2017-02-25
The religion of the ancient Egyptians is a unique trend in world history. Its originality lay in the presence of various deities that the people honored. Moreover, in each region of the country, the deities could be different, but there are also those whose worship went beyond the boundaries of the area. These are the ones that are currently the best studied.
The sources of information are the Pyramid Texts, as well as the Books of the Dead. Very often the pharaohs were extolled to the divine pedestal. In this article we will talk about one of the most famous gods ancient egypt- Ra.
1. Egyptian sun god Ra
Ra is the god of the sun in ancient Egyptian mythology. It was represented differently in different places. Information has reached our times that he was most often depicted in the form of a falcon, a man with a falcon head or a huge cat. Ra was revered as the king of the gods. Very often he was depicted in the guise of a pharaoh.
According to mythology, Ra was the father of Wajit, a dodgy cobra that protected the pharaoh from strong scorching rays. It is believed that the god Ra in the afternoon floats along the heavenly Nile in the barque Mandzhet and illuminates the earth. And in the evening he transfers to the barque Mesektet and travels along the underground Nile. Here he daily overcomes the mighty serpent Apep and returns to heaven at dawn. Let us dwell on this myth in more detail, according to the legends. Exactly at midnight, the battle of the god Ra with a snake, the length of which is measured 450 cubits, takes place. To prevent the further movement of Ra, Apep absorbs all the water of the underground Nile. However, the god pierces him with spears and swords and he has to return all the water back.
The ancient Egyptians believed that each deity should have its own home. The city of Heliopolis became the home of the sun god. The Jews called this area Bet-Shemesh. There was built big temple the god Ra and the house of Atum. For a long period these places were attractive for pilgrims and travelers.
1.1. Eyes of the god Ra
Special mystical significance was attached to the eyes of God. Their image could be seen everywhere: on ships, tombs, amulets, boats, clothes. At first glance, it seems that his eyes lead a life separate from the body.
The ancient Egyptians believed that the right eye of the god Ra, which was most often depicted as the serpent Uraeus, could defeat any enemy army. The left eye was credited with miraculous properties in the treatment of serious ailments. This can be judged by the texts and myths that have come down to our times. Very often, the eyes of Ra were presented as an object - a talisman or a heroic warrior performing feats.
Many myths in Egypt were associated with these images. According to one legend, the god Ra created the universe, which was significantly different from the current one. He populated it with created people and gods. However, it was not eternal, like the life of the gods. Over time, old age came to Ra. Upon learning of this, people began to plot against God. The angry Ra decided to take revenge on them cruelly. He threw his eye in the form of his daughter to the goddess Sekhmet, who carried out a brutal massacre of the rebels.
According to other sources, the god Ra gave his right eye to the goddess of fun, Basti. It was she who was supposed to protect him from the mighty serpent Apophis. There is also a legend according to which the divine eye in the form of the unsurpassed goddess Tefnut was offended by Ra. It went into the desert, where it roamed the dunes for a long time. Ra took this separation very hard.
1.2. Where did the name Ra come from?
The name of the Egyptian god was considered mysterious and had a huge magical potential, thanks to which you can control the entire universe. The translation of Ra was interpreted as "the sun." The Egyptian pharaohs were revered as the sons of the god Ra. Therefore, the particle Ra was used very often in their names.
An interesting legend is associated with the name of Ra. The goddess Isis decided to find out his secret name in order to use it in her spells. To do this, she created a snake that bit Ra when leaving his palace. The sun god felt a burning pain that did not go away. Gathering the council of the gods, Ra asked Isis for help in getting rid of the pain. However, her spells only work with a secret name. So Ra had to name him. The effect of the snake's venom has been neutralized. Isis promised to keep it secret and divulge it to other gods.
1.3. History of the cult
The cult of the god Ra began to take shape during the unification of the Egyptian state. He quickly supplanted the archaic cult of Atum. During the reign of the pharaohs of the 4th dynasty, the worship of Ra was proclaimed as state religion. Some representatives of this genus bore a name with the word "Ra": Djedefra, Menkaura, Khafre. During the reign of the 5th dynasty of pharaohs, the cult of Ra only exalted. It was believed that the pharaohs of this dynasty are the sons of the god Ra.
1.4. How did Ra create the world?
In the beginning, there was only an endless ocean. It was the native home of the god Nun, who created the sun god. God Ra called himself: "Khepri in the morning, Ra in the afternoon and Atum at sunset." Thus, the solar triad is formed. According to legend, Ra became the father of the gods and their king. It was he who created the wind god Shu and his wife Tefnut, a goddess with a lion's head. This couple shone in the sky in the constellation Gemini. Then he created the god of the earth - Geb and the heavenly goddess Nut. It was they who, according to mythology, became the parents of the god Osiris and the goddess Isis.
The sun god recited the prayers of creation and commanded the Shu wind to raise the heavens and the earth. Thus, the vault of heaven was formed, on which the stars appeared. Ra spoke aloud the words from which living creatures arose on earth and on water. Then humanity was born from his eye. Initially, Ra took on a human form and began to live on earth. Later, he completely moved to heaven.
1.5. Symbols of the Egyptian God Ra
There are a lot of symbols for the sun god. The main one is the pyramid. Moreover, it can be of different sizes: from very small, worn as an amulet, to large. A common symbol is an obelisk with a pyramidal top with a solar disk. It should be noted that there are a lot of such obelisks in Egypt. In some areas, crypts made of raw bricks were a divine sign. At first glance, they were truncated pyramids. Inside the temples dedicated to the theme of Ra, the ben-ben obelisk was kept. A little later, the ancient Egyptians began to worship the solar disk.
In addition to inanimate symbols, there were also animate ones. Very often, Ra was animated with a phoenix bird. According to legend, every day he burned himself in the evening, and in the morning he was reborn from the ashes. This bird was in a special account among the Egyptians. They specially cultivated them in sacred groves and embalmed after death.
2. Amon - the second god of the sun
The Great Ra was not the only solar god in Ancient Egypt. Amon replaced him. His sacred animals symbolized wisdom. They included ram and goose. Very often he was depicted as a man with a ram's head, holding turpentine in his hand. The Egyptian god Amon was originally revered only in the areas of the city of Thebes. With his rise above other cities of Egypt, the influence of the god spread to other territories.
In 16-14 centuries BC, he merged with the god Ra. During this period, there new god- Amon Ra. The first mention of it was recorded in the book of pyramids. This god becomes the head of the entire pantheon. He is worshiped and revered as a deity that brings victory. The Egyptians believed that it was he who helped Pharaoh Ahmose 1 expel the Hyksos from the country.
According to scientists, there were more than five thousand gods in ancient Egypt. A large number of deities is explained by the fact that in each city of this country they worshiped "their" gods. Different gods from neighboring cities could duplicate functions. In addition to the gods, there were monsters, spirits, magical creatures. It should be noted that many of the gods of Ancient Egypt have not been fully studied to this day.
Let's talk about the "main", the most famous, the gods worshiped by the inhabitants of this country.
Ra. Sun God. supreme god, as, indeed, in other pagan cults, where the deity personifying the sun is the main one. Depicted as a man with a falcon's head, on which a solar disk is hoisted. Son of Primal Chaos Nun. Ra was the ruler of the whole world, and the pharaohs were his earthly incarnation. During the day, the Sun-Ra rode across the sky on the barge Mandzhet, illuminating the earth, and at night, having transferred to the barge Mesektet, it illuminated the underworld of the dead. In Thebes it was compared with Amun (Amon-Ra), in Elephantine - with Khnum (Khnum-Ra). The most common was the comparison with Horus - Ra-Gorakhti.
King of the dead and judge of souls. Son of the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut. Being the ruler of Egypt, he taught people about agriculture, gardening and winemaking. He was killed by his envious brother Seth, who was seduced by his wife, Queen Isis (concurrently their own sister) and the royal throne. According to mythology, he became the first mummy. The most beloved god among the common people of Ancient Egypt. He was depicted as a swaddled cloth with free hands, in which he holds the symbols of royal power: heket and nehehu (scepter and flail).
God of the sky and the sun. Son and Isis. He was miraculously, with the help of magic, conceived by Isis from the already dead Osiris. The winner of the killer of his father and part-time his own uncle, Seth. After a long struggle with the hated Seth, he inherited from his father, who began to rule the kingdom of the dead, the earthly kingdom. The patron of the pharaohs. Horus was worshiped by all of Egypt - his cult was very popular among all walks of life. At the same time, each region had its own Horus - the names and holidays attributed to it differed significantly. Depicted as a man with the head of a falcon.
Wife of Osiris and at the same time his own sister. Horus' mother. It was she who, after a long search, found the body of Osiris, who was killed by Set. Gathering together the body dismembered by the villain, Isis made the first mummy and even, with the help of spells, managed to get pregnant from her. She patronized children, the oppressed, sinners, artisans and the dead. The cult of Isis was very popular throughout ancient Egypt. Depicted with a headdress in the form of a royal throne.
Initially, he was the ruler of the kingdom of the dead, but with the strengthening of the cult of Osiris (the father of Anubis), he transferred this position to him, becoming a guide in the kingdom of the dead. In addition, he was a judge in the realm of the dead, weighing the heart of the deceased on the Scales of Truth, on the second bowl of which he placed the feather of the goddess Maat, symbolizing the truth. It is he who is credited with the invention of the custom of embalming the dead - he took part in the creation of the first Egypt - the mummy of his father Osiris. He patronized cemeteries and necropolises. Depicted with the head of a jackal. He was also depicted as a jackal, or a wild dog Sab.
Goddess of justice, truth, justice and harmony. Being the daughter of the god Ra, the creator of the world, she created harmony out of chaos when creating the world. Ruled the stars, sunsets and sunrises, the seasons. It symbolized law and divine order. She was one of the judges of the underworld. Depicted with an ostrich feather on her head. The pen is not ordinary - it is the pen of truth. During the trial in the afterlife, the feather of Maat was placed on one scale, and the heart of the deceased (the only internal organ that was left in the mummy) was placed on the other. If the heart outweighed, then the deceased led a sinful life, and he was devoured by the monster of the afterlife kingdom of Amat.
God of war, death, rage and chaos. Brother of Osiris, who killed him, coveting the throne and the wife of the pharaoh. Initially, he was a very positive and popular god, and even protected and helped the god Ra, but closer to the 7th century BC. (during the XXVI dynasty) turned into the embodiment of universal evil, close in its habits to the devil. He began to embody savagery, anger, ferocity, envy. Most often depicted with the head of a donkey, although there are images of him with the head of a crocodile and other animals. Associated with male sexual power.
The god of wisdom and knowledge and, accordingly, the patron of scientists, libraries and all sciences, including magic. In addition, he patronized officials, being the guarantor of state order. One of the earliest gods of Ancient Egypt. Thoth is credited with the invention of writing, the invention of a year consisting of 365 days, the division of time into months and years ("lord of time" is one of the many titles of Thoth). Depicted with the head of an ibis, holding a staff and ankh (Coptic cross) in his hands. 
Goddess of the sky, who controlled the change of day and night. Granddaughter of the god Ra. Mother of Osiris, Isis and Set. Protector of the dead. It was mainly depicted as a woman stretched out, curved in the form of a firmament, leaning her hands and feet on the ground. At the same time, her body is decorated either with stars (represents the night) or suns (represents the day). There are images of Nut in the form of a woman with a jug on her head or a Heavenly Cow.
Goddess of war and the burning sun. Daughter of the god Ra. It served as the formidable eye of Ra on earth. She could both inflict illnesses and heal any of them. As a healer, she patronized doctors. She had a very stern and irascible character. Protected the pharaohs. Depicted with the head of a lioness.
In ancient Egypt, there were a very large number of gods. Each city had its own pantheon or ennead- 9 main deities that people worshiped. However, for the first time such an ennead appeared in the city of Heliopolis (Heliopolis). It has been known since the time of the Early Kingdom, that is, from the origins of Egyptian civilization.
The priests who lived in this city were considered the most influential and powerful. It was they who named the very first nine deities. Therefore, it is believed that the main gods of Ancient Egypt originated in Heliopolis, and the pantheon itself began to be called heliopolis or great ennead. Below is a list of the supreme deities and their brief description.
God Ra
This is the supreme ancient Egyptian deity. It personified the sun. After the creation of the world, Ra began to reign over him, and this was the most fertile time for people. The power of the god was in his mysterious name. Other celestials wanted to know this name in order to gain the same power, but the sun god did not tell anyone.
A very long time passed, and Ra grew old. He lost his vigilance and gave his mysterious name to his great-granddaughter Isis. After that, a period of chaos ensued, and people stopped obeying the supreme deity. Then the sun god decided to leave the earth and go to heaven.
But he did not forget the people and continued to take care of them. Every morning he boarded a boat called Atet, and the sun disk shone over his head. In this boat, Ra sailed through the sky and illuminated the earth from dawn until noon. Then, between noon and dusk, he transferred to another boat called Sektet and went to the underworld in it to illuminate the ordeals of the afterlife.
In this mournful place, the sun god met every night with the huge serpent Apep, who personified evil and darkness. A battle began between Ra and the serpent, and the sun god was always the winner. But evil and darkness were reborn by the next night, and the battle was repeated again.
The ancient Egyptians depicted the god Ra with the body of a man and the head of a falcon, which was crowned with a solar disk. On it lay the goddess Wajit in the form of a cobra. She was considered the patroness of Lower Egypt and its pharaohs. This god had other names in some religious centers. In Thebes he was called Amon-Ra, in Elephantine Khnum-Ra. But this did not change the main essence of the solar deity, who had the status of the main god of Ancient Egypt.
God Shu
This deity personified the airspace illuminated by the sun. Shu was the son of Ra, and when he ascended to heaven, he began to reign in his place. He ruled the sky, earth, mountains, winds, seas. As the millennia passed, Shu also ascended to heaven. According to its status, it was considered the second after Ra.
In some images, he was shown as a man with a lion's head. He sat on a throne carried by lions. But there are many more images of the god of air in the form of an ordinary person with a feather in his head. It symbolized the goddess of truth, Maat.
Goddess Tefnut
This deity also belonged to the main gods of Ancient Egypt. Tefnut is the goddess of heat and moisture. She was the daughter of the god Ra and was the wife of her brother Shu. The husband and wife were twins. But even before the marriage, the god Ra removed his daughter to Nubia, having quarreled with her, and a drought set in Egypt. Then the sun god returned his daughter, and she married Shu.
The return of Tefnut and her marriage became a symbol of the flowering of nature. Most often, the goddess was depicted as a man with the head of a lioness and a fiery disk above his head. The disk indicated her connection with the father of Ra, since the daughter was considered his fiery eye. When the sun god appeared early in the morning on the horizon, the fiery eye shone in his forehead and burned all enemies and ill-wishers.
God Geb
Geb is the god of the earth, the son of Shu and Tefnut. He married his sister Nut - the goddess of the sky - and this couple had children: Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys. It is noteworthy that Geb constantly quarreled with Nut, who before dawn ate her children - heavenly bodies, but again gave birth to them on the eve of twilight.
These quarrels tired Shu's father, and he separated the spouses. He lifted chickpeas high into the sky, and left Hebe on the ground. He reigned after his father, and then transferred his power to his son Osiris. He was often portrayed as a human. Green colour sitting on a throne with a royal crown on his head.
Goddess Nut
Nut is the goddess of the sky, the daughter of Shu and Tefnut, the sister and wife of Geb. She was the mother of Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. In the morning, the sky goddess swallowed the stars, and late in the evening gave birth to them, thus symbolizing the change of day and night. She had an inextricable connection with the world of the dead.
She raised the dead into the sky and guarded the tombs of the dead. Depicted as a woman with a curved body. It stretched across the horizon and touched the ground with the tips of its fingers and toes. Often, under the curved body of Nut, Geb was depicted lying on the ground.
I must say that the main gods of Ancient Egypt would have lost a lot without Osiris. He was the great-great-grandson of the god Ra and ruled the earth after his father Geb. During his reign, he taught people many things. useful things. He married his own sister Isis, and Seth and Nephthys were his brother and sister. But Seth, who lived in the south of Egypt in the desert, began to envy his successful brother, killed him and appropriated royal power.
Set not only killed, but dismembered the body of Osiris into 14 pieces and scattered them across the lands of Egypt. But the faithful wife Isis found all the pieces, put them together and called a guide to the underworld of Anubis. He made a mummy from the body of Osiris, which became the first in Egypt. After that, Isis turned into a female kite, spread herself over the body of her husband and brother, and became pregnant from him. Thus was born Horus, who became the last of the gods who ruled the earth. After him, power passed to the pharaohs.
Horus defeated Set, sent him back south into the desert, and revived his father with his left eye. After that, he remained to rule on earth, and Osiris began to reign in the afterlife. God was depicted as a man in white clothes and with a green face. In his hands he held a flail and a scepter, and a crown crowned his head.
Isis (Isis) was extremely popular in ancient Egypt, was considered the goddess of fertility, symbolized motherhood and femininity. She was the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus. The Egyptians believed that the Nile flooded when Isis cries, mourning Osiris, who left her and left to rule the kingdom of the dead.
The significance of this goddess increased significantly during the Middle Kingdom, when funerary texts began to be used not only by the pharaohs and their families, but also by all other inhabitants of Egypt. Isis was depicted as a man with a throne on his head, which personified the power of the pharaohs.
Set (Seth) - the youngest son of Geb and Nut, brother of Osiris, Isis and Nephthys. He married the latter. He was born on the third New Year's Day, jumping out of his mother's side. The ancient Egyptians considered this day unlucky, therefore, until the day ended, they did nothing. Set was considered the god of war, chaos and sandstorms. He personified evil, which is similar to Satan. After killing Osiris, he reigned for a short time on earth until he was overthrown by Horus. After that, he ended up in the desert in the south of Egypt, from where he sent sandstorms to fertile lands.
Set was depicted as a man with the head of an aardvark or a donkey. It had long ears and a red mane in many depictions. Sometimes this god was given red eyes. This color symbolized the sand of the desert and death. The pig was considered a sacred animal of the god of sandstorms. Therefore, pigs were classified as unclean animals.
The youngest of the children of Geb and Nut, named Nephthys, also belonged to the main gods of Ancient Egypt. She was born on the last day of the year. The ancient Egyptians saw this goddess as the complement of Isis. She was considered the goddess of creation, which permeates the entire world. Nephthys ruled over everything ephemeral, which could not be seen, touched or smelled. She had a connection with the world of the dead, and at night accompanied Ra in his voyage through the underworld.
She was considered the wife of Seth, but did not have pronounced negative traits characteristic of her husband. They portrayed this goddess in a human female form. Her head was crowned with a hieroglyph denoting the name of the goddess. She was depicted on sarcophagi as a woman with wings, symbolizing the protector of the dead.
The ancient Slavic pantheon is very complex in structure and numerous in composition. Most of the gods were identified with various forces of nature, although there were exceptions, the most striking example of which is Rod, the creator god. Due to the similarity of the functions and properties of some gods, it is difficult to determine for sure which names are just variations on the names of the same god, and which belong to different gods.
The entire pantheon can be divided into two large circles: the elder gods who ruled all three worlds in the primordial stage, and the second circle - the young gods who took the reins of government in the new stage. At the same time, some older gods are present in the new stage, while others disappear (more precisely, there are no descriptions of their activities or interference in anything, but the memory that they were, remains).
In the Slavic pantheon, there was no clear hierarchy of power, which was replaced by a tribal hierarchy, where sons obeyed their father, but brothers were equal among themselves. The Slavs did not have pronounced evil gods and good gods. Some deities gave life, others took it away, but all were revered equally, since the Slavs believed that the existence of one without the other is impossible. At the same time, the gods, good in their functions, could punish and cause harm, while the evil ones, on the contrary, help and save people. Thus, the gods of the ancient Slavs were very similar to people, not only outwardly, but also in character, since they simultaneously carried both good and evil.
Outwardly, the gods were similar to people, while most of them could turn into animals, in the form of which they usually appeared before people. From ordinary creatures, the gods were distinguished by superpowers that allowed the deities to change the world. Each of the gods had power over one of the parts of this world. The impact on other parts beyond the control of the deities was limited and temporary.
The most ancient supreme male deity among the Slavs was Rod. Already in Christian teachings against paganism of the XII-XIII centuries. they write about Rod as a god worshiped by all peoples.
Rod was the god of the sky, thunderstorms, fertility. They said about him that he rides on a cloud, throws rain on the ground, and from this children are born. He was the ruler of the earth and all living things, he was a pagan creator god.
In the Slavic languages, the root “genus” means kinship, birth, water (spring), profit (harvest), such concepts as people and homeland, in addition, it means red and lightning, especially ball, called “rhodium”. This variety of cognate words undoubtedly proves the greatness of the pagan god.
Rod is a creator god, together with his sons Belbog and Chernobog, he created this world. Alone, Rod created Rule, Yav and Nav in the sea of chaos, and together with his sons he created the earth.
The sun then went out of His face. A bright moon - from His chest. Frequent stars - from His eyes. Clear dawns - from His eyebrows. Dark nights - yes from His thoughts. Violent winds - from the breath ...
"The Book of Carols"
The Slavs had no idea about the appearance of the Rod, since he never appeared directly in front of people.
Temples in honor of the deity were arranged on hills or simply large open areas of land. His idol was phallic in shape or simply made in the form of a pillar painted red. Sometimes the role of an idol was performed by an ordinary tree growing on a hill, especially if it was old enough. In general, the Slavs believed that Rod is in everything and therefore you can worship it anywhere. There were no sacrifices in honor of Rod. Instead of them, holidays and feasts are arranged, which are held directly near the idol.
The companions of the Sort were Rozhanitsy - female deities of fertility in Slavic mythology, patroness of the clan, family, hearth.
Son of Rod, god of light, goodness and justice. In Slavic mythology, he is the creator of the world along with Rod and Chernobog. Outwardly, Belbog appeared as a gray-haired old man dressed as a sorcerer.
Belobog in the mythology of our ancestors never acted as an independent individual character. As any object in the world of Reveal has a shadow, so Belobog has its integral antipode - Chernobog. A similar analogy can be found in ancient Chinese philosophy (yin and yang), in Icelandic Ynglism (rune yudzh) and in many other cultural and religious systems. Belobog, thus, becomes the embodiment of bright human ideals: goodness, honor and justice.
A sanctuary in honor of Belbog was built on the hills, turning the idol to the east, towards the sunrise. However, Belbog was revered not only in the sanctuary of the deity, but also at feasts, always making a toast in his honor.
One of the greatest gods ancient world, son of Rod, brother of Svarog. His main act was that Veles set the world created by Rod and Svarog in motion. Veles - "cattle god" - the owner of the wild, the owner of Navi, a powerful wizard and werewolf, interpreter of laws, teacher of arts, patron of travelers and merchants, god of luck. True, some sources point to him as the god of death ...
At the moment, among various pagan and native faith directions, the book of Veles is a fairly popular text, which became known to the general public in the 1950s of the last century thanks to the researcher and writer Yuri Mirolyubov. The Veles book actually consists of 35 birch planks, dotted with symbols, which linguists (in particular, A. Kur and S. Lesnoy) call Slavic pre-Cyrillic writing. It is curious that the original text does not really resemble either Cyrillic or Glagolitic, but the features of the Slavic runic are also indirectly presented in it.
Despite the great distribution and mass veneration of this god, Veles was always separated from other gods, his idols were never placed in common temples (sacred places in which images of the main gods of this territory were installed).
Two animals are associated with the image of Veles: a bull and a bear; in the temples dedicated to the deity, the magi often kept a bear, which played a key role in the rituals.
Dazhdbog
God of the Sun, giver of heat and light, god of fertility and life-giving power. The solar disk was originally considered the symbol of Dazhdbog. Its color is gold, which speaks of the nobility of this god and his unshakable strength. In general, our ancestors had three main solar deities - Khors, Yarila and Dazhdbog. But Khors was the winter sun, Yarilo was the spring sun, and Dazhdbog was the summer sun. Of course, it was Dazhdbog who deserved special respect, since a lot depended on the summer position of the sun in the firmament for the ancient Slavs, the people of the tillers. At the same time, Dazhdbog never had a sharp temper, and if a drought suddenly attacked, then our ancestors never blamed this god.
The temples of Dazhdbog were arranged on the hills. The idol was made of wood and placed facing east or southeast. Feathers of ducks, swans and geese, as well as honey, nuts and apples were brought as a gift to the deity.
Devana is the goddess of hunting, the wife of the forest god Svyatobor and the daughter of Perun. The Slavs represented the goddess in the form of a beautiful girl dressed in an elegant marten fur coat trimmed with a squirrel. Over the fur coat, the beauty put on a bearskin, and the head of the beast served as her hat. With her, Perun's daughter carried an excellent bow with arrows, a sharp knife and a horn, with which they go to a bear.
The beautiful goddess not only hunted forest animals: she herself taught them how to avoid dangers and endure harsh winters.
Dewana was primarily revered by hunters and trappers, they prayed to the goddess to grant good luck in hunting, and in gratitude they brought part of their prey to her sanctuary. It was believed that it was she who helped to find the secret paths of animals in the dense forest, avoid skirmishes with wolves and bears, but if the meeting did take place, the person would emerge victorious from it.
Share and Nedolya
Share - a kind goddess, Mokosh's assistant, weaves a happy fate.
It appears in the guise of a sweet young man or red-haired girl with golden curls and a cheerful smile. He cannot stand still, he walks around the world - there are no barriers: a swamp, a river, a forest, mountains - The share will overcome in an instant.
Does not like lazy and negligent, drunkards and all sorts of bad people. Although at first he makes friends with everyone - then he will figure it out from the bad, evil person will leave.
NEDOLYA (Nuzha, Need) - the goddess, Mokosh's assistant, weaves an unhappy fate.
Share and Nedolya are not just personifications of abstract concepts that do not have objective existence, but, on the contrary, they are living faces, identical to the maidens of fate.
They act according to their own calculations, regardless of the will and intentions of a person: the happy one does not work at all and lives in contentment, because the Share works for him. On the contrary, Nedolya's activities are constantly directed to the detriment of man. While she is awake, misfortune follows misfortune, and only then does it become easier for the unfortunate when Nedolya falls asleep: “If Likho is sleeping, don’t wake him up.”
Dogoda (Weather) - the god of fine weather and a gentle, pleasant breeze. Young, ruddy, blond-haired, in a cornflower blue wreath with blue, gilded butterfly wings around the edges, in silvery bluish clothes, holding a thorn in his hand and smiling at the flowers.
Kolyada - the baby sun, in Slavic mythology - the embodiment of the New Year cycle, as well as a holiday character similar to Avsen.
“Once upon a time, Kolyada was perceived not as a mummer. Kolyada was a deity, and one of the most influential. They called the carol, called. New Year's Eve was dedicated to Kolyada, games were arranged in her honor, which were subsequently performed at Christmas time. The last patriarchal ban on worshiping Kolyada was issued on December 24, 1684. It is believed that Kolyada was recognized by the Slavs as the deity of fun, which is why they called him, called on New Year's festivities by cheerful gangs of youth ”(A. Strizhev.“ People’s Calendar ”).
The son of the Almighty and the goddess Maya, was a brother to the very first creator of the world Rod, although he was much younger than him. He returned fire to people, fought on the shores of the Arctic Ocean with Chernobog and defeated him.
Kupala (Kupaila) is the fruitful deity of summer, the summer incarnation of the sun god.
“Kupalo, as I think, was the god of abundance, as with the Hellenes Ceres, who is insane for the abundance of thanksgiving at that time, when the harvest is imminent.”
His holiday is dedicated to the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The night was also sacred, on the eve of this day - the Night on the eve of Kupalo. All that night, feasting, games and mass bathing in reservoirs continued.
They sacrificed to him before the collection of bread, on June 23, on the day of St. Agrippina, which was popularly nicknamed the Swimsuit. Young people decorated themselves with wreaths, laid out a fire, danced around it and sang Kupala. The games went on all night. In some places, on June 23, bathhouses were heated, grass bathing suit (buttercup) was laid in them, and then they swam in the river.
On the very Nativity of John the Baptist, weaving wreaths, they hung them on the roofs of houses and on stables in order to remove evil spirits from the dwelling.
LADA (Freya, Preya, Siv or Zif) - the goddess of youth and spring, beauty and fertility, the all-generous mother, the patroness of love and marriages.
In folk songs, “lado” still means a dearly beloved friend, lover, groom, husband.
Freya's outfit shines with the dazzling brilliance of the sun's rays, her beauty is charming, and the drops of morning dew are called her tears; on the other hand, she acts as a militant heroine, rushing through the heavenly spaces in storms and thunderstorms and driving rain clouds. In addition, she is a goddess, in whose retinue the shadows of the dead march to the afterlife. The cloudy fabric is precisely that veil on which the soul, after the death of a person, ascends to the kingdom of the blessed.
According to the testimony of folk verses, angels, appearing for a righteous soul, take it in a shroud and carry it to heaven. The cult of Freya-Siva explains the superstitious respect that Russian commoners have for Friday, as a day dedicated to this goddess. Whoever starts a business on Friday, he, according to the proverb, will back away.
Among the ancient Slavs, the birch, personifying the goddess Lada, was considered a sacred tree.
Ice - the Slavs prayed to this deity for success in battles, he was revered as the ruler of military actions and bloodshed. This ferocious deity was portrayed as a terrible warrior, armed in Slavic armor, or all-weapon. At the hip, a sword, a spear and a shield in his hand.
He had his own temples. Going on a campaign against the enemies, the Slavs prayed to him, asking for help and promising plentiful sacrifices in case of success in military operations.
Lel - in the mythology of the ancient Slavs, the god of love passion, the son of the goddess of beauty and love Lada. About Lele - this cheerful, frivolous god of passion - is still reminiscent of the word "cherish", that is, undead, love. He is the son of the goddess of beauty and love, Lada, and beauty naturally gives rise to passion. This feeling flared up especially brightly in the spring and on the Kupala night.
Lel was portrayed as a golden-haired, like a mother, winged baby: after all, love is free and elusive. Lel threw sparks from his hands: after all, passion is a fiery, hot love! In Slavic mythology, Lel is the same god as the Greek Eros or the Roman Cupid. Only ancient gods strike the hearts of people with arrows, and Lel kindled them with his fierce flame.
The stork (heron) was considered his sacred bird. Another name for this bird in some Slavic languages is leleka. In connection with Lel, both cranes and larks, symbols of spring, were revered.
One of the main goddesses of the Eastern Slavs, the wife of the Thunderer Perun.
Her name is made up of two parts: "ma" - mother and "kosh" - purse, basket, koshara. Makosh is the mother of full cats, the mother of a good harvest.
This is not the goddess of fertility, but the goddess of the results of the economic year, the goddess of the harvest, the giver of blessings. The harvest every year determines the lot, fate, so she was also revered as the goddess of fate. An obligatory attribute in her image is a cornucopia.
This goddess connected the abstract concept of fate with the concrete concept of abundance, patronized the household, sheared sheep, spun, punished the negligent. The specific concept of “spinning” was associated with a metaphorical one: “spinning fate”.
Makosh patronized marriage and family happiness. It was presented as a woman with a big head and long arms, spinning at night in a hut: beliefs forbid leaving a tow, "otherwise Makosha will spin."
Morena (Marana, Morana, Mara, Maruha, Marmara) is the goddess of death, winter and night.
Mara is the goddess of death, the daughter of Lada. Outwardly, Mara looks like a tall beautiful girl with black hair in red clothes. Maru can not be called either an evil or a good goddess. On the one hand, it bestows death, but at the same time it also bestows life.
One of Mary's favorite activities is needlework: she loves to spin and weave. At the same time, like the Greek Moiram, he uses the threads of the fate of living beings for needlework, leading them to turning points in life, and, in the end, cutting the thread of existence.
Mara sends her messengers all over the world, who appear to people in the form of a woman with long black hair or in the form of doubles of people who are meant to be warned, and portend an imminent death.
In part of Mary, no permanent places of worship were erected; honors could be paid to her anywhere. For this, an image of the goddess, carved from wood or made from straw, was installed on the ground, stones were laid around the place. Directly in front of the idol, a larger stone or wooden plank was installed, which served as an altar. After the ceremony, all this was sorted out, and the image of Mary was burned or thrown into the river.
Mara was revered on February 15, and flowers, straw and various fruits were brought as a gift to the goddess of death. Sometimes, during the years of severe epidemics, animals were sacrificed, bleeding them directly at the altar.
Meeting spring with a solemn holiday, the Slavs performed the rite of expelling Death or Winter and plunged an effigy of Morana into the water. As a representative of winter, Morana is defeated by the spring Perun, who smashes her with his blacksmith's hammer and casts her into an underground dungeon for the whole summer time.
According to the identification of Death with thunder spirits, ancient belief forced these latter to fulfill its sad duty. But since the thunderer and his companions were also the organizers of the heavenly kingdom, the concept of Death was bifurcated, and fantasy depicted it either as an evil creature, dragging souls into the underworld, or as a messenger of the supreme deity, accompanying the souls of the deceased heroes to his heavenly chamber.
Diseases were considered by our ancestors as companions and helpers of Death.
The God of Thunder, a victorious, punishing deity, whose appearance excites fear and awe. Perun, in Slavic mythology, the most famous of the Svarozhich brothers. He is the god of thunderclouds, thunder and lightning.
He is represented as stately, tall with black hair and a long golden beard. Sitting on a flaming chariot, he rides through the sky, armed with a bow and arrows, and strikes the wicked.
According to Nestor, the wooden idol of Perun, placed in Kyiv, had a golden mustache on its silver head. Over time, Perun became the patron of the prince and his squad.
Temples in honor of Perun were always arranged on hills, and the highest place in the district was chosen. Idols were made mainly of oak - this mighty tree was the symbol of Perun. Sometimes there were places of worship to Perun, arranged around an oak tree growing on a hill, it was believed that this way Perun himself designates the best place. In such places, no additional idols were placed, and the oak, located on a hill, was revered as an idol.
Radegast
Radegast (Redigost, Radigast) is a lightning god, a killer and a devourer of clouds, and at the same time a radiant guest who appears with the return of spring. The earthly fire was recognized as the son of Heaven, brought down to the bottom, as a gift to mortals, a fleeting lightning, and therefore the idea of an honorary divine guest, an alien from heaven to earth, was also connected with it.
The Russian settlers honored him with the name of a guest. At the same time, he received the character of a saving god of any foreigner (guest), who appeared in a strange house and surrendered himself under the protection of local penates (i.e. hearth), the patron god of merchants who came from distant countries and trade in general.
The Slavic Radigost was depicted with the head of a buffalo on his chest.
Svarog is the creator god of earth and heaven. Svarog is the source of fire and its master. He creates not with a word, not with magic, unlike Veles, but with his hands, he creates the material world. He gave people the Sun-Ra and fire. Svarog threw a plow and a yoke from heaven to earth to cultivate the land; a battle ax to protect this land from enemies, and a bowl for preparing a sacred drink in it.
Like Rod, Svarog is the creator god, he continued the formation of this world, changing its original state, improving and expanding. However, blacksmithing is Svarog's favorite pastime.
Temples in honor of Svarog were arranged on hills overgrown with trees or shrubs. The center of the hill was cleared to the ground and a fire was made in this place; no additional idols were installed in the temple.
Svyatobor
Svyatobor is the god of the forest. Outwardly, he looks like an aged hero, representing an old man of strong build, with a thick beard and dressed in animal skins.
Svyatobor fiercely guards the forests and mercilessly punishes those who harm them, in some cases even death or eternal imprisonment in the forest in the form of a beast or a tree can become a punishment.
Svyatobor is married to the goddess of hunting Devan.
Temples in honor of Svyatobor were not arranged, their role was played by groves, pine forests and forests, which were recognized as sacred and in which neither deforestation nor hunting was carried out.
One of the Svarozhichs was the god of fire - Semargl, who is sometimes mistakenly considered only heavenly dog, the guardian of seeds for sowing. This (storage of seeds) was constantly engaged in a much smaller deity - Pereplut.
The ancient books of the Slavs tell how Semargl was born. Svarog hit the Alatyr stone with a magic hammer, carved divine sparks from it, which flared up, and became visible in their flame fire god Semargl. He sat on a golden-maned horse of a silver suit. Thick smoke became his banner. Where Semargl passed, there was a scorched trail. Such was his strength, but more often he looked quiet and peaceful.
Semargl, God of fire and moon, fire sacrifices, home and hearth, keeps seeds and crops. Can turn into a sacred winged dog.
The name of the God of Fire is not known for certain, most likely, his name is so holy. Still, because this God does not live somewhere in the seventh heaven, but directly among people! They try to say his name out loud less often, replacing it with allegories. The Slavs associate the emergence of people with Fire. According to some legends, the Gods created a Man and a Woman from two sticks, between which a Fire flared up - the very first flame of love. Semargl does not let evil into the world. At night, he stands guard with a fiery sword, and only one day a year does Semargl leave his post, responding to the call of the Bather, who calls him to love games on the day of the Autumn Equinox. And on the day of the Summer Solstice, after 9 months, children are born at Semargl and Bathing - Kostroma and Kupalo.
In East Slavic mythology, the god of the wind. He can summon and tame a storm and can transform into his assistant, the mythical bird Stratim. In general, the wind was usually represented in the form of a gray-haired old man living at the end of the world, in a deep forest or on an island in the middle of the sea-ocean.
The temples of Stribog were arranged on the banks of rivers or seas, they are especially often found at the mouths of rivers. The temples in his honor were not enclosed in any way from the surrounding territory and were designated only by an idol made of wood, which was installed facing north. A large stone was also erected in front of the idol, which served as an altar.
In ancient Slavic mythology, this is the unity of the three main essences-hypostases of the gods: Svarog (creation), Perun (the law of Rule) and Svyatovit (light).
According to various mythological traditions, Triglav included different gods. In Novgorod of the 9th century, the Great Triglav consisted of Svarog, Perun and Sventovit, and earlier (before the Western Slavs moved to the Novgorod lands) - from Svarog, Perun and Veles. In Kyiv, apparently - from Perun, Dazhbog and Stribog.
Small Triglavs were made up of gods, standing lower on the hierarchical ladder.
Khors (Korsha, Kore, Korsh) - the ancient Russian deity of the sun and the solar disk. It is best known among the southeastern Slavs, where the sun simply reigns over the rest of the world. Khors, in Slavic mythology, the god of the Sun, the keeper of the luminary, the son of Rod, the brother of Veles. Not all the gods of the Slavs and Rus were common. For example, before the Russ came to the banks of the Dnieper, Khors was not known here. Only Prince Vladimir installed his image next to Perun. But he was known among other Aryan peoples: among the Iranians, Persians, Zoroastrians, where they worshiped the god of the rising sun - Horset. This word also had a wider meaning - “radiance”, “brilliance”, as well as “glory”, “greatness”, sometimes “royal dignity” and even “hvarna” - a special mark of the gods, chosenness.
Temples in honor of Khors were arranged on small hills in the middle of meadows or small groves. The idol was made of wood and placed on the eastern slope of the hill. And as an offering, a special pie "horoshul" or "kurnik" was used, which crumbled around the idol. But to a greater extent, dances (round dances) and songs were used to pay tribute to Khors.
Chernobog
God of cold, destruction, death, evil; the god of madness and the embodiment of everything bad and black. It is believed that Chernobog is the prototype of Kashchei the immortal from fairy tales. Kashchei is a cult character of Slavic mythology, whose folklore image is extremely far from the original. Kashchei Chernobogvich was the youngest son of Chernobog, the great Serpent of Darkness. His older brothers - Goryn and Viy - feared and respected Kashchei for great wisdom and equally great hatred for the enemies of the father - the Irian gods. Kashchei owned the deepest and darkest kingdom of Navi - the Koshcheev kingdom.
Chernobog is the ruler of Navi, the god of time, the son of Rod. In Slavic mythology, he is the creator of the world along with Rod and Belbog. Outwardly, he appeared in two forms: in the first, he looked like a hunched, thin old man with a long beard, a silver mustache and a crooked stick in his hands; in the second, he was depicted as a middle-aged man of thin build, dressed in black clothes, but, again, with a silver mustache.
Chernobog is armed with a sword, which he masterfully wields. Although he is able to instantly appear at any point in Navi, he prefers to travel on horseback on a fiery stallion.
After the creation of the world, Chernobog under the patronage went to Nav - the world of the dead, in which he is both a ruler and a prisoner, since, despite all his strength, he is not able to leave its limits. The deity does not release the souls of people who got there for sins from Navi, however, its sphere of influence is not limited to one Navi. Chernobog managed to bypass the restrictions imposed on him and created Koshchei, who is the embodiment of the ruler of Navi in Yavi, while the power of God in another world is much less real, but still allowed him to extend his influence to Yav, and only in the Rule Chernobog never appears.
The temples in honor of Chernobog were made of dark rocks, the wooden idol was completely upholstered with iron, except for the head, on which only the mustache was trimmed with metal.
Yarilo is the god of spring and sunlight. Outwardly, Yarilo looks like a young man with red hair, dressed in white clothes with a flower wreath on his head. This god moves around the world riding a white horse.
Temples in honor of Yarila were arranged on top of hills overgrown with trees. The tops of the hills were cleared of vegetation and an idol was erected in this place, in front of which a large white stone was placed, which sometimes could be located at the foot of the hill. Unlike most other gods, there were no sacrifices in honor of the god of spring. Usually the deity was revered with songs and dances at the temple. At the same time, one of the participants in the action was certainly dressed up as Yarila, after which he became the center of the whole festival. Sometimes they made special figurines in the form of people, they were brought to the temple, and then smashed against a white stone installed there, it is believed that this brings Yarila's blessing, from which the harvest will be greater and sexual energy higher.
A little about the world order of the Slavs
The center of the world for the ancient Slavs was the World Tree (World Tree, World Tree). It is the central axis of the entire universe, including the Earth, and connects the World of people with the World of Gods and the Underworld. Accordingly, the crown of the tree reaches the World of the Gods in heaven - Iriy or Svarga, the roots of the tree go underground and connect the World of the Gods and the World of people with the underworld or the world of the Dead, which is ruled by Chernobog, Marena and other "dark" Gods. Somewhere in the sky, behind the clouds (heavenly abysses; above the seventh sky), the crown of a sprawling tree forms an island, here is Iriy (Slavic paradise), where not only Gods and human ancestors live, but also the progenitors of all birds and animals. Thus, the Tree of the World was fundamental in the worldview of the Slavs, its main integral part. At the same time, it is also a staircase, a road through which you can get to any of the worlds. In Slavic folklore, the Tree of the World is called differently. It can be oak, and sycamore, willow, linden, viburnum, cherry, apple tree or pine.
In the views of the ancient Slavs, the World Tree is located on Buyan Island on Alatyr-stone, which is also the center of the universe (the center of the Earth). Judging by some legends, light gods live on its branches, and dark gods live in its roots. The image of this tree has come down to us, both in the form of various fairy tales, legends, epics, incantations, songs, riddles, and in the form of ritual embroidery on clothes, patterns, ceramic decorations, painting dishes, chests, etc. Here is an example of how the World Tree is described in one of the Slavic folk tales, which existed in Rus' and tells about the extraction of a horse by a hero-hero: "... a copper pillar stands, and a horse is tied to it, pure stars on the sides, a moon shines on the tail, a red sun in the forehead ...". This horse is a mythological symbol of the entire universe
The ancient Egyptian religion is a system of beliefs and rituals that were an integral part of the life of the ancient Egyptians. Their beliefs and rituals were based on the worship of gods and goddesses, representing natural phenomena and strength. The Egyptians made offerings to their deities, as they believed that this helps to maintain the divine order: truth, justice, harmony, morality. The pharaoh was considered the representative of the gods. He was empowered to oversee the maintenance of the divine order.
The characteristics of the Egyptian gods were expressed in myths and art. The gods had their own hierarchy and different relationships among themselves. The supreme deity, according to the Egyptians, was the creator of the world. It was believed that the gods are present in all spheres of human life, able to influence the course and order of things in human life. The relationship of people with their gods was a fundamental part of Egyptian society. They prayed, appealed to their action, asked for advice, performed rituals and offerings. According to Egyptologists (scientists who study ancient Egyptian history) had about 1,500 deities.
Major gods
Amon was presented in human form, sometimes with a ram's head. His name meant "hidden". He was the supreme deity, the god of the sun, the patron of the city of Thebes.
Apis was considered the god of fertility, depicted as a bull with a disk of the sun, the patron saint of Memphis. Of all the animal deities, the bull was the most respected.
Astarte - the goddess of fertility and love, symbolized feminine qualities.
Aten is the god who personified the solar disk. During the time of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, he was recognized as a single deity throughout Egypt. Also at this time it was forbidden to worship other gods.
Anubis is a god with a human body and the head of a jackal. It was believed that Anubis accompanied the dead to another world.
Geb is the son of the god of air, the god of earth. It was believed that water comes from this deity and all the plants that people need grow on it. He also protected people from snakes.
Horus is a god with a human body and a falcon's head, the patron of the sky and the sun.
Isis is the goddess of motherhood, one of the main goddesses of the Egyptian pantheon of gods. She was the patroness of slaves and the oppressed.
Osiris was the judge in the afterlife. He was a god natural forces And world of the dead. It was believed that it was Osiris who taught man the arts, agriculture and sciences.
Option 2
The ancient Egyptians worshiped a huge number of ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses. Some of them were very similar to people; however, others consisted of human and animal parts. Therefore, some Egyptian gods looked like crocodiles, jackals, cats, rams, and even falcons.
The bodies of these ancient gods were always human, but their heads could be part of a bird and an animal.
Although most religions now worship only one god, the ancient Egyptians worshiped many gods. This phenomenon is called polytheism.
The religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians were based on an extraordinary number of ancient Egyptian gods and Egyptian goddesses. Characteristics and appearance some of the ancient deities closely resembled humans. However, some of the deities were perceived as "human hybrids", taking the form and characteristics of animals such as the crocodile, jackal, falcon. The bodies of these ancient deities were human, but their heads looked the same as those of birds or animals.
Major ancientegyptian gods
Ra was the sun god and head of the ancient Egyptian divine pantheon. Ra was depicted as a man with a hawk's head and a headdress in the form of a solar disk. At some point, Ra was combined with another god, Amon, to create an even more powerful god, Amon-Ra. It was one of the first religious reforms in the history of human civilization, when Pharaoh Amenhotep decided to abolish the entire pantheon of ancient Egyptian gods and worship only the god Amun-Ra. It was believed that Ra created all forms of life and was the supreme ruler of the gods.
Osiris was also one of the main ancient deities whose role was in guiding the underworld. He was the judge of the dead.
Set was the personification of Egyptian evil and darkness. This god was the most terrible among the ancient Egyptian gods, since he killed his brother Osiris.
ancient egyptian goddess Isis, the mother goddess, was the wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus, who assisted in the resurrection of Osiris.
One of the most famous deities, the patron of the animal kingdom, was the half-ibis god That. He also patronized scribes, writers and scholars and inventors of hieroglyphs.
Anubis, the god of the jackal, was perhaps one of the most famous ancient deities, as he was the god of the dead, in charge of tombs and embalming.
Another of the famous half-animal demigods was the god of strength and power. Sobek, half crocodile.
Magic surrounded the Egyptian gods, and Hake He was the god of magic and medicine. Heka was the son Khnuma, god of fertility.
The scarab was a significant symbol in ancient Egypt, and one of the deities Khepri, was depicted with the head of a scarab.
Many pharaohs built big temples in honor of the gods, whom they considered their patrons. These temples had large statues of deities and the pharaoh, gardens, altars and places of worship. Each city had temples to the patron gods of that particular city.
Some famous temples include the Temple of Luxor, the Temple of Isis at Philae, the Temple of Horus and Edfu, the Temples of Ramsey and Nefertiti at Abu Simbel, and the Temple of Amun at Karnak.
The ancient Egyptians considered the pharaoh their main intermediary between them and the gods. The pharaoh was considered more important than the priests in the temples. At the same time, people believed that the pharaoh was so closely associated with the god Horus that he could sometimes take his form. Later, the pharaohs approved the belief among the people, according to which they are the children of the gods.
The ancient Egyptians believed that there was an afterlife after death. They thought that people had two important parts of the soul and body: "ka" or life force, which represented the body, and "ba", which was more like the soul. If “ka” and “ba” could be combined in the afterlife, then a person will exist in afterlife. A key component of this was the preservation of the body for the afterlife. This is why the Egyptians used embalming or mummification to preserve the dead. But it was not a cheap pleasure and only wealthy people could afford it. To preserve their embalmed body, the pharaohs erected huge pyramid tombs. Pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops is the only one preserved in modern world wonder of the world.
