The religion of the ancient Slavs: what did our ancestors believe in?

What did the ancient Slavs believe in ? What kind of gods were worshiped? What religion was preached in those ancient times when they did not even hear of Christianity? The religion of the ancient Slavs, which is commonly called paganism, included a huge number of cults, beliefs and views. In it, both archaic primitive elements and more developed ideas about the existence of gods and the human soul got on.

The religion of the Slavs originated more than 2-3 thousand years ago. The most ancient religious view of the Slavic peoples is animism. According to this belief, any person has an incorporeal double, a shadow, a spirit. Hence the concept of the soul was born. According to the ancient progenitors of the Russian people, not only people but also animals as well as all natural phenomena have a soul.
The Slavic religion is also rich in totemic beliefs. Totems of animals - elk, wild boar, bear, as sacred animals, were the object of worship. Subsequently, every sacred animal became the symbol of some Slavic god. For example, a boar is a sacred animal of the god Perun, and a bear is Veles. There were also vegetable totems: birches, oaks, willows. Many religious rituals were held around separate sacred trees.

Gods in the Slavic religion.

Slavs did not have one god for all. Each tribe worshiped differently. To the common gods, the religion of the ancient Slavs includes such characters as Perun, Veles, Lada, Svarog and Makosh.

• Perun - Thunderer, patronized the princes and soldiers. Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich of Kiev revered this god as supreme.
• Veles - the god of wealth, the "cattle-breeding" god, patronized the merchant class. Rarely considered the god of the dead.
• Svarog - the god of fire and sky, is considered the father of other divine creatures, the supreme deity of the early Slavs.
• Makosh is the goddess of fate, water and fertility, the patroness of future mothers. Was considered the embodiment of the feminine.
• Lada is the goddess of love and beauty. She was considered the goddess of the "rozhanitsa", patronizing the summer harvest.

Idols of the ancient Slavs.

The religion of the ancient Slavs had not only their gods, but also their idols - statues, conveying the image of a particular deity, who was most esteemed in the tribe more than others. These were wooden or stone statues, which were worshiped during religious rites. More often idols were established on the banks of rivers, in groves, on hills. They were very often dressed, they held a bowl or horns in their hands, and next to them one could see a rich weapon. There were also domestic idols of smaller sizes, which were hidden in dwellings. The ancient Slavs identified idols with the deity itself, so it was a great sin to damage the idol sculpture.

Ancient "temples" and sorcerers in the Slavic religion.

The Eastern Slavs who lived in the territory of modern Russia never built churches: they performed all ritual activities and prayers in the open air. Instead of the temple they equipped the so-called "kapishche" - the place where the idols were located, the altar was located and sacrifices were made. And the religion of the ancient Slavs allowed any of the believers to approach idols, to bow to them and make any offerings. As a sacrifice, as a rule, different animals were used, the ancient Slavs did not practice human sacrifice.

As the guardians of knowledge, visionaries and healers, the ancient Slavs had Magi. They kept and passed on from generation to generation ancient myths, made calendars, predicted the weather, performed the functions of sorcerers and magicians. The Magi had a great influence on the princes of Kiev, who consulted with them on all important state issues.

Thus, it can be stated with confidence that the religious beliefs of the ancient Slavs are a well-developed system that includes a huge number of different pagan beliefs practiced by the Slavs before the adoption of the Christian religion. It played a huge role in shaping the world outlook, worldview and culture of the Slavic peoples. Her echoes are still present in our lives.