MYTHS AND TRADES OF THE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD

FROM SLAVIC MYTHOLOGY

The mythology of the ancient Slavs differs from the mythology of other peoples. It arose later than, for example, ancient Greek. Slavic myths were closely connected with the elements of nature, grain-growing or shepherd's life. Among the Slavs, mythological symbolism coexisted with the attributes of family life, so the words mother and father were very often used in myths. For example, in the folk myth about the Sun, the main character is named Mother Earth. The Slavs considered the Earth to be the progenitor of all things; they called it the great maternal womb from which the world emerged.

The myth explains the appearance of vegetation and fauna, the origin of man, the change of seasons, the emergence of fire, and burial rites.

There is nothing scary or frightening in the appearance of the Slavic pagan gods: many of their descriptions are accompanied by luxurious images of the surrounding nature. Most Slavic gods do not have such clear functions as those of the ancient Greeks.

MYTH ABOUT THE SUN

Mother Cheese Earth lay in darkness and cold. She was dead - no light, no warmth, no sounds,

No movement. And the eternally young, eternally joyful bright Yarilo said: “Let’s look through the pitch darkness at Mother Earth, is it good, is it comely?” And the flame of Yarila’s bright gaze in an instant pierced the immeasurable darkness that lay over the sleeping Earth, and where Yarila’s gaze pierced the darkness, there the red sun shone. And hot waves of Yarilin’s radiant light poured through the sun.

Mother Earth woke up from her sleep and spread out in her youthful beauty.

She greedily drank the golden rays of the life-giving luminary, and from that light, scorching life and languishing bliss spilled throughout her depths... Yarilina’s speeches were loved by the Earth, she loved the bright god and from his hot kisses she was decorated with cereals, flowers, dark forests, blue seas, blue rivers, silver lakes...

She drank Yarilina’s hot kisses, and heavenly birds flew out of her bowels, forest and field animals ran out of dens, fish swam in the rivers and seas, small insects, flies and midges scurried in the air.

And everything lived, and everything loved, and everything sang songs of praise to Father Yarila, Mother Raw Earth. Then the Earth gave birth to man. And when he emerged from the bowels of the earth, Yarilo hit him on the head with a golden rein - bright lightning, and from that lightning the mind arose in man. Yarilo greeted his beloved earthly son with heavenly thunders, streams of lightning, and from those thunders, from that lightning, all living creatures shook in horror: the birds of the sky scattered, the oak forest animals hid in caves, one man raised his intelligent head to the sky and answered his father’s thunderous speech with words prophetic, winged speech... And having heard that word and seeing his king and ruler, all the trees, all the flowers and grains bowed before him.

Then Yarila’s strength began to weaken, Mother-Cheese Earth began to grieve, fearing that everything would freeze. Yarilo consoled her, saying that he would return again, but for now he sent Fire to maintain warmth on the earth.

This is how people thought about the change from summer to winter and about the beginning of Fire. That is why our forefathers burned the dead - Yarilin’s son, who had fallen asleep in the sleep of death, was given to his father living in the fire. And then they began to give the dead to the mother - lowering them into her bed, that is, burying them in the ground. That is why our ancestors celebrated the gift of fire to man with great holidays.

(Retold by A. Melnikov-Pechersky)

Literary commentary

Rod is the creator of the material world. Among the Slavs, Rod is associated with the idea of ​​the tree of life. Nature is the direct brainchild of Rod; it is part of Rod.

Searog is the god of light and heavenly fire. The gods who descend from Svarog are called Svarozhichi.

Dazhdbog is a solar god who gives goodness and wealth. Two principles united in his image - heavenly fire and heavenly moisture - give a fruit-bearing grain.

Perun is the thunder god, lord of lightning and thunder, patron of warriors. Thunder and lightning were perceived by the ancient Slavs in two ways: in a positive sense - as news of fertile rain, in a negative sense - as a destructive force.

Stribog is the patron of all winds: the destroyer god. the embodiment of a strong, hurricane wind and the creator of the gentle melodies of a light breeze.

Veles is the god of prosperity, patron of merchants and traders, protector of livestock.

Mokosha is a goddess associated with women’s work on the farm: needlework, weaving.

Kupalo is the god of the summer sun and love fire. Yarilo is a deity similar to Kupala, only coming to life in the spring.

Troyan is a triune, three-light deity, symbolizing the trinity of Yarila, Kupala and Dazhd-God. Our ancestors divided the year into three parts: spring, summer and winter. Yarilo awakened nature in the spring, Kupalo bestowed summer fertility, and Dazhdbog maintained well-being until the next harvest.

The myths of different peoples reflect the worship of the sun as the source of life.

The sun god is in mythologies Ancient Rome. India. Japan, etc. Among the ancient Greeks it was Helios, among the Egyptians it was Ra. Different nations in myths they reflected their idea of ​​nature and man. The Greeks believed that Helios raced across the sky in a chariot drawn by four winged horses. The Egyptians, whose life was connected with the Nile, saw their god Ra sailing across the sky in a boat. They represented him as a man with the head of a falcon and a symbolic image of the sun. Ra was revered as the king and father of the gods. He was identified with the god Amun and was depicted as a pharaoh. Some myths about Ra are associated with Egyptian ideas about the change of seasons. The spring blossoming of nature heralded the return of the goddess of moisture Tefnut, shining with a fiery eye on the forehead of Ra, and her marriage with Shu. The summer heat was explained by Ra's anger at people.

Ancient Greek myths have their own explanation for why nature either freezes or is reborn. This is narrated in the myth “Demeter and Persephone”. Demeter is the goddess of fertility and agriculture. Persephone is the goddess of earthly fertility. The myth is associated with the tale of the abduction of Demeter's daughter Persephone by the god of the underworld Hades.

Before the adoption of Christianity, Dazhdbog was highly revered in Ukrainian lands. This is one of the main characters Slavic mythology. In addition to other purposes, the change of seasons was associated with it. This was also reflected verbally. folk art, for example in songs:

Oh, nightingale, you early bird,

Oh, why is Vir’ichka Viyshov so early?

I’m not Viyshov himself. Dazhbog mene vislav -

From the right streams - summer is coming.

From the left streams - freeze the winter...

(Ukrainian folk song)

The female images created by the artist Konstantin Vasiliev are beautiful. Whatever the canvas is, it has a bright, memorable character. The artist not only paints specific images, but also brings to our judgment his idea of ​​the Russian beauty. For K. Vasiliev, this image undoubtedly personifies all those primordial moral principles that, regardless of appearance, made a woman beautiful.

In 1966, K. Vasiliev painted the painting “The Reaper”. The girl stands leaning against a birch tree, a dream in her eyes, tired hands squeezing a sickle, and in the background there is an endless field of unharvested rye.

Questions and tasks

1. Why do you think the main character of the myth about the Sun is called Mother Earth? What hidden meaning is there in this character's name?

2. The myth describes the love of Mother Raw Earth and Yarila. Justify why exactly Yarilo evokes such feelings in Mother Raw Earth, and what happens to the world as a result. Illustrate your thoughts with references to the text.

3. What other pagan gods of the Slavs are described, but not named in the myth? What gives you reason to think so?

4. Why does Yarila’s power weaken in the myth? What calendar processes explain this?

5. How do you explain why the myth talks about summer changing into winter and not autumn? Why is the beginning of winter in myth associated with the beginning of Fire? Why did our ancestors honor the gift of fire to humans?

6. Establish a correspondence based on the myth of the Sun.

3 people

And the Earth gave birth to him

B a bright deity piercing layers of darkness

To the deity of the long winter

7. Write down a few metaphors you like from the text. What are they used for in the myth? Choose interesting figurative synonyms for them.

8. Do you know mythological stories from other peoples about the appearance of fire? How did the ancient Greeks explain it? Do the ancient Greeks and Slavs have anything in common?

9. Consider the painting by K. Vasiliev “The Reaper”. Do you think this girl has something in common with Mother Raw Earth?

10. Which fragment of the Slavic myth about the Sun most matches this picture and why? Support your thoughts with fragments from the text of the myth.

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Many of us know the myth of Yaril the Sun from school. In many textbooks you can read the Slavic myth “Yarilo the Sun” - about the ancient Slavic god spring sun. Yarilo is a young god who appears to people in the form of a young man with a beautiful appearance. Yarila has beautiful blonde hair that flutters in the wind Blue eyes, a powerful torso and a pleasant smile. No wonder all these “charms” made him a real ladies’ man, since according to legend, Yarilo loved many goddesses and even earthly women. Likewise, the myth of Yaril has as its theme his love with Mother Earth.

The ancient Slavic myth begins with a description of how the Damp Earth lived in the cold and darkness. Darkness enveloped her from head to toe, and on her surface there was nothing living, light or pleasant. There was no noticeable movement of any kind, no sounds, no heat or light. This is how poor Damp Earth lived. This is how the eternally young and beautiful, warm and hot Yarilo saw her. The other gods did not share the desire of the young and ardent Yarila to bring light and warmth to Earth. They didn’t care about the Earth, but the zealous Yarilo himself looked at the Damp Earth and pierced the cold and darkness with his bright, warm gaze-arrow. Yar saw the sleeping Earth, and in the place where his gaze pierced the darkness, a red sun appeared. And it poured through the sun onto the Earth bright light and warmth from Yarila.

Mother Raw Earth began to awaken from sleep under the warm sun, shone with her youthful beauty, spread out in a riot of greenery and colors, like a bride on her wedding bed. The life-giving light spread throughout all the depths of the Earth, she drank the golden rays of Yarila, but could not get drunk. Life appeared on Mother Earth, and bliss spread over its entire surface, reaching the very depths. Here Yarilo fell in love with such a beautiful Earth. The sun god prayed to the Damp Earth so that she would love him and reciprocate. And for this, Yarilo promised to spread blue seas, scarlet flowers, yellow sands and green forests with herbs on it. From Yarila, Mother Earth gave birth to a multitude of living things - a countless number.

And the Earth fell in love with Yarila. And in the place of hot divine kisses, cereals and flowers, dark forests and light meadows, blue rivers and blue seas began to appear. And the more the Earth drank Yarilov’s kisses, the more animals and birds, fish and insects appeared from its depths. They all came to life and began to sing songs of praise to Father Yarila and Mother Earth. But Yarilo did not let up, inviting the Earth to love him more than ever. And the Raw Earth fell in love, and gave birth to her most beloved child from the sun god - man. As soon as the man appeared on Earth, Yarilo hit him in the very crown with his lightning arrows. This is how wisdom and intelligence arose in man. This is where the myth of love between Yarila and Mother Earth ends.

Such myths are stories about the origin of life on earth. There are also several similar myths about how Yarilo lowers its bright rays onto the earth every year. Beneath them the Earth comes to life from its winter sleep-death, giving birth to everything again new life. and so it repeats from year to year, and the tireless young Yarilo continues to make earthly children.

Traditions of the Russian people

SLAV VIEWS ON NATURE

Mother Earth of Cheese lay in darkness and cold. She was dead - no light, no heat, no sounds, no movement. And the ever-young, ever-joyful bright Yar said: “Let’s look through the pitch darkness at Mother Raw Earth, is she good, is she comely, will we think so?”
And the flame of the bright Yar’s gaze in one breath pierced the immeasurable layers of darkness that lay over the sleeping earth. And where Yarilin’s gaze cut through the darkness, there the red sun shone.
And the hot waves of the radiant Yarili poured through the sun - into the light. Mother Cheese Earth awoke from sleep and in her youthful beauty, like a bride on her wedding bed, spread out... She greedily drank the golden rays of life-giving light, and from that light scorching life and languishing bliss spilled into her depths.
The sweet speeches of the god of love, the eternally young god Yarila, are carried in sunny speeches: “Oh you goy, Mother of the Cheese Earth! Love me, the bright god, for your love I will decorate you with blue seas, yellow sands, green ants, scarlet and azure flowers; You will give birth to a countless number of sweet children from me...”
Yarilina’s words are loved by the Earth, she loved the bright god and from his hot kisses she was decorated with cereals, flowers, dark forests, blue seas, blue rivers, silvery lakes. She drank Yarilina’s hot kisses, and heavenly birds flew out of her depths, forest and field animals ran out of dens, fish swam in the rivers and seas, small flies and midges swam in the air... And everything lived, everything loved, and everyone sang songs of praise: father - Yarila, mother - Raw Earth.
And again, from the red sun, Yarila’s loving speeches rush: “Oh, you goy, Mother of the Cheese Earth! I decorated you with beauty, you gave birth to a countless number of lovely children, love me more than ever, you will give birth to a beloved child from me.”
Love were those speeches of the mother of the damp earth, she greedily drank the life-giving rays and gave birth to man... And when he emerged from the bowels of the earth, Yarilo hit him on the head with a golden rein - a furious lightning. And from that thunderstorm the mind arose in man. Yarilo greeted his beloved earthly son with heavenly thunder and streams of lightning. And from those thunders, from that lightning, all living creatures shook in horror: the birds of the sky flew away, the oak forest animals hid in caves, one man raised his intelligent head to the sky and responded to his father’s thunderous speech with a prophetic word, a winged speech... And, having heard that word and Having seen his king and ruler, all the trees, all the flowers and grains bowed before him, animals, birds and every living creature obeyed him.
Mother Cheese Earth rejoiced in happiness, in joy, hoping that Yarilina’s love had no end or end... But after a short time the red sun began to go down, the bright days shortened, cold winds blew, the songbirds fell silent, the animals of the oak forest howled, and he shuddered from cold is the king and ruler of all creation, breathing and non-breathing...
The Mother of Cheese Earth became clouded and, out of grief and sadness, watered her faded face with bitter tears - fractional rains. The Mother of Cheese Earth is crying: “Oh, the sail of the wind!.. Why are you breathing the hateful cold on me?.. The eye of Yarilino is a red sun!.. Why are you not warming and shining as before?.. Yarilo the god has stopped loving me - I will lose my beauty mine, for my children to perish, and again for me to lie in darkness and cold!.. And why did I recognize the light, why did I recognize life and love?.. Why did I recognize the clear rays, with the hot kisses of the god Yarila?..”
Yarilo is silent.
“I don’t feel sorry for myself,” Mother Cheese Earth cries, shrinking from the cold, “a mother’s heart grieves for her dear children.”
Yarilo says: “Don’t cry, don’t be sad, Mother of Cheese Earth, I’m leaving you for a while. If you don’t leave you for a while, you will burn to the ground under my kisses. While protecting you and our children, I will temporarily reduce the warmth and light, the leaves will fall on the trees , the grass and grains will wither, you will be covered with snow, you will sleep and rest until I come... The time will come, I will send a messenger to you - Red Spring, after Spring I myself will come.”
The Mother of Cheese Earth is crying: “You don’t feel sorry, Yarilo, for me, poor thing, you don’t feel sorry for me, bright God, for your children! - he will perish first of all, when you deprive us of warmth and light..."
Yarilo sprinkled lightning on the stones and poured his scorching gaze on the oak trees. And he said to Mother Raw Earth: “So I poured fire over the stones and trees. I myself am in that fire. With his mind and understanding, a person will understand how to take light and warmth from wood and stone. That fire is a gift to my beloved son. To all living creatures it will be to his fear and horror, to serve him alone.”
And the god Yarilo departed from the Earth... Violent winds rushed, covered the eye of Yarilin - the red sun with dark clouds, brought white snow, and wrapped the Mother Earth in them exactly in a shroud. Everything froze, everything fell asleep, one person did not sleep, did not doze - he had the great gift of Yarila’s father, and with it light and warmth...
(P. Melnikov-Pechersky)