Gods, demons and customs of the ancient Slavs

Gods of the Sun and Fire

  Since ancient times of different cultures, people have worshipped the Sun as a source of life, light and warmth. Ancient Egyptians worshipped the sun god RA ( RE ), while ancient Greeks had their Helios. The Germans, on the other hand, saw it in the form of the god of daylight Baldura. Ancient Arians had the god Agni (agni, fire) - in the Vedic religion the god of fire, one of the most important deities of the Vedic pantheon.

Gentile and Swarozyc are gods connected with fire, who were worshipped in the whole Slavic region under different names, but the range of fields that were attributed to them remained the same, or very similar. They were gods of heaven, sun, fire and earthly affairs, and they sent happiness and wealth.

The solar cult has preserved its traces in numerous place names. In Poland these are : Swarzędz in Wielkopolska and Swarozyn in Kociewie. In Kiev this god had its statue (next to other gods such as Perun, Chors, Stribog, Mokosza, or Siemargła) and was described as Dadźbogóg son of Swarog, god of the Sun. The Gentile was the East Slavic god of domestic and sacrificial fire.

The Ruthenian princes considered themselves grandchildren of the Gentile. According to an old Prussian latopus, Kyiv gods were sacrificed with "sons and daughters". The cult of Swarożyc lasted until the 11th century, when the missionary activity of St. Bruno Boniface of Kwerfurt led to his liquidation.

The West Slavic tribe of Redars, for some time leading in the Wielecki Union, worshipped Swarozyc. According to Thietmar, he loved his temple in the main castle of Radogoszcz. According to this chronicler, among the statues of gods placed in this temple, "the first one among them was called Swarozyc and is particularly venerated by all pagans". (It is worth mentioning that the word "Gentile" is an offensive and contemptible term used by Catholics in relation to followers of other religions) The sacred animal of the god was a horse kept in the temple.

The German expedition against the editors in 1068-1069 plundered and destroyed Radogoszcz. As a sign of victory over the pagans, the Burchard bishop of Halberstadt ridden a holy horse. At the same time humiliating and dishonoring not only the Editors themselves, but also their god in the name of God's love, which was so zealously shown by Catholics.

Another place of worship of the solar deity called Radogost according to various legends was Radhost, a mountain peak in the Beskid Śląsko-Morawski.

In Szczecin, a god with similar features, which was worshipped under the name of Trygławy. According to legends, he was to rule three worlds: heaven, earth and underworld. Symbols attributed to him are the oak and the black horse. The priests used the animal to preach the future.

In Arkona a solar god was worshipped under the name Świętowit. There he was considered to be the most important of the gods. He was the master of fire, heaven, sun and harvest.

Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus ( 1150 -1220 ) wrote that in Arkona there was a temple guarded by 300 horse warriors together with the treasury of the wounds. Inside, there was a large statue of a four-headed Świętit, who held in his hand a horn made of "various ore". The horn was a symbol of abundance and was used for divination.

The seriousness and reverence of the homage to the gods can be evidenced by the fact that the priest serving the sanctuary did not dare to breathe in the presence of the statue, as evidenced by the custom of banning the contamination of the holy fire, which was the emanation of the god.

According to Saxo Grammaticus, "the idol worshipped by the efforts of the whole Slavs and the neighboring kings with their gifts were invading. After various places had this god still other temples, ruled by priests of lesser dignity and significance. The temple in Arkona survived until 12 June 1168, when, after the great invasion of the Danes by order of King Waldemar I the Great, it was burnt down and its treasury plundered. It was the last pagan temple of the Slavs.

As a result of the invasion, the entire population of Rügen was baptized, the commander of Raneslav paid homage to the Danish king, and the island was incorporated into the diocese of Roskilde.

This is how Thietmar writes about the temple of Swarożyca in Radogoszcz (today's Germany, probably Gross Raden in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern):

"There is a triangular-shaped stronghold with three gates leading to it, called Radogoszcz, which surrounds the great wilderness from all sides, untouched by the hand of the natives and like holiness worshipped. Two gates of this castle are open to all those entering, the third one is the smallest on the east side and overlooks the path that leads to the nearby and terribly looking lake. There is only one temple in the castle, intricately built of wood and resting on a foundation of horns of wild animals. Its outer walls are decorated with various images of gods and the goddesses can be seen from close up in a strange carved way, while inside there are gods making a human hand in terrible helmets and armors, each with a name engraved at the bottom. The first of these is called Swarozyc, and it is especially worshipped by all Gentiles. There are also banners that they don't take anywhere from here, unless they are needed for a warfare and then carried by pedestrians warriors. To guard all of this, the natives of separate priests have established themselves with due care.