Dazhdbog among the Slavs is the god of the sun, sunlight. He is considered the son of Svarog. Since ancient times, Dazhdbog was revered by the Slavs as the god of fertility. Sometimes his name is pronounced Dazhbog. Which is essentially also correct. He is one of the four hypostases of the sun. Where the winter sun is Kolyada, the spring sun is Yarilo, the autumn sun is Khors, and the summer sun is Dazhdbog. In this article we will try to give a complete picture of the significance of Dazhdbog in Slavic mythology.

Meaning of the name

The name of the Slavic god of the summer sun has 2 main sounds: Dazhdbog and Dazhbog. Moreover, both options provide a visual representation of the meaning of the name. Dazhdbog is a giving god. Or wealth-giving. This is the basic idea of ​​the meaning of the name.

There is another point of view, according to which the Slavs used the greeting “God willing!” And he, in turn, mistakenly began to be considered the name of God. This point of view is shared, for example, by the Polish Slavist Leszek Moszynski.

A number of scientists believe that Dazhdbog has a connection with the ancient Irish god Dagda. This implies that the Slavs borrowed the name of God from another people.

Symbols and attributes of Dazhdbog

It is believed that Dazhdbog moves across the sky on a chariot in a team of lions or white horses. However, the situation with lions is unclear. They were not in the places of residence of the Slavs. Perhaps this is another fiction that has no basis. But the version with white horses is quite possible.

Some sources mention rune of Dazhdbog. It represents an inverted letter D. The rune carries the power of blessing and the successful completion of any undertaking.

The symbol of Dazhdbog is a circle, inside of which there are from four to twelve spokes. It's not difficult to guess that this symbol symbolizes the sun and its light rays that carry heat. That's why The element of the Slavic sun god is fire.

Dazhdbog Day

The celebration in honor of Dazhdbog took place on May 6. It was believed that on this day “real spring” began, signaling the arrival of summer. At this time, the herding of cattle into the field began. The Slavs burned bonfires in honor of Dazhdbog so that he would protect the herds from predators:

“You, Dazhbozhe, are brave! Save the cattle, protect them from kidnappers! Protect them from the fierce bear, Save them from the predatory wolf!”

Dazhdbog in historical sources

The first source I would like to talk about is "The Tale of Bygone Years". It is in it that Dazhdbog is mentioned among the Cult of the Gods of Prince Vladimir. At the same time, he is listed third in the list after Perun and Khors.

The next source is Ipatiev Chronicle of 1114. In it, Dazhdbog is mentioned twice. The first passage is related to the Cult of Prince Vladimir:

"And Volodymyr began to reign in Kyiv
and place the idols on the hill.
outside the courtyard of Perun's tower is made of wood.
and his head is silver, and his head is
gold and Khoras. and Dazhbag. and Stribag.
and Simargla. and Mokosh. And
they eat it. ostentatiously
benefits. and bring my dreams.
and the glutton bsom. And
I desecrate the earth with my demands. and desecration by demands
Russian land. and hill t."

The second passage mentions Dazhdbog as the sun king:

"For this reason, he was nicknamed Svarog, and Blzhisha, and the Egyptians. And according to this tsrstvova, E is named after him by the Sun. For seven thousand and seventy days, as if it were summer. Twenty-seven days by the moon, I see the Egyptians. and I read the moon. and friends A. for days lt I honor. bagtu and planted with the soul.

If we talk about archaeological excavations, then Among the finds one can mention the Zbruch idol. It is believed that there is an image of Dazhdbog on it. This point of view is shared by many scientists. Although there is an opinion that this is an image of the god Khors. But they are a minority.

Lastly, I would like to mention "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". It is in this work Slavs are called "Dazhdboz's grandchildren". For many to this day this expression has great value.

He gives the Earth and people such great benefits as light and warmth, which is why he received his name, the prefix “dazh” (giving). For the same reason, He is the only one of the Gods whom you can ask for anything, and His name itself has firmly entered into colloquial use with the expression “God willing.”
Dazhdbog's element is fire, his weapons are a spear, a club, a staff and sometimes a double-edged sword; His round shield bears the Swastika; the hidden animals are the lion, white horses and white wolves or dogs; hidden birds - falcon and goose.
Common symbols of Dazhdbog are a circle, all types of swastikas, a wheel with four, seven or twelve spokes, eight-pointed stars (although in some Slavic births all stars with the number of rays from 8 or more are practically read as signs of the Sun).
Swastika- an ancient solar symbol that is ideal for everyone who aims to bring the Spiritual Light of Knowledge and the Heat of Universal Love into the world. It is precisely because of his Light that he is so hated by the descendants of the Black and Gray Gods, as well as by those who want to hide the Truth from people for the sake of their greed and lust for power.
The Straight Cross is a separate component of the Swastika, but as an energy symbol it is simpler and is designed to bring Harmony of Unity into the world and balance Darkness and Light.

Dazhdbog as part of the universe

SUN.
Quite often in historical chronicles the ancient Slavs are called sun worshipers. Yes - our ancestors revered the Sun above all else!
All great holidays were invariably associated with the movement of the Sun. But our ancestors did not worship the Sun, but revered Him!
Dazhdbog has four phases-hypostases, in which he appears to us after the days of the Equinox and Solstice. Each such individual hypostasis is the spouse of earthly Nature, which also has four hypostases, known as the Seasons (Limits of Kolo):
HORSE (Horus, Horst, Crunch, Kors, Cross) - the first hypostasis of Dazhdbog, the husband of Winter-Snegura, the winter, cold sun that shines brightly but does not warm, for it has not yet gained its strength and does not glow with heat. He is the lord of the white sunlight, the heavenly all-knowing, all-knowing, all-good eye. He opposes chaos, darkness and nothingness. It got its name from the Old Russian “horo”, “koro”, which means “circle”. His symbol of Christmas is an ordinary straight cross. General symbol – swastika-salt.
There is no doubt that the name “Horse” (in the entry without vowels KHRS - shining) is the prototype of the name “Christ” (in the entry without vowels KHRTS - sun-like).
YARILO (Yarilo, Yarovit, Ruevit, Rutevit, Yarbog, Yary) - the second hypostasis of Dazhdbog, the husband of Yara-Spring-Kostroma, the ardent spring Sun, the rampant God of passion, daring and youthful fun. “Yar” - the ancient “yar” means “strength” (hence yariy-ariy - having the power of Iria). Yarilo - God of military valor and glory. He is the patron Slavic peoples and as long as there is a double-edged sword in his hand, the Slavs will be invincible. The symbol of Yarila’s Nativity is a cross with T-shaped ends, and the general symbol is swastika-salt.
SURYA (Suriy, Guriy, Ruru, Turila) - the third hypostasis of Dazhdbog, the husband of Leta-Dodola, the god of wisdom and teacher of the Aryan-Slavs. He is the hot, harsh Sun, which is why he is considered the stern god of courage and military victories, the god of retribution and mercilessness towards enemies. The symbol of Surya's Nativity is a straight cross. General symbol – swastika-kolovrat.
OWEN (Avsen, Tausen, Usin, Yusinbog) - the fourth hypostasis of Dazhdbog, the autumn, tired, aged Sun, husband of Autumn-Usynya, God, bringing generous gifts of fertility from Iria and distributing them among people according to divine predestination: some generously, in abundance, others meager. It got its name from the Old Russian “ousin” (“yusin”) - bluish. The symbol of Christmas Autumn is a cross with T-shaped ends, and the general symbol is swastika-kolovrat.
The limits of Dazhdbog are made up of pairs that form Svarog’s palaces, i.e. periods of special influence on the Earth of the four Faces of Svarog. The limits of Khors and Ovsenya form a pair, forming the palace of Morena, Yarila and Surya - the palace of Lada, Khors and Yarila - the palace of Belobog, and Surya and Ovsenya - the palace of Chernobog.
The palace of one or another Svarog Face is the time of a certain solar sacred Power of Svarog, which a person can draw during ritual actions. The solar sacred Power of Svarog is a combination of the energies of the Sun, Space and Earth. The Svarog palace indicates what divine shade this combination wears in a particular period of the earth’s colo-year.
The Sun moves around the center of the Galaxy at a speed of about 209.17 km per second and carries with it our Earth, which in turn revolves around the Sun at a speed of 106,194 km per hour. The Earth also rotates on its axis every 24 hours, which causes the time of day to change. The earth's axis also rotates, and its full rotation occurs in 25,920 years.
The annual path of the Sun across the sky is called the ecliptic, which can be defined as the projection of the earth's orbit onto the celestial sphere. Since the earth's axis is inclined to the plane of the ecliptic at an angle of 23.44 degrees, this is also the angle between the ecliptic and the celestial equator. Thus, the declination of the Sun can vary from 23.44 degrees north to 23.44 degrees south. These points of greatest declination are the Solstice points.
Solstice Day- this is the highest or lowest position of the Sun relative to the celestial equator in its apparent annual movement. The name comes from the fact that over the course of several days the declination of the Sun changes very slowly - it seems to be equally high in summer and equally low in winter.
Winter solstice is the lowest point of Dazhdbozhy Kolo and falls on December 21 or 22. The day itself is referred to as Chernogor (Korachun) - the time of the shortest earthly day and the time of the “death” of the old, outdated year. Summer Solstice, which is the most high point Kolo falls on June 21 or 22, and the day is called Svetogor (Zlatogor-Kryshen).
Days when the Sun crosses the equator as it moves from southern hemisphere in the north they are called Equinox. This means that on these days the length of day and night is the same (equal). Day spring equinox(Krasnogor) falls on March 20 or 21, and autumn(Sinegor) - on September 22 or 23.
The complete revolution of the Earth around the Sun is called the Small Circle of Dazhdbog (Dazhdbog Day), consisting of 9 months.
Sunlight is a wave function, and its color depends on its wavelength—that is, the distance between adjacent maxima.
If you miss Sunbeam light through a glass prism, we get a rainbow stripe that starts with red at one end of the spectrum and goes through orange, yellow, green and blue to violet at the other end of the spectrum. This happens because the prism refracts differently various colors spectrum: red to the least extent, and violet to the greatest extent. Red has the longest wavelength, and violet has the shortest.
The sun is inextricably linked with the concept of the structure of the world, which has four main sides and four intermediate ones. Therefore, already from the Bronze Age, the eight-pointed star and eight-part symbols of various designs were accepted as a solar symbol not only among the Slavs. Among the Sumerians, the eight-rayed star served as a hieroglyph for the concepts “God, sky, star”; in Akkad and Babylon this ideogram expressed the concepts of “God, sun, star, year”; V Ancient China and in Ancient America the eight-pointed star was also defined as "sun, star." IN Ancient India there was a veneration of the eight directions of the horizon; they contacted the eight Gods, who were called “Guardians of the World.” In the Scandinavian tradition, the world had eight directions. The sanctuary of Perun, the Son of the Sun-Dazhdbog, in Kyiv was surrounded by eight fire pits located in the directions of the four main sides of the horizon and four intermediate ones.

Spectral Colo Dazhbog

The color makes up the spectral Kolo Dazhbog, and the days when the color reaches a certain level and changes are called Light Mountains:

1. Krasnogor (spring equinox, spectral color - red);
2. Egoriy Veshny (midway between spring equinox And summer solstice, spectral color – orange);
3. Zlatogor-Kryshen (summer solstice, spectral color – yellow);
4. Egory Letniy (midpoint between the summer solstice and autumn equinox, spectral color – green);
5. Nebogor (autumn equinox, spectral color - light blue, light blue );
6. Egor Yusiny (midpoint between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice, spectral color – Navy blue);
7. Chernogor-Korachun (winter solstice, spectral color – violet);
8. Egory Zimny (midpoint between the winter Solstice and the spring Equinox, spectral color - white, neutral, general).Visible color makes up only a small part of the entire cosmic spectrum of electromagnetic frequencies. At the long wavelength end of the spectrum, following red are infrared waves, microwaves, and then radio waves. At the short wavelength end of the spectrum are ultraviolet rays, x-rays and very short gamma rays.
   Knowledge of the spectral solar mountains allows you to create a person’s lifestyle in such a way that his body completely coincides with solar activity, on which the processes of digestion, metabolism, cardiovascular activity, and work in general depend. human body generally.

Dazhdbog as a real (incarnate) deity

Dazhdbog is the Patron God of the Palace of Ras in the Svarozh Circle.

Amulet of the Hall of Ras (White Leopard) in the Svarozh Circle

According to some legends, in ancient times God Tarkh Perunovich, the Guardian God of the ancient Great Wisdom, came to Earth. Son of God Perun. After the Great Flood, God Tarkh Perunovich, together with his sons, lived on Earth for three years and was called Dazhdbog (Giving God) for giving the people of the Great Race and the Descendants of the Heavenly Family Nine Santii (Books).
These Santias were written down by ancient Runes and contain the Sacred Ancient Vedas, the Commandments of Tarkh Perunovich and his Instructions. Santii in the original can only be called a Book visually, because... Santiy- these are plates made of noble metal on which the Ancient X’Aryan Runes are inscribed. The plates are fastened with three rings, which symbolize three Worlds: Yav (World of People), Nav (World of Spirits and Souls of Ancestors), Prav ( Bright World Slavic-Aryan Gods).
After God Tarkh Perunovich visited our Ancestors, they began to call themselves “Dazhdbog’s grandchildren.” In addition to the Ancient Vedas, Dazhdbog also brought cats here. Therefore, the Sphinx - the Image of Dazhdbog - is made in the shape of a cat. Our Ancestors were also visited by many other Gods.

Commandments of the Native Gods.
COMMANDMENTS OF TARKH - DAZHDBOG

1.Whoever has Perun’s blessing for a family union, let there be neither hostility nor veil between them.
2. Whoever gives part of his Soul to his children has not diminished his Soul, but has increased it.
3. He who squanders love will lose it, and he who radiates love will multiply it.
4. Know, people of the Clans of the Great Race, that you must treat with kindness all living things created on Midgard Earth.
5.Whoever caresses and warms an orphan child has committed a small deed, and whoever has warmed, given shelter and taught hard work has committed a greater deed.
6.Whoever does not support his Family and his Faith in the hour of hardship is an apostate of his Family, and there will be no forgiveness for him all the days without a trace.
7. Let Conscience and the Laws of the Family be the measure of everything in all your actions.
8. Tear away from yourself foreign thoughts and deeds that lead to immeasurable inferno.
9.Read the ancient Vedas, and let the word of the Vedas live on your lips.
10. The ancient wisdom that is preserved in your Clans belongs only to your Clans and your descendants, and therefore do not give ancient wisdom to strangers who use it against your Clans and your descendants.
11. Save the lives of your relatives and your neighbors, and you will find help from your Gods on High.
12.Whoever protects his child from creative deeds destroys the Soul of his child.
13.Whoever indulges the whims of his child destroys the great Spirit of his child.
14. The Vedas are learned through the Living Word, for only the Living Word reveals the meaning hidden in the Vedas.
15. Do not destroy your nature, the blood of your Clans, for these are two great forces that enable the existence of your ancient Clans.
16. Remember, children of the Great Race, that a family union created without God’s and parent’s blessing is not protected from suffering and misunderstandings.

Dazhdbog- God of the Sun, giver of heat and light. His name is heard in the shortest prayer that has survived to this day: “Grant, God!” Among Svarog's gifts to people were his sons - Svarozhichi. The first of them is Dazhdbog.

The ancient Slavs considered the Sun, Lightning and Fire - two heavenly Flames and one earthly - to be siblings, sons of Heaven and Earth.

His idol stood on a hill in Kyiv. Our ancestors believed that Dazhbog patronized weddings and met the groom at dawn on the wedding day. Dazhbog closes winter and opens summer.

Dazhbog - Dab, Radegast, Radigosh, Svarozhich These are different variations of the name of the same god. God of fertility and sunlight, life-giving force. The first ancestor of the Slavs (the Slavs, according to the text of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign”, are Dazhdbozh’s grandchildren) - “Then, under Olza, Gorislavlichi will sow and spread strife, destroy the life of Dazhdbozh’s grandson, and in the princely sedition, the people will be reduced.”

“Resentment arose in the forces of Dazhdbozh’s grandson, a maiden entered the land of Troyan, splashed her swan wings on the blue sea near the Don: splash, let go of the fat times.” According to the “Word of John Chrysostom... how the first trash believed in idols and put demands on them...”, the god of the sun and life-giving force. Probably, Dazhdbog could, following the white Sventovit, correlate with Apollo as the god of sunlight. In teachings against paganism, among other gods, he is mentioned next to Artemis: “and he approached the idol and began to eat lightning and thunder, and the sun and the moon, and the friends of Pereun, Khours, the pitchforks and Mokosha, the upir and the beregins, who are also called distant sisters, and others They believe in Svarozhitsa and in Artemis, to whom ignorant people pray, and to slaughter chickens... and are drowned by frost in the waters. And friends come to the wells to pray and throw into the water... making a sacrifice, and the friends burn fire and stones, and rivers, and springs, and banks, and in firewood - not only in the past in desecration, but many are still doing this.”

Dazhdbog Day- Sunday, its metal is gold, its stone is yakhont. The celebration may occur on the day of Rodion the Icebreaker. The largest cult center of Svarozhich was located on the lands of the Lutich-Retars, was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt - in 953 it was ruined by Otto I, in 1068 by the Saxon bishop Burchardt II and was finally burned by the Germans in 1147-1150. during the crusade against the pagans of the Bavarian Duke Henry the Lion. Bronze images of the Lutich gods and ritual objects from the Retrin Temple were found in the soil of the village of Prillwitz at the end of the 17th century. The figures are covered with Slavic runic writing. On the lands of the Vyatichi, settlements were also named in honor of the god Svarozhich. The name Radegast would sound like Radigosh here. Radogoshch - two settlements claim its role - this is either Pogar on the Sudost River (a tributary of the Desna), west of Trubchevsk and north of Novgorod Seversky, or Radogosh itself on the Nerussa River, north of Sevsk and west of Krom.

Sacred animals of Dazhdbog- Radegast was considered a lion (like the Persian sun god Mithra), Svarozhich was depicted either with a lion’s head or riding a chariot drawn by lions.

The root “rad” meant sunlight among the Slavs, hence the “rainbow” - solar arc. The word “joy, joy” is of the same “solar” root - that is, given by the rays (cf. Latin radio) of the sun. Hence the names Radegast, Radogosh consist of three words: Rad - sunny, “yes”, “do” by analogy with Dagbog, Dazhdbog can mean donation, a gift, and “gast”, “gosh” are semantically close to the word “guest”. In other words, these names perhaps mean: “guest who gives the sun and sunlight,” or a messenger of the gods who brought the power of light and the sun as a gift. In this case, the East Slavic Dazhbog and the West Slavic Radegast are different names the same god - Svarozhich. Frenzel speaks of him as “De Radegastos. Marte Soraborumque altero supremo Deo” - Radegast is no less significant in the Serbian-Lusatian pantheon than even Sventovit himself. The symbols of Svarozhich are not only royal lions, but also boars (the boar is also the embodiment of the Indian Vishnu and the Scandinavian Frey). One of the attributes is a sword, later an ax, as well as a spear, possibly a scarlet banner:

“On this, the devil Svarozhich and the leader of the saints, your and our Mauritius, agree? Those. Who in front raises the sacred spear, and those who stain the devil’s banners with human blood?”

Bird of Radegast- a rooster announcing the coming of the sun with its cry. The name of the god was written on the idol in Wendish runes; perhaps there was also solar symbolism.

The head of the idol is placed at sunrise or to the southeast so that he can follow its progress. Dazhdbog was called Spas, that is, Savior, but not in the sense of saving the lost sheep of Israel, but in the military sense - a protector. Because apple (August 19) and honey Spas(August 14) are the days of honoring Svarozhich. He, along with Yarila, is also honored on Yuri Zimny ​​(December 9).

Perhaps Dazhdbog can be called one of the most powerful and at the same time the most complex character in the highest Slavic mythology. Until now, historians cannot unambiguously sift out all the facts related to him from speculation and rumors. Which is not surprising, given that for a thousand years all legends were carefully destroyed, so the information came to us in the form of fragments, fairy tales, songs and proverbs.
Many historians (L. Prozorov, B. Rybakov) correlate it with Khors. Indeed, it is strange that our ancestors knew two gods with one function. In addition, Horse Dazhdbog was often mentioned in chronicles. It is strange to hear the listing of two gods with one function in such close proximity.
Be that as it may, Dazhdbog (Dazhbog) is a solar god. Therefore, he fully deserved his place in the Kiev pentathia, where there were five idols of the most revered gods. In The Tale of Bygone Years the Slavs are called the grandchildren of Dazhbog, which shows that this god is especially close and understandable to every Slav.
Our ancestors understood perfectly well that without sunlight, life on the planet would stop. Everything we have and use is the result of solar activity - from oil and gas to the bread on the table. So, it is impossible to overestimate the respect that Dazhdbog enjoyed among our ancestors.
However, providing all living things with energy and heat was and remains not the only function of the Sun. It is equally important that at all times it has helped to fight evil - both external and internal. According to legends, most species evil spirits and especially the undead could not stand sunlight. And the most difficult thoughts and doubts overwhelm a person after sunset, at night - during the day a person acts confidently and without unnecessary doubts or fear.
An additional demonstration of this is the fact that just a few centuries ago, many peasants who preserved fragments of the memory of their ancestors often called Dazhdbog as a witness in disputes. Dahl in his writings mentioned a kind of oath that sounded something like this: “Oh, those Dazhba, burst your eyes.” That is, they swore in the name of the great god, who gave people light and, accordingly, vision, relatively recently. Moreover, he was called upon precisely as a witness that the person was not lying. This can also be called an additional argument in favor of the version voiced above - sunlight expels internal evil from a person, be it doubt, envy, laziness or lies.
Therefore, there is nothing strange in the fact that our ancestors so deeply respected and revered Dazhdbog.

An alternative interpretation of the functions of God Dazhdbog

God Dazhdbog, Dazhbog, Daibog - the son of God Svarog and Goddess Lada(Svarozhich), Father of the Russian Family. Giver of light, God of fertility and vitality, Founder of the Russian Family, Savior and Protector of the Russian army. Dazhdbog is one of the most important ancient Russian Gods.

Many people mistakenly assume that his name comes from the word "rain", but this is not true at all. The name of Dazhdbog today can be heard in the shortest prayer address: “Give, God!”, “Give to me, God!”.

God Dazhdbog gives patronage to weddings, blessing the bride and groom for a long, happy, family life.

Dazhdbog-Svarozhich was often depicted with a lion's head, riding across the sky in a golden chariot drawn by fierce golden lions or golden-maned white horses. In Dazhdbog's hand there was always a golden shield symbolizing the solar disk. The light emanating from the solar shield passed through the world of Yavi during the day, shining from east to west, and at night the solar disk descended into the world of Navi and passed across the sky from west to east. Dazhdbog also opens (unlocks) Summer and closes (closes) Winter.

The statue (idol) of Dazhdbog was always installed on the most elevated place in the area, and his head always looked east (sunrise).
Dazhdbog crosses the Sea-Ocean twice a day (in the evening and in the morning), on a boat harnessed to waterfowl - swans, geese and ducks. This is where love came to us ancient amulet in the form of a duck with a horse's head.

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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 “the giver of all blessings” or “the giver of blessings.” In the pagan period of Rus', people believed that Dazhdbog controlled sunlight and influenced 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. At the same time, this divine essence was not the only one responsible for the movement of the sun. Thus, the winter sun was symbolized by the god Khors, the spring sun by the god Yarilo, but summer sun- Dazhdbog himself. After all, it was summer that sometimes had all the blessings in those days.

“The Tale of Bygone Years” about the Slavic god Dazhdbog

This god of the Slavs was first mentioned in Nestor’s chronicle “The Tale of Bygone Years,” the text of which tells us that the idol of Dazhdbog stood in the center of Kyiv on the main temple of Vladimir pagan Rus', together with the idols of other Slavic gods and the idol of the great Perun. According to this literary source, this god was considered third in importance and importance after the thunder god, who patronized the squad and the prince, as well as the god Khors.

Information from the Ipatiev Chronicle about the 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 none other than the giver of light, as well as warmth and fertility, which fully corresponds to his name, since prosperity depended on heat and harvest people during that historical period. And yet, the same John Malala claimed that the great Dazhdbog was the bearer of the princely ruling power, as well as all people who are in power.

Historian Boris Rybakov about Dazhdbog

When describing this deity, Boris Rybakov in his works refers to top part Zbruch idol, which was found in a river near Sataniv, at the junction of Khmelnitsky and Ternopil regions in the territory modern Ukraine. On this idol you can also see the symbol of Dazhdbog - a solar swastika sign, which the wise men advised to embroider on clothes and other things as a strong amulet.

Despite the rather peaceful functions of the god Dazhdbog, he was revered as one of the most skillful and powerful warriors of Iriy. Not a single divine battle could take place without his intervention. Maybe that’s why the pagan Slavs depicted this deity as a warrior dressed in crimson and gold armor, who was armed with a life and a sword.

The same chronicler Nestor, telling the history of Rus', calls all the Slavs “grandchildren of Dazhdbog.” The Ipatiev Chronicle also calls him the progenitor of the Slavic peoples. What is this connected with? 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, in the marriage of Dazhdbog with his wife Zhivaya, Arius was born, who is the direct ancestor 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 ancestor of the Slavs, he personally congratulates the groom before this important wedding ceremony. Moreover, the ritual song of the groom 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, Dazhdbog’s wife was the daughter of the goddess Lada, Zhiva. At the same time, Lada herself united a pair of gods with eternal marriage ties. Legends say that before this, Dazhdbog rejected the goddess of death and winter Morena. The text of this ancient legend itself is also interesting, as it brings to us the story of the crucifixion of Dazhdbog. It was this punishment that Morena chose for her beloved for his refusal.

Dazhdbog Day

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

This holiday had special significance for the Slavs, because in the morning they took livestock out to green pastures for the first time of the year. Therefore, by lighting sacrificial fires, the Slavs asked Dazhdbog to protect animals from disease, wild predators and theft.

Each person tried to get up early in order to bring out the cattle before the dew evaporated, because, according to beliefs, it possessed on this day magical properties, endowing the animals passing through it with health.

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