Brief New Year's encyclopedia: Meet Karachun! Slavic gods Karachun and Love.

Happy new Kolo!

Karachun - The formidable and inexorable God of frost.
(Now Santa Claus).

December is the month of the longest nights and the shortest days. It has long been dedicated to the wolf among the peoples of Eurasia. Sometimes it was called the “wolf month”. The Scandinavian tribes had a myth that deep in the bowels of the earth, the monstrous wolf Fenrir was chained by the Light Gods. While he is in captivity, nothing threatens the world, but his children are running free all over the world. They feed on human sins. These puppies can grow to enormous sizes, and when human evil passes all limits, they will gain so much power that they can jump to the Sun and tear it apart. Then the shackles of their father, the wolf Fenrir, will fall off, and he, breaking out to the surface, will completely destroy the universe. And according to legend, “Ragnarok” or the Twilight of the Gods (the last battle) will come.

In Slavic myths, the attitude towards the wolf was twofold:

Firstly, the Gray Wolf, known to everyone from children's fairy tales, is a friend of the main positive character, a wise assistant and adviser. A certain older brother who helps perform initiation rites.

Secondly, the persistent image of the “Lone Wolf”, which in the modern world, little familiar with the real life of these super social animals, has been transformed into the idea of ​​a kind of self-sufficient superhero, capable of single-handedly confronting all his enemies.

People who lived in symbiosis with nature revered and feared wolves. When human activity disturbed the ecological balance, wolves became sworn enemies.
It is known that wolf time is the dead of night. There is even a Latin designation for time: - “The hour between the wolf and the dog,” that is, before dawn. Naturally, December, the month of long nights, is accompanied by not only living wolves, but also mythical ones - blizzard wolves and packs of blizzard wolves. It was they who were part of the retinue of the master of darkness, cold and death -.

Quickly cover me with wolf skin,
Light a fire in the middle of the clearing.
Do you hear a painful howl bursting from your heart,
We are drunk with homeless freedom.

Round dances of trees flow through the shadows.
And the fire from the snow grows to the sky.
There the Moon is like a yellow brocade flap,
Like a crust of fragrant white bread.

This night, now, I can become myself.
You, December, will see my wolf’s insides.
A piercing howl is heard around the fire
This night, today, now, this night.

The ancient Slavs revered Karachun as an underground god who commanded frost. His servants were also connecting rod bears, in which snowstorms turned, packs of blizzard wolves, as well as the souls of frozen people.

By the way, by the bear’s will, the cold winter continues: when he turns in his den on the other side, the winter still has exactly half the way to go until spring (“At Solstice, the bear in his den turns from one side to the other”).

The night of Karachun coincides with the winter solstice and one of the coldest days of winter, when the days stop shortening and the nights do not lengthen. This dark, incomprehensible force, which shortened the light part of the day, is Karachun.

This God was so formidable and inexorable that his name is still preserved in the Slavic languages. For Belarusians, “crown” means sudden death at a young age; an evil spirit that shortens life. In Russian it is death, destruction, and also an evil spirit.

The expression “set karachun” means to die, knock down, kill or villainously torture someone. “The karachun grabbed him” - that is, the man suddenly died.

On the other hand, the word “karachit” in Dahl’s dictionary is explained as moving backwards, crawling, “skorachil” - writhed, cramped.

In Serbian, “kračati” means to walk. Perhaps Karachun was called that precisely because he seemed to force daytime to go in the opposite direction, to back away, to crawl, giving way to the night.

Korochun is the longest night in the outgoing Kolo, the time of the omnipotence of darkness. This is the time of Winter Silence, when the silver bells of Mara proclaim to us the ancient truth, like Life itself, that everything has its time. Night on Karachun, a magical time, when the gates between Reality and Navya are wide open and Navier unhinderedly looks into Reality, the cover of which is thinned, and behind it you can see glimpses of the true nature of the universe, that which is beyond the flesh, beyond all names and forms. This frozen time - timelessness, the end and beginning of time - is a prototype of the night of the world, the Night of the Completion of the Circle of Times and at the same time the threshold of a new rebirth. The wise use this time to communicate with others... a night of insight and silent vision of what is hidden. This is a time of purification of soul and body, when it is desirable to carefully monitor the purity of your thoughts, words spoken and deeds performed. On the night of Korochun, the Navya Gods, Spirits and souls of the Ancestors come to Reality to visit their descendants. Can you hear the frost crackling outside? It is the Prophetic God Himself who knocks with his ice club on the sleeping trees and the Sickle of Mary cuts through the tangled threads of the past, and the souls of the Ancestors in the guise of prophetic birds sit silently on green spruce branches, guarding the Moment of Magic - the Revelation of the Things of the Night... For others, this a night of madness and black horror creeping into Reality from Navi, like a snake penetrating a house through an open door. Gradually, in the popular consciousness, Karachun became close to Frost, who binds the earth with cold, as if plunging it into a mortal sleep. This is a more harmless image than the stern Karachun. Frost is simply the lord of winter cold.

Frost was represented as an old man with a long gray beard. In winter, he walks through the fields and streets and knocks: his knocking causes bitter frosts and freezes the rivers with ice.
If he hits the corner of the hut, the log will certainly crack! His breath produces a strong cold.
Frost and icicles are his tears, his frozen words. Snow clouds are his hair.
He really dislikes those who tremble and complain about the cold, but gives bodily strength and a hot glow to the cheerful, cheerful, and healthy.
From November to March, Morozko gains such power that even the Sun becomes shy before him!
To celebrate, he covers window glass with amazing patterns, freezes the surface of lakes and rivers so that you can ride on them, freezes snow slides and makes honest people happy with snow, invigorating frost and cheerful winter celebrations.
Marossi (codfish) are evil spirits subordinate to Frost. No wonder their names are similar!
They sleep in the summer, but fall to the ground in winter with the first snowflakes.
The Maros run through the fields and forests and blow into their fists, driving away the cold and fierce wind with their icy breath. Their heels make the frozen ground and the trunks of icy trees crack, which is why people say, “the frost is cracking.”
As a sign of veneration of Frost, his “idols” - the well-known Snowmen - were often erected in winter.

Fairy tale by A. Remizov - Korochun
In the middle of the field there is a draconic oak tree covered in flakes, like a white flower.
Snow clouds roll and gather in fluff, a blizzard creeps up, powders the paths, sweeps with might and main, hits your eyes, blinds you; neither entry nor exit.
And the wind Vetrenik, rising like a whirlwind, plays across the field, bursts into the warm hut in clubs: don’t leave the door to the frost!
Grandfather Korochun reigns.
In a white fur coat, barefoot, shaking his white shaggy hair, shaking his huge gray beard, Korochun hits the tree stump with his club - and the furious bells ring, the frost scratches with their claws, and the air crackles and breaks.
Grandfather Korochun reigns.
Korochun passes the days, there are no days to be seen, only evening and night.
Loud strong nights.
Starry nights, bright, everything is visible in the field.
Hungry wolves click their teeth. The evil Korochun walks through the forest and roars - don’t get caught!
And from behind the deserted swamps on all four sides, sensing a voice, animals come towards him without hesitating, without turning back.
The disobedient - with a stick, so that the skin is split in two.
On a traitor there is a seven-tailed whip, seven posses: once he whips - seven scars, another whip - fourteen.
And the snow falls and falls.
The frosts are severe - the snows are deep.
In the evening the roosters crow, in the afternoon there is a blizzard, in the white light there is severe frost.
The frosts are severe - the snows are deep.
The sun will not be born soon, the solstice is far away. The bear feels good in a warm den, and it doesn’t occur to the shaggy bear to turn over to the other side.
And the days are getting darker and shorter.
When hungry for kutya, don’t forget to throw the first spoon to Duda - Korochun loves kutya. And if you dress up at Christmas time, dress up as a bear, Korochun won’t eat the bear.
And he growled, stomped, the bear rolled across the sky, the restless knocking - the restless Korochun...
Old Kotofey Kotofeich, purring sweetly, whiles away a short time - telling fairy tales.

It should be noted that Karachun is one of the most mysterious and little-known holidays. Typically, researchers define the winter solstice as the beginning of a new year, followed by a holiday week with caroling and mummery. And this is indeed so, but all this happens after December 25, when “the sun turns to summer, and winter to frost.” This stormy fun was preceded by several days when “the sun stood” at our latitude (and even further north it completely disappeared and didn't show up). Naturally, people living in close contact with the outside world attached very important importance to this phenomenon.

So, the sun froze or disappeared, the solar cycle was interrupted, the world around became numb. Of course, our ancestors understood that in a few days everything would change and return to normal, but in this time of timelessness it is necessary to withdraw into oneself. Dive into the bottomless well of your soul, descend into the dark subconscious, put in order everything that has accumulated over the past time. Purify yourself with sacrificial fire and enter the next solar cycle renewed and full of strength.

We see that Kolo Svarozhye has been spinning for centuries - the Native Gods are leading their Round Dance, ruling the Whirlwind of the World, tirelessly performing the Eternal Whirlwind. And on Mother Earth, kind people look at the Divine Acts, glorify the Gods of the Family, and through those glorifications they themselves are filled with Divine Powers, and restore the Unity of the Family in the hearts of the prophetic with zeal. It was so in the time of gray-haired antiquity, and it is so now, and it will be the same - as long as the Sun shines, while the Earth gives birth! To the glory of the Native Gods.

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In Slavic mythology, the name of the winter solstice and the holiday associated with it (Old Russian. Korochun, Slovak. Kracuri, “Christmas”, Bulgarian Krachunets, “Christmas Day”, in Transcarpathia Krachun - Christmas pie), as well as an evil spirit (Belarusian, Korochun, “sudden death at a young age, convulsions, an evil spirit shortening life”, Russian karachun, “death”, “death”, “evil spirit”).

The etymology of the word is unclear; borrowing from lat was assumed. quartum jejunium, “great, fourth post” (cf. Latin source of the word carol); formation from a verb with the meaning “to walk” (Serbo-Croatian kračati, etc.) - “walking day”, hence “transitional day, solstice day”; borrowing from Alb. kögsshp, “stump”, “tree stump”: Christmas log, cf. Badnyak.

Karachun (korochun, kerechun, krachun), in the mythology of the ancient Slavs, is the god of cattle mortality and death from frost. Karachun is the second name of Chernobog. Among Little Russians and Belarusians, Karachun is an evil spirit (korochun - sudden death at a young age, convulsions; an evil spirit that shortens life). Karachun is also the name of the winter solstice and the associated holiday - Christmas (in Transcarpathia, krachun is a Christmas pie). Also, Karachun is the name of Kolyada or Christmas night in western Ukraine, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
“In a white fur coat, barefoot, shaking his white shaggy hair, shaking his big gray beard, Korochun hits the stump with his club - and the furious ears ring, the frost scratches with their claws, the air cracks and breaks” (Alexey Mikhailovich Remizov, “Fairy Tales”).

The day of pagan veneration of Karachun falls on the day of the winter solstice (celebrated depending on the year from December 19 to 22) - the shortest day of the year and one of the coldest days of winter. It was believed that on this day the formidable Karachun, the deity of death, an evil spirit who commands frost, took his power. The ancient Slavs believed that he commands winter and shortens the daylight hours.

The servants of the formidable Karachun are connecting rod bears in which snowstorms turn, and blizzard wolves. It was believed that, due to the bear's will, the cold winter continues: if the bear turns on the other side in its den, it means that the winter has exactly half the way to go until spring. Hence the saying: “At Solstice, the bear in its den turns from one side to the other.”

Dark God. But we have no great grounds to assert that Karachun is the God of the Slavs. Karachun's Day coincided with one of the coldest days of winter, December 12/25 (Spiri-don-solstice according to the later peasant calendar), when the nights stop shortening, and the sun no longer looks at the frost, but at the warmth. The ancient Slavs considered Karachun an underground god who commanded frost. Korolkov V.A. “Karachun” This dark, incomprehensible force that shortened the light part of the day is Karachun. This God was so formidable and inexorable that his name is still preserved in the Slavic languages. For Belarusians, “crown” means sudden death at a young age; an evil spirit that shortens life. In Russian it is death, destruction, and also an evil spirit. The expression “set karachun” means to die, knock down, kill or villainously torture someone. “The karachun grabbed him” - that is, the man suddenly died. The collective image of God Karachun has existed to this day. So you can also find semantic phrases in the vocabulary that refer us to the image of misfortune: “Karachun will come.” In the Novgorod Chronicle, “the entire autumn of Dzhdeva stood from Mistress days to Korochun” (PSRL III-9), Kerechun or Krochun evening - Christmas Eve or Christmastide. Chill out, roll on. The leap year is especially terrible; it is considered the time of Karachun, His element. Therefore, it is popularly believed that more people die on a leap year.

Among the Slavs God Karachun could also be called differently - Korochun (Ukrainian), Krachun (Transcarpian), Koronui (Belarus, emphasis on “u”, means sudden death), and also Krachunets (Moldo). The Slavs of Transcarpathia often call the festive pie baked for Christmas by the name of this God - “krachunets”. Dahl's dictionary shows the relationship between the name of God and the painful state of a person - “skorachil”, which means a cramped leg, back, or a crooked person. With him we find “punish” when they back away.

Slavic mythology represents this God in different ways. Some researchers believe that this is one of the hypostases of Chernobog, who see the winter God as another guise of Koshchei (Koshchny God), and others, upon later consideration, believe that this is Frost himself - the God of Winter. There is also the idea that Karachun is the dark god of the underworld, who is known as the Lord of frost and darkness, the God of Winter.

In fairy tales we find images of this winter God. For example, there is a fairy tale by A. Remizov, which is called “Korochun”:

In the middle of the field there is a draconic oak tree covered in flakes, like a white flower.
Snow clouds roll and gather in fluff, a blizzard creeps up, powders the paths, sweeps with might and main, hits your eyes, blinds you; neither entry nor exit.
And the wind Vetrenik, rising like a whirlwind, plays across the field, bursts into the warm hut in clubs: don’t leave the door to the frost!
Grandfather Korochun reigns.
In a white fur coat, barefoot, shaking his white shaggy hair, shaking his huge gray beard, Korochun hits the stump with his club - and the furious zyuzis ring, the frost scratches with their claws, and the air crackles and breaks.
Grandfather Korochun reigns.
Korochun passes the days, there are no days to be seen, only evening and night.
Loud strong nights.
Starry nights, bright, everything is visible in the field.
Hungry wolves click their teeth. The evil Korochun walks through the forest and roars - don’t get caught!
And from behind the deserted swamps on all four sides, sensing a voice, animals come towards him without hesitating, without turning back.
The disobedient - with a stick, so that the skin is split in two.
On a traitor there is a seven-tailed whip, seven posses: once he whips - seven scars, another whip - fourteen.
And the snow falls and falls.
The frosts are severe - the snows are deep.
In the evening the roosters crow, in the afternoon there is a blizzard, in the white light there is severe frost.
The frosts are severe - the snows are deep.
The sun will not soon be born, the solstice is far away. The bear feels good in a warm den, and it doesn’t occur to the shaggy bear to turn over to the other side.
And the days are getting darker and shorter.
When hungry for kutya, don’t forget to throw the first spoon to Duda - Korochun loves kutya. And if you dress up at Christmas time, dress up like a bear, Korochun won’t eat the bear.
And he growled, stomped, the bear rolled across the sky, the restless knocking - the restless Korochun...
Old Kotofey Kotofeich, purring sweetly, whiles away a short time - telling fairy tales.

Here we see the ritualism of the Slavs in relation to the appeasement of God Karachun, and the character of the winter God himself, and the behavior of animals at such an hour when an evil spirit walks the Earth. The arrival of Karachun marks the Solstice, when everything becomes numb, stops, no movement is noticeable, no white light is visible. Of course, the ancients understood that in a couple of days this whole stop would pass, everything would begin to move, Kolo Svarog would return to normal, and the sun would begin its march again.

What do the Slavs know about Karachun?

Karachun, according to the beliefs of the ancient Slavs, not only commanded frost and darkness in the winter. He also became famous for being evil in nature, and could also significantly shorten a person’s life. Later they began to call him the God of Cattle. People began to notice that it was during the reign of Karachun that livestock especially died from severe frosts in winter.

Some of our Slavic ancestors believed that it was this dark God who sent diseases to people in which convulsions were noted. If you do not appease this God, then the patient’s condition from convulsions often turns into death. That’s what they say even today: “The karachun grabbed him,” when a person died suddenly. And if you hear “ask karachun,” it means to knock someone down, kill, or even torture.

Here is what they write about Karachun now:

Korochun is the last day on the eve of the Winter Solstice, when Chernobog (Koshchey-Korochun in the image of the Elder with the Reaper's Sickle or the Great Serpent biting His tail) ends and ends the old Year on the eve of Kolyada, the holiday of the birth of the New Sun and the New Year.

Korochun is the time when the Hammer of Svarozh, having reached its highest point on Kupala (a holiday dedicated to the Summer Solstice), is preparing to hit the rocky firmament in a big way and carve a spark of the New Fire from the white-flammable stone of Alatyr on Kolyada, from which the flame of the New will flare up Cola of the Year.

Korochun is a magical time when the Gates between Reality and Navy are wide open, the cover of the toil of this world is torn, and behind it you can see glimpses of the True Nature of the Universe, which exists beyond the flesh, beyond all names and forms.

The Night of Korochun, the last night of the passing Year, is a prototype of the Night of Peace, the Night of the Great Dissolution, the Night of the Completion of the Circle of Times and at the same time the threshold of the New Renaissance.

For the wise, Korochun is the Night of Insight and Silent Vision of What is Hidden; for others, it is the Night of Madness and Black Horror, creeping into Reality from Navi, like a snake entering a house through an open door.

Two weeks before Korochun, the so-called Time of Silence begins - the time of preparation for the Transition, the time of paying off debts, forgiving grievances, completing everything unfinished for the year and discarding, letting go of everything that has become obsolete.

This is a time of cleansing of the soul and body, when it is advisable to limit yourself in food (especially meat), and also carefully monitor the purity of your thoughts, spoken words and deeds.

On the night of Korochun, the souls of the Ancestors come to Reality to visit their descendants and, if necessary, ask them how they fulfilled their Ancestral Duty in the past year? Did they live according to the Truth or falsehood? Did you glorify the Native Gods or worship foreign things? Were you looking for the Highest Wisdom or were you just satisfying your insatiable belly?

Can you hear the frost crackling outside? It is the Prophetic God Himself who knocks with his icy club on the sleeping trees, and the Sickle of Mary cuts through the Tangled Threads tangled over the year, and the souls of the Ancestors in the guise of prophetic birds silently sit on green spruce branches, guarding the Moment of Magic - the Revelation of the Things of the Night... Jelly (December) is a month of long nights and the shortest days. It has long been dedicated to the wolf among the peoples of Eurasia. Sometimes it was called the “wolf month”.

Dates and symbolism of Karachun

A period of the calendar year is dedicated to Karachun. WITH December 21 to 25 God Karachun is a harbinger and sign of the coming of the God of the Winter Sun - Kolyada. A later calendar marks December 25 as the day of the solstice of Spiridon. Due to the fact that during this period the winter solstice ends and the night begins to decline, there is an understanding that Karachun shortens the night.

It is often said that Karachun often turns into Frost, or into Father Frost, who has been in a bad mood for some time. According to popular belief, it has always been believed that December 23 (the month was previously called jelly) is the coldest, frostiest and darkest time of the year.

Some believe that Karachun is a gray-haired old man with a rather stern face and a heavy look. He wears a blue caftan trimmed with white fur, and sometimes he is depicted in a white fur coat with his head uncovered. Karachun always has a staff in his hands, with which he brings severe frost to the Earth.

This God has his own retinue, which is also included in his symbolism - white wolves formed from a blizzard, snowbirds, snowstorms turning into connecting rod bears and even the souls of dead people who once died from freezing.

The symbolism of the dark winter God is reflected in the names - some Slavs still call the month of December “the wolf month,” when most often wolves howl from hunger and cold. As for bears, it was believed that during Karachun (or Winter Solstice) the bear should turn on the other side in its den. That’s what they say: “On Solstice, the bear in its den turns from one side to the other.”

Meanwhile, you should not be too afraid of Karachun, because his reign is short-lived - after December 25, there always comes a good time to celebrate the arrival and reign of Kolyada. And the day after Karachun will always gradually lengthen. Yes, and there is such a belief that the snow wolves of Karachun feed on human unrighteous deeds, and therefore do not harm those who live a correct life (follow the path of Rule).

The rituals of worshiping the gods were passed down over many centuries and had deep roots. Even after the Baptism of Rus', the Slavs did not forget about their intercessors and continued to idolize them, giving them the appearance of Orthodox saints.

Hierarchy of ancient Slavic gods

Ancient legends and tales of the Slavs, unlike Egyptian or Greek ones, were not associated with writing. They were passed on from mouth to mouth, modified, and some of them were simply lost. Therefore, the reconstruction of the pantheon of Slavic gods was based on scientific hypotheses and preserved ancient legends, which entailed obvious contradictions and disputes.

However, all generations of pagan gods had a clear hierarchy, and were also divided into two opposing sides:

1. The Solar (heavenly) dynasty included their bright representatives.
2. And in the Lunar (functional) - the night, dark gods.

The pantheon of Slavic gods was headed by Rod, and in total there were four of them in the heavenly dynasty - Svarog, Dazhdbog, Khors and Yarilo. Representatives of the dark forces were Perun, Veles, Stribog and Semargl.

According to their significance, mythological creatures were divided into 3 levels:

1. Highest. This niche was occupied by gods who were of extreme importance to the people and were involved in the most famous legends and tales. These included Svarog, Perun, Stribog and Dazhdbog.
2. Average. At this level were the gods, whose worship was carried out during the harvest, farm work, and also during periods of changing seasons. This included Rod, Chur, and most of the female deities.
3. Lowest. It housed mythological creatures that least of all resembled humans in their appearance - mermaids, kikimoras, brownies, vampires, goblins.

Each appeal to the gods took the form of a pagan ritual. This action was carried out so that the deities would be favorable to the people, fulfill their requests and protect them from evil spirits. All Slavic gods patronized a certain culture, art, seasonality, and had their own symbolism and meaning.

God Rod is the progenitor of all living things

In antiquity, it was this deity who personified the great Creator, the creator of life on Earth. He brought the planet out of eternal darkness, created the sky, mountains and oceans, populating it with people and animals. This is the Supreme Mind that controls our essence, thoughts and destiny.

The Almighty Family divided worldly existence into three spheres:

1. Rule is the abode of the gods, his children.
2. Reality is earthly life inhabited by man.
3. Nav is the dark kingdom of the dead.

Ancient peoples worshiped Rod during the spring awakening of nature, at the birth of a child. The ritual acquired particular significance during the periods when sowing began and during the harvest. Also, a ritual of worship was performed when remembering deceased relatives.

The attributes of the Rod include phallic-shaped wooden statues, painted crimson red. The constant symbol is the egg, as a sign of the origin of this deity. The geometric signs of the Family are presented in the form of a nine-sided complex figure consisting of three triangles and a five-pointed star - a pentagram.

The frequent use of a star with five points in magic and rituals of Satanists has given many people an erroneous opinion about this sign, classifying it as a symbol of Evil. But since ancient times, this sign does not carry the essence of evil or good, but is only a stereotype that developed under the influence of certain negative situations. In the culture of the ancient Slavs, the pentagram is a divine symbol of health, humanity, prosperity and constancy.

Karachun - the dark god of the underworld

This creature represented the lunar dynasty of gods with its inherent menace and inexorability. It was believed that thanks to this ruler the day was shortened, and the celebration of Karachun fell on the coldest and shortest day of winter, December 21 or 22. In the pantheon of Slavic gods, this was one of the most ferocious, powerful and cruel spirits who brought death.

Among the Belarusian peoples, this god personified unexpected death at a young age; he was considered the spirit of Evil, capable of shortening years of life. He was considered one of the underground mythical creatures and could send severe frosts to the earth. Over time, the people smoothed out the negative image of Karachun, and they began to call him the lord of winter - Morozko, who has the power to bind nature with cold, plunging it into mortal sleep.

Among the Poles, Serbs, and Ukrainians, this god personified the winter solstice - the holidays of Christmas and Christmas Eve. In ancient times, Karachun was the name given to Christmas bread, which was baked from different types of cereals. Some traditions are preserved today in Carpathian families. Karachun symbolized prosperity, family wealth, health and fertility.

Perun - Lord of the Sky

The shamans of ancient tribes were sure: the Slavic gods are so omnipotent that they have the power to control rain, snow, thunderstorms or hurricanes. Therefore, in order to cause precipitation during a drought or to ask for protection during bad weather, peoples worshiped the great Perun, the god of the sky and weather. The rite of veneration consisted of pouring water on one of the women of the tribe and making a sacrifice.

Previously, it was believed that the rumble of thunder was the roar of a huge chariot on which Perun rushes across the sky. He throws arrows of fiery lightning and thunder stones, and if he angers the god, burning meteorites can fall to the ground. The symbols of Perun were stars with three, six or eight rays.

Rituals to glorify Perun were held in August. The main event of the evening was the sacrifice, during which a bull was killed. In front of the idol of Perun, its skin and entrails were burned, and the sacrificial meat was fried and distributed to everyone present. At the end of the holiday, the bones of the bull were destroyed in fire.

Veles - patron of wild nature, ancient shepherd

This powerful, wise god of the Slavs brought prosperity, fertility, and was the guardian of livestock and all wild animals. He patronized poets, artisans, travelers and traders. It was believed that animals sacrificed to the gods graze freely in the heavenly meadows under the supervision of Veles, therefore the rituals of sacrifice are not ungodly acts.

It was also believed that this deity was on the border of two worlds - the living and the dead. He transported all the great sinners, villains and murderers across the mythical River of the Dead to the underworld, where they were purified in eternal sacred fire.

Veles had his own world of the Dungeon, inhabited by strange people - the Chud. It is in this space that all the secrets and knowledge of the Universe are collected, which are revealed to the chosen ones who managed to visit this amazing kingdom.

The main act of the god Veles was to bring everything worldly into cyclical motion. Night began to give way to day, joy to sadness, winter was replaced by spring. This repetition contains wise teaching of all the fundamentals of existence. Humanity was able to overcome difficulties, learn from its mistakes, and appreciate the joyful moments of life. And the guide was the great power of Love, which helps to withstand all trials.

Chur - guardian of borders

This god did not occupy the most honorable place in the pantheon of Slavic gods, but his power is still remembered. Chur was the guardian of earthly and underground borders.

Believing in the power of this god, the Slavs marked the end of their land plots with embankments that no one dared to destroy. Such actions could anger Chur, because this territory was considered inviolable. On the days of veneration of the deity, the owner of the land sacrificed animals, sang sacred songs and brought valuable gifts.

The symbols of Chur were of great importance - if his images were placed on the border of land plots, no one had the right to these possessions. These idols later became known as chocks, logs. God protected man and all his property from evil spirits.

And today you can hear the expression: “Forget me!”, which is pronounced in times of danger or fear. By calling the name of this deity, a person calls on him for help, protection and patronage.

Svarog - Heavenly Father, son of Rod

The great deeds of Svarog include the completion of the creation of the Earth, which was begun by his father, the powerful Family. He passed on to his son his knowledge and valuable desire to reunite nature and deities, showing that all beings in the world are one. From him came other Slavic gods who took their places of honor in the Sun dynasty.

He created the heavenly world in which our ancestors live. It was believed that the shining stars were the eyes of our great-grandfathers, watching the inhabitants of the Earth from the clouds. Svarog’s creations include the Sun, which he gave to people so that all living things could exist. He gave humanity fire to cook food and keep warm, and a cup to drink the sacred drink. To cultivate the land, he presented people with a plow, and for protection, an invincible military weapon.

It was Svarog who taught people to process iron with the help of fire, marking the beginning of the era of metal. The sounds of a hammer striking an anvil are pleasing to this god; a flame should burn in every forge, the metal should continuously glow, and from that time on, man was able to put on iron armor.

The symbolism of Svarog includes:

• Cross,
• Spiral,
• Cornucopia,
• And fire.

Each ritual of worship of this god ended with a great feast with a variety of food and drinks. Those present were supposed to have fun, rejoice and not limit themselves in food, as this could offend Svarog.

Great Faith of Nations

In ancient times, the world for humanity was full of secrets. In order not to be alone on a huge planet, the Slavs worshiped the gods and asked them for protection and support. They deified the forces of nature, knowing that they would help them survive in times of disaster, cataclysm or drought.

And it was the belief of the Slavs in Prav - that the world was created correctly, that guided their lives, actions, and formed feelings of love, conscience and gratitude. This amazing ancient people had great Faith - a core that gave them strength, confidence, freedom and helped them survive in the most difficult times.

As evidenced by one of the variants of the Slavic Zodiac, people born at this time are under the protection of Kitovras. This is a mythological centaur, one half of whose body is horse, and the other half is human. This character is said to be wise and strong, but has a weakness for wine. Kitovras is capable of fooling anyone, but this ability often turns against him. The gods who patronize the “dark” half of the year, using the centaur’s love for alcohol, force him to put his wisdom and strength in the service of self-interest and evil. This inevitably brings punishment from the light gods.

Just like their patron Kitovras, people born during this period are quite capable of achieving significant success in literally all areas of life, but provided that their desire for all kinds of benefits and worldly pleasures does not go beyond the bounds of reason.

December has a literal name, “jelly,” which is easy to decipher (cold month, too cold to show your nose outside). The patron of this month, as well as people born in this time period, can safely be called the underground god Karachun.

The ancient Slavs considered Karachun an underground god who commanded frost. Connecting bears, turning into snowstorms, and blizzard wolves were his assistants. Then Karachun became the god of cattle.

December 23 is one of the coldest days of winter. When the nights stop shortening, it is considered Karachun’s day. The dark, incomprehensible force itself, shortening the light part of the day, is Karachun. This God is so formidable and inexorable that the expression “set the karachun” still exists - that is, to die, knock down, kill or villainously torture someone.

Karachun time is the darkest and coldest time of the year. You can even call it hopeless - spring is still too far away. And only after Karachun Day (December 23) joyful holidays of the solar gods await us: the sun will turn towards summer.

The Karachun man’s health is not good, no matter how cheerful he is. He was born during a period of energetic decline, when the earth is lifeless and the skies are deserted. There is no sun, the waters are frozen... only the wind is Karachun’s reliable friend.

Nothing is given to Karachun for nothing: everything has to be earned through his own labor. There is a high probability that he will want to escape from reality into the world of fantastic dreams. Karachuns love to travel, are interested in the cultures of other countries (especially hot, tropical ones), and often mentally transport themselves to the past and to the future.

Having difficulty communicating with people, they tinker a lot with animals. Man-Karachun is able to tame the wildest beast! Studying the collective experience of humanity gives them the opportunity to believe in themselves and feel their involvement in global life processes. Karachun must rely on the objective ideals of society, and not on himself.

The Karachun man can be cold, gloomy, grumpy, inaccessible, irritable, angry, but the mask of the immortal Koshchei does not suit him. In fact, Karachun has a different hypostasis - a mockingbird (among them there are many good parodists). They are satirists, scattering caustic jokes, and funny and pleasant. This is how they hide their deep sadness. Children of Karachun are familiar with sign language, have a knack for linguistics and poetry, and often become polyglots and translators.

But their personal life is not going well because of their unsociable nature. The Karachun sign is not conducive to having a lot of noisy children. If Karachun makes up his mind and takes off his gloomy mask, it becomes obvious that this modest, understanding person is a real treasure!

People born in December are good workers, but what suits them best is hard work, which they perform with their inherent ease. They cannot sit idly by. If this happens, they are capable of falling into depressive states, from which there is only one way out - to find a job.

It is also interesting that “Karachans” love marriages and cannot live alone for a day. Any of the above signs of the ancient Slavic horoscope can easily enter into an alliance with them.

Karachun and Lyubov

Usually the personal life of the Karachuns is not very successful, although they are aimed at creating their own family. Moreover, these people are not able to live even a day alone. The reason for the difficulties lies in their lack of communication, bordering on outright unsociability.

In dealing with such a person, the most difficult task is to get him to take off his usual mask. And when this happens, it becomes obvious that Karachun is a real treasure worth working for. All signs of the Slavic horoscope can safely connect their lives with them.

Decorations

Unpredictable and original, the representative of this sign strives for perfection of form. Most often, people born in December prefer antique or antique-style jewelry. These are: beads with elements of folk art; national motifs in the ornament; indefinite color scheme of decoration. A family heirloom can become a treasure for a person of this sign.

Unusual silver jewelry with natural stones. Healing and magical properties of precious stones.