Read the full myth about the shining sun. Mother of Cheese Earth - Slavic Goddess of the Earth. Cult of Veles - god of animals and the underworld

Who is affectionately called Mother Earth, is the Slavic Goddess of the Earth, Fertility and everything connected with obvious, earthly life. She is considered one of the Gods of the world of Reveal, because everything that surrounds us is somehow connected with Mother Earth, grown thanks to her efforts. The Slavic Goddess of the Earth has great power, which is why epic heroes turn to her when setting off on heroic deeds.

Mother Earth of Cheese is revered everywhere. More often, women turned to this Goddess, linking the fertility of the earth with the possibility of having healthy children. The outfits of married women always contained embroidery with earthly motifs - such a talisman was supposed to bring the woman the birth of healthy children. Men more often turned to Mother Raw Earth with requests for a generous harvest, and, therefore, prosperity.

Cheese's Mother Earth was created by Rod at the beginning of time. Slavic legends say that Rod first created the Cow Zemun and the Goat Sedun. Their milk turned into the World Ocean. Then the Creator Rod created the Alatyr-stone, lying in the middle of the World Ocean, and began to churn the milk of the Zemun Cow and the Sedun Goat. This is how a piece of butter turned out, from which the Goddess Mother of Cheese Earth was created. From her body came all the fertile land that exists in the world of Reveal, which is why the Slavs respect all living things that surround them.

The Slavs believe that the Mother of the Raw Earth has a son, Mikula Selyaninovich. In his bag he carries “all the earthly burden”, therefore other heroes are not able to lift it.

Legends and myths about the Mother Goddess Raw Earth

Slavic myths tell that people did not always plow the land and grow bread. For a long time, people did not cultivate the land, fearing to hurt Mother Raw Earth. After all, all the earth in the world is the body of the Earth Goddess. When the God of the Spring Sun, Yarilo, brought the first grains from overseas countries and gave the other Gods a taste of bread, the Gods decided to teach people to grow rye and wheat and make bread.

The Gods asked Mikula Selyaninovich, the son of the Mother of the Raw Earth, to plow the first furrow on the earth. The hero at first refused to hurt his mother. But the Goddess Mother of Cheese Earth herself asked her son to agree with the proposal of the other Gods, so she made sure that people had food during the long winter. Since then, on the day when God Yarilo is honored, Mother Earth is also remembered, and this day is called the holiday of the first furrow.

Amulet - symbol of the Mother Goddess of the Raw Earth

The amulet of the Mother of the Damp Earth is called Field or plowed field. This sign is depicted in the form of a rhombus, divided in the center by an oblique cross. Sometimes simply diamond-shaped patterns are attributed to Mother Raw Earth. When depicting fertilized soil in which grain already lies, a dot is placed in the middle of the rhombus.

Amulet of the Mother of the Raw Earth helps girls gain attractiveness and meet your betrothed, helps women give birth to healthy children, men brings success in work and prosperity.

Attributes of the Mother Goddess of the Damp Earth

Heraldry, objects- ears of corn, flowers and fruits.

Treba (offering)- porridge, honey.

Mother of Cheese Earth in the northern tradition of fortune telling and magic

The image of Mother Raw Earth is present in the set of Slavic Rez Roda. Reza's number for the Earth Goddess is 13.

When the Reza of the Mother of the Raw Earth appears in the layout, it means that the questioner is entering a period associated with earthly, obvious life. Now things may not progress quickly, just as a grain that is sown does not immediately become a ripe ear. You need to be patient, but also not lazy. In matters about the health of the Mother of the Damp Earth, it can mean the birth of a child, and in other matters, the “birth” of new plans and ideas.

Read more about the meaning of Reza of the Goddess of the Earth in fortune telling in the article “Reza of Roda, Mother of Cheese Earth”

Holidays where the Earth Goddess is honored

The Earth Goddess is remembered during all festivals related to fertility. The following days can be especially identified:

April 23- the holiday of the first furrow, Yarilin Day. This is a men's holiday when we remember the Slavic myth about how Yarilo brought bread to people and taught them to cultivate the land. According to legend, it was on this day that the first furrow was made, and now men spend April 23 working on the ground.

9th May– the Slavs call this day the birthday of the Mother of the Raw Earth. Unlike the holiday of the first furrow, on this day it was forbidden to work on the land.

Many of us know the myth of Yaril the Sun from school. In many textbooks you can read the Slavic myth “Yarilo the Sun” - about the ancient Slavic god of the spring sun. Yarilo is a young god who appears to people in the form of a young man with a beautiful appearance. Yarila has blond hair flowing in the wind, beautiful blue eyes, a powerful torso and a pleasant smile. No wonder all these “charms” made him a real ladies’ man, since according to legend, Yarilo loved many goddesses and even earthly women. Likewise, the myth of Yaril has as its theme his love with Mother Earth.

The ancient Slavic myth begins with a description of how the Damp Earth lived in the cold and darkness. Darkness enveloped her from head to toe, and on her surface there was nothing living, light or pleasant. There was no noticeable movement of any kind, no sounds, no heat or light. This is how poor Damp Earth lived. This is how the eternally young and beautiful, warm and hot Yarilo saw her. The other gods did not share the desire of the young and ardent Yarila to bring light and warmth to Earth. They didn’t care about the Earth, but the zealous Yarilo himself looked at the Damp Earth and pierced the cold and darkness with his bright, warm gaze-arrow. Yar saw the sleeping Earth, and in the place where his gaze pierced the darkness, a red sun appeared. And through the sun, bright light and warmth from Yarila poured onto the Earth.

Mother Raw Earth began to awaken from sleep under the warm sun, shone with her youthful beauty, spread out in a riot of greenery and colors, like a bride on her wedding bed. The life-giving light spread throughout all the depths of the Earth, she drank the golden rays of Yarila, but could not get drunk. Life appeared on Mother Earth, and bliss spread over its entire surface, reaching the very depths. Here Yarilo fell in love with such a beautiful Earth. The sun god prayed to the Damp Earth so that she would love him and reciprocate. And for this, Yarilo promised to spread blue seas, scarlet flowers, yellow sands and green forests with herbs on it. From Yarila Mother Earth gave birth to a multitude of living things - a countless number.

And the Earth fell in love with Yarila. And in place of the hot divine kisses, cereals and flowers, dark forests and light meadows, blue rivers and blue seas began to appear. And the more the Earth drank Yarilov’s kisses, the more animals and birds, fish and insects appeared from its depths. They all came to life and began to sing songs of praise to Father Yarila and Mother Earth. But Yarilo did not let up, inviting the Earth to love him more than ever. And the Raw Earth fell in love, and gave birth to her most beloved child from the sun god - man. As soon as the man appeared on Earth, Yarilo hit him in the very crown with his lightning arrows. This is how wisdom and intelligence arose in man. This is where the myth of love between Yarila and Mother Earth ends.

Such myths are stories about the origin of life on earth. There are also several similar myths about how every year Yarilo lowers its bright rays onto the earth. Beneath them, the Earth comes to life from its winter sleep-death, again giving birth to new life. and so it repeats from year to year, and the tireless young Yarilo continues to make earthly children.

Target: to form an idea of ​​the god Yaril, to introduce people to the rituals of honoring him through the expressive means of literature and fine art.

Tasks:

educational:

form:

speech skills, reading, listening skills;

skills of educational, creative cooperation of children in the process of artistic and practical creative activities;

skills in paper and plastic techniques, graphics;

developing:

develop:

the ability to fully perceive a work of art and respond emotionally to what is read;

memory, imaginative thinking, creative imagination;

active interest in the origins of Slavic culture;

raising:

bring up:

love for the homeland, interest in its millennia-old history;

culture of moral and aesthetic perception and the need to preserve

artistic heritage of the Slavic people;

health-saving:

promote the preservation of the health of children with different types of mental perception of information by changing types of activities.

During the classes.

1. Organizational moment.

Literary reading teacher:

Guys, today we will plunge into the world of the past of our Motherland. At a time when people lived in harmony with nature, loved and deified it. These words can serve as an epigraph to our lesson ( )

A people who do not know their history, their ancient roots, are doomed to death. It is fortunate that our ancient tales about the Slavic gods have been at least partially preserved, transmitted to us by unknown storytellers, our distant ancestors. And after reading them, you can proudly say that you are the heirs of the ancient Slavs. You, just like them, will know and love your history, respect the traditions of your people and be proud of its thousands of years of history.

2. Repetition of learned material .

Traditions, legends, what else can you call them? (myths )

What is a myth? What signs of a myth do you know? (stories about gods, heroes, myths reflect the fantastic ideas of people)

The teacher, summing up what has been said, gives a definition of myth.

A myth is a story (narration) about gods, heroes, spirits, reflecting people’s fantastic ideas about the world, nature and human existence.

What myths of peoples did we get acquainted with in previous lessons? (Greek, Khakassian ) Name them.(“Arion”, “Daedalus and Icarus”, “Moon and Chilbigen”, etc.)

Returning to our words on the slide, tell me, what myth of the people will we get acquainted with today? (Slavic )

If a myth is a story about gods, and we get acquainted with the Slavic myth, we cannot help but remember the Slavic gods. Let's remember which Slavic gods we met in the lessons of the world around us ( )

On the slides are pictures with images of some Slavic gods, their names and brief descriptions. Students read out this information.

God Svarog – The Supreme Heavenly God, who controls the course of our Life and the entire World Order of the Universe.

God Perun – God is the Patron of all warriors, the protector of the Lands from Dark forces.

Mother of God Makosh – The Heavenly Mother of God, the Just Goddess of a happy lot and Fate, together with her daughters Doli and Nedolya, determines the Fates of the Heavenly Gods, as well as the destinies of all people.

Dazhdbog – Guardian God of ancient Great Wisdom, giver of all benefits, happiness and prosperity.

Stribog – God who controls lightning, whirlwinds, hurricanes, winds and sea storms.

Yarila - ….?( the picture and characteristics are not on the slide )

What is God Yaril like? Let's read the myth, and perhaps we will find the answer to this question there.

3. Studying new material.

A) Primary reading of the text.

The myth “Yarilo - the Sun” is read by four well-read students, according to the logical parts into which the entire text is divided.

What is the myth about? (about the origin of life on Earth, about the origin of man, about God Yaril)

What feelings did this piece evoke?(admiration, pride for a person, joy)

Teacher : Our main goal today in the lesson is to create an image of the god Yarila from individual information in the text, to draw his verbal portrait.

First let's try to understand why it is named like that? Let's select words with the same root for the word Yarilo(fierce, bright, furious). Let’s find the meaning of the word “ardent” in S. Ozhegov’s explanatory dictionary and read it.

B) Analysis of the literary image of Yarila

1 group : Read 1 paragraph in a chain one sentence at a time and answer the questions:

What was Mother Earth like before Yarila appeared?? (she was dead, no warmth, no sounds)

- Is there a description of Yarila in the text?(forever young, forever joyful bright Yarilo )

What did Yarilo do to wake up the Earth?(pierced, cut through the layers of darkness, hot waves of radiant light poured out)

2nd group : read paragraphs 2 and 3 “to yourself” and answer the questions:

How did the Earth change with the appearance of Yarila? (woke up, spread out in beauty, decorated with cereals, flowers, etc. )

How to understand the expression “she greedily drank the golden rays of life-giving light”? What means of artistic expression is used here? (personification)

- Who appeared on Earth under the influence of Yarilin's light? (fish, animals, birds)

3 group : answer questions to paragraphs 4 and 5 with selective reading.

How did man's birth take place and how did his mind arise?

How did Yarila greet the birth of a person?

What did Yarila leave in his place when his strength weakened?(fire)

Literary reading teacher sums it up G:

Thus, we can say that Yarila is the god of the Sun, bringing youthful freshness, flourishing and fertility into the life of nature, awakening life.

Physical education minute

And now they quietly stood up,
We raised our hands to the sky,
Stretched and smiled
“Hello, sunshine!” they said
“We bowed to the right, to the left,” says the art teacher and continues the physical education lesson.
Right left
We sat down together and got back to business!

C) Acquaintance with artistic images of Yarila.

Enters

- It would be interesting to know how the people portrayed God Yarila? To answer this question, let's collect his image. (Students collect an illustration of Yarila, cut into several parts)

Teacher:

- This is what Yarila looked like - a spring-like, young man in a white shirt, barefoot, with a wreath of wildflowers on his head, riding on a white horse. ( )

April 23 is the Day of Yarila Veshny. What happened on this day?

From the first group, three students tell the information that is on their table:

1st student: On this day, Yarila “unlocks” Mother Cheese-Earth and releases dew, causing the rapid growth of grasses to begin.

2nd student: People used to say: “Yarila unlocks the Earth, releases spring from under the bushel, drives out the green grass.”

3rd student: On this day, a ceremonial drive of cattle to pasture took place. According to custom, cattle and children were lightly hit with willow branches and said: “The willow brought health! As the willow grows, so do you!”

Teacher:

- ( ) - But the image of Yarila was not unambiguous, it changed during the summer, and many holidays were dedicated to this.

And on June 4, Yarilo seemed different to the people . In one hand he held a bunch of rye, and in the other a club. What day is this?

Three students from the second group leave:

1st student: Day of honoring Yarila the Strong, or he was also called Yarila the Wet.

2nd student: On this day, the owner always went to the field to “look at the life.” Why is a specially baked pie placed in the seedlings? Then the owner moves away a few steps and looks to see whether the pie is visible in the shoots or not. If the pie is not visible, it means the harvest will be good.

3rd student: Starting from this day, the Vernal power of Yarila declines all the way to Kupala.

Teacher:

July 7 is not only Kupala Day, but also the day of farewell to Yarila. Who is no longer thought of as a young man, but as a gray-bearded old man who gave all his life-giving power to the Earth. ( )

1st student: On this day it was customary to roll burning wheels from the nearest hill.

2nd student: A comic “funeral” for Yarila was held. For this purpose, a straw effigy of the aged Yarila was made, which, according to the Law of Similars, was buried by the same old man.

3rd student: Another option for seeing off Yarila was as follows: a round dance was performed around the old man portraying Yarila.

Fine Arts Teacher:

-We have learned a lot about the god Yaril and can conclude who he is.

( ).

- Yarilo is the image of the Sun God. God of awakening nature and fertility, symbol of strength and love. Patron of the plant world. In honor of him, people began to give names to their children in order to make them strong and ardent - Yaropolk, Jaromir, Yaroslav.

But we don’t know what words people addressed to Yarila. We will recognize them after we transform our Earth in the likeness of Yarila (on the board there is an image of the non-living Earth ). To do this, we will work in groups.

4. Fixing the material.

Creative work in groups. (while the work is being done, music with birdsong sounds)

Group 1: create images of people in folk costumes;

Group 2: create an image of a blooming Earth (flowers, trees);

Group 3: create an image of the sky (clouds, birds, sun)

5. Creating teamwork.

After completing the work in groups, a collective work is created depicting a holistic image of the world.

Fine Arts Teacher:

Have we transformed our Earth? What has she become?(beautiful, elegant, blooming)

Thanks to your creative work, words appeared in our work with which people addressed Yarila, honoring him.( )

The student expressively reads the words written on the slide.

Hello, Yarila Trisvetly!
Glorious and Trislaven be!
You brighten the fruits of our fields
And our brave strength!
Yes, for the glory of the Heavenly Family
And Mother Earth!
So it was, so it is
And so it will be!

6. Lesson summary.

Literary reading teacher:

Let's summarize the lesson. What new did you learn in the lesson? What have you learned? What did you find most interesting?

7. Homework.

1 group. Find and write out obsolete words, explain their meaning.

2nd group. Find and write out metaphor, comparison and personification from the text.

3rd group. An expressive reading of the passage “The Awakening of the Earth.”

8. Reflection.

Fine Arts Teacher:

If you liked the lesson, you learned a lot of new and interesting things, let each of you complement our sunshine(on the board on a sheet of whatman paper there is a sun without rays) your ray of knowledge.

You did a good job today, well done! And I would like to end the lesson with the words of the commandment left to us by our Slavic ancestors( )

Every deed you commit leaves its indelible mark on the eternal Path of your life, and therefore, people, do only beautiful and good deeds, for the Glory of your Gods and Ancestors, for the edification of your descendants!

Sometimes you really want to find a fairy tale and read Slavic myths! Fabulous times were once upon a time, around the time when everything in the world was beautiful, clean and bright, when people were trusting and cheerful, when people loved and believed in happiness. When it was? Was it a long time ago or just in our childhood? Read the Slavic myth - a sweet, heartfelt story from the book “Gods and Men”, the fairy tale about Yarilo. And why do you want to cry so much? A fairy tale about Yarilo with a happy ending. Beautiful Slavic mythology about the sun, about God Yarilo and his help in love.

“The Tale of How Yarilo Helped in Love”

Throughout the entire area from our village, both boys and girls were highly valued as brides and grooms. The guys are economical, the girls are hard-working. As for singing and dancing and leading round dances, no one can keep up with them. And the most eligible groom was Pride, Putya’s son. The guy took it to everyone: he was the right height, had slanting shoulders, and had a fair face. But his temper was useless - cocky, proud, he considered himself above everyone else. No wonder they called him Pride. But in work, too, he was always the first, everything was on fire in his hands. There's really no bad word to say here. Well, the girls all courted him as best they could. Only he doesn’t seem to look at girls. At the party, it happened in all games that the first one would always blindly cut down the pillar, so much so that his opponent’s pillar was knocked down. But when it comes to round dances, he turns around and leaves. Gradually, he drove all the girls away from him.

Only one, Yasunya, Milovan’s daughter, did not give up. She didn’t even look at other guys and refused to matchmakers. Milovan, who loved his daughter so much and did not force him, began to scold her: “Look, Yasunya, you’ll throw yourself away!” You'll be alone forever! She just sighs.

And then one day the day of the Opening of Svarga came. Yarila, the God of the bright spring sun, love passion and fertility, was very revered in our village. The whole village took part in the holiday in the morning - both old and young. They were waiting for him to unlock Mother Earth with his key, so that spring waters would flow over her.

They go to Yarila Gorka, each owner carries bread and salt, puts it in a pile, and a specially selected owner bows three times on three sides and pronounces an appeal to Yarila:

Goy you, Yarila fiery Power!
Coming from the sky, take the keys,
Unlock Mother Cheese Earth,
Let the dew stay warm throughout the spring,
For a dry summer and vigorous life!
Goy! Glory!

And all the people repeat this after him and also bow on three sides. Then they go to the fields, walk around them three times and sing:

Yarilo was dragging his feet
All over the world,
He gave birth to Polya,
He gave birth to children for people.
Where is he with his foot?
There's a lot of life there,
Where will he look?
There the ear is blooming.

And in the evening they chose the most handsome guy, put a wreath on his head, gave him a bird cherry branch in his hands and danced around him, singing songs.

And it’s Yarilin’s day,
I'll trample the ant grass,
I’ll hold you, young one...

Only young boys and girls were allowed to these evening games. After the round dance, they split into pairs and wandered off, some into the field, some into the forest. Yarilo very much approved of love. He even checked whether all the boys and girls were participating in the festivities. He walks around, looks, and asks if anything is wrong.

One evening like this, he walks through the village past Pride’s house. Looks, a young guy, instead of being nice to a girl, is chopping wood in the yard. Yarilo was surprised. He thinks: “Something is wrong with this guy.” Comes closer. He took a closer look and was horrified: “The guy’s heart is icy!” Apparently Morena, the Goddess of Winter and Death, kissed the guy! This is not the point! How did I not notice this! We need to help the guy out!” He moved on and is still thinking about how to help. And he sees a girl sitting on a bench, as sweet as a forest lily of the valley, but sad. And she's sitting alone. It's also a mess. He sat down next to her and started a conversation. And she turns away and hides her eyes. But who can resist God Yarila? I found out that their name is Yasunya. He asked about her unhappy love for Pride. “There is a cure for Pride,” Yarilo rejoiced. And he said: “I will help you, but you must do exactly as I say. Agree? – asks, and Yasunya whispers:

- “And what harm will come from this to Pride?”

Yarilo admired to himself: “Here it is, true love! He’s worried about his dear one, and not thinking about himself!”

And he says out loud: “You will do as I say, only good will happen. His icy heart needs to be melted, otherwise he won’t stay here long, maybe he’ll soon leave for Nav, the world of shadows and death.” And he hands her a branch of bird cherry with a flower. According to this thread, Yasunya recognized Yarila. I wanted to fall at my feet, but he didn’t let me. “Listen further,” he says. “Don’t let go of this branch from your hands for a minute, so that the strength remains in it.” In the morning, when he goes to drive out the cattle, go up to him, stand right in front of him and, without hesitation, so as not to change his mind, give him a branch, look into his eyes and quickly say: “One heart suffers, the other does not know.” He will be confused, he is no longer accustomed to girls hanging around his neck, he will take a branch and look at you. And as soon as it looks, it dries. But you immediately turn around and walk away.

After this, the hardest part for you will begin. Your pride will begin to follow you, asking for love in return. But every time you answer: “What you came with is what you went with, turn around and leave, don’t show that you love.” If you respond to love, allow him to kiss, his heart will freeze even more than before, you won’t be able to help, and he will quickly leave for Nav.

And you need to hold out like this until the next Yarilin Strecha. If he sends matchmakers, refuse. You can hint to your father that Yarilo ordered this, but don’t say a word to anyone else. During this year, his heart will completely thaw, Morena will lose power over him. If you hold out, in a year I’ll put a wreath on Pride myself. When you see my bird cherry wreath on him, take him to your father to bless him. Then have mercy as much as you want.”

Yasunya pressed the branch to her chest and inhaled the bird cherry scent. She raised her eyes to Yarila to thank him, but he was no longer there, he was just sitting next to her, and there was no trace of him. But Yasunya still said what kind words she wanted to say: “God, he is God - he hears everything, knows everything.”

That night Yasunya never went to bed, pressing the branch to her face and gathering courage to see how she would approach Pride. And in the morning, just before dawn, Yasunya was already waiting for Pride. He lived alone, his parents died, so he himself went after the cattle. Pride drives the cattle into the herd, and the girl hurries to cross him. He glanced at her and wanted to move on. And she stood in front of him, holding out a flowering bird cherry branch. Out of surprise, he took the branch and looked up at it. And she looks into his eyes and says: “One heart suffers, the other does not know.” How the heat went through his body, he looks at the girl, and she seems sweeter to him than anyone in the world. “What's your name, honey? Whose daughter will you be?"

And the beauty turned and walked away. He's behind her. And I forgot about the cattle. He caught up and won't let me in. And she was so stern to him: “What you came with is what you went with!” Pride was dumbfounded. Pride surged in him, he also turned and walked, but he did not let go of the branch from Yarilin’s hands, the branch preserved the memory of the girl. And Yasunya runs home, chokes on tears and doesn’t know what she’s crying about - either that Pride finally noticed her, or that she had to push him away.

Although Pride was angry, he came to the party in the evening, looked out for Yasunya, asked the guys everything about her. But as soon as he approaches her, she tells him again: “What you came with is what you went with!” And so it went day after day. He is to her, she is from him.

The whole village was already tired of laughing at them, and they began to condemn Yasunya for turning up her nose at such a guy, she sent matchmakers, she refused. They began to reprimand that the girl had spoiled the boy. The girl made the guy look dry. But Yasunya remembers well that Yarilo punished: “If you give in, you’ll drive the guy to Nav.”

Here again Yarilin's holidays have arrived. Pride stands aside, watching as Yasunya leads round dances. My heart melts with love, I remember how people say: “You can’t live without the sun, you can’t live without your sweetheart.” I didn’t notice how an unfamiliar guy came up, watched him, smiled. And then the guy says: “She loves bird cherry. Put on my bird cherry wreath, give her a bird cherry branch, girls don’t refuse such a gift.”

Pride didn’t even have time to refuse, as the wreath was already on his head, and the branch was in his hands, and he himself was walking quickly towards Yasuna. And I forgot about the guy. Then Yasunya saw him - a wreath on his head, a bird cherry in his hands, he did not deceive Yarilo, did not forget his promise, jumped out of the round dance and, as if by chance, walked towards him.

We met, he gave her the branch, hugged her, and so, hugging, we went. And they lived their whole lives hugging each other. True love will melt an icy heart.

This is the fairy tale about Yarilo that came out here! Soon the time will come to dance in circles and welcome spring. Then remember the Slavic fairy tale about Yarilo, rejoice along with the whole world that winter has receded, and people’s hearts have thawed and filled with love!

You will find this tale about Yarilo and other magical stories in the book “Gods and People”. Read Slavic myths, let them fill your soul with joy!

Among the Baltic Slavs this deity is known under the name Yarovita (Gerovita). In Latin medieval writings he was represented as the god of war and identified with the Roman Mars. Near his idol in one of the sanctuaries hung a shield with gold plaques, which was considered to belong to Yarovit. This shield could not be moved from its place in peacetime. The cult center of Yarovit was surrounded by banners during the celebration in his honor. The Slavs felt such reverence for the golden shield of Yarovit that when the Christians wanted to destroy the idol and kill the priest who served it, he, hitting the shield and rushing into the crowd of people with a terrible cry, aroused such horror in the newly converted Christians that, out of old habit, they saw shield, fell to the ground. It is also known that the spring fertility festival was dedicated to Yarovit. One of the sources cites the speech of the priest Yarovit, according to which he is credited with power over the greenery and fruits of the earth. This power and the similarity of names allows us to identify him with the East Slavic Yarila

Mother Earth lay in darkness and cold. She was dead - no light, no heat, no sounds, no movement. And the eternally young, eternally joyful bright Yar said: “Let’s look through the pitch darkness at Mother Earth, is she good, is she beautiful?” And the flame of the bright Yar’s gaze in an instant pierced the immeasurable layers of darkness that lay over the sleeping Earth, and where Yarilin’s gaze cut through the darkness, there the red sun shone. And hot waves of radiant Yarilin light poured through the sun.

Mother Cheese-Earth woke up from her sleep and stretched out in her youthful beauty. She greedily drank the golden rays of the Life-giving light, and because of the light, scorching Life and languishing bliss spilled throughout her depths... Yarilina’s speeches were loved by the Earth, she loved the bright god, and from His hot kisses she was decorated with cereals, flowers, dark forests, blue seas, blue rivers, silvery lakes...

She drank Yarilina's hot kisses, and heavenly birds flew out of her bowels, forest and field animals ran out of dens, fish swam in the rivers and seas, small insects, flies and midges huddled in the air

And everything lived, and everything loved, and everything sang songs of praise to Father Yarila, Mother Raw Earth. Then the Earth gave birth to man. And when he came out of the bowels of the earth, Yarilo hit him on the head with a golden rein - bright lightning, and from that lightning the mind was born in man. Yarilo greeted his beloved earthly son with heavenly thunders, streams of lightning, and from those thunders, from that lightning, all living creatures she started in horror - the birds of the sky scattered, the oak forest animals hid in caves, one man raised his intelligent head to the sky and answered his father’s thunderous speech with a prophetic word, a winged speech... And hearing that word, he saw his king and ruler, all the trees, all the flowers and the grains bowed down before him.

Then Yarila’s strength began to weaken, Mother Earth-Cheese began to grieve, fearing that everything would freeze. Yarilo consoled her, saying that he would return again, but for now he sent Fire to maintain warmth on the earth.

This is how people thought about the change from summer to winter and about the beginning of Fire. That is why our forefathers burned the dead - Yarilin’s son, who had fallen asleep in the sleep of death, was given to his father who lived in the fire. And then they began to give the dead to their mother - lowering them into her bed, that is, burying them in the Earth. That is why our ancestors celebrated Yarila’s gift of fire to man with great holidays. Holidays were celebrated on long summer days, when the Sun, without shortening its course, begins to part with the Earth... (P. I. Melnikov-Pechersky “In the Forests”).

YARILO

What lit up my soul like fire,

Whose gaze sparkled in the twilight, whose?

Then cheerful Yarilo walks in the darkness.

Oh my goodness, it dawned on me

The twinkle of your sparkling eyes!

// the blood fermented and passion began to boil,

And the heart languidly and sweetly dies.

No wonder it boiled with a crumbly color

Bird cherry near roads and swamps.

Yarilo, you come to people in the dark,

You light hearts like fires.

There are lush red poppies in your curls,

And stars, and animals, and people in the dark

- Everyone is drunk with your fragrant breath.

How wonderfully Yarilin’s eyes sparkle!

They penetrate my soul like swords!

Oh, beautiful God, from the darkness of the night,

Like blue arrows, seething eyes

Aim at my soul, radiate and swords!

D. Semenovsky (1915)