Daurentius, Dervan i nepoznati Arhont

[investigator]

Da li je moguće da je Daurentius, prvi slovenski vođa južnih Slovena koji se pominje sa imenom ujedno i otac Nepoznatog Arhonta pod kojim su Srbi došli na Balkan i otac kneza sjevernih Srba Dervana?

Sama sličnost imena Daurentiusa i Dervana, gdje bi Daurentius mogao biti latinizovani ili grecizirani oblik imena Dervan. Sjevernosrpski vladar Dervan bi mogao dakle biti stariji sin Daurentiusov, a naš nepoznati Arhont mlađi sin koji je poveo narod na jug.

Vladavina Daurentiusova nad Slovenima se pominje u periodu 577-579. na prostoru nekadašnje rimske provincije Panonia Prima, koja je obuhvatala i prostor oko današnjeg Beča i ušća Morave u Dunav. To je i prostor nekadašnje oblasti Bohemiorum koju spominje Tacit u svom opisu Germanije i oblast gdje je živjelo keltsko pleme Boii. Đorđe Janković jasno uspostavlja arheološku vezu između Srba koji su naselili Dalmaciju i slovenskog stanovništva oko današnjeg Beča, jer su nalazi gotovo identični. Da ne spominjemo Porfirogenitov termin Boiki koji se uklapa u ovu priču. Srbi su se dakle već krajem 6. i početkom 7. vijeka iz Bojke (oblast oko Beča) pokrenuli i ka sjeveru (preko Češke u Lužicu) pod vođstvom Dervana i ka jugu u rimsku provinciju Dalmaciju pod vođstvom nepoznatog Arhonta.

Dervana pominje Fredegar poimence kao vladara Srba, onih sjevernih u periodu 631/632 koji je prišao Samovom savezu i pobunio se protiv Franaka.

Nepoznati Arhont koji je Srbe za vrijeme Heraklija doveo u Dalmaciju je savremenik Dervanov i moguće brat jer se spominje u periodu 610-641.

Svi kasniji franački letopisci i južne i sjeverne Srbe nazivaju istim imenom Sorabos što nam govori da oni među njima nisu vidjeli razliku i da su ih smatrali jednim narodom.

Daurentius bi prema tome mogao biti najranije zabilježeni po imenu srpski vladar.

 

[NickFreakyrgios]

BRAVO! Tako je.........!
Kada budem bio kod kuće imao dokumente kod sebe izneću ih da bih potvrdio ovu tezu!
Sa sada neka ostane na ovome.

Pozdrav!

 

[investigator]

Oblast Beča je stara slovenska (srpska) naseobina. Sam naziv Beč je takođe slovenska riječ porijeklom, a naziv Vijen se dokumentovano pojavljuje tek od 12. vijeka. Evo šta Enciklopedija Britanika iz 1911. kaže o tome:

"and Becs, the Hungarian name for Vienna to this day, is susceptible of a Slavonic interpretation only, and would seem to indicate that the site had been occupied in Slavonic times. The frequent mention of "Wiene" in the oldest extant version of the Nibelungenlied points in the same direction. Passing over a doubtful mention of "Vwienni" in the annals of 1030, we find the "civitas" of Vienna mentioned in a document of 1130, and in 1156 it became the capital and residence of Duke Heinrich Jasomirgott."

 

[Сребрена]

Dervana pominje Fredegar poimence kao vladara Srba, onih sjevernih u periodu 631/632 koji je prišao Samovom savezu i pobunio se protiv Franaka.
Nepoznati Arhont koji je Srbe za vrijeme Heraklija doveo u Dalmaciju je savremenik Dervanov i moguće brat jer se spominje u periodu 610-641.

Sjajno
S nestrpljenjem čekam nastavak diskusije
Znam legendu Luzickih Srba o ta dva brata..
Povodom Fredegara:

Vuk, knez Vineda iz oblasti Vinedorum pominje se kao Walucus dux Winedorum u Fredegarii Chronicon 623 godine..bio je saveznik Svevlada/Sama...ako neko nadje original, evo bibl.jedinice

Fredegari et aliorum Chronica,Vitae Sanctorum edit.Bruno Krusch,VIII pog. str.579.form.4°,1888.g.

Ovo je citat iz Die Welt der Slaven, Том 25...Erwin Koschmieder

A ovo iz Niderlovih "Slovenskih starina"

We find the same in Vitae S. Columbani where the author writes about "the land of the Veneti who are also known as Slavs" [Termini Venetiorum qui et Sclavi dicuntur].

Autohtonisti pominju da je Strojimir (što otkupismo njegov prsten sa pečatom) unuk Dervanov.

 

[investigator]

Evo šta kaže Janković u svom radu Srpsko Pomorje:

"Пре свега уз помоћ препознатљиве грнчарије, а затим из начина грађења утврђења, врсте коришћених станишта итд., закључено је да се Срби из предела око Беча у римском Норику и око ушћа Мораве, расељавају према Лаби (Die Slawen: сл. 5-6, 28). По досељавању Авара у Панонију, неки Срби са истог простора, насељени су на Дунаву у византијској области Аквиса, да би бранили пут дуж Дунава; одатле неки одлазе негде на југ почетком 7. столећа
(Janković 2004)."

Sasvim je jasno da zemlju Boiki kako je spominje Porfirogenit, na granici sa Franačkom u susjedstvu Bijele Hrvatske možemo tražiti tamo gdje je pleme Boii živjelo i gdje nam arheološki dokazi ukazuju.
Što se tiče Veneda i Slovena, moje je mišljenje je da se u početku radilo o dva različita naroda, ali da je u jednom istorijskom momentu došlo do simbioze. Kod Zapadnih Slovena vendska komponenta je ostala značajnije zastupljena, a kod južnih slovenska.

"Considering Ptolemy's Ouenedai and their location along the Baltic sea, a German linguist, Alexander M. Schenker, underlines that the vocabulary of the Slavic languages shows no evidence that the early Slavs were exposed to the sea. Proto-Slavic had no maritime terminology and even lacked a word for amber which was the most important item of export from the shores of the Baltic to the Mediterranean. In view of this, the very fact that Ptolemy refers to the Baltic as the Venedic Bay appears to rule out a possible identification of the Veneti of his times with the Slavs.[18]. Schenker's conclusion is supported by the fact that to the east of the Ouenedai, Ptolemy mentions two further tribes called Stauanoi and Souobenoi, both of which have been interpreted as possibly the oldest historical attestations of Slavs."

Znači da u Ptolomejevo vrijeme postojali su Sloveni (Srbi?) i Venedi. Treća grupa Slovena Anti je bila srodnija Venedima nego Slovenima.
"The Tabula Peutingeriana, originating from the 4th century AD, separately mentions the Venedi on the northern bank of the Danube somewhat upstream of its mouth, and the Venadi Sarmatae along the Baltic coast."
Venedi su u osnovi bili indoevropski narod (u genetskom smislu R1a), dok su proto-Sloveni bili neindoevropski narod ( tj. I2a2). U prvim vijekovima naše ere, možda i prije toga, došlo je do slovenske etnogeneze i ujednačavanja ova dva elementa. Poznato je da se zapadni Sloveni, naročito lehijska grupa poznati pod nazivom Vendi, a južni Sklaveni.

 

[NickFreakyrgios]

Лужички Срби су све што је остало кроз векове од бројних полапских словенских племена која су се током
сеобе народа од 2. до 4. векa населила на граници Римског царства као миран земљораднички и сточарски
народ. Најзначајнија полапска словенска племена била су: Полапски Срби (чији су део били Лужички Срби),
Љутићи (Велети) и Ободрити (Бодрићи). У оквиру ове три велике групације налазила су се мања племена, као
што су: Милчани, Гломачани, Студорани, Нишани, Прекопјенци, Доленчани, Рујанци, Древљани, Глињани и Око 500. године српска племена су представљала самосталну политичко-војну целину, са својим жупанима и
војводама, који би се пред опасностима и ратовима на краће време уједињавали, а после опет остајали
раздвојени све до појаве Германа и њихових освајачких похода.
У VII веку жупан Дерван, -{dux ex gente Surbiorum}-, пришао је Самовој држави. Сматра се да је један од
синова жупана Дервана повео део Срба на Балкан 626. године

Dakle u Samovoj državi će se naći i Karantanija.

Porfirogenit:

32. О Србима и земљи у којој сада станују

Треба знати да су Срби потомци некрштених Срба, који се још зову и Бели, који живе са оне стране Турске (Мађарске)
Ovo je takođe sporno da li Turska ili Tirska?
на месту које се код њих назива Бојки (Бојка), где им је суседна Франачка, као и велика Хрватска, она некрштена, која се још зове и Бела. Тамо су, дакле, ови Срби живели од почетка. Пошто су два брата наследили на власти свога оца у Србији, један од њих је узео половину народа и пребегао Ираклију, цару Ромеја (Византинаца), и тај исти цар Ираклије га је примио и за насељавање му је дао место у Солунској теми Сервију(Србица), која од тада носи тај назив. После неког времена, су ти исти Срби одлучили да се врате у своје земље и цар их је пустио. Када су прешли реку Дунав, они се покају и преко стратега који је тада био у Београду, јаве цару Ираклију, да им он да другу земљу за насеље. И пошто садашња Србија и Паганија и земља Захумљана и Травунија и земља Конављана, беше под влашћу цара Ромеја, а пошто су те земље биле опустошене од Авара (јер су из тих земаља они истерали Романе који сада живе у Далмацији и Драчу), то цар у овим земљама насели исте Србе и они беху потчињени цару Ромеја, а цар их покрсти довевши свештенике из Рима и, научивши их да правилно врше дела побожности, изложи им хришћанско учење.

Када Бугарска беше под влашћу Ромеја ***, пошто је умро онај исти архонт (кнез) који је пребегао цару Ираклију, њега је наследио у владавини његов син, а затим његов унук, и тако редом архонти из истог рода. После извесног броја година од њих се родио Вишеслав (Војислав), а од њега Радослав, а од њега Просигој, а од њега Властимир и све до времена овога Властимира Бугари су живели мирно са Србима, као блиски суседи, волећи једни друге, налазећи се у служби и потчињености према царевима Ромеја и примајући од њих доброчинства. Током владавине тог истог Властимира, зарати против Срба Пресијам, архонт Бугарске, желећи да их потчини, али и ако их је тукао три године, није ништа постигао него је чак изгубио и већину своје војске. После смрти архонта Властимира, његова су три сина, Мутимир и Стројимир и Гојник наследили владање Србијом и поделили су земљу. За њихово време појави се архонт Бугара Михајло Борис, желећи да освети пораз свога оца Пресијама и отпочне рат; и Срби га тако потуку, те заробе његовог сина Владимира, са дванаест великих бољара. Због синовљевих мука, тада Борис, иако преко воље, склопи мир са Србима. Желећи да се врати у Бугарску и плашећи се да га Срби негде на путу не пресретну из заседе, затражи за своје обезбеђење децу архонта Мутимира, Борена (Брана) и Стефана, који га спроведоше читавог до границе, до Расе (Раса). За ову љубазност Михајло Борис их обдари великим даровима, а ови њему узвратише гостински дар два роба, два сокола, два пса и осамдесет крзнених хаљетака, што Бугари сматрају да представља склопљено пријатељство. Кратко време после тога та иста три брата, архонти Србије, посвађали су се и један од њих Мутимир, надјача и у жељи да сам влада, зароби она два брата и предаде их у Бугарску, задржавши под својим старатељством једино сина брата Гојника, именом Петар, који је побегао у Хрватску, о чему ћемо касније говорити.

33. О Захумљанима и земљи у којој сада станују

Земљу Захумље су раније поседовали Ромеји, ја мислим на оне Романе које је цар Диоклецијан преселио из Рима, како је о њима речено у историји Хрвата. Земља Захумље била је под владавином цара Ромеја, али кад је оно и његов народ био подјармљен Аварима, оно је потпуно опустело. Они који сада тамо живе у Захумљу, Срби су из времена оног архонта који је тражио заштиту од цара Ираклија. Они су названи Захумљани по планини која се зове Хум и заиста у језику Словена Захумљани значи они иза брда, јер се на овом подручју налази велико брдо са два града на његовом врху, Бона и Хум, а иза тог брда тече река названа Бона, што значи Добра.

Племе проконзула и патриција Михајла, сина Вишетиног, архонта Захумљана потиче од некрштених који су становали на реци Висли и који су се звали Литцики, они су се населили на реци званој Захлума.

У земљи Захумљана насељени градови су Стон, Мокрискик, Јосли(Ошље), Галумаиник, Доброскик(Дабар).


34. О Травуњанима и Конављанима и земљи у којој сада станују

Земља Травуњана и Конављана је једна. Становници су потомци некрштених Срба, из времена оног архонта(кнеза) који се одселио из некрштене Србије и затражио заштиту цара Ираклија, све до времена Властимира , српског архонта. Тај кнез Властимир удао је своју кћерку за Крајину , сина Белоја, жупана Травуније. У жељи да га учини племенитијим, свога зета, дао му је титулу архонта и учинио га самосталним. Од њега се родио Хвалимир, а од њега Чучимир. Архонти Травуније су увек били под влашћу архонта Србије. Травунија на језику Словена значи утврђено место, и то зато што у земљи има много утврђења.

Овој земљи Травунији подређена је друга земља названа Конавље. Конавље на језику Словена значи теретна кола, због тога што је земља равна па они све своје послове обављају употребљавајући кола.

На подручју Травуније и Конавља налазе се насељена места Травунија(Требиње), Ормос(Врм на Требишњици), Рисан, Лукавец, Затлебље(Зетлив).


35. О Дукљанима и земљи у којој сада станују

Земљу Дукљу раније су поседовали Римљани које је цар Диоклецијан преселио из Рима, као што је речено у причи о Хрватима и била је под управом цара Ромеја. Али и ову земљу су Авари подјармили и опустошили па је поновно насељена у време цара Ираклија, баш као што су биле и Хрватска и Србија и земља Захумље и Травунија и земља Конавље. Дукља је добила своје име од града у тој земљи који је основао цар Диоклецијан, али је сада то опустели град, премда се и сада назива Доклеја(Дукља).

У земљи Дукљи налазе се велики насељени градови и то Градац, Новиград, Лонтодокла.

36. О Паганима који се такође зову Неретвљани и земљи у којој сада станују

Земљу у којој сада станују Пагани раније су такође поседовали Романи које је цар Диоклецијан преселио из Рима и населио у Далмацији. Исти Пагани воде порекло од некрштених Срба из оног времена у којем је њихов поглавар затражио заштиту цара Ираклија. Ова је земља такође била подјармљена од Авара и опустошена, а поновно насељена у време цара Ираклија. Названи су Пагани зато што нису прихватили крштење у време кад су сви Срби примили крштење. Назив пагани на језику Словена значи некрштени али на језику Ромеја њихова земља се зове Арента(Неретва) па се и они називају Арентани(Неретвљани) са стране истих Ромеја.

У Паганији су насељени градови Мокро, Веруља(Вруља), Острок и Славинец(Градац). Уз то они поседују и ова острва: велико острво Корчула, на ком постоји и град, друго велико острво Мљет, које спомиње свети Лука у Делима Апостолским, под именом Мелита, на коме је змија угризла Светог Павла за прст, а коју је он бацио у ватру, друго велико острво Хвар, друго велико острво Брач. Ту постоје и друга острва који нису под влашћу истих Пагана: острво Хоара(?Сушац?), острво Вис, острво Ластово.

Probaćemo kasnije da povežemo ovo sa Bojkom jedino nam ostaje sporno ime Dervanovog sina koji je doveo Srbe na Balkan budući da Časlav ovo nije uspeo da prenese Porfirogenitu jer izgleda da ni on nije znao ali treba videti da li ima u Franačkim ili Nemačkim analima.

 

[NickFreakyrgios]

PARTI
I. SERBS ARE SVARS ARE SERBS?
F

or more than several centuries questions relating to the origin and meaning of the ethnonymsSlav and Serb (also Sarb/Sarbski, Ser/Serski, Sur/Surski) have at- tracted the attention of outstanding scholars and generated a rich body of literature
on the subject in Continental Europe. In more recent times, the subject has been rather
overwhelmed and somewhat degraded by research relating to Indo-European origins.
Regarding this moment, J.P. Mallory, the author of the best English-language
survey of Indo-European scholarship, writes:

The quest for the origins of the Indo-European has all the fascination of an electric light in the open air on a summer night: it tends to attract every species of scholar or would-
be savant who can take pen to hand. It also shows a remark-
able ability to mesmerize even scholars of outstanding abil-
ity to wander far beyond the realm of reasonable specula-

tion to provide yet another example of academic lunacy. It is sobering to recall that one of the greatest prehistorians of this century, V Gordon Childe, dismissed his own researches
into Indo-European origins as among the most childish
thingshewrote( In Search of'Indo-Europeans,19 8 9 ).

Indeed, Childe's attempt to impose a Pax Nordica of sorts on European prehis- tory by tracing the origin of the Indo-Europeans to a Nordic/North European cradle is certainly one of his more childish moments. Childe writes:Having then agreed that

die original Aryan belonged essentially to the Nordic race ... it remains to localize die cradle land ... At the present moment the Scandinavian theory is the most attractive, having been expounded with a wealth of detail and a complete mastery
of the archaeological data by such profound students as Kossina, Schliz and
Schuchardt( V Gordon Childe, T he Aryans, 1987).

Relatively recent efforts to resolve the issues from a purely linguistic/etymological perspective—in terms of theoretical linguistic constructs (Proto-Slavic, Proto-Indo-Eu- ropean reconstructions) coupled with ethereal theorizing based on guesswork about
die etymologies of miscellaneous place names and allusions in heterogeneous
sources to ethnonyms—have sometimes added new levels of insight and understand-
ing, but almost always new levels of speculation, complexity, and learned eccentricity
(H.G.L unt,T he R us Primary Chronicle, HuS 19,1995). Whileth e linguistic/etymological theories

have a certain contemporary primacy in the entirely theoretical Proto-Indo-European context, in the case of the historical ethnonymSerb, the interdisciplinary method, ana- lytical frameworks with the highest integration of historical, textual, onomastic, and linguistic evidence, is better suited to the problem and provides a relatively firm and suggestive empirical basis for further research.

 

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For such reasons, given the established Indo-Iranian dimensions of Proto-Slavic civilization, the established historical, textual, onomastic, and linguistic facts of the mat- ter, this section focuses on mythological-religiousP roto-Slav/Serb links with Indo-Ira- nian based languages and civilizations. Without guilt or remorse, therefore, we begin with a highly speculative, exploratory review of some of the historical-linguistic evidence that appears to relate the ethnonymsSarb/Surb/Srb toSvar, an ancient, cardinal Indo- Iranian word connoting heaven, sky, sun, light, and fire, to cognates connoting creation, universe, all, everything:

—To Svar as in Isvara, 'supreme lord and originator'; Isvara, 'immanent deity'; Svar, 'heaven'; Svar-gapat, 'lord and creator of heaven and earth'; Svarga, 'lord Indra's Heaven'; Svargadvara, 'gates of heaven'; Svargakama, 'desire for heaven'; Svargaloka, 'world of heaven'; Svarupa, 'nature,' 'essence'; Svarupa-jnana, 'divine knowledge.'

—To Svar as in Sur-ya, the most concrete of the solar deities: from Sur-ya, 'the orb of the sun,' 'the face of the great Agni,' 'the eye of Mitra and Varuna,' 'the lord of eyes', 'the farseeing, all-seeing god who beholds all beings and the good and bad deeds of mortals.'
Also: Ardhanarisvara, 'androgynous godhead'; Atmesvara, 'lord of the soul';

Govsesvara, 'lord of the cows and bulls'; Mahesvara, 'maternal goddess'; Padapesvara, 'lord of trees'; Paramesvara, 'highest lord'; Sarevesvara, 'supreme lordship'; [SjVaruna, 'supreme god of early Vedism, creator of the three worlds, heaven, earth and air'; Vasisvarana, 'sacred fire'; Visvarupadarshana, 'supreme principle'; Visesvara, 'lord of the universe'; Yogisvara, 'supreme saint.'
SURS, SARBS

It should be noted that there is in historical fact a certain precedent for a Sur- basedSarb ethnonym in Indo-Iranian history. Regarding the origin of one of the great tribes of Afghanistan, a leading authority writes: TheVais are the Surs (Surajbansi) or
Sutya (Suryavansi), the 'solar race of Hindustan' and the Sarbs (Sarbanri) or Sarahs
(Sarabani) in the Afghan classification of tribes.Similarly, a major division of the
Ismail Afghan tribal complex is called theSurs and a minor division theSarbs orSarbi s
(H. W. Bellew, An Inquiry into the Ethnography of Afghanistan, 1891).
SARVAS, SARBS
Moreover, from a strictly linguistic/etymological perspective, O.N. Trubacev, one
of the foremost Linguists/Slavists of the modern era, believes it is possible to derive the
Serb ethnonym from Old Indo-European sarva connoting all, everything, everyone.
Since Trubacev's (theoretical) Old Indo-Europeansarva is related to (factual) Indo-Ira-
niansvar, Old Indo-Europeansarva appears to be either a roundabout way of deriving
Serbf r o m Svar or a giant etymological step in that direction

 

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EUROPEAN HISTORY
The notion that the Serb ethnonym is derived fromSvar has deep roots in Euro-
pean historical scholarship. Medieval German documents record that some Serb tribes
settled in Germania were calledS v ars. Naming the ancient Serb tribe that settled along

the Mulde near Leisnig, citing local sources, a 16th century German historian mentions theSv ars: Svarini oder Svardones oder Svordi.' In the same period, another German historian and commentator on Tacitus's Germania, E. Stella, is certain that:Tacitus's
Svars or Svarines are not only Serbs, but Serbs who retained their ancient and
original name.2
SVARTOV, TRAVA RIVERS

More concrete evidence of the ancient and original name in Germania is found in place names, hydronyms, and toponyms derived from Svar. Medieval sources, for ex- ample, locate Lübeck at the confluence of the Svartov and Trava rivers. Also: Svartava, northeast of Sorby and Sorbino, southeast of Perun; Svartebok, near Ratmir, Crnobog, and Drazevo; Svartava River, near Klecov, Goleska, and Penica; Svartav, near Lubici and Radkov; Svartov, northwest of Svetla Strana; Lake Svartica, northeast of Babica, Dobra, Draze, and Rogolin; Zuarina grad, northeast of Zverin, modern Schwerin.3
SVAR.SVAROG

It was well-known to medieval German chroniclers that the Serbs wereSvars in a primal, religious sense—the people of Svar, Svaroh, Svarog, Svarozic, the Supreme God, Lord and Creator, the God of the Shining Sky, who reigns supreme over Heaven and Earth, the Lord and Master of the Universe.4
BOGSVAROG
It is important to note that the letter and spirit of the Serb-Slavic word for god,
bog,as in ^o^Svar or Svarog, as well as i t s m a t e r i a l cognates (bogat,rich; bogatstvo,w ealth)
are also derived from the Indo-Iranian tradition.5
BHAGA, BAGA

The Sanskrit root is bhaj, to share, distribute. Thus bhaga (Iranian baga): 'the celestial dispenser of good fortune and prosperity'; baga, 'he who distributes good things'; bhaga, 'god of good fortune'; bhagesa, 'lord of happiness'; bhagwan, 'supreme god who created other gods and made them bearers of light'; bhagyam, 'fortune'; saubhagy, 'good luck'; subhaga, 'blessed'; bhoga, 'delight'; upabhoga, 'enjoyment'. Also the 'divine one' as in Bhagavad Gita (Song of the Divine One); Bhagavan, 'the noble, holy, exalted, and sublime one'; Savita Bhaga, 'the sun god'.
BOGISLAV

In medieval Germaniab og/b oz h is a common element of Slavic personal (Bogislav, Bogolub), family (Bogovici, Bozkovici, Bozov), and Germania place names (Bogumil, later Bomsdrof; Bozetin, later Bozetindorf; Bozici, later Positz). Also Bogumysl, now Bademeusel, and Myslbog, now Meuselwitz.
REGEM EORUM BOZ NOMINE
It is a matter of record that Bog as Bozh is a favored name of early Slavic rulers. In
the early 4th century, for example, Bozh is recorded as the ruler of the mighty Antes
(regem eorum Boz nomine}. Several centuries later, a tsar Bozh is said to rule over the
Antes lands.
THE ALL POWERFUL ONE
Helmold of Bosau, a Saxon cleric who lived in the region of Lübeck around
1170, was an especially keen if not impartial observer of the pagan Slavs. Helmold's
Chronica Slavorum offers a rather clear and precise statement of Svarog's supremacy and
relation to other gods in the Slavic pantheon: Svarog was the one god in the heavens

ruling over all others. They hold that the all powerful one looks after heavenly matters only; that the others, discharging the duties assigned to them in obedi- ence to him, proceeded from his blood; and that one excels the other in the mea- sure that he is nearer to the god of gods.
THE SLAV DELPHI
InB ishopT h ietm ar'sc h ro n ic le( Chronic on)there is a firsth a n da c c o u n tofS v a ro g ' s
temple aturbs Radogost in pago Riedierun, the great sanctuary of the Slavs, the Slav
Delphi: The triangular, three-gated citadel of Radegast is situated in the Redarii

district. The fortress stands in the middle of a great forest regarded by the natives as sacrosanct. Two of the gates are open to all. The third and smallest, to the east, faces a path leading to a neighboring lake of most gloomy aspect. The citadel contains but a single shrine, a wooden structure built upon a foundation of the horns of various animals. Its walls are decorated on the outside, so far as can be seen, with a number of finely carved images of gods and goddesses. Inside the shrine stands a number of man-made idols, each with its incised name, in full armour, terrifying to view. The tallest is called Svarozich and is much feared and revered by the heathens. Their standards are also kept there, only to be removed in case of war and then by foot-soldiers exclusively. Every district in the country has a temple of its own, worshiped by the infidels, but the citadel just mentioned is the most important. The tribesmen take leave of it when they march to war and offer it suitable gifts ... if they return victorious.6
An eminent modern authority on the period, J.W. Thompson, writes of the
temple's immense authority throughout Germania:Upon its wall hung the colored

banners of every Slavonic tribe between the Erzgebirge and the Baltic, and the trophies of victorious wars. The priests of Retra cast omens before every cam- paign. With them lay the final determination of war and peace( F eudalGerm any ,19 2 8 ).1

 

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2. JAROVID, SVETIVID, TRIGLAV
S
vttr, the supreme god, was known by other names. Some of these names were
related to an essential activity or function. Thus the wargod J ar or J arovid, cog-
nates ofS v a r , recorded by German chroniclers in the 12th century: Deum suum
Gerovitum; Cuisudam idoli Geroviti nomine celebritatem agebat; Gerovito, qui deus
milicie eorumfiiit; In Hologosta civitate... deo suo Gerovito dtcitur.1
VOLIGOST
Soon after entering the town of Voligost, Otto, the Apostle of Pomerania, en-
tered a great temple dedicatedto J a ro vid , where, Herbord writes:There was hanging
on the wall a shield of great size and of marvelous workmanship, covered with
sheets of gold, which no human might touch, because in it was something sacro-
sanct and which betokened their pagan religion, so that it -would never be moved
out of its place save only in time of war. For, as we afterwards found, it was dedi-
cated to their god Gerovit, who in Latin is called Mars, and the people were confi-
dent of success in every battle in which it went before them.
HAVELBERG

There is good evidence thatJ a r o v id was alive and well in the early 12thcentury and that there were temples dedicated toJ a ro v id throughout the lands of the Slavs, including Havelburg on the Havel River. To Otto's great distress, Havelburg had been
so completely ruined by the incursions of the heathen that there remained in it
hardly anyone who bore the Christian name. On the very day of his [Otto's] arrival
flags were placed around the town, which was engaged in celebrating a festival in
honour of an idol called Gerovit. When the man of God perceived this, he was
pricked to the heart on account of the great delusion of its people and refused to
enter the walls of the town.
CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY

It is interesting that Thietmar of Merseburg's account of a pagan Slav assault on Christian missionary stations at Havelberg and Brandenburg in the very late 10th cen- tury suggests a noticeable degree of Christian sympathy for such attacks on Christian sanctuaries and images.The revolt started with the murder of garrison troops at
Havelberg and the destruction of the episcopal see. The days after the attack a

group of Slavic rebels assaulted Brandenburg's diocese ... The priests were taken prisoners... All of the church treasures were stolen, and blood covered the grounds. Where Christ and his disciple, Saint Peter, once stood, cults of diabolical supersti- tions were established; a sad change, which not only pagans but also some Chris-
tians welcomed.
JAROMIR, JARINA GRAD

Medieval sources reveal numerous personal and family names derivedf rom J ar in Germania (e.g. Jarobud, Jarognev, Jarosin, Jaromir, Jaroslav). Medieval sources also reveal numerous place names, including fortified settlements, derived fromJ ar in Germania east and west of the Elbe: Jargolin; Jarichovo grad; Jarina grad; Jarisin; Jarkovici; Jarkovo; Jarkun grad; Jarognev; Jarochol grad; Jarochov; Jarom; Jaromir; Jaromirici;

 

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Jaronici; Jaroslav; Jarosin; Jarosov; Jarovec; Jarovici.2
SVAR, JAR, ZAR
FromSvar/Jar the Serb wordsjar, as injarko sunce or radiant sun,andjarost,
connoting intense, scorching, torrid heat, fire. Also the words zar, zarenje, zariti, zarki,
zarkost, connoting heat, warmth, brightness, glowing, red-hot fire. Like jar, zar is also
the root of numerous place names recorded in medieval Germania (e.g. Zar, Zargom,
Zarchom, Zarice, Zarkim, Zarnovica, Zarov, Zary, Zarno).
SVAR, SVETI VID
Other names relate toS v a r ' s supreme attributes. Thus Svaris Sveti Via,the
lord of eyes, the far-seeing, all-seeing god, who beholds all beings and the good
and bad deeds of mortals.Saxo Grammaticus'Gesta Danorum is an important source
of detailed information on the legendaryS vetiVi d ( Z vantevit) cult centre at Arkona
on the Baltic island of Rügen.3 A Danish monk, Saxo, took part in a crusading expedi-
tion against the pagan Slavs of Rügen in 1168 and witnessed the destructionof Sveti
Vid'ste m p le .In the temple stood an enormous statue, taller than any human f or m,

with four heads and necks, which lent it a somewhat terrifying appearance. Two looked ahead, and two behind, one faced the right, and another the left. The mous- tache was shaven, and the hair cut in deliberate imitation of the style usually af- fected by the Rani [Rugenites]. In its right hand it held a horn, fashioned in a variety of precious metals ... The left hand was supported against its side as if the arm were bent. The robe fell to the calves, which were of a different wood, and at the knee was a joint that you would fail to see unless you looked very closely. The feet were at ground level, for the pedestal was buried in the earth. To one side you could see the bit, saddle, and various insignia; a sword of extraordinary size in- creased the wonder of it all, and the admirable work on sheath and hilt enhanced the intrinsic value of the silver.
OMNI NATIONE SCLAVORUM
The Sveti Vid cult's pan-Slav character is noted by Helmold in the following
words:Zv an t ev i t deus t erre Rug i an o rum i n t er o m n i a n um i n a Sclav o rum pri m at aum
obtinuerit; et fecit prudci simuachrum illud antiquissimum Zvantevith, quod
colebaturt ab omni natione Sclavorum.
SVETOVID, SVETOVIT
In his excellent survey of the abundant empirical evidence relating to the scope
and depthof S vetiVi d's influence on South Slavic religious civilization (e.g.Sv eto v i d,
Svetovit), P. Simunovic also finds evidence of a significant medieval political moment—
the names of medieval Slavic rulers.4lako se pri manjem krscanstva kult slavenskog

bozanstva Svetovit upleo u kult sv. Vida, ostavivsi name pokoje onomasticke i folklorne preztike, ne moze se zanijekati i ne uzeti i obzir u tvorbi nekih od navedenih imena slavenski imenski korijen vit-/-vit. kojji je u imenu bozanstva Svetovit(b), u imenu kneza posavske Hrvatske Ljudevita (817-825), u davno potvrdenim imenima: Dragovit, Trebevit, Dobrovit (11. st.), Vitotnir (9 st.), Vitogoj (10. st.), Vitina (10. st.), ukojimavit- /-vitznaci "dominus", "potens", "mogucnik", kako su to vec davno istrazili istaknuti slavenski onomasticari. Sventovit je, dakle,

 

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"gospodar svjetla", Ljudevit je "vladar ljudi". Korijen viWvit- u takvim dvodjelnim imenima pretezito sadrzava prvotno slavensko, a ne kasnije, latinsko leksicko znacenje koje ju u imenu sv. Vita/Vida. Ko kao sto se u puckim predodzbama slavenski poganski, sventovitski kult nerazmrsivo spleo s krscanskiin, vidovskim kultoni, tako se to zbilo i s oblicima imena Vit/Vid u koje se neprepoznatljivo stopili leksicki i onomasticki sadrzaj.
SVAR, TRIGLAV
The same essential attributes are found inSv aras T ri g lav , the three-headed all-
seeing and all-knowing god of the past, present, and future:Triglav, deus summo
paganorum, Trigelaus dicatus,the s u p r e m e lo r d and o r i g i n a t o r of all o n , below, and
above thee a r th( K A J enc ,Prib ohT riglav, L uz ic an 1,18 5 4). Aslate as the mid-12th century great
temples dedicated toT ri g lav were active in the Havelburg-Berlin-Brandenburg region
and the Stettin-Volin region in western Pomerania:T ri g la Slav i s tri ceps est Steti n en si um
olim ac Brandenburgensium aliorumque locorum idolum.
IN CIVITAS ANTIQUISSIMA ET NOBILISSIMA
German chroniclers, namely Ebbo and Herbord, give the following facts and
details aboutT riglav' s temple in ancient and noble Stetin, inc ivitas antiq uissim a e t

nobilissima in terra Pomeranorum: Stetin, vero amplissima civitas et maiorjulin [Volin] tres mantes ambitu suo conclusos habebat, quorum medius, qui et alcior, summo paganorum deo Trigelawo dicatus, tricapitum habebat simulacrum, quod aurea cidari oculos et labia contegebat, asserentibus idolorum sacerdotibus idea summum deum tria habere capita, quoniam triaprocuraret regna, idestcoeli, ter- rae et inferni, etfaciem cidari operiri pro eo quod peccata hominum, quasi non vidense tta c e n s , dissimularet( E b b o); Eratautem[i n civitateS te tin e n s i]ib i simulacrum triceps, quod in uno corpore tria capite habens Triglaus vocabatur; quod solum accipiens, ipsa capitella sibi cohaerentia, corpore comminuto, secum inde quasi pro trophaeo asportavit, etpostea Romampro agrumentoc o n v e rsio n is transimit( H erb ord).
PERSONIFICATION OF THE SKY
The noted Russian scholar A. N. Afanasiev sums upS va ro g in the following
terms: Svarog, as a personification of the sky, sometimes lighted by the sun's rays,
sometimes covered with clouds, and brilliant with lightning, was considered to be
the father of the sun and of fire. In the shadows of the clouds he would kindle the
lightning's flame and thus he appeared as the creator of celestial fire. As for terres-
trial fire, it was a divine gift brought to Earth in the form of lightning. Hence it
will be understood why the Slavs worshiped Fire as a son of Svarog.5
IMPARTING LIFE TO THE SUN
RegardingS varog' s relation to the Slav solar cult, Afanasiev writes: Afterwards,
splitting the clouds with flashing arrows, Svarog would cause the sun to appear, or
in the metaphorical language of antiquity, he would light the torch of the sun
which had been extinguished by demons of the shadows. This poetic conception
was also applied to the morning sun emerging from the veils of night. With the
sunrise and the renewal of its flame the idea of its rebirth was connected

 

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HIGHER TRUTH
Even today, it should be noted, some would go so far as to say that then and now
a solar cult represents a higher truth. On this point, Lloyd M. Graham writes: A sunis

a cosmic crucible in which that cross called matter is made, in other words, a transmuter of cosmic energy—a fact known thousands of years ago and reduced to myth: 'Prometheus was the first to transmute atoms fit for human clay.' Prometheus, who stole fire from heaven and brought it down to Earth, is but a solar fire per-
sonified. Here the fire is imprisoned in matter. This is 'Prometheus Bound.'When
released by radiation it is 'Prometheus Unbound'... All this the ancients knew and
left to thewor ld inwha t wecall the'AncientW i sdom'(L M.Graham, DeceptionsandM y ths
of the Bible, 1975).
NOT THE WORD OF GOD
According to this view, the Judaeo-Christian theology is nothing more than a
garbled perversion of ancient wisdom and cosmic truths:The Bible is not 'the word of
God,' but stolen from pagan sources. Its Eden, Adam, and Eve were taken from the
Babylonian accounts; its Flood or Deluge is but an epitome of some four hundred
flood accounts; its Ark and Ararat have their equivalents in a a score of Deluge
myths; even the names of Noah's sons are copies; so also Isaac's sacrifice, Solomon's
judgment, and Samson's pillar act; Moses is fashioned after the Syrian Mises; its
laws after Hammurabi's code. Its Messiah is derived from the Egyptian Mahdi,
Savior, certain verses are verbatim copies of Egyptian scriptures. Between Jesus
and the Egyptian Horus, Gerald Massey found 137 similarities, and those between
Ghrist and Krishna run into the hundreds.
By confusing the laws of nature, the Creation process, with the will of God,
Graham believes, the Judaeo-Christian theology confuses Hell with Heaven. Thus he
writes:God wills it! God wills it! is the cry of every mass murderer on record.
ENDNOTES
PS. Efimenko, O larile, iazycheskom bozhevstve russkikh slavian, 1969. M. Rudnicki, Bostwa lechickie: Jarovit,
Nyja, Swietowit, Trzglow, JeZ 50, 1970.

K. Jene, Priboh Swjatowit a jeho rozimanje w lece 1168, Lucizcan 3, 1860. T. Reyman, Posag Swiatowida, ZoW 8, 1933. G. Vernadsky, Svantevit, dieu les slaves Baltiques, Annuaire 7, 1933-34. P. Kurinnyi, Sviatovit, Vyzolnyi shliakh 6, 1954. E. Dyggve, Der slawische Viermastenbau auf Ruegen, beobachtungen aus dem Swantewittempel desSaxo-Grammaticus, Germania37, 1959. H. Berelkamp, BadaniagroduSwiatowita, ZoW37, 1971. J. Rosen- Przeworska, Sur la genese de "Swiatowid" deite slave a quater visages, ArP 13, 1972. S. Bukowski, Swiatynia- Swiatowida-jak mogla wygladac, ZoW 40, 1974. H. Mueller, Vor 1000 Jahren: Tieropfer fuer den Slawengott Swantewit, Urania 9, 1975. J. Filipowiak, Swiatowit z Wolina, ZoW 4l, 1975.

A. Haas, Slawische Kultstaeten aud der Inseln Ruegen, Pommersche Jb 19; Arkona in Jahre 1146, 1925. W Krabe, Arkona-Rehtra-Vineta, ZtS 2, 1925. K. Schuchhardt, Arkona, Rethra, Vineta, 1926. A.G. Krueger, Rethra und Arkona, die slawistischen Heiligtuemer in Deutschland, Germanien 9, 1936. J. Knebel, Arkona. Poslednja pohanska swatnica zapadnych Slowjanow znici so pred 800 letiami, PrA 1970. J. Osieglowski, Wyspa slowianskich bogov, 1971. J. Herrmann, Arkona auf Ruegen, ZtA 8, 1974. L. Ellis, Reinterpretations of the West Slavic cult site in Arkona, InD 6, 1978.

 

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P. Simunovic, Osobono Ime Vid, MaK XL-XLI, 1989-90(Osobno ime Vid rasprostranjeno je na cjelokupnom
slavenskom prostoru. Posluzilo je motiviom mnogobrojnom antroponimijskih i toponimijskih likova.
Ime Vid smatram i prezitkom kulta slavenskog bozanstva Sventovita, koji se po slavenskom pokrstavanju
stopio s kultom svetoga Vida. Izvedenica toga imena nalzi se i u makedonskom prezimenu — Vidoeski).
With regard to an important solar folkloric Vid- moment he writes:Nadojamo jos kako se na Vidovdan posvecuju
izvori prije sunca, te se umiva vodom u koju je bacena biljka vidocica. Tada se okrecu suncu i govore: "Vide,
Vidovdane, sto ocima vidio, to rukama stvorio!"It is perhaps more than medieval politics or coincidence that
Sveti Vid/Vit as St. Vitus is the patron saint of Bohemia, that Prague's cathedral church is dedicated to Sveti Vid
('Svetago Vita'), that it is the church of national record:i vlozi Bog v srdce sozda chram svetago Vita ne zie
mysle; i poslav slugi prinese telo brato sovego Veceslava iz Boleslavle grada k slavnoumu grade Praze ... i
polozisa i v crkvi svetago Vita (The First Life of St. Wenceslas).

A.N. Afanasev, Poeticeskija vozzrenija slavjan na prirodu. Opyt sravnitelnago izucenija slavjanskich predanij i verovanij v svjai z mifisceskihm skazanijami drugich rodstvennych narodow, I-III, 1865-69. A. Bruckner, Mitologja slowianska, 1918. F. Ledic, Mitologiaslavena, I-II, 1969-70. B. Gediga, Sladami religi praslowian, 1976. A. Gieysztor, Mitologia Slowian, 1982. F. Kmietowicz, Slavic Mythical Beliefs, 1982. L. Moszynski, Die vorchristliche Religion der Slaven im Lichte der slavischen Sprachwissenschaft, 1992. B.Z. Rybakov, Mify Drevnikh Slavian, 1993. A.S. Famintsyn, Bozhestva drevnikh slavian, 1995. N.I. Tolstoi, lazyk i narodnaiakultura: ocherki po slavianskoi mifologii i ethnolingvistike, 1995.



Pagan Temple (Gross Raden)

 

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I
3. CELE NASE POHANSKE
BAGESLOVI INDICKE GEST: PURAN/PERUN

Access to ancient Sanskrit texts in early 19th century Eu- rope shed new light on the origin and character of an- cient Slavic mythology. Successive studies appeared to reveal deeper and broader connections with ancient India and Iran, so much so that it was hard to escape the idea that ancient Slavic civilization shared a common ances- try with ancient Indo-Iranian civilization. Thus the dra- matic conclusion reached by J. Kollar (1798-1852), the great Slovak poet, scholar, and Slavist, in an essay on commonalities and parallels in Indian and Slavic mythol-
ogy(Srovnalost Indice a Slavske Mythologie): Gele nase
pohanske bageslovi indice gest (Our entire pagan reli-
gious mythology is Indie in origin and character).1
n the Vedic system, the various gods are not separate entities, but merely
aspects of the supreme lord and creator, manifestations of the immanent
deity.
INDRA

Lord Indra, a name perhaps related to proto-Slavjenttru oijedru (strong), was an immensely popular manifestation. Some scholars find traceso f Perun in Indra's prede- cessor, Varun, an earlier Indo-Iranian sky-god of rain and storm and protector of oaths.2 From his role as God of war and storms, the cognomens Puran-dara (destroyer of
cities); Paran-ya (thunderbolt), and mighty Indra (thousand-testicled Indra or
sahasramuska), the main subject of early Vedic hymns.3
ASPECTS OF THE SUPREME LORD AND CREATOR

The same is true of the pagan Slav system. Here, too, the gods are aspects of the Supreme Lord and Creator; they are manifestations of the universal causality. Here, too, lordPerun , the god of war and storms, is a popular and powerful manifestation of the Slav god of gods,Sv aro g .4 Thus it is not surprising that in a mid-6th century work, commenting on the religion of the Slavs, Procopius identifiesSv aro g i n termso fPerun 's
attributes: They in fact regard one god, the creator of lightning, as the lord and
masterof theuniverse;they sacrificeoxenandother animals to him( De Bellis Gothico)?
PRIMARY CHRONICLE
Later sources affirmPerun s central position in the pagan Slav hierarchy.Perun is
a prominent figure in the most ancient Russian chronicle, best known as theNac alnaja
Letopiso r Primary Chronicle.A ccording to the Chronicle,P erunis the p r i m a r y g u a r a n t o r
of treaties between Kievan Russia and Byzantium in the 10th century.
GRAND PRINCE OLEG
Following the religion of Grand Prince Oleg (879-912) and the Russes,Perun is
the guarantor of a 907 peace treaty with Byzantium: Thus the Emperors Leo and

 

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Alexander made peace with Oleg and agreed to pay tribute, and they took the
oath among themselves by kissing the cross, but let Oleg and his men-at-arms
take the oath, according to the Rus law: they swore by their arms, and by Perun,
their God and Volos, the cattle god and established peace. Furthermore they swore
by their arms not in the German manner, but taking their weaponso ff and put-
ting them at the feet of the idol, in accordance with their own custom.
VOLOSIn order to understand whyVo lo s, the god of cattle (the Serbianv o andvol are

ancient and modern Slavic words for cattle), is mentioned as a guarantor of oaths in this and other treaties, once again one must turn to Indo-Iranian mythology.6 It is only natural that cowherds and cattle orgo play an important role in the Vedic order, in a community of herders and stockbreeders. Thus Govrsesvara, lord of cattle; Mount Govardhana, where cattle graze and multiply; Goloka, above the world of gods and Brahmans, the world of cattle, the highest region, beyond which there is no region. In Zoroastrian mythology, Vohu Manu is the good spirit's first born. Vohu is the god of cattle, the sacrificial animals. His world equivalent is the cow, bull, ox. What is more important, Vohu is the shepherd of mankind. In opposition to Ako Manu, the evil spirit, Vohu guides the people to good thinking and righteous behavior and keeps the records of men's deeds, words, and thoughts.
GRAND PRINCE IGOR, GRAND PRINCESS OLGA
Following a 945 peace treaty with Byzantium, Grand Prince Igor (913-945) and
his men went to a hill in Kiev: Where there was a statue of Perun. There they laid
down their arms and swore to keep the treaty.7It is said that Grand Princess Olga's
(945-964) warriors swore by their arms and invoked the nameo f Perun .
GRAND PRINCE SVYATOSLAV
In a 972 treaty with Byzantium, Grand Prince Svyatoslav (964-972) bound him-
self and his subjects to uphold the conditions of the treaty in the following words:I,

Svyatoslav, Russian Prince ... wish to have peace and abiding friendship with all the great Greek emperors inspired by God, and with all your people; and so do all the Rus subject to me ...N ever will I attack your land, or gather an army, or guide a foreign people against those subject to the Greek Government. If we do not observe this ... may we be accursed by the god in whom we believe, by Perun, and Volos the god of flocks, may we become yellow as gold, and perish by our own
weapons.
VLADIMIR VELIKI
Vladimir Veliki (980-1015), later,S vy atoy V ladim ir, Apostle of Russia, lived most
of his life as a pagan, and ruled in the nameo f Perun until his baptism in 988:Vladimir
then began to reign alone in Kiev. And he set up idols on the hill outside the

castle courtyard. A wooden Perun with a head of silver and whiskers of gold ... The people sacrificed to them calling them gods ... They desecrated the earth with their offerings, and the land of Rus and that hill were defiled with blood.

 

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NOVGOROD
Perun was also supreme in the great city of Novgorod: Vladimir then put his
uncle Dobrynia in Novgorod. And when Dobrynia arrived at Novgorod he raised
an idol to Perun on the banks of the river Volkhov; and the people of Novgorod
offered sacrifices to it as if to God himself.
PERIN HILL

Twentieth century excavations have uncovered a number of pagan sanctuaries in the lands of the Western and Eastern Slavs. One of the more interesting and revealing sites is the sanctuary dedicated toPerun near Novgorod Veliki. V.V. Sedov writes:The
Perin hill magnificently dominates the northern low-lying and woodless banks of
the Ihnen lake. The principle sanctuary was raised above the surrounding area...
in die form of a regular circle ... Here [in the center of the circle] stood a wooden
statue of Perun ... In front of the idol there was an altar, a circle made of cobble
stones. The ditch surrounding the cult was not a simple ring, but a thin rim in
die form of a huge flower with eight petals ... During pagan festivals a ritual
bonfire was lit on the bottom of each ditch projection ... and an eternal flame
burnt in the eastern projection facing the Volkhov river. The layout of the sanctu-
ary is likely to be a geometric representation of one of the flowers devoted to
Perun. The pagan Slavs are known to be fond of devoting flowering plants to
Perun. The ditch, which surrounded the site with the idol, was of a ritual signifi-
cance likethoseof barrowditches (V.V. Sedov, Pagan sanctuariesandidolsof the Eastern Slavs,SlG 7-8,
1980-81).
IN GERMANIA
In medieval German sources there are numerous, albeit rather muddled, refer-
ences toPerun . Helmold, for example, refers to:
• Pro v e (Prove deus Aldenburg; Prove deus Aldenburgensis terre)
• Puruvit(in Garz, tria idola ... et Puruvit nominabantur)
• Po ren ut i( Quo suc c iso, P orenuti tem plum appetitur)
PERUNMore certain and concrete references toPerun in Germania are found in language
and place names. As late as the 17th century the native Slavs of Hanover called Thursday
Perundan. In northeastern Germania, on the coast, near Stralsund, one finds Perun,
north of Zalikov,Mo ko sa,and Dev i n , place names that resonate with strong and vivid
pagan sounds and rhythms. Further west, anotherPerun is recorded near Dargun Grad,
southeastof Svetina Grad and Slavomir Grad(H . Skalova, MistopisnaMapauz em iO b odric uaL utic u,
VpS3,1960).
T. Witkowski notes thatPerun is the original name of Prohn (Perun, 1240), a
small village near Stralsund, and Pronstorf (Perun/Perone (1199), near Segeberg, and
perhaps Pirna (Perne, 1233; Pyrne,1239), near Dresden( T . Witkowski, Mythologisch motivierte
altpolabische Ortsnamen, ZtS 15, 1970).

 

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ENDNOTES

J. Kollar, Slawa bohyne, 1839. For an early and excellent introduction to such 'commonalities' and 'parallels' read: I. J. Hanusch, Die Wissenschaft des Slawischen Mythus, 1842; Bajesloveny kalendar slovansky, cili pozustatky pohansko-svatecnych obraduv slovanskych, 1860. J. Rozwadowski, Stosunkileksykalne miedzy jezykami slowianskiemi i iranskiemi, Rocznik Orientalistyczny l, 1914-1915. A.A. Zalizniak, Problemy slaviano-iranskikh iazykovykh otnoshenii drevneishego perioda, VoP 6, 1962. U. Dukova, Zur Frage des iranischen Einflusses auf die slawische mythologische Lexik, ZtS 24, 1979.

For a recent discussion of ways in which Perun and other members of the pagan Slav pantheon are traced to [SJVarun: O.N. Trubacev, Überlegungen zu vorchristlichen Religion der Slaven im Lichte der slavischen Sprachwissenschaft, ZtS 54, 1994.
Muski is the Serb word for masculine, manly; muzf o r h u s b a n d ; muzevan, for brave, manly. In medieval Russia the

muzhi were local notables who were active in matters of war and peace (B. Grekov, Kiev Rus, 1959). In 911 Grand Prince Oleg sent his muzhi to conlude peace and draw up a treaty between Rus and the Greeks. Decades later, in 944,Igor sent his muzhi to Roman, and Roman called together his boyars and dignitaries. Evidence of the deep roots of this institution is found in the fact that them uz hi played a similar role in Russian entities organized on a tribal basis. In one embassy, for example, it is recorded that the Drevlyane sent to Olga their best muzhi,
numbering twenty, in a boat;in another embassy, the Drevlyane chose their best muzhi who ruled the land of
the Drevlyane and sent them after her.In turn, Olga tells the Drevlyane, send me noble muzhi.

N.S. Derzhavin, Perun v iazykovych i folklornykh perzhivaniiakh u slavian, lazyk i Literatura 3, 1929. J. Machnik, Na sladach kultur Peruna, DaW 2, 1955. I. Ivanov, K etimologii baltiiskogo i slavianskogo nazvami boga groma, VoP 3, 1958. V.P. Darkevich, Topor kak simvol Peruna v drevnerusskom iazykchestve, Sovetskaia arkheologiia 5, 1961. T. Witkowski, Perun und Mokos in altpolabischen Ortsnamen, OnO 16, 1971. H. Schuster-Sewc, Zur Frage der sudeslawischen perunika-Namen, FiL 30, 1973. M. Gimbutas, Perkunas/Perun, the thunder god of the Baits and the Slavs, InD 1, 1973. A. Gieysztor, Sprawca piorunow w mitologii slowianskiej (Ars Historica Poznan, 1976). G.I. Ivakin, Sviaschennyi dub Peruna (Drevnosti srednego Podneprov'ia, 1981). V.V. Martinov, Svyatogor Bilinaya ipostac Peruna, Philologia slavica, 1993.
Archaeological and linguistic evidence suggest that in the religion of the ancient Indo-Europeans, the Shining God
of the Sky was closely followed by the Thunder God, the hunter and warrior... The axe is connected with the
Thunder God; the club, bow, quiver, and arrows are also his... This god is best preserved in all Indo-European
mythologies (M. Gimbutas, The Civilization of the Goddess, 1991).

J. Jirecek, O slovanskem bohu Velesu, Casopis, 49, 1875. A. Fischer, Kult Welesa u Slowian in Narodopisna spolecnost ceskoslovanska, 1927. W. Szafranski, Slady kultu bozka Welesa u plemion wczesno-polskich, PoL 3, 1959. V. Zivancevic, Volos, Veles slavianskoe bozhevsto teriomorfnogo proikhozhdeniia, 7th International Con- gress of Anthropological and Ethnographical Sciences, 1964. R. Jakobson, The Slavic God Veles and his Indo- European cognates, Studi linguistic! V. Pisani, 1969. N.A. Baskakov, Mifologischeskie i epicheskie imena sobstvennye v "Slove o polku igoreve" (I etimologii Veles i Boian), Vostochnaia filologia 3, 1972.
B.A. Rybakov, Paganism in Medieval Rus, Social Science 6, 1975.

 

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4. PURAN, RERUN, SVETI ILIA
I
n one way or anotherP erun—P erun asP erunor P erun in the guise of St. Elia or St.
Ilia the Thunderer, who roared through the skies in a fiery war chariot—survived the
Christiane ra(LP. Leger,Perounet lesS aintE lie,E tudes dem y thologieslave,18 95- 97 ;S lovenska Mitologijct,
1904).

ThatP erunas P erun was alive and well in the first centuries of the Christian era is a matter of well-documented record. When Grand Prince Igor and his men laid down their weapons, shields, and gold ornaments and took oath beforePerun , native and foreign Christians took an oath inPerun s Christian sanctuary, the Church of St. Ilia (St. Elias). A 12th century Christian source reports that the Slavs:Forgot God and believed
in that which God created for our use; and they called all this by the names of
gods: die sun, moon, earth and water ... the gods Veles [Volos], Perun ... and even
to this day remain in a guilty state of dark unenlightenment.
ISTRIA, MONTENEGRO

Throughout the Dinaric highlands, from Istria in the northwest to Montenegro in the southeast, one findsP erun in settings that sometimes vibrate with ancient Slavic cults: in toponyms, especially prominent heights (e.g. Mt. Perun, in eastern Istria; Mt. Perun, in Poljica, east of Split in central Dalmatia; Mts. Perun in central and eastern Bosnia); hydronyms (e.g. Perunisaspring, near Smiljan in Lika); flora (e.g. the iris Perunika, also called Bogisa); place names (e.g. Perun, near Ston, Peljesac peninsula; Perunica, near Kotor in Montenegro). In one recorded instance, a toponym refers toPerun s former fortress or stronghold: In the year 1405, Bosnia's Ban Tvrtko II Tvrtkovic's (1404-1409) grant to a deserving subject includes the village of Drevnik, with Perun, also known
as Perun Gradina (ruins of Perun's fortress). Also the personal and family names
Perun, Perunovic, Perunicic in Montenegro: e.g. the Perunovic brastvo/brotherhood of
Perunovic in Raicevici, Katun County, Old Montenegro; the Perunovic brastvo/brother-
hoodofD re n o v is tic a ,P jesivac C o u n t y , Ol dMo n t g e n e g r o .(M .F ilipovic ,T ragovi P erunova kulta
kodJuznih Slovene, Glasnik 3, 1948; Jos tragovima Perunova kulta kodjuznih Slovena, Glasnik 9, 1954).1
IN THE SERB LANDS

Of course, the Perun/Sv. Iliac ult had its deepest roots, strength, and vitality in the core Serb lands. Along the ancient religious frontier, the pagan highlands above early Christian enclaves inP rim orska Serbia on the Adriatic coast, one finds great evidence of pagan adaptation and Christian accomodation.
ILINOBRDO

Here one finds numerous heights with such names as Ilino Brdo, Ilina Glavica, Ilina Gora, Ilin Vrh and others, including, Mount Sv. Ilija towering above the village of Bogdasic on the rugged Vrmac peninsula in the Bay of Kotor. Ilina Voda, Ilina Glavica, Ilina Gora, Ilina Dubrava, Ilina Kamenica, Ilin Vrh, Ilino Brdo are some of the Ilin toponyms and hydronyms recorded in the province of Boka in the early 20th century( S .
Nakicenovic, Boka,A ntropogeograf ika Studija, 1913).Thesam e or similar toponyms andh y d r o n y m s
are found in relative abundance throughout Montenegro: Ilina Brdo, near Gradac, Ljesan
County; Ilinsko Zdrijelo and Ilinsko Strana, near Kosijeri, Katun County; Ilino Brdo, 4. PURAN, RERUN, SVETI ILIA
I
n one way or anotherP erun—P erun asP erunor P erun in the guise of St. Elia or St.
Ilia the Thunderer, who roared through the skies in a fiery war chariot—survived the
Christiane ra(LP. Leger,Perounet lesS aintE lie,E tudes dem y thologieslave,18 95- 97 ;S lovenska Mitologijct,
1904).

ThatP erunas P erun was alive and well in the first centuries of the Christian era is a matter of well-documented record. When Grand Prince Igor and his men laid down their weapons, shields, and gold ornaments and took oath beforePerun , native and foreign Christians took an oath inPerun s Christian sanctuary, the Church of St. Ilia (St. Elias). A 12th century Christian source reports that the Slavs:Forgot God and believed
in that which God created for our use; and they called all this by the names of
gods: die sun, moon, earth and water ... the gods Veles [Volos], Perun ... and even
to this day remain in a guilty state of dark unenlightenment.
ISTRIA, MONTENEGRO

Throughout the Dinaric highlands, from Istria in the northwest to Montenegro in the southeast, one findsP erun in settings that sometimes vibrate with ancient Slavic cults: in toponyms, especially prominent heights (e.g. Mt. Perun, in eastern Istria; Mt. Perun, in Poljica, east of Split in central Dalmatia; Mts. Perun in central and eastern Bosnia); hydronyms (e.g. Perunisaspring, near Smiljan in Lika); flora (e.g. the iris Perunika, also called Bogisa); place names (e.g. Perun, near Ston, Peljesac peninsula; Perunica, near Kotor in Montenegro). In one recorded instance, a toponym refers toPerun s former fortress or stronghold: In the year 1405, Bosnia's Ban Tvrtko II Tvrtkovic's (1404-1409) grant to a deserving subject includes the village of Drevnik, with Perun, also known
as Perun Gradina (ruins of Perun's fortress). Also the personal and family names
Perun, Perunovic, Perunicic in Montenegro: e.g. the Perunovic brastvo/brotherhood of
Perunovic in Raicevici, Katun County, Old Montenegro; the Perunovic brastvo/brother-
hoodofD re n o v is tic a ,P jesivac C o u n t y , Ol dMo n t g e n e g r o .(M .F ilipovic ,T ragovi P erunova kulta
kodJuznih Slovene, Glasnik 3, 1948; Jos tragovima Perunova kulta kodjuznih Slovena, Glasnik 9, 1954).1
IN THE SERB LANDS

Of course, the Perun/Sv. Iliac ult had its deepest roots, strength, and vitality in the core Serb lands. Along the ancient religious frontier, the pagan highlands above early Christian enclaves inP rim orska Serbia on the Adriatic coast, one finds great evidence of pagan adaptation and Christian accomodation.
ILINOBRDO

Here one finds numerous heights with such names as Ilino Brdo, Ilina Glavica, Ilina Gora, Ilin Vrh and others, including, Mount Sv. Ilija towering above the village of Bogdasic on the rugged Vrmac peninsula in the Bay of Kotor. Ilina Voda, Ilina Glavica, Ilina Gora, Ilina Dubrava, Ilina Kamenica, Ilin Vrh, Ilino Brdo are some of the Ilin toponyms and hydronyms recorded in the province of Boka in the early 20th century( S .
Nakicenovic, Boka,A ntropogeograf ika Studija, 1913).Thesam e or similar toponyms andh y d r o n y m s
are found in relative abundance throughout Montenegro: Ilina Brdo, near Gradac, Ljesan
County; Ilinsko Zdrijelo and Ilinsko Strana, near Kosijeri, Katun County; Ilino Brdo,

 

[NickFreakyrgios]

near Bukovac, Piva County.
MRKOJEVICI

There are fewer more dramatic and telling examples of adaptation and accomodation than those found in the immediate path of Christian expansion radiating from the coastal city of Bar. In the foothills and rugged highlands above Bar, one finds theMrko jev i d, an ancient fraternal communityorplem ew itii the deepest roots in the Serb past, in the first Serb state, medieval Duklja.2 The following profile is from a stan- dard reference work:M, pleme u crnogorskom primorju, izmedju planine Rumike,
Mozure i rnora. Broji oko pet stotina domova. Zemljiste je nagnuto öd Rutnije k

tnora, klima je primorska, radja razno voce. Öd maslina cijede ulje na domacim nilinovima. Od gornjih sela ispod Rumije znatniji su Mali i Velji Mikulici. Ostala se spustaju s jedne i druge strane planinskog vijenca Lisinja do Mozure i tnora. Od donjih sela glavno je Velje Selo. M. se kao pleme izmedju Bara i Ulcinja spominju 1409. Staro sjediste plemena bill su Mikulici, odakle se ovo pleme razvilo i spustilo k moru. Kasnjije je sjediste i zborno m j es to postalo Velje Selo, najvece u
M. Od starine su M imali kao glavnog starjesinu plemena barjaktara. Bili su nekada
pravoslavni Srbi, pa su od prije dvjesta godina poceli mijenjati vjeru, a od prije sto
godina svi su primili Islam. Cestu su na njihovom zemljistu tragovi starih crkava.
Pored nesto doseljenika iz raznih strana, glavna masa stanovike je stara. To su
stari M koje je prijelaz u Islam ocuvao. U pravoslavnom brastvu Androvica u Veljim
Mikulicima cuva se krst, za koji vjeruju da je bio u rukama zetskog kneza Jovana
Vladimira, lead je poginuo u Prespi. O Trojcinu dana iznose M. i Krajinjani sve
trivjere tajkrst naRumi ju uzveli ku ipobozn usvecanost( S. Stanojevic, Entiklopedija Srba,
Hrvata i Slovenaca)?
RADOMIR

In its center, Velje Selu, on a commanding height, Radomir, one finds the Cathe- dral Church of Sv. Ilia, where, from the most ancient times, theMrko jev i c gathered each year on St. Ilia's Day or Ilindan to discuss and resolve community affairs.
VOJNADRUZHINA

In the mid-15th century theMrko jev i cvojna druz hina (military fraternity) enters into an alliance with Venice and thereafter plays an important role in Venice's defense of Bar and Ulcinj on land and Venice's maritime dominance in the eastern Adriatic. Vene- tian registers offer important documentary evidence relating to the number and vitality of theMrko jev i c contribution to the anti-Ottoman wars in the 17th century. With sev- eral exceptions all theMrko jev i cs, generally recorded asMarko v i ci in Latin/Venetian sources(n o bi li ssi m uset frequen t i ssi m usest pag usMarco v i chi o rum ) have typical Serb names( G.S tanojevic , J edanplatnispisakm om ara iof irira mletackih naoruzanih barke iz16 2 6 godine,Isto rijski Z apisi
XX, 1976).
ANDRIJAIVOV, VUKO NIKOV

The several exceptions to the rule appear to be early converts to Islam, namely Osman Ivanov, Deli Murat and Zafir Hin, who served together with their Chrstian brothers- in-blood if not in faith.

 

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Andrija Ivov
Ostoja Ratkov
Djuro Perov
Pero Boskov
[Sargente] Ivo
Pero Djurov
Ivo Dabov
Pero Marov
Ivo Markov
Pero Milov
Ivo Perov
Pero Nikov
Ivo Vulev
Petar Markov
Luka Nikov
Rado Ilin
Markisha Perov
Stefan Ivov
Milo Mladenov
Stijepo
Milosh Milankov
Vuko Ivov
Nikisha Djurov
Vuko Nikov
Nikola Vukov
DEMOCRACY
As is always the case in western alliances with Montenegrin communities, the
Venetians are stunned by their thoroughly democratic character. In the case of the
Mrkojevic,f o r example, t h e V e n e t i a n s soon learn t h a t every a d u l t male appears to have a
title and function meriting recognition and payment. Ultimately, nearly one-third of the
Mrkojevicdem and and receive certain privileges a n d ex em p tio n s f r o m V enetian a u t h o r i -
ties.
ISLAM
When Christianity vanished, after theMrko jev i c adopted Islam, Sv. Ilia remained
thepleme'sv ita l center, t h e i n d o m i t a b l e g u a r d i a n of a n c i e n t t r a d i t i o n s a n d values.4 Like-

wise, Ilindan assemblies remained real and symbolic guarantors of communal unity and solidarity. In a true and authentic expression of ancient values and loyalties, soon after the Cathedral's severe damage by an earthquake in 1979, the MoslemMrko jev i c at home and abroad began raising funds for its restoration.
NEWORDER

TheMrko jev i c are proud of the fact that during World War II, though the New Order's occupying forces, following standard imperial policies, did everything in their power and more to incite a confessional war in the region, to place Orthodox, Moslem, and Catholic Serbs at each other's throats, there was not a single instance of religous conflict. Ramo Dapcevic captures thisMrko jev i c moment in the following words:Ovdje
se nije desilo da je brat brata ubio, musliman pravoslavnoga, ill pravloslavni
musliman, izmedju vjera da je nesto bilo. Nikako. Nego, kao jedna dusa. Ne mozes
razlikovati nista. Naroda je povezan, vrlo dobar. lako su tri vjerispovijesti, nidje
se nije pojavilo da prezire pravoslavni muslimana, ill musliman pravoslavnog ili
katolika, no ka'da su od jedne majke. I u ratu se pomagalo, ne samo u ovome
kraju, nego sve do Boke Kotorske. Dolazili su odjen da uzimaju hljeba i zita. Ovi
narod,ko go je ima,da' je.Neko je proda.Aliodavdeni konijei zasagladan( S usreti,
January-Feburary, 1990).
ILINOBRDO, ILINDAN
Several miles north of Bar, in the rugged heights along the coast, one finds Mount Ilia or Ilino Brdo. On its summit, there is a small chapel dedicated to Sv. Ilia. It is here, on this vigilant height, from times immemorial, on Ilindan, Serbs from the core lands of medieval Duklja, from Crmnica, Papratna, and Krajina, Serbs of all confessions and faiths, Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Moslem, gathered to honor and celebrateSv .
Ilia the Thunderer.'

 

[NickFreakyrgios]

6. DAZHBOG, KHORS,
STRIBOG, SIMAR'GL AND MOKOS
A

ccording to Procopius, the pagan Slavs worshiped many spirits and made offerings to all, and they made vows and predictions at their sacrifices. A number of recorded primary spirits appear to have Indo-Iranian roots.
Namely, Dazhbog, Khors, Stribog, Sintarg'l and Mokos.
PRIMARY CHRONICLE
In addition toPerun , the highest god, andVo lo s, god of animals, theR us P rim ary
Chronicle( h e r e a ft e r Primary Chronicle)f o r 980 re fe rs to t h e godsDaz hbo g , K ho rs, S t ri bo g ,
Simar'gl, zndMokosh.The g r e a t 1 2th c e n t u r y R u s s ia n e p i c ,S lo vo O P o lku Ig o revy e, Ig o ry a ,
SinaS vy atoslavy a,V nukaO legova( T heT ale of the H ost ofIgor,Igor, the Sonof S vy atoslav, Grandsonof O leg)
in addition toVo lo slVeles (veshei Bojane, Velesove vnuche), also mentions Dazhbog
(pogibaset zhizn Dazhd-Bozha vnuka), Stribog (Se vjetri, Stribozi vnuci, vyut sa
moryastrelaminahrabriyapulklgorevi), Great [K]Hhors (velikornu Hrsovi vlkom
put prerikase)and Troyan (risca ve troup Troyaniu cres polya na gori; na zemlyiu
Troyaniu).1 A 12th century apocrypha detailing the activities and miracles of the blessed
virginalsom e n t i o n sPerun ,Vel es, K ho rs,and T ro y an( H oz hednie B ogoroditsiP o M ukam ).
DAZHBOG
An early Slavic translation of the first universal Byzantine chronicle, an eighteen-
book world history( Chnnographia)b yJ o h n Malalas(4 9 0-5 78 ), identifiesD az hbo gusth e
son ofSv aro g : Below Svarog, his son, the Sun, called Dazhbog ruled.
DATBHAGA

In all ways, in name and role, the SlavicDaz hbo g , the giving god (the Sanskrit equivalent is Datbhaga) is consistent with the Indo-Iranian tradition, withS va ra s Dhata or Dhatabhaga, the creator of all things, with Svarog us Dazhbog, the solar source and
distributoro f wealth, health, a n d good fortune( V .J agic ,Z um Daz db og,A rC8 ,18 9 5 ; E .D ic kenm ann,
Serbokroatische Dabog, ZsP 20, 1950).
SUNWORSHIPERS

It is not surprising therefore that numerous authoritative sources identify the an- cient Slavs as Sun worshipers. The great 10th century Muslim historian, geographer, and cartographer, al-Mas'udi (896-956), theH erodotus o f the A rab s, for example, records that the Slavs had temples with special architectural arrangements, with an opening in the
domeforo b s e r v i n g t he sunrise( M urujadh- dhab abwa m a' adinal- jawahir).1 Certain that t hec o u rse

of the Sun determined human affairs, the high priests prophesied future events by coor- dinating its course with precious stones and magic signs carved in stone inside the temple. It is a matter of record that solar reverence did not end with death. Wanting the dead to
face thes u n r i s e , the pagan Slavs buried their dead with theh e a d in thew e s t,fe e t in the
east.
SORABOS, CULTUM SOUS
A number of German historians are certain that the place name Juterbog is de-
rivedf r o mt h e Serb wordsj u t r o o rm o r n i n g a n db ogotg o d ,f r o m p a g a nr i t u a l s c e l e b r a t -
ing the morning sun:Sorabos advenas ei tam cultum Soi ls . . . quern sua li ngua Jutre
vocant, addito nomine Bog seu Boch, quod apud omnes Slavos Deum significant.
SOLOTABAB
In some instances onomastic links with a pagan past have been obscured by
time and change. Who would suspect, for example, that the nameA usc hw itz is derived
fromWosz wiec z ic h, a name denoting a place of solar celebrations:derivator Auscheweitus
a Sorabica voca Woszwieczicz = illuminate, de quyo sibie persuadebant vitam ab
eo servari.Some speculate that Bamberg( B am b erga—primum vocatafiiitBambergh.e.
mons Babae), mons Babae, as well as many other Germania place names with the prefix

bab- (e.g. Babin/1585, near Finsterwalde; Babizna/1378, near Dresden; Babic/1392, near Grimma; Babo/1458, near Cottbus;m ons B ab el12 2 3 , later Papenberge, near Spandau), were sites of pagan rituals relating toS olotaB ab .
JUTROBOGIAPPELLATUR
In an early and outstanding study of the Serbs, A. Frencel writes: Slavi Sorabique

fulgidam auroram sic interpretati sunt, quai esset numen praestantissimum, quod mortalibus in dies bene vellet, cupererque, quodque tenebras discuteret et diem largiertur, aptum tempus operibus agendis conficiendisque. Visa itaque Dea, a qua temperies et su dum coelum discussis fulminibus, tonitruis, fulguribus, ventorumque turbidinibus: ilium idolum, quod Soraborum persuasione primam diei facem accendret Jutrebobusseu Jutrobogi appellatur(A .F renc el,Com m entarius
Philologico-Historicus de Diis Soraborum Aliorumque Slavorum, 1719).
SOLAR IMPULSE
That the solar impulse continued well into the Christian era is confirmed by
many sources. The Grand Duke of Kiev, Vladimir Monomakh (1052-1125), in his
testament, instructs his sons to praise the Lord first, and then the rising sun in the morn-
ing. Another sign of past times is found inThe Book of Deep Wisdom orGlub innaia
Kniga,a work popular in the late medieval period. In it Prince Vladimir has two basic
questions to King David:How did the White Light originate? How did the Sun
originate?King David answers: The White Light springs from God's heart; the
Sun, from God's face.
SUNS ARE THE CREATORS

Parenthetically, L.M. Graham writes: Suns are the creators of the worlds, not gods. This the Ancients knew and it became the basis of their sun worship. Today we think of this as pagan ignorance of "the one true God," but alas, the ignorance is ours, not theirs. The story is told of a Christian bishop who said to a Parsee: "So you are one of those peculiar fellows who worship the sun." "Yes," said the Parsee, "and so would you if you had ever seen it." No, the bishop had never seen it mentally and so he worshiped a mythical Creator instead of the real one. And I'm sure he thought his form of worship vastly superior to the peculiar fellow's( Dec eptionsa n d M y ths of the Bible, 1975).
AND THE BRIGHT SUN
When the daughter of a Balkan Serb was getting married, writes F. Kmietowicz,

 

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it was customary for her father to instruct her in the same way as the Grand Duke of Kiev
did his son:To Pray to the righteous God and the bright sun in the east every
morning(F .K m ietowic z , S lavic M y thic al B eließ ,19 8 2 ).The same author writes that it waslo n g the
custom in Slavic lands:That when travellers and people in the field saw the rising
sun, they stopped traveling or working, and standing upright they tooko ff their
hats, bowing to the sun, they made crosses.Solar reverence was especially strong and
enduring among the Christian Serbs of Germania, where it was the custom, upon
entering a church, to turn around and greet the rising sun; it was forbidden to
point out the sun with the finger because, it was said, it could prick God's eye.
HORS
The pagan Slav Sun godH o rs is a cognate of Vedics v a r , Old Persian,h va r as in
hvar khsaeta( g l o r i o u s s u n god w i t h c h a r i o t a n d s w i ft s te e d s ), l a t e r Persian horsid( u n d y -

ing, shining sun). It it interesting and perhaps coincidental that in ancient Egyptian reli- gion, the sky godH or or H ar, in the form of a falcon, whose outstretched wings filled the heavens, whose eyes were the sun and the moon, was the god of gods. The First Dynasty, the unifiers of Egypt, wereH or worshipers. From that time, with occasional interrup- tions, every pharaoh was believed to be a human manifestation of Hor, and every pharaoh's first name wasH or. Coincidentally,o ra o is the Serbo-Croat word for eagle. Some schol- ars believe that the Croat ethnikon,Horvator Hrvat, like that of the kindred Serbs, is
also derived froms v a r fromh v a r fromh o r.
HORS, HRSOJEVIC

One finds the given name ofH ors orH rs recorded in registers of late medieval Balkan Serb communities (e.g. the Hrs-Hrsojevic lineage of Zalaza-Njeguse, Katun county, in mid-16th century Old Montenegro).
SIMURGH.ZAL

The Primary Chronicle'sSt m arg 'li s Si m urg h, the radiant bird-god of good omen, a creature of the Indo-Iranic pantheon where he is found with the very same name. While theS hah- Nam eh depictsSi m urg h as a noble vulture, the 'radiant bird' is generally de- picted as a composite creature made up of elements borrowed from the peacock, the lion, the griffin, and the dog. Under the influence of Indo-Iranian dynasts, the Hurrians gave the nameS im igi to a sun god who appears in various mythological compositions( V .
Pisani, Smarigla, Chorsa-Dazboga, For Roman Jakobson, 1956. B^A. Rybakov, Rusali andthe godSimargl-Pereplut, AnT
6, 1968).
SHAH-NAMEH
Zal is the sad, touching subject of a Persian epic poem Shah-Nameh (Book of the
Kings). Zal was born with pure white hair, and his frightened father, the noble Sam,

governor of Hindustan, left the infant to his fate on a distant mountain. Hearing the infant's cries, the noble vultureSi m urg h takes Zal to his nest and raises him. Remorseful and heartbroken, Sam searches for Zal, finds him in early manhood, confesses his crime, and is forgiven by Zal, who begets the glorious and invincible Rustem.
ZAL, ZALITI, ZALOST
In Serb,z alas in zaliti, zalost, andz a ljen je is the root of words connoting regret,

 

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sorrow, grief, and mourning. In Germania east and west of the Elbe one finds many place names derived from the prefix zal (e.g. Zal, Zalany, Zale, Zalica, Zalici, Zalikov, Zalim, Zalkov, Zaloslavici, Zalogosc, Zalosici, Zalosov, Zalotin, Zalov). Also Zalbogy Grad, a name that radiates the most robust pagan images.
STRIYA, STRIBOG
The SlavicStri bo g , a god of wind, storm, and gales, appears to be related to Iranic
Ti-Striya,also Stribaga( S.P ierc hegger, Z umaltrussic hen Gotternam en S trib og,Z sP 2 4,19 47 ; M . Vei, Ketimologii
drevnerusskogo Stribog, VoP 7, 1985; L. Crepajac, Zum Slav. Stribog, DwS 12, 1967; R. Schmidt, Zur angeblich
iranischen Herkunft des altrussischen Gotternamens Stribog, DwS 16, 1971).
STRIBAGA
Stribaga is an aide to the great warrior/wind god, Vat, from which the Serb word

for wind,vet orvetar is derived.V at was the first god to receive sacrifices, and Ahura Mazda himself leads the list of offerants. In his struggle against demonic forces,T i- S triy a often appears in the form of a white horse. In the Christian eraSt ri bo g became the basis forS triga, a demonic force. In Serb, stri- as instrije la andstrije lja ti is the root of words connoting arrow, shaft, thunderclap, thunderbolt, shoot, and fire. In Germania one finds several place names apparently derived from the root stri (e.g. Stryje and Stryje Grad on the island of Rügen; the Strigus river as in super fluxio Strigucz sita). Also, perhaps such place names as Langer-Striegis, formerly Striguz, near Freiberg; Nieder- Striegis, formerly Striguz, near Dobeln; Striegnitz, formerly Striganuitz, near Lommatzsch.
MALKOS, MOKOS
Mokos isM alkos, an Iranian deity associated with torrential rains and floods. The
pagan SlavM okosh, a cognate of Serbm okro (the root word for wet, damp, moisture),
dispensesthe water that giveslife,the moist earth that sustainsl i fe.( T . Witkowski, Perunund
Mokos in altpolabischen Ortsnamen, OnO 16,1971;M. Filipovic, Zur GottheitMokos bei den Sudslaven, DwS6,1961)?

Some evidence ofMo ko s' exalted status in the Russian pantheon of pagan gods is found in the anonymous Life of Vladimir. According to this source,Mo ko s alone survived Vladimir's first assault on the pagan gods of Kiev: Vladimir ... having come to Kiev,
destroyed all of his gods, Perun, Xors; again his god was Mokos, and then he
destroyed all the gods and drowned them in the Dnieiper.
MOKOSIC, MOKOSICA
In Germania,Mo ko s is believed to be the root of a number of place names, in-
cluding Mokos, Mokosic, now Mobschatz, near Dresden; Mokosin, now Moxa, near
Saalfeld. Also such modern place names as Megsch, Moggast, Motzo and Mockau( E .
Eichler, Probleme namenkundlicher Etymologie in slawischen Ortsnamen zum Gotternamen Mokos im Altsorbischen, OsG
17, 1988).
In early medieval times Franconia was an important center of aMo ko s cult( H .
Jakob,M oggast vulgo Mokos—Kultortd e rslavisc hen Göttin Mokosauf dem Frankischen Jura,A gO6 1,19 8 1).Regard-
ing theMo ko s cult in this area, E. Eichler writes:Sichere Belegungen fur die Verehrung
heidnischer Gotter bein den Main- und Rednitzwenden besitzen wir nicht; der
Gottername Mokos kann mit einiger Sicherheit aus due Toponymie erchlossen
werden(E.E ic hler, ZumG otternam enM okos imA ltsorb isc hen, SIG 12,19 8 6 )

 

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T. Witkowski finds tracesof Mo ko s in the names of several villages in northern Germany, including Muuks (Mukus, 1310), not far fom the village of Perun, modern Prohn,and Motzow (Mukzowe,1161),n o r t hof Brandenburg( T . Witkowski, Mythologische
motivierte altpolabische Ortsname, ZtS 15,1970).

M. Filipovic identifies a number of Jugoslav toponyms and place names that appear to be derived fromMo ko s. Namely, Mokosica, near Dubrovnik; Mukusina, in Popovo; Mukosa, near Mostar; Mukosa, near Rama; Mokos, in Prekmurje; Mokos, near Zagreb; Mukos, near Prilep, not farf r o m Mt. Perunika(M .F ilipovic ,Z ur Gottheit M okos keinden
Sudslaven,Dw S6 ,196 1).On theisla n d s off the north Croatian coast,m okos is at e r m for a
meadow or field still under water several or more days after the last rainfall.
ENDNOTES
N. Veletskaia, lazycheskaia simvolika slavianskikh arkhaicheskikh ritualov, 1978. H. Kunstmann, Bojan und
Trojan. Einige dunkle Stellen de Igorliedes in neuer Sicht, DwS 35, 1990.
With considerable disdain, al-Mas'udi refers to traditional Arab geographies, frequently titled Kitab al-masalik wa'l-
mamalikor Books of Routes and Kingdoms, little more than bare and barren descriptions of routes connecting
provinces and towns with an exact indication of distances, a science fit only for "couriers and letter-carriers."
YD. Zalozetskii, Dazh'dbog, Khors, Lada, Mokosh, Svetovit, Prikarpatskaia Rus, 1911. A.A. Zalizniak, Slaviano-
iranskie skozhdeniia v mifologicheskoi i religiozno etnicheskoi oblasti, VoP 6, 1962



Simurgh Simarg"L