Ancient myths of Russia. Heroes of myths of Ancient Russia

Procopius of Caesarea in his work "The War with the Goths" (553) wrote that the Slavs are people of "great power" and "high growth." He noted that they revere nymphs and rivers, as well as "all sorts of deities." The Slavs bring sacrifices to all of them and "make fortune-telling" with the help of these victims.

Where are the Slavs' views of the world reflected?

One of the first about our ancestors told Byzantine historian Procopius of Caesarea. He left us with rare and invaluable information about the Slavs. During the creation of the work "War with the Goths" they hardly reached the world stage. At that time, the Slavs still lived a separate culture, which was far from the culture of antiquity. Our ancestors will touch its achievements much later. This will happen after our country adopts Christianity.

And while ancient myths of Russia flourished. They reflected the views of the Slavs on the world. The ancient myths of Russia tell us about the gods, which are directly related to nature. Today, it is hardly possible to imagine the general picture of the Slavic pantheon. Many legends and ancient myths of Russia are forgotten, lost. Until now, only a few names of the gods have survived.

The poetic beauty of the Slavs' ideas about the world was brought to us by Russian fairy tales. And today they paint our childhood with poetry. We get acquainted with such heroes as the house, wood, water, mermaids, Koschey Immortal, Miracle Yudo, Baba-yaga, etc. Moral principles were often presented in a personified form to an ancient person. This, for example, Krivda, True, Woe-misfortune. Even the death of our ancestors portrayed as wearing a shroud skeleton with a scythe in his hands. In the name of God was the word "chur", used in our days in the form: "Chur me!"

The struggle of Perun with Veles, the heroes of the myths of Ancient Rus

In the ancient Slavs, Perun was the supreme deity. It is the god of thunder that lives on 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 a human being and a beast. Myths and legends of Ancient Rus tell us that Perun is constantly fighting with Veles, and when he wins, a blessed and life-giving rain spills to the ground. He gives life to all crops.

Note that the word "god", which probably occurred from the "rich", is often associated with the names of various deities. There was, for example, Stribog and Dazhdbog. Myths and epics of Ancient Rus tell us about such heroes as nightingales-robbers, ghouls, kikimors, Snake Gorynych, divas, Lel, winds of Yarila, etc. Sometimes the names of numbers acquire divine significance. In particular, the odd is a positive start, whereas odd is the beginning of a negative.

Characterizing the myths of Ancient Rus briefly, it is impossible not to dwell in more detail on the theme of the creation of the world. Our ancestors had very interesting ideas about it.

world creation

In one of the myths of the ancient Slavs it is said that Svarog and Svarogichi fell to the ground after the battle of the gods with the Black Serpent. They saw that she was mixed with blood. Mother-land was decided to be cut, and she absorbed blood. After that, the gods began to arrange the world, as evidenced by the myths of Ancient Rus. What did the god Svarog create? Where the Serpent has paved the furrows, the rivers Danube, Don (Tanais) and Dnieper (Danapris) began flowing. In the names of these rivers there is the name of Dana, the Slavic Mother of Waters. Translated from the Old Slavic word "yes" means "water", and "nenya" means "mother." However, the rivers are not all that the gods have created.

The heavenly kingdom of the gods

The Ripaean mountains appeared on the site of the battle of Svarog and Svarogichi with the Serpent. It was in these places, above the White Alatyr Mountain (the White River originates from it) that the Snake conqueror established Swarga. This was the name of the heavenly kingdom of the gods. After a while a sprout rose on the mountain. He grew up in the binding of the whole world, the sacred Elm. The tree stretched its branches to the very sky. The alconost has made a nest on its eastern branches, and the bird Sirin is on the western branches. In the roots of the World Elm, the Serpent moves. Svarog himself, the heavenly king, walks by his trunk, and Lada-Mother follows him. Near Alatyr mountains, in the Ripeye mountains, other magical trees began to grow. In particular, the cypress has risen on the Hwangur. This tree was considered a tree of death. The birch began to grow on the mountain Berezani. It is a tree of poetry.

Irish Garden

Svarog planted on the Alatyr Mount Irish garden. In it grew a cherry tree, which was dedicated to the Vishnu. Here comes the bird Gamayun. A sunny oak appeared next to him. It grows branches down and roots up. The Sun has its roots, and 12 branches have 12 Vedas. The apple tree also rose on the Alatyr mountain. It grows golden fruits. Whoever tries them will gain power over the whole universe and eternal youth. Mountain giants, snakes, basilisks and griffins guard the approaches to this garden. And the dragon Ladon protects the apple tree itself.

The description of Iria, the Slavic paradise, is found in many songs. It is also in the tale of Agapia's father, and also placed in a book called "Monuments of Ancient Rus of the XII century." (Moscow, 1980).

Ripeye Mountains

The name "Rips", according to scientists, is of Greek origin. Gelannik wrote about hyperboreans as a people living behind these mountains. Aristotle also noted that the Ripaean mountains are under the constellation Medveditsa, beyond the extreme Scythia. He believed that it was from there that the largest number of rivers, the largest after Istra, flowed. Apollonius of Rhodes also mentions the Ripaean mountains. He says that they contain the origins of Istra. In the 2nd century AD E. Claudius Ptolemy summed up the historical and geographical facts known at that time. According to this researcher, the Ripaean mountains were located between 63 ° and 57 ° 30 '(approximately in the middle). He also noted that they bordered the zone of settling borosks and savors. A large number of medieval maps were created on the basis of Ptolemy's information. They also marked the Ridean Mountains.

White Alatyr Mountain

It is known that in the Russian conspiracies and works of Old Russian authors Alatyr-stone - "all stones father." He was in the Peace Center. This stone in the poem about the "pigeon book" is associated with the altar, located on the island of Buyan, in the middle of the sea-ocean. This altar is located in the heart of the world. Here is the world tree (the throne of governing the world). This stone has magic and healing properties. Throughout the world, healing springs flow from under him.

Two versions of the appearance of Alatyr

Alatyr, according to legends of antiquity, fell from the sky. The laws of Svarog were carved on this stone. And where he fell, the Alatyr mountain appeared. This stone connected the worlds - dolniy, heavenly and mountainous. The mediator between them was the book of the Vedas, fallen from the sky, and the bird Gamayun.

A somewhat different version is advanced by other myths of Ancient Rus. The summary is the following. When Svarog created (welded) the earth, he found this magic stone. Alatyr grew after God uttered a magical spell. Svarog foamed with his help the ocean. Moisture, thickening, became the first land. The gods were born from sparks, when Svarog struck with a magic hammer on Alatyr. The location of this stone in Russian folklore is inextricably linked with the island of Buyan, which was located in the "okean-sea". Alatyr is mentioned in conspiracies, bylins and Russian folk tales.

Smorodina river

Kalinov Bridge and the River Smorodina are often mentioned in plots and tales. However, in them this river is called more often simply Smolyanoy or Fiery. This corresponds to the descriptions presented in the tales. Sometimes, especially often in the past, the Currant is called the Puchai River. Probably, it began to be called so because of its boiling surface swelling, bubbling, bubbling.

Currant in the mythology of the ancient Slavs is a river that separates two worlds: the living and the dead. The soul of a person must overcome this obstacle on the way to "that light." The river got its name not from the berry bushes known to us. In the Old Russian language was the word "smorod", used in the 11-17 centuries. It means stench, stench, sharp and strong smell. Later, when the meaning of the name of this river was forgotten, a distorted name of "Smorodina" appeared in the tales.

Penetration of the ideas of Christianity

The ideas of Christianity began to penetrate to our ancestors from the 9th century. After visiting Byzantium, Princess Olga was baptized there. Prince Svyatoslav, 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 began with ancient Slavonic mythological ideas.