Hello dear readers! The idea to write this book originated in me a few years ago. Once I read this phrase on the Internet, «Choosing religion, you choose fate. This phrase made me think. I have lived most of my life in Christianity, and I only knew about the existence of heaven and hell. For several years now, I have been in paganism, in the Slavic Rodnoveria. Having studied this faith, I realized that there is no heaven and hell. There are other paybacks for the deeds done. There are other religions and rituals. So which faith and religion are the most correct?
In this book, I will describe three world religions, where they came from, what they carry in themselves, and what awaits the soul after death. This book will consist of three parts: Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. Since I am in paganism, another fourth part will be written, dedicated to the choice of my faith. All three religions described above are world religions. All accept the fourth paganism. Paganism is not recognized by the world, and is not a religion at all. This will be written about in the first part dedicated to the Slavs’ Rodnoverie.
A person should think about the choice of his faith from the moment he came to it. Everyone who reads this book, remember how you accepted your faith. No one remembers the day of his or her baptism. Because he was baptized in infancy. Faith should be accepted voluntarily, not imposed. God Jesus himself was baptized at the age of thirty-three. Nowadays, they try to baptize children in one month. Thereby trying to protect from the evil eye. Is it right?
Of course, every parent will raise their child in the religion in which they are themselves. But this does not give the right to prevent a person from studying and choosing another religion.
Now the most important thing is what is faith? And what is religion?
Religion is a kind of social phenomenon, one of the forms of perception, understanding of everything that exists, the world, the Universe. It is usually based on a belief in some supernatural entities. According to theologians, religion connects God and people. Religion is an official affiliation to a certain denomination, as well as a creed with a ritual.
Faith is the acceptance of an unproven something, an idea, a phenomenon, based more on an inner feeling, intuition. It is justified subjectively and does not require proof. The object of faith exists exclusively in the state of possibility. It can be felt psychologically, emotionally and figuratively. It depends on the characteristics of the body.
I very often hear the question, «Do you believe in God?» I answer. But who is God? This is a difficult question. Everyone believes in his or her chosen God. God himself is good. It is a higher power that controls us, helps us, and protects us. If you look at it this way, then no one has seen God, but everyone believes in him, and no one knows what he really looks like.
Every religion has its own God, disciples, and prophets. In every religion, God is called differently, but in fact, God is one. And everyone believes in him. By assuming a religion, a person undertakes before God to follow his commandments, abandoned teachings, canons, etc. If this religion is accepted voluntarily. It is worse if a person is in faith and does not understand what he believes. It is just that every person violates the heavenly laws, commandments, canons, etc. Voluntarily or not consciously, or he has to break them. That’s how the world works. That’s how man works.
Everyone knows that after death he will have to answer for his every crime. And the closer this day comes, the scarier a person becomes. He begins to remember his life, his actions, some of the people try to repent in order to ease their soul, and leave this life with forgiveness.
The way of life changes the inner world of a person. Breaks it. The environment in which a person lives is also not a little important. Of their own free will, or under duress. There are also life circumstances under which a person commits certain actions. Once, while in church confession, when I was in Christianity, I heard such a parable. One priest was engaged in painting icons, and he was looking for a young man to draw an image of an angel. He found one, the young man’s face was clean and beautiful and an angel was drawn from this young man. A few years later, the same priest was looking for a man to draw a demon. And he started going to prisons and confessing prisoners. One day he found such a man, his face was so ugly that the priest was afraid to confess him. And he asked this man to portray a demon. But the worst part is that it was the same person.
In every religion, there is an afterlife. In Christianity and Islam, this is heaven and hell. In Buddhism, this is the transmigration of souls. In Paganism, our ancestors are waiting for us.
Now let us talk about accepting religion by force. This is about those people who have accepted this or that faith against their will. First, this is a violation of human rights, an insult to religious feelings, and most importantly, it is the destruction of the individual. This violent act destroys a person from the inside. How many people died while converting to Islam or Christianity?
Let us remember our princesses who forcibly took vows. Solomonia Saburova. The first wife of Vasily III, forcibly tonsured into a monastery with the name Sophia after 20 years of marriage. She was never able to give birth to her husband’s child. There is evidence that she was even beaten because she persisted and did not want to become a nun.
Anna Vasilchikova. The wife of Ivan the Terrible. Forcibly tonsured as a nun in 1575. She lived out her sorrowful age in the Pokrovsky Convent of the city of Suzdal, which more than once in history became a shelter for unwanted wives.
Sofya Alekseevna Romanovna. The ruler of Russia, the regent of the state during the infancy of the brothers Ivan and Peter. She was tonsured by her younger brother Peter I in 1698 after another revolt of the Streltsy, who tried to bring Sophia, who had been overthrown by her brother, back to power. In monasticism, she bore the name of Susanna, but in 1704, she accepted the «great schema» and regained the name Sofia. She ended her days in the Novodevichy Monastery in Moscow, in severe monastic imprisonment.
So you can enumerate indefinitely. If you go into details, you can find arguments and facts about how people were tortured and killed in monasteries. There were torture chambers. And even an instrument of torture. And in fact, religion should bring good, love.
It is good when a person has accepted faith consciously, voluntarily. This man has thoroughly imbued himself with religion and knows what he believes in. My first part will be devoted to Paganism, since I am in it myself.
PART one PAGANISM
CHAPTER 1
The ancient history of the Slavs is being restored based on archaeological sources, linguistics data and evidence from written sources. Written sources are of particular importance for the restoration of the ethnogenesis of the Slavs. Ancient Greek and Roman authors mention the Veneds, who live north of the Carpathians, along the Vistula and are adjacent to the Fenns (Finno-Ugrians) in the north, the Pevkins and Sarmatians in the south. Extensive information is contained in the works of Byzantine writers; there is also important information from the Gothic historian of the VI century Jordan. He divides the Slavs into three major groupings — Veneds, Ants and Sklavens.
In recent years, archaeologists have established that this information can be trusted. It is important to note that recreating the correct picture of the origin and life of the ancient Slavs is impossible only from one source. Such an integrated approach was defined by A.A. Shakhmatov (experiments on the reconstruction of the oldest dialect interaction with the help of «extra-linguistic» material). This idea was supported and implemented by the Polish linguist T. Ler-Splavinsky, and the Soviet scientist Indo-European B. V. Gornung. He believed that «only generalized archaeological data can be a criterion for testing the historically real possibility of certain linguistic hypotheses.» One of the sources for studying the history of the Slavs are various notes from ancient sources and travelers. The Slavs were first mentioned in the monuments of writing, starting from the I—II century A.D. in the works of Roman historians and Greek philosophers. However, it is not yet possible to compile a complete detailed history of the Slavs in the I—IV centuries AD. Some researchers note that the first news about the Slavs dates back to the V century BC. Therefore, Herodotus, telling about the life of the rich Greeks, mentions the imported amber from a distant country lying in the north, near the river Eriades and the cold, stormy sea. In addition, the first information about the Slavs comes from the Roman historians Pliny the Elder and Cornelius Tacitus. These are brief mentions, and both Roman authors call the Slavs «Veneds».
Depending on how archives and libraries are completed, what documents and books they receive, what documents are destroyed, for what reasons they are destroyed, it is possible to judge the usefulness of the source of the base of historical science. Naturally, not all historical sources that were created in the past have reached our days… Practically, we have fragmentary data, single documents that were created earlier than the 16th century. The corpus of sources began to be more or less evenly folded after the invention of printing. The appearance of replicated publications ensured their greater safety. Handwritten documents and books were created and stored, as a rule, in monasteries. The most valuable documents for the state were kept in princely palaces.
Nikon became patriarch in 1652. Nikon, according to G. Florovsky, belongs to those strange people who seem to have no face, but only temperament. Instead of a face, an idea or a program. Contemporaries talked and wrote a lot about Nikon’s church reform, contradictorily. He did not know Greek, but he «had an almost morbid tendency to redo and re-dress everything in Greek, as Peter later had a passion for dressing everyone or everything in German or Dutch. They have a common similarity: the ease of breaking with the past, premeditation and contrivance in action…
To study the history of Russia, it is interesting to trace how foreigners looked at our country. In this regard, the recently published book «Ancient Russia in the light of foreign sources» should be noted.
It is also important to introduce documents on the history of Russia stored in foreign archives into scientific circulation.
Pagan — this word in the meaning of idolater is a borrowing from Old Slavonic, where it had the meaning of «gentile» and was formed as a tracing paper from the Greek ethnikos from ethnos — «people».
In my opinion, paganism is a religion that has been destroyed for many hundreds of years. Now, when people have freedom of choice, our traditions have begun to revive again.
Paganism is a cult. This is the cult of ancient knowledge, this is the Vedas, and this is a completely incomprehensible history that has survived to our times.
Paganism is the oldest religion on Earth. It has absorbed thousands of years of wisdom, knowledge, history, culture. In our time, pagans are called those who profess the old faith, which was before the emergence of Christianity.
Information about paganism has reached our days because during the baptism, our ancestors converted to Christianity and continued to worship the gods and honor our ancestors. In order to preserve our Vedas and traditions in this way.
Paganism is a term used in Christianity to define non-Avramic religions. In a broader and modern sense, paganism is commonly called any polytheistic or non-traditional religions that are outside of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. In simple words, Paganism is a belief in one of the many ancient religions based on the worship of various gods or supernatural beings that do not belong to Christianity, Islam or Judaism.
Facts about Paganism:
— Pagans do not believe in the Christian concept of God, but it was Christian mythology that borrowed a significant part of the ideas from pagan beliefs.
— Pagans do not believe in the devil or Satan. This concept originated with Christianity.
— Pagans are not Satanists. Satanism was born out of a response to Christianity. This has nothing to do with the pagan mythologies that preceded Christianity.
— Pagans do not sacrifice people or animals. In ancient times, all religions, including Christianity, performed rites of sacrifice. Today’s pagans have left this part of their ancient belief system in the past.
— Many holidays originate from paganism. For example: Christmas, Easter and Halloween. There is also a holiday Kostroma and Kupala, which Christians appropriated for themselves, and now it is called Ivan Kupala.
— «The Gentiles don’t hate Jesus, but they don’t worship him. Most people think he was a good man who tried to make the world a better place. But the pagans do not consider him a god.
— For pagans, magic and incantation are acts of purposeful prayer with a clear intention.
Paganism is an established religious system that has contributed to the development of major religions and to the culture of various nations as a whole. In a sense, it is in paganism, in traditions and rituals, that the main arguments that influenced the formation of peoples and nations as a whole are stored, and made them what they are now. And even only from a historical point of view, these belief systems are of great value both for certain peoples and for humanity as a whole.
By itself, paganism is freedom. The Slavs were free, they lived in tribes. Slavs lived at the expense of livestock and agriculture, at the expense of nature. They revered nature. Nature was their god, and they loved her. By itself, the meaning of the word nature is already a GENUS, i.e. we are WITH a GENUS! With God. Our main god is the god Rod.
Paganism is also called the Slavs’ Rodnoverie. The meaning of the Rodnoveriya is the revival of Russian traditions, ancient Slavic rituals, and ancient creeds. The Rodnoverie is a sacred religion for the Slavs. Rodnovers tend to plunge into it even more with the help of various rituals. The basis of the Rodnoveriya is to be in harmony with nature, to use natural resources correctly, to live according to the law of ancestors. It helps people feel like a part of Nature, to observe its laws. National identity helps to form an independent and self-sufficient personality in a person.
Some pagans and fans of paganism are often interested in the question: when will our number increase, and when, finally, will our beliefs be officially recognized by the state? When the persecution by «official» religions and authorities will become outdated. To do this, the world around us needs to change seriously. Why? Because of the pagans themselves. Those who are interning and posting spam. Spreads negative information, insults other religions. Many consider themselves pagans, wear rotifers and do not know anything about paganism.
First, a pagan is necessarily a person. Even if he is in a crowd, he is not part of it. Even in a circle of like-minded people, he is a person, because everyone’s path is individual. There simply cannot be templates for personal development in paganism. A pagan will not keep up with the company, «like everyone else,» especially if he does not agree with the direction of travel or destination. For any totalitarian religion or political party, such a person is harmful, as well as for the state system as a whole.
CHAPTER 2
Law and religion, they are always there. The state needs a religion that will unite people, so that there would be a number. There are too few Rodnovers to make this religion legal. This religion is too diverse; it will not be numerous because of polytheism, so others do not perceive our religion. Yet our rituals, superstitions, and signs are present everywhere.
The Slavs call the Heavenly inhabitants Gods, and those Gods who live on Earth are called Aces (hence the image of the letters AZ — As and Earth, i.e. God living on Earth). Until now, the best in their field are called Aces: the pilot is an ace, the driver is an ace, i.e. he flies, drives like a God.
Our country has long been called ASIA — the Land of the Aces, since our Ancestors lived by Birth, the word ASIA received the abbreviation «RACE» — the Birth of the Aces of the Country of the Aces. The very name of the country «RACE» refers only to people with white skin color, there can be no «black race», «yellow race», other peoples and tribes had their own names. When the Clans of the Aces multiplied many times, multiplied on the Earth, they became a Great Race, i.e. a large numerous people (great = big).
There are four great kinds of Slavs:
— Yes, the Aryans are the first of the four genera of the great white Race. Their peculiarity is their exceptionally high height, up to two meters, ninety centimeters. The gray color of the eyes, in the Vedic epic, this color is called the color of steel, or the color of silver. The hair color is light blonde or light brown. Yes, the Aryans had the first blood group; over time, they began to have a second one. There can be no negative rhesus in the descendants of white blood. As well as the third and fourth blood groups. The skin color of this Race is gray. This is a brave family, whose vocation is to protect. They were the ones who made up the army of the great Race. Initially, the Aryans lived in the north, their writing is drags, and they became the basis of hieroglyphic and clay writing.
— Ha, Aryans are the second of the four initial genera of the great Race. This Race has its own distinctive features, its own characteristics. Their height reached up to three and a half meters. Their eye color is always green. Hair is always light brown, and light. The blood type can be first and second, Rh is always positive. This kind also excelled in the art of war, and was energetically hardier than the first kind. The descendants of this genus are more sensitive. They work well with technology; they are able to grasp the principle and essence of mechanisms, even if they see it for the first time. Ha Aryan Karuna has been recognized the universal letter of the great Race. Although each of the clans had its own writing system. On the planet Midgard Earth, their territory was Hara. Their main characteristics are wisdom and insight, their vocation to learn. The writing of the Ha Aryans is Karuna, it became the basis for sanskripts.
— The Rasen, the third descendants of the four initial genera of the great Race. They are known as Etruscans or Cyrenians. The Scandinavian Berseks inherited the traditions of the Rasen. Relative to other genera, the races are short, no more than two and a half meters, brown eyes. It was originally written for aria. What does it mean aspiring to Arias, it meant military rage. The hair color is dark brown, and just dark, dark brown. Most often, this genus is accompanied by the second blood group, less often the first. This genus has less martial art than the first two listed genera. This kind has rage, the ability to enter a combat trance. The Rasens have a weak energy, they are less resistant to negatives, and yet they feel thinner surrounding world. There were many priests and magi in their family. In the art of war, more often than not, the Rasen formed sabotage detachments, and thereby suppressed the enemy. Their territory was Paradise. The color of the Rasen is dark fiery, bright brown. Their main characteristics are rage, steadfastness. Their vocation is to support. The Rasen script is the Rasen Molvitsa, or mirror writing.
— The Holy Russians came from a planet from the constellation Makosh, or the Big Dipper. This is the fourth kind of the great Race. The appearance is close to Yes Aryans. Tall up to three meters, broad shoulders and a powerful physique. The color of the eyes is always blue, the color of the sky. Hair in a wide range from dark blond to almost gray. Blood type one and two. Their territory was located next to the Rasen, they are less inclined to master the martial art. Nevertheless, the Holy Russians were considered creators and creators; they are inclined to aesthetics and beauty, crafts, great architects, builders, poets and artists. Among the Holy Russians, there are many spiritual leaders in oracles, healers. Initially, there was a Swag on the mainland of the Svyatoruses, and according to legends, the Aryan Azgard was designed and built by representatives of this genus. In other words, if the Ha Aryans are the science of Race, then the Holy Russians are its inspiration. Their colors are heavenly, azure, light blue. Their main characteristic is creativity, aesthetics, their vocation to create. The writing of the Svyatoruses is a letter letter, a simplified version of the Korun. On its basis, with the addition of Greek, Church Slavonic writing was created.
According to these descriptions, it is clear that the Slavs were a white race. It is also possible to determine who belongs to which of the four genera. After evolution, a lot of time has passed; people have changed their body structure, height, weight. However, the color of the skin, eyes, and hair still belongs to the Slavic family. In addition, not all four representatives of the great Family may have had the third and fourth blood groups, as well as Rhesus negative. These factors appeared later.
Where life on Earth originated. From a scientific point of view, if people are divided into Races, and there is an alien Race, then life on Earth originated from outer space. From an alien Race. In the Slavic sense, we are the children of the gods.
In Slavic mythology, there are several versions about the creation of the world and the origin of life on earth. But no one knows how it really was. Here is one of the versions according to the book of the chronicle of Asov.
The Slavic myth tells that it all began with the god of the Genus. Before the white light was born, the world was shrouded in pitch darkness. In the darkness, there was only a Kind — the Progenitor of all things. In the beginning, the Genus was enclosed in an egg, but the Genus gave birth to Love — Lada, and by the power of Love destroyed the prison. Thus began the creation of the world. Further, the spring created two worlds: Heavenly (spiritual) and Celestial, that is, material, physical, thus dividing Light (mind) and Darkness (ignorance). From this, it becomes obvious that everything surrounding the Genus is Nature, the true essence of everything. Various sounds — muttering, murmuring — gave birth to Barma, the God of the Word. These combinations and sounds carried the teachings about gods, rules, God’s laws and rules of life around the world. (For the record, the chronicle states, «but the supreme God, the Cosmic Mind)». The word «cosmic mind» is mentioned in many books.
Another of the Slavic myths about the creation of the world says that at the very beginning there was only a boundless ocean in the world, over which a duck flew — it was she who dropped an egg into the water, which, having opened gave birth to the world. The lower part is the earth’s firmament, and its upper part formed the firmament.
The legends about the creation of the world are numerous and diverse. The oldest and most important myth in the understanding of the Slavs is a world born out of water, a gradual exit from the land. This is how the ancient Slavs imagined the origin of life on earth.
The idea of the world among the ancient Slavs is rather mythical than scientific. Anyway, in every religion, our planet Earth, just like we were in water before birth. Gods are a rather late invention of the human mind. The most ancient people did not believe in gods — it is difficult to believe in what you do not see. The first cults of all peoples are similar — they worshipped animals, the sun and the stars, the earth and the sky. Historians believe that the Slavs imagined the world in the form of a huge egg. Yolk is our land. The upper part of the yolk is the world of living people, animals, and trees. The lower part is the world of the dead.
Whence the expression seventh heaven exists. In a bird’s egg, the outer layers are films and shells. The world egg has them too. This is the nine heavens. The first sky is for the sun. The second is for the month. The third is for the stars, the fourth is for the dawn, the fifth is for the clouds, the sixth is for the winds. The seventh most important thing is the «firmament», the bottom of the celestial ocean. Waves are lapping on it. When it starts to rain, the seventh heaven diverges and passes life-giving streams of water to the earth. Little is known about the eighth and ninth heaven; perhaps this is a place for space and other worlds.
In any case, it is clear to us that the planet Earth, the cosmos and a star named the Sun already existed before the creation of the world and the birth of life on Earth. The sun is the most important God of the pagans. The sun has been worshipped from time immemorial, in different religions. Slavs glorified the sun, met spring — Maslenitsa. The sun was considered the fiery god Yarilo, because it exuded ardent rays. The ancient Egyptians had a god Omon Ra, Ra means light. The sun is light, it is heat, and it is life. There are many words in which the sound of ra sounds — joy, rainbow, reason.
Scientists also pay great attention to the sun. Our civilization exists not only because of the unique physical and climatic conditions that are present on planet Earth. In many ways, this unique balance, the very physical existence of earthly life is due to the existence of the Sun — our main luminary. Light and heat are the basis of our life. We know a lot about our star. Even the ancient Slavs paid close attention to the Sun. In addition to the divine essence, which was attributed to the Sun, he was assigned the function of determining the chronology. Solar calendars were invented in ancient Egypt; the Indians of North America used the services of the luminary, composing their calendar. Even modern civilization lives according to the chronology, developed taking into account the movement of the central luminary of the Solar system.
Where did the sun come from? In Christianity, God created him. In paganism, it is God. Scientists think differently. The solar system is a system of planets, in the center of which there is a bright star, a source of energy, heat and light — the Sun. In one of the scientific versions, the Solar system was formed because of the explosion of one or more stars, about 4.5 billion years ago. The Sun star and the entire Solar System were formed due to a cloud of gas and dust particles that rotated in motion and, under the influence of their mass, formed a disk in which the entire Solar System originated.
Nevertheless, life on the planet appeared thanks to solar heat. All living things, including people, began to be born on Earth.
To this day, several chronicles and folk legends have survived that the Slavs revered the sun. The oldest of them belongs to the tenth-century Arab writer Al-Masudi. In his work «Golden Meadows», describing Slavic temples, he notices that in one of them holes were made in the dome to observe the points of sunrise, and that precious stones with inscriptions that predicted the future were inserted there. Another Arab writer is Ibrahim Ben-Vesif Shah in his writings writes that the sun was revered by the Slavs, and also that there was one of the Slavic peoples who liked to celebrate one of the seven holidays, the day of the Sun. Seven holidays were named after the constellations, and the feast of the Sun was the most revered. Every family had to have an image of the Sun, because the Sun was considered the protector of orphans and the patron of family peace and happiness. They turned to the Sun with prayer not only in trouble or in illness, but also constantly, every day as the lord of everything. The sun was considered the grandfather or father of the Slavic people, this fact is emphasized by an old song that occurs with minor changes in the epic of all Slavic nationalities. After all, we have only one root!
«Sunshine, sunshine,
Look out the window!
Your children are crying,
Asking for food and drink.»
The meaning of these simple words has a deep meaning. After all, if the Slavic people are considered the grandson of the Sun and are under his special patronage, then an appeal to him with a request for drink and food can be interpreted as a request for spiritual food, without which no person on Earth can do.
The Slavs depicted the sun in the form of a rotifer. The meaning of the word kolovrat — kolo is a circle, the gate is a rotation. The sun is a circle that rotates. Initially, kolovrat had four rays, which meant four continents. Then there were six rays, which meant the patronage of God, whose name is Perun. The eight-ray rotifer means the light of the Sun, as well as the heavenly Fire.
Both men and women can wear Kolovrat as a talisman. Men should wear a charm so that the rays are located clockwise. This talisman protects against evil forces, gives self-confidence and gives masculinity.
Women should wear this amulet counterclockwise. Thanks to him, the fair sex found happiness and love. Every Slav knew that an expectant mother should wear such a talisman during pregnancy. This amulet gave a woman protection from evil forces, helped to give birth to a healthy child and facilitated childbirth.
What is a swastika? The swastika is the oldest sign. The first mention of the swastika appeared in the eighth millennium BC. The word «swastika» itself originated in India, such an ancient symbol itself did not appear in India. The word consists of two Sanskrit roots: su — «good, good» and asti — «is, be», that is, «welfare» or «well-being. Currently, the value of this symbol is still great. Various authors associate the swastika with flowing water, air, flame, fire, the female sex, the union of the two sexes, the moon, the cardinal directions, various gods, etc. The most common version is the sun in circular motion.
If we believe the data from the time of 2 thousand BC, then the sun was represented in the form of a bird. In the monuments of India, the swastika symbolizes the sun, and in pre-Columbian America, the swastika was considered an emblem of the Sun god. In the Bronze Age, the image of a bird with a swastika on its chest, as well as a bird with a cross, was interpreted as a symbol of the solar deity. The swastika was introduced in the VII century, in China as a hieroglyph for the Sun. The swastika was considered not only as a solar sign, but also as a symbol fertility of the earth. The swastika was given importance as a symbol of the four main forces, the natural elements, the four cardinal directions centered on the axis. This is confirmed in medieval Muslim manuscripts, and has been preserved to our time by American Indians. In Western occultism, it was given great importance to zodiac rotations, the alchemical idea of the transformation of elements.
Swastika or Hitler’s star? The German swastika appeared in the early 20s of the last century. Unlike Slavic, it has the opposite meaning. According to one version, the German swastika carries the purity of Aryan blood. Hitler was firmly convinced that this symbol was dedicated to the victory of the Aryans over all other races.
Hitler himself claimed that he had put a symbol of the superiority of the Aryan race in the swastika, he himself wrote about this in a book called «My Struggle». In 1923, a congress was held, where Hitler managed to convince his colleagues that the black swastika on a white-red background was a symbol of the struggle against Jews and communists. The swastika was used paramilitary organizations long before the appearance of the Nazis in the political arena of Germany, as a symbol of nationalism. The soldiers of G. Erhardt’s detachment mainly wore this badge. The swastika became a prohibited sign; the distribution of the swastika was considered a criminal offense. This is indicated in paragraph 86a of the German Criminal Code. This happened in 1946, after the end of the Second World War.
The most significant difference between the Slavic swastika and the German one is the direction of its rotation. For the Fascists, it goes clockwise, and for the Slavs, it goes against it. In fact, these are not all the differences. The Aryan swastika differs from the Slavic one in the thickness of the lines and the background. The number of ends of the Slavic cross can be four or eight.
In Russia, Rosskomnadzor abolished the punishment for distributing swastikas on April 15, 2015.
In Slavic culture, the swastika denotes movement by the sun, and the other — against it. Movement on the sun means happiness, against it — misfortune. It is also interesting that the swastika that we used to see was a favorite symbol of Empress Catherine. She painted him wherever she lived.
The left-sided swastika is a counterclockwise rotation sign of purification, restoration. It also has the property of destruction — to build something light; you need to destroy the old and dark. Worshippers of this sign could wear their amulet with left-hand movements, this sign was called the «Heavenly Cross» and was a symbol of tribal unity and gave protection to the heavenly forces. The left–sided swastika was considered a sign of the autumn sun — collective.
The right-hand swastika rotates clockwise and denotes the beginning of all things — birth, development — it is a symbol of the power of the sun and the prosperity of the family, creative energy. This sign was also called Novorodnik or the Solar Cross. The sun sign and the swastika are equal in this case. It was believed that he gives the greatest power to the priests. Prophetic Oleg knew Ancient Wisdom, Ancient Vedas and wore this ancient sign on his shield. From these beliefs came the theories proving the ancient Slavic origin of the swastika.
Slavic amulets. The hope of protection from evil spirits was placed on the amulets — to protect them from evil, to take them away from their home, children and household. The swastika as a talisman is a sign that means the rotation of the Solar circle. At all times, the Slavs tried to protect themselves and their loved ones from evil, problems, slander, diseases and mental anxiety with the help of amulets. If we touch on history, the ancient Slavs worshiped the cult of the Sun, so Slavic amulets have always been with solar signs, the main task of which is to protect the person wearing them.
CHAPTER 3
Who are the Slavs, and where did this word come from. There are several meanings of this word. One of them is from the word praise. The Slavs glorified the sun, the gods. These people who glorify the world of Truth, perhaps is why they call us Orthodox. Christians have appropriated this word for themselves, and call themselves correctly glorifying their God. Perhaps that is why Christians call themselves Slavs. The next meaning of this word is glorious, glorious people. The compatibility of the suffix -yane is consonant with the names of the landscape (glade, drevlyane, kyane, buzhane). Perhaps this version has led many linguists to one of the understandings about the origin of the Slavs. In this case, it is possible that this is the name of one Slavic tribe, which later spread to all peoples (specific tribal ethnonyms for words — Slovaks, Slovenes, Slovenes, Ilmen Slovenes). There is a theory that it comes from the Slovutich River — the poetic name of the Dnieper; Sluya, Polish. The names of the rivers SawaAwa, SɫAwica, Serbian Slavnica. These words go back to the Indo-European root *leleu- meaning «to wash», «to purify». Everything also points to the Lithuanian village of Šlavėnai on the Šlavė River as the exact parallel name of «slovene», formed at the same time from the hydronym.
One of the versions says that the Slavs, Slovene, are people who speak «in words», that is, in our language, in their own language. For comparison, we can take a foreign-speaking tribe — the «dumb» ones. Of similar origin, the self-name of the Albanians is shqiptarët («speaking clearly»). In addition, the wordзыzyk («language») was used in the meaning of «people». The very essence of the meaning of «word», i.e. Slavs are people who have the gift of words, in comparison with other foreign-speaking peoples. According to the theory, this version was common among many peoples, — friend or foe. The author B.A. Rybakov interprets that the Slavs were related to the tribes of the Veneds are «sla» + «vienna», that is, the ambassadors of the Veneds. If we believe the historical data, then the first archaeological Slavic culture is the subclavian culture of the 5th — 2nd centuries BC. The area of distribution of this culture is southern Poland, the north of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the southeast of Germany and the Carpathian region. This place is associated with the separation of the Slavic language from the Balto-Slavic language community. The Slavs bordered on the north with the Balts and Germans. On the east with the Iranian-speaking tribes of the Scythians and Sarmatians, on the south with the Illyrians and Thracians, on the west with the Celts.
According to another version, the self-name «Slavs» goes back to glory — these are «glorious», «famous people». These were the people in question, about whom the rumor speaks, about whom there is fame.
An equally popular theory tells that the «Slavs» originated from the name of the first community of the people, which gave this word spread to other territories in the process of emigration, especially during the Great Migration.
The Slavs migrated to Europe during the Great Migration of Peoples — this is an Indo-European people who were part of some ancient «Germanic-Slavic» community. The community of Slavs, having separated from the Germans, because, having found themselves on the border with wild Eastern peoples, lagged behind in their development, the flourishing Roman civilization became inaccessible to them at that time. This event served as a decline in the development of the community. Archaeology confirms the existence of strong cross-cultural ties between the Germans and the Slavs, and in general, the theory more than deserves respect if you remove the Aryan roots of the Slavs from it.
The first Slavic settlers on the territory of modern Ukraine and Russia were Drevlyans (inhabitants of forests) and Polyans (inhabitants of fields). It is known from the chronicles that at that time each family lived separately.
Little is known about the history of the origin of the Slavs, it is unanimously believed that they existed from 4—5 centuries. From unreliable information, it is known that before Europe, the Slavs lived in Egypt and Ethiopia, India and Palestine, Atlantis and the Arctic. Somewhere in the 1st millennium AD, the Slavs were divided into three groups: eastern, western and southern.
The Eastern Slavs adopted Orthodoxy. Eastern tribes are Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians. The Slavic Eastern branch included numerous tribes. The list of names of the tribes of Ancient Russia includes: Vyatichi, Bujan (Volynyan), Drevlian, Dregovich, Duleb, Krivichi, Polochan, Polyana, Radimichi, Slovenes, Tivertsev, Ulich, Croats, Bodrichi, Vislyan, Zlichan, Luzhichan, Lyutich, Pomoryan. After the adoption of Christianity, the Slavs did not willingly say goodbye to the gods. The adoption of Christianity was voluntary. Pagans were not burned at the stake; villages were not cut out, as the Crusader Catholics did with the Western Slavs and Lithuanians. Christianity and paganism existed peacefully and for quite a long time.
The Western Slavs are Pomorians, Obodrichs, Vagras, Polabs, Smolinians, Glinians, Lyutichs, Velets, Ratari, Drevans, Ruyans, Luzhichans, Czechs, Slovaks, Koshubians, Slovenes, Moravians, and Poles. Military actions on the part of the Germans forced them to leave their lands and retreat to the east.
The Southern Slavs adopted Christianity before anyone else because they lived close to Byzantium. The South Slavs included Slovenes, Croats, Serbs, Zahlumlans, and Bulgarians. These Slavic peoples settled the lands after predatory raids; they had to experience the strong influence of the Byzantine Empire. Later, some of them mixed with the Turkic-speaking Bulgarians, they gave rise to the Bulgarian kingdom, the predecessor of modern Bulgaria.
What the Slavs had in common was the similarity of the language and the cohesion of the association. The basis of the language was precisely the Gothic ethnosubtract. Linguistically, these are Lusatians, Poles, Litvins-Belarusians, Czechs, Slovaks, Macedonians, Croats, Slovenes, Bosnians, Montenegrins, Serbs, Bulgarians, Rusyns-Ukrainians and Russified Finno-Ugrians. Slavic languages belong to the Indo-European language family.
Slavic tribes began to develop new territories in the 6th-8th centuries. The tribes diverged in three main directions: the southern — the Balkan Peninsula, the western — between the Oder and the Elbe, to the east and northeast of Europe. Many Slavic tribes inhabited the eastern part of Russia. The Eastern Slavs remained on this land and gradually became the main inhabitants of the territory. In Russia, the ancient Slavic tribes were engaged in agriculture, beekeeping, fishing, and were also hunters and shepherds. The Slavs withstood the attacks of the Huns from Central Asia in the 3rd and 4th centuries, as well as the invasions of the Goths from Germany and Sweden. By about 600, the Slavs had become the dominant ethnic group on the Eastern European Plain. By the 7th century, they had established villages along all the major rivers of what is now eastern Russia. In the early middle Ages, the Slavs lived between the Viking kingdoms in Scandinavia, the Holy Roman Empire in Germany, the Byzantines in Turkey and the Mongol and Turkish tribes in Central Asia. The most common version is that the roots of the Slavs go to the lands adjacent to the Danube, and then scattered across Central, Southern and Eastern Europe. In general, scientists agree with the beginning of the penetration of Indo-European tribes close in lifestyle, rituals and language into the center of Europe in the 3rd millennium BC.
The Slavs, as an already established ethnic group, originally appeared in the area of the Laba River (Elbe), their language was mixed with Baltic and Gothic, which gave a peculiarity to their communication. Some Russian historians believe that the Slavs themselves are a mixture of Goths and Balts from the territory of Belarus (that is, Belarusians Gutov-Gepids) and, possibly, Poland. The formation of the Slavs took place in this campaign, in which Iranian-speaking Alans or Sarmatians took part, also possibly a composite group. It is believed that the real Slavs in origin and genetic terms are the Slavs who settled the territories of the present northern Germany (Obodrites, Rusyns, etc.), the Czech Republic and Southern Poland (Lyakhs). The rest of the group are not Slavs, they are considered «Slavs» only because they adopted the language from the Slavs who captured them. Close in location in genetics and anthropology to the Slavs are the Western Balts, Belarusians and Mazurs. Not all other Slavs are Slavs, there is nothing in common between them except the language, Russians, who, being Finno-Ugrians and Turks, are not even Indo-Europeans. Slavic princes and similar Sarmatian Bulgarians who came to us from the Volga are not the «Slavic Slavs». The only language as close as possible to Slavic is Bulgarian (the rest are synthetic). This shows that the Bulgarians have not completed the transition to the Slavic language. This is confirmed in the Novgorod expedition of academician Valentin Yanin in the Novgorod letters: in the analytical Slavic language, the local Sami, whom did the Rurik’s Obodrites colonize. Only after 250 years, the Sami Obodrites began to be called «Slovenes» and the language of the birch bark letters of the Sami was recognized as synthetic Slavic, this is written in the «Tale of Bygone Years». The Slavs have always been a warlike nation, it was the main ethnic force of the Varangians, mainly Polabians, Czechs and Lyakhs. The Slavs of Polabia invented the institute of chivalry. Thanks to their military and knightly art, they managed to subdue vast territories of Central and Eastern Europe, thanks to this, the locals mastered the Slavic language.
The Slavs were the most sought-after commodity in the slave trade as they were the most numerous people in Europe. There was a time when Slavs — slaves supplied to Constantinople were numerous. The most correct version lies in the correct and balanced analysis of the name of our people, resorting to which it can be understood that the Slavs are a community united by one common religion: paganism, who glorified their gods with words that could not only pronounce, but also write! The Slavs brought glory to their gods, and glorifying them, glorifying their deeds, they united into a single Slavic civilization, a cultural link of pan-European culture.
Being the largest nation in all of Europe, scientists still cannot determine the exact origin of the Slavic people. Some suggest that their origin began from the Aryans and Germans. Some put forward a version about the ancient Celtic origin of the Slavs. Today, the culture of the Slavs unites many countries and peoples, the Slavic people occupy a huge territory in terms of their number. Now, the Slavs are an Indo-European people who, despite the difference in mentality, nationality and versatility, actively participates in the development of history.
The Holy Book of the Slavs is the book of Veles. The Book of Veles is an ancient Slavic monument that has survived to the present day. It is a symbol of the Old Slavic script of the 9th century AD. This book tablet is one of the official proofs that paganism existed in Russia. Slavic magi carved this book on wooden tablets. The old dilapidated tablets describe the history of Ancient Russia from 650 BC to a quarter of the 9th century. The book of Veles itself was simply called a book, because in the chronicle it there is its name — a book. Perhaps the god Veles was mentioned or simply revered at that time. And the book was called the book of Veles.
The book of Veles has the second name of Ploshchechkin’s hut. Pagans especially revere this book as the main material proof of the existence of their religion. The first publication of the text took place in 1950 in the city of San Francisco. The text was published thanks to two Russian emigrants Yu. P. Mirolyubov and Al. Kurom (A. A. Kurenkov). The falsification of this book appeared in the 19th century, in order to primitively imitate the Proto-Slavic language. Yu. P. Mirolyubov himself is considered a forger of the book, and the whole story of the appearance of Veles’ book belongs to him. According to him, the text was copied from wooden tablets lost during the war. These tablets may contain information about the ancient Slavic history from about the 7th century BC to the 9th century AD, as well as legends and prayers. Following his story, the location of the wooden planks occurred in 1919 during the retreat from Moscow. They were found by a Colonel of the Volunteer Army, by the artist Fyodor Arturovich Izenbek, in one «plundered princely estate of the Zadonskys, or Donskys». The location occurred on the floor in the looted library. All the plates were approximately the same size — 38 × 22 cm, half a centimeter thick and had a hole for fastening with a belt. The tablets were scratched with incomprehensible writing; the text was scratched with an awl or burned, and then covered with varnish or oil.
Mirolyubov learns about the tablets when Izenbeck settled in Brussels in 1925, and studies them. The tablets disappear without a trace after Isenbeck’s death in August 1941. The tablets were stolen from Izenbeck’s apartment in Brussels. A.I. Asov states the version that M. Yu stole the tablets. Sheftel for the purpose of their research. M. Yu. Sheftel was an employee of Prof. Ekka. During the German occupation in Ahnenerbe, a department was headed at the University of Brussels. According to relatives, the only thing known about the fate of Sheftel is that during the war he was captured in a French camp while escaping from German persecution. After the war, the tablets were sold to the Mormons. Unfortunately, there is no documentary evidence that anyone other than Mirolyubov saw the «Izenbek tablets».
Russian Russian Writings, a report on pre-Cyrillic writing, was read in the city of San Francisco at the Russian Center. This event took place on August 10, 1952, with a report made by Al. Kur, in which it was claimed that the Russians had their own writing even before the arrival of Cyril and Methodius. In the same year, Kur addressed readers with a request to clarify the fate of the ancient tablets from the Isenbeck library. Kur addressed readers with the help of the pages of the magazine «Firebird», the printing organ of the Russian Center in San Francisco. Yu. P. Mirolyubov responded to this request in September 1953. The correspondence of Kur and Yu. P. Mirolyubov is partially published by A. Asov.
The first publication about the «Veles Book» not the full version appeared in the USSR in 1960. The full version appeared in Russia in 1990 by O. V. Tvorogov and is guided by the typewritten text of Mirolyubov. Yu. P. Mirolyubov is an author on Slavic folklore, artistic works and amateur compositions.
CHAPTER 4
The Baptism of Russia
The period of Russia’s history before the adoption of Christianity did not fit into any «standard» pattern — it was not similar to the primitive communal system, nor to the slave owning, nor to the feudal. Rather it looked like a socialist. In the period before the baptism of Rus, the Russ undoubtedly had their own state and at the same time, there was no class society, in particular feudal. And the disadvantage was that the «classical» Soviet ideology claimed that the feudal class created the state as an instrument of its political domination and suppression of the peasants.
The Old Russian Slavs, they did not accumulate wealth, they did not leave an inheritance, they did not have the meaning of life to make capital, and this was contemptuously censured. And what was valuable? Russians have never sworn by their family, children. And what did they swear by? For example, in the treaty with the Greeks of 907, it is clear that the Russ swore by «their weapons, and Perun, their God, and Hair, cattle god.» Prince Svyatoslav swore by Perun and Volos in the treaty of 971 with Byzantium. The Slavs considered their connection with God, with the Pantheon of Gods, their honor, conscience and freedom to be the most valuable. The Rus despised gold, and one of the treaties with Byzantium and Prince Svyatoslav proves this. If the oath is broken, «let us be golden, like this gold.»
The baptism of Rus was of great importance in Russian history. Pagan beliefs were replaced by a nationwide unified religion. The adoption of Christianity from Byzantium predetermined the future path of Russia’s development as the largest stronghold of Orthodoxy.
The princely power grew, and with it, the need to strengthen the state grew. Disagreement in polytheism did not give unity and weakened the state of Ancient Russia. Despite the assertion of the common Slavic pantheon of gods, the union of tribes was steadily disintegrating. Vladimir Svyatoslavovich understood that a stronger religion was needed, capable of uniting people.
Before the adoption of baptism, paganism flourished in Russia, it was a completely religious system. Christianity cannot be called a completely new form of spiritual life. Prince Vladimir understood that it would be extremely difficult to introduce a completely new and unusual religion into Russia. After all, even before the advent of Christianity in Russia, there was a cult of the god of the Genus, who was a heavenly god, ruled the clouds, breathed life into all living things. In fact, the baptism of Russia gave a sharp impetus to the people from the transition of one religion to another, from polytheism of polytheism, to monotheism, that is, monotheism.
Historian S. F. Platonov believes that the main reasons for the baptism of Russia were economic. It was difficult for the state to subjugate many Slavic communities, Russia was baptized in order to strengthen the role of the state and subjugate a completely cohesive people. One of the reasons is trade, Christian peoples did not want to communicate and trade with pagans, Russia risked remaining isolated. With acceptance Russia became on a par with other European states, Europeans began to conduct a dialogue with them and no longer looked at them as Russian barbarians. Because Christianity in Russia was Orthodox and came from Byzantium, Russia, felt isolated, because Catholicism prevailed in Western Europe at that time. The prince did not know that after the baptism, Kievan Rus would remain the only Orthodox state, and Greek Byzantium would soon fall.
With the adoption of Christianity, the prince stopped supporting pagan cultures, and they began to be destroyed everywhere. Religious buildings, idols and temples, which were especially revered by pagans, were destroyed. Pagan holidays and rituals were strongly condemned by the clergy.
The Prince himself, being a pagan, was inclined to the Byzantine faith. In 980, Grand Duke Vladimir I Svyatoslavich tried to unite paganism and make polytheism in Russia. Throughout Russia, from the eastern slopes of the Carpathians to the Oka and Volga, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, which included East Slavic, Finno-Ugric and Turkic tribes. The chronicle testifies that Prince Vladimir was devoted to pagan gods. He had serious intentions by creating the Slavic pantheon of gods is in Kiev, he sends his uncle Dobrynya to Novgorod, and he «put an idol over the Volkhov River, and I’ll give him the people of the city like God.» The chronicle reports: «And the beginning of the principality of Volodimer in Kiev is one, and put the idols on the hill outside the courtyard of the terem»: Perun (Finno-Ugric Perkun), Horsa (god of the Turkic tribes), Dazhbog, Stribog (Slavic gods), Simargla, Mokosh (goddess of the Mokosh tribe). The idol that Dobrynya set up in Novgorod was the idol of the Finnish Perkun, the inhabitants of Novgorod gave more reverence to the Slavic god Veles.
Christianity in Russia was spread long before the official baptism of Russia under Vladimir I Svyatoslavich in 988. This is evidenced by numerous data. Let us start with Byzantium. Russia besieged Constantinople three times — in 866, 907 and 941. Pre-planned robber raids were repeatedly carried out on Russia, and a peace treaty was subsequently concluded. Russia and Byzantium had well-established trade and state relations. Initially, only pagans participated in the signing of the treaty in 912 from the Russian side, Christians already occupy the first place in the signing of the treaty in 945. The number of Christians has increased markedly in a short period. The first baptism took place in Constantinople in 955; Princess Olga received it. It was a magnificent and solemn event, both Russian and Byzantine sources tell about it. People from the closest princely entourage became Christians.
Every religion, including the chaotic paganism of Russia, has, in addition to all kinds of cults and idols moral foundations. These moral foundations, whatever they may be, organize people’s life. Old Russian paganism permeated all layers of the society of Ancient Russia that had begun to feudalize. From the records of the chronicles, it is clear that Russia already possessed the ideal of military behavior. This ideal is clearly seen in the stories of the Initial Chronicle about Prince Svyatoslav.
How was Christianity accepted in Russia? Many European countries have adopted Christianity by force. The baptism of Russia was not without an onslaught, the majority were baptized quite peacefully. Baptism — personal and national — was a prerequisite for the contract of Prince Vladimir with Basil II, which was concluded in 987.
The contract read as follows:
Vasily II was ready to resume relations with the Russian-Byzantine side. But the military-political side had to accept the following conditions. To settle relations with neighboring lands, to eliminate conflicts in everything and, above all, in matters of faith. The new agreement was to seal forever-friendly ties between two Christian sovereigns and two Christian peoples. Having agreed to these conditions, Vladimir had to personally be baptized according to the Greek rite. It was also necessary to convert to Christianity as soon as possible his entourage of «boyars», «nobles», and «all the people of the Russian land».
Prince Vladimir was baptized himself, baptized his children, and then the whole house received holy baptism. In the future, near and distant relatives adopted Christianity. At the same time, the princely squad was baptized. With the adoption of baptism, the prince dissolved involuntary souls, male and female. The main part of the contract concluded with Basileus Basil II was successfully fulfilled. The last condition was the baptism of the Kievans, and then Vladimir became the sovereign of the Christian people.
Vladimir wanted to convince the townspeople of the insignificance of his old faith, and that they voluntarily accepted the upcoming religion. To do this, he gave the order to destroy the very sanctuary of Perun, which was being built a few years earlier «on a hill outside the courtyard of the teremny.» This was done to convince the Slavs of the Christian faith. The prince also gave an order to the servants, and the statue of Perun was thrown to the ground, tied to the tail of a horse, it was dragged from the «mountain» to the bank of the Dnieper. The statue was beaten with iron sticks; this was done in order to exorcise the demon. Perun was thrown into the water, the servants escorted him to the Dnieper rapids, and the idol sailed further downstream. Thus, Russia said goodbye to pagan idols.
At that time, the abuse of the defeated gods was accepted. In the city of Arkona there was the most revered sanctuary of Svyatovit, in 1168 when the Danes took the city. The Danish king Valdemar I ordered «to pull out this ancient idol of Svyatovit, especially revered by the Slavic people, a rope was thrown around the neck of the idol and it was dragged in front of the Slavs, then broken into pieces and thrown into the fire» (the message of the German chronicler Helmold).
Residents of the city of Kiev had to be prepared for the sacrament of baptism. In order for people to know the faith of Christ, Christian priests walked around the city and brought the word of God to people. Not many people agreed to the position of preachers, several local clergy and «priests of Korsun» who came with Vladimir. The prince faced a difficult task, to prepare local citizens in a short period. It had to be done before the summer. With the consent of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Vladimir brought several priests from Bulgaria to Kiev to help with baptism, as indicated in the Joachim Chronicle, he had a difficult task. Such a mass of people could be baptized only in the summer in the waters of the Dnieper. At that time, the temples were not adapted for the rite of the sacrament of baptism.
The baptism took place in the Dnieper River; the river replaced the church font. There were many people who wanted to convert to Christianity, men and women of different ages. The priests divided the people into several groups, they went into the water in turn, the first group went into the water up to the neck, the second up to the chest, and all the others were in shallow water. After the prayers were said, the priests gave each baptized group Christian names; the name was common, one for all, male for men and female for women. After being baptized, people continue to live with the name given at birth. Those who did not want to accept the sacrament of baptism were expelled from the city by the decree adopted above to the «deserts and forests». For the society of that time, which existed in conditions of constant military danger, disagreements and oppositions were unacceptable.
How Novgorod was baptized. Novgorod was not prepared for a new religion, it took time and patience to prepare it, at first everything went peacefully. Metropolitan Michael the Greek arrived in the city to prepare the townspeople, it was in 990. Upon his arrival, the first Christian Church of the Transfiguration was founded. Novgorodians reacted coldly to the new religion, and after the departure of the metropolitan and bishops, most continued to honor their gods and honor their ancestors. In 992, a second attempt was made to baptize Novgorod. The monarchy applied its power, an army was sent to the city, together with Bishop Joachim Korsunyanin, led by the uncle of the Grand Duke Dobrynya and Tysyatsky Putyat.
The Novgorodians received the news that an army was coming to them to destroy their shrines. Having gathered the veche, the residents decided not to betray their gods, and to strengthen their city. The bridge was dismantled; stone-throwing guns were exposed on the shore. The Kievans did not dare to attack first, and captured several instigators of the resistance by deception. From this turn of events, the Novgorodians were enraged. The priest Bogumil, nicknamed the Nightingale, called on his people to defend the faith of their ancestors. The people did not want to weaken their position and there was a riot in the city. The rebels robbed the houses of the first Novgorod Christians, and the Church of the Transfiguration was ruined. About five thousand citizens joined the battle with Putyata’s army. Dobryna had no choice but to resort to extreme measures. Novgorod was set on fire. This event took place at night; he crossed to the Sofia side and set fire to houses on the shore. It was a terrible disaster for the wooden city. Most residents asked for peace, some rushed to extinguish their homes.
The Novgorodians were offended; they went to be baptized forcibly, with great resentment. People were driven into the water in droves. Men were baptized above, and women below the Volkhov bridge. Novgorodians did not want to be baptized. And even on the day of the great sacrament, they tried to deceive themselves by saying that they had already been baptized. Therefore, crosses were put on the neck of all those who were baptized. So in Russia there was a tradition of body crosses.
The neighbors laughed at this event for a long time, recalling to the Novgorodians «how Putyata baptized them with fire and Dobrynya with a sword.» The rude imposition of faith has been imprinted in the memory of the Slavs for a long time. Over the years, Christianity has managed to win their souls. Baptism gave rise to the so-called double faith, a bizarre interweaving of pagan and Christian traditions. Memories of paganism live to this day in the folk festivals of Maslenitsa, Ivan Kupala and many other rituals.
After the baptism of Russia, paganism dominated the country for a long time, there were few pagan communities left, and they existed in some cities, and peacefully got along with Christian ones. At one end of the city, there was an Orthodox church, at the other there was a temple of a pagan god. After decades, the temples disappeared. Pagan magi and after baptism ruled the masses, especially in the villages. Many pagans for another hundred years after baptism worshipped idols and engaged in sacrifices. Christianity finally came to Russia in the 13th and 14th centuries, when there was a need to unite society in the face of the Golden Horde.
With the adoption of the Christian religion, elements of Byzantine culture began to penetrate into Russia, and this contributed to the more intensive development of art in Russia. The widespread dissemination of Cyrillic-based writing has become extremely important. The first monuments of written culture appeared, which have survived to the present day and can tell a lot about it.
I often hear that millions of people died during the baptism of Russia. What millions could Christians destroy on the territory of Russia? At that time, 35 thousand people lived in Kiev in the 12th century, 25—30 thousand in Novgorod. In ancient Russia, the average population in the city was about 1,000 people, according to scientists. These were giant cities, by medieval standards! What millions of Russians? In the era of Peter 1, the population of the whole country was 7—10 million people. There is no doubt that all these weighty arguments are quite adequate scientific data. Of course, there were conflicts between citizens and the state, the imposition of a new religion, however, as in any other country. We also note that there are still many teachings against paganism, starting from I. Zlatoust and ending with today’s speeches by Deacon Kuraev. It would be silly to talk about large-scale military operations, there is another fact — archeology does not confirm the forced baptism of Russia — it is impossible to hide millions of dead. During the archaeological excavations of ancient Russian cities, no such finds were revealed; these finds would have come in very handy in Soviet times to fight the Church.
Neo-pagans consider the weakening of Russia and the emergence of some kind of dependence on the Byzantine Empire to be a consequence of the «bloody» baptism. The roots of the prehistory of the baptism of Rus grow from a military campaign against a Greek settlement and Vladimir’s further ultimatum to the whole of Byzantium: «I have already taken your glorious city; I heard that you have a maiden sister; if you don’t give her up for me, then I will do the same to your capital as to this city.» Thus, Prince Vladimir managed to get the emperor’s daughter Anna to marry. The German emperor and the French king sought the hand of the beautiful princess. The baptism of Rus did not stop the Russian-Byzantine wars. From that moment on, European rulers began to seek kinship with Russian princes. Yaroslav the Wise married his daughters to the kings of France, Hungary and Norway, and his son married the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Constantine Monomakh. Russian lands continued to grow geographically. Does this indicate a «weakening»?
CHAPTER 5
At the baptism of Russia, it is mentioned that Prince Vladimir dissolved his harem. Was there polygamy in Russia? A family for a pagan Slav is a whole world. His peace and procreation, well-being in the family and much more, is above the public. In those days, during the war, the last men in the family were the last to be sent into battle. There also used to be a custom that obliged the brother of a deceased husband to marry his widow. This custom was widespread in Russia until the 16th century. This custom has its roots in ancient times; the elder brother was fully responsible for the children and the spouse of the deceased. There were simply no single families, this is nonsense. At that time, there were no single mothers, orphanages, etc… The most terrible punishment for a Slav is expulsion from the family; it was considered the heaviest punishment, which was practically equivalent to the death penalty.
During the pagan period, domostroy reigned in families, children obeyed their parents implicitly. The main factor in the upbringing of children is the love of children for their parents, complete obedience in childhood and youth, as well as in pagan families there is such a moment «and taking care of them in old age.»
The main function in the pagan family was procreation. If there was no childbearing in the family, then this family was considered incomplete. It is necessary and important to emphasize that a pagan family is a large family. The state has always respected large families, and in the 20th century, Stolypin relied on large families.
In ancient Russia, the family did not have the right to terminate the marriage. In the pagan era, marriages were concluded in words, rituals were performed, and there was an understanding that marriage with one wife is «forever» and extends beyond the grave. But since the main factor in the family was childbirth, and if the wife could not give birth to her husband’s child, then the husband had the right to take another wife. Most often, there was no divorce as such; just the husband took another wife.
Polygamy in Russia was present in all Slavic tribes, from which the Russian ethnos was subsequently formed. In pagan times, polygamy existed among Western, southern, and eastern Slavs. Before the adoption of Christianity, many princes had several wives. The Polish Prince Mieszko had seven wives, the Czech Prince Slavnik had many wives, the Pomeranian prince had several wives, as well as twenty-four concubines. Among the Old Russian nobility, in addition to polygamy, concubinage also flourished. From our Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich had a whole harem. He had 300 concubines in two ancient Russian cities of Belgorod and Vyshgorod, as well as another 200 in the village of Berestov. The prince brought concubines from military campaigns; the concubine became a prisoner, and served as entertainment to the prince and his retinue, as well as concubines were the subject of trade.
After receiving baptism, Prince Vladimir immediately dissolved his harem and abandoned his usual life; he turned to his wife Rogneda with these words: «I have been baptized now. I have accepted the faith and the Christian law, now I should have one wife, which I took in Christianity, but you choose one of my nobles for yourself, and I will marry you to him.» The adoption of Christianity in 988 significantly affected the life of the Old Russian nobility.
On the subject of concubinage, there is one very heartbreaking story, which is known from the chronicle. Prince Yaroslav Osmomysl of Galicia (reigned 1157—1187) was so attached to his concubine Anastasia that he decided to marry her. To do this, he needed to get rid of his legal spouse, the daughter of Yuri Dolgoruky. The prince planned to send his lawful wife to a monastery. Having learned about this, the boyars did not allow him to do this, they sided with the princess, raised an uprising, and burned Anastasia alive. The prince sent Anastasia’s son to prison. The prince was sworn to live with his lawful wife.
Who are the Slavic gods? Gods are a rather late invention of the human mind. The most ancient people did not believe in gods, it is difficult to believe in what you do not see. Almost nothing is known about the religion of the ancient Slavs, the first sources about Slavic culture appear in the 6th century. This is fragmentary information in written sources; they appeared after reaching the borders of the Byzantine Empire. The Slavic religion was formed for quite a long period, it was a process of intertwining the ancient Slavs from the Indo-European community with the mythology and religion of neighboring peoples of the II—I millennium BC. Therefore, naturally, there is a significant Indo-European layer in the Slavic religion. It is assumed that this period includes images of the god of thunderstorms and fighting squads (Perun), the god of cattle and the other world (Veles), the image of the faceless deity Yarilo, and the deity of the Sky-Father (Stribog). In addition, Indo-European gods include such images as the Mother of Cheese-the Earth, the associated goddess of weaving and spinning (Mokosh), the solar deity (Dazhbog), and many others. In the first half of the 1st millennium BC, the mythology and religion of the Slavs were significantly influenced by the Celts and the steppe Iranian-speaking population of the Scythians, Sarmatians and Alans.
The main features of Slavic paganism as a worldview are the belief in the animateness of nature (animatism and animism), the cult of ancestors and supernatural forces that are constantly present. And take part throughout the life of each person, the developed lower mythology, the belief in the possibility of influencing the state of things in the world by means of primitive magic.
Slavic polytheism (belief in nature) is not the religion of one closed community. This is the religion of small communities connected by a single origin, language and elements of culture, and nothing more. This religion is deeply rooted in the history of the development of Slavic communities. The pagan Slavs worshipped the elements, believed in the kinship of people with various animals, offered sacrifices to the deities inhabiting everything around. Each Slavic tribe had its own gods, For example, the rites of the northern Baltic and Novgorod Slavs were very different from those of Kiev and the Danube. The Slavs never had a single idea of the gods, since the Slavic tribes in pre-Christian times did not have a single state, so they were not united in beliefs. Some gods are similar to each other, but have nothing in common with each other.
As with most peoples of the world, in the paganism of the ancient Slavs there was an idea of a single god. That is, it was a god above all the numerous gods. Who could directly influence all the processes taking place in the universe?
Rod is the main deity in the Slavic Pantheon. The Creator of everything, the primordial spirit, the Primordial God, the Prabog. The genus is also called the Supreme God or the Most High and Belbog, the White God, Sventovit. Sventovit translates as the Knight of Light. Dark — Dark Knight, or Chernoboga, the opposite of Belbog. The genus is the ancestor; all other gods obey him, because they are descended from this primordial deity, the closer they stand to their ancestor, the stronger their power.
The Eastern Slavs actually had two supreme gods. Most Slavs — especially revered Yar or Yarilo (in some tribes: Khoros). Horse is a borrowed god from Iranian mythology. So the Slavs called the sun, which was considered a living supernatural being, giving people warmth and light. Tribal nobility, engaged in military campaigns, defended their tribal lands from enemy attacks, this was their main occupation. They worshipped the thunder god Perun more. The god Perun was especially revered by vigilantes and warriors.
Svarog is one of the highest gods of the Slavic-pagan pantheon. This is a particularly revered god, the creator of Heaven and Earth. It is believed that Svarog endowed people with blacksmithing and taught them to forge metal products. Any forge itself is a temple of Svarog, and the anvil and hammer are symbols of Svarog. It is also known that the Slavs revered fire as a natural element, whose father was Svarog and affectionately called Svarozhich. Svarog is also considered the patron saint of warriors and weapons.
The patron god of cattle, Volos or Veles, was very revered. It was believed that this god patronizes the reproduction and damage of livestock, good offspring of meat and fat, the size of milk yield. Also, this god is considered the guardian of the forest, patronizes hunters and warriors. The god Veles, he has many personifications — the god of wisdom, the patron of the magi, can guide on the path of spiritual self-knowledge in the world of Reality, as a god-magician, the leader of magicians, the patron of the animal world, he is also addressed as the god of prosperity. The god Veles accompanies souls between the gates of the otherworld, helps to cross between the worlds of the doers, the lord of the underworld.
Of the female deities, Mokosh or Makosh is known. The goddess of fate, prosperity, family happiness. Makosh is one of the goddesses of childbirth. She is revered as the goddess of the harvest. Her sign is present in the ornaments of clothing, in spring with her hands raised up, in autumn with her hands lowered down. Makosh is one of the revered goddesses of the Slavic pantheon. She is revered as the goddess of needlework. He really dislikes the lazy, and those who depart from traditions. Her name is also Mati Spinning, her main occupation is spinning. He sits high in the heavenly palace and spins the threads of fate together with a share and a short time. If there was a difficulty on your way, or something went wrong, then Makosh tied a knot on your way. Makosh is especially revered by women, she is asked to create a marriage, the birth of healthy children.
There is also a particularly revered goddess Lada. The goddess Lada is one of the most important goddesses in the pagan pantheon. She is the daughter of a Genus (sometimes considered the female hypostasis of a Genus) and a Duck. The duck is the mother of all mythological birds, and Lada is very often depicted as a white swan. She is also the mother of Zhiva, Leli, Lelya and Morana. Morana (Madder, Morena, Mara, Morzhana, and Black Mother) is the goddess of winter, death, queen of the night, a mighty and formidable deity of the Slavs. Whole books have been written about Slavic gods. The Slavic pantheon of gods has more than a hundred deities.
In addition to the gods who personified the elements and phenomena, the Slavs revered the spirits — owners of specific natural objects and patrons of a particular house. So, in each house, according to the ideas of the Slavs, there was a house spirit. He was often personified with a schur (ancestor), believing that this was the spirit of the long-dead founder of the family. The brownie was considered a domestic deity; the whole life in the house in which he lives depended on him: the very integrity of the house, the health and family well-being of the owners, wealth, property, and pets. The owners of the house always tried to appease the brownie and left him some food for the night. Moving to another place, the Slavs took their brownie with them with the help of a special ceremony.
There is also a fairy-tale character who came to us from the world of ancient Russia — this is Baba Yaga. Now, she is considered an evil witch, and she exists only in fairy tales. Where did it come from? Let us try to figure out who Baba Yaga is. In fact, there is no precise and unambiguous opinion. According to some sources, she is considered the patron of the forest and animals, a kind ancient Greek goddess who guards the underground entrance to the kingdom Far Away (the afterlife). But there is another version that the word «yaga» took its origin from the word «yogi», and Baba Yaga herself is from India. Maybe that is why she is considered a hermit living in the forest, away from people and settlements. This is how hermit yogis used to live. This woman practiced yoga and treated people with herbs. According to other sources, she got this name because she was a very quarrelsome, angry and quarrelsome woman; in Russia, such people were often called Yagishnoyu.
Some researchers believe that Baba Yaga may have emigrated to us from the Northern part of the planet. In ancient times, in order to protect themselves, the inhabitants of the North built their dwellings on poles; this was done so that wild animals could not penetrate into the dwelling of reindeer herders. Thanks to this, at a height, the snow did not completely cover the house, and it was possible to get out of the snow blockage. These buildings in their shape resemble Baba Yaga’s dwelling — a hut on chicken legs. One version says that Baba Yaga was named after the plant «yagel». Once she lived in an area where yagel — deer moss grows, it has long been called «yag». Everyone saw that Baba Yaga wore a sleeveless fur coat, and there is a possibility that her name came from a simple phrase — baba in a yaga (a fur coat without sleeves). In addition, there is a belief that Baba Yaga had Asian roots and, accordingly, had an Asian name. Perhaps the expression came from there: «Fu-fu, it smells like Russian spirit.» The fact is that each race has its own body odor, and most often people can smell from a distance belonging to a person from another race.
After the advent of Christianity in Russia, Baba Yaga became a negative fairy-tale character. Yet, in fairy tales, there is some truth: a hut on chicken legs covered with moss, a sleeveless vest, etc. The pantheon of Slavic Gods is immense, and it is impossible to name all the names, since each name is a great deed in the vastness of the universe.
Slavic witches can also be attributed to this topic. Who are Slavic witches? The word Vedas means knowledge. To know means to know. A woman who has certain knowledge. Unlike Christian statements that claim, that a Witch is an evil woman flying on a broom and serving the devil, in fact, a Witch from Old Slavonic is a Knowing Mother.
In the pre-Christian period, women with the status of witches were highly respected members of society. This honorary title in Vedic culture was given to a woman who raised virtuous offspring. The Slavs were Orthodox -they glorified (as they say now — pagans). With the advent of Judeo-Christianity, negative information about witches spread to Russia.
Who are Vesta, the Bride, the Witch, the Sorceress and the Witch?
Our ancestors had an institute of female priesthood; all girls were trained before marriage and potentially had such abilities. Slavs revered the goddess of spring Vesta. She was respectfully greeted on the day of the vernal equinox — she brings spring to the Earth, good news and nature wakes up with her arrival. All this symbolizes the awakening of the Earth after a long winter sleep.
According to the ancestral traditions of the Slavs, Vesta is a girl who is trained in all the wisdom of marriage (knowing), a knowledgeable, caring mother in the future, and a good host, a faithful, wise and loving wife. Only after the girl acquired such knowledge did she have a chance to become a wife. Everyone knows that harmony in the family, comfort and atmosphere almost completely depends on the woman. Vesta cannot have a bad husband, because she is wise. Most likely, the ancient Slavs did not even know what a divorce was.
The «bride» is not a wine girl who takes care of herself for her husband. The bride is the girl who has not yet received the news of the upcoming wedding. Only after the wedding, the girl became a Vesta, knowing that the girl’s mother should prepare her for marriage. Vesta should be prepared to give her husband (family) healthy offspring.
As soon as Vesta gave birth to her first child, she became a Knowing Mother or, for short, a Witch.
The witch could teach and cure. But there came a time when many knowledge was banned, and those who preached them were expelled. They interfered with those in power. Illiterate people are easier to manage. The word Witch has become a curse.
The birth of a girl in a Slavic family has always been a blessing from Heaven. Her parents knew that with her birth, love itself, joy, and divine light came to the family. The times have come when harmony and happiness have lost their value. Girls from childhood without knowing it to show their divine nature: they are more obedient than boys are study better; try to create beauty and harmony around themselves, caring and kind. Raising a daughter, parents show gentleness, she cannot be severely punished, or loudly swear in her presence. The task of parents is to preserve her purity and develop female character traits. After all, the world was held on these divine qualities. The girl, who was instilled with all the necessary skills from childhood, and helped to reveal the qualities of female nature, became the guardian of the happiness of all people.
A witch is an intermediary between Heaven and Earth. The word Witch has the same root as the Vedas, what she does is she knows the secret. A witch is given a gift at birth; she has ancient knowledge, wisdom, clairvoyance, an innate gift to know the relationship of the subtle world and the physical, spiritual vision. A witch can know the cause of death, communicate with the souls of the dead, and learn about a mistake made in a past life that now affects a person’s life. In modern terms — karma, diagnostics, clairvoyance.
A sorcerer, a sorcerer is a person who is engaged in magic, witchcraft, love spells, conspiracies, etc… According to public data, a sorcerer is endowed with special supernatural powers from birth or because of a contract with evil spirits.
Why Witches were burned at the stake. In the hoary middle Ages, there were many things that literally make the blood run cold in the veins of a modern person — this is the lack of hygiene, constant internecine strife. The most common phenomenon was the witch-hunt, which lasted for centuries, literally mowing down thousands of the most beautiful women in Europe (and sometimes quite courageous men). All girls, girls, and ordinary women fell under the status of «Witches», although they were not such. At that time, it was easy to get rid of a rival by calling her a «Witch», someone decided to get rid of a neighbor and settle in her house, just as a husband could get rid of his wife and settle with a new chosen one, etc.…
The secular court, where representatives of the holy church were necessarily present, urged the victim to confess everything herself, thereby softening her share. The more obstinate had to be tortured. The victim understood that she was doomed to be burned, and there was no point in suffering torment. After all, «humane» Christians considered it cruel to shed blood, even the blood of a witch or a sorcerer. According to established Christian canons, it was believed that only fire could purify a sinful soul and prevent its rebirth. Although in paganism it is believed that by committing the body to fire, a person is freed from all earthly things and the soul is freed for a new incarnation.
CHAPTER 6
Nowadays, the religion of the Slavs is more often called mythology; the word religion itself is replaced by a myth. Slavic myths tell that the god Rod, the Creator of all things, decided to restore order in the world and separated the particles of light from the particles of darkness (chaos). Only where light does not come into contact with darkness, there is order, and where light merges with darkness, development is possible. The Slavs, who understood this, divided the world into three parts: Reality, Nav, and Rule.
The world of Reality is the world of living beings. People, animals, birds live in it. Also in the world of Reality, there are spirits, small gods, and natural gods.
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