Kupala (correct pronunciation of Kupailo or Kupaila) is an ancient Slavic solar deity, personifying the apotheosis of the active creative energy of sunlight. The image of Kupala, as a metaphorical image of the original elemental fire, is inseparable from the image of his sister and wife Kostroma (the embodiment of the element of water). Strictly speaking, this is the only act of incest (and even then - accidental) in ancient Slavic mythology, which to a certain extent distinguishes the beliefs of our ancestors from any other religious systems, where marriage between blood relatives was at least considered the norm.
An ancient legend says that the god of the mysterious Moon and the fierce Fire Simargl Svarozhich, who appeared to our distant ancestors in the form of a winged dog, was considered the permanent keeper of the heavenly hearth. Mighty and irresistible with a fiery sword in his hand, he vigilantly protected the Sun from earthly evil, not leaving him for a moment. But Semargl's stern heart was not at all hewn out of stone, as other gods believed. Semargl was aflame with sincere, passionate love for the goddess of the night, the Bathing Woman, and knew that his feelings were mutual.
The bather daily called her lover to the banks of the beautiful Ra-river (the ancient Slavic name of the Volga), although she understood that Semarglu should not leave the sky. But once (on the day of the autumnal equinox) in Semargl's soul the feeling of love overshadowed the feeling of duty. God left the heavenly post and went down to the Ra-river to finally embrace his beloved. And from that moment on, the night began to win back extra minutes from the Sun, becoming longer and longer.
Nine months later (on the day of the summer solstice), children were born to Semargl and Kupalnitsa - Kupala and Kostroma. The Thunderer God Perun was very happy for his brother Semargl and presented the newborn with an unusual gift. Perun put a particle of his strength into a fern that never bloomed and presented a flower of wondrous beauty to the children of Semargl and the Bathing Lady.
The children of Semargl and the Bathers grew up strong, healthy and affectionate creatures. But one day a misfortune happened. Since ancient times, the banks of the Ra River have been the favorite habitat of the Sirin bird, the dark incarnation of the god of wisdom Veles. The Sirin bird knew many ancient beautiful songs, and her voice was so beautiful that once having heard it, neither man nor God could not desire to hear it again. Semargl warned his children about this, but young Kupala, confident in his unbending will, ran away from his sister and parents one night to listen to Sirin's songs.
Unable to resist the magical voice of the dark bird, Kupala followed her until he got to Nav, the world of the dead. For many years Semargl and Kupalnitsa were looking for their son, but they never found him.
Years passed, Kostroma from a radiant and sweet girl turned into a dazzlingly beautiful young girl. But how many brave fellows did not call Kostroma to marry, she did not want to give her heart to any of them. She weaved a beautiful wreath and, putting it on her head, announced that she would be the wife of the one who would be able to take this wreath from her. But none of the fellows who wished to possess Kostroma managed to take from her a wreath collected from field herbs.
And one day Kostroma went to the banks of the Ra River and, throwing her head to the Sun, shouted: "Look, gods, there is no one on this earth who is truly worthy of me!" And the next moment a mighty gust of icy wind tore off the wreath from the head of Kostroma and threw it into the river. And what was the surprise of Kostroma when she saw that the wreath fell on the water not far from the boat, in which was sitting a young and handsome stranger. The guy picked up a wreath and brought it to Kostroma, who was fascinated by the unexpected groom. Soon it was decided to play a wedding, for the unbreakable bonds of sincere love tied the young, as soon as they first saw each other.
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But on the morning after the wedding, Semargl and Kupalnitsa suddenly recognized in Kostroma's husband their lost son Kupala, who miraculously managed to return from Navi and wandered the earth for many years in search of his family. Kostroma and Kupala, realizing that they were brother and sister, could not bear the thought that their love was not at all a kindred affection, but a real deep feeling that so rarely arises between a man and a woman. Holding hands, Kostroma and Kupala went to the highest bank of the Ra River and threw themselves into its cruel leaden waters.
Kupala died, and Kostroma became Mavka. She settled in the most disastrous pool of the Ra-river. As soon as she saw a lonely guy walking along the coast, she immediately turned into a beautiful girl and lured him into the pool. Then, realizing that the next fellow was not Kupala at all and still would not be able to quench the all-consuming flame of melancholy that had settled forever in the heart of Mavka, she threw it and swam away.
The gods took pity on Mavka. They returned her Kupala from the world of the dead, and forever weaved their bodies together in the form of a beautiful flower, which much later Christians began to call Ivan da Marya. Although initially the flower bore a completely different name, which does not have Jewish names in its composition.
So Kupala became a symbol of sincere, tender, worthy, but at the same time, tragic, forbidden love. His image is a kind of allegory of elemental, inner fire, the vital forces of man and the whole world. Of course, in this aspect, Kostroma looks like a clear embodiment of the Water element, less dynamic and more creative. That is, there is a metaphorical story about the unity of two opposites, the essence of which is the main mystery and at the same time the key to understanding the universe. Two fundamental, world-forming forces are striving towards each other, and although they, at first glance, are of different polarities, in reality it turns out that they have one source, and therefore they are a priori one. That is, the essences of these forces have the same vector, the same charge, which means that they are obliged to push off from each other.
This is the great truth hidden by our distant ancestors in a seemingly absolutely simple, albeit beautiful legend. Of course, Kupala here is a male deity. An idealized image of a young man, strong, handsome and strong-willed, a descendant of the mighty primordial gods. In fact, Kupala is a kind of metaphysical macrocosm of the human order, standing, at the same time, immeasurably higher than the person himself.
But in this legend there is another important warning, which our ancestors revered as the highest and immutable law. Incest. The act of incest, or mixing of blood with a representative of another race for the ancient Slavs was considered a terrible crime, for which only one punishment was due - death. Kostroma and Kupala, although they did not want it, committed this crime and were honorably responsible for their deed. They atoned for their sins, although, of course, Kostroma got more, apparently because of her pride (episode with a wreath).
Thus, Kupala is one of the most important mythological symbols of the religious system of our distant ancestors. It subtly intertwined elements of the legislative structure of the Slavs, their ideas of honor and justice, as well as the invariable motives of the all-conquering power of the Sun. Probably, the wedding day of Kostroma and Kupala fell on their own birthday - the day of the summer solstice. And therefore it is not by chance that the Slavs revered this day as one of the largest holidays (along with the New Year). On this day (or rather, on this night), they lit fires and swam in the rivers, uniting two irreconcilable elements into one whole. Jumping through open fire and bathing in strong water cleansed of any ailment, physical and spiritual evil. The patient's shirt, thrown into the fire, invariably led to recovery, and the love that broke out between the two young on this day,considered sacred and blessed by the Sun itself.
It is curious that Christians, who for many years have been planting their religion throughout the territory of Russia, have not been able to finally overcome in human hearts and souls the whole life-affirming essence of the summer solstice. The new religion could not overcome the great and indestructible traditions given to the Aryan Slavs by their distant ancestors hundreds of thousands of years ago. Then the university … Christians used their favorite weapon - unprincipled cunning. The birthday of the Christian Saint John the Baptist (or John the Forerunner), the founder of this non-trivial religion, falls on June 24. In this case, the day of the summer solstice, in accordance with the position of the Earth relative to the Sun, falls annually on June 20, 21 or 22. The difference in a couple of days is not large when it comes to intervals of ten centuries. So Christians combined the two holidays and over time it became simply impossible to distinguish one from the other. And now, after a thousand years, no one even has a question: where did the ancient Slavic god Kupala actually get a postscript in the form of a double Jewish name Ivan? Although for thinking people, preserving in their souls and in their hearts the true traditions of their ancestors, this question is certainly not worth it. For such people, Kupaila is a symbol of the all-conquering sun-starry light, pure blood, sincerity and honor of a great people.this question is certainly not worth it. For such people, Kupaila is a symbol of the all-conquering sun-starry light, pure blood, sincerity and honor of a great people.this question is certainly not worth it. For such people, Kupaila is a symbol of the all-conquering sun-starry light, pure blood, sincerity and honor of a great people.
The symbols of Kupala are the Sun as such, as well as any solar ornament or stylized image of a flame. The attributes of such symbolism are life, joy, happiness, the victory of light over darkness, as well as (in the sacred aspect) understanding gained through suffering.