Old Slavonic Names: History of Origin

Everyone knows that the name predetermines the fate of a person. Now the ancient Slavonic names are very popular. Few people know the history of their origin. In ancient Russia it was customary to give two names. One that was known to everyone, so to speak, false, and another - a secret, familiar only to a close circle of people. The main purpose of this tradition is to protect the child from evil people and unclean spirits. Often specially chose the least attractive first name, in order to discourage the evil eye. Slavs sincerely believed that, without knowing the true name, it is practically impossible to cause an evil to a person. The second name was awarded to the person in adolescence, when the foundation of character was already laid. It is from the general qualities of man and repelled when choosing a secret name.

Groups of names

Old Slavic names have always been very diverse. It was possible to distinguish names of animal origin (Ersh or Eagle), names based on the order of birth (Pervush or Vtorak), derived from participles (Zhdan or Hoten), names of gods (Veles). Often the ancient Slavonic names displayed the individual traits inherent in man, for example, the Brave. Well, the most numerous group are dibasic names such as Svyatoslav, Bogdan, Yaropolk and others. There is also a separate layer, where the ancient Slavonic names of men were given in honor of the famous princes. These include Vyacheslav, Vsevolod or Vladimir. As a rule, these names were used only in the highest circles of society.

Roots of the origin of names

Unfortunately, many ancient Slavonic names were lost or completely forbidden when Christianity came to Russia. The fact is that some of them, such as Lada or Yarilo, originated from pagan gods, which could not be tolerated under monotheism. As for the modern society, many baptismal names formed the basis for the names that are very common in our time. Surely you have friends by the name of Volkov, Ivanov or Sidorov. Currently, only five percent of children are given Old Slavonic names. However, this tradition is gradually renewed in modern families. Among other things, many of the names that are so popular in our Time, have Slavic roots and at the same time are the derivatives of the Greek variants. This group includes such ancient Slavonic women's names as Vera, Love and Hope, which are prototypes of Pistis, Agape and Elpis. The same can be said about the male name of Leo, who duplicated Leon.

The main problem in the present is that the old Russian names are forgotten by many more and more. Often people call their children usually and standard, thinking that they support Russian traditions, and do not even suspect that they are calling their child an alien name. And in situations when you meet a girl or a guy with primordially Russian roots, many puzzled shrug their shoulders, thinking that for the wonderful parents - so strangely they called their child. The problem of keeping traditions is far from new, many are struggling to enlighten the new generation. The ancient Slavonic names, given at the birth of a new member of modern society, serve as an excellent reminder method.