NATURAL ELEMENTS
Solar symbolism is the symbolism of the solar element, the sun, the solar light gods.
The gods of the sun in Slavic paganism are Dazhdbog, Svarog, Khors. They are light, that is, representing the power of the Rule of the gods. Rule - the upper, heavenly world in Slavic mythology. The Slavs represented the Rule as an ideal world, where the laws of justice and honor prevail. Many Russian words tell us about this: correct (as in Prav), spravny (with Prav), rule (in justice), right (in both meanings). Solar symbolism is one of the brightest in the Slavic tradition. Among the solar signs, perhaps, there is not a single one that is harmful. On the contrary, all signs are associated with the acquisition of both material and spiritual goods, their multiplication. The sun in paganism is also an all-seeing eye, which is why, if there was a need, they committed a crime at night - maybe the gods of the Rule will not notice; therefore, evil spirits and dark wizards are activated at night. In the sunny time of the day, on the contrary, the light forces that help man and nature predominate. However, this is only one side of the coin.
Sun
The image of heavenly waters was only a part of a more general picture of the world, where the sky-water layer was only a distant background, and the main thing was the sun in its measured path across the firmament of the middle sky.
It is extremely important to note that in the entire decor of Russian huts of the 18th-19th centuries, throughout the vast expanse of the twelve northern provinces of Russia, the solar signs abounding in this decor were never placed above the sky-water zone, that is, they did not violate the ancient Slavic ideas about the upper sky. The zone of movement of the sun since the Eneolithic was the middle sky, separated by firmament from the celestial-water zone of the upper sky.
This ancient picture of the world was observed with amazing rigor in the system of architectural decoration: the path of the sun across the middle sky is emphasized by the fact that artificial, special boards, “towels”, which did not play any constructive role, descended vertically downwards from the chapels, were used to show solar signs.
The positions of the luminaries at sunrise and sunset were indicated by the placement of solar signs at the lower end of both berths, and thus they appeared in the general composition of the pattern below that part of the berths on which “heavenly abysses” were depicted. Sometimes here, too, to show the morning-evening positions of the sun, they resorted to using two vertical "towels" at the edges of the piers.
Sometimes the path of the sun was marked not by three standard positions, but additionally by several more intermediate signs attached to the lower edge of the piers. The daily course of the sun in these cases was marked by twelve solar signs.
Consider the solar signs that were part of the general defense system of the Russian house from ghouls and navi.
First of all, it should be said that in these three positions (morning, noon and evening), the sun signs were depicted not just as one of the elements of decoration, but quite meaningfully, with a deep symbolic meaning. This is confirmed by the fact that they were almost never placed separately, but always in combination with other symbols - the earth, the sown field, sometimes water. The mutual position of different symbols in one complex additionally emphasized the daytime movement of the sun.
The solar signs themselves are represented by several types. The most stable is a circle with six radii ("Jupiter's wheel"). There is a circle with a cross inside it, and sometimes with eight rays. The rising or setting sun can be shown as a semicircle (arc upwards) with three rays.
Of particular interest are numerous signs depicting a "running" sun: several arcuate lines arranged radially are cut inside the circle; they give the impression of a rolling wheel with curved spokes. The direction of the curvature is always the same: the upper line in the circle has a bulge to the left, the lower one to the right, which determines the position of all the intermediate spokes of this solar wheel. Sometimes the movement of the sun is expressed by only three such arcs, but usually there are many.
Next to the symbol of the sun, one or another symbol of the earth, the field is almost always adjacent.
The sign denoting the earth is an ancient, still Eneolithic symbol of the field and fertility in the form of a rhombus or square, set at an angle and divided into four parts. It stably existed for several millennia and is well reflected in Russian medieval applied art, in church decorative painting and is presented in ethnographic material, mainly in the patterns of the bride's wedding clothes, which once again testifies to the connection with the idea of fertility.
The second group of signs depicts plowed land in the form of a large rectangle or rhombus, drawn along and across. Rectangles and rhombuses, formed by rows of small holes, were depicted on the huts of the huts. In addition, rhombuses are almost always carved on the edge of the berths.
a) "Towels" of the morning, noon and evening complexes with security signs;
B) Noon complex image of the entire daily sun (three daytime suns and two nighttime and white light - in the center);
C) Morning security complex of patterns: the symbol of the night sun on the “towel” and the rising sun on the berth;
D) "Towel" with the image of white light;
E) "Towels" of the midday complex with two suns and a cross
Sometimes the sun is shown as having already risen, above the earth; in these cases, the land is shown not as a rectangle, but as a sign of fertility - a crossed square. In the complex of the lower ends of the piers, the sun is very often depicted as “running”, which is quite consistent with the visual perception of the course of the sun - at sunrise and sunset, the movement of the luminary, rapidly rising or falling relative to the horizon, is especially noticeable.
Noon. The midday sun was depicted on the facade of the hut, at the very top, under the dominant figure of a gable horse, but, as already mentioned, still below the "abyss of heaven", which was the upper sky. In order to leave the sun in its proper tier, the old craftsmen attached a short “towel” board to the tong, hanging vertically down the facade. It was at the lower end of this “towel” that the midday complex of solar signs was located.
The midday complex has always been richer than the morning-evening ones. Most often, two suns were depicted here, just as on the calendar the month of the summer solstice (June) was indicated not by one cross, like other solar phases, but by two crosses.
Two suns one below the other could be the same (usually with six rays), but one of them could be given in the dynamic form of a running wheel. In some cases (in Christian times), an image of an Orthodox cross was placed above the suns, giving clarity to the semantics of solar signs - they were also sacred and had the same power as the cross used to drive away demons.
On some "towels" the entire daily course of the sun was depicted: at the top are three daytime positions of the sun (morning, noon and evening), below are two positions of the night underground sun, and in the center is a huge radiant circle, symbolizing the "white light", the Universe, radiant, the opinion of the Russian people of the XII-XIII centuries, "an intangible and inscrutable light."
Symbols of the earth, as a rule, are absent in the midday composition, but sometimes they are still depicted. In these cases, they are necessarily associated with the sun: either the sun shines on the earth approaching it (from above and below), or a small symbol of the earth is placed between two running suns, and it turns out to be, as it were, comprehensively illuminated.
Perhaps the fundamental sign of solar symbolism. For the first time, this symbol, along with some other symbols of Germanic paganism, was appropriated by Adolf Hitler for his fascist power. Since then, it has become customary that if the swastika is, then we are talking about fascism. In fact, the swastika has nothing to do with the outrage called fascism. This sign is an image of the sun, an appeal to the bright gods; it brings goodness and justice to the world of Reveal, carries a huge charge of light magical energy.
The classical Sanskrit name of this symbol comes from the Indo-European root "su/swa", which means "associated with good". Let us remember the bird Mother Sva (the patroness of Rus'), the god Svarog, Svarga - the habitat of the bright gods of Slavic myths. The word "light" belongs to the same root. Among the Slavs, the swastika was called Kolovrat or solstice. However, Kolovrat still begins with six rays. Since kolo is a circle, a ring, a wheel, a well, a bun. Kolovrat in all ages and among all peoples was a symbol of the sun, there is even reason to believe that the sun in ancient times was called exactly “kolo”.
Also, some authors associate it with the unity of statics and dynamics. Moreover, only a rotating swastika has a dynamic meaning. If it rotates clockwise (to the right), then it symbolizes the desire for everything related to life, with positive qualities and an active masculine principle; rotation counterclockwise, on the contrary, indicates dying, the denial of all positive and passivity of behavior. Absolutely opposite is the interpretation of the direction of rotation of their swastika by the Greeks (who called this sign "tetraxele" - "four-legged", "four-pointed"), since they learned about the swastika from Slavic peoples unfriendly to them and decided that what the Slavs - Rule, they - Hades . Hence a lot of confusion with the direction of rotation and the direction of the rays of the swastikas. The swastika is not only a four-beam sign. There are also swastikas with 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 or more rays. Each type of swastika has its own specific magical meaning. Let's look at some types of swastikas.
The six-pointed cross enclosed in a circle is the thunder sign of Perun.
This sign was very widespread, it was known by the Scandinavians, the Celts, and the Slavs. We can see the thunder sign in the ornament of Russian spinning wheels and on huts right up to our time. They cut it out on them for a reason. In huts, it was carved on a kokoshnik (a board hanging from the end of a ridge) as a magical lightning rod.
Also, the thunder sign - a sign of courage, military prowess - was the magic sign of the Russian squad. This sign can be found on helmets, armor plates. This sign was also embroidered on a men's shirt.
The eight-ray Kolovrat is a sign under which the revival of Slavic paganism is now taking place.
You can see it on the banners of modern pagan communities. Such an honor was given to this sign not by chance. This is a sign of Svarog, the creator god, the god of wisdom. It was Svarog who created the Earth, people (through Dazhdbog), gave people many knowledge, including metal and a plow. The sign of Svarog is a sign of wisdom and higher justice, a sign of Rule. Also, the stake of Svarog is a symbol of the universe. The device of the universal wheel of Svarog is very difficult. Its center is located on Stozhar-Stlyazi - the celestial axis. It rotates around Stozhar in one day and makes a revolution in a year. The very slow rotation of the wheel leads to a change in the zodiacal epochs. Such a revolution of the wheel lasts 27 thousand years. This time is called the day of Svarog.
Trixel is a three-branched swastika. In the north, a “broken” one is used, that is, a trixel that does not have connections between the rays. Its magical meaning is not known very accurately. This is a sign of "what leads", a sign that directs the development of the event in the right direction. This is a rune associated with the direction and orientation of human activity. Simply put, this sign orients a person in life, serves as a kind of guiding star for him. Also, some scientists associate this sign with time and the god of time, among the Slavs - with the Number God, and the three rays of the trixel - with three legs bent at the knees (running), but this definition is very superficial: it is based only on the Greek interpretation of the name of the sign: tri - "three", kselos - "bone, limb".
Following the Greek terminology, the four-armed swastika is called a tetraxel.
So, the main forms of the solar symbolism of the swastika are considered. However, there are also many other solar symbols that are less characteristic of the Slavic peoples, for example, the "dragon's eye" - a three-beam swastika with connected rays, used in Wales (Great Britain) in earth magic; the so-called "Celtic version" - a swastika with wavy curved rays inscribed in a circle, sonnenrad (by the way, it was the emblem of some SS divisions), "initiation cross" and many others ...
Also a solar symbol. We do not attribute it to the swastika very conditionally - the cross is also a swastika, only without rays receding to the side. The cross has become one of the most famous Christian symbols. And not only. For example, Catholic missionaries preaching in China saw crosses depicted on the statues of Buddha, whose teaching arose about six centuries before Christianity, and Spanish conquistadors witnessed the veneration of the cross by North American pagan Indians as a fusion of Heavenly fire and Earthly fire.
The word "cross" comes from the common European root cru, which means "curved". We can observe this root in the words circle, curve, steep. Crux is Latin for "cross". There is another version that the word "cross" comes from the Slavic root "kres" - "fire" (compare: kresal - a tool for kindling a fire).
Archaeological evidence suggests that the cross was revered as a symbol as far back as the Upper Paleolithic. The cross is a symbol of life, heaven and eternity. The correct (equilateral) cross symbolizes the principle of connection and interaction of two principles: female (horizontal line) and male (vertical). Crosses are also divided into a straight line, i.e. having horizontal and vertical lines, and an oblique one, having two diagonal lines, with a straight cross personifying a male aggressive creative principle, an oblique one representing a softer creative principle.
A straight cross can also serve as a primitive model of the World Tree, where the vertical line is the World Tree, and the horizontal line is the world of Reveal. Accordingly, a cross with a horizontal line shifted upward indicates the location of the world of Rule on the Tree, downward - the world of Navi. Naturally, these crosses have a corresponding magical meaning.
Consider the main types of crosses characteristic of the Nordic tradition.
The Celtic cross, or kolokryzh, most accurately demonstrates the similarity of the cross with the swastika and all the conventionality of their separation. Look at the six- and eight-beam kolovrats presented in this work. In addition to the number of rays, these signs do not change anything. Despite the fact that this cross is called Celtic, it is known to almost all Indo-Europeans, including the Slavs. The history of the Celtic cross has at least 8-9 millennia. The Celts especially revered this cross. The Celtic cross was also called the "cross of the warrior", "the cross of Wotan" (Odin).
The twelve-pointed cross is a cross with a crossbar on each beam, or a swastika with rays extended to the left (for a dark one - to the right). The purpose of this cross is protection from external influences. Also, many researchers talk about this sign as a magical sign of the Family. It is also called the "helm of terror". This symbol was widespread in ancient times: there is archaeological evidence for this - many amulets with a "helmet of horror" were found in the territories of the Scythians, Mordovians, Indo-European peoples; in the Middle Ages, they decorated the walls of houses and wooden products, as well as often church utensils. The most powerful symbol among the "helms of horror" is the so-called Aegishjalm (Scandinavian name), or the Cross of Invincibility - this symbol surpasses all others in its effectiveness.
Abyss of heaven
The magical system of protection from evil spirits provided for the image not only of the sun and its path through the sky, but also the sky itself as a reservoir of rainwater, necessary for the growth of all living things.
So, the upper contour of the gable pediment of the Slavic house was the sky, along which the sun makes its daily path from the lower left end of the roof up to the gable of the roof, to its “ridge” and further down to the lower right end of the roof.
The firmament consisted of two heavens - water and solar-air, separated by a transparent "firmament of heaven". As for rain, the ancient Slavs believed that rain moisture is taken from the heavenly water reserves stored in the upper sky, located above the middle sky, through which the sun and moon move. The reserves of water in the sky were called "heavenly abysses" in the Old Russian language. Heavy rain, downpour was defined by the phrase: “the abysses of heaven opened up”, that is, the heavenly water opened up, received freedom and rushed down to the earth.
The “firmament” in the medieval sense held the “abyss of heaven” somewhere in an inaccessible height above the airspace of the ordinary sky. This bifurcation of the sky was reflected in the Russian language in the words "heaven" (singular) and "heaven" (plural).
The heavenly abysses of the upper sky were almost always depicted on the sides of house roofs. The most common is a wavy ornament or a pattern of towns, which at a distance are also perceived as waves. Usually the waves of the hackneyed "firmament" go in 2-3 rows, as if emphasizing the depth of the water sky. Very often, along with wavy lines, small circles are depicted, symbolizing raindrops.
Prichelina with the image of wavy jets are known in the Novgorod region, in the Arkhangelsk, Vologda, Yaroslavl, Ulyanovsk, Gorky, in the Russian villages of Karelia and in a number of other places in Central Russia and the North.
Another symbol depicted along with heavenly water was the symbols of female breasts. They are known to us from the Novgorod prichelinas of the 11th-15th centuries. The breasts were depicted either in the form of a pattern, where this plot is repetitive, or as paired images of two breasts, carefully marked by the carver, but also forming a wavy pattern in their repetition.
Sometimes the motif of the female breast was conveyed by rounded protrusions on the lower edge of the chapels (going continuously or in pairs, with intervals between pairs), but much more often it was depicted in the form of small jagged (stepped) towns, which at a distance, for a person looking from below, gave a complete illusion that symbolic figure of the chest, which was so carefully and naturalistically carved by the Novgorod carver of the times of Yaroslav the Wise.
Eneolithic farmers imagined rain streams as a stream of milk from the Mother Goddess. And initially, the Slavic pagans revered two heavenly goddesses-children, whose cult was then combined with the veneration of the male heavenly deity - Rod and even survived it, surviving until the 19th century. in a whole series of peasant embroideries.
In medieval Russian, words such as "chest" and "pile" were very close. "Dewy breast" - dew drops that help plants drink heavenly moisture - "dew birth drops." Russian pagans XII-XIII centuries. it was believed that the dew falling from heaven in the form of a mist-cloud is sent by Rod, the god of the sky, precisely as the moisture of life.
The prichelins of Russian huts were decorated in two or four rows. The top row was most often occupied by a zigzag line, a stable ancient symbol of water, in this case - "the abyss of heaven", inaccessible rain reserves. Below there was a row of towns or paired images of female breasts, obviously associated with the idea of the heavenly goddesses in labor, who, according to the ancient hunters, gave birth to “small deer”, and according to the farmers, shed rain on the fields. These two main rows were sometimes interspersed with rows of through round holes depicting raindrops. Towns and semicircles of the lower row were often supplied with the same circles.
Often there is (moreover, in different remote places) a combination in one row of semicircles-breasts with a circle in the middle and short zigzags between them. Here, obviously, the teeth between the semicircles can be interpreted as adding the symbol of water to the image of cloud-breasts.
So, in the patterns of the huts, two ideas inextricably linked with each other were shown: firstly, the presence of rainwater reserves in the upper sky (above the firmament), and secondly, the transfer of this water down to the ground to the plowmen, shown by means of a mythological symbol breasts of heavenly goddesses, irrigating the earth with "birth" "breasts of dew."
Fire
Fire ... Probably, even the most urban person at least once in his life looked at a live fire, not from a gas stove or a lighter, but a real one, which is in a stove or a fire. A spectacle that captivates the eye and mind. Naturally, in a pagan, fire evokes the same feelings.
Fire for a pagan is not just a chemical process, it is a sacred phenomenon. The concept of sacrificial fire (earthly fire) is directly related to this phenomenon - the smoke from the sacrificial fire carries the essences of the victims to Iriy (essences because it is difficult to say that, for example, a pancake has a soul or not, but any object has an essence ). There is also heavenly fire - the fire of the heavenly forge of Svarog. Torah is one of the main creative forces. Let's draw some analogies with the Sun and plasma and the Big Bang theory and the period of the formation of the Earth, when active tectonic processes and volcanic eruptions took place on it. It would also be appropriate to recall the fiery sword - a symbol of justice and Rule, which is armed with many fantasy and historical characters in modern works. Even the Jedi Knights from the George Lucas films, who are essentially pagan, are armed with lightsabers.
There is also the Navi fire, here we will draw analogies with the Christian cult, in which sinners who are in hell are roasted by devils on fires in seven modes of cooking these same sinners (see Dante's Divine Comedy). This primitive belief about the unfortunate fate of sinners has its roots in a wider and more justified pagan idea of Nava fire. A pagan associates Nav with an underground fiery kingdom (remember the Greek Hades) - and by the way, no one is fried there, just an underground fire is understood as an element. Here it would be appropriate to recall the fire-breathing dragons and snakes - they are also the children of Navi. The fire of Navi can be interpreted as a regressive, destructive force that burns goodness and light. After all, you can burn your heart with love (heavenly fire), or you can burn your soul with drunkenness and deceit.
Now let's look at the graphic images of these signs. The signs of fire, especially the heavenly forge, are quite difficult signs to perform and understand.
They represent, as a rule, four-part swastika-shaped signs, but this is not quite a swastika, because the fire does not spin anywhere, the rays, but rather even the flames are located differently than the swastikas. They are connected not only with the formation and orientation of human activity (at any level) in the right direction, but also with giving it the necessary strength. The second aspect is disclosure. It is obvious that both aspects are interconnected - it is impossible to realize the plan without revealing oneself to the world. From these signs the rune of fertility and heritage is made.
Flint - a means for obtaining and maintaining fire - in Ancient Rus' was a common and familiar household item.
A device for producing fire, an oval-shaped metal plate with open ends, which are bent inward or outward in such a way that rings are formed - “antennae”. In earlier times, in Russian life, a flint was known, which had the shape of a dagger without a handle, with blunt edges and a sharp end. Its length ranged from 9 to 30 cm. To obtain fire, it was necessary to have flint and tinder in addition to flint. The man who made the fire struck the flint with a flint, and the sparks that appeared at the same time were caught on the tinder lying in a box with a lid - a tinderbox. The fire flared up in a box, from where it was transferred to birch bark, straw, tow, pine coals or seryanka - homemade matches. The fire was extinguished after its use by closing the lid of the box.
Fire obtained with the help of flint and flint is considered especially beneficial for humans. He brings happiness and prosperity to the house. In the Russian countryside, there were a number of prescriptions on how to handle fire so as not to anger it, not to offend, not to stain its purity. It was impossible to spit into the fire, urinate in it, throw various garbage, sewage into it, trample underfoot, extinguish it. The fire could only be blown out or waited for it to die on its own. If these rules are violated, then the fire will punish the whole village with a fire, and the person who offended the fire with a fire, a red rash on his face.
Ideas about fire and its magical properties were also transferred to the tool for making fire - flint. In Russian fairy tales, a tinderbox is an object that serves to evoke spirits, and also acts as an intermediary between “our world” and the other world. Usually the hero of a fairy tale summons spirits by striking flint and flint.
Water
Water, one of the creative elements, is very interesting from a pagan point of view, it has a lot of sacred aspects, which cannot but be reflected in its symbolism. First, water for a pagan is what gives life to all living things. With the help of life-giving heavenly water, grasses and forests turn green in spring, crops ripen, everything blooms, bears fruit and ears. According to an ancient myth, earth was born from water, brought in the beak of the World Duck. Water carries the sacred meaning of purification. A pagan washing himself in a bath washes away not only physical dirt, but also spiritual dirt - a shell of vice, darkness, hatred. A ritual is created, because the sacred action of rebirth, the renewal of a person is performed - like the renewal of the skin and body of a person in a bath, the soul, his aura is renewed. Ablution was performed before important matters - the priest must necessarily wash in the bath to perform the ceremony, a person must wash, for example, before the wedding - first of all, not for beauty, but so that dark forces do not interfere with the ritual. The warrior always washed both before the battle and after it, so that the battle would not be affected by all the same forces. And the third, but by no means the last, aspect of the meaning of water for a pagan is its flow. Everyone knows the proverb that you cannot enter the same river twice. Many do not understand it - for them the river is a blue line on the map. For a pagan, the river is a stream of water - the water has flowed away, and the river is different. That is, the flow of water is a kind of indicator of time. No wonder they say: "how much water has flowed under the bridge since then", meaning that a lot of time has passed. So flowing river water is also a sacred comparison with time - water inevitably flows away, just as days, years, centuries flow away.
Accordingly, the symbols of water have different meanings.
Life-giving water is heavenly water, or, as the ancients called it, “heavenly waters”. Rain, watering the field, gives vitality to plants, fills them with juices. Also associated with heavenly water is the idea of a cornucopia. Rains water the earth, the earth gives birth to succulent grasses, which means that there is something to feed the cattle, there is plenty of milk and meat, bread is earing in the fields and fruits and vegetables are ripening. Sometimes a cornucopia is depicted with water pouring out of it. The word "rain" is related to the word "Dazhd" - one of the names of the great god - the giver of blessings and the progenitor of people Dazhdbog. By the way, the name Dazhdbog came from two roots - “sales”, that is, to give, do good, help, and actually “god”. Unlike river rainwater, it symbolizes the male fertilizing principle.
A completely different water is river water, unlike rain water, it basically came just from under the ground - from springs, springs. By the way, the spring was considered a sacred place - to desecrate it was the same as to desecrate the temple. After all, water is “born” in the spring - coming from the bowels of the earth, it flows from the spring in a thin stream, the stream connects with another, they connect with the third - this is how a mighty river turns out. Some springs had miraculous healing properties. Again, this is not fiction - it has been scientifically proven that water enriched with salts and minerals flows from some sources, which is very beneficial for health.
Since spring and river water flows, it is depicted as wavy horizontal stripes. River water, unlike rainwater, and along with a thread, can act as a symbol of the flow of time, life. The water flows away along with the moments that have gone forever into the past. This is the truth of life… Water is not just destiny, this leading force, that is, in water there is a sacred symbolism of fate, something that cannot be avoided, however, as a rule, in a positive sense. Flowing water, moving forms a stream and carries along.
There are many amazing legends about magical rivers, they will seem familiar to you from fairy tales - this is the Iry milk river flowing from under the stone of Alatyr (which is on Buyan Island) - it symbolizes not anything, but the Milky Way. The Milk River is a poetic representation of the outskirts of our galaxy. Many legends are connected with the Milky Way and the Milky (White) River, most of them with stories about life after death. However, in these stories, another river appears - Smorodina, the fiery river. It separates the Java world and the “great expanses of Navi” (the saying is “Naviy Shlyakh”, the community “Bor”). Baba Yaga, familiar to many, if not all, guards the borders of Navi.
With this knowledge, many plots of fairy tales become clear - the hero crosses the fiery river and ends up with Baba Yaga - this is a plot that is somewhat similar to the ancient Greek story about Orpheus and Eurydice. And the swan geese carried away brother Ivanushka from sister Alyonushka. Vanya died, and his sister rescued him from the clutches of death.
The idea of Kalinov Bridge is also connected with mythical rivers. Kalinov Most is a multifaceted and very complex concept. It is associated with the subtle states of the human soul - love, high feelings. In later times, “To meet someone on the Kalinov Bridge” meant to love (see the article by V. N. Vakurov “Kalina is hot”, the magazine “Russian Language Abroad”, No. 4, 1990). However, not everything is so rosy. In fact, on the Kalinov Bridge the main battle of the human soul between the beginning of Prav and Navi takes place - a battle with oneself (our life is an eternal struggle). The brilliant Russian artist Konstantin Vasiliev very accurately depicted this duel. A real man in his soul is always a warrior, a warrior of the spirit, but if he is not a warrior, then he is a reptile, both figuratively and literally, that is, a snake, a worm. In the battle on the Kalinov Bridge, it is very difficult to win a complete victory, to destroy one side or another in oneself, just as one cannot be absolutely kind, absolutely wise - therefore, the heavenly chamber of Rule cannot defeat the forces of Navi in any way.
The Slavs considered water to be the element from which the world was formed. Without the life-giving power of light, motionless water fills space in the form of snow and ice, but when light and warmth awaken it, it spreads and, under the influence of light, gives birth and nourishes the annual world. On this basis, the Slavic light-worshippers revered water and inhabited it with various deities (moraine, water, mermaids). They also idolized special female water creatures - coastlines, the cult of which is directly connected with water. Worshiping water deities, the Slavs cleansed themselves with water as a sacred element, made sacrifices to water - flowers, food, chickens. All sacrifices were left on the shore so that the water could take them away.
Worship of coasters, as well as ghouls and vampires, belongs to the most ancient period in the history of the Slavs: evil vampires who need to be driven away and cajoled by victims, and good coastlines who need to “put trebs” so that they help a person.
There are numerous fabulous images of living water and living fire. Living water heals wounds, gives strength, restores life. The Slavs contrasted "living" water with "dead" water. "Dead" water was sometimes called "healing": it splices together the dissected parts of a dead body, but does not yet resurrect it. The "living" water returns to him life. The folk epic tells that the killed heroes are first sprinkled with "dead", and then with "living" water.
Rain in the folk tradition is an object of reverence and magical influence. Power over rain, like other elements, is attributed to representatives of another world - the dead, and especially the gallows and drowned, who are considered the owners and leaders of the clouds - the heavenly herds of cows, bulls, oxen, etc. To drive away thunder and hail clouds, the Serbs turned to the latter in the village to a drowned man or a gallows, calling him by name and conjuring to take his “beefs” away from the fields and lands.
During the drought, the inhabitants of Polissya mourned the mythical drowned Makarka, stirring the water in the well with sticks and crying: “Makarko-son, get out of the water, pour tears over the holy land!” Wells, springs and other reservoirs, according to folk beliefs, are connected with heavenly waters as communicating vessels, therefore, the impact on earthly waters causes the "opening" of heavenly waters. During a drought, they went to springs, wells and rivers, consecrated the water and prayed, wishing for rain.
Often they went to abandoned springs, cleaned them, pouring water on each other, causing rain. They went around villages, fields, performed prayers at a well or river. In the Zhytomyr region, it was customary to walk around an old well to stop the drought: three widows walked in front, one carried an icon, the other bread and salt, the third accompanied them. Everyone joined hands, prayed, asked to send rain. The well was circumnavigated three times, only women participated in the ceremony.
In Polissia, poppy seeds were often poured into the well, money, salt, garlic, consecrated herbs, grains of wheat and rye, prosphora were thrown into the well, consecrated water was poured, all the water was scooped out of the well, etc. Sometimes clay pots were thrown into the well, and in many villages Polissya believed that the pot should have been stolen from neighbors, foreigners, and potters. They used to say in Go-melytsin: “That’s how it doesn’t rain, then we’ll steal somewhere ... smooth, but down the well - bang! And they also say it will rain.” This method turned out to be more effective when the ceremony was performed by a widow or when the pot was stolen from the widow. In the Chernihiv region, a pot of borscht was stolen from the oven and thrown into a well. The motif of borscht is typical for widespread children's songs about rain: Meni porridge, toby borscht, schob ischov thicker wood"; "Go, go, to the plank, to the glazed miner." Sometimes the stolen pots were first smashed and then the potsherds were thrown into the well.
Close to this method of causing rain are the Bulgarian and Serbian methods of protection against "tiled magic": they stole the products of labor or tools for their manufacture from the tilers and brick-makers and threw them all into the water. This action was understood as the removal of damage (“closing the rain”), which was supposedly caused by tilers. They, like potters, were considered the culprits of the drought because of their involvement in the element of fire (firing pots, tiles) and professional interest in dry weather (for the sake of drying their products).
In Western Bulgaria and Eastern Serbia, a special ritual is known to be performed during a drought in order to cause rain: the girls sculpted a clay doll named Herman (a male figure up to 50 cm in size with an exaggerated phallus) and then, imitating a burial, buried the doll on the river bank or thrown into the water, wailing: “Oh! Herman, Herman, Herman died of drought for the sake of rain. In such mourning rituals, tears were magically likened to rain. In Polissya, with the same purpose and with the same motivation, the frog's funeral ritual was performed: during a drought, children caught a frog, killed it, dressed it in clothes made of rags, put it in boxes, cried over it as if it were a dead woman, and buried it at the spring; a cross was drawn on the "grave" by hand. Instead of a frog, they could kill some other small animal or insect - cancer, snake, bear, louse, etc. The snake and insects were sometimes hung on a tree or fence. They believed that after that it would rain.
Ritual dousing with water during a drought had an even more direct magical meaning. People poured water on each other, saying: “How water pours on you, so that the rain pours on the ground” (Zhytomyr region). This was done by the river or by the well. Sometimes they poured water on people who, according to popular beliefs, had special magical powers: a pregnant woman (symbolizing the mother earth), a shepherd (the ruler of the earthly herd, capable of influencing the heavenly “herds” of clouds), priest (the same symbol of the shepherd-shepherd). In Polissya, the corners of the hut were also poured over.
Dousing could also be of a redemptive nature, it was used when the cause of the drought was considered a violation of certain prohibitions. So, in the north of the Zhytomyr region, the drought was explained by the fact that some woman in the village on the Annunciation, contrary to a strict ban, baked bread. Then, in order to atone for this sin and remove the punishment (drought), three women gathered, each took two buckets of water, went into the house to the “culprit”, poured out all the water in the middle of the hut and poured water on the outside corners of the house, and in some places poured water on the woman herself .
The ritual of pouring water over (or destroying) the grave of an unclean (false) dead person, if he, in violation of the prohibition, is buried in a cemetery, also has a redemptive character. Sometimes such a grave was dug up, and the corpse was thrown into the river. The Serbs removed the cross from some unmarked grave, carried it into a river or stream and strengthened it so that it would stand until the water carried it away. When they installed the cross, they said three times: “The cross into the water, and the rain on the field! A cross from an unknown grave, rain from an unknown mountain! In Polissya, a towel from icons was stolen from one of the neighbors, soaked in water and hung in its original place (secretly from the hostess). Helped from drought and gauze, which tied the jaw of the deceased: they carried it into the field, burned it there and asked: “For us, Lord, send rain!”
In Polissya and the adjacent regions of Belarus and Russia, the ritual of “plowing the river” was performed to cause rain: during a drought, they plowed or harrowed a dry river bed, or simply dragged a plow along the bottom. Symbolic plowing could also be done right on shallow water: in the Sourozh district they chose a beautiful girl at the age of 15, stripped her naked, hung her with wreaths and forced her to harrow the water in this form. In our time, a similar method of making rain is noted in the Grodno region: old women gathered, stole a plow from the collective farm yard, brought it to the river - only women.
Some harnessed, while others drove. Sometimes, instead of the river, they "plowed" the road or dug holes on the road, symbolically "opening" the water (Polesie).
Since the drought was understood as a natural disaster, general protective measures could be used to stop it, which helped in cases of pestilence, illness, fire, etc.: plowing a village or a roadside cross, bypassing the village and fields, making a harsh linen, towel, or installing ordinary crosses . Another method of causing rain, which was purely magical in nature, was the destruction of an anthill. The anthill was raked with a stick, just as they beat the water in the well; while the sprawling ants symbolized and magically evoked raindrops. This method is known in Polissya and among the southern Slavs. The Serbs, raking the anthill, uttered a special spell: “How many ants, so many drops!”
Pagan ways of making rain, especially at the wells, were severely condemned by the church.
To stop the rain, they performed various stopping or averting actions: they threw an egg into the yard, took out or threw it into the yard, under the house, on the roof of a bread shovel, poker, bread bowl, burned Trinity greens, consecrated willow, etc. in the oven. prolonged rains was considered a desecration of the water. For example, in Bosnia, in this case, they thought that there was something “nasty” in the water - an illegitimate child thrown into the water some time ago or killed, and the rain would not stop until the corpse was removed from the water.
During bad weather, women left the house, took out a wedding shirt and, naming the drowned people from the village by name, asked them to take the bad weather away from the fields. Widely known children's songs such as "Rain, rain, stop ..." undoubtedly go back to magical, incantatory texts.
Air is one of the elements of the universe (like earth, water, fire); the sphere of stay of souls and invisible demonic beings. In folk beliefs, ideas about air and breathing, breath, and wind converge. The space filled with air is larger than the earth; the sky "rests" or "hangs" in the air.
Air serves as a conductor, a medium through which damage is sent, disease spreads. The appearance of evil, impure air is associated with a moment of complete calm, an eclipse of the moon, etc. People who find themselves under the open sky at such a time are ordered to fall face down to the ground so as not to "grab this air."
In the form of steam, air or smoke, the soul leaves the dying.
Among the Eastern Slavs, they say about the agony of a person: the spirit is out, the spirit has gone out or the steam has gone out. Air, steam emanating from the deceased can be dangerous to others. There are many bylichkas in Polissya, which tell how a passer-by sees a couple over a fresh grave, taking on the images of a woman in a white dress, a pillar (or a fiery air column), the deceased himself. This ghost pursues a person when the wind blows in his back, and, having caught up, sits on a prisoner and kills. Escaping from the spirit, you must not stop, you should hit it backhand, run against the wind and hide around the corner, but you can also dispel it with clothes, especially a white scarf.
In Western Belarus, after the death of a person, everyone left the hut and opened the stove so that the air would go up. The well-known custom in Polissya to “raise the air” (usually on the fortieth day after death) is associated with the idea of the Orthodox that the souls of the dead rise into the air and stay there for forty days, after which they fly to higher spheres, to be judged by God, etc. e. In one of the villages of the Sumy region, they “breathe” on the grave of the deceased: those present take the corners of the tablecloth and lift it up three times with the words: “The body is in the pit, the soul is with us, we are home, the soul is uphill!” .
Many demonological characters living in the air, including the disease, have the appearance of steam, wind, air column, thick smoke, gas, etc. So, according to Belarusian beliefs, a witch, after drinking a wonderful liquid, becomes light as fluff and rushes about. through the air, through the wind. Spirits dangerous for a person, causing a strong wind, a whirlwind, a tornado, can lift a person into the air and throw him down, tear him apart in the air, etc. The view of the air as a habitat for demons is also inherent in the Christian book tradition.
Earth
Niva - idiogram of fertility
Mother earth, mother nature... Everyone knows such phrases, but few people thought about why they say so. But this expression came to us from paganism. There is nothing surprising in the fact that our pagan ancestor called the earth mother, she is the giver of all blessings. She feeds, and waters, and clothes, and warms. Earth in union with Heaven (in folk mythology they are spouses) gives us the world in which we live ... Naturally, a lot is said about the earth in folk legends. Goddess of the earth, fertility and fate - Makosh. Her name is formed from two roots: Ma - "mother" and kosh - "purse, store of wealth." Such a decoding gives a clear idea of how our ancestors treated Mokosh and the earth itself. The earth is associated with the feminine - firstly, the earth is capable of giving birth to life, and secondly, its sisters, Dolya and Nedolya, spin the threads of fate (Share spins a happy fate, Nedolya - unhappy), because the thread is a symbol of life. Doli's thread is soft, smooth, Nedolya's is flimsy, thin, like the fate of a person. When the thread breaks, the person dies.
An indispensable attribute of Mokosh is a cornucopia, which once again speaks of its significance for people and their relationship to the earth.
Let's talk first about the symbolism of fertility. It is represented by a very characteristic pattern - a rhombus (or square), divided inside into four more rhombuses. This field. Small diamonds are seed holes. If dots are depicted in small rhombuses, this means that the field is sown - this is a symbol of fertility. If the small diamonds are empty, then the field is not sown. These symbols have a corresponding magical meaning. Countless variations are possible with diamonds, squares and dots. In general, a rhombus (square) with a dot in the middle is something that can give birth, something that is a source of well-being and abundance.
An empty rhombus is the same, but not able (not fertilized) to give birth. Fortune-telling “for a good place” was used until the end of the 19th century, this is how they guessed, for example, in a Belarusian village: a large square was drawn on the ground on the entire proposed place of the estate, then it was divided into four parts crosswise. The head of the family went “to all four directions”, brought four stones from four fields (and carried them under a hat on his head or in the bosom of his naked body) and laid them out in the centers of small squares. As a result, an ideogram of fertility appeared on the site of the future estate, which has come down to us since the Eneolithic and is found on Russian wedding embroideries even at the beginning of the 20th century. Bread, a sown field, pregnancy - these concepts for the ancient Slavs were identical and directly connected with the image of the "home universe", and through it - with the cosmos, with the harmony of the world.
Then the owner stood in the center of the crosshairs - in the center of the universe, in the place of the World Tree - and, baring his head, prayed, moreover, with an indispensable appeal for blessing and help to the dead ancestors. Instead of stones, heaps of grain were sometimes poured. Grain, on the other hand, often outlined the contours of the future house, “fastening the corners”. Heaps of grain or bread were placed in the corners. Three days later they came to look: if the fortune-telling objects (pebbles, grain or bread) turned out to be undisturbed, then it was possible to build.
Such divination, like the sowing of bread, was performed exclusively by men. Women never participated in it.
sprouts
The scheme of the first sprouts is usual: inside the heart-shaped shell, a "krin" with three processes or a sprout with five leaves, resembling a fern, was depicted. It is possible that the so-called "krin" (lily) in this case depicted a seed with a burst shell (two bent lateral spurs) and a bud, a future sprout. The bud-sprout is often reddish in color, differing from the spurs of the shell. The plant is given in the dynamics of growth, in its initial phase; such a “krin” is a spell for the entire future development of the seed. These pictograms were usually placed in the central circle, giving them more importance than the seeds. The four-part composition of four fern leaves reflects the real appearance of the spring fern, the leaves of which are directed in all directions. The sacred nature of the fern is well documented in folklore: beliefs about the blossoming of the fern on the Kupala night.
The heart-shaped scheme (point up) has become a stable form of expression of the agrarian essence of the ornament.
Seed pictograms do not occupy the central circle. Germinating seeds are sometimes arranged in groups of four.
Flowers
As a secondary plot on women's jewelry, there are small flowers with four petals. The floral character of these miniature images is emphasized by the color of the petals in red and white or red and blue.
One of the main plant plots is a stable scheme, which presents a conditional plant (usually with two roots, well rooted) with branches and petals widely spread apart. Above the formed crevice in the plant, an oval "grain" of pollen is depicted. The importance of the pollination process is emphasized by the disproportionate amount of pollen penetrating the plant and the obligatory red coloration.
On late cassocks, under a flourishing cross, an oval grain is depicted, and on the reverse side of the plaques there are four flower cups pollinated by oval pollen.
There is such a legend. The white-flammable stone Alatyr was revealed at the beginning of time. He was raised from the bottom of the Milky Ocean by the World Duck. Alatyr was very small, so the Duck wanted to hide it in her beak. But Svarog uttered a magic word, and the stone began to grow. The duck could not hold it and dropped it. Where the white-combustible stone Alatyr fell, the Alatyr mountain rose. It is a sacred stone, the center of the knowledge of the Vedas, the mediator between man and God. He is both “small and very cold” and “great as a mountain.” Both light and heavy. He is unknowable: "... and no one could know that stone, and no one could lift it from the earth." When Svarog hit Alatyr with his magic hammer, gods were born from the sparks. On Alatyr, the temple of the Most High was built by the half-horse Kitovras. Therefore, Alatyr is also an altar, a stone-altar to the Almighty. On it, the Almighty Himself sacrifices Himself and Alatyr turns into stone.
According to ancient legends, Alatyr fell from the sky, and the Laws of Svarog were carved on it. So, Alatyr connected the worlds: the heavenly - the heavenly and the revealed - the valley. The book of the Vedas, which fell from the sky, and the magical bird Gamayun also served as an intermediary between the worlds. Both the Book and the Bird are also Alatyr.
In the earthly world, Alatyr is revealed by Mount Elbrus. This mountain was also called Bel-Alabyr, White Mountain, Belitsa. The White River flows from Elbrus-Alatyr. In ancient times, the White City was near Elbrus, the Slavic tribe of Belogors lived here. Alatyr is associated with the heavenly world, Iriy, Belovodie, that is, with paradise, through which milk rivers flow. Alatyr is a white stone.
The river Baksan flows from Elbrus. Until the 4th century n. e. it was called the river Altud or Alatyrka. These names contain the root "alt", which means "gold" (hence - "altyn"). Therefore, Alatyr is also a magic stone, the touch of which turns everything into gold. This is the Golden Mountain, Mount Zlatogorka and Svyatogora. So, Alatyr is the Holy Mountain.
There is also a stone Alatyr in the Urals on the Iry mountains, from where the sacred Ra-river originates. And at its mouth on the island of Buyan there is also a stone Alatyr, which heals from diseases and gives immortality. The Altai Mountains were also called Alatyr-mountains, the Golden Island of the Sun in the Northern Ocean was also called Alatyr-Island.
Alatyr is not only a mountain or a stone - it is the sacred center of the World. It is triune, therefore it means the path of Rule between Yavu and Naviu, between the valley and the mountain worlds. It is two-in-one - both small and large, and light and heavy. He is one, because all worlds are united in him. He is unknowable, like Rule. This is the original stone.
In past centuries, embroidery for peasants was never just an ornament. On the contrary, Slavic ornaments were considered a powerful magical tool capable of creating order out of chaos. In order for life to develop according to the desired scenario, a person had to have a supernatural image, as if a reduced “model” of well-being. This role was played by elements or woven household items made by hand or by the closest people.
Of course, the products were made not just like that, but according to strictly observed canons. When embroidering motifs, not only the exact execution of the element was required, but also the quality of the stitches, equally beautiful from the front and back sides, without knots. From this, the magical power of the product increased many times and formed an even and strong energy field around the owner.
Different had a different meaning from each other in terms of subject matter. Each element of the ornament performed a specific function: protection from diseases, assistance in spiritual quests, family preservation, etc.
For example, in the Sverdlovsk region, it was customary for loved ones to embroider something with the following symbol:
It means "Unity and harmony of male and female principles", serves to strengthen love and family ties. And the female amulet "Blessing of Mother Earth and Ancestors" (Tver Region) looks like this:
These on clothes gave the woman the belief that she would have many healthy, strong and smart children, and her youth would not fade for a long time.
“Blessing the grains in the field by the Sun” (Perm Territory) by contemporaries can be interpreted as a talisman for successful business and academic success, mastering new knowledge:
There is another symbol - "The Holy Union of the Sun and the Earth." Our ancestors believed that this ornament guarantees a bountiful harvest.
In the Yaroslavl region, a light curtain over the cradle, clothes of children and teenagers were often decorated with such embroidery:
It is called "Blessing of the Seven Elements": fire, water, earth, air, matter, spirit and mind. Served to protect children from all misfortunes.
"True love" is already a wedding talisman from the Perm region:
Slavic ornaments, on which S-shaped figures are embroidered, depict pairs of white swans. And the red motifs between them form the repeating symbols of Mother Earth. They bless the couple, grant protection from any harm, true and eternal love based on friendship, respect and care.
Ritual embroidery for expectant mothers "Healthy pregnancy and happy motherhood" from the Perm region looks like this:
It's like a graphic spell for a healthy pregnancy and easy delivery - Mother Earth's blessing for the woman in labor and the baby.
In the computerized era, you will not find outfits with such embroidery, except that in winter you can see mittens with ornaments on a child. And yet, the ancient art of embroidery has not gone into oblivion, it is being actively revived. Slavic ornaments attract not only with their beauty, faith in their magical power is still alive. This, of course, is good, it means that folk art has survived. And a new wave of interest in the knowledge of our ancestors will certainly resurrect symbolic art.
As far back as the Paleolithic period, mankind has known the art of ornamentation. Valuable information was invested in a repeating pattern. Such an image is capable of evoking associations that are intertwined with each other, helping to understand the full depth of the work.
Ancient Slavic culture in patterns and ornaments
They have absorbed many sacred, magical meanings, have a special energy. Magi used signs for sacraments and rituals. With their help, shamans could erase the boundaries between worlds and travel to a dark or bright world, communicate with the gods, pay tribute and respect to the forces of nature. A man who lived among nature continuously watched her, transferred her lines to fabric, dishes, household items. Each line was non-random and endowed with its own meaning. The ornament helped the ancient Slavs to protect their homes, themselves and their families; for this, patterns were applied to window and entrance openings, clothes, towels.
Traditional colors in symbolism
The ornament was applied to clothes with special trepidation, as it protected the one who wears it from evil spirits. The ritual pattern was applied to vulnerable parts: neck, collar, hem, sleeves.
Red
Most of the embroidery was red, as a symbol of life and love. This color protects the living. Red is also a sign of energy, fire, that is, the sun. He gives a healthy body, warmth, removes any evil eye.
It is not for nothing that ordinary phenomena were endowed with the epithet “red”: the red sun, which gives life to all living organisms; spring is red - the personification of the beginning of life; red summer - dawn, life triumphs; red girl - a beautiful girl, healthy, full of strength, etc.
Black
In combination with red, it enhanced the protective effect of the ornament. Black is the fertile Mother Earth, this color was assigned the role of protecting a woman from infertility.
The sign, embroidered in a black zigzag, means an unplowed field, it was worn by girls who need to be fertilized. Wavy black lines - a plowed field, ready for the grains to germinate, that is, for fertilization.
Blue
The blue color protected from bad weather and natural elements. It was used mainly on men's clothing, because it was the man who was often away from home, getting food or being at war. Blue water is the sky on earth, its reflection. The blue embroidered ornament on the man's dress tells us that he embarked on the spiritual path of self-improvement.
Male color, a sign of readiness to protect a woman. If a young man gave a girl a blue embroidered handkerchief, this meant that he had the most serious intentions, he was ready to protect his chosen one for the rest of his life. An important point: the man himself necessarily tied a gift on the head of the girl, thereby confirming his intentions.
Green
The green color was endowed with the power of plants and helped protect the body from wounds. Symbol of the Forest, youth and rebirth. Green depicted the World Tree, sown fields and young shoots.
The Slavs had names: - a green garden meant blooming life; - the deep sea is green, the same as "beyond distant lands", very far away; - green wine had a negative connotation - strong alcohol intoxication. But, at the same time, this color denoted the space of a stranger, places inhabited by evil spirits.
In the southern area, the Slavs had conspiracies that helped drive out evil spirits on the “green grass”, “green tree”, “on the green mountain”. Mythological heroes also had green parts of the body: the hair and eyes of a mermaid and a goblin, and the merman himself was all the color of sea mud.
White
The dual color is white. It is associated with everything pure, bright, holy, but at the same time it was considered mourning. Any other color is combined with this color, so white is a symbol of harmony, reconciliation. Also, white light is the space that is intended for human life.
People with pure thoughts and bright thoughts were described as follows: white hands, white face, white birch tree. Everything that is sincere, bright and kind in the world, everything is reflected in white: - white tablecloths protect guests from evil thoughts; - white sheets protect from death; - white underwear creates a barrier to grief and illness; - a white apron is able to protect the female organs from the evil eye.
Slavic symbols and their meaning
Alatyr Another name is the cross of Svarog, an eight-petal star. This is the Eye of the Family. It was applied to the clothes of people in charge, the sign acted as a talisman on a dangerous and long journey. The cross combines all svargas, two-headed and triglavic and many other sacred symbols, as it is the basis of all things.
Bereginya
This symbol has many names: Rozhanitsa, Mother of the world, Goddess of the house and others. She protects her entire family, family, hearth, children. Beregina is allowed to host in heaven, in nature, she was responsible for fertility. The female image was embroidered with raised or lowered hands as a sign of a talisman and blessing.
The embodiment of the Universe, the center and axis of the world, the personification of the entire Genus. Women, so that the family is strong and healthy. In the minds of the Slavs, the place of the World Tree was given in the center of the world, in the middle of the ocean on an island of land. Branches stretch to the sky, gods and angels sit in the crown. And the roots go deep underground, to the Underworld, where demonic entities, demons live. Bereginya and the Tree of Knowledge were interchangeable. Often the Goddess of the house was depicted with roots instead of legs - a sign of the earth.
Kolovrat
The well-known sign of the swastika originates from the Slavic peoples (it acquired a negative meaning thanks to Hitler and the Nazi army). Kolovrat, or Solstice, is the most ancient and deeply revered pagan amulet. It was considered the most powerful protective sign, which personifies the unity of the Family, its continuity, the Rotation of everything and everything. Thus, the idea of the Eternal Revival received a symbolic embodiment.
In the direction of rotation of the swastika (salting / anti-salting) determine the Sun in summer and winter. The aspiration along the course of the sun (Reveal) is bright, it is a Creative force, a kind of symbol of energy control, superiority over existing matter. She is opposed to the left-sided swastika (Sun of Navi), this is the triumph of everything earthly, the superiority of the material essence and instinctiveness of things.
Undoubtedly, the most common were the symbols that brought happiness. Orepey (or Arepey) is one of them. The comb rhombus received this name in the Ryazan region. In other regions, it is known as oak, well or burdock. The rhombus itself in the Slavic ornamental tradition has many interpretations: agriculture, fertility, it was believed that it was also feminine, the sun.
A sign with a dot in it meant land planted with seeds. On the robe of a woman in the shoulder area, Orepey denoted the World Mountain, Alatyr-stone with a god sitting on it. Gates to another world were embroidered on the hem. On the elbow means ancestor. Often the rhombus pattern ended with crosses. So the Slavs believed that they spread happiness and good on all four sides. The symbol of a sown field brought prosperity, success, wealth to the Slavs, increased vitality, gave a person self-confidence.
Thunderbolt
The sign of Perun (the god of thunder) was depicted as a cross with six ends, which was inscribed in a hexagon or circle. At first, only men could use it and exclusively in a military environment; it was depicted on the weapons and armor of warriors. It was believed that Thunderbolt had a detrimental effect on female energy. Later, the ornament began to be applied to simple clothes and dwellings in order to protect themselves from destructive lightning. Often this sign was decorated with shutters and door jambs.
Makosh
The Heavenly Mother of God is the arbiter of destinies. With her daughters, Shares and Nedolya, she weaves the threads of fate for gods and people. Those who adhere to a righteous lifestyle, honor the saints, know the canons, draw a good lot, and Makosh gives them a Share, a good fate. For those people who follow their desires and selfishness, Nedolya will be the mistress of fate. Makosh patronizes fertility, women's handicrafts, on her shoulders is the responsibility for the crossroads of the Interworld.
The symbol helps to call for help the power of the gods, it protects, heals, helps to find harmony and happiness. A noose-like sign is able to connect torn, confused and broken parts into a single whole.
Water
Water acted not only as an element, it is knowledge, the beginning of which is in the Interworld. The personification of the Currant River, which serves as the border between Yavu and Naviu, a river that carries the knowledge of ancient ancestors, oblivion and death. The river Ra is a bright road to God. The milk river in Iria carries knowledge of the highest level and grants immortality.
A strong amulet, personifying the union of two Clans. This ornament was always present in wedding embroidery. The pattern means the eternal spiritual, mental and physical merging of entities: two newlyweds and two Clans. The threads of the Body, Soul, Spirit, Conscience of both Clans are intertwined into a new created Life System.
Strong and weak beginnings in the wedding are indicated by color: male - red (fire), female - blue (water). The unification of the energies of the two Elements generates a new universal energy and is a manifestation of infinite life in time and space.
fireworks
In the culture of the ancient Slavs, Ognevitsa was a strong female amulet. A beneficial effect was only on a mature female body and a formed soul. The presence of this image on the clothes of young girls and girls was not allowed. Ognevitsa effectively acted on married women who gave birth to at least one child. She protected from everything bad, starting from a random word and ending with purposeful evil deeds.
Carrying a sacred meaning, Ognevitsa was embroidered only on clothes, you will not find it on household items. This symbol is able to take away any trouble from a woman, direct her to positive aspirations. Slavets often performs in tandem with her - a swastika solar symbol that helps protect women's health. The Slavs knew that Ognevitsa enhances the action of the energy flows of the protective symbols that are next to her.
Stribozhich
Stribozhich directs his creative energy to protect against the elements (hurricane, snowstorm, storm, drought, and others). The amulet gave immunity to the entire Family and the Household of the Family. Sailors also loved this symbol. They carved signs on sailing ships, and Stribozhich gave them good weather. He was revered by farmers and farmers. Embroidered on work clothes, the pattern called for a cool breeze in the hot midday heat. There is an opinion that the blades of windmills were built in accordance with the location of the petals of the symbol. This allowed the most efficient use of wind energy.
The Slavs attached great importance to the color scheme. The red blades of the sign are solar energy, activity. The inner space of white color means unity with the Universal heavens, the place where energy originates. The outer blue color speaks of sacredness, the highest level of spiritual development. This wisdom is not given to everyone, it is given only to the elect.
Spiral
The spiral is a sign of wisdom. The blue pattern meant sacred wisdom. The ornament, made in other colors, was a talisman against evil forces and the evil eye. Slavic women loved to embroider spiral images on their headdresses.
The spiral itself is the oldest symbol of the Universe, because many galaxies are arranged according to this principle. And mankind since ancient times has been developing in an upward spiral.
A little more about symbols
It is possible to comprehend the beauty of the protective Slavic symbols if you study their meanings. Watching the patterned embroidery, considering the bizarre interweaving of ornaments, the eye loses focus, and the picture becomes "holographic". Attention switches between dark and light signs. Where the dark is all earthly, and the light is the heavenly world.
In order to decipher the meaning inherent in the patterns, it is necessary to take into account the fact that, depending on the location of the protective symbolism on the clothes, its interpretation also changes. The Slavs accepted a three-part division of the world: Yav, Nav and the world, where a place is reserved for man. Accordingly: the neck, the shoulders are the highest divine light, the hem is the Underworld, the sleeves are the middle human world.
Placing one sign in different worlds, it also acquired different meanings. Masculine and feminine, light and darkness, earth and sky, top and bottom - such opposites ultimately lead to the fact that the process of movement, development occurs continuously and forever.
The ancient Slavs had to observe the golden mean, to keep the two sides of power in balance. Symbols have been created and improved over the centuries; they have absorbed special sacred meanings, magic, and the works of ancestors. These are strong protective amulets, so their beauty and aesthetics should be judged last. For a very long time, the masters honored the canons according to which the ornament was embroidered, they knew the meaning. But by the beginning of the twentieth century, much was lost.
Modern embroiderers can no longer explain what they embroider, but somewhere in the distant outback the most ancient patterns still live and delight their admirers. There are still people who consciously wear protective clothing, delving into and comprehending the secrets of the past.
Slavic costume has always been admired by overseas merchants. Clothes skillfully emphasized external and spiritual beauty. The rhythm of geometric details plays a significant role. To know the truth, to feel harmony and splendor is possible through creativity. However, you should not look at the mysterious ornament on the run. This requires a special mood, a spiritual attitude, when a person hears his heart and is ready to follow his call.
In past centuries, embroidery for peasants was never just an ornament. On the contrary, Slavic ornaments were considered a powerful magical tool capable of creating order out of chaos. In order for life to develop according to the desired scenario, a person had to have a supernatural image, as if a reduced “model” of well-being. This role was played by embroidery elements on clothes or woven household items, made by hand or by the closest people.
Of course, the products were made not just like that, but according to strictly observed canons. When embroidering motifs, not only the exact execution of the element was required, but also the quality of the stitches, equally beautiful from the front and back sides, without knots. From this, the magical power of the product increased many times and formed an even and strong energy field around the owner.
Different symbols of the Slavs had a different meaning from each other in terms of subject matter. Each element of the ornament performed a specific function: protection from diseases, assistance in spiritual quests, family preservation, etc.
For example, in the Sverdlovsk region, it was customary for loved ones to embroider something with the following symbol:
It means "Unity and harmony of male and female principles", serves to strengthen love and family ties. And the female amulet "Blessing of Mother Earth and Ancestors" (Tver Region) looks like this:
These Slavic ornaments on clothes gave the woman the belief that she would have many healthy, strong and smart children, and her youth would not fade for a long time.
“Blessing the grains in the field by the Sun” (Perm Territory) by contemporaries can be interpreted as a talisman for successful business and academic success, mastering new knowledge:
There is another interpretation of this symbol - "The Holy Union of the Sun and the Earth." Our ancestors believed that this ornament guarantees a bountiful harvest.
In the Yaroslavl region, a light curtain over the cradle, clothes of children and teenagers were often decorated with such embroidery:
It is called "Blessing of the Seven Elements": fire, water, earth, air, matter, spirit and mind. Served to protect children from all misfortunes.
"True love" is already a wedding talisman from the Perm region:
Slavic ornaments, on which S-shaped figures are embroidered, depict pairs of white swans. And the red motifs between them form the repeating symbols of Mother Earth. They bless the couple, grant protection from any harm, true and eternal love based on friendship, respect and care.
Ritual embroidery for expectant mothers "Healthy pregnancy and happy motherhood" from the Perm region looks like this:
It's like a graphic spell for a healthy pregnancy and easy delivery - Mother Earth's blessing for the woman in labor and the baby.
In the computerized era, you will not find outfits with such embroidery, except that in winter you can see mittens with ornaments on a child. And yet, the ancient art of embroidering pagan symbols has not gone into oblivion, it is being actively revived. Slavic ornaments attract not only with their beauty, faith in their magical power is still alive. This, of course, is good, it means that folk art has survived. And a new wave of interest in the knowledge of our ancestors will certainly resurrect symbolic art.
Slavic patterns and their history
Since ancient times, the art of the Slavs has been distinguished by its mystery and belief in magical powers. All this is vividly expressed by Slavic patterns, which were used for various purposes and, according to them, separate schemes and compositions were created. It was believed that each pattern has a special and individual magical power that can protect, strengthen or even enrich anyone who wears a robe with it.
Mysterious Slavic patterns and their meanings
As everyone knows, art and religion are opposite poles, which, nevertheless, are not able to exist without each other. It's funny that the religion of our ancestors had very interesting origins: they include Slavic patterns and other symbols, which later became church. Even ancient Russian temples and divine fortresses were completely decorated with special ornaments. So let's talk and reveal the mysterious letters, signs, and find out what the Slavic pattern is and where it is used ... 
Architecture and ancient belief
For us, ordinary tourists and eternal passers-by, numerous Slavic churches seem simply beautiful and interestingly decorated, but in fact they can also be dangerous for people with an unclean soul. The fact is that thanks to their ancient alphabet of seemingly cute and harmless patterns, the Slavs could cast a kind of spell that could torment and heal the unclean.
If you look closely, you will notice that all Slavic patterns have their own meaning, for example, above almost all entrances to the temple, on the top left side, there is a small “picture” that is a guard of peace. The Slavs believed that it was thanks to this pattern that when entering the temple, people were embraced by calmness and harmony, which gave strength to any lost soul. 
Often, each temple seemed to be surrounded by Slavic patterns that symbolized restraint. But this is not the only interpretation, as there is an opinion that this belt symbolized majesty, since it often had a chic and voluminous relief, it can be compared with a royal belt or crown ...
The most interesting thing is that it is impossible to give a name to everyone and everyone, since Slavic patterns have millions of varieties. Each ornament changed from year to year, and each spiritual representative had the right to change all the meanings or add new ones. It is also important that each pattern was cut by hand, but only believing and adult craftsmen who gave their lives to art and faith took part in the work. 
Clothing: how it was selected and decorated ...
The most interesting thing was the production of shirts and sundresses, which were decorated with Slavic patterns. The schemes were selected directly for the person who later wore the thing. As a rule, such ornaments were created in order to make the character of its owner stronger and more resilient. For example, if a boy was born weak, then he needed a pattern that would give strength, and if a girl was untidy, then, accordingly, the pattern should give her cleanliness and accuracy. ... The most important thing was that the pattern was selected after 5-6 years, this complex business belonged to the grandmother, and until the age of five the child wore clothes with a protective Slavic pattern.
Slavic patterns
Quote from Galina_Bikmullin's post Read the WholeTo your quote pad or community!SYMBOLS OF EMBROIDERY ORNAMENT
The ancients believed that evil forces could penetrate through the edge of clothing (hem, edges of sleeves, collars), and therefore these parts of clothing had to be protected with embroidery.
Ornament (from the Greek "ornamentum") decoration.
In Rus', the word "pattern" was used.
"Pattern" comes from the ancient Slavic word "behold" - to see. See beauty.
In the Slavic ornament, red is the main color.
Geometric ornament is inherent in all Slavic mythology.
The rhombus is the most common embroidery ornament of all East Slavic peoples.
The rhombus has many meanings: the sun, fertility, agriculture.
A rhombus with extended sides is a symbol of the crown of a log house.
A rhombus divided inside into 4 parts is a plowed field.
A rhombus with dots inside is a symbol of a sown field.
A rhombus with hooks at the top and bottom (rhombus-frog) is a symbol of the feminine in nature (fertility, childbirth).
A cross with curved ends (solar sign) is a symbol of the solstice, the change of day and night.
There is a wide variety of designs and two directions of rotation.
The horizontal wavy line is a symbol of water.
A straight horizontal line is a symbol of the earth.
A female figure with arms raised to the sky stands in the center of the pattern.
and dominates the surrounding animals and plants - a symbol of Mother Earth.
At her feet is a jagged line - water.
The East Slavic goddess Bereginya, or Mokosh (Makosh), was considered the patroness of water, family hearth, fertility.
"Firebird" - the spring sun.
The horse is the keeper of the hearth. According to legend, the horse participated in the movement of the sun across the sky.
Eagle, falcon, rooster - in different regions of Russia, these three birds symbolized fire.
"Pair of birds" - a symbol of the bride and groom.
Floral ornaments - prosperity, wealth, the birth of children.
A variety of plants are found in embroidery depending on the locality.
In the south - roses, periwinkle. In the middle lane - cornflower, fern, in the north - coniferous twigs.
The image of a sacred tree is found among many peoples.
In Rus', the birch was a sacred tree.
Ukrainian embroidery is characterized by such floral ornaments:
"Grapes", "Hop", "Oak Leaves", "Periwinkle", "Roses", "Currant", "Viburnum", "Lily".
"Periwinkle" is a symbol of unfading life.
"Apple circle" divided into 4 parts and opposite parts,
made in one color - a symbol of love.
"Grapes" - a symbol of the family.
"Stars" - a symbol of the universe.
"Lily" is a symbol of girlish purity and innocence.
"Oak" is a symbol of male energy, life.
"Hop" refers to wedding, youth symbols.
"Tree of Life" - an ancient symbol depicted in the form of stylized leaves and branches.
The sun is the source of life with life-giving power.
The culture of all the peoples of the world developed in its own individual direction and had its own special way of becoming. At the same time, in the monuments of the past that have survived to this day, one can easily guess the common motifs that are simultaneously characteristic of all countries, nationalities and peoples of the world.
How to explain such an amazing fact? If you take a close look at the history of art of each individual nation, you can trace a smooth transition from a primitive, untransformed consciousness, endowed with the simplest forms and images, to a more complex, highly artistic and sophisticated perception of reality.
The strongest evidence of the commonality of cultures is the ornamental symbols that are present in the painting of all modern peoples in the form of traditionally established artistic forms that have been established for centuries. If we analyze the elements of ancient ornaments, much will become clear in the way of thinking of the ancients, and the vector of development of the global consciousness will be put together.
First of all, it is worth noting that all folklore motifs had a mythological worldview as prototypes. They are characterized by simplicity of lines, clarity of forms and stability of repeating elements, the main of which are present to this day in the traditional ornaments of all peoples. Here are the most common and famous ones:
1. Symbolism of the feminine and masculine. In almost all cultures there are opposite images of Women and Men (in the abstract meaning of these forms). Most of the famous ornaments, one way or another, have these forms in their composition as an integral attribute. For example, the simplest form (X) in our opinion underlies the symbol of the Masculine principle, and the opposite (+) symbolizes the Feminine principle. There are also combined symbols that combine both of these forms. The listed symbols are only the basic basis for the outline of the ornament; they are supplemented and developed by numerous other elements.
Symbol of the Rosicrucians. It signifies the redemptive power of the blood of Christ, and also represents the triumph of the spirit, the cycle of death and rebirth. In some interpretations, it also symbolizes the union of the male and female divine principles. The Rosicrucians practiced black magic, cabalism, and alchemy from the 17th century onwards.
In the center of the embroidery is a symbol of the union of two genera, known as the Wedding Man. The fusion of male and female principles into one common force, unity and common destiny.
Traditional ancient Slavic solar symbols complement the action of the Wedding. Kolard and Solard, solar crosses, were traditionally embroidered on the clothes of newlyweds.
Seal of Solomon, or Star of David
This is the famous magical seal of Solomon, or the star of David. The top triangle in her image is white and the bottom triangle is black. It symbolizes, first of all, the absolute law of analogy, expressed by the mystical formula: "What is below is similar to what is above."
The seal of Solomon is also a symbol of human evolution: one must learn not only to take, but also to give, absorb and radiate at the same time, radiate - for the Earth, perceive - from Heaven. We receive and are filled only when we give to others. This is the perfect union of spirit and matter in man - the union of the solar plexus and the brain.
2. Symbolism of the Earth and Sky. Also, two clearly opposite concepts can act both in opposition to each other, and together, creating a symbol of idyll and harmony (the symbol of the Earth is an inverted equilateral triangle, the symbol of Heaven is a circle with intersecting straight lines enclosed in it).
In Buddhism, as well as on Japanese burials, you can also find statues consisting of these figures. At the base is a square, then comes a circle, after it - a triangle. The square is the symbol of the earth, and the circle is the symbol of the sky. The whole figure symbolizes a person and denotes the connection between heaven and earth.
3. Symbolism of the Sun. At the dawn of the development of the arts, ideas about the world were far from today's, there was no belief in a single God, and the cult of numerous pagan gods was welcomed. One of the most revered is the god Ra in Egyptian mythology (aka Yarila among the Slavs, Helios among the ancient Greeks, Tonatiu among the Mayans and Aztecs, the Sun goddess Amaterasu in Japan, etc.). It is quite understandable that the only true symbolism of the Sun can be a circle represented by each nation in its interpretation.
Solar symbolism is the symbolism of the solar element, the sun, the gods of light.
Variants of the image of the disk of the Sun
Indo-Aryan symbols among the Saltovites
This is a solar symbol. The Russian name for the swastika is “Kolovrat”, i.e. "solstice" ("kolo" - the old Russian name for the sun, "gates" - rotation, return). Kolovrat symbolized the victory of light (the sun) over darkness, life over death, and reality over Navi.
4. Symbolism of movement and space. Depicted in ornaments in the form of a broken line. Moreover, what exactly the artist wanted to say depends largely on its direction and method of drawing. So, a smooth wavy line clearly means a positive direction - fertility, abundance, wealth, longevity, well-being in all its manifestations. The curve, consisting of sharp lines, speaks of repulsion, backward movement, break.
Swastika in the Star of England. The swastika is a symbol of the eternal cycle of the Universe; it symbolizes the Highest Heavenly Law, to which all things are subject. This Fire sign was used as a Charm that guarded the existing Heavenly Law and order. Life itself hung from their inviolability.
The round mandala is associated with the natural cycles of the year. One axis was formed by the spring and autumn equinoxes, and the other by the summer and winter solstices. It is a universal symbol of different cultures for the perception of space, time and direction.
Trikverta - a symbol-amulet, a symbol of movement.
The cross is a symbol of Unity and the key to Unity. A sign of the confluence of the four cardinal points - north, west, east and south. Each line of the cross is essentially a space-time spiral that continuously generates the two main streams of the Universe, as well as all its dimensions and levels.
This is just a small number of basic ornamental symbols that are inherent in all cultures at the same time. Ornaments composed with their help can be complemented by other, less significant elements, creating a single harmonious composition, which, in addition to artistry, is endowed with a certain deepest meaning.
