EAST SLAVIC PAGANISM

1. Indo-European heritage.

The Slavs inherited from the Indo-Europeans a threefold functional division of society (called tripartition) into priest-rulers, warriors, and peasant-producers. The Slavic peoples held the Indo-European concept of a universe divided into the three realms of heaven, earth, and an underworld. This tripartite division of the worldly universe was sometimes called by the deity name Triglav, which means "three-head". In what we can piece together of the ancient Slavic pantheon, each realm had its own set of divinities, and each class seems to have worshipped its own favorite gods.

2. Gods of sun, sky or atmosphere (worshipped mainly by the priestly or warrior class).

Belbog (BELL-bog), also called Div, the god of life. The general, distant god of good, law and order opposed to Chernobog, the god of evil. (Slavs worshipped him too as a sort of insurance.) These were gods of the priestly class. The following more defined atmospheric gods seem to have been important to both the priestly and the warrior classes: Svarog (SVAR-ug) God of the sky (cf. Sanskrit svarga, sky. These gods were considered the mythic progenitors of various peoples. Forfathers of various clans were sometimes called Svarozhiches (svar-OZH-ich-ez), or sons of the sky; Dazhbog (DAZH-bog) God of white light, day, sun; Stribog (STREE-bog) God of the winds; Hors God of the sun, (the root "horo, kolo" = round, circle, whole); and finally, Perun, one of the most important gods, the main god of the warrior class. He was the Slavic equivalent of Thor and Jupiter, god of thunder and lightning and of the atmosphere in general (overlap with the older gods Belbog, Svarog, Stribog, Xors). Warriors claimed descent from him and called themselves his grandsons; him they called Ded or Dido, grandfather. His day was the 20th of July.

3. Gods of earth or underworld (mainly worshipped by the producing class)

Makosh (MA-kush), or Mokosh, Mother Moist Earth, goddess of the female beginning, the dark female earthy and watery counterpart of the airy male beginning, protectress of the producing class of people (sometimes also called Didilia, Lada, etc.) Protectress of marriage and patron of household chores, symbol of the female beginning and of the productive earth; Lada (Lado) God of Love, Slavic Venus, and her first child (son or daughter) Lela/ Leli, the child-god of spring; and her second son Polelia the god of marriage (Cupid), who was depicted wearing a white peasant shirt and a crown of thorns (to emphasize everyday life and the difficulties of marriage); Srecha--goddess of fate and also of spinning and household chores. She spun and cut the thread of life (like the three Greek fates). People tried to guess the future by various methods. Makosh was also considered to be involved with fate; Siva, or Diva, female goddess of life; the masculine Yarilo (also called Yarovit, Porevit, Radegast), an important peasant deity considered to be the god of the sowing of seed and of the male incarnation, reincarnation, connected with the cult of Rod and Rozhanitsa. Holiday celebrated in spring with great rowdyness. Female personage Morena (ma-REN-uh), or Martsana, the goddess of growing things (she was like the Greek Persephone; "mor" = death). Effigies of Yarilo and Martsana were burned at midsummer, when they were no longer needed.

In opposition to gods of life and fertility were gods of death and the underworld: Vii (VEE) and Kashei, or Koshei, were the gods of the underworld who incarcerated Yarilo and Morena during the cold months; Simargl (SEE-mar-gul), or Pereplut (pi-ri-PLUT), was the winged dog who guarded the harvest and the underworld. He was a sort of Slavic Cerberus. There was also an underwater king, a sort of Slavic Neptune, who held power over storms and sea creatures; he was accompanied by various serpents, spirits monsters. We do not know his original name.

Finally, there was Volos, or Veles, the livestock god, patron of shepherds (originally the patron of hunters). Later he came to be considered a patron of the mounted horsemen of the warrior class as well. His holiday was Dec. 25-Jan 6 and also March 20-25. Jan 6 was Veles' Day. Also considered the God of riches, hence such words as vladet' to possess, vlast' power. In Christian times Volos was confused with the Devil.

4. Lesser gods and spirits mainly known from peasant superstition.

Many of these spirits were once thought to be good but Christianized peasants came to consider them mischevious and demonic. Bereginya ancient guardian spirits, originally beneficial, female spirits. Upyr (bes, chort) troublesome spirits, mischievous beings who brought evil. Chur the god or spirit of boundaries, originally depicted as a four-sided stone; later given a head. The marking of ancestral lands and graves was of prime importance to the Slavic tribes and bands (chort, a violator of boundaries, later the Slavic word for the Christian devil). The Slavs believed that those who moved boundary stones were doomed to wander the earth after death with no homeland--the spirits of these people were thought to be seen as will o' the wisp lights in fields; Domovoi (duh-ma-VOI) house spirit; Ovinnik (a- VEE-neek) threshing barn spirit; Polevik (pa-li-VEEK) field spirit; Leshy (LE-shee) (like the Greek Satyrs) mischievous forest spirits. These were thought to have the power of becoming as small as blades of grass in a field, but when walking in the woods they would grow to the size of trees. They were said to call people into the forest and cause them to get lost there. Sometimes they would lure travelers into their lair and tickle them to death; Rusalka (roo-SAL-ka), also called Vila (VEE-la) or Sirin (SEE-rin) were water spirits like the Greek nymphs, sirens, and naiads. Originally they were good spirits who helped bring rain and watched over the growing crops. Later they became evil. Had blond hair and lured young men into the water and drowned them. Often portrayed as the spirits of drowned maidens, sometimes with pale skin and greenish hair; Nav was a bird with the soul of the dead who came from the other world, somewhere in the east, from a place called vyrei (VI-ray), or rai (pronounced like "rye"). People warmed up the bathouse and set out food to placate these birds; Kikimora (kee-KEE-ma-ra) was the female evil spirit of nightmares; one legend has it that the Kikimora was a baby stolen from its mother's womb by the devil. Dryoma was the spirit of sound sleep, and Bayunok (ba-YOON-uk) was the spirit of good dreams (sometimes thought of as a cat); Polkan (pal-KAN) Centaur, part human and part horse; originally a guardian spirit.
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great stuff. wow didnt know us slavs had such diverse paganistic roots. though through out all indo-european people's they seem to share a common bond in there paganism. The Norse god Odin is the same as slavic god Sventovit. the Norse god Thor is the same as the slavic god Perun. amazing.

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Originally posted by Zheka:
amazing.

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Not really. The historic link between the Vikings and the Rus is quite solid.

Nox

You don�t find it interesting? I find all ancient European paganism amazing. Vikings did rule over the Rus for a while but not long enough to imbed their faith on us. The Rus and Norsemen have always bin close genetically and spirituality. I think that the similarities between are two cultures are not because of Varagian rule over us but because we are both indo-European people's. indo-European people have always had close links. Look at any European religion and you will find a close relationship between all.

quote:

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Originally posted by Zheka:
You don�t find it interesting?

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Different question. Yes, I do find it interesting. My 'not really' comment was in response to your word "amazing". Read carefully.

Nox

The slav I have in me is Slovak, specifically Northwestern Slovak, which has so much Germanic influence that my last name is even a variation of the German word for Farmer. It doesn't surprise me that they were so close, slavs developed with people in a more friendly way, which is probably why there isn't much about them in major history from school. Peace isn't interesting.

Edit: I just re-read this today and noticed I put Northeastern instead of Northwestern. Oops.

[This message has been edited by malaria (edited 10-05-2002).]

Yes, IE peoples are interesting. I was wondering, do Magyars count as Slavs?

No, Magyars are Magyars. Asian steppe folk. Huns and Magyars are very closely related, and Huns are nothing like Slavs.

Slavs can be divided it to 3 diffrent groups.

EastSlavs= Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian.
they are really the same people with diffrent dialect. The Ukrainains, and Belorussians are Rus just like us russians. Almost all of these are Orthodox exept a few minorities in West ukraine and belorus.

WestSlavs= Polacks, Slovaks, and czhechs. they are all Catholic. there are about 60000 Sorbs. they are a slavic people who haved lived in what is now part of germany. they had their land taken by germany. they speak their own Sorbian language.

SouthSlavs= Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Bosnian muslims, makadonians, Bulgarians. they have slavic culture and languege however they are genticly less pure then say belorussians or Polacks due to hundreds of years of ottoman rule. they have a sort of turkic look to em. Serbs, Bulgarians, and Makadonians are orthodox. Slovenen's and Croats are catholic.

Hungarians are a Finno-uralic people. with a mongolian influence. Finno-Uralic means they originated in the northern ural mountains in russia. mongolian influnce comes from when the Uralic people were moving west they met with mongolian horsemen and mixed. later they settled in the carpathian Basin and are now Hungerians. since they did become catholic they have become more european looking. they are closly related to the Fins and those god damn Estonians.

hope that helps.

Are you Eastern Slavic?

Northeast Pennsylvania is dominated by Pols, Czechs, and Slovaks. We don't really have many East or Southern slavic people around here.

Father is A russian speaking ukrainian but considers himself russian. mom is russian. i was born in Kiev.

quote:

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Originally posted by Zheka:
great stuff. wow didnt know us slavs had such diverse paganistic roots. though through out all indo-european people's they seem to share a common bond in there paganism. The Norse god Odin is the same as slavic god Sventovit. the Norse god Thor is the same as the slavic god Perun. amazing.

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Thanks, I took a copy, are there any people still practicing the indigenous religion? Have any of the traditions of the Orthodox churches been adapted from Slav pagan?

yep. there are groups in Poland, Ukraine, Belorus, and Russia that are readopting their ancient culture. Many pagan traditions have bin incorperated into the Russian Orthodox Church. i even heard that some of the ancient gods like Perun and Sventovit were made in to Saints.
here is a link to a great place. everything you need to know. http://members.aol.com/hpsofsnert/

quote:

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Originally posted by Zheka:
yep. there are groups in Poland, Ukraine, Belorus, and Russia that are readopting their ancient culture. Many pagan traditions have bin incorperated into the Russian Orthodox Church. i even heard that some of the ancient gods like Perun and Sventovit were made in to Saints.
here is a link to a great place. everything you need to know. http://members.aol.com/hpsofsnert/

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Yep sounds like the classic "if you can't beat them join them", then "divide and conquer" tactics used by the Romans in the west.

Thanks for the link!

Thanks, Zheka.

Freaky stuff man. Where did you find this out from.

I am Czech from the town of Melnik in northren Czech Republic. Some of my relatives last names were Melnick. I find all this paganism interesting. But, i can tell you that from soviet rule the czech republic is very Aethistic now. Used to be Catholic not now. I know this from my visit there 3 years ago.