Long before Christianity appeared in Russia, our lands were ruled by a large number of rulers. They were like the ancient Greek saints, and each of them did his own business, was responsible for the branch of earthly and unearthly life allotted to him. The gods of the Slavs also had their own hierarchy, however, in each individual tribe, people revered "their" patrons. Nevertheless, there were certain generally accepted beliefs and dogmas, according to which all our ancestors lived and believed. We will talk about them now.
It is believed that the image of the biblical Creator of this world is based on a pagan patron named Rod. This is the main god of the Slavs, who created the Earth, endowed it with fertility, and also gave rise to everything that surrounds us. Until now, his name is root in our speech, because it is the basis of such words as "homeland", "nature", "parents" and so on. It is also important that Rod was a male deity, which played a decisive role in the formation of the ancient pagan society, namely, it contributed to the consolidation of patriarchy in our lands.
The son of the patron-Rod is Svarog. In his power is the whole material world - household items, weapons, dwellings. According to the ancient peoples, it was he who threw down the yoke and plow from heaven, with the help of which the agricultural industry began to develop and enabled people to live better. Svarog is not like all the other gods of the Slavs, who did their work with magic. That is why many tribes revered him most of all, thanks for the tools, for the utensils and the house, as well as for the fire that he lowered to Earth.
The second son of Rod Veles is the exact opposite of his brother Svarog. In his power were wisdom, magic and art, which made the world more beautiful. He was considered one of the brightest and kindest in the pagan world. All the gods of the Slavs and the people who obeyed him came to his Hill of Light in order to ask him for happiness and good luck. It is believed that Veles owned a large amount of silver and gold, which played in the sun, thus illuminating the darkest corners of earthly life.
Famous among the people of our generation is sunny and warm Yarilo. He patronized spring, warmth, light. It was believed that neither people nor the gods of the Slavs could curb his serenity and great power, which, fortunately, did good. With his good deeds, Yarilo gave birth to fertility, passion and love and bestowed them on all his subjects.
But the god of the Sun among the Slavs appears before us in two guises. One of them is another son of Rod, Saint Khors. But our ancestors retained little information about his power, butmuch more information remains about Dazhbog. He illuminated the earth with the rays of the sun, made it fertile, thereby feeding his people. The name Dazhbog has survived to our Orthodox times and is heard in every prayer - “God forbid.”
Of course, it is unthinkable to imagine the Slavic pagan pantheon of gods without Perun - the god of won, thunder and weapons. Since the formation of Kievan Rus, the popularity of this saint has increased significantly, and people began to glorify him and erect monuments in his honor. Also, Perun is the personification of justice, justice, he punishes disobedience and encourages the victory of everyone who went to her and achieved her honest ways.
