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 Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 2:04 am
My Belief
Though I started out very ecclectic, I have been increasingly drawn into the customs of my ancestors. I have experienced UPG (Unverified Personal Gnosis) enough times that I'd really be alright if I never experienced another. I have had nightmares of losing faith, and cried out in my dreams to Perun, only to be awoken by fierce lightning. I have no problem reconciling these beliefs with modern knowledge. The moist earth is our mother in the truest sense. It is also natural that the universe be created by Svarog, the embodiment of heat and fire. Without heat or, at the risk of bringing up physics on a religious thread- energy, the universe would never have been set in motion.
This is just to toss out a few ideas, and maybe this interpretation seems forced, but it is only an example that all of the forces of nature influence and are influenced by one another in a complex way. I will maintain to the end that these natural forces have not ceased to be divine simply because weathermen can see what the weather appears to be in the process of doing. I don't say this to proselytize, just to illuminate some of the polytheistic rationale that often escapes the modern mind. If you are still mystified by what rationale could bring someone to such an ancient religion, please post and share your questions/arguments. If you have anything to add about reasons- be they yours or not- for taking on a similarly antiquated tradition, please share them. If you have any questions about Rodnoverje (Slavic Paganism) beyond what I've provided, please ask them.
The Slavs and Rodnoverje- Some Background
The Slavs are thought by many to have originated either in modern day Ukraine or Poland, but today's Slovenes, Ukrainians, Poles, Sorbs, Czechs, Russians, Slovaks, Serbians, Moldovians and others are all partially descended from these tribes. Next to nothing is known about their expansion, or how they came to engulf so much of Eastern Europe, but Byzantine writers first begin writing of them in the 6th Century A.D.
Virtually all of Slavdom was Christianized (At least on the exterior) by the 10th Century, though local pagan beliefs and Christianity would coexist simultaniously and even mix for some time in a form known as "Dvorverje", or "Dual-Faith." The original pagan beliefs of Slavs are collectively referred to as "Rodnoverje" or "Native faith."
The history of the Slavs is not very well known; there is no evidence that they had a writing system before Christianization. Consequently, what is written about their beliefs is often written by Christians, who, for obvious reasons, did not make any attempt to preserve the beliefs in their totality. Aside from Christian writings, there are old folk songs that still preserve traces of the old Slavic pagan religion, and ancient customs maintained by isolated peoples in the most rural reaches of Slavic countries, though all of these are subject to Christian influence. It also does not help that while the Slavs shared certain main gods, stories, and customs, there was not one unified belief, and one village might have certain local beliefs that few had ever heard of. Thus, there were never incredibly strict rules on what constituted their native-faith, which might explain why Christianity was initially allowed to mingle with it.
Spirits:
The belief in certain spirits persists in parts of Eastern Europe in the isolated countryside to this day. These were more associated with the more superstitious simple folk and peasants. Among them are:
Leszi- A shapeshifting forest spirit that can become as tall as a tree or as small as a blade of grass. His beard is grassy, and he is a protector of animals.
Veela- Beautiful women are said, like Leszi's, to shapeshift. They often take the form of Swans, and stealing their hair of feathers can kill them or allow you to control them. They live in sacred trees and rivers.
Domovoi- A house-spirit said to help bring safety and make chores easier when pleased. When unhappy, it can throw things, make noises, and move objects in the house.
Vodyanoi- An ugly, humanoid water spirit coverd in scales. Drownings are often blamed on him.
Baba Yaga- A witch who lives deep in the forest in a house that stands on Chicken legs. She is said to fly around in a giant mortar, which she propels with her pestle. Children are told she will eat them.
Rusalka- Often said to be the spirit of a drowned girl. She was said to live in a river or in the water. At night, they walk on land and dance, often charming men to live under the water with them.
Upir- An undead spirit. "Vampire" is derived from this word.
Some Main Slavic gods:
(These were believed in by the Slavic upper class. Warriors and royalty would often swear oaths by them.)
Perun: The god of lightning, and the head of the pantheon to most Slavs. He is depicted much like Thor, with a long beard, and a hammer or axe representing the lightning bolt. Because he is also associated with rain, he is both a warrior god and a fertility god. He is associated with the eagle and the oak tree. He is much the same in Baltic mythology, in which he is called "Perkons."
Veles: Veles is the horned god of cattle, wealth, trickery, music, sorcery, trade, and ground-water. Veles is locked in struggle with Perun for rain. In the form of a serpent, he slithers up the world tree into Perun's domain, and tries to steal from him. When Perun slays him with lightning, his body releases the rain or stolen prosperity/fortune on the earth (though he never really dies permanently.)
Svarog: Svarog is a fire/creator god with solar attributes. He is said to have forged the sun, and put a yoke on Zmey the serpent, who he used to plow a ditch to a sea. Svarog's symbol is the kolovrat, or sun-wheel. By some accounts, he was the supreme god before Perun. By some interpretations, he is somewhat related to Perun, both being identified with fire and the sky to some degree. Some say he tends to be inactive, while allowing his sons to take care of earth.
Dazbog-Khors: The sun-god, and son of Svarog. The Kievan manuscript combines these names in one god. Dazbog means "The giving god" while the other resembles the old Iranian word for sun, possibly brought to Eastern Europe by Iranic nomads like the Sarmatians and Scythians. His title is "The Sun Tzar". The sun is likened to his chariot as with the Greek Apollo. In Slovo O Polku Igoreve (Story of Igor's Campaign) Russians are called the grandchildren of Dazbog.
Mati-Syra-Zemlya: Literally "Moist Mother Earth." It was believed you could communicate and give offerings to her by speaking into a hole you dug, or placing or pouring your offering into the hole. It was forbidden or cursed to strike her with a plow until harvest, as she was said to be pregnant at this time. People would sprinkle themselves with earth while making oaths to her, or even confess to the earth when they were dying.
The Zvezda: Three stars said to be goddesses. They are Zorya Utrennyaya, Zorya Vechernyaya, and Zorya Polunochnaya. They correspond to the morning star, evening star, and midnight star. The first opens the gates of heaven for the sun, much like many dawn-goddesses. The second closes the gate. Each night, the sun (Dazbog) dies in the arms of the third, and is restored to leave her embrace in the morning.
Jarilo- The son of Perun, stolen and raised by Veles in Viraj. When he returns to earth, he brings fertility with him, and the seasons change. He is believed to be associated with the moon as well. In the Baltic myth, Perun (Perkunas) strikes the moon-god with a sword and chastises him for being unfaithful to his daughter.
Morana- Daughter of Perun, goddess of death. She and Jarilo fall in love each spring, and bring fertility and harmony. When Jarilo is unfaithful to her, she kills him, only to have him come back next year when they will fall in love again.
Svetovid- A four-headed war/fertility god on a white horse, often called 'Beli" or "white". Every year, his wooden statue on Rugia would be offered mead, which was poured into his drinking horn. He also had associations with divination, and on his island he had an oracle.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 2:08 am
Yay! Thanks for sharing! ^_^
I've heard that there is sort of a focus on opposites within Slavic paganism, or at least within Slavic mythology. Dark and light, etc. Can you explain this or give us some more info about it? (Note: it is possible I am confusing this with something else.)
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 2:15 am
The source usually cited for this is Helmold's Chronica Slavorum, which says basically that the Polabian Slavs would thank a good god for everything good, and then curse Diabolus or "Zhernibog" meaning "The black god" for everything bad. It is assumed, then, that the other god must be "Belibog", or "the white god". (Possibly Svetovid, who if you look, was called "Beli".) However, this belief isn't attested to anywhere else, so I am hesitant to incorporate it into my belief system and make it into something dualistic.
Recall that many Slavs had local beliefs not shared elsewhere with others. That's what I make of this.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 2:29 am
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Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2009 7:46 pm
Most interesting a thanks again for the info.. smile
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