Jarilo is the sun god. Slavic gods-patrons

Before the adoption of Christianity, the Slavs were pagans. This means that in their view, man and nature were closely related. The world perceived them as a living and wise being, having its own soul and living according to certain laws. Such a sense of the surrounding world and contributed to the emergence of myths about the gods and spirits that govern the life of man.

Gods-patrons of the ancient Slavs

All Slavic pagan gods somehow acted as patrons or some kind of activity, or a certain social group. Thus, Veles is considered the patron of animals and trade, Perun - princes and warriors, Svarog - fertility, the goddess Lada - the patroness of peace and harmony, Zhiva - youth and love, Makosh - fate and female needlework, etc. This is due to the fact that Each deity was responsible for a certain natural phenomenon and the sphere of human activity, and consequently could contribute to success or failure in it.

To strengthen the connection with their patron, the Slavs made amulets with the symbols of the deity and carved idols. And also sent prayers to the Slavic gods.

Gods of the sun of the Slavs

The Slavic sun-god had four hypostases in accordance with the four seasons, as well as cycles of human life:

• Winter sun - Kolyada, newborn baby;
• Spring sun - Bright, strong, full of life young man;
• The summer sun - Kupaila, a mature strong man;
• The autumn sun - Sventovit, the wise old man withering away.

In this understanding of the device of the annual cycle, the pagan idea of the infinity of the cycle of birth and death is embodied. So, the old man dies - Sventovit - before the Winter Solstice, and the next morning there is a new-born Kolyada.

Jarilo is the sun god

Yarilo is the Slavic god of the spring sun, youthful strength, passion, unbridled lust for life. This God differs in purity, sincerity and frenziedness. Jarilo launched on the ground the sun's rays, which in some cases are treated as love arrows. Slavs represented God as the life-giving force of the spring sun, which fills the earth with life and joy after a long winter, awakens from hibernation.

Slavic god Yarilo is considered the patron of people with kind, clean, bright and heartfelt thoughts. He was approached for help in conceiving children. He also answered for fertility and was considered the embodiment of rage in the most sublime understanding.

Yarilo could be called Yarila, Yarovit and Ruevit.

How does Jarilo look like?

Jarilo, the sun god, was a young, attractive young man. His hair was light or reddish, his eyes were light blue, clear, behind his broad, mighty shoulders was a red cloak. Jarilo was sitting on a fiery horse-sun. Many girls fell in love with a beautiful young man. And God is ready to reciprocate each. Being the god of fertility and procreation, Yarilo also acts as a deity of corporal love for men and women. This explains why the doll of Yarila was often made with a large phallus, which is the oldest symbol of fertility.

Attributes of God

Jarilo, the sun-god, was endowed with attributes such as an arrow, a spear, a golden shield, or a circle embodying the sun. The stone of the god is considered amber, metal - gold and iron, and in the afternoon - Sunday. Also, all solar symbols can be identified with Jaril.

Holidays in Yaril

Yarilo, the sun god, starting from March 21, the day of the vernal equinox, who also coincided with the pagan holiday Maslenitsa, was worshiped. From this day the time began for the spring sun god. And it lasted until June 21-22, when the time of the longest day and the shortest night of the year came.

Another day of Yarila is April 15. For God, at the festival, they chose the bride-the most beautiful girl in the settlement. They called her Yarilikha or Yarila. Chosen Yarilas dressed up, put on a white suit horse, a wreath of spring flowers was put on her head, the girl took the ears in her left hand, and the image of the severed human head on the right hand - the symbol of death. The horse with the bride was taken to the fields - it was believed that this rite promotes fertility. This rite has one more variant, when the girl depicting Jaril is tied to a tree, and then she is surrounded around her by dances with ritual songs.

Closer to the middle of the summer, Jaril was again honored. At this time, the boys and girls gathered on the "Yarilina pleshka" - a certain place outside the village. The whole day the people walked, sang, served, danced. On this holiday the young man (Yarilu) and the girl (Yarilikhu), dressed in white clothes and decorated with ribbons and bells, were honored.

As soon as night came, fires were lit, called "faded lights." Often the holiday ended with the symbolic funeral of the bride and groom - stuffed with straw in clay masks thrown into the water or left in the fields. So people seemed to say that it's time to finish and have fun, it's time to work.

Myths about Yaril

Jarilo is the embodiment of youth and life, so often in myths he acts as a lover. Moreover, according to some signs it becomes clear that God is in love with all women on earth at the same time and even Earth itself.

The main myth about Jaril is the narrative of the creation of life. There is such a variant. For a long time Mother Earth slept soundly, but somehow Yarilo appeared and began to wake her with her caresses and passionate kisses. Kisses were hot as sunlight, and the Earth, warmed by them, awoke. And in place of kisses appeared fields, forests, meadows. The solar god continued to kiss the Earth. And on it appeared lakes, rivers, seas, oceans. The earth got hot from the caresses of Yarila and gave rise to insects, fish, birds and animals. The last person was born.

So one of the variants of the pagan myth about the creation of the world and the appearance of life sounds.