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The deification of the sun among different peoples. The sun in religion and mythology The meaning of the sun in ancient mythology

Smolnikova Daria Grade 5

The work was done by a 5th grade student. The paper analyzes the attitude of ancient people to the sun, considers the Gods of the Sun in different religions.

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MOU secondary school of the village of ATAMANOVKA

UO MR Chitinsky District Zabaykalsky Krai

Research

The image of the sun in early religions.

Leader: Chugunova Olga Pavlovna, 13th category

Atamanovka, 2013

Introduction

You shine so beautifully, the Sun,

On the bright surface of the sky, full of living life,

The beginning of life itself…

Amenhotep 4, 14th century BC

How sad on a cold rainy day without the sun! And how we rejoice when it finally peeps through the clouds.

The significance of the Sun for life on Earth has been felt by man since ancient times. To ancient people, it seemed to be a powerful being, on which everything depended: if there were no Sun, there would be no plants, no animals, no man.

Thousands of years ago, people saw, as we do today, that every morning the Sun rises, travels its daily path through the sky and sets below the horizon. But why this happens, they did not know. So there are different legends.

Ancient people compared everything they saw in the sky with themselves, with parts of the human body. So, the inhabitants of ancient Africa believed that the Sun is a person whose armpits glow. He raises his hand - it becomes light, the day comes, lowers his hand, goes to bed - night comes. The ancient Chinese thought that the universe was the body of a giant that grew for nearly 17,000 years until the sky separated from the earth. And when the giant died, his left eye became the Sun, his right eye became the Moon, and his voice became thunder.

These legends may seem naive to some, but in each of them there is an attempt to explain the mysterious phenomena of nature. Many more years passed before people received reliable information about the Sun, stars and planets.

Is it possible, based on myths and legends, to describe the worldview ancient man, the place of the heavenly body in the ideas of ancient people? This is what I will try to explain in my work.

The purpose of my work: to show the role of the sun in ancient religions, to find out how plausible these myths were.

My work consists of parts:

  1. Relevance of the topic.
  2. Moloch - biblical sun god
  3. Yarilo is the Slavic god of the Sun.
  4. Amon-Ra is the ancient Egyptian sun god.
  5. Conclusion.

Apollo

Apollo - the god of the Sun and Music among the ancient Romans, who adopted faith in him from the Greeks. Apollo son of Zeus and the Titanides Leto, twin brother of Artemis, oneof the chief gods of the Olympian pantheon. Golden-haired, silver-eyed guardian god of herds, light (sunlight was symbolized by his golden arrows), sciences and arts, god-healer, leader and patron of the muses (for which he was called Musaget), predictor of the future, roads, travelers andsailors, also Apollo cleansed the people who committed the murder. Personified the Sun (and his twin sister Artemis-Moon).

A later mythological tradition ascribes to Apollo the qualities of a divine healer, guardian of the flocks, founder and builder of cities, and a seer of the future. In the classical Olympic pantheon, Apollo is the patron saint of singers and musicians, the leader of the muses. His image is becoming brighter and brighter, and his name is constantly accompanied by the epithet Phoebus (ancient Greek Phoibos, purity, brilliance, (“radiant” - in Greek mythology). The complex and contradictory image of Apollo is explained by the fact that Apollo was originally a pre-Greek deity "Probably Asia Minor. Its deep archaism is manifested in close connection and even identification with the plant and animal world. The constant epithets of Apollo are laurel, cypress, wolf, swan, raven, mouse. But the significance of the archaic Apollo recedes into the background compared to its meaning The cult of Apollo in classical ancient mythology absorbs the cult of Helios and even crowds out the cult of Zeus.

Miter

Miter, in ancient Persian and ancient Indian mythology, the god of treaties and friendship, the defender of truth. Mitra was a light: he raced on a golden chariot-sun drawn by four white horses across the sky.

He had 10,000 ears and eyes; wise, he was distinguished by courage in battle. This god could bless those who worshiped him, granting them victory over enemies and wisdom, but did not show mercy to enemies. As the god of fertility, he brought rain and caused the growth of plants. According to one of the ancient legends, Mithra, being the sun to people, created a connection between Ahuramazda and Angro Mainyu, the lord of darkness. This assumption was based on the understanding of the role of the Sun as a sign of the constant transition of states of light and darkness.

The ancients believed that Mithra emerged from a rock at birth, armed with a knife and a torch. The spread of his cult is evidenced by the paintings in underground tombs, almost all of which are dedicated to the murder of the bull Geush Urvan, from whose body all plants and animals appeared.

It was believed that the regular sacrifice of bulls to Mithra ensured the fertility of nature. The cult of Mithra was very popular outside of Persia, especially the Roman legions revered him.

Tonatiu

Tonatiu in Aztec mythology is the god of the sky and the sun, the god of warriors. Manages the 5th, current, world era. He was depicted as a young man with a red face and fiery hair, most often in a sitting position, with a solar disk or half-disk behind his back. To maintain strength and preserve youth, Tonatiu must receive the blood of victims every day, otherwise he may die while traveling at night through the underworld. Therefore, every day his path to the zenith was accompanied by the souls of sacrificed animals and warriors who fell in battle. According to the Aztecs, the universe went through several eras during which various gods were the Sun. In the current, fifth, era, it was Tonatiu under the calendar name of Naui Olin.

The Anthropological Museum in Mexico houses the famous Aztec calendar "Stone of the Sun" - a huge basalt monolith with a diameter of 3.5 meters and a weight of 24.5 tons. It used to be colored. It reflects the ideas of the ancients about the distant past. In the center of the stone is depicted Tonatiu Maya, the Sun god of the present era. On the sides are the symbols of the four previous eras.

The Stone of the Sun - "Aztec calendar", a monument of Aztec sculpture of the 15th century, is a basalt disc with carvings representing years and days.

In the central part of the disc is depicted the face of the sun god Tonatiu. In the stone of the Sun, they found a symbolic sculptural embodiment of the Aztec idea of ​​time. The Sun Stone was found in 1790 in Mexico City, and is now kept in the Museum of Anthropology.

The Aztec culture was the last link in a long chain of advanced civilizations that flourished and declined in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. The oldest of these, the Olmec culture, developed on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the 14th-3rd centuries. BC.

Moloch

Moloch is the name of a Semitic deity often found in the Bible. Being a common noun, it was applied to various deities, mainly to the patrons of a city or tribe, for example, among the Ammonites (Milkom - "their king", 3 Kings 11, 7) and the inhabitants of Tyre (Melkart - "king of the city"). Moloch called the supreme god and the Jewish plains; the Greeks identify him with Kronos, the Romans with Saturn. Moloch is the pagan god of nature, in particular, warmth and vital fire, manifested in the Sun. The human sacrifices characteristic of the Phoenician religion were performed in honor of Moloch precisely through the burnt offering, and the most expensive was offered to him, as the supreme god. The most pleasant victims were considered children of noble families; hecatombs of them were especially frequent in cases of extreme danger (for example, during the siege of Carthage by Agathocles), but also in regular time they were not uncommon; e.g. the Bible mentions the "leading through the fire" of children in the valley of Hinnom (gehenna), in honor of Moloch, under the wicked Jewish kings. The children were laid on the outstretched arms of the idol, which had the face of a calf, a fire was burning below; the screams were drowned out by dancing and the sounds of ritual music. Traditionally, Moloch was depicted as a red-hot, strong-horned Bull, into whose fiery womb they threw sacrificed babies and children (“guided through the fire”). However, later (in the era of the early Middle Ages) Moloch began to be identified with his messenger (herald) - the "Horned Owl", symbolizing omniscience and all-penetration (the owl sees in the darkness and has a viewing angle of 270 degrees). It is this Owl - a giant 12-meter stone idol (Great Owl, of course, with horns) installed in the center of the Bohemian Grove on the shore of the lake behind the altar, on which the ritual cremation of the "Oppressive Care" is performed. In the Bohemian Club itself, the analogy with Moloch is not particularly hidden: “The Oppressive Care and its creations are nothing more than a dream. Just as Babylon and beautiful Tyre have sunk into oblivion, she will also disappear” (the words of the Third Priest in “The Cremation of Oppressive Care”). However, no “purity of faith” can be traced among the “bohos”: priests in black and red cassocks, clearly borrowed from the mysteries of the druids, calmly walk around the Canaanite idol. The tree faerie Hamadreyada has the same Celtic roots.

Yarilo

The bright sun after the winter death of nature was completely different. In April, the spring holidays of the revival of life began. In the villages of the Slavs, a young red-haired rider on a white horse appeared. He was wearing a white mantle, a wreath of spring flowers on his head, he held rye ears in his hand, urged his horse with his bare feet. This is Yarilo. His name, derived from the word "yar", has several meanings: 1) piercing spring light and warmth; 2) young, impetuous and uncontrollable force; 3) passion and fertility. Yar is a stream of water rapidly rushing during the spring flood. Ardent means quick-tempered, enraged. Yaritsa - a field of wheat. In a word, all this time indulges in the violent joys of life, sometimes even excessive and unsafe. It happened that at the Yarila holiday, the guys, because of some beauty, staged a real massacre.

At the celebration, they chose a bride for Yarila and named her Yarilikha. The girl was dressed in all white, her head was decorated with a wreath and, tied to a lonely standing tree, they danced around her and sang songs.

The second time Yarila was honored closer to the middle of summer. The youth gathered outside the village, in a special place - "Yarylin's pleshka". Here, the festivities were noisy all day long, the people ate, sang, danced and honored the young man and girl in white clothes, decorated with bells and bright ribbons - Yarila and Yarilikha. With the onset of darkness, numerous "Yarilin fires" were lit. Sometimes the festivities ended with the "funeral" of Yarila and his bride - straw effigies with clay masks were taken out into the field and left there or thrown into the water. By this, people seemed to say: “Go wild and that’s enough, it’s time and honor to know.” Yes, and there was no time to have fun and dance anymore - every day more and more work was added in the field.

The name of Yarila is preserved in the names of many Slavic villages. These are Yarilovichi, Yarilovaya Grove and the Yaryn River in Belarus, Yarilovo Field in the Kostroma Region, Yarilov Valley in the Vladimir Region.

God RA (RE)

This is the supreme god, standing at the origins of all things. The lord of infinity, the creator of heaven and earth, he preceded the world and created himself.

Whatever form he takes and whatever name he is called, RA

(In a different transcription - Re) is one of the main gods of the Egyptian pantheon. He was born of his own free will from the primary ocean, ascended the primary hill in Heliopolis and illuminated the benben stone, which became the prototype of future obelisks. Ra is associated with creation, whether we are talking about the creation of the world or about the annual spring revival of nature. He is revered as a creator and patron. He is the lord of the seasons, as well as the judge of the divine and earthly worlds.

Ra is a many-faced god. His images are different depending on the city, era, and even on the time of day!

During the day, Ra is depicted as a man crowned with a solar disk. He can also take the form of a lion, a jackal, or a falcon. When Ra embodies the rising sun, he becomes a child or a white calf whose skin is adorned with black spots.

At night, Ra takes the form of a ram or a man with a ram's head. He can also be depicted as a cat killing a snake. Different names correspond to each image of Ra throughout the day: Khepri - the rising sun, Ra - the midday sun, Atum - the sunset sun.

Ra takes many different forms like the sun. After all, the sun during one day continuously moves across the sky and is transformed, which means that this should be characteristic of the god who embodies the luminary.

Like the sun, shedding its beneficial rays on the earth, Ra allows the world to exist and develop. Without Ra, as well as without the sun, there is no life: he is considered the father of all gods and the creator of all people.

Ra laid the foundation for the entire Universe. He gave birth to Shu (Air) and Tefnut (Goddess of moisture). From them came a new pair: Geb (Earth) and Nut (Sky). From this couple, four more gods were born who went down in history: Osiris and Isis (good beginning), Seth and Nephthys (evil beginning). Together the gods form the so-called ennead, "nine".

Every morning, Ra rises in the East, accompanied by the sounds of singing and dancing. He opens his radiant eye, and boards the Day Boat of Mandzhet, which will sail across the sky until evening. And now Ra arrives in the West. He transfers to the Night Rook (Mesektet), which will take him through the underworld: the realm of the night, full of dangers, where death lives. Ra takes the form of a ram or a man with a ram's head. During this nocturnal voyage, Ra revives Osiris. Thanks to the funeral rituals, during which the body was embalmed, each deceased becomes a potential "Osiris". And every Egyptian dreams of this: to be resurrected for a new life by the good god Ra, as happened with the god Osiris.

Nut was carrying five babies in her womb when Shu separated her from Geb. Ra, enraged by the obstacle on his way across the sky, cruelly took revenge on the spouses. He said that children could not be born in any of the twelve months of the year. Nut was doomed to certain death. But, fortunately, Thoth, the god of wisdom and science, intervened. He played Luna at craps and won five extra days. He added them to the calendar, and Nut was allowed to be pregnant. Thus reason triumphed over vengeance, and love over anger. Since then moon calendar(the god Thoth) coexists with the sun (the god Ra). Ra was very unhappy that he could not get the upper hand, but was forced to accept. It's been a long time. The aging Ra faced the disobedience of people. After talking to the family, he turned his eye on the people. This divine eye turned into a lioness, which exterminated the rebels who had hidden in the desert. The lioness is associated with the goddess Hathor. She was insatiable. To stop the carnage, Ra poured a heady drink around the lioness, which made her forget about the persecution.

The cult of the god Ra very early spread throughout Egypt. Sanctuaries were built for Ra, he had his own priests and vast lands to “satiate” him

But Ra faced opponents of his culture, who forced the people to accept other gods. The importance of the god Amun increased. So, under the pharaohs Ramses, the lands of the sanctuary of Ra made up only a sixth of the lands of Amun. But the cult of Ra did not disappear, although it became less pronounced. During the reign of Amenhotep 4 (Akhenaton), the sun Ra reappeared on the scene. Only the name and appearance of God has changed. He became Aten and retained only the incarnation in the form of a solar disk. Amenhotep 4 even took the name Akhenaten ("pleasing to the Aten"). But the return to the cult of Ra did not last long. Akhenaten's successor, Tutankhaten regained the name of Amun and became Tutankhamun, making the cult of Amun an official cult. But Ra, even receding into the background, remained a revered god and continued to shine in the firmament of Egypt.

Ra guards the pharaoh in the afterlife. But Osiris and his cult invaded Ra's place. Osiris rules in the world of the dead, but he must share this power with Ra, because both gods are two faces of one great "divine soul."

Abu-Ghurab, south of Cairo, was one of the largest places of worship of Ra. The ruins that have survived to this day do not allow us to imagine the size of the five temple complexes that the pharaohs of the 5th dynasty erected in honor of the sun god. The largest of them were built at the behest of Niuserra. The first sun temple dedicated to Ra is located in Abusir. It was erected under Pharaoh Userkaf, the founder of the 5th dynasty (approximately 2500 BC). Heliopolis is the ancient Greek name for the capital of the cult of Ra. During the era of the reign of the pharaohs, this city bore the name of Junu. In Junu, there were at least ten shrines and many obelisks dedicated to Ra. God Ra was honored in other sanctuaries, for example, in Khmun, Nekhen, Dendera, Edfu and Karnak.

And Pharaoh Khafre consolidated the tradition according to which all pharaohs were considered the sons of the Sun, that is, God.

The life path of Ra begins when he rises above the horizon in the morning. This is Khepri - Ra, "becoming", or "one who has arisen from himself." It is from him that everything begins and is reborn. Rising to the zenith, he becomes Ra - Khorakhti. Although it resembles Horus (with the head of a falcon), it is nevertheless one of the forms of Ra. He is the ruler of the sky that he crosses. Having reached the evening, the aging Atum-Ra sometimes takes the form of a man with a ram's head. He is holding a scepter was and ankh cross . It can also be depicted as a cat.

Conclusion

From the earliest times, mankind has noted the important role of the Sun - a bright disk in the sky, carrying light and heat.

With its life-giving power, the Sun has always evoked feelings of worship and fear in people. The peoples, closely connected with nature, expected from him gracious gifts - harvest and abundance, good weather and fresh rain, or punishment - bad weather, storms, hail.

In many prehistoric and ancient cultures, the Sun was revered as a deity. The cult of the Sun occupied an important place in the religions of the civilizations of the Egyptians, Incas, Aztecs.

Our ancestors did not know that the Sun is the only star solar system, around which other objects of this system revolve: planets and their satellites, dwarf planets and their satellites, asteroids, meteorites, comets and cosmic dust. And the primary knowledge about the celestial body was fantastic and fabulous.

Our mood, desires, emotions depend on the sun. The sun makes it possible to grow fruits and vegetables, because most living organisms on Earth exist thanks to the sun. This is what ancient people knew about the sun and therefore revered it and believed in its power.

Bibliography:

V. Kalashnikov. Gods of the ancient Slavs. Moscow, 2009

Magazine "Secrets of the Gods of Egypt", 2012, issue No. 2.

Internet resources:

A. Khvoshchova. Solar Gods. 2010

  1. Relevance of the topic.
  2. Apollo is the ancient Greek god of the sun.
  3. Mithra is the ancient Persian and ancient Indian sun god.
  4. Tonatiu is the Aztec sun god.

    Hypothesis: Is it possible, based on myths and legends, to describe the worldview of an ancient person, the place of a heavenly body in the ideas of ancient people? This is what I will try to explain in my work. The purpose of my work: to show the role of the sun in ancient religions, to find out how plausible these myths were.

    Apollo - the ancient Greek God of the Sun Mythological tradition ascribes to Apollo the qualities of a divine healer, guardian of herds, founder and builder of cities, seer of the future.

    Mitra - the ancient Persian and ancient Indian god of the sun Mithra, in ancient Persian and ancient Indian mythology, the god of treaties and friendship, the defender of truth. Mitra was a light: he raced on a golden chariot-sun drawn by four white horses across the sky.

    Tonatiu - the god of the Sun among the Aztecs Depicted as a young man with a red face and fiery hair, most often in a sitting position, with a solar disk or half-disk behind his back. To maintain strength and preserve youth, Tonatiu must receive the blood of victims every day, otherwise he may die while traveling at night through the underworld. Therefore, every day his path to the zenith was accompanied by the souls of sacrificed animals and warriors who fell in battle.

    Moloch - the biblical god of the Sun Moloch is the pagan god of nature, in particular - warmth and vital fire, manifested in the Sun. The human sacrifices characteristic of the Phoenician religion were performed in honor of Moloch precisely through the burnt offering, and the most expensive was offered to him, as the supreme god. The most pleasant victims were considered children of noble families.

    Yarilo - the Slavic God of the Sun The bright sun after the winter death of nature was completely different. In April, the spring holidays of the revival of life began. In the villages of the Slavs, a young red-haired rider on a white horse appeared. He was wearing a white mantle, a wreath of spring flowers on his head, he held rye ears in his hand, urged his horse with his bare feet. This is Yarilo. His name, derived from the word "yar", has several meanings: 1) piercing spring light and warmth; 2) young, impetuous and uncontrollable force; 3) passion and fertility. Yar is a stream of water rapidly rushing during the spring flood.

    Amon-Ra - the ancient Egyptian God of the Sun Whatever his appearance and whatever name he was called, RA is one of the main gods of the Egyptian pantheon. He was born of his own free will from the primary ocean, ascended the primary hill in Heliopolis and illuminated the benben stone, which became the prototype of future obelisks. Ra is associated with creation, whether we are talking about the creation of the world or about the annual spring revival of nature. He is revered as a creator and patron. He is the lord of the seasons, as well as the judge of the divine and earthly worlds.

    Conclusion Since the earliest times, humanity has noted the important role of the Sun - a bright disk in the sky, carrying light and heat. With its life-giving power, the Sun has always evoked feelings of worship and fear in people. The peoples, closely connected with nature, expected from him gracious gifts - harvest and abundance, good weather and fresh rain, or punishment - bad weather, storms, hail. In many prehistoric and ancient cultures, the Sun was revered as a deity. The cult of the Sun occupied an important place in the religions of the civilizations of the Egyptians, Incas, Aztecs.

The sun is the source of life and fertility. Mankind has long revered the luminary that warms the Earth, giving light and joy to the creatures inhabiting the planet. Therefore, almost every nation had its own authentic symbol of the sun, which was worshiped and brought gifts.

Kolovrat

In Russia, this was the name of the cross with bends. Kolovrat is a symbol of the sun among the Slavs, which our ancestors interpreted as "solstice", or simply "rotation". His image in the form of an ornament was often applied to the iconostases and altars of temples, chasubles and military weapons and banners of the squad, roofs of houses and household utensils. Even to this day, fragments of these paintings have survived: they can be seen in the ancient churches of Novgorod, Kyiv and Chernigov. And excavations of Slavic settlements and burial mounds indicate that many cities had a clear form of Kolovrat, the rays of which pointed to the four cardinal points.

The symbol personified Yarilo-Sun, and eternal light. He was a protective force for people, protection from the demons of hell and human aggression. No wonder the sign was painted on the red shields of courageous warriors who went to a mortal battle. Kolovrat caused panic among the opponents of the Russians, so for many centuries our valiant ancestors successfully resisted the invasions of other peoples and tribes.

pagan god of the sun

He had four incarnations depending on the season:

  1. Sun-baby Kolyada. Winter luminary, weak and defenseless. It was born in the early morning after the nocturnal December solstice.
  2. Sun-young Yarilo. A strengthened star that appears on the day of the vernal equinox.
  3. The sun is Kupailo's husband. The mighty luminary that rolled out into the sky in
  4. Sun-old man Svetovit. An aging and wise luminary that marks the day of the autumn equinox.

As you can see, the symbol of the sun constantly appeared in the calendar of our ancestors, indicating not only the change of seasons, but also these four days were important pagan holidays, during which the Slavs held dances and feasts, made sacrifices to the gods and praised them with ceremonial songs. In addition, the luminary constantly figured in other rituals. For example, it is a symbol of Maslenitsa. During the farewell to winter, the sun was embodied in the form of pancakes: in this way, our ancestors called on the star to wake up and warm the Earth.

Eagle

If among the ancient Slavs the main amulet of a person, the Kolovrat, and the symbol of Shrovetide, the sun was present during numerous ceremonies, then among other peoples of the world, solar signs were not so widespread. Of course, the luminary was revered all over the world, but only the Russians painted his image everywhere: from houses to small household items. They also believed that the eagle was the symbol of the sun. But even more the cult of this proud bird was worshiped in Greece and China.

These peoples chose the eagle not by chance: its flight, life under the clouds were always illuminated by the rays of the luminary. People believed that the bird was the messenger of the gods, so it can fly to the star and even merge with it. The eagle symbolized the height and which can soar into the sky. If he was drawn among lightning and thunder, he indicated courage and the ability to overcome any difficulties. In addition, Homer argued that a bird holding a snake with its claws is a symbol of victory.

Symbols of the sun among other peoples

The luminary was especially revered by the Indians who lived in Peru and Mexico. Like the Slavs, Greeks and Chinese, they worshiped the eagle: its feathers often adorned their headdresses, giving a person a certain status and giving him protection. In addition, the Incas depicted a star in the form of a man with a golden disc-shaped face, while the Aztecs associated it with the god of war - Huitzilopochtli. Another Indian symbol of the sun is the same Kolovrat, which has several differences from the Slavic one: it was drawn in the form of a wheel, a swastika, a circle surrounded by rays, or a simple disk.

The inhabitants of Indonesia considered the cat's face as a symbol of the luminary. In the USA, the sun was depicted with a cunning in the eyes, and in Mallorca - sad. In Spain, they believed that the moon was the progenitor of the star, among the Malays these two luminaries were spouses, and in Russian folklore they were sisters. The symbol of the sun is the chrysanthemum. And among the Egyptians, the luminary was associated with a scarab. ancient god the sun of Khepri was depicted here as a beetle rolling a heavenly body over the clouds.

"Solar" deities

In Greece, Helios was considered such, in whose very name one could already feel the radiance of rays and the blaze of fire. Often he was depicted as a powerful handsome young man: his eyes sparkled, his hair fluttered in the wind, covered with a golden helmet or crown. Every morning he appeared in the sky in a solar chariot harnessed by four winged horses.

Among the Romans, the symbol of the sun is the god Apollo, the patron of light, art, science and agriculture. His weapon - arrows - was depicted in the form

As for the ancient Persians, Mithra was the embodiment of the luminary. He was drawn in the form of a stream of light that connects people with darkness.

In ancient Egyptian mythology, the god of the sun was Ra, represented as a man, a huge cat or an eagle, whose head was crowned with a star. The summer drought and heat were considered his wrath sent against people for their sins.

As you can see, the Sun has been revered since time immemorial. Nowadays, he is also worshiped: in different countries the world even open museums dedicated to this luminary.

Although they were drowning in the darkness of paganism and worshiped not a single God, but a whole pantheon of gods, representing the forces of nature, meanwhile they were intelligent and very observant people. They noticed, for example, that each season has its own, specific phase of the celestial body. But the conclusion was made somewhat hasty - if the nature of the sun changes four times a year, then there must be four gods who command them.

The four-faced god of the sun among the Slavs

The logic of their reasoning was simple and worldly understandable. Indeed, one and the same god could not arrange the heat in summer, from which the earth burned out, and in winter allow frosts to bind nature with ice. So they put the responsibility for everything that happens in the annual cycle on the four gods - Khors, Yarila, Dazhdbog and Svarog. Thus, the sun god in Slavic mythology turned out to be four-faced.

god of the winter sun

The New Year of our ancestors came on the day of the winter solstice, that is, at the end of December. From that day until the spring solstice, Horse came into his own. This god of the sun among the Slavs looked like a middle-aged man, dressed in an azure cloak, under which one could see a shirt sewn from coarse linen, and the same ports. On his face, ruddy from frost, always lay the seal of sadness from the consciousness of his impotence in the face of the night cold.

However, he was quite capable of pacifying snowstorms and blizzards. When he appeared in the sky, they respectfully subsided. Horse loved noisy festivities in his honor, accompanied by round dances, singing and even swimming in the hole. But this deity also had a dark side - one of his incarnations was responsible for severe winter frosts. Among the Slavs, Sunday was considered the day of Horse, and silver was considered metal.

Spring and frivolous god

With the onset of spring, Khors retired, and his place was taken by Yarilo, the next in line, the god of the sun among the Slavs. He reigned until the summer solstice. Unlike the modest-looking Khors, Yarilo appeared as a young blue-eyed handsome man with golden hair. Picturesquely decorated with a scarlet cloak, he sat on a fiery horse, driving away the belated cold with flaming arrows.

True, back in those days, evil tongues attributed to him a certain resemblance to the loving Greek god Eros and even to Bacchus, the god of wine and noisy fun. It is possible that there was some truth in that, because under the rays of the spring sun the hops of voluptuousness circled the violent heads of our ancestors. For this, the Slavs called him the god of youth and (lowering his voice) love pleasures.

Summer Lord of the Sun

But the spring days passed, and the next sun god came into his own. At Eastern Slavs he was portrayed as the most majestic and dignified ruler of the daylight. His name was Dazhdbog. He made his way across the sky, standing in a chariot harnessed by four golden-maned winged horses. The radiance from his shield was the same sunlight that illuminated the earth on fine summer days.

The veneration of Dazhdbog among our ancestors was so wide that traces of his temples were discovered by scientists during excavations of most ancient Russian settlements. characteristic feature its cult is the presence of runes - samples of ancient sacred writing, designed to protect their owner from evil forces and help in all endeavors. The sign of Dazhdbog is also unusual - a solar square. This is an equilateral quadrilateral in which a cross is inscribed with edges bent at right angles.

autumn god

And finally, the last sun god in the legends of the Slavs is Svarog. The whole autumn, with its rainy days and the first night frosts, was the period of his reign. According to the legends, Svarog brought people a lot of useful and necessary knowledge. He taught them how to make fire, forge metal and work the earth. Even the plow familiar in the peasant economy is a gift from Svarog. He taught the housewives to make cheese and cottage cheese from milk.

Svarog is the oldest god of the sun among the ancient Slavs. He gave birth to sons who replenished the pantheon of pagan gods and generally managed a lot in his life. But old age takes its toll, and therefore its autumn sun is cold and dark. Like all old people, Svarog loves to warm up. Any forge or just a furnace can serve as his temple (place of worship) - it would only be warm for old bones. This is also confirmed in the finds of archaeologists. His images were found, as a rule, in places where a fire was formerly lit.

Ancient Slavic God Ra

In conclusion, it should be mentioned that another sun god is also known among the Slavs. Only echoes of ancient legends have been preserved about him. According to these legends, he bore the same name as his Egyptian counterpart Ra, and was the father of two pagan gods - Veles and Khors. The latter, as we know, followed in the footsteps of his father and eventually took his place, however, limiting himself only to the reign of winter period. The god Ra himself did not die, but, according to legend, having reached old age, he turned into a large and full-flowing river called the Volga.

The veneration of the sun among the ancient Slavs is not in doubt. Without heat and light, life can not exist, at the same time, the sun has a destructive power in the absence of elementary safety rules.

The sun is the source of life energy

The veneration of the heavenly sanctuary is reflected in ancient myths, tales, legends, fairy tales, prayers and conspiracies.

There are also solar (solar) symbols endowed with protective power.

Four faces of the sun god among the Slavs

The image of the sun can be found everywhere. On children's drawings, household items, bedding, clothes, amulets.

The sun god among the Slavs has 4 faces or hypostases corresponding to the seasons. Each season, the sun represents a different god.

Each has its own character and specific image:

    autumn - .

The ancient Slavs respected the commandments of each sun god and in honor of each of them there was a day of celebration (celebration).

god of the cold winter sun

God Khors personifies the winter sun.

The image of Horse: a middle-aged man dressed in a sky (azure) color cloak. He wore a shirt and trousers made of coarse woven linen.

The time of the god of the winter sun: the time of the influence of Hors is the period between the winter and spring solstice. The winter solstice falls at the end of January, which is reflected in the celebration of the modern new year.

According to some sources, the sun god of winter time is Kolyada.

And spring is observed in the twentieth of March. Shrovetide is a modern holiday - seeing off winter. On this day, the god of the winter sun hands over the reign to the young and hot Yarila.

Lord of the spring sun and fertility

Yarilo is the sun god of the Slavs, personifying the rebirth of nature after winter. The patron saint of the spring sun is rightfully considered the god of love and fertility.

Yarilo, god of the spring sun among the Slavs

The image of Yarilo: A young fair-haired young man with blue eyes riding a fiery horse. The attribute of the windy god of the spring sun is a bow with arrows with which he protects the earth from the cold.

The power of Yarilo: the power of the Slavic god of the spring sun extends to the awakening of nature and passionate violent love. The time of influence is from the spring equinox (March 22) to the summer solstice (June 20).

Honoring and celebrating Yarilo in modern times correlates with Shrovetide. On the day of the summer solstice, games and dances were also held in honor of the god of the spring sun and fertility.

Yarovik - Symbol of the god Yarilo.

Symbol - yarovik. The strength of the Yaril sign lies in:

    protection from evil

    increase in male strength,

    restoring harmony and expended energy

    as a symbol of the wealth of fertility (healthy and strong offspring).

After Dazhdbog comes into power.

Lord of the Summer Sanctuary

The god of the summer sun Dazhdbog occupied an important place in the pantheon of Slavic gods. Time of influence from summer solstice to autumn. During this period, it is associated with suffering (work in the field).

The time of Dazhdbog is the height of summer.

Image of Dazhdbog. This pagan god of the sun was depicted in golden armor with a fire shield in his hands. Among other gods, he stands out for his greatness and directness. The ancient Slavs believed that Dazhdbog moves across the sky on a magical chariot harnessed by 4 winged golden-maned horses.

Strength: Dazhdbog's strength also extended to people under his protection. They turned to him at dawn with a request for a successful resolution of any matter.

The symbol of the pagan god of the sun - the solar square, helps to achieve success.

Slavic god of the autumn sun

Svarog as the master of the autumn sun.

Svarog is considered the patron saint of the autumn sun. The time of the first night frosts, the time of harvest and preparation for winter. Svarog was the progenitor of the first gods, he created the earth and taught people to plow the field, gave a plow. Considered the patron saint of blacksmiths.

Image of Svarog. In Slavic mythology, Svarog is represented as a blacksmith. During the war, he is portrayed as a warrior with a sword in his hands.

The time of the svarozhye sun from the autumn to the winter solstice.

Slavic sun gods replace each other from one solstice to another and correspond to a certain season.

Ancient sign of the sun

In any ancient religion, the sun occupied an important place in human life. It symbolizes the future and the present, life and warmth are associated with it, it is an inexhaustible source of strength and goodness.

Thanks to the observation of the sun, people learned to predict the future, made a calendar, learned to predict the weather and the revelry of the elements.

Amulets with symbols of the sun are endowed with colossal protective energy and are available for everyone to wear.

And The image of the sun is present in rock art, applied to tools, weapons, clothing, jewelry. Images have varietyin the outline, but the sacred meaning is always the same.

The symbol of the sun personifies the naturalness and continuity of the passage of time in all cultures of the world. In addition to the general meaning, each culture has its own sacred meaning of solar signs.

What do the rays of the sun symbolize?

AT amulets often use the image of the rays of the sun, what do they mean:

    the closedness of the rays into a single circle personifies the continuity and cyclicality of life, being.

    4 rays symbolize fire as the source of life.

    6 rays - a sign of the Thunderer Perun.

    8 - powerful energy of the sun.

When the rays are twisted in the direction or counterclockwise, it also has its own sacred interpretation in different amulets.

Ladinets

Feminine refers to solar symbols. It has a powerful energy of protection from the evil eye and damage, helps women to take place in motherhood. A sign was presented to protect women from illness, sadness, impotence and an evil word. It is also a symbol of fertility.

solar cross

The solar cross amulet can be made of wood or metal.

The Slavic amulet of the solar cross, personifying spiritual harmony and connection with ancestors, belongs to the solar symbol. Also, the power of the amulet is aimed at transmitting the wisdom of the ancestors to the future generation.

In ancient times, the sign "solar cross" was applied to the clothes and weapons of warriors, priests, sorcerers, mentors in various sciences wore them as amulets. Wearing a talisman helps to reveal talent, transfer knowledge, find harmony with the outside world.

You can make a charm from ash or maple wood. More durable amulets can be created from silver or copper.

Suitable for people on the path of self-development and self-knowledge, as well as for all those who in one way or another teach the younger generation (teachers).

The power of the amulet is important for those who want to restore the family connection. Helps in finding ancestors and studying their way of life. Suitable for art historians, archaeologists, historians.

Kolovrat

The amulet Kolovrat refers to the solar symbol, is a male talisman.

The Kolovrat amulet has considerable power and is widely used among men of our time. Appearance amulets: 8 rays closed in a circle. The symbol represents the continuity of movement. Has great strength.

The talisman with the image of the Kolovrat sign attracts good luck, helps to maintain health (mental and physical), promotes good luck in business and love, and is also a sign of fertility.

The solstice is a symbol of 3 gods of the Slavic sun at once: Yarilo, Dazhdbog and Khors.

If the rays are directed clockwise, the amulet is called a thunderbolt, and against - a thunderbolt.

The thunderstorm personifies the summer solstice, and the winter solstice.

The solstice refers to the protective signs of warriors. Applied to weapons and clothing. Helped me out in battle.

Currently, the symbols are also male, helping to achieve success in the goal. Suitable for men who are on the protection of the state and land (military, police, Ministry of Emergency Situations, firefighters) or businessmen.

Black Sun

The black sun amulet is a connection with the other world.

The black sun amulet refers to a strong symbol that is a conductor between the world of reality and the other world.

In ancient times, the sign of the black sun was used only by strong magicians, priests and magicians. Wearing this badge thoughtlessly is not permissible.

In ancient Egypt, the sun god Ra was the supreme deity. The most revered gods of Egypt are his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The earthly rulers-pharaohs were also considered his descendants.

According to legend, Ra first reigned on earth, and that was the "Golden Age". But then people went out of obedience, because of which the sun god went to heaven. On the human tribe found previously unknown suffering.

However, Ra did not allow all people to die and continued to provide them with benefits. Every morning he sets out on his boat for a journey through the sky, bestowing light on the earth. At night, his path lies through the afterlife, in which God is waiting for his worst enemy - the huge serpent Apep. The monster wants to devour the sun so that the world is left without light, but every time Ra defeats him.

In art, Ra was depicted as a tall, slender man with the head of a falcon. On his head he has a solar disk and an image of a snake.

Throughout the history of Egypt, Ra was not the only "solar" deity. There were also cults of the gods:

  • Atum is an archaic god who was widely revered before the establishment of the cult of Ra. Then he became identified with the latter.
  • Amon is originally the god of the night sky. The center of his worship was in the city of Thebes, and after the rise of this city in the era of the New Kingdom (XVI-XI centuries BC), the role of Amon also changed. He began to be revered as the sun god Amon-Ra.
  • Aton - the sun-god, whose monotheistic cult Pharaoh Akhenaten (XIV century BC) tried to approve

Mesopotamia

In ancient Mesopotamia, Shamash (the Akkadian version), or Utu (as the Sumerians called him) was considered the god of the sun. He was not the main deity of the Sumerian-Akkadian pantheon. He was considered a son or even a servant of the moon god Nanna (Sina).

Nevertheless, Shamash was highly revered, because it is he who gives people light and fertility - the earth. Over time, its importance in the local religion increased: Shamash began to be regarded also as a fair judge-god, establishing and protecting the rule of law.

Ancient Greece and Rome

Helios was the god of the sun in ancient Greece. He played a subordinate position in relation to the main deity of the Greek pantheon - Zeus. AT Ancient Rome Helios corresponded to the god Sol.

According to legend, Helios lives in the east in magnificent halls. Every morning, the goddess of the dawn, Eos, opens the gates, and Helios rides out on his chariot, which is harnessed by four horses. Having passed through the entire sky, he hides in the west, changes into a golden boat and swims across the Ocean back to the east.

In his journey above the earth, Helios sees all the deeds and deeds of people and even the immortal gods. So, it was he who told Hephaestus about the betrayal of his wife Aphrodite.

Rich Greek mythology contains many stories related to Helios. Perhaps the most famous is about his son Phaeton. The young man begged his father to allow him to drive through the sky once. But on the way, Phaeton could not cope with the horses: they rushed too close to the ground, and it caught fire. For this, Zeus struck Phaethon with his lightning.

In addition to Helios, in ancient Greece, the god of light Apollo (Phoebus) also acted as the personification of the sun. In the Hellenistic period, the ancient Indo-Iranian god of light Mithra began to be identified with Helios and Phoebus.

India

In Hinduism, Surya is the god of the sun. It carries many features, including:

  • dispels darkness and illuminates the world;
  • supports the sky;
  • acts as the "eye of the gods";
  • heals the sick.;
  • fights with Rahu - the demon of solar and lunar eclipses.

Like Helios, Surya rides around the sky in a chariot. But he has seven horses. In addition, he has a driver - Aruna, who is also considered the deity of the dawn. The goddess Ushas is called the wife of Surya.

As is typical of many ancient cults, Surya was also associated with other solar deities. So, at the most ancient stage of the development of Hinduism, Vivasvat was considered a solar deity. Then his image merged with Surya. In later ages, Surya was identified with Mitra and Vishnu.

Ancient Slavs

Few sources have been preserved about the beliefs and myths of the Slavs, and very few ancient images of the Slavic gods. Therefore, scientists have to collect Slavic mythology bit by bit. And in popular literature, gaps in true knowledge are often filled with speculation.

The names of many deities are known, in which the Slavs believed before the adoption of Christianity. But the functions of many of them are not entirely clear. As the personification of the sun, the Eastern Slavs are called:

  • Dazhdbog;
  • Horse;
  • Yarilo.

According to Russian chronicles, in the X century. Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich (the future Saint) ordered to install the idols of Dazhdbog, Khors and other deities for worship. But why two sun gods in one pantheon?

Some researchers believe that "Dazhdbog" and "Khors" are two names of the same deity. Others believe that these are two different gods, but related to each other. It is also possible that Khors is the personification of the sun itself, and Dazhdbog is the personification of light. In any case, there remains a huge field for research.

Nowadays, it is often written that Yarilo (or Yarila) was the Slavic god of the sun. Images are also created - a sun-headed man or a young man with a beautiful radiant face. But, in fact, Yarilo is associated with fertility and, to a lesser extent, with the sun.

Germanic tribes

In German-Scandinavian mythology, the sun personified a female deity - Sol (or Sunna). Her brother is Mani, the divine incarnation of the Moon. Salt, like Helios, travels across the sky and illuminates the earth. In addition, Freyr, the god of fertility, is associated with sunlight.

Civilizations of America

American Indians also practiced polytheistic religions. Naturally, among the numerous higher beings, the sun god was among the main ones.

  • Tonatiu is the Aztec god of the sun, one of the central deities of the pantheon. His name translates as "Sunshine". The cult of Tonatiu was extremely bloody. The Aztecs believed that the sun god must receive sacrifices every day, and without this he would die and would not illuminate the earth. It was also believed to be nourished by the blood of warriors who died in battle.
  • Kinich-Ahau is the Mayan god of the sun. As with Tonatiu, he needed sacrifice.
  • Inti is the god of the sun among the Incas, the progenitor of life. He was a very important, although not the main deity in the pantheon. It was believed that the supreme rulers of the country are descended from Inti. Images of this deity in the form of a solar face are placed on the modern flags of Uruguay and Argentina.