The Slavs always loudly praised the light gods, and the dark ones were secretly spoken, their names preserved in ancient manuscripts. In this list, and one of the strongest deities of Darkness - Chernobog, he was feared and sacrificed, considering the incarnation of the Forces of Evil. It was believed that this god helps in war and commerce, but it required special sacrifices to bring him.
Who is Chernobog?
God Chernobog of the ancient Slavs was considered the eternal enemy of Yasun, the embodiment of dark forces not only in the world, but also in man himself. He was afraid and asked for help, but did not put idols. In mythology it is said that this god was born in the darkness of Navi, when Svarog forged the world in his forge of Heaven. Parents were the shadows and echoes of the hidden desires of the first living beings. This creation absorbed the most cruel habits of people and the dark sparks of light of the gods, the main aspiration of Chernobog is destruction.
There is a version, allegedly after the adoption of Christianity, the image of this god of Darkness passed on to Saint Kasyan, who is considered an evil creator of all human misfortunes. The day of Chernobog is Monday, which the Slavs called the first-born or the wicked one. Therefore, on the first day of the week it was impossible to start important business, it was assigned to conduct public executions and punishments.
The Symbol of Chernobog
Many researchers call Chernobog a Black Snake or Temnovit, a symbol of denial, a counterweight to Good. Its main feature is its uniqueness, therefore only the people who understood their exceptionality had the right to protect Chernobog. Symbols of Temnovit:
- a horse of black color;
- kite;
- nut or beech tree;
- unit;
- skull.
Astronomers consider the symbol of the Black God planet Saturn. Slavic peoples depicted this god as a huge basilisk - a monster with a snake's head and a human body. There was an opinion that he could turn into a man, he could be met in the image of an old man and a young guy. The power of Chernobog is huge, the only thing he is afraid of is the rays of the Sun. The sign of Chernobog:
- A dark square that indicates the personification of the forces of Darkness.
- The roots of the tree, as the basis of being with the feather of the arrow from the other end of the symbol.
Chernobog - Slavic mythology
Our ancestors believed that good and evil should be in balance, so they reconciled themselves to the existence of the god of Darkness. He was asked for help in trade and war. Chernobog among the Slavs was considered the ruler of the Looking Glass, where the right side was carrying evil, and the left side was good. Therefore, in the legends it is said that Temnovit owns the wheel of fate, in which direction he turns, so will the destiny of man :
- in the right side, to misfortunes and misfortunes;
- in the left - to wealth.
Belobog and Chernobog
In contrast to Chernobog, there was a bright god - Belobog, the brother of the Dark Lord, together they kept the balance of the world. For the Slavs Belobog was the personification of the Good, which:
- absorbed the essence of the deities of Svarog , Lada and Perun;
- he instructed man on the right path;
- attracted the energy of light.
According to the beliefs, the bright god bestowed success in good deeds, the dark-distributed the measure of misery to the share of everyone. Slavonic Chernobog was the ruler of the afterlife, the god of the universe. Therefore, he was always praised at feasts in honor of victories. Slavs believed that Chernobog is the energy of darkness, living in every person, which leads to destruction, both on the battlefield and in the minds of people.
Chernobog and Mara
Slavs believed that the Dark Gods are inextricably linked, but each of them performs their tasks. Like Chernobog and Marena or Mara. If Temnovit was considered the embodiment of Darkness, one of the gods of Navi, then Maru was called the patroness of Navi, the face of death and the harbinger of trouble. The legends preserved several images of Marena:
- A black-eyed girl in light robes with dark hair that holds sickles in her hands.
- An ugly old woman in a black robe with a scythe.
- Green-eyed beauty, giving temptation.
- The ghostly maiden is the transparent Morok.
Maru was called one in two images: the old women and the girl, the mother of the dark forces and the wise teacher, who keeps the experience of all previous lives, is testing people's willpower, endurance and courage. Creating such Dark rulers, Rusichs learned not to fear death, to be able to separate good deeds from evil, to learn the way of the gods of Light in contrast to the road of the gods of Darkness.
Chernobog and Velez
There is a version that the second name of Temnovit is Velez , as it is called the myths of the Balts, which means "devil". Rusich also revered Veles as the god of cattle and asked him to save the herd, because in those days the presence of cows and horses was an indicator of wealth. The reason for the double interpretation is the wrong translation, which treats the notion of "bestial" god as "wild" and "cruel."
If Chernobog - Slavic ruler of darkness, then Veles - the guardian of truth, which monitors compliance with laws and punishes the disobedient. Honored by his Rusichi on December 19, at Nikolay Vodyanoy, in the annals of this god is also called the Volkh or the Lizard. Particularly revered and son Veles - Volhovets, who was recognized as the god of hunting and prey, the lord of the waters, and also - the defender of the soldiers.
Rituals of Chernobog
Slavs believed that Chernobog - the patron of Darkness, dwells in the underworld, which is located far in the ice of the north. Therefore, it is necessary to honor it not with warm words of praise, but with cold curses, which was done at many feasts. So describes the ceremony Helmholde in the Slavonic chronicles. Once in a decade, at the end of each season, special rituals were conducted, the purpose of which was to appease the Temnow, so that he would not harm people.
Ceremonies were held at nightfall, Rusich gathered near the pillar of the pillar, chanting incantations from misfortunes and falling prostrate. And necessarily everyone had to cry to beg for tears, and make sacrifices. In the role of victims were wooden dolls, after the ceremony they were buried in the ground, moreover, at any time of the year, even in winter. They raked the snow and felled the ground. The ritual was considered complete only after the sacrifice was offered.