Agaliha
February 23rd, 2008, 04:11 PM
Time for some Slavic deities :)
Slavic sun and fire god, originally the supreme god of the Slavic pantheon. He is the divine smith, and patron of the fire of the hearth and of blacksmiths. In his capacity as a smith he is often equated with the Greek Hephaestus. He is also thought responsible for institutionalizing marriage. His sons are the gods Dabog and Svarozic. In later times he degrades to some kind of fire demon.
From: here (http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/svarog.html) Svarog, Svarogich, Dazhbog
The name of Svarog is found only in East Slavic manuscripts, where it is usually equated with the Greek smith god Hephaestus. However, the name is very ancient, indicating that Svarog was a deity of Proto-Slavic pantheon. The root svar means bright, clear, and the suffix -og denotes a place. Comparison with Vedic Svarga indicates that Svarog simply meant (daylight) sky. It is possible he was the original sky god of the pantheon, perhaps a Slavic version of Proto-Indo-European *Dyçus Ph2ter. Svarog can be also understood as meaning a shining, fiery place; a forge. This, and indentification with Hephaestus from historic sources, indicates he was also a god of fire and blacksmithing. According to the interpretation by Ivanov and Toporov, Svarog had two sons: Svarogich, who represented fire on earth, and Dazhbog, who represented fire in the sky and was associated with Sun. Svarog was believed to have forged the Sun and have given it to his son Dazhbog to carry it across the sky.
It can be shown Dazhbog was known among all three branches of Slavs, and was therefore a major Proto-Slavic deity. In Russian manuscripts he is equated with Sun, and folklore remembers him as a benevolent deity of light and sky. Serbian folklore, however, presents a far darker picture of him; he is remembered as Dabog, a frightful and lame deity guarding the doors of the underworld, associated with mining and precious metals. Veselin Èajankoviã pointed out that these two aspects fit quite nicely into a symbolism of Slavic solar deity; a benevolent side represents the Dazhbog during day, when he carries the Sun accros the sky. The malevolent and ugly Dabog carries the Sun through the underworld at night. This pattern can also be applied to Sun's yearly cycle; a benevolent aspect is associated with young, summer Sun, and a malevolent one with old, winter Sun.
Svarogic was worshipped as a fire spirit by Russian peasants well after Christianisation. He was also known amongst Western Slavs, but there he was worshipped as a supreme deity in the holy city of Radegast. Svarogich is a simply deminutive of Svarog's name, and thus it may simply be another aspect (a surname, so to speak) of Dazhbog. There is also a point of view that Svarog was the ancestor of all other Slavic gods, and thus Svarogich could simply be an epithet of any other deity, so that Dazhbog, Perun, Veles, and so on, were possibly all Svarogichs.
From: Here (http://www.freewebs.com/bookofveles/theslavicmyths.htm)(Fear-Lord) God of fire, and one of the eight primary deities. He was patron of smiths, and is considered a patron of artisans and craftsmen, as well. He also has some connection to marriage. He is the father of Dazhdebog and was represented as a horseman with spears.
From: Here (http://realmagick.com/articles/53/1253.html)Also:
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif Svarozic
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif Svarozits (Sanskrit for "brightness")
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif In his capacity as a smith he is often equated with the Greek Hephaestus.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif In Christian times, he may have become St.George.
About him:
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He was not quite as well known as Perun, but he was more important.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He was the father of all gods and the "heaven walker." He was the oldest of the Russian gods.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He was the god of the elements (especially the sky).
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He was a sort-of blacksmith-god and was associated with fires.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He forged the sun:
1. Khors: The sun, itself
2. Dazhdbog: The sunlight
3. Stribog: The winds and the atmosphere
4. Svarozhich: The hearth fire
5. Dabog
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He was sometimes depicted with three heads.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He could assume many shapes (bull, grey wolf, horse and especially a falcon).
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He was thought responsible for institutionalizing marriage.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He didn't create the World, only the living universe.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He and Dazhbog were the givers of life and the providers of wealth.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif In later times he degraded to some sort of fire demon.
From: Here (http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/Svarog.html)
More to come (hopefully!) :smile:
Slavic sun and fire god, originally the supreme god of the Slavic pantheon. He is the divine smith, and patron of the fire of the hearth and of blacksmiths. In his capacity as a smith he is often equated with the Greek Hephaestus. He is also thought responsible for institutionalizing marriage. His sons are the gods Dabog and Svarozic. In later times he degrades to some kind of fire demon.
From: here (http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/svarog.html) Svarog, Svarogich, Dazhbog
The name of Svarog is found only in East Slavic manuscripts, where it is usually equated with the Greek smith god Hephaestus. However, the name is very ancient, indicating that Svarog was a deity of Proto-Slavic pantheon. The root svar means bright, clear, and the suffix -og denotes a place. Comparison with Vedic Svarga indicates that Svarog simply meant (daylight) sky. It is possible he was the original sky god of the pantheon, perhaps a Slavic version of Proto-Indo-European *Dyçus Ph2ter. Svarog can be also understood as meaning a shining, fiery place; a forge. This, and indentification with Hephaestus from historic sources, indicates he was also a god of fire and blacksmithing. According to the interpretation by Ivanov and Toporov, Svarog had two sons: Svarogich, who represented fire on earth, and Dazhbog, who represented fire in the sky and was associated with Sun. Svarog was believed to have forged the Sun and have given it to his son Dazhbog to carry it across the sky.
It can be shown Dazhbog was known among all three branches of Slavs, and was therefore a major Proto-Slavic deity. In Russian manuscripts he is equated with Sun, and folklore remembers him as a benevolent deity of light and sky. Serbian folklore, however, presents a far darker picture of him; he is remembered as Dabog, a frightful and lame deity guarding the doors of the underworld, associated with mining and precious metals. Veselin Èajankoviã pointed out that these two aspects fit quite nicely into a symbolism of Slavic solar deity; a benevolent side represents the Dazhbog during day, when he carries the Sun accros the sky. The malevolent and ugly Dabog carries the Sun through the underworld at night. This pattern can also be applied to Sun's yearly cycle; a benevolent aspect is associated with young, summer Sun, and a malevolent one with old, winter Sun.
Svarogic was worshipped as a fire spirit by Russian peasants well after Christianisation. He was also known amongst Western Slavs, but there he was worshipped as a supreme deity in the holy city of Radegast. Svarogich is a simply deminutive of Svarog's name, and thus it may simply be another aspect (a surname, so to speak) of Dazhbog. There is also a point of view that Svarog was the ancestor of all other Slavic gods, and thus Svarogich could simply be an epithet of any other deity, so that Dazhbog, Perun, Veles, and so on, were possibly all Svarogichs.
From: Here (http://www.freewebs.com/bookofveles/theslavicmyths.htm)(Fear-Lord) God of fire, and one of the eight primary deities. He was patron of smiths, and is considered a patron of artisans and craftsmen, as well. He also has some connection to marriage. He is the father of Dazhdebog and was represented as a horseman with spears.
From: Here (http://realmagick.com/articles/53/1253.html)Also:
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif Svarozic
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif Svarozits (Sanskrit for "brightness")
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif In his capacity as a smith he is often equated with the Greek Hephaestus.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif In Christian times, he may have become St.George.
About him:
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He was not quite as well known as Perun, but he was more important.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He was the father of all gods and the "heaven walker." He was the oldest of the Russian gods.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He was the god of the elements (especially the sky).
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He was a sort-of blacksmith-god and was associated with fires.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He forged the sun:
1. Khors: The sun, itself
2. Dazhdbog: The sunlight
3. Stribog: The winds and the atmosphere
4. Svarozhich: The hearth fire
5. Dabog
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He was sometimes depicted with three heads.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He could assume many shapes (bull, grey wolf, horse and especially a falcon).
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He was thought responsible for institutionalizing marriage.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He didn't create the World, only the living universe.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif He and Dazhbog were the givers of life and the providers of wealth.
http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/rus_utils/bullet.gif In later times he degraded to some sort of fire demon.
From: Here (http://www.unc.edu/%7Esmyre/rus/Svarog.html)
More to come (hopefully!) :smile: