Evil has always attracted and frightened people at the same time. The evil gods caused panic, and all sorts of secret skills, superpowers and sacred knowledge were attributed to their earthly servants.
What happened to the ancient idols? Were they erased from the memory of people and disappeared in the abyss of time? Yes, but this fate has not befallen everyone. Many people remember to this day, and some are still treated with caution.
Whose gods are the most evil?
Each nation has its own idea of the criteria for both good and evil. Therefore, it is impossible to argue that one deity is more evil than another. However, in response to a similar question, bright mythical names immediately pop up in my thoughts. Most of them, of course, entered the mind from the pages of books or from movie screens.
Usually, when discussing the evil essence of ancient idols, three names immediately come to mind: Apep, Chernobog, Seth. But, of course, the list of those who could claim the right to be called the most evil deity is not limited to them.
If we consider the history of Slavic beliefs, then the primacy of Chernobog may well be contested by Maran or Viy. Set, though very intimidating, is hardly more insidious than Anubis, and certainly not older than him. The god Apep is also an Egyptian and is not inferior in terms of the intensity of anger to his more famous fellow tribesmen. However, the deities of Mesopotamia are not far behind them in ferocity.
Of course, every culture has its villains. Deities with such an essence were also among the Vikings and the Druids. There were own not particularly merciful idols in ancient Greece and Rome. If you think about the beliefs of the peoples of Asia, Africa, India and the indigenous people of both Americas, then the palm in matters of evil may not remain with the Slavic or Egyptian idols.
Set. Furious God
Set is an ambiguous figure. He is in charge of sandstorms, wars, chaos, violence and death, all kinds of destruction. At the dawn of time, Set was revered as the protector of the Sun. Moreover, only he is able to defeat the vile snake from the realm of Death. This god also patronized visitors from distant countries, as well as the extraction and use of metals. In the era of the Old Kingdoms, Set was the embodiment of the power of the pharaohs.
The Egyptians considered Mercury to be the planet of this idol, its colors are red and red, and the cardinal point is south.
How did Seth get angry? The foreshadowing of the transformation of the deity was the unification of the Upper and Lower kingdoms. After this event, Horus began to be mentioned in the title list of the pharaohs. On the images of the idols of Set from these timesbegan to occupy a position of secondary importance, simply - he filled the background behind the figure of Horus, who was his nephew.
Set, the god of Egypt, was born in the family of Nut, personifying the Sky, and Hebe, symbolizing the Earth. Accordingly, he was the half-brother of Isis and Osiris. And it is with his brother that the story of his transition "to the dark side" is connected. Set, according to the myths, became jealous of a more fortunate relative and killed him. In addition to this atrocity, there are many other crimes on account of this ancient idol.
Nevertheless, Set has never been the embodiment of Evil in the global sense. Although with the beginning of the era of the Middle Kingdoms, his veneration declined, and the idol itself acquired evil features, he continued to be the most significant figure in the pantheon of Upper Egypt. He was also the embodiment of military courage, valor and male power. Only he obeyed sandstorms and, in principle, all bad weather. Moreover, every night Set protected the boat with the Sun from the claims of the Serpent personifying darkness.
As the idol is portrayed in many adventure films that revolve around reanimated mummies, Set began to look like a Ptolemaic. That is, already at the sunset of Egypt. During the period of the New Kingdom, his cult lost its significance, and gradually the ancient god became an evil creature, whose name was used to frighten naughty children.
Apop. Insidious Serpent
Apophis - originally the god of evil, who did not experience any transformations, doubts. The main function and purpose of the existence of Apophis is the destructionSun. This is what he does every night, but without success.
Apop lives in the depths of the Earth. Presumably near the banks of the underground Nile. When the boat with the Sun floats along the river, Apep jumps out of the ambush and attacks Ra. However, Ra invariably protects someone, and the Sun emerges victorious in this fight. The main defender is Seth. However, in some myths, the Sun is saved by Sekhmet, who not only defeats Apophis, but also cuts off his head.
This ancient god of evil is depicted as a Serpent. The idol does not patronize anything and is generally not interested in worldly affairs. The only thing he is busy with is fighting the Sun. In the event that Apophis manages to win, he will come out from under the Earth and plunge the world into darkness. At that moment, the world will end. The very name of the Serpent is very consonant with the word "apocalypse".
Apophysis is the personification of the original evil, which is not expressed in anything specific. This is not the devil, collecting human souls and not Loki, arranging intrigues. This idol is not interested in petty worries, it is a symbol of primitive chaos and primordial darkness, longing for the death of the Universe.
Chernobog. Prince of Death
Chernobog among the Slavs is endowed with many functions. It is part of a dualistic understanding of the structure of the world, in which every phenomenon has a reverse side. That is, the Black God is the antipode of the White.
He is in charge of everything that is opposite to goodness, light and life itself. For example, human misfortunes are also part of the craft of this idol. But, of course, he himself does not deal exclusively withthat sets up intrigues. The deity has a family and a huge retinue with a strict hierarchy and certain statuses. Even has its own army.
He is in charge of the afterlife, death, cold, destruction, madness, destruction and so on. He is also capable of lifting bones from graves. The cult of this idol from time immemorial meant bloody, sometimes human, sacrifices. The deity was usually depicted as a black idol with a silver mustache. Often his companions were ants and crows.
However, Chernobog also brought benefits to people. To say that this is the god of evil and nothing more is not entirely correct. For example, sacrifices were made to him before military campaigns. It was he who could give victory. At feasts in his honor, the goblet was passed around. This guaranteed mercy and protection from misfortune.
This idol not only ruled the realm of Death and embodied all human ferocity. He was also a protector from enemies, the patron of warriors, the embodiment of bodily strength and strength, courage and glory gained by victories in battles.
With an iron hand, this idol ruled the Pekelny kingdom, Naviu and Darkness itself. According to mythology, he had his own mansions and, of course, a throne. Chernobog sat on it not alone. The reception of subjects and judging of the dead helped the deity Morena and Radogost lead. The latter had a lion's head and was a judge. Marena was the deity of death and the wife of the Black Idol.
Chernobog's army was led by Viy. An extremely odious figure and very far from his namesake, whom he glorified infamous literary work Gogol.
Viy. Dead Governor
This god of evil is very puzzled by the "household chores" of his otherworldly. Viy has a lot of worries - managing the army of the Black Prince and the Underworld itself takes up almost all of his time, leaving no strength to cause misfortune and intrigues to people. However, the functions of the "minister" in the state of Chernobog are not the only occupation of Viy. In his free time, the deity "works part-time" as a jailer, and not just anywhere, but in Hell itself.
The origin of the idol and its family ties are curious. According to some myths, this is the son of Chernobog and Morena. According to others - only a servant. Some myths connect Viy with kinship with many idols and designate the father of Gorynya, Koshchey and Pan with goat legs. According to other versions, nothing is known about the children, but there is a brother, Dyi, who is constantly in conflict with Veles.
What does Viy look like?
The only similarity between the mythological Viy and the literary character is the presence of a deadly look. If Viy opened his eyes, then not only individuals died, but entire villages disappeared from the face of the earth.
Traditionally, Viy was portrayed as a mighty old man endowed with unusually impressive bodily features, with fused eyelashes. For this reason, he himself could not open his eyes, for this he needed servants.
Morana. Goddess of Winter and Death
When it says "the god of evil", for some reason, the first to be remembered are idols that have a masculine principle. Meanwhile, men are more characterized by rage, not evil. This quality is feminine. In the philistine understanding of the term, of course, notin the philosophical.
There are many villainous goddesses in the world. But one of the most controversial and interesting in this list, of course, is Mara. Morena - that's how it was called in full. Another pronunciation of the name is "Marena".
This is the Queen of cold weather, winter and death are in her charge. Mara is also the wife of Chernobog. The image of the goddess is very ambiguous. In ancient times, she was the embodiment of disease, adversity, uncleanliness. It was also considered a receptacle for unclean spirits helping in evil divination. For example, inducing damage or the evil eye is in the competence of Morana.
There is an assumption that an effigy burned at the beginning of spring in ancient times symbolized this particular goddess. According to ancient tales, Morena guarded the sun before every dawn, she wanted to steal it. But she was always afraid and retreated. This behavior is somewhat reminiscent of both Apophis and the crocodile from Chukovsky's fairy tale.
The symbols of the deity are the Moon, skulls and, paradoxically, the sickle. Although this tool allows you to harvest grain, Morana does not appear without it. She cuts, of course, not at all ears, but human lives.
Who serves Morana?
Serve the goddess spirits, which are called maras. Babies who died before being named, warriors who fled from the battlefield and were overtaken at that moment by the enemy’s weapons, turn into maras. They are also people who responded to a whisper or confused by the servants of a deity. The maras carry their heads under their arms and spread diseases. But this, of course, is nottheir only occupation. Basically, they roam the earth in search of suitable souls, which are brought into the domain of the goddess. They are located between Naviu and Yavu, on the banks of the Currant, near the Kalinov Bridge. Such an exact address is present in all Slavic fairy tales, which in itself is quite curious.
What other gods do people remember?
The most famous ancient names of evil gods today:
- Kali is the embodiment of darkness, the destruction of time and the dark aspect of Shiva.
- Ah-Puch - the bearer of Death and the ruling analogue of the Christian Hell in the Mayan culture.
- Hecate - in Greece, she patronized witchcraft, owned hellish dogs and appeared in the darkness of the night like moonlight.
The moon is a frequent symbol of evil goddesses. Also, unlike male idols, the ancient villains are almost always shrouded in a fog of mysticism, divination.
Roman Mars or its Greek prototype, Ares, can also be attributed to evil deities. These idols cannot be called good. Fury, the heat of battle and blood - their "calling card". Remember people and Loki. Cunning and deceit, intrigues and intrigues - all this is run by an ancient villain from Valhalla.
Who is the most evil?
The most evil gods are what? Slavic Morana, freezing people, sending them diseases and damage? Egyptian Set, offended by members of his family? Chernobog, sparkling with a silver mustache and waiting for victims? Or maybe hard worker Viy?
The question of which deity is more evil cannot be answered. In the mentality of every nation there isown, subjective understanding of what "evil" is. But the most ancient of these idols are those who embody the original chaos, darkness. For example, Apophis. But such gods are busy solving global problems and they don’t care about people. Accordingly, their malice is very abstract, and these idols cannot claim the title of "the most".
