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Slavic pseudo-deities (pseudo-gods, pseudo-goddesses) are Slavic deities described in popular and sometimes even scientific literature, whose historicity is not recognized by the vast majority of scholars, i.e. the deities in question are not deemed actually to have been objects of worship among pagan Slavs. The pseudo-deities of the Slavs, like those of other ethnic groups, were created as a result of mistakes (e.g., by understanding the given name as a theonym, unfamiliarity with the Slavic languages, misunderstanding of pagan ritual, or uncritical use of sources), as a result of the creation and falsification of Slavic Romantics, or even as a result of falsification for political motives. Much of them are originated from the works described as "pseudo-mythology" (kabinetnaya mifologiya, "office mythology", in Russian sources). The reason for the last two may be that, unlike, for example, those of Greek mythology, the sources on Slavic mythology are severely limited.
Contents
- Popular pseudo-deities
- West Slavs
- Polabian Slavs
- Czechs
- East Slavs
- Book of Veles
- Others
- South Slavs
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
The first Slavic pseudo-deities began to appear as early as the Middle Ages, mainly in Latin Christian texts, as a result of mistakes. Slavic pseudo-deities on a large scale began to appear from the 18th and especially the 19th century. In 1768, a popular forgery of the time appeared, the so-called Prillwitz idols, depicting alleged Slavic deities decorated with alleged Slavic runes. [1] [2] [3] Based on this forgery, many deities were created by Andreas Masch and later by Martin Arendt . In the 19th century, Czech philosopher Ignác Jan Hanuš was a popular fantasist, particularly known for his Die Wissenschaft des slavischen Mythus and Bájeslovný kalendář slovanský. Russian Aleksandr Famintsyn , who was rather uncritical in treating sources in his Bozhestva drevnikh slavyan ("Deities of the Ancient Slavs"), was also influential. In addition to the above-mentioned authors, every Slavic country had forgers of varying popularity. [4] Contemporary falsification of the Slavic pantheon is continued by Czesław Białczyński in Poland (e.g. Stworze i zdusze, czyli starosłowiańskie boginki i demony. Leksykon, or Mitologia słowiańska: Księga tura), [5] [6] and by Alexander Asov in Russia (e.g. Kniga Kolyady). [7]
