Procopius of Caesarea in his work "The War with the Goths" (553) wrote that the Slavs are people of "tremendous strength" and "high stature". He noted that they revere nymphs and rivers, as well as "all sorts of deities." The Slavs make sacrifices to all of them and "do divination" with the help of these victims.
Where are the ideas of the Slavs about the world reflected?
One of the first to tell about our ancestors was the Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea. He left us the rarest and priceless information about the Slavs. During the creation of the work "War with the Goths" they barely entered the world stage. At that time, the Slavs still lived as a separate culture, which was far from the culture of antiquity. Our ancestors will touch its achievements much later. This will happen after the adoption of Christianity by our country.
In the meantime, the ancient myths of Russia flourished. They reflected the ideas of the Slavs about the world. The ancient myths of Russia tell us about the gods whodirectly related to nature. Today it is hardly possible to imagine a general picture of the Slavic pantheon. Many legends and ancient myths of Russia are forgotten and lost. Only a few names of the gods have survived to this day.
The poetic charm of the ideas of the Slavs about the world was brought to us by Russian fairy tales. And today they color our childhood with poetry. We get acquainted with such heroes as brownies, goblin, mermen, mermaids, Koschey the Immortal, Miracle Yudo, Baba Yaga, and others. Moral principles were often presented in a personified form to an ancient person. This, for example, Krivda, Truth, Woe-misfortune. Even death was depicted by our ancestors as a skeleton dressed in a shroud with a scythe in his hands. The name of God was the word "keep away", which is used today in the form: "Stay away from me!"
The struggle of Perun with Veles, the heroes of the myths of Ancient Russia
The ancient Slavs had Perun as the highest deity. This is the thunder god who lives on the top of the mountain. The ancient myths of Russia depict Veles as his enemy. This is an evil, treacherous god. He kidnaps people, cattle. Veles is a werewolf god who could turn into both a man and a beast. Myths and legends of Ancient Russia tell that Perun constantly fights with Veles, and when he defeats him, a fertile and life-giving rain falls on the earth. He gives life to all crops.
Note that the word "god", probably derived from "rich", is often associated with the names of various deities. There was, for example, Stribog andDazhdbog. The myths and epics of Ancient Russia also tell us about such heroes as the nightingale-robbers, ghouls, kikimors, the Serpent Gorynych, divas, Lel, winds of Yarila, etc. Sometimes the names of numbers acquire a divine meaning. In particular, even is a positive start, while odd is a negative start.
Characterizing the myths of Ancient Russia briefly, one cannot help but dwell in more detail on the topic of the creation of the world. Our ancestors had very interesting ideas about him.
Creation of the world
In one of the myths of the ancient Slavs, it is said that Svarog and Svarozhichi, after the battle of the gods with the Black Snake, sank to the ground. They saw that it was mixed with blood. It was decided to cut Mother Earth, and she swallowed the blood. After that, the gods set about arranging the world, as evidenced by the myths of Ancient Russia. What did the god Svarog create? Where the Serpent, harnessed to the plow, laid furrows, the Danube, Don (Tanais) and Dnieper (Danapris) rivers began to flow. The names of these rivers contain the name of Dana, the Slavic Mother of Waters. Translated from Old Slavonic, the word "da" means "water", and "nenya" is translated as "mother". However, rivers are far from all that the gods created.
Heavenly Realm of the Gods
The Ripean Mountains appeared on the site of the battle between Svarog and Svarozhich with the Serpent. It was in these places, above the White Alatyrskaya Mountain (the White River originates from it), the winner of the Serpent established Svarga. That was the name of the heavenly kingdom of the gods. After a while, a sprout sprang up on the mountain. He grew up to bind the whole worldsacred elm. The tree stretched its branches to the very sky. Alkonost built a nest on its eastern branches, and the bird Sirin - on the western ones. The Serpent stirs in the roots of the World Elm. Svarog himself, the heavenly king, walks at his trunk, and Lada-mother follows him. Near Alatyrskaya Mountain, in the Ripean Mountains, other magical trees began to grow. In particular, the cypress rose on Hwangur. This tree was considered the tree of death. Birch began to grow on Mount Berezan. This is the tree of poetry.
Irian Garden
Svarog planted the Iry garden on the Alatyr mountain. A cherry tree grew in it, which was dedicated to the Highest. The Gamayun bird flies here. A sun oak appeared next to him. It grows with branches down and roots up. The Sun has its roots, and 12 branches are 12 Vedas. An apple tree also rose on the Alatyrskaya mountain. It bears golden fruit. Whoever tries them will receive power over the entire universe and eternal youth. Mountain giants, snakes, basilisks and griffins guard the approaches to this garden. And the dragon Ladon guards the apple tree itself.
Description of Iriy, the Slavic paradise, is found in many songs. It is also in the legend about the father of Agapia, and is also placed in a book called "Monuments of Ancient Russia of the XII century." (Moscow, 1980).
Ripean Mountains
The name "Rips", according to scientists, is of Greek origin. Gelannik wrote about the Hyperboreans as a people living behind these mountains. Aristotle also noted that the Riphean mountains are located under the constellation Ursa, beyond extreme Scythia. He believed that it was from there thatthe largest number of rivers, the largest after the Istra. Apollonius of Rhodes also mentions the Riphean mountains. He says that in them are the sources of Istria. In the 2nd century A. D. e. Claudius Ptolemy summarized the historical and geographical facts known at that time. According to this researcher, the Riphean mountains were located between 63° and 57°30' (roughly in the middle). He also noted that the zone of settlement of Borusks and Savars bordered on them. A large number of medieval maps were created on the basis of Ptolemy's information. They also marked the Riphean mountains.
White Alatyrskaya Mountain
It is known that in Russian incantations and works of ancient Russian authors Alatyr-stone is "the father of all stones". He was at the Center of the World. This stone in the verse about the "Pigeon Book" is associated with an altar located on the island of Buyan, in the middle of the sea-ocean. This altar is located in the very center of the world. Here is the world tree (throne of world control). This stone has magical and healing properties. Healing rivers flow from under it all over the world.
Two versions of the emergence of Alatyr
Alatyr, according to ancient legends, fell from the sky. The laws of Svarog were carved on this stone. And where he fell, Alatyrskaya Mountain appeared. This stone connected the worlds - dolny, heavenly and mountainous. The book of the Vedas that fell from the sky and the Gamayun bird acted as an intermediary between them.
Somewhat different version put forward by other myths of Ancient Russia. Its summary is as follows. When Svarog created (welded) the earth, he foundthis magic stone. Alatyr grew up after the god cast a magic spell. Svarog foamed the ocean with it. Moisture, having thickened, became the first dry land. The gods were born from sparks when Svarog hit Alatyr with a magic hammer. The location of this stone in Russian folklore is inextricably linked with the island of Buyan, which was located in the "okiyane-sea". Alatyr is mentioned in incantations, epics and Russian folk tales.
Smorodina River
Kalinov Bridge and the Smorodina River are often mentioned in spells and fairy tales. However, in them this river is most often called simply Smolyanaya or Fiery. This matches the descriptions presented in fairy tales. Sometimes, especially often in epics, Currants are called Puchay River. Probably, it began to be called so due to the fact that its boiling surface swells, boils, bubbles.
Currant in the mythology of the ancient Slavs is a river that separates two worlds from each other: the living and the dead. The human soul needs to overcome this barrier on the way to the “other world”. The river did not get its name from the berry bush known to us. In the Old Russian language there was the word "currant", used in the 11-17 centuries. It means stench, stench, a sharp and strong smell. Later, when the meaning of the name of this river was forgotten, the distorted name "Scurrant" appeared in fairy tales.
Penetration of the ideas of Christianity
The ideas of Christianity began to penetrate our ancestors from the 9th century. Having visited Byzantium, Princess Olga was baptized there. PrinceSvyatoslav, her son, buried his mother already according to the customs of Christianity, but he himself was a pagan and remained an adherent of the ancient gods. As you know, Christianity in Russia was established by Prince Vladimir, his son. This happened in 988. After that, the struggle with ancient Slavic mythological ideas began.
