside, the steal was stuffed with dry straw and branches.

Domovina was made in the form of a boat, which was placed on the fire with its nose to the sunset. Gifts and funeral food were put in it. The deceased was dressed in white clothes and covered with a white veil from above. The deceased was supposed to lie with his head to the east. Either the elder or the sorcerer had the right to light the funeral pyre, having previously undressed to the waist and standing with his back to the sacrificial fire.

Harvest

In Slavic paganism there are several rites dedicated to the harvest. But among them, the beginning of the process and its end, zazhinki and dozhinki, are especially important.

Magic rituals and pagan rites were not carried out on a specific day, but were tied to the maturation of certain cultures. With the help of treb (sacrificial rites), our ancestors thanked the land for the harvest it gave. Magical actions were aimed at making the soil fertile again, capable of giving birth for the next year. However, this pagan rite also pursued a purely utilitarian goal: the reapers were supposed to have at least a little rest from hard work.

According to the traditions of Slavic paganism, for a successful harvest, it was necessary to choose the right reaper - a hard-working reaper with strength, health and a “light hand”. The choice never fell on pregnant women. Moreover, they did not even have the right to look at the zipper. Otherwise, the entire future harvest could become "heavy."

The zazhinshchitsu was chosen at the general meeting. Moreover, the chosen one carefully prepared for the ceremony: she washed the home altar, wiped the benches and the table. A tablecloth was laid on the tabletop so that the first compressed ears could be put on a clean one. After that, the zazhinshchit was washed, dressed up in a fresh shirt white color and in the evening went to the field. She had to walk quickly, without stopping, it was assumed that the speed and success of the harvest depended on this. Having reached the field, the woman took off her outer clothing and immediately began work.

It was also necessary to return home in a hurry. Some Slavic pagan traditions implied a secret zazhin. The selected worker had to go unnoticed to her field. But when she returned from the field, everyone in the settlement already knew: the job was done, and the next morning you could safely start harvesting.

In order to get acquainted with pagan traditions, rituals and conspiracies in more detail, in our online store "Witch's Happiness" you can purchase a unique edition based on old handwritten sources - the book by O. Kryuchkova "The Big Book of Slavic Protective Conspiracies". In addition, the site presents a wide selection of Slavic symbols and amulets.

The Slavic tradition is rich in rituals, beautiful holidays, powerful symbols. If you also want to celebrate the holidays of your ancestors, conduct traditional rituals and use village incantations, know signs and songs, use Slavic amulets, you cannot do without reliable sources of knowledge and some preparation.

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