Dazhdbog winter meaning. Who was Dazhdbog for our ancestors? Symbols and attributes of Dazhdbog

Among the gifts of Svarog to people were his sons - Svarozhichi. The first of them is Dazhbog-Dazhdbog, Dab, RADEGAST, Radigosh, Svarozhich. These are different variations of the names of the same. God of fertility and sunshine, life-giving power. We correlate with Helios, the son of Svarog. The first ancestor of the Slavs (the Slavs, according to the text "The Lay of Igor's Host", are the grandchildren of God). His name is heard in the shortest prayer that has survived to this day: "Give, God!"

Victor Korolkov

By the ruby \u200b\u200bhand of sunset
Golden Dazhdbozh'ya boat
Listening to the waves of heaven,
Illuminating the whole course of being
It floats easily and slowly
Returning to the Beginning of Beginnings,
And it turns red light and comforting
At sunset, the heavenly pier.

Marina Tsar Volkova, 2009

B. Olshansky

Ivanov V. Visions of the Arctic. Throne of Dazhdbog.

Also Known As: Generous God. The sun disk is the symbol. The main color is gold. The Slavs believed that Dazhdbog rides across the sky in a wonderful chariot drawn by four white fire-maned horses (griffins) with golden wings. And the sunlight comes from the fiery shield that Dazhdbog carries with him. Twice a day - morning and evening - he crosses the Ocean-Sea on a boat pulled by geese, ducks and swans. Therefore, the Slavs attributed special power to talismans in the form of a duck with a horse's head.

Andrey Klimenko. Dream about the chariot of Dazhdbog.

Dazhdbog had a dignified gait and a direct look that did not know a lie. And also wonderful hair, sunny golden, easily flying in the wind. the eyes of all three were the same, blue-blue, like the clear sky on a sunny afternoon, like a gully in black thunderclouds, like the blue, intolerable core of a fire.

B. Olshansky. Glory to Dazhdbog. 1992.

The Son of Heaven carries a wonderful shield on a light chariot drawn by four snow-white horses, began to illuminate the beauty and wondrous diva of the Earth: fields and hills, high oak forests and resinous pine forests, wide lakes, free rivers, ringing streams and cheerful student springs.

Dazhdbog on a solar chariot drawn by griffins.

Dazhdbog (the giving god) was expected to fulfill desires, health and other benefits. Silver and gold served as symbols of Dazhdbog - light, glowing metals. He was considered the keeper of great wisdom, since he gave the people of the holy man nine Santiyas (books) containing the sacred Vedas. Dazhdbog played the greatest role as an educator of the ancient Slavs.

The wooden statue of Dazhdbog in the old days stood on a hill in Kiev. Our ancestors believed that Dazhbog patronizes weddings, meets the groom at dawn on the day of the wedding. Dazhbog closes winter and opens summer. Day of Dazhdbog is Sunday, its metal is gold, its stone is yacht.

The lion was considered the sacred animal of Dazhdbog - Radegast. Svarozhich-Dazhdbog was often depicted with a lion's head, and sometimes riding a chariot pulled by lions. Among the ancient Slavs, the root "rad" meant sunlight, hence the "rainbow" - a solar arc. The word "joy" is also from there and means "given by the rays of the sun."

The symbols of Svarozhich are not only royal lions, but also boars (a boar is also the embodiment of the Indian Vishnu and the Scandinavian Freyr). One of the attributes is a sword, later an ax, and also a spear, possibly a scarlet banner: "in this converge the devil Svarozhich and the leader of the saints, yours and our Mauritius? Those who raise the sacred spear in front, and those who stain the devil's banners with human blood ? "

Bird Radegast - a rooster, announcing the arrival of the sun with its cry. On the idol, the name of the god was written in Venedian runes, perhaps there was also solar symbolism. The idol's head is placed on the rise of the sun or to the southeast so that he can follow its progress. The largest cult center of Dazhdbog was located on the lands of the Luticheretari. It was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt again, it was finally burned by the Germans in 1147-1150.

The new temple of Dazhdbog on the Castle Hill.

Dazhdbog was called Savior, i.e. A savior, but not in the sense of the salvation of the lost sheep of Israel, but in the sense of a military one - a defender. The statue of Dazhdbog was placed on a hill and always head to the east, from where the sun rises. Also Dazhdbog was considered the defender and savior of the warriors. Therefore, the Honey Savior on August 14 and the Apple Savior on August 19 are the days of honoring Svarozhich or Dazhdbog. Together with Yarila, he is also honored on Yuri Zimny \u200b\u200b(December 9).

A. Guselnikov

When the earth was still young and people did not know the light, Svarog decided to set foot on the earthly firmament and learn about the existence of the children of his mortals. Since the world was in darkness, the Heavenly Father took with him his son, born from the spark of fire. And this child was wonderful, for it glowed and was warm like a coal in a fire. Svarog carried his son in his bosom and entered the dwellings of mortals that were without windows. To make out the children of men, Svarog allowed his son to get off his hands and step in front of him to illuminate everything around with his light. And people saw the light and felt the warmth. Reaching out to Svarog, they only prayerfully asked: "God grant." And Svarog saw that people were unhappy in darkness and cold, and he decided that his son would henceforth bring his light and warmth into the human world. And it became a gift for people, and named Svarog his son Dazhdbog, in honor of the first prayer that flew from the lips of men.
Since then, many years and winters have passed, and Dazhdbog regularly performs his service every day, leaving his heavenly abode only at night in order to take a break from his affairs and worries. People pray all the same, to their beloved Sun-God, and ask him for grace. And the cherished one sounds: "God grant, give."

The ancient Slavic Dazhdbog is the sun itself and the source of all earthly goods that people possess. The origin of the name of the deity itself causes a lot of controversy among scientists. Several theories now exist.
According to one of the versions, which M. Fasmer adheres to, the name of God arose from the merger of two Old Slavonic words: "dazh (d)", which means a request to give something, and "bog", which means happiness, good. In short, according to this statement, Dazhdbog means "who gives all grace."
V. Yagich claims that the name of this deity arose from the exclamation “God forbid”, which is very consonant with the theory of Vasmer. That is, the name of God contains a prayer with which people turned to him.
Some researchers argue that as such a separate deity with a similar name did not even exist in the Slavic pagan pantheon. The phrase, which was accepted by the Slavs as a kind of greeting, was misinterpreted by Christian missionaries as the name of a separate deity. It is very difficult to judge how true this statement is, since there simply are no arguments that could fully confirm or refute this theory.
According to another statement, the first part of the name of God, and in particular “Dazh (d)”, is a softened form of dagh, which in Sanskrit means “day”, “fire”. Both of these meanings can be associated with the sun, and from this perspective, this theory looks very convincing, since Dazhbog is the sun god.

The theory of the appearance of Dazhdbog

To begin with, it is worth noting that the question of who were the fathers of Dazhbog, who bears the middle name Tarkh, is a big question. Somewhere you can

come across the statement that Dazhbog is Tarkh the son of the god Perun, the grandson of Svarog, and a descendant of Vyshen in the third generation. According to legend, the powerful Tarkh, with his dazzling light, crushed the hordes of dark forces that lived on the moon Lele and wanted to take over the mortal world. In honor of the great victory of the Sun-God over evil, the old Slavs celebrated this day with red eggs, which symbolized the power of Tarkh. The eggs broke against each other and were called Koschei's eggs. This day was usually celebrated in the summer. I think it will not be difficult for every reader to trace the amazing similarity with the current tradition of celebrating Easter in the Orthodox world.
In other sources, Dazhbog-Tarkh is referred to as Svarozhich, the son of Svarog. In favor of this theory, a passage from the Ipatiev Chronicle is cited, where Dazhdbog is referred to as the Sun. Word for word: "Slntse tsr sn Svarogov. hedgehog is Dazhb ". That is, there is a direct statement of the origin of the deity, the sun reigning in the sky, the son of Svarog, called Dazhbog. This version looks more plausible, although this article is not intended to assert anything, it is rather an attempt to give the reader an overview of all possible options, and determine your own judgments.

Who is Dazhdbog?

Whose son would not begod, one thing is clear he is the deity of the Sun, the lord of light and grace that is bestowed on mortals. Dazhdbog was presented in the form of a middle-aged man, of a strong constitution, with azure eyes like the sky, and blond hair, like the light emanating from him. The Slavs believed that Dazhdbog could turn into a lion. The god was portrayed on a chariot drawn by lions. But there was a belief that Dazhdbog crosses the firmament twice a day on a golden chariot drawn by golden-maned horses. Flocks of swans and ducks always flew in front of him. They are like messengers of dawn and dusk. The Slavs believed that the bright daylight was a reflection from the golden armor that Dazhdbog was wearing.
In essence, Dazhdbog is the supreme manifestation of good. He is a protector, not a warrior. A shield serves as his weapon, which is able to reflect the blow of any force and any weapon, but the god himself hardly uses magic. He does not attack, he only protects and protects. Dazhdbog is a peaceful god. His destiny is to give people and the whole world light and warmth, so that there was life.
Dazhdbog gave people not only light and warmth, but also material values \u200b\u200band health. The harvest also depended on him. Therefore, the ancient Slavs tried in every possible way to appease the light god. They made offerings to him in the form of bird feathers. These were mainly feathers of geese, swans and ducks. Honey, apples and nuts were also served. Temples were erected on the hills, and the idols, which were made of wood, were placed so that their faces turned to the east, from where Dazhdbog began his daytime journey.

Holidays in honor of Dazhdbog

Like any other representative of the Slavic pagan pantheon, Dazhbog had special days when people honored him. Days dedicated exclusively to this deity were March 18 and May 6, which respectively bore his name. These days, the Slavs celebrated the renunciation of Dazhdbog from Marena, which meant the end of the winter cold and his union with the Living Goddess. On the same days, Yarilo was revered as one of the faces of Dazhdbog, or rather, the spring revival.
On the day of Dazhbog, they also drove cattle to pastures for the first time, after the winter retreat. The Slavs asked their sun god to preserve not only crops, but also livestock and return it whole. In honor of this, it was customary to burn fires.
Dazhbog was also revered on February 12-14, 16 and 17 along with the god Veles. There is an opinion that Dazhbog was also called the Savior, as the savior of the Slavic lands. Proceeding from this, on August 14 and 19, when the apple and honey Savior is celebrated, it is associated with Dazhbog. If we take into account that the presentations to this god were made in the form of honey and apples, then we can trace a certain logical pattern.

Runa Dazhdbog

This rune is called a summer rune, as it personifies the gifts that nature presents to people in the summer season.
The Dazhbog rune embodies the cornucopia, implying the wealth that is given to man by God. These are not only material benefits, but also good health, success, peace of mind and love. By the way, this rune also personifies, according to some interpretations, both love and first love. Also, meetings are associated with the Dazhbog rune, which can be of exceptional importance in the fate of a person. In fortune telling, this rune means the successful resolution of serious problems that a person has. In its shape, the rune symbolizes the cup, in the more ancient sense, the cauldron, which means that grace that is bestowed by the gods on mortal children. This bowl is full of spiritual enlightenment and carries in itself an understanding of the meaning of life and the universe.

Symbol and amulet of Dazhdbog.

Since Dazhdbog is a solar, that is, a solar god, the disk is considered its symbol. Dazhdbog refers to the great Slavic solar triad of gods: Khors, Yarilo and he, but since Khors is the god of the winter sun, Yarilo of the spring, and Dazhdbog himself of the summer, the disk, as the embodiment of a full and mature sun, is exclusively his sign. The most common sign of Dazhdbog is also the solar square, which has many similarities and in common with the Svarogov square and the star of Lada. In this square

the sacred meaning of the very power and grace of the deity is concluded: his light and love extends to all four corners of the world. The ruby \u200b\u200bis also among the symbols of Dazhdbog, which is recognized as the personal stone of the deity.
The guardian of Dazhdbog is not only a great honor, but also a reliable protection. For the young, this amulet is a path to enlightenment of the mind and the acquisition of strength and understanding, which are needed in order to overcome all life's difficulties and obstacles. The Dazhdbog amulet will allow you to find the right solution from a difficult situation, and will attract a worthy companion in life. For representatives of the older generation, a talisman is a way to find peace of mind, health and find mutual language with a younger generation. In general, the Dazhdbog amulet is designed to make people happy, to attract love to them, but it also allows the wearer to understand that his happiness is inside himself and depends on his thoughts and actions. The Dazhdbog amulet was made of wood or soft metals. It was also embroidered on napkins and was carefully worn in the pockets located on the chest, closer to the heart.

Dazhdbog's wives and grandchildren are Slavs.

By giving the first wife Dazhdbog became Zlatogorka. Once seeing her asleep, God submitted to her innocent beauty and he decided to marry the sleeping red girl. Three times he struck with his club to wake the one that captivated his heart. Waking up Zlatogorka, she was enraged by the courage of Dazhdbog and having bewitched him, she locked him in her magic casket. But the face of the young god was too beautiful and clear, and he captivated the heart of a beauty. Zlatogorka released her beloved from captivity. Having got married, the young were going to the great Mount Latyr, when in the field of Zlatogorka she saw the coffin enchanted by the vile Chernobog. She really wanted to sleep, so she climbed into it, but the trouble was to get out back. As Dazhdbog did not try to free his

beloved wife, all was in vain. And then he went to the underworld to seek help from the wise Viy. He gave him a special ring that could break the dark spell of Chernobog, but warned Viy Dazhdbog that if he lost this ring, the soul of his beloved Zlatogorka would go to the Navi world forever. The freed goddess gave birth to her husband two sons: Kolyada and Ovsenya, after which, due to the machinations of Chernobog, Dazhdbog still lost the magic ring of Viy, and Zlatogorka went to the Navi world, where her soul merged with the soul of the goddess Mara.

Madarena, in which the soul of Zlatogorka lived, married Dazhdbog and bore him a son, Bohumir, but then she disowned her husband and ran away from him with Chernobog's grandson - Kashchei. The enraged Dazhdbog set off in pursuit of the unfaithful wife, but the vile Kashchei defeated him twice. For the first time, he turned the sun of God into stone, but Perun cast a spell on him. The second time Kashcheya deprived him of his strength and chained him to Latyr-mountain, dooming him to eternal torment, but the beautiful goddess Zhiva saved the clear Dazhbog, who became his third and most beloved wife.

She gave him living water to drink and she revived a new and more powerful soul in his body.
Alive gave birth to Dazhdboga two sons: Kisek and Aria. From the sons of the first descended after the peoples of the Hessians and West Germans. Arius had three sons: Kiy, Horeb and Schek. From them came the Czechs, Serbs and Kiev glades. Arius had descendants - Lech and Krak, who became the ancestors of the Mazovian and Polish tribes.
About the eldest son of Kolyada, Dazhdbog had a grandson Radogost. He became the father of the peoples of Radimichi, Vyatichi, Obodritov, Ruyan and Ratarei. From the son of the dark Marena, Bohumir, Dazhdbog had granddaughters Polev, Dreva and Skreva, from them the Krivichi and Drevlyans and the grandchildren of Rus, Skif, Kim-ra, Khazar, Sloven and Seva originated. From the latter came the clans of Rus, Slovenes, Khazars, Scythians, Severyans and Cimmerians. All Slavic peoples are the descendants of Dazhdbog, his grandchildren.

DAZHBOG (or DAZHDBOG) is one of the most ancient Slavic gods, he is the god of the Whole World, he is the sun god, he is also the bearer of the sun's light.

NAME: "The Giving God", the god who creates the main conditions for life on our Earth (or the god "who sends us good"); he is the giver of the moisture of heaven and our harvest; he is the God "giving Life itself" to nature.

PEDIGREE: Dazhdbog is the son of a great and gentle mermaid, he is the progenitor of the Russian people. Through the father - the grandson, through the mother - the grandson. Spouse, and.

He has two sons from Zlatogorka - and

ANOTHER NAME: Tarh

FEATURES. The very first feature of Dazhdbog is the miracle of his birth. For, according to legend, he was born from a stone that the mermaid Ros brought to Svarog. Perun's golden arrows hit this stone, and there, inside the stone, Dazhdbog was born (turned out?) - the son of Perun and Ros. And Svarog freed him from this stone. The legend is beautiful., No words, but - just a legend.

ELEMENTS. Dazhbog belongs to the elements.

APPEARANCE: Dazhdbog had a dignified step and a direct gaze, not knowing a lie. And his hair was wonderful, light, sunny-golden, as if flying, flowing easily in the wind, as if soaring, and his eyes were bright, blue-blue, like a clear sky on a sunny afternoon, like a ravine in thunderstorm ink clouds, or like the blue, unbearably bright core of the fire.

AREA OF INFLUENCE: Patron saint of weddings. It is he, according to legend, who meets the groom at dawn on the day of this wedding, and endows him with skill and strength, wisdom and health. For this, Dazhdbog is attributed to.

Dazhbog keeps the earthly keys: he closes the earth for the winter, and gives the key to migratory birds. And in the spring it opens the doors.

ATTRIBUTES. Dazhbog did not have any special attributes, because he did different things, and he needed his own tool for each business. But there is a Dazhbogov amulet. This is a mascot in the shape of a duck and with a horse's head.

SCOPE OF GOVERNANCE: How light god, is part of the Supreme.

IN CONSPIRACIES. The name of the god Dazhbog is mentioned in conspiracies on.

Visions of the Arctic Throne of Dazhdbog, art.

ACTIVITY: He also fought with and as a result he then freed cows and water. He fought with and caused the Flood.

LIFESTYLE: The appearance of the light of Dazhbog in the sky is always preceded by the appearance of his younger sister - Zarya Utrennyaya, the one that brings his white-maned horses to the upper sky; the other sister - Zarya Vechernyaya - leads her horses to the stable in the evening, after God finishes his detour. And there is also Dazhbog-sun and faithful servant-helpers who disperse the clouds and cleanse his face with the help of rains.

The Slavs firmly believed that Dazhdbog rides across the sky in a wonderful chariot, four beautiful white fire-maned horses with golden wings harnessed. They also believed that the sunlight comes from the fiery shield that Dazhdbog carries with him. And twice a day - morning and evening - he tirelessly crosses the Great Ocean-Sea on a magic boat, and geese, ducks and white swans pull that boat. Therefore, the Slavs attributed special power to all talisman amulets in the form of a duck.

Dazhdbog, Artists -, and.

LIFE AND DEATH: According to legend, in the autumn at times Dazhbog dies, and then on the day of the winter solstice is born again - new, beautiful and young.

IN BYLINY: The epic "Word about Igor's Campaign" tells us about the Slavs as the true grandchildren of the sun - the grandchildren of Dazhbog.

IN LITERATURE. The backbone of the indigenous winter was broken long ago. The day was growing, soon it will be equal to the night, and we will fashion small birds from sweet dough and go with them over the edge of the gardens - to click on a visit to spring. The winner Dazhdbog ran into the sky like a youth. M. Semenova, The one I am always waiting for.

IN LITERATURE. And after toast and Dazhdbog, the servants - boys about ten years old, two girls in sundresses tied under their very breasts and two aged women - brought out dishes with whole baked piglets, a pound of sterlet for two, from whose open mouth a pike was sticking out, and a pike had a golden carp with boiled onion. Alexander Prozorov, Copper Guardian (Vedun-9).

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God of the ancient Slavs Dazhdbog

God Dazhdbog was one of the most revered divine beings of the pagan Slavic pantheon. His name is translated as "giver of all blessings" or "giver of good." In the pagan period of Russia, people believed that Dazhdbog was in charge sunlight and affects fertility. In addition, he was considered the progenitor of the Slavic peoples.

Etymology of the name "Dazhdbog"

In Ukrainian and Russian ritual folk songs that have survived to this day, Dazhdbog is called the one who opens summer, and also brings sunlight to the earth after a long winter. However, this divine essence was not the only one responsible for the movement of the sun. So, the winter sun was symbolized by the god Khors, the spring - by the god Yarilo, but the summer sun - by Dazhdbog himself. After all, it was summer that was sometimes all the best in those days.

"The Tale of Bygone Years" about the Slavic God Dazhdbog

For the first time this god of the Slavs is mentioned in the chronicle of Nestor "The Tale of Bygone Years", the text of which informs us that the idol of Dazhdbog stood in the center of Kiev on the main temple of Vladimir pagan Rus, along with the idols of other Slavic gods and the idol of the great Perun. According to this literary source, this god was considered the third in order and importance after the god of thunder, patronizing the squad and the prince, as well as the god Khors.

Information from the Ipatiev Chronicle about God Dazhdbog

Dazhdbog is also mentioned in the famous Ipatiev Chronicle, in which John Malala answers the question about the very essence of this deity, calling him no other than the giver of light, as well as warmth and fertility, which fully corresponds to his name, since well-being depended on the warmth and harvest people in that historical period. And yet, the same John Malala claimed that the great Dazhdbog was the giver of the princely ruling power, as well as all people who are endowed with power.

Historian Boris Rybakov about Dazhdbog

When describing this deity, Boris Rybakov in his works refers to the upper part of the Zbruch idol, which was found in a river not far from Satanov, at the junction of the Khmelnytsky and Ternopil regions on the territory of modern Ukraine. On this idol, you can also see the symbol of Dazhdbog - a solar swastika sign, which the Magi advised to embroider on clothes and other things as a strong amulet.

Despite the rather peaceful functions of the god Dazhdbog, he was honored as one of the most skillful and strong warriors of Iriy. Not a single divine battle was complete without his intervention. Perhaps that is why the pagan Slavs portrayed this deity as a warrior, dressed in crimson-gold armor, who was armed with a livestock and a sword.

The same chronicler Nestor, telling the history of Russia, calls all the Slavs "grandchildren of Dazhdbog." The Ipatiev Chronicle is also called the progenitor of the Slavic peoples. What is the reason for this? According to these literary sources, the first Slavs already glorified this solar deity. But why grandchildren and not children?

Modern data

According to some modern Slavophile researchers, Arius was born in the marriage of Dazhdbog with his wife Zhivoy, who is the direct progenitor of the Slavic people.

According to folk legends, Dazhdbog meets his grandchildren at the moment of sunrise on their wedding day and, as the supreme progenitor of the Slavs, he personally congratulates the groom before this important wedding ceremony. Moreover, the groom's ordinary song has survived to this day, the performance of which on the wedding day promised the family not only a happy married life, but also material benefits and good luck.

As we mentioned above, the wife of Dazhdbog was the daughter of the goddess Lada - Zhiva. At the same time, Lada herself united a pair of gods with eternal marriage. Legends say that before this Dazhdbog rejected the goddess of death and winter Morena. The text of this ancient legend itself, which brings to us the story of the crucifixion of Dazhdbog, is also interesting. It was this punishment for the beloved that Morena chose for his refusal.

Day of Dazhdbog

In Russia, the holiday of Dazhdbog or Day of Dazhdbog was celebrated on May 6. At this time, the ancient Slavs glorified this divine essence for choosing Alive and refusing the sun god from the embrace of Morena. This holiday, as you can understand, symbolized the onset of summer warmth and the departure of cold winter. People glorifying Dazhdbog brought him treasures in the form of sweet drinks and food, reading ritual texts and singing songs in his glory.

This holiday was of particular importance for the Slavs, because in the morning they brought livestock to green pastures for the first time in the year. Therefore, lighting sacrificial fires, the Slavs asked Dazhdbog to protect animals from diseases, wild predators and theft.

Each person tried to get up early in order to bring out the livestock before the dew evaporated, because, according to beliefs, it had magical properties on this day, giving the animals that passed through it with health.

As on most major holidays, it was customary to dance around the fire on Dazhdbog Day. As a rule, people from all over the settlement participated in the celebration, but only young people took part in round dances.

- Hello, dear students!

Today we will talk about the third of the Svarozhichi. He has a very beautiful, in my opinion, name - Dazhbog (Dazhbog). Some are confused and think by the sound that this is the god of rain. But no. The origin of the name Dazhdbog is different. This is the giving god. Remember the famous phrase: "God forbid!" So she refers specifically to this god. And what did he give? And Dazhdbog was the giver of all the blessings and, above all, sunlight and life-giving power, without which flowers, trees, fields would not have yielded crops, which helped our ancestors live and survive in those distant times.

Dazhdbog lives far in the east, in the land of eternal summer. There, in the golden chambers, he spends the night, and in the morning he drives out in his chariot, which is drawn by four white golden-maned horses (or maybe not horses, but lions, griffins or even swans, as evidenced by archaeological finds), and commits circular detour across the sky. Dazhdbog's sister - Morning Dawn leads the horses to the sky, another sister - Evening Zarya - meets the chariot, unharms the horses and takes them to the stable.
When Dazhdbog rolls across the sky in a chariot, a bright light comes from his fiery shield. In the evening, the dust shield becomes cloudy, becomes dull red, and at night the attendants clean it, make it shine. These same servants accompany Dazhdbog on the way, scattering the clouds and washing his face with rains.

In the fall, Dazhdbog dies, and on December 24, after the winter solstice, when the days are getting longer, a new, young Dazhdbog is born. He closes winter and opens summer.

Dazhdbog is often mentioned in ancient chronicles.
Here, for example, is the mention in the Lay of Igor's Host:

"Then, under Olza Gorislavlichy, it sows and spreads feuds, the life of Dazhdbozh's grandson will perish, and the princely sedition has shrunk as a man."
"A resentment arose in the strength of Dazhdbozh's grandson, entered the land of Troyan as a virgin, splashed her wings with swans on the blue sea near the Don: splash, lose the fat times."

The metaphor "dazhd'bozh's grandchildren" is seen as part of the Slavic myth about the origin of princely power. That, they say, Dazhdbog was the first king of the Slavs, and the princes are the descendants ("grandchildren") of Dazhdbog. That is, Dazhdbog combined two main functions: in nature he was a giver of light, warmth and fertility, and in society, he was a source of princely and royal power.

We find confirmation of this in the Ipatiev Chronicle of 1114, whence we learn that after Svarog, his son reigned for two decades with "the name of the Sun, he is also called Dazhbog."
And who was this prince? The specific term of office, I must say, makes such a question logical. There are a lot of opinions among researchers about a specific historical personality. I also went through the dates of the reign of the Old Russian princes and found that Prince Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko is most suitable for the period of reign (approximately 20 years). He is also named in the candidates for the “position of Dazhdbog”. But such an assumption is very problematic in the sense that this prince lived too late to claim the role of god.

The Russian scribe in the Ipatiev Chronicle made an attempt to periodize the entire human culture. For us, who are now collecting bit by bit of knowledge about the Slavic gods, any mention of those who lived closer to that ancient time is important in order to compare something, to understand something, because there is a lot of confusion.
1st stage. People live in the Stone Age, they fight with clubs and stones, they know only group marriage and, before the appearance of Svarog, obviously, they do not know a single god.
2nd stage. Era of Svarog. The deity of heaven and fire, Svarog, appeared. People have come to know metal. Monogamy and cruel execution (burning) for violating it were established.
3rd stage. Dazhbog era. A class society was established, people began to pay tribute to the kings, rich and noble people appeared.
And, in all likelihood, at this time, in connection with the cult of the Sun, the old account of the lunar months was replaced by a solar calendar of 12 months. Until a certain time, the count was carried out only in days and lunar months. Therefore, the duration of the reign of Dazhbog was determined at 7470 days (that is, 20 years and six months).

Dazhbog disappears from literary sources in the Middle Ages. He is already unknown to Russian folklore of the 19th century, but it is very well known in Serbian fairy tales. Dabog is a rival of the Christian god, ““ as strong as the Lord is a god in heaven, "and at the same time, a“ king on earth. ”Wolves serve the Serbian god; sometimes Dabog acts as gold and silver, and the deity of fertility.

In the Proto-Slavic archaeological material of the 1st millennium BC, there are many different traces of the cult of the solar Dazhbog: these are festive bonfires and “solar chariots” drawn by swans. At the same time, a whole series of myths-fairy tales appeared. Remember the divine blacksmiths who defeat the Serpent and plow a giant furrow-shaft on it, protecting the Russian land? These were the first mythical heroes. Then there were tales about the Golden Kingdom, about the hero Svetovik or Svetozar, who also defeats the evil Serpent. The basis of these tales of the three kingdoms was written down by Herodotus, whose main character bore the name of Kolaksai - "the sun-king".

The analogy of Dazhbog with one of the famous gods of Ancient Greece is obvious, but you will speculate about this in your homework.

The largest cult center of Dazhdbog was located on the lands of the Lyutichi (this is a Slavic tribe that lived in the VIII-XI centuries between the Oder, the Baltic Sea and the Elbe) in the city of Retra. The enemies of the Lutichs were the Normans, who attacked the Baltic coast, and the Germans, who pressed them from across the Elbe. Therefore, the cult center of Dazhdbog was repeatedly destroyed by enemies, but also repeatedly rebuilt by the Slavs.

Lyutichi stubbornly fought against the forcibly introduced Christianity, repeatedly rebelled against the German conquerors, but by the 12th century they were completely Germanized. At the end of the 17th century, in the land of the village of Prilvits, bronze images of the lutich gods and ritual objects from the Retrinsky temple were found. The figures are covered with Slavic runic inscriptions.

The lion and rooster are considered sacred animals of Dazhdbog. His day is Sunday, metal is gold, stone is yacht.

In the Vladimir pantheon, Dazhdbog was the third most important deity after Perun and Mokosh.

The symbolism of the Sun and Dazhdbog is associated with the Slavs with the numbers 3, 6 and 12.
Image of the sun: wheel of fire, "horned" circles, spirals and crosses.
The most likely depiction of Dazhdbog is the motive of the "ascent" of the Sun on horses, griffins or birds.
Solar symbols are known in the form of "skates" on the roofs of buildings, incantatory embroidery ("horned" rhombuses of the Belarusian flag), ornaments of headdresses ("princely" tiaras and wedding kokoshniks).

Pancakes, peas, linen, honey, nuts, apples, black grouse, loaf, patterned bread, rye, wheat, eggs, wine, fruits, vegetables, flowers, money were brought to the donation to Dazhdbog.
The idol of Dazhdbog is placed with its head to the east or southeast so that it can follow the movement of the sun.

After the Christianization of Rus, Dazhdbog was replaced by Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker (he is also Nicholas the Pleasant or simply Nicholas), who, according to popular beliefs, was a "bearer of gifts", merciful to the poor and needy. According to another version, the Christian analogue of Dazhdbog was Christ himself, the "king of heaven" and "light", who also had a solar number of apostles - 12, and the symbol of the cross - the most ancient Slavic solar (swastika) symbol.

A slight rustle was heard behind the stove.
- Oh, I completely forgot! Zhouli threw up her hands. - Our respected cricket knows an interesting myth about Dazhdbog.
Behind the stove, they rustled even louder: apparently, the narrator was getting comfortable. The disciples fell silent and everyone prepared to listen.

- The holiday of Kupala was approaching on earth, the very height of summer, when all the plants are gaining full strength, the water acquires magical properties, and all sorts of miracles happen at night, - the cricket began his story. - Dazhdbog decided to please people on this day too.
In the morning he ordered three horses to be harnessed to his chariot: silver, gold and diamond. When Morning Dawn brought them into the sky, everything around them sparkled. The chariot of Dazhdbog rolled across the sky. The fire shield, polished from the night, shines, the manes of horses sparkle. Because there are three horses, not four, the chariot travels more slowly. Now Evening Zarya has already prepared to meet her brother, but he is still gone and gone. Finally, when festive bonfires were lit on Earth, the tired horses dragged the chariot to the edge of the sky. Evening Zarya took them to the stable, and Dazhdbog went to rest.
Since then, it has become a tradition that Kupala, at the time of the summer solstice, has the longest and brightest day of the year.

- Thanks, cricket! - thanked Chzhouli and turned to the students: - Tale for the night, oh, that is, goodbye, listened, and now it's time to go home. Only homework (you need to choose questions that will give at least 10 points in total) do not forget. All successful creativity will be laid out in the corner of Dazhdbog's glory.

1. The rooster figured as an animal of Perun, but, as we can see, he was even depicted on the shoulder of Dazhdbog. Which of the two gods is a rooster more suitable as a sacred animal? (0-2 points)

2. Here we met three brothers Svarozhichi. Try to reason and decide which of them was the senior, who was the middle, and who was the youngest. (0-2 points)

3. There is an obvious connection between Dazhdbog and the god of Ancient Greece. How? Indicate similarities. (0-3 points)

4. Learn more about the tale mentioned in the lecture, the hero of which is Kolaksai. Compare it with the Russian folk tale of the three kingdoms. (0-3 points)

5. We continue to write myths about our gods. This time - about Dazhdbog. (0-5 points)

6. You can write an ode dedicated to Dazhdbog. (0-5 points)

7. Drawing dedicated to Dazhdbog. (0-5 points)

8. You can describe the meeting with Dazhdbog. (0-4 points)

9. How are the holidays Apple and Honey Spas connected with Dazhdbog? (0-2 points)

10. Consider the phrase "God forbid" ("God forbid") in relation to its use in Russian. What is the meaning of this phrase? (0-2 points)

11. Why is Sunday considered the day of Dazhdbog? (0-1 point)

12. Why is Yahont considered the stone of Dazhdbog? Try to find other stones that seem to be suitable for this god and speculate why not them. (0-3 points)