God of thunder and thunder in Slavic mythology. Perun - god of thunder, thunder and lightning

Perun is the Slavic God of Thunder, the God of thunder and lightning. He was imagined as a middle-aged angry husband with a red swirling beard. We note right away that a red beard is an indispensable feature of the God of Thunder among various peoples. In particular, the Scandinavians, neighbors and relatives of the Slavs in the Indo-European family of peoples considered their Thunderer (Tooa) to be red-bearded. Needless to say, the fiery golden color of the Storm God's beard is by no means accidental!

The hair of the God of Thunder was likened to a thundercloud. Scandinavian legends note that the angry Thor "shaked his hair." What color Thor's hair was is not definitely said, but the Slavic Perun has it really like a thundercloud - black and silver. No wonder the statue of Perun, which once stood in Kyiv, is described in the annals as follows: "The head is silver, the mustache is golden."

The Slavs saw their God rushing among the clouds on horseback or in a chariot drawn by winged stallions, white and black. By the way, the magpie was one of the birds dedicated to Perun, precisely because of its black and white coloration.

The name of Perun is very ancient. Translated into modern language, it means "He who hits hard", "Striking". Some scholars see the connection of the name of the God of Thunder with words such as "first" and "right." As for the "first", Perun really was chief god in the pagan pantheon of Kievan Rus and, probably, the eldest son of Svarog. The convergence of his name with "right" is not without meaning. Perun was considered by our ancestors to be the founder of the moral law and the very first defender of Truth

Perun's rushing chariot thunders desperately over the uneven clouds - that's where the thunder comes from, that's why it "rolls" through the heavens. However, there were different opinions on this matter. They also said that thunder and lightning are an echo and a reflection of the blows that Perun rewards the heavenly Serpent, seeking to again rob the Gods and people - to steal the Sun, cattle, earthly and heavenly waters. And in distant antiquity, it was believed that in fact thunder is a “cry of love” at the celebration of the wedding of Heaven and Earth: it is known how well everything grows after a thunderstorm ...

According to some sources, Perun's lightning was of two kinds: purple-blue, "dead", striking to death, and golden, "alive", creating, awakening earthly fertility and new life.

It has long been noted how clean the air is and how easy it is to breathe when a thunderstorm has died down. The pagan Slavs found an explanation for this as well. The thing is, they said, that the evil spirit scatters in fear before the wrath of Perun, hides in holes and does not dare to stick out for a long time!

Perun, to a large extent "responsible" for fertility, has a special relationship with bread. There is a legend about how a certain unreasonable woman went to the field to work on the holiday of Perun (July 20), according to custom, it was impossible to put on a cheese. Angry Perun initially restrained his anger. But when the child, left on the boundary, soiled the diapers and the mother wiped it with a bunch of ears of bread (according to another version, a piece of baked bread was defiled), trouble broke out: a whirlwind rose and carried the entire crop into a cloud. Some of it still managed to grind back, but “hundred-eared” (hundred ears on each stalk) bread was never born again ...

The legend about the origin of pearls is also connected with the thunder of heaven. The Slavs believed that it was born from the reflection of lightning captured in the eyes of a pearl mollusk at the moment when it frightenedly slams the shell doors at the sight of a thunderstorm ...

Perun's weapons were originally stones, later on - stone axes, and finally - a golden ax: the Gods "progressed" along with people. The ax - the weapon of the Thunderer - has been credited with miraculous power since ancient times. They struck with an ax on a bench on which someone died: it was believed that by doing so death would be “cut down” and expelled. The ax was thrown crosswise over the cattle so that it would not get sick and multiply well. With an ax they drew a Solar Cross over the sick person, calling for help from two brothers-Gods at once. And on the blades of axes, symbolic images of the Sun and Thunder were often knocked out. Such an ax, planted in the door frame, was an insurmountable obstacle to the evil

evil spirits seeking to penetrate human habitation. Truly, one cannot count the customs and beliefs associated with the ax. Even the well-known “chicken god”, a pebble with a hole in the middle, which caring owners are now trying to hang in a chicken coop, is nothing more than a memory of an ancient stone ax, one of the symbols of the pagan Thunder God…

Another symbol of Perun is the so-called thunder sign, which looks like a wheel with six spokes. Scientists believe that ancient people used the shape of a snowflake here, because the sanctuaries of Perun were arranged as close as possible to the clouds and the Sky - on the tops of the mountains (in any case, in the most elevated places), where snow appears first of all. This sign can still be seen on the huts of the old building - it was cut both for beauty and for purely "practical" reasons - as a lightning rod ...

When the Slavs had princes and fighting squads, Perun began to be considered the patron saint of warriors. Therefore, some researchers are now writing that Perun is an exclusively “retinue-princely” God, not at all popular among the common people. It was hardly true! After all, a thunderstorm is not only a heavenly battle, it is also necessary for a plowman who is waiting for the harvest. And the main feat of Perun was precisely that he returned fertility to the Earth, returned the Sun and rain.

An animal was dedicated to Perun - a wild tour, a huge, powerful forest bull. Perun has his own tree - oak, there is also a favorite flower, which in Bulgaria is still called "Perunika". It has six purple-blue petals (a thunder sign!), Overgrown with golden hairs (lightning!). It blooms in spring when the first thunderstorms rumble. This flower is very beautiful, and is called iris - in Greek "rainbow", because different varieties of irises come in very different colors. The scientific, Latin name of Perunik is Iris Germanica.

The sanctuaries of Perun were arranged in the open air. They had the shape of a flower, in those sanctuaries that were excavated by archaeologists, there are usually eight “petals”, but in ancient times, according to scientists, there were six. "Petals" were pits in which unquenchable sacred fires burned. In the middle was a sculptural image of God. Now the word “idol” has a somewhat contemptuous connotation in our speech (remember, for example, “a filthy idol”), one sometimes even hears that the ancient Slavs “believed in idols”. But that's like saying that Christians "believe in icons."

An altar was placed in front of the image of God, usually in the form of a stone ring. Offerings were put there, sacrificial blood was shed: most often - animal, and if the people were threatened with serious misfortune - then human. Life at all times was considered a sacred gift of the Gods, human sacrifice was an extraordinary, exceptional act. And we must also take into account that, according to scientists, the person appointed as a victim did not necessarily burst into bitter tears and tried to escape. Victims were also voluntary: a person went to the Gods to tell them about the needs of his people, ask for help, avert trouble.

The Orthodox Church forbade praying to the former Gods, and the sanctuaries were destroyed with the same unnecessary cruelty with which churches were destroyed almost a thousand years later by militant atheists. And we know the myths of ancient Greece much better than our own...

- the embodiment of light, the god of goodness, good luck, happiness, good, the personification of the daytime and spring sky. His sanctuary was on a hill open to the sun, and Belbog's numerous gold and silver ornaments reflected the play of rays and even at night illuminated the temple, where there was not a single shadow, not a single gloomy corner.

Veles is one of the greatest gods ancient world, son of Rod, brother of Svarog. His main act was that Veles set the world created by Rod and Svarog in motion. Veles - "cattle god" - the owner of the wild, the owner of Navi, a powerful wizard and werewolf, an interpreter of laws, an art teacher, a patron of travelers and merchants, a god of luck.

Dazhdbog is the god of the Sun, the giver of heat and light, the god of fertility and life-giving power. His name is heard in a short prayer that has survived to this day - “Give, God!”

Dogoda is the god of a quiet, pleasant wind and clear weather, the exact opposite of his ferocious brother, the patron of the winds, Pozvizd.

Karachun is the god of cattle death and death from frost.
Karachun is the second name of Chernobog.

Kolyada - ancient god fun feasts, it is believed that his name is derived from the word "kolo" (circle). Teacher of the Third Law of Life. He told people about the Great Kolo of Svarog, about the Day and Night of Svarog, and also established the first calendar.

Roof - the son of the Almighty and the goddess Maya, was a brother to the very first creator of the world Rod, although he was much younger than him. He returned fire to people, fought on the shores of the Arctic Ocean with Chernobog and defeated him.

Lel - in the mythology of the ancient Slavs, the god of love passion, the son of the goddess of beauty and love Lada. About Lele - this cheerful, frivolous god of passion - is still reminiscent of the word "cherish", that is, undead, love.

Ovsen is the younger twin brother of Kolyada. He got the role of putting into practice the divine knowledge that Kolyada taught people.

Ozem is the god of the underworld, the keeper of the earth's bowels.
He protects gold, silver and copper ores.

Perun is the god of thunderclouds, thunder and lightning, the most famous of the Svarozhich brothers. Perun is the patron of warriors and the princely squad, the god-ruler, the god punishing for non-compliance with laws, the protector of Reveal, the giver of male power.

Rod is the creator god of the visible world. Everything born by Rod still bears his name: nature, homeland, parents, relatives. Rod gave birth to Svarog - the great god who completed the creation of the world.

Svarog is the creator god of earth and heaven. Svarog is the source of fire and its master. He creates not with a word, not with magic, unlike Veles, but with his hands, he creates the material world. He gave people the Sun-Ra and fire. Svarog threw a plow and a yoke from heaven to earth to cultivate the land; a battle ax to protect this land from enemies, and a bowl for preparing a sacred drink in it.

Svyatobor is the god of forests and forest lands. It predetermines the fate, life and fate of all the inhabitants of the forest, ensuring harmony and concord in nature.

Svyatovit is a deity identical to Svarog among the Western Slavs.

Semargl is the god of fire and the moon, fire sacrifices, home and hearth, the keeper of seeds and crops. Could turn into a sacred winged dog.

Stribog - to the east Slavic mythology wind god. He can summon and tame a storm and can transform into his assistant, the mythical bird Stratim. In general, the wind was usually represented in the form of a gray-haired old man living at the end of the world, in a deep forest or on an island in the middle of the sea-ocean.

Religion of the ancient Slavs. Perun - the god of thunder and lightning Perun is the Slavic god of thunder, the god of thunder and lightning. Perun was considered the patron saint of warriors. And the main feat of Perun was that he returned fertility to the Earth, returned the Sun and rain. Perun had his own oak tree, and his favorite iris flower, which blooms when the first thunderstorms rumble.

Dazhdbog - the god of the Sun The ancient Slavs considered Dazhdbog the god of the Sun. Dazhdbog means "the giver of all blessings." Dazhdbog rides across the sky in a beautiful chariot drawn by four white, golden-maned horses with golden wings. And the sunlight comes from the fire shield. At night he crosses the ocean on a boat drawn by swans. The Slavs believed that the sun god would help them.

Yarilo Yarila is the god of reviving nature. This Slavic mythological character is associated with the idea of ​​fertility and spring power. Sometimes Yarila appeared before people in the spring as a boy on a young stallion, in the summer as an adult man on a strong horse, and in the fall as an old man on an old horse. People knew: the winter would pass, and Yarila would return.

Lada - the goddess of love Lada is the goddess of love, beauty and charm. Lel was the eldest son of Lada, the second son was Polelya, the god of marriage. He blessed people for everyday life, a family path full of thorns. The third son of Lada Did, the god of matrimony. Like his brother Polella, Did is always young. The goddess Didilia is the guardian of the clan and children, also from the Lada family.

God Perun is the Slavic god of thunder and the patron saint of warriors. He is considered one of the most important characters in the Slavic pantheon of Gods. Perun was revered by many nations. The cult of God Perun was attested among the southern Slavs. Among the Slavic Slavs, it was reflected in the name of the day of the week Thursday - “perendan”, just like, for example, Thursday (Thursday) - the day of Thor. By the way, both Thor and the Slavic Perun are gods of thunder, and it is no coincidence that the same day of the week is called by their names. Perun is the god of war. Many people think so today. But in fact, this is not entirely true.

God Perun was the son of Svarog and Lada. The legend says that the birth of Svarozhich was accompanied by an earthquake and a thunderstorm. In the "Book of Kolyada" it is written:

“Then thunders thundered in the sky, Then lightning flashed in the clouds, and the Son of Svarog Perun the Thunderer was born like lightning”

Even in infancy, God Perun, along with his sisters, the goddesses Zhivaya, Marena and Lelei, were abducted by the Skipper-beast (half-human, half-scorpion) guard of the other world. The beast plunged the baby into eternal sleep, and turned the goddesses into monsters. The eldest sons of Lada went to save their brother, turning into prophetic birds - Sirin, Alkonost and Stratim all over the world. They searched for a long time for the baby, but could not find him. The Svarozhichs were already desperate, but suddenly they noticed the Skipper-beast at the entrance to the dungeon. He immediately disappeared at the sight of the Svarozhichs ... The brothers rushed into the dungeon, found God Perun, sleeping in deep sleep. Over the past years, he grew up and matured, but the brothers could not awaken him from sleep. Then the Svarozhichi sent the bird Gamayun to the Repey mountains for the holy surya - living water. They washed my brother with it, and he got up alive and healthy. As God the Thunderer came to his senses, he immediately said that he would take revenge on the Skipper-beast and free the sisters.

The Slavic Perun overcame many obstacles before reaching the lair of the Skipper Beast. He found his sisters and disenchanted. He himself went to the Skipper-beast in order to destroy the monster. They fought for a long time, but finally God the Thunderer raised his enemy and threw him to the ground. The Earth parted and swallowed Skipper forever. After this victory, God Perun returned to the world of Rule.

Many more legends are associated with the Patron of Warriors. How he fought with the Sea Monster to prove his valor to the father of the future Wife, how Diva-Dodola turned into a ladybug for betrayal, how he went to the world of Navi with the children of Chernobog to fight and much more.

IN AND. Dahl writes about him like this:

“In Belarus, it is a tall, broad-shouldered golovach, black-haired, black-eyed, a golden beard, and in his right hand a bow, in his left a quiver with arrows; he rides across the sky in a chariot, shoots fiery arrows.

Perun strikes with a "thunderbolt" - the lightning of his sworn enemy Veles, who stole cattle from Perun. Veles unsuccessfully tries to hide from "thunder arrows" in a tree, a stone, in a person, animals and water. And only in the underworld does Veles find refuge.

Peasants in the Tver province at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries used to say this:

“If God burns a tree with lightning, then he wants to destroy the devil hiding in its branches. If lightning hits a person, it is only to kill the devil hiding in him. For this He rewards the slain in the next world.

The ancient Slavs were pagans until Prince Vladimir baptized Russia in 988. However, this process was lengthy and painful, since all the Magi and those who did not want to abandon the faith of their fathers and grandfathers were executed. With fire and sword, as the chronicler said, a new religion was planted in the state, the old one was forgotten. The fierce god of thunder and lightning, the main character in the pagan pantheon of the Slavs, could not do anything ...

In the 17th century, Adam Orle Arius wrote in his “Journey to Muscovy and Persia”: “The Novgorodians, when they were still pagans, had an idol called Perun, that is, the God of fire, for the Russians call fire “perun”. In the place where their idol stood, a monastery was built, which retained the name of the idol and was called the Perun Monastery. This deity had the appearance of a man with silicon in his hand, similar to a thunder arrow (lightning) or a beam. As a sign of worship to this deity, they kept an unquenchable day or night fire, laid out from an oak forest. And if the servant at this fire through negligence allowed the fire to go out, then he was punished by death.

PERUN'S SANCTUARY

The god of thunder and lightning among the Slavs, as well as among the Hellenes, was considered the main one. When spring came, Perun, according to legend, sparkling with lightning, fertilized the earth with generous rains. And after that he brought out the gentle sun from behind the black clouds. Awakening nature after a winter sleep, God seemed to create the world once again, so he was often called the creator. The god of thunder and lightning aroused fear and awe, since he was a punishing force. He punished mortals with a fiery arrow that caused fires, and also sent downpours, storms and hail, famine, disease, crop failure. But there were also thunder arrows in his arsenal, which fell from the clouds and entered deep into the earth. After a certain time (three to seven years), they again returned to the earth's surface in the form of oblong-shaped stones of dark gray or black color. These are belemnites - icicles that form in the sand from a lightning strike. Their people wore as a talisman, which is able to protect from fire and thunderstorms.

Similar ideas about the "unquenchable fire" of Perun are confirmed by archeological data. V.V. Sedov in the middle of the 20th century excavated a round platform near Novgorod in the Perm tract with a pit from a pillar in the center. Around the site there was a ditch with eight extensions, which, according to scientists, were bonfires for kindling a fire.

It is known that in Novgorod, as in Kiev, the idols of Perun stood on the hills. So, in the third Novgorod chronicle (988) one can read: “... and destroy the trebshets and cut down Perun, who stood on Peryn in the great Novgorod.” It is obvious that Sedov discovered the ancient sanctuary of Perun, which was discussed in the annals.

On the Kiev hill, the idol of Perun stood in the time of Prince Igor. According to the chronicle of 945: "The next day, Igor called on ambassadors and came to the hill where Perun stood, laid down his weapons and shields, and gold ...". The following is a discussion of the oath that the Rus take when concluding an agreement with Byzantium. According to custom, the Rus swore by their gods - Perun and Veles.

The Lithuanian god of thunder, Perkuias, according to legend, also lived on a high mountain, which was called Perkun-mountain.

PERUNOV OAK, FEATHER AND TABOO

From animals, a horse was dedicated to Perun, and from trees - an oak. Throughout the area of ​​\u200b\u200bsettlement of the ancient Slavs, the names of hills and mountains called Perunov are known. The names "Perun's Grove" and "Perun's Oak" are also known. It was in such places that the sanctuaries of Perun were located. So, in the deed of gift of the Galician prince Lev Danilovich dated 1302, it says: “... and from that mountain to Perunov Oak, the mountain slope was the possessions of the Bishop of Przemysl”. As we can see, even the possessions of bishops can be limited by pagan toponyms.

Explaining the meaning of the word "jerun" presents some difficulty for modern researchers. So, V.I. Dahl cites popular expressions on this score: “If you cracked with a pyarun!”, “All around him, from the clouds, thundering thunderbolts shine.” Dahl cites the same-root words: "to shove, trample, straighten." And in fact, expressions have been preserved: “where are you going?”, “staring at”, “stabbed with a knife”. Obviously, they indicate semantic proximity to the forgotten word "perun".

Some researchers suggest that Perun comes from the word pen, hence feathered. It is assumed that in the old days Perun had the image of not a man, but a bird (similar image: firebird).

However, other researchers point out that the word "perun" is an onomatopoeia of the sound of thunder. As evidence, the Slavic analogues of Perun are cited: Pererun, Pererug, Preperud, Priorush. Obviously, the true name of the Thunder God was taboo.

Appearance and attributes

Perun is the Slavic god of thunder and lightning. Among the Romans, he was called Jupiter, among the ancient Greeks - Zeus. They are similar in appearance and perform almost the same functions. But among our ancestors, he was still closer to people than in the Mediterranean.

The god of thunder and lightning among the Slavs looked like a stately and mature man of high stature. He had a long golden beard and straight black hair. He sat on a fiery chariot drawn by winged stallions, the roar of which the Aryans considered thunder, or on horseback. He always carried a bow and a quiver filled with arrows. He could also have a large club, stones, an ax. The sacred animals of Perun were a horse, a tour (god often took on his appearance when he traveled the earth), a crow and a magpie.

The chronicler Nestor claimed that the idol of the god Perun, which Vladimir erected in Kyiv during his first religious reform, was made of wood. But his head is cast of silver and adorned with a golden mustache. God patronized warriors, rulers, but he was also represented as a plowman and a blacksmith. The attributes of Perun were a coulter and a stone, a symbol - red-hot iron and boiling water. The tree of the main god was considered an oak, from which it was possible to get a living fire, and a blue iris was considered a flower. They swore in the name of the Thunderer, and it was impossible to break this solemn oath, because this could entail the wrath of God. To appease Perun, sacrifices were made to him - poultry (cock), livestock, and in earlier times people - prisoners or children.

"PERUN'S ARROWS" AND "BLUE BERETS"

The main weapons of Perun were arrows and axes, as well as Perun stones (among the Poles), now called belemnites. All these items of pagan worship from the standpoint of ancient Orthodoxy were called "godless things." Meanwhile, weapons for ancient warriors were of great value. The thunder god was already endowed with a military function in the Indo-European tradition. In Russia, he was considered the patron of the military squad and its leader - the prince.

In the Christian tradition, the functions of Perun are partially transferred to Elijah the prophet. No wonder this saint is still considered the patron saint of paratroopers. Maybe it's not without reason that paratroopers bathe in fountains on their day. By doing this, they unwittingly revive the long tradition of blessing water on Ilyin's day. "Fistfights", which are also regularly organized by paratroopers, are reminiscent of ancient valiant games in honor of Perun.

Initially, in ancient iconography, Elijah the prophet was depicted on a chariot or on a horse. He strikes with his formidable weapon a serpentine enemy, to which the ancient Veles corresponds, and in later versions of the myth - Zmiulan. Thus, Ilya Muromets from Russian epics has every chance of being considered the successor of the Old Slavic Perun.

PERUN AND ILYIN DAY

The day of the Old Testament prophet Elijah is called Elijah's day. It is celebrated according to the new style on August 2, and according to the old style it was celebrated on July 20. The peasants tried not to work that day. They believed that whoever violated this prohibition would be struck by lightning. On this day, a leg of mutton, new honey, ears of fresh rye, green peas were brought to the church as a sacrifice. On this day, the water was blessed. Often rituals were performed with pouring water on women. According to historians, these rituals basically go back to pagan cults associated with rain and even human sacrifice. After Ilyin's day it was forbidden to swim. Rituals of making rain are still practiced in some places. For this purpose, they catch a snake, cut it lengthwise and hang it on a tree. In these rituals, faith in an ancient myth is seen as in a drop of water. The man who killed the snake is likened to God who killed the snake. Like attracts like. And it's raining. Sometimes, in order to cause rain, a fire is made on the outskirts of the field and a dead snake is thrown into it. Obviously, such actions reproduce the ancient ritual of worshiping Perun.

Perun is the god of thunder and lightning, son. He occupied a leading position in the Slavic pantheon of the second circle. Over time, Perun became the patron of the prince and his squad. Outwardly, Perun looks like a middle-aged man of strong physique with gray hair and a dark golden mustache and beard. Perun is dressed in golden armor, and he is armed with a club and an ax, but the deity prefers to attack enemies not in close combat, but by shooting at them with his lightning bolts. Perun was often represented riding a fiery horse or in a chariot, also harnessed by fiery horses.

Temples in honor of Perun were always arranged on hills, and the highest place in the district was chosen. Idols were made mainly of oak - this mighty tree was a symbol of Perun. Sometimes there were places of worship Perunarranged around an oak tree growing on a hill, it was believed that this is how Perun himself designates the best place. In such places, no additional idols were placed, and the oak, located on a hill, was revered as an idol. As a sacrifice to the god of thunder, bulls were brought, and they were killed directly on the temple, cutting the throat, and when the blood stopped flowing, the carcass was buried right there in the ground.

Capabilities

Perun is the god of thunder, he is able to cause the strongest thunderstorms and throw lightning. Perun also has tremendous physical strength, which stands out not only among people, but also among other gods. Like his brothers, Perun is an excellent magician: he is able to change his appearance at will, can fly and create ghostly ones that disappear when magic stops working.

Sphere of influence

First of all, Perun patronizes warriors, he was revered after great victories, and they also asked for help before major battles. But the sphere of influence of the deity was not limited to military affairs: Perun protected Yav from Navi, driving them back to another world with lightning and fire.

Enemies

Always openly opposed to Perun, and many myths and legends about their mutual hostility have been preserved in history. However, this cannot be called hostility in the truest sense of the word, they are more like two brothers who do each other petty dirty tricks in order to attract attention to themselves.