Spirits of water among the ancient Slavs. Lizard - the god of water among the ancient Slavs

Water is one of the elements that plays an important role in human life. The most famous water gods among the ancient Slavs are Pereplut and Dana. People revered them and asked for help, especially for a good harvest. Water is given to man to illuminate and cleanse both the body and soul.

Facts about the god of water Pereplut among the Slavs

They imagined him as a kind fat man who was constantly eating something. He also had a beard. It was believed that Pereplut was the patron of the earth, abundance and shoots. They believed that he had mermen under his command. In general, existing data about this god is insufficient, so it is impossible to define his functions more broadly and completely.

Slavic goddess of water Dana

She represented herself as a river girl. She helped travelers drink and watered the ground so that the seeds would sprout. She was revered as a bright goddess who gives life to all living things on earth. It can be considered Dana's holiday, since it was at this time that she was most revered. This goddess is glorified near rivers, which were previously cleaned and decorated with ribbons along the perimeter. The Slavs believed that such water became healing. This pagan goddess of water was also invoked by young girls to find their soulmate. It supports health and beauty, since this is precisely the role water plays in the life of the Slavic people.

Dana is the wife of Dazhdbog, who helps free her when winter restricts her movements. The union of opposites Water and Sun is blessed by the gods. In order to cause rain and ask Dana for help, the Slavs sacrificed bread to her, since it was considered the most valuable and best gift from a person. The sacred tree of this goddess is the linden tree, and the best day for conversion is Friday. Was among the Slavs

Our ancestors considered the most basic spirit of Water to be Vodyanoy (Water Grandfather, Vodovik) - who most often took the form of a large old man, all overgrown with mostly green hair and a long beard.

Often the body of the Water Mud was entangled, and its legs were replaced by a fish tail - an attribute of many aquatic inhabitants. The condition of the Lord of the Water World depended directly on the phases of the Moon: the Water Grandfather’s strength increased during the new month, and decreased noticeably after the full moon.

The Slavs believed that Vodyanoy had a real gift of prophecy, and that water itself stored information about the future and the past.

Therefore, on Christmastide, unmarried girls always went down to the ice hole to tell their fortunes, and hoped that the Vodyanoy would allow them to see the reflection of their betrothed. The fishermen made abundant sacrifices to Vodyanoy so that he would catch more fish in his net and not cause harm to everyone in his power.

In Vodyanik’s retinue there were waterworts, otherwise called mermaids, beautiful girls with very long hair and very pale, almost transparent skin. According to beliefs, those who accidentally drowned or who were destroyed by someone’s evil will became Vodyanitsy. These spirits of Water constantly played pranks and often brought harm to people: they confused fishermen’s nets, destroyed dams and bridges. However, their behavior was, to put it mildly, not very clear. Often peasants called Vodyanits directly to the fields, because they knew that where the water maidens ran, the land would give an excellent harvest. Sometimes it happened that, having fallen in love with a mortal man, Vodyanitsa married him, but their marriage was unhappy.

Kikimora is another ancient water spirit. She lived in swampy swamps, so it is not particularly surprising that our ancestors considered her an insidious and dangerous creature. Kikimora looked like a small woman, sometimes even taking on the appearance of a girl, dressed in swamp flowers in her hair and made of fluffy moss. She showed herself to people very rarely, mostly screaming from the quagmire in her terrible voice. She could drag a careless traveler into her place and torture him to death.

The Slavs undoubtedly included Brodnitsy among the good spirits of Water - this is a type of Bereginya, well disposed towards people. Such beautiful maidens often settled next to beaver dams and built their crossings from tree branches across rivers so that they could get from bank to bank. Moreover, as is clear from their name, the Brodnitsy guarded the fords, they were not allowed to collapse, and they usually pointed out these fords to travelers who had lost their way.

People have known since ancient times that no matter what properties the spirits of Water possessed, it was possible to establish contact with them only by expressing their deepest respect and showing concern for the element. Otherwise, even a very negative spirit or deity became frightening and unfriendly.

The water grandfather is the owner of the waters. Watermen at the bottom of rivers and lakes graze herds of their cows - catfish, bream, carp and other fish. Commands undines, mermaids, and other aquatic inhabitants. In general, he is usually kind, but sometimes the merman is not averse to playing around and dragging a gaping person to the very bottom so that he entertains him. By the way, drowned people also serve in the service of this strange grandfather.

Our ancestors imagined the merman in the form of a flabby naked old man, goggle-eyed, and even with a fish tail. He was covered in mud and had a thick, large beard and a green mustache. The merman could turn into a large fish, a horse or a child. It often lives in pools and likes to settle under a water mill. He is capable of destroying dams, because he must be appeased by sacrificing some animal.

Water springs were endowed with special powers; according to legend, the springs arose from the lightning strike of Perun himself, a very powerful deity. These keys were called “rattling” and this was preserved in the names of many sources.

Swamp kikimores. In the swamps, strange sounds are heard from time to time - as if the voice of some unknown creature. As much as you can assure that these are the screams of slurping mud and the cries of swamp birds, the local population will still believe in monsters living in the quagmire and dragging people away to them. According to a well-known Russian belief, dangerous otherworldly entities called kikimors live in the swamp. Girls who were cursed by their own mothers in the womb or before baptism, as well as those who died unbaptized, can become kikimoras. Such children are abducted by evil forces in infancy, and at the age of seven they turn into terrible and evil spirits - kikimors. Some kikimors subsequently marry brownies, and then begin to cause mischief in houses, others marry goblins.

According to many Russian folk beliefs, kikimors love to lure cautious travelers into the swamp. Usually they do not show themselves to people, they only shout in a loud voice from the swamp, calling for help. Those who rush to this call inevitably die. Kikimora can turn into a beautiful girl. She will beckon the traveler to her, he will step towards her - and she will drag him into the swamp... Sometimes people are led out of prank into the swamp by the children of kikimora and lesevka - the devil. At best, in its ugly appearance, the kikimora jumps on the back of a traveler and rides him like a horse, leaving at least him alive.

Today is Friday again, and again the guests are in the studio, spinning the drum and guessing the letters. The next episode of the capital show Field of Miracles is on our air and here is one of the questions in the game:

What was the name of the god of water among the ancient Slavs? 7 letters

Correct answer - ANCHUTKA

Anchutka is an evil spirit in East Slavic mythology, one of the most ancient names for a demon, the Russian version of an imp. According to V. I. Dahl’s Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language, anchutki are little devils.

According to beliefs, there are bath and field anchutkas. According to legend, they, like all evil spirits, instantly respond to the mention of their name. Therefore, it is believed that it is better to keep quiet about them, “otherwise this footless, fingerless one will be ‘right there’.”

Anchutka appears to be footless or fingerless, which usually characterizes evil spirits. There is a tale that the heelless man is anchutka because “one day a wolf chased him and bit off his heel.”

Bath anchutkas, according to legend, “are shaggy, bald, scare people with their moans, darken their minds, and are good at changing their appearance.”
Field ones are “very tiny sprouts and more peaceful.” It is believed that they live in every plant and are named according to their habitat: potato plants, hemp plants, flax plants, fescue plants, wheat plants, horn plants, etc.
It is also believed that the water also has its own anchutka - an assistant to the waterman or swamp. The legend gives him an unusually ferocious disposition, in addition, he also appears to be nasty.

According to the legend: “if a swimmer suddenly has a cramp, he should know that it is a water anchutka who grabbed his leg and wants to drag him to the bottom.” That is why, since ancient times, “every swimmer is advised to have a silver pin with him: after all, evil spirits are deathly afraid of silver.”

The Slavs believed that Water has a real gift of prophecy, and the fact that water itself stores information about the future and the past.

Kikimora - another ancient water spirit. She lived in swampy swamps, so it is not particularly surprising that our ancestors considered her an insidious and dangerous creature. Kikimora looked like a small woman, sometimes even taking on the appearance of a girl, dressed in swamp flowers in her hair and made of fluffy moss. She showed herself to people very rarely, mostly screaming from the quagmire in her terrible voice. She could drag a careless traveler into her place and torture him to death.

The Slavs undoubtedly considered the good spirits of Water Brodnitz - this is a variety Beregin who are friendly towards people. Such beautiful maidens often settled next to beaver dams and built their crossings from tree branches across rivers so that they could get from bank to bank. Moreover, as is clear from their name, the Brodnitsy guarded the fords, they were not allowed to collapse, and they usually pointed out these fords to travelers who had lost their way.

The water grandfather is the owner of the waters . Watermen at the bottom of rivers and lakes graze herds of their cows - catfish, bream, carp and other fish. Commands undines, mermaids, and other aquatic inhabitants. In general, he is usually kind, but sometimes the merman is not averse to playing around and dragging a gaping person to the very bottom so that he entertains him. By the way, drowned people also serve in the service of this strange grandfather.

Swamp kikimores. In the swamps, strange sounds are heard from time to time - as if the voice of some unknown creature. As much as you can assure that these are the screams of slurping mud and the cries of swamp birds, the local population will still believe in monsters living in the quagmire and dragging people away to them. According to a well-known Russian belief, dangerous otherworldly entities called kikimors live in the swamp. Girls who were cursed by their own mothers in the womb or before baptism, as well as those who died unbaptized, can become kikimoras. Such children are abducted by evil forces in infancy, and at the age of seven they turn into terrible and evil spirits - kikimors. Some kikimors subsequently marry brownies, and then begin to cause mischief in houses, others marry goblins.

During its existence, Slavic paganism went through three stages of development. Each stage had its own deities and mythology changed. Each new stage of development left old traditions and added new ones to them.

Controversy over the pantheon of gods

In Russian history, one of the most controversial topics is the dispute about the Slavic gods. A lot of information has been accumulated about the pantheon of deities, and often some sources contradict others. Gods have many names. Thus, the god of water is called differently in different sources. Why are there so many discrepancies? The fact is that the mythology of the Eastern and Western Slavs was somewhat different. Plus, over time, the ideology of the ancient Russian peoples changed, and the chroniclers wrote down legends, rituals and traditions, each in their own way. Further, the writers each wrote their own history. And so scientists are trying to isolate truthful information from all this folk epic and literary sources. But even here their opinions differ.

The problem is that there are practically no ancient Russian literary monuments in which deities were described. Mostly Scandinavian cultural monuments and Viking chronicles have reached us. Thus, everything that we know about the religion and deities of the ancient Slavs was drawn from later sources of Christian times.

God of water from the epic

The epic about Sadko says that the god of the seas was Vodyanik, or otherwise the Pallet King. He was also called the King of the Sea and the Miracle of the Sea. However, historians believe that this king is not true, there was a god of water among the Slavs named Lizard, so he was reinterpreted in the epic about Sadko.

Also in ancient myths there is Pereplut, who was the patron of sailors and the master of watermen. And another name of the god of water is mentioned - Danube. He was considered the lord of rivers and fisheries, as well as the father of all mermaids, and the largest river was named in his honor. Danube, according to legend, was the son of Pereplut.

In addition to them, the son of Perun, one of the main gods, Sytivrat or Cityvrat, is also mentioned. Among the Western Slavs he was considered the god of rain and crops.

Lizard

God of water and seas, ruler of the Underwater Kingdom among the ancient Slavs. Little information has been preserved about him. It is known that his wife was a drowned girl, and his father was Koschey. The lizard was worshiped in lakes and swamps, and sacrifices were made to it. One of the chronicles says that he ate those who did not bring him gifts and did not worship.

They sacrificed young girls and black chickens to the sea god. Because of this, he was also associated with death and the underworld. Later, a new ritual of sacrifice appeared. For three days the horse was fed only bread, then they coated its head with honey, put two millstones on it and drowned it in the river.

The lizard was the guardian and protector of waters. According to some sources, this information is about a million years old. Among the Eastern Slavs, the god of water was transformed into the image of a crocodile and was at the same time considered the patron of agriculture and the eater of cattle.

According to chronicle sources, it can be judged that the cult of the Lizard existed even after the adoption of Christianity. Information about him survived until the 12th century, and many decorations and household utensils of the ancient Slavs with images of the Lizard were found. In this regard, it can be judged that this deity played a large role in their lives.

Slavic goddess of water

The lizard is one of the oldest in the Slavic pantheon. He is the god of sea water. But the goddess of fresh springs, Dana, also existed among the ancient Slavs. She was depicted as a young, fair-faced girl and was a bright goddess who gives life to everything on earth and heals travelers with her water. She was also worshiped and prayers offered. It was believed that water cleanses not only the body, but also the soul. So, according to legend, the gods bequeathed to people. The Slavic prayer to the god of water and other deities related to life-giving moisture has survived to this day. It was read to bless the water. The light-faced goddess was also mentioned in this prayer: “Dana-Voditsa, living spring.” The Dvina and Dnieper rivers were named in honor of the goddess. In addition, she was the embodiment of bodily beauty and was also revered as the goddess of light and the mistress of spring thunderstorms.

Lesser water deities

Everyone has known fairy tales and epics about mermen and mermaids since childhood. These fabulous creatures also come from ancient Slavic mythology. They were lower deities, but, nevertheless, their people respected and worshiped them.

The merman was a spirit of water and lived in rivers and other bodies of water, most of them in dark places and forests. He was portrayed as an old man in mud and a hat made of algae. He rode a catfish and ate crayfish. He took with him into the water those who swam after sunset. When he was angry, he scattered fish and destroyed mills. To appease him, they gave him geese and poured oil on his water. In winter, the merman slept under the ice, in the spring he woke up hungry and angry and broke the ice. The merman was the master of the mermaids and Ischetik, his assistant, who did menial work for him, for example, such as eroding banks and breaking dams.

Mermaids or Beregini were water maidens. Later they began to be considered the souls of drowned women. The mermaids scratched their hair with a magic comb, and water flowed from it, so they could flood even a hitherto dry place. But the river maidens did not go far from reservoirs, since their hair could dry out and then they would die. The mermaids could be tickled to death; the only way to escape from them was through wormwood, if you threw grass in their faces.

Another water deity, whose holiday we celebrate to this day, is Kupala or Kupala. God of dew, moisture and summer. On the night of the summer solstice, Kupala Day was celebrated in honor of the deity himself, the sun and fire. Hence the tradition of swimming in ponds and jumping over a fire on this day.