Pagan symbols and their meaning

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

In those distant times, when paganism or polytheism reigned in all countries, people spiritualized the things and the phenomenon around them. As a rule, there were many gods among the Egyptians, and among the ancient Celts and Vikings, among the Greeks, Slavs, Chinese and Hindus. No one professed monotheism.

Faith in one god appeared much later, as civilization developed. For the formation of the state, a strong cementing force was needed, which was hardly personified by polytheism.

Polysemy of the term

However, the faith of our distant ancestors, which was confessed for more than one century, and everything connected with it - the gods themselves, pagan symbols endowed with a sacred meaning and containing certain wishes for descendants, embedded in amulets - all this is interesting, as much of the distant past has come to our days. But the term "paganism" does not only mean polytheism, or the belief in many gods. It is used today to refer to all religions, except for Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Such world religions as Hinduism and Brahmanism, Buddhism and Confucianism, and all the rest, are also referred to by the term "paganism". This word meanspre-Christian faith of our ancestors. Holidays of primitive peoples, rituals and beliefs are also called paganism.

New Old Faith

Recently, interest in everything pagan has increased. There are more and more supporters of the tribal ethnic faith. There was even a new term for these movements - neo-paganism, although the adherents of the folk tradition themselves are extremely negative about it. Of course, modern followers of paganism have many obstacles on the way of knowing the tribal faith - non-theistic religions (belief in polytheism) were severely persecuted for centuries, everything that had to do with the faith of distant ancestors was ruthlessly destroyed. Of course, neo-paganism will differ from the generic faith, because a lot of the unknown is thought out, and not always by professionals.

Main objects of worship

In any case, interest in ancient history is growing, pagan symbols are receiving special attention. Every nation has gods, personifying earth, sky, water, air - all four elements.

And God is always present, and he is one of the most important in any religion, personifying the underworld (people are mortal, and most often their bodies were interred). But the most important signs are symbols of the sun. They are, if not in all, then in many pagan religions.

Persecuted Faith

The pagan symbol of the sun was also among our ancient ancestors. Ancient Slavic mythology is no less interesting than ancient Greek, but if the gods and heroesthe latter was sung by poets, starting from the 7th century AD, then in Russia, with the adoption of the official faith, paganism was categorically forbidden. But it was, and in the course of its long existence, like any religion or culture, it acquired only its own esoteric (secret, intimate) symbols and signs, containing knowledge and concepts about the world around.

Not only faith

Expressed in the simplest geometric elements, the symbols went into folk patterns and ornaments that decorated clothes, weapons, dwellings and utensils. They were passed down from generation to generation, and it was not possible to destroy the memory of them. Pagan symbols are an integral part of the whole life of pre-Christian Russia. Slavic paganism is not only a stage in the spiritual development of the Proto-Slavs (ancient), based on mythology and magic, but also a special cultural model of society that existed for quite a long time after the baptism of Russia.

Personification of Evil

The fact that the ancients were well oriented in the system of the universe is not a secret for anyone. They enclosed all their knowledge in symbols, of which many have survived to this day. Getting to know them is extremely interesting.

The only, but big, trouble is that the brightest and most joyful solar sign of the Sun - the swastika - has become for many years the personification of unprecedented evil. Pagan signs and symbols are very numerous - only swastikas of various modifications number up to one and a half hundred. But there is no other symbol in the world thatin the minds of billions of people would not be so connected with evil and who would be so eloquent. And no matter how scientists fight, proving the true meaning of this solar sign, no one will ever, seeing a swastika painted on the wall, think that it was depicted by a person worshiping the sun and singing it. Absolutely every person on this planet knows for sure that her convinced fascist painted it. The rivers of blood spilled by the bearers of this sign in the 20th century changed its meaning forever.

Initially - the symbol of the sun

However, the current fans of paganism, and scientists too, can safely say that the swarga, or swastika, is a symbol of the sun, or rather its movement across the sky. This should simply be taken into account when studying pagan symbols and their meanings. The ancient Slavs have many signs about which you can learn a lot of interesting things. In fairness, it should be noted that the swastika as a symbol of the sun, that is, the main symbol of faith or worship, is found among many peoples scattered across all continents.

Tetraxel (four rays) is depicted on ancient Buddhist temples and even on the chest of a Buddha statue, it is also found on the ancient altars of France, it can be found on the cover of the Gospel in England and on ancient homespun carpets of Central America, and even on Chinese coins. There was a svarga in ancient Egypt, Armenia, Iran, India and on the robes of Orthodox clergy. Among different peoples, it symbolized, in addition to the sun, the movement of life, light, prosperity and fertility. In Russia, the swastika was called Kolovrat, and its rayswere sent to the left, s alt.

Many and numerous

It symbolized, as noted above, the cycle of the sun. It was found even on ancient icons. This suggests that the swastika originally personified goodness. And even having adopted Orthodoxy, the Slavs remembered paganism for a long time. Data on the number of swastikas used in Russia vary greatly - from 77 in some articles to 144 in others. All of them are distinguished by the number of rays, and their direction, and color and shape. Among the solar symbols, the most famous are such as the "thunder sign", "eight-beam kolovrat", "trixel" (three rays). The pagan symbols of the Slavs glorify movement, the sun, life-giving moisture, in general, the fullness of life.

One of the main solar symbols

The cross also refers to the solar (solar) signs. By itself, it is quite important, and enclosed in a circle - even more so. The cross is a symbol of life, heaven and eternity. These signs are also different: straight and oblique, with four, eight and twelve rays, etc. For example, a straight cross can serve as a primitive model of the Tree of Life. According to another version, the four rays of such a solar sign represent the four cardinal points. The cross enclosed in a circle is also a symbol of the sun. As already mentioned, the number of rays can be different, but this does not affect the basic meaning of the sign, only the interpretation changes. An eight-pointed cross enclosed in a circle or “wheel” was used on Maslenitsa - doused with tar, set on fire, rushing downhill, it symbolized the change of seasons. And, at the same time, the eight-ray Kolovrat is a symbol of the god Svarog. And it is under this sign of wisdom and justice that the revival of the current paganism takes place.

Both Rod and Perun in one symbol

The six-pointed cross in a circle is a sign of the god Perun. He was usually depicted on armor. Perun is the god of thunder, in the pantheon of Prince Vladimir, he heads the list of gods. But the same six-ray cross, enclosed in a circle, is also a symbol of the Family - the Grandfather of the gods, the Legislator of Rule and the Great Almighty. Probably, there are some subtleties that are known to the new idolaters, and scientists too. Because superficial knowledge leads to a dead end: what ancient god is symbolized by a six-rayed cross enclosed in a circle?

Borrowed symbol

There are opinions that the first Christian ideologists borrowed the sacred sign of fire from the ancient Slavs. They not only stole it, but also completely changed its meaning, turning the symbol of a triumphant life into a crucifix, personifying not only suffering and torment, grief and death, but also humility and meek humility, which runs counter to the faith of freedom-loving worshipers of heavenly and earthly fire. Whether or not Christians stole our symbol, the Old Russian cross is older than the Christian one by a millennium and really carries a different semantic load. Although this is certainly a subjective view.

Pagan Slavic gods

The symbols of the pagan gods are very diverse and numerous. Each of them - Svarog and Lada, Chernovit and Mary, Stribog and Svyatovit, Yarovit (Yarilo) and Dodola - have their own personal signs. To the host of the mainThe ancient Slavic gods revered in Russia also include Royan and Belobog, Dazhdbog and Zhiva, Veles and Makosh, Radegast and Ruevit, Svrozhich and Prov, Morok and Chur, as well as Viy, Khors and Kolyada, Kupalo and Tausen, Nemiza and Rarog. These are the gods who have their symbols. Of course, named at the end of the list, they are lower in rank than the same Makosh and Dazhdbog. And it somehow happened that representatives of the lower rungs of the hierarchical ladder, who do not have any symbols, have come down to us - obviously, thanks to Russian folk tales. We are talking about goblin, water, brownies, banniks and other "evil spirits". All of them are frequent heroes of animated films.

Symbols of nature

Looking further at pagan symbols and their meanings, we come across the symbolism of Nature, Earth and fertility. These signs are multifaceted and numerous. Perhaps the most famous of them is a rhombus or square, divided into four more similar figures. This is a field character. If there is a dot inside each rhombus, then this is a sown plot of land, if there is no dot, it is empty. A hollow rhombus generally personifies what it can never give birth to. Often there is a symbol of a bird and a forest.

Information from the past

Still pagan symbols of the Slavs are divided into signs that personify water (heavenly abyss - heaven filled with life-giving moisture necessary for plant life), air and space, fire (heavenly and earthly), two principles - male and female. There is even symbolism of the ideal and heavenly bodies. There are a lot of sacred signs, which, however, is not surprising, because it is nottell about the richness of the world around you through a dozen images. Ancient pagan symbols are not just drawings and patterns, they have a deep meaning, they carry the knowledge that our distant ancestors possessed. Although much has been lost, a very large number of symbols and images have survived to this day, which we have yet to decipher.

Protect from everything

Now it is very fashionable to wear pagan amulets. It is believed that they contain the sacred power of our distant ancestors and have powerful protective properties. The inhabitants of our country, even deeply believing Orthodox, for the most part believe in signs, the evil eye and slander. And if earlier they only bypassed black cats and spit over their shoulders, now many sincerely believe in the protective power of ancient amulets. And they even often wear them without removing the pectoral cross - it’s more reliable that way. And then, the amulets offered in large quantities are very beautiful. The pagan symbols of the Slavs and their meaning are a whole layer of ancient culture, faith and traditions of our ancestors. Unfortunately, few of the current generation are at least superficially familiar with this topic. And smart sellers, taking advantage of this, offer amulets for all occasions.

Personal protection

There are separate amulets for women and men. And now also for Slavic beauties - ugly or elderly women, presumably, are already protected from some kind of troubles and troubles. But for them there are separate symbols, such as, for example,"Makosh". This goddess of earth and fertility takes the family under her protection. It is better for young girls to turn their attention to such a talisman decoration as the Lada Mother of God. She is the goddess of youth, love, beauty and he alth. Very beautiful in appearance and powerful sacred sign - "Lunnitsa". It is especially recommended for pregnant women, as well as "Rozhanitsa". Very popular now is "Svadebnik" - a sign of newlyweds. This amulet was given to the bride. Women's amulets also include "Deer-grass", "Prayer", "Yarilo" (this symbol is also suitable for men). The most powerful is considered "Alatyr". Our ancestors endowed this octopus with power over time and the course of life. And there is a symbol intended only for babies - "Radinets". The heavenly amulet was depicted on cradles and cradles. He brought peace, comfort and protection to the newborn child.

Various charms

Slavic pagan symbols of the stronger sex are not so numerous, but they are also spectacular and effective. So, "Ax of Perun" is a sign of a male warrior. "Dukhobor", "Vseslavets" and "Seal of Veles" serve as a guaranteed protection against all misfortunes. It is recommended for an error-free selection of the necessary amulet to carefully look at the range offered. "Your" talisman will definitely make itself felt.

It must be said that the amulets that came from distant pagan times are made not only in the form of pendants with some kind of sign. There are many pupae to which our ancestors attached great importance. Before they were made, the house was cleaned cleanly, the dolls were made only from fabric and thread without the use of scissors and needles. Persons atthere were none, because, as the pre-Christians believed, evil spirits could penetrate the product through the eyes. "Nurse", "Toast" and "Pokosnitsa" are the most common of them. Each had its own purpose and its own range of protected objects.

You need to know the origins

Old Russian pagan symbols are so numerous that it is impossible even to list them in one article. A lot is being written about them now, because this topic is really very interesting - such a huge layer of culture is being raised that for a long time it was not allowed to talk about. But this long period in the life of our country must be considered in close connection with the subsequent stages of the development of Russia and Russia, while in no case opposing it to Orthodoxy or atheism. This is the history of our Motherland - from paganism to the present times, including all types of empires and all religions. There was an interest in antiquity, in its symbols, in the way of life, I like to find out where certain concepts came from - please, delve into it, why not? If only all this did not carry a destructive beginning. Studying the traditional patterns of patriarchal antiquity is not only interesting, such knowledge helps to understand a lot in modern times.