August 2 (serpen) is another date that was considered one of the most important in Russia, and was widely celebrated as Perun's day. Perun, this is the God who deserves his own day. And it should be noted that, contrary to popular belief, the Slavs' folk calendar has not so many holidays dedicated to the Gods.
Perunov day
The fact that Perun's Day was considered one of the most important holidays of pre-Christian Russia speaks of the special attitude of our ancestors to Perun. And the church could not "cancel" the celebration of Perunov's day. She only renamed it, setting it on the second of August - the Day of the Holy Prophet Elijah. And Saint Elijah, as you know, was the shadow of the true hero of the occasion - Perun. Who is Perun?
Perun
Perun, aka Pärun, for Lithuanians - Perkunas, Latvians - Pērkons, Poles Piorun, Scandinavians - Thor, and for Indians - Parjánya. The son of Lada and Svarog, i.e. grandson of Rod (Spas / Words). I would like to note that here we are again faced with a unique phenomenon that is uncharacteristic of any religion or mythology other than Slavic. Among our ancestors, the word "God" did not mean anything idealistic or mystical at all. The Slavs treated their Gods not as omnipotent, almost hypothetical forces, but as real characters of the past - their ancestors, from whom the genealogy of entire nations is traced.
Perun. Painting by Igor Ozhiganov.
Promotional video:
So, Svarog was considered the father - the founder of all modern Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, the Baltic states, Prussia and Scandinavia. We are all svarogs many times "great" - grandchildren. Hence the attitude towards all Slavic Gods. For us they are not otherworldly forces, but real ancestors who must be honored. Ancestor veneration is one of the most important components of an Eastern-type civilization, to which we undoubtedly belong. And knowledge of our ancestry, understanding of the foundations of the worldview of our ancestors is the guarantee of our survival and prosperity in the future.
But we have a completely different situation. Culturologists are not even able to understand the etymology of the name "Perun". The versions that are described in the literature and scientific works are so clumsy, confusing, and sometimes ridiculous that I don't even want to mention them. It seems to me that only two of the simplest versions can be considered seriously:
- from the noun "feather" (feathered), - from the numeral "first".
Both options have the right to life. After all, Perun was described as a tall, strong man with blond hair and a beard, blue eyes, dressed in gold armor and a red (red) cloak, with an ax and a club in his hands and wings behind his back.
Comrade from the hussars. Stefano Della Bella. Engraving. 1645 g.
Here it is necessary to clarify that "comrade" is not a friend, not a friend, and not an appeal to a person from the times of the USSR. Comrade, this is a military rank accepted in some armies, mainly in hussars (light cavalry) and infantry (infantry). And it corresponded to the modern rank of corporal, i.e. senior soldier. It existed in the Russian Empire until the beginning of the nineteenth century.
And one more thing: - the light cavalry was called the hussar, and the servicemen of such units were originally called hussars, and not hussars, as was the custom in later times. Hence the version inevitably suggests itself that the word "hussar" is not at all of Hungarian origin, as it is now accepted officially. The root of the word is GUS. It is likely that from the word "goose", which corresponds to the essence of the hussaria, whose tactics consisted of a sudden, rapid raid on the enemy, and a swift retreat. Those. swooped down like geese. Hence the entourage with wings behind his back, designed to increase the psychological pressure on the enemy.
The origin of the name Perun from the numeral is also quite understandable. After all, Perun was, although not the eldest son of Svarog, but the first who was in the flesh, and outwardly indistinguishable from his father. He, like humans, was created in the image and likeness of the God Kind.
They say that when Lada gave birth to her first child, a real storm broke out in Iria with thunder and lightning, and the baby Perun, after many years, could not sleep until lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. Then Svarog taught the youth Perun for a long time to manage his anger in order to prevent the involuntary throwing of lightning, which could harm the innocent who surrounded him. For a long time Perun practiced, running through the clouds in a race with lightning. And only when he learned to control himself and use a formidable weapon at his will against enemies, Svarog tempered it in his furnace, where he melted iron, and made Perun invulnerable. Then he forged a battle ax for him and commanded to help people on Earth who defend their homeland from invaders on earth, at sea and in heaven.
So Perun became the main assistant and patron of the entire Russian army - the army and the navy. But today, Perunov day is celebrated as the Day of the Airborne Forces of Russia. Probably deserved. After all, the winged infantry is the pride of Russia, the elite of the armed forces, and it has earned the right to be the legal successor of the winged God - a warrior and a thunderer. Like the lightning of Perun, the airborne assault falls on the heads of enemies directly from the clouds.
The temples of Perun existed separately from those on which other Gods were glorified. And they were everywhere, along with the temples of Veles, who was the eternal rival of Perun, even an enemy, but at the same time Perun and Veles could not exist without each other, like brothers. Therefore, they were glorified at various temples, but these temples were certainly somewhere nearby. The largest centers of Perun were Novgorod on the Volkhov and the city that bore the name of Perun on the shores of the present Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. Perunov Grad later became known as Pernov, and today its name is Pärnu (Estonia).
The celebration of Perunov's day certainly took place on the temples, and from the point of view of a Christian, it looked, to put it mildly, uncivilized. There are quite a lot of descriptions of the celebration of the Day of Perun by the Slavs, and it is not difficult to reconstruct the ritual side with a high degree of reliability using them.
Inception
This was the name of the main rite of sacrifice to Perun, which was carried out everywhere on the second of August. No, they haven't bathed in fountains before. It used to be much more interesting.
On this day, all the men participating in the Beginning were required to have weapons with them: - shields, swords, axes, clubs, brushes, axes, berdysh, maces and other edged weapons. They walked to the temple in formation, and sang battle songs to the glory of Perun. Arriving at the temple, they lined up in a circle, and putting their weapons at the foot of the Kumir Perun, they began to illuminate it. For this, a bull was sacrificed, the blood of which was sprinkled on the weapon, and the sorcerer smeared it on the forehead and cheeks (forehead and cheeks) of the soldiers. After the anointing, the men wore a red ribbon over their heads, which they used to tidy up their hair before the fight. And over the sacrificial fire, military amulets were consecrated.
Following the illumination of the amulets, a ritual battle began between the participants of the Conception, who were divided into two groups. At the end of the battle, the meat of the sacrificial bull was folded into a ritual boat, which was placed on the steal (funeral pyre). The most experienced warrior set the stolen on fire, revealing himself naked before it, and covering the whole body with the blood of a sacrificial animal.
After the steal with the boat had completely burned out, the burial place was covered with earth, and a funeral feast was arranged on this place - a ritual battle on the grave. At the end of the funeral feast, the struggle began.
Strava is a commemoration of all the soldiers who died defending the city, or in campaigns. Beef (usually left over after a sacrifice), chicken, game, and various cereals were compulsory. Drinks include beer, kvass, honey and red wine.
Only after the completion of the ceremony, young people were allowed to celebrate. However, only youths and youths who did not manage to become warriors took part in the games. And they consisted in fist fights to the blood, Taking the town, the King of the mountain, and playing rounders and towns. The young people were treated to only meat from the table, left over after the gravy. The girls took part in the celebration only in the role of assistants and observers.
Analyzing the celebration of Perun's Day as a part of all pre-Christian rituals in Russia, from the point of view of today's ideas, we can confidently assert that all this was a single system of "initial military training" of youth. Such holidays and games fostered patriotism, courage, a sense of community and mutual assistance, the ability to overcome pain and fatigue, tempered the fighting character, stamina, courage and ingenuity. With such a total education of the defenders of the Motherland, the Russian army was truly invincible. Each boy was brought up as a warrior, both physically and mentally and spiritually. And the fruits of the effectiveness of such education are known to all of us from history.
The question is: - What is the use of Christian teaching for the Russian army if it instills humility and obedience? Was it not for this that so many crusades were carried out to Russia, aimed at converting us to Christianity and breaking the fighting spirit? I believe that the question is relevant. Moreover, to this day.
It is curious that even with that monstrous oblivion of the traditions of ancestors, some traces of continuity are still preserved and are reflected in modern traditions and symbolism. The form has changed, but not the content. As before, warriors compete in prowess, strength and skill. The fallen are still remembered and the victors are glorified. Even without knowing anything about Perun, modern veterans of the Airborne Forces consider it a good sign if a thunderstorm with thunder and lightning occurs on the second of August. By chance or not, but today, 2017-02-08. the celebration of the Day of the Airborne Forces in the city of paratroopers - Pskov, began with a deafening thunderstorm and torrential rain.
So Perun expressed his satisfaction with his glorious descendants - the servicemen of the 76th Guards Airborne Assault Chernigov Red Banner Order of Suvorov of the Russian Airborne Division.
Day of the Airborne Forces in Pskov.
Author: kadykchanskiy