Before the adoption of Christianity, the Slavs were pagans. This means that in their view, man and nature were closely connected. They perceived the world as a living and wise being, having its own soul and living according to certain laws. This sense of the surrounding world contributed to the emergence of myths about gods and spirits that control human life.
Patron gods of the ancient Slavs
All Slavic people in one way or another acted as patrons of either some kind of activity or a certain social group. Thus, Veles is considered the patron of animals and trade, Perun - of princes and warriors, Svarog - of fertility, the goddess Lada - the patroness of peace and harmony, Alive - of youth and love, Makosh - of fate and women's needlework, etc. This is due to the fact that each deity was responsible for a specific a natural phenomenon and the sphere of human activity, and therefore could contribute to success or failure in it.
To strengthen the connection with their patron, the Slavs made amulets with the symbols of the deity and carved idols. They also sent prayers to the Slavic gods.
Slavic sun gods
Slavic had four hypostases in accordance with the four seasons, as well as the cycles of human life:
- winter sun - Kolyada, newborn child;
- spring sun - Yarilo, strong, full of life young man;
- summer sun - Kupaila, a mature strong man;
- autumn sun - Sventovit, a wise, fading old man.
This understanding of the structure of the annual cycle embodies the pagan idea of the infinity of the cycle of birth and death. So, the old man - Sventovit - dies before and the next morning the newborn Kolyada appears.
Yarilo - sun god
Yarilo is Slavic god spring sun, youthful strength, passion, unbridled thirst for life. This god is distinguished by purity, sincerity and fury. Yarilo let down to the ground Sun rays, which in some cases are interpreted as love arrows. The Slavs imagined God as the life-giving force of the spring sun, which fills the earth with life and joy after a long winter, awakening from hibernation.
The Slavic god Yarilo is considered the patron saint of people with kind, pure, bright and heartfelt thoughts. People turned to him for help in conceiving children. He was also responsible for fertility and was considered the embodiment of rage in the most sublime sense.
Yarilo could be called Yarila, Yarovit and Ruevit.
What does Yarilo look like?
Yarilo, the sun god, seemed to be an attractive young man. His hair was blond or reddish, his eyes were light blue, clear, and a red cloak fluttered behind his broad, powerful shoulders. Yarilo was seated on a fiery sun-horse. Many girls fell in love with the handsome young man. And God is ready to reciprocate each one. Appearing in childbirth, Yarilo also acts as the deity of bodily love between a man and a woman. This explains the fact that the Yarila doll was often made with a large phallus, which is the oldest symbol fertility.
Attributes of God
Yarilo - the god of the sun - was endowed with such attributes as an arrow, a spear, a golden shield or a circle representing the sun. The god's stone is amber, the metal is gold and iron, and the day is Sunday. Also everyone solar symbols can be identified with Yarila.
Holidays of Yarila
Yarilo, the sun god, was revered starting from March 21, a day that also coincided with Maslenitsa. From this day began the time of the spring sun god. And it lasted until June 21-22, when the moment of the most have a long day and herself short night per year.
Another day of Yarila is April 15th. At the festival, a bride was chosen for God - the most beautiful girl in the settlement. They called her Yarilikha or Yarila. Yarila’s chosen one was dressed up, mounted on a white horse, a wreath of spring flowers was put on her head, left hand the girl took ears of corn, and on the right - an image of a severed human head - a symbol of death. The horse and the bride were led through the fields - it was believed that this ritual promoted fertility. This ritual has another variant, when a girl portraying Yarila is tied to a tree, and then round dances are performed around her with ritual songs.
Towards the middle of summer, Yarila was honored again. At this time, boys and girls gathered on the “Yarilina pleshka” - certain place outside the village. All day long people walked, sang, ate food, and danced. At this holiday, a young man (Yarila) and a girl (Yarilikha) were honored, dressed in white clothes and decorated with ribbons and bells.
As soon as night fell, fires called “Yarilin fires” were lit. Often the holiday ended with a symbolic funeral of the bride and groom - straw effigies in clay masks were thrown into the water or left in the fields. Thus, people seemed to say that it was time to stop having fun, it was time to work.
Myths about Yaril
Yarilo is the embodiment of youth and life, so in myths he often plays the role of a lover. Moreover, according to some signs, it becomes clear that God is in love with all women on earth and even the Earth itself.
The main myth about Yaril is the story of the creation of life. There is such a variant. For a long time Mother Earth was sleeping soundly, but somehow Yarilo appeared and began to wake her up with his caresses and passionate kisses. The kisses were as hot as sunlight, and the Earth, warmed by them, awakened. And in the place of the kisses, fields, forests, and meadows appeared. The sun god continued to kiss the Earth. And lakes, rivers, seas, oceans appeared on it. The earth became hot from Yarila’s caresses and gave birth to insects, fish, birds and animals. Man was the last to be born.
This is one of the options for paganism and the emergence of life.
Yarilo's symbol Slavic culture is one of the key elements associated with sunlight in general and with spring in particular. It has extremely powerful protective powers and can act as an excellent amulet. But this sign is not suitable for everyone - this should be remembered if you are planning to get a tattoo.
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Yarilo sign and its history
Yarilo is not the central deity in the hierarchy of higher powers of our ancestors. Some historians even believe that it was not a god, but a ritual symbol. This is stated, for example, Nikolay Galkovsky, famous Slavic historian. At the same time traditional history, just as modern Slavic communities still consider Yarila a deity, and not a personification of the holiday.
Yarila's sign
Nevertheless, regardless of the point of view, the symbol of Yarilo was very important place in the life of our ancestors. He personified all the qualities that were inherent in this spring god, and was primarily a youthful amulet. In its external design, this sign did not have any strict traditions. But everyone Slavic peoples he was portrayed almost identically. This sign looked like the face of a solar god, from which rays of light or flame radiated.
Our ancestors applied this sign to their festive spring clothes; it was depicted on houses and ritual baked goods. But there were a number of rules that related to this symbol, without which it was fraught with danger. It was possible to use his power carelessly only in the spring - at a time when he was fully entering into his reign.
Amulet Yarilo, its meaning and power
God of the Slavs Yarilo
The symbol of Yarilo, the god of the Sun and spring, was an extremely powerful amulet. In spring, every person could use his power, however, at any other time of the year, such power could be dangerous. Only boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 25 can use it without fear.. This is connected with the very essence of the god Yarilo. He is not the patron of the Sun, as popular misconceptions say, but rather the personification of the spring Sun. Therefore, its power can only be used in the spring season, or by those whose life is in the spring stage.
In general, speaking about the power that this amulet provides, we can say that it can be used for any purpose - be it or, for example, development creativity. It can also help in love affairs, however, it is only suitable for starting a relationship - the spring god was not known for monogamousness and stability in relationships. Therefore, it is suitable to use this aspect of the Yarilo amulet only to attract the attention of the opposite sex or to add zest to a stagnant relationship.
The restrictions on the use of this amulet were discussed above. Older people can use it only in the spring, and then only with caution. If you use it too often, or have malicious intentions, it has a high probability of causing harm. Thus, if worn incorrectly, this can lead to infantilism, lack of judgment and inconsistency in decisions - therefore, it will hardly be possible for even young people to use it for business.
Tattoo Yarilo - what does this tattoo mean?
It is worth noting that our ancestors had an ambiguous attitude towards tattoos. In the same way now - in some pagan communities, such signs on the body are completely prohibited, while in others, on the contrary, they are encouraged. The truth, as usual, is in the middle. Tattoos have played a significant role among people in the past, and it is simply stupid to ignore such a tradition. This can only be explained by Puritanism. At the same time, the reckless use of symbols and applying them to your body can ultimately result in much greater harm - so you need to approach such a decision really carefully and carefully.
Yarilo's tattoo
Magic symbols that are used in tattoos influence their bearers throughout their lives, and such influence may not always be desirable and justified. Nevertheless, Yarilo’s tattoo can be a good incentive for a person who fully justifies the principles of the god Yarilo. That is, as long as there are no evil thoughts in a person, such a sign is unlikely to bring trouble. It can help unlock any potential, allowing you to achieve everything that a person deserves. Such a sign provides a person with tests for life path- and you will have to deal with them constantly. But overcoming them will certainly be followed by a reward. Are you ready for such a change in your life that will definitely follow Yarilo’s tattoo? It's up to you to decide.
In general, the Yarilo symbol is certainly a bright sign. However, it is worth remembering that too bright light may burn. Therefore, not everyone can use its power, and care must be taken with it.
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- 5836Yarilo-Sun (Yarila)- The Most Serene Heavenly God-Patron of Earthly Life. Yarila is the patron saint of all Bright, Pure, Kind, Heartfelt Thoughts and Thoughts of people. Yarilo is one of the incarnations of Dazhdbog.
Yarilo- guardian of Good and Pure Hearts and our daylight star, which gives everyone living on Midgard-Earth warming warmth, love and a full life. The image of Yarila the Sun is often depicted in everyday life in the form of various swastika symbols and horses.
Yarilo- God of the sun, childbirth, fertility and rage. Fury - in the very in a high sense. Without YAR - Strength - you cannot conceive a child. Therefore, when conceiving a child, they also turn to Yarila and Dazhdbog.
Yarilo, Yarovit and Ruevit- these are different hypostases of one deity of fertility ("yar", "spring"), the ardent god of awakening matter ("rage"), strength and youth ("yarka" - a young strong sheep) and the spring light ("bright") (East. slav. Yarilo; z. slav. Yarovit, z. slav. Yaromir according to the unrecognized "Kraledvor manuscript"). The god of war Yarovit, whose temple was in Volegast (Volegoshche), is functionally similar to the violent, zealous Tur Eastern Slavs, Mars - the Romans according to eyewitnesses, Ares - the Greeks, Tyr - the Scandinavians.
It is possible that Yarovit and Ruevit - Ardent and Zealous - are two names of a single deity among Western Slavs. Rugevit or Ruevit - among the Rugs-Ruyans, the seven-faced god of war, the idol stood in the city of Karenze (Kornitsa) on Rugen. Saxo writes: “(The city) is famous for the temples of three glorious temples. The main temple was located in the middle of the front part of the temple, which, like the temple, having no walls, was covered with purple fabric, so that the roof lay on the same columns. When both covers were torn off , then the oak idol of Ruevit opened up hideously from all sides.”
The idol of Ruevit was destroyed by Bishop Absalon in 1168. He had eight swords and seven heads and was of gigantic stature. Four heads were male and two female, the seventh animal was on the chest. Is it just the attributes that say that these are different gods in the understanding of the Rugs and the Stetins. The symbol of Yarovit was a huge shield, most likely personifying the sun, since holidays in honor of it were held before the beginning of summer (like Yarila, calling on fertility to the fields).
It is very typical that Yarilo participates in Belarusian holidays either in the form of Yara-Yarilikha or in the form of a man with a huge phallus. Meanwhile, the root “yar” is present in such specifically “feminine” words: spring sheep - bright, yoke, spring wheat, spring bread, but the use of this root in the feminine gender: rage, milkmaid, yar, yarina (sheep’s wool), yara (spring).
We consider Yarila as a dying and resurrected son or the reality of Veles, who appears as Frost in winter, and in spring as Yarila. His day is Tuesday. Its month is March, named after the god of war - Mars, its metal is iron, stones are amber, ruby, garnet, hematite.
It seems interesting to us that this god had its analogues among a number of peoples. And, although a number of researchers hastily write Yarila into late medieval fiction, this cannot be so since the root “yar” is the oldest common Slavic and even Indo-Aryan root. Let us recall that etymologically and functionally the Slavic Yaril corresponds to the Roman Eril, who has several lives, like Mars, the god of the ardent power of the revival of nature, the Hittite-Hurrian god of war Yarri, the Akkadian god of war Erra, the Greek god of war Ares-Arey.
The celebration of Yarila, firstly, falls on March 21, the beginning of the first month of the pagan year, this is due to the fact that “the bestial god lifts Winter on his horns.” Perhaps on the same day the gods who awaken life were honored - Zhiva, Dazhdbog and Svarog. Yarila is also honored on Yuri the Winter - December 9, together with Dazhdbog.
The clear sun knows and knows what is in a person’s heart, what is hiding in the shade of branchy trees. Nothing can be hidden from the clear-eyed, not even a matter 
sinners, nor good ones. With its rays it will warm the crippled and the suffering from the heartache from the winter cold. The shining sun sheds its love on the earth every single day, with the gold of its hair and the azure of its eyes.
In the spring, Yarilo, the god, emerges from the ring of cold hands of dark Mary and descends to the earth to melt the ice and snow, drive them in streams across the sleepy earth and give the seed of life to its depths. With the steps of Yarilo, the human tribe also comes to life: the maidens are filled with beauty, like apples in divine gardens, and young men light up from that beauty with a wild flame and the rage of their patron. And if the sun smiles on Yarilo, then there will be endless weddings and feasts, for he is life and strength, and blossoming and young exuberance.
The son of the eternal Veles is like the spring wind, wild and cheerful. Its strength lies in the warmth and light that the sun sends its rays to the earth during the day. And the god Yarilo breathes with love: from his love the fields are eared with gold, the rivers gurgle in the expanse, the maidens smile languidly, hiding their eyes under the shadow of their eyelashes, the boys’ shoulders become wider and stronger.
The son of Dodola, the rejected one, has a beautiful face. In his eyes is the carelessness of the spring sky and in his hair the rays of the sun weave a web. On his white horse, Yarilo gallops across the skies and illuminates the earth. On his head, like a crown, is a wreath of scarlet poppies, like blood itself, and the smile of the sun shines like pearls, blinding with its whiteness.
Wherever the bright god passes, there will now be a good harvest and human happiness. Yarilo God does not like the unfaithful and deceitful, for the light should not be stained by darkness. Only pure thoughts and a heart full of goodness are grace for the Most Serene One. Yarilo the Sun will love such people and will send them his grace: the ears of corn will grow heavy in the fields of the bright-eyed people’s favorites, laughter will be heard in the walls of their houses, and healthy children will be born, strong and cheerful in disposition. Because Yarilo is the protector of the kind and cheerful. Life from him through light is given to the human world, therefore they called him a great luminary and loved and prayed for him.
They came to the clear-eyed one for advice, for he knew about human feelings and that reason prevailed. But it was not blind and insignificant lust, but love that burned between human hearts. And the lovers asked Yarilo the Sun for help and protection, so that no one could separate them and take away the half they had acquired. Yarilo himself, however, also madly loved all women both on earth and on heavenly spaces. His heart is great and his love is for everyone. The goddesses fell in love with him and forgot about their pride and destiny, and swore their feelings to the beautiful Yarilo. Such was Lelya, born at dawn and beautiful. And Yarilo loved her, like the ancestor of the gods Lada and the cold Mara, for his love was too great for one.
Yarilo shot his rays as if he were shooting arrows. They fell into the ground, and the grass grew lush and lush there, and they fell into people’s hearts, and they completely fell in love. But one day the wind, called to the aid of the Fathers by Veles, returned the solar arrow to Yarilo and great love befell the heart of God. He saw the beautiful Taya and forgot everything, for that maiden was more beautiful than any spring. I forgot about all the red maidens, the Sun Yarilo and passion flared up in him like a flame. He desired only her - Taya, the daughter of Svetogor and Plenka, and took her as his wife before the human and divine race, for from now on only the cheerful and mischievous Yarilo God will remain faithful to her.
Yarilo - God of the Slavs.
The ancient Slavs believed in the sun, but they just called it differently. Someone prayed in the name of Yarilo, someone in the darkness of the night prayed for the dawn of Yarovit, someone called the sun Jaromir, for he gave the world a bright light. There were many different names, but the Slavs still believed in the same god - the Sun, who drove away the winter cold with his warmth and filled the world and human hearts with light.
The name Yarilo seems to speak of something fierce, bright, uncontrollable and strong. And such was God Yarilo - the god of youth and youthful strength, the god of feelings and flesh of love, the god of fertility and harvest, the god of light and warmth. He has many names and many opinions about where these names came from. The root of the god's name "yar" means spring and fertile. Hence the words “ardent” - angry, passionate; “yaritsa” - spring; “Yarny Bread” is fresh, fragrant bread. This is where the belief arose that Yarilo is God coming to earth in the spring, walking and bringing harvest and love.
Yarilo was also worshiped by other peoples. The Baltic Slavs worshiped a deity called Yarovit, otherwise Gerovit. This god had symbols: a golden helmet and a large round shield made of gold. They seemed to personify the duality of the Sun: its warmth and light, which gave life, and its rage and heat, which could incinerate enemies. Therefore, among the Baltic people, Yarovit was not only the god of the sun and spring, but also the god of war. Among the Serbian and Croatian tribes, such a god was called Lero.
Symbols of Yarilo.
Yarilo, like the sun god, had solar signs and symbols. One of them is “C”. It was usually worn by priests, warriors of princes and warriors. Solar cross used as a body amulet. He personified all the spiritual power and purity of Yarilo.
The next symbol of this god was Salting. He served as the personification of the setting and falling asleep luminary Yarilo. This marked the end of the day, when work for the benefit of glorifying one’s family ended and twilight came. But this darkness was blessed for the working people, since it was righteous for the day’s labors and served as peace.
"" is the idolizing fire from which both gods and worlds were born. This is the victory of the righteous light over the deceitful darkness. England burns in Yarilo, an eternal fire that spills onto the ground.
Svaor-Solntsevrat was a symbol of the movement. Yarilo, the god on his horse, moved across the sky from dawn to sunset. So Svaor-Solntsevrat personified the movement human soul from darkness to light, from doubts to the purity of your thoughts.
The rise of the Yarilo sun at dawn was personified by "". It was a symbol of the victory of life over death.
"" was a sign of fertility, which God Yarilo gave to the damp earth. It was a sign of filling with God's grace and blessing, purity and light, uniting the wisdom of the Family of all and bestowing prosperity.
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God of the ancient Slavs Yarilo
Yarilo - solar deity of the ancient Slavs of the period pagan Rus', who was the youngest of the solar gods that make up the pantheon. People considered him the brother of Dazhdbog and Khors, believing that he was the illegitimate son of the werewolf god Veles and the wife of the thunder god Perun Dodola. At the same time, the data that has reached us is so scarce, and the genealogy of the Slavic gods is so confusing that today there is no way to understand it.
The legend of the Slavic god Yarilo
However, from early chronicle texts we historians know that the Slavic peoples attributed Yarilo to the generation of grandchildren and sons of the main gods. Yarilo-Sun was considered a deity who bestows people with fierce passion and healthy children. Thus, he was associated not only with the flowering of nature and human strength, but also with carnal love. Also, this deity was quite often called by ancient authors the embodiment of the spring sun and the god of spring.
Moreover, if the god Kolyada “was in charge” of a newly born, young luminary, who was just beginning his life after cold winter, then Yarilo was identified with the spring sun that had gained strength. Characteristics This divine essence was represented by sincerity, brightness of temperament, fury and purity. In general, all the so-called “spring” character traits of a person were attributed to him. The association of this god with the cult of spring can also be traced by the name of the spring grain crops sown before the beginning of spring.
Verbal description of the god Yarilo
The ancient Slavs saw Yarilo as a young and handsome guy with blue eyes and beautiful facial features. In most cases, he was depicted naked to the waist, which symbolized not only the hot weather, for which the sun god was responsible in the spring, but also his patronage of lovers and young people. However, researchers emphasize that the deity was not responsible for people’s feelings for each other, but only “inspired” them with the desire for carnal love.
According to one of the legends that have reached us, beautiful goddess Lelya fell in love with the god Yarilo and, having confessed to him, received reciprocity from him. At the same time, Yarilo confessed his love to Lada, Mara and many earthly women. This god did not recognize the sacred bonds of marriage and family, but advocated only uncontrollable passion.
Feast of God Yarilo
The day of veneration of this solar Slavic deity or Yarilin's day in Rus' was celebrated at the very beginning of June (according to the modern calendar). As a rule, the celebration took place on the first - fifth of this first day. summer month. But this does not mean at all that they forgot about it on other important seasonal holidays. For example, Yaril was revered on the holiday of the spring equinox, on Ivan Kupala, Maslenitsa and the Magpie holiday. This demonstrates the importance of worship for the Slavic peoples sunlight and warmth.
Yarilin's day was a holiday of the end of spring and the beginning summer days. According to folk beliefs, on this day the evil spirits tried to hide in the most inaccessible places (under stones, in a swamp, etc.), because on this day the sun's rays had a special magical power.
It is worth noting that this holiday was celebrated until the eighteenth century, as evidenced in the records of Voronezh and other provinces. IN Kievan Rus On this holiday, people organized bright large-scale fairs, which ended with dances and round dances around large bonfires. Eat folk saying: “On the feast of Yarila, all the saints fight him, but cannot overcome him,” which once again indicates that, despite the ban of Christian priests and the state, this pagan holiday continued to be celebrated by people.
At the festival, men staged fist fights, believing that the god Yarilo himself was not distinguished by his flexible and gentle character. The obligatory dishes on this day were scrambled eggs, sweets and pies. In addition, not a single Yarili day was complete without the obligatory requirement of this solar deity for the idols. As a rule, the necessary sacrifice was beer and honey. As on every pagan holiday, bonfires were lit at night, around which young people danced, dressed in their best and brightest outfits. According to some literary sources, there were also games of a mating nature.
At the same time, all marriages concluded that evening were considered completely legal, and children born after the holiday were born in marriage. No less popular on this day were visits to those who cast love spells or knew how to tell fortunes about fate and love.
The ancient Slavic myth about Yaril talks about the love of this deity for Mother Earth, which in essence is a reflection of beliefs about the very origin of life on all earth and the resurrection of this world after each winter. From this text we learn that initially the solar deity fell in love with the empty and cold earth. Wanting to revive her, he asked permission from the other gods, who forbade him to do so. Then Yarilo directed his gaze to the ground and, against their will, awakened the lifeless earth, filling it with his warmth.
