The Zbruch idol is one of the few artifacts that have come down to us that carry invaluable information about the culture of our ancestors. It was discovered on the territory of the modern Ternopil region of Ukraine, in the Zbruch River, which is a tributary of the Dniester. The approximate date of its manufacture is the tenth century, found and recovered for research in 1848.
This idol (idol) is slightly less than three meters in height and is a tetrahedral limestone pillar, on each of the four sides of which certain drawings are applied, currently deciphered as far as it seems possible to modern science. All four sides of the pillar are divided into unequal parts horizontally, from above the idol is covered with a kind of hat, under which are four figures, two male and two female. The characters depicted on the idol are dressed in long clothes, belted with some kind of belts. Below them, in the middle of the pillar, you can also see figures similar to the top ones. They are much smaller and have no belts. It is curious that under the female images of the upper tier there are also female figures, and under the male ones - male ones. Wherein,the figures in the middle row are depicted with arms outstretched, forming a kind of round dance.
The lower tier contains only three images, one of the sides of the idol remains empty. Here you can observe three similar drawings, a man kneeling and, as it were, supporting the middle and upper tiers of the idol. One image is facing the observer, the other two appear to be a side view.
The most interesting for research are, of course, the upper figures, as the largest and most detailed. According to the most common version, they depict four Slavic pagan deities, united in one idol for some purpose. The horse and sword next to one of the male figures are most likely intended to emphasize the belligerence of this character, therefore, it would be logical to assume that one of the sides of the idol is dedicated to Perun, the god of lightning and war. The woman with the ring, apparently, represents Lada, the patroness of family, marriage, spring and love. Researchers tend to interpret the second female figure as the image of Mokosha holding a horn in her hands, the goddess of fertility.
Most controversy among scientists is a male figure with a solar symbol. The most plausible version is the image of Dazhdbog, the god of sunlight. But there is also an opinion that it is Khors, the deity of the Sun. Disputes mainly arise due to the lack of tangible evidence of the existence in the Slavic pantheon of a god named Khors. Many modern experts tend to identify him with Dazhdbog, calling him one of the incarnations of the god of fertility and the Sun. It is possible that in ancient times this deity was called by a double name, Khors-Dazhdbog.
Currently, the Zbruch idol is kept in the Krakow Archaeological Museum. The authenticity of this artifact today is not questioned, and it serves as an indisputable, in my opinion, proof of the existence, in the traditions of the ancient Slavs, of cults of worship of the forces of nature, which took the form of gods.