Slavic deities: Perun
Source: Roman Zaroff &bdquoOrganized Questionnable Cult in Kievan Rus’. The Invention of Foreign Elite or Evolution of Local Tradition?”, printed in: Studia Mythologica Slavica II, 1999
“There can also be without doubt concerning the ancient times and Indo-European origins from the Slavic god Perun, the god of thunder and lightning. The name Perun stems from an Indo-European root perk, perg or per, meaning – to strike, and it is directly connected having a striking thunderbolt. [&hellip]
Evidence for that perception of a thunder god one of the Slavs is comparatively plentiful, together with his worship first pointed out one of the Southern Slavs. Based on the mid-sixth century Byzantine historian Procopius:
“For they (Slavs) think that one god, the producer from the lighting, is alone lord of the things, plus they sacrifice to him cattle and all sorts of other victims”.
There’s without doubt this account describes Perun. The account doesn’t suggest the Slavs were monotheists, but instead that Perun acquired prominence one of the Southern Slavs, whose religion become henotheism. There’s also evidence that within the mythology of non-Slavic Albanians, there is a thunder god referred to as Perendi. Again, this really is without doubt a borrowing in the Southern Slavs.
As a result of the relatively early Christianisation from the Southern Slavs, there aren’t any more direct accounts with regards to Perun in the Balkans. Nonetheless, as late because the first 1 / 2 of the twelfth century, in Bulgaria and Macedonia, peasants performed a particular ceremony designed to induce rain. A main estimate the rite would be a youthful girl Perperuna, a reputation clearly associated with Perun. Simultaneously, the association of Perperuna with rain shows conceptual sitnilarities using the Indian god Parjanya. There is a powerful Slavic transmission of Albania, A holiday in greece and Romania, between your sixth and tenth centuries. Unsurprisingly the folklore of northern A holiday in greece also knows Perperuna, Albanians know Pirpiruna, as well as the Romanians get their Perperona. Also, inside a certain Bulgarian folk riddle the term perusan is an alternative to the Bulgarian word grmotevitsa for thunder. Furthermore, the Perun can also be generally present in Southern Slavic toponymy. You will find places known as: Perun, Perunac, Perunovac, Perunika, Perunicka Glava, Peruni Vrh, Perunja Ves, Peruna Dubrava, Perunusa, Perusice, Perudina and Perutovac.
Additionally, the Eastern Slavs, guaranteed to uphold agreements using the Byzantines by invoking Perun in 907, 945 and 971. The Perun idol had been waiting in Kiev by 945, when prince Igor promised to be real towards the agreement in the shrine. Therefore, either Vladimir didn’t erect it or only enlarged the shrine.
There are other accounts along with other evidence showing the cult was prevalent one of the ordinary people as well as in many forms survived christianization. It’s important to note certain passage in The Russian Primary Chronicle. This mentioned that whenever the Perun idol and it is sanctuary was destroyed, the folks cried, while, based on the Chronicle of Novgorod, assault around the Perun shrine in Novgorod triggered risky uprising and bloody fighting within the city. Surely, both cases implied it had become a properly established people’s cult and never solely a website from the elite.
The survival of Perun’s worship well in to the Christian era can also be well attested. The next accounts strongly demonstrate the recognition from the cult one of the ordinary people. Inside a Russian apocrypha from the twelfth century, referred to as Хожде́ние Богоро́дицы по му́кам (Hozhdyene Boguroditsi po mukam), idols of Perun along with other gods were pointed out:
“And they provided gods from the demons Troyan, Khors, Veles and Perun, plus they worshipped these evil demons.”
In addition, a fourteenth century source referred to as Слово Григория (Slovo Grigoriya – The Term of Gregory), states that in remote areas pagans still pray to Perun. Within the late 1700s Russia, an ecclesiatic ruling had forbidden the singing of Christian hopes before an oak tree. It needs to be appreciated the oak tree was carefully connected using the cult of Perun (oak tree worship is going to be discussed later). Also, a fascinating custom was reported near Novgorod, as late because the early twelfth century. Here many vacationers or boatsmen, sailing the Volkhov river, would cast a gold coin in to the water, in the place in which the Perun shrine was excavated within the 1950’s.
Finally, after Christianization the cult merged and it was changed into veneration of Saint Elias. This happened probably due to the Old Testament, which credited Saint Elias having the ability to bring rain and thunderstorms. Thus, with these means, an obscure Christian saint grew to become a significant celebrity in Eastern Slavic Orthodoxy. Within the later Christian iconography of Saint Elias, he seems like Perun traversing heaven within the chariot of fireside or riding around the horse. He has additionally been connected with thunders, arrows and oaks. In early twentieth century, within the north-east of Russia, the next celebration was reported. Around the 20th of This summer, Saint Elias’ day, a cow was slaughtered and also the meat made by males. It had been then distributed within the church and eaten through the whole congregation. This practice, obviously not Christian, resembles the sacrificial killing of the animal and also the communal use of the meat.
The veneration of St. Elias using its combination of questionnable and Christian elements is among the best arguments for that purely Slavic character of Perun as well as the cult being prevalent of all parts of Eastern Slavic society. Quite simply, if Perun was just a deity from the elite and it was elevated to prominence at Kiev just for a couple of years, ordinary people will not have retained the cult for hundreds of years. Neither would the Orthodox Church have to accept and tolerate certain obviously questionnable beliefs and practices. The Perun also seems in Eastern Slavic toponymy. The favourite place is Peryn’ near Novgorod, in which the remains of the open site shrine were unearthed by archaeologists, there would be a put on the Dneper referred to as “Perun’s Shoal”.
Perun seemed to be a deity from the Western Slavs, even though the cult didn’t appear so conspicuously. In most Slavic languages, except Polish and Kashubian, the word for thunderbolt is grom. The word may the Rods but more frequently they refer to it as "piorun”, a thing clearly deriving from the Perun
[side note from slavicnativefaith.tumblr.com: in Polish the term grom usually designates just the thunder – seem produced by a thuderbolt]. In Silesia, to this day, people say ty pieronie!, which in freelance translation means “you bastard!”. The older Rods’ saying of dissatisfaction, do pioruna!, might be converted as “by thunder!”. It may sound like nonsense, but when we substitute that old meaning it might be “by Perun!”. Not far from the familiar “by Jove!”. Similar sayings have survived one of the Kashubians by means of na peróna! and ty perónie! It’s good to notice that in Kashubian, thunder or lights are known as parón not perón, indicating the original saying refers back to the deity instead of to thunder. In Moravian and Slovakian folklore you will find spells while using term parom or hrom (original Slavic "g” substituted with “h” in Ukrainian, Czech, Slovak and Sorbian languages) interchangeably for thunder. In addition, the Slovaks would say parom do teba or do paroma, meaning “may Perun strike you” and “by Perun!”, correspondingly. One of the now almost extinct Polabian Slavs of eastern Germany, a deity known as Porenutius (Porenut) was reported on Rugen island with a Danish chronicler from the turn from the 13th century Saxo Grammaticus. Some scholars have construed the name like a corrupted type of Perun. However, this interpretation isn’t uniformly recognized. Another deity known as Prove was pointed out by Helmold to be worshipped within the twelfth century near Oldenburg in Wagrien. Its idol was within an enclosed sanctuary located in an oak grove. Sacrifices of cattle and sheep, and often humans were performed with this deity, and once per week the tribal court and set up occured there. Again it’s been postulated the name Prove is really a corruption of Perun, considering that in another form of the chronicle, referred to as Stettin manuscript, it seems as Prone. Regardless of the situation, Prone’s connection to oaks with cattle sacrifice signifies close conceptual links having a Perun-like deity. Toponymic evidence in the Polabian lands is really a harbour of Prohn (Por) within the Tribsee region opposite Rugen island, recorded within the earliest source as Perun.
Nevertheless, the most powerful evidence for that ancient times from the Perun cult, along with its universality of all the Slavs, and all sorts of parts of the Slavic society, originates from the western extreme of Slavdom. Around Hanoverian Wendland, west from the Elbe river in Germany, a Polabian Slavic language survived up until the finish from the 1700s. Individuals Slavs known as Thursday a Perěndan – meaning literally a “day of Perun”. Obviously, these folks were conscious that the reputation for Thursday the german language Donnerstag means “day of thunder” (deriving from the continental Germanic war god Donar). However, rather of substituting the Polabian word grom for that thunder they used the term perěn. Clearly, the word perěn, as with the Polish language, stems from the name Perun.”
Read full article within the source
Resourse: http://slavicnativefaith.tumblr.com/publish/142137192099/
Kolovrat & Battle of Perun and Veles [Slavic rituals and tales]
Video COMMENTS:
Belfi and Lily: I am Serb and how much our Slav tradition is deeply rooted in us tells you the fact that my sister's name is Pera and we call her sometimes Perunka. She got that name after my grandmother. The girl name Pera, Persa, Perunka(less today) has been past down from generation to generation. It is very rare name given today. The main God was Perun and his wife or sister was Perunka. Also My another grandmother's name was Sava. Name Sava could be male and female name. the longest river on Balkan is called Sava and God Savaot was a God of war. http://bosnabogumili.blogspot.ca/2012/10/bog-savaot-sabazios-i-sava.html…my mother's name is Danica Dawn Star…..proud of my Slaves Roots…
Tablet Kerkez: milica12345 samo molim te racunaj na ono sto citas i pamti ono sto si ucila u skoli
Eisen Kaiser: Pan-Slavism will prevail !!
the uroš: Zakon, te zgodbe še nism slišu. Mi je pa babica govorila da kolovrat predstavla večno bitko proti zlu. \nPa kot vedno kul video. Še tko naprej legenda :)\nPS 75. lajk je od mene.
Belfi and Lily: tacno..kolovrat moze da ima mnogo znacenja jedno jest i to vecna borba protiv zla…
Jovan Tomic: the uroš Eto vidiš, još naše babe i dedovi pamte priče o slovenskim simbolima.
Conservative Liberal /Konserwatywny Liberał: Im ask why slavs dont have one language? Why we must speak anglo-sasic english to speak to other slavs?\nSory for my english :)
Сергей Рысаев: Alex Karseev сколько же тебе лет, деда (если сожительница в 86 лет умерла)? 🙂 Да и шутки у тебя какие-то не консервативные, под твой возраст ;)
Alex Karseev: Я прочитал у одного польского человека.))А вообще мне похер я живу долеко сейчас …..и вообще я родисля на волге…..но я всегда за славян…..и то что сейчас происходит…..это жиды и бизнес….
brateBrat 1: nice because to be honest i didnt know anything about it (Y)
