Pereplut

Last updated

Pereplut is a Slavic deity or a demon with an unclear function. It appears in the list of gods and demons of the 12th-century Ruthenian interpolation of the Word of St. Grigory (the manuscript itself dates from the 15th century), as well as in the Word of St. John. [1] According to the source account, pagan Slavs worshiped :

Vila, Mokosh, Dziwa, Perun, Khors, Rod and Rozhanitsy, ghosts and banks, and Pereplut, and turning to drink to him in the corners

The word of St. John

Pereplut's name may have been distorted when copying the manuscript. [2] The mentioned spinning and drinking are probably traces of magical rituals with elements of dance and libation. [3] Alexei Sobolewski corrected the words in the horns (v rožech) on porohach (porožech), considering Pereplut to be a demon ensuring prosperity when crossing river thresholds, hence his possible identification as a water deity, with the etymology of the words pere- "through" and pluti-"to flow". [4] [5] This etymology was adopted by Stanisław Urbańczyk, who reconstructed the theonym in the form of Pereput.[ citation needed ] Boris Rybakov considered it a new name variation of archaic deity Simargl. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chernobog and Belobog</span> Alleged Slavic deities

Chernobog and Belobog are an alleged pair of Polabian deities. Chernobog appears in Helmold's Chronicle as a god of misfortune worshipped by the Wagri and Obodrites, while Belobog is not mentioned – he was reconstructed in opposition to Chernobog. Both gods also appear in later sources, but they are not considered reliable. Researchers do not agree on the status of Chernobog and Belobog: many scholars recognize the authenticity of these theonyms and explain them, for example, as gods of good and evil; on the other hand, many scholars believe that they are pseudo-deities, and Chernobog may have originally meant "bad fate", and later associated with the Christian devil.

Devana, Zevana, less often Zievonya is the goddess of wild nature, forests, hunting and the moon worshiped by the Western Slavs. In the sources, she was first mentioned in the 15th century by Jan Długosz, who compared her to the Roman goddess Diana. Dziewanna is also a Polish name for Verbascum, and the etymology of the word is unclear. After strong criticism from Aleksander Brückner, researchers rejected her authenticity, but nowadays it is accepted by an increasing number of researchers. Sometimes, in folk rituals, she performs together with Morana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lada (mythology)</span> Alleged goddess in Slavic and Baltic mythology

Lada and Lado are alleged Slavic deities. Lada was first mentioned around 1405-1412 in the sermons of Lucas of Wielki Koźmin, which warned against worshipping Lada and other gods during spring ceremonies and folk performances. They owe their popularity to Jan Długosz, who in one of his sources recognized Lada as a goddess and in another as a god of war, the Polish equivalent of the Roman god Mars, to Aleksandr Faminstyn, who recognized the word Lada in Russian songs as the goddess of marriage, and to scholar Boris Rybakov, who insisted on recognizing her historicity. However, the vast majority of religious scholars and Slavists reject the historicity of these deities, believing that they owe their divine status to a misunderstanding of the song refrains by medieval scribes.

Stribog is a god in Slavic mythology found in three East Slavic sources, whose cult may also have existed in Poland. The sources do not inform about the functions of the god, but nowadays he is most often interpreted as a wind deity who distributes wealth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Svetovit</span> Slavic deity

Svetovit, also known as Sventovit and Svantovit amongst other variants, is the god of abundance and war, and the chief god of the Slavic tribe of the Rani, and later of all the Polabian Slavs. His organized cult was located on the island of Rügen, at Cape Arkona, where his main temple was also located. According to the descriptions of medieval chroniclers, the statue representing this god had four heads, a horn and a sword, and to the deity himself were dedicated a white horse, a saddle, a bit, a flag, and eagles. Once a year, after the harvest, a large festival was held in his honor. With the help of a horn and a horse belonging to the god, the priests carried out divinations, and at night the god himself rode a horse to fight his enemies. His name can be translated as "Strong Lord" or "Holy Lord". In the past it was often mistakenly believed that the cult of Svetovit originated from St. Vitus. Among scholars of Slavic mythology, Svetovit is often regarded as a Polabian hypostasis of Pan-Slavic god Perun. His cult was destroyed in 1168.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simargl</span> Deity in East Slavic mythology

Simargl or Sěm and Rgel is an East Slavic god or gods often depicted as a winged dog, mentioned in two sources. The origin and etymology of this/these figure(s) is the subject of considerable debate. The dominant view is to interpret Simargl as a single deity who was borrowed from the Iranian Simurgh. However, this view is criticized, and some researchers propose that the existence of two deities, Sěm and Rgel, should be recognized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radegast (god)</span> Slavic god

Radegast or Radogost is, according to medieval chroniclers, the god of the Polabian Slavs, whose temple was located in Rethra. In modern academic literature, however, the dominant view is that Radegast is a local nickname or a local alternative name of the solar god Svarozhits, who, according to earlier sources, was the chief god of Rethra. Some researchers also believe that the name of the town, where Svarozhits was the main deity, was mistakenly taken for a theonym. A popular local legend in the Czech Republic is related to Radegast.

Podaga is a Polabian deity who had his statue in a temple in Plön. Mentioned only in Helmold's Chronicle, which does not give a depiction or function of the deity.

Among the Slavs there are many modes of idolatry and not all of them coincide with the same kind of superstition. Some create in their temples statues of fantastic forms, such as the idol of Plön, who is called Podaga, others live in forests and groves, as is the case of the god Prone of Oldenburg, of whom no image exists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nav (Slavic folklore)</span> Concept in Slavic folklore

Nav is a phrase used to denote the souls of the dead in Slavic mythology. The singular form is also used as a name for an underworld, over which Veles exercises custody—it is often interpreted as another name for the underground variant of the Vyraj.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yarovit</span>

Yarovit, Iarovit is a Polabian god of war, worshipped in Vologošč (Circipanians) and Hobolin. Sources give only a brief description of his cult, his main temple was located in Vologošč, where there was a golden shield belonging to Yarovit. By one Christian monk he was identified with the Roman Mars.

Rozhanitsy, narecnitsy, and sudzhenitsy are invisible spirits or deities of fate in the pre-Christian religion of the Slavs. They are related to pregnancy, motherhood, marriage and female ancestors, and are often referenced together with Rod. They are usually mentioned as three together, but sometimes up to 9 together, of whom one was a "queen" or singular. They are related to Dola, but it is not known on what terms. In Poland they were worshipped as zorze (auroras).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niya (mythology)</span> Slavic god or death god

Niya is a Lechitic god of the underworld of unknown sex, whose exact functions are unknown. Niya is mentioned together with other gods worshipped by Poles, such as Yesha, Łada, or Devana. Niya's cult may be demonstrated by the sayings "Go to Niye" and "Dwell in Nya" collected by Polish ethnographer Aleksander Brückner. In recent years, the confidence in the authenticity of Niya has increased in the scientific community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leading the bear</span> Slavic carnival tradition

Leading the bear is a Slavic carnival tradition. It enjoyed brief popularity in the entire Slavic region, the practice still takes place in the areas of Upper Silesia, especially in the Opole Voivodeship.

Bozić in Slavic paganism is a creature symbolizing the New Year, spring and youth. It appears in Christmas customs accompanied by a golden-horned deer and a pig, as opposed to Badnjak. In the languages of the South Slavs, the word was transferred to the modern name of Christmas, e.g. Serbian Божић, Croatian Božić. The figure of Bozić is probably an echo of the cult of Svarog. Bozić is the personification of the sun, which allegedly dies and is born every year. Features of the cult of Christmas are transferred to the Christian religion: the Serbs, Croats, Slovenes call the holiday "Christmas" Christ "Christmas", the Bulgarians - "Christmas".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Svarozhits</span> Slavic god of fire

Svarozhits, Svarozhich is a Slavic god of fire, son of Svarog. One of the few Pan-Slavic gods. He is most likely identical with Radegast, less often identified with Dazhbog.

Porevit, Porovit or Borovit is a Slavic god with unknown functions mentioned in only two sources: Gesta Danorum and in Knýtlinga saga. The only historical information about this god is a description of a statue depicting him that had five faces and no weapons.

Svarog is a Slavic god of fire and smithing mentioned in the Slavic translation of the Chronicle of John Malalas found in the Primary Chronicle as the Slavic equivalent of the Greek god Hephaestus.

Wolin Svetovit is either a 9th- or a 10th-century figurine made from the wood of European yew tree, discovered in 1974, in the island of Wolin, Poland. The figurine depicts a four-sided character with four faces, that had been identified as depicting Svetovit, a god of abundance and war in the Slavic paganism.

References

  1. Gieysztor, Aleksander (2006). Pieniądz, Aneta (ed.). Mitologia Słowian. doi:10.31338/uw.9788323525486. ISBN   9788323525486.
  2. Gieysztor, Aleksander (2006). Pieniądz, Aneta (ed.). Mitologia Słowian. doi:10.31338/uw.9788323525486. ISBN   9788323525486.
  3. Nowaczyk, Marta (2016), "Średniowieczne wierzenia – nieczysta siła w kulturze Słowian", Varia Mediaevalia. Studia nad średniowieczem w 1050. rocznicę Chrztu Polski, Wydawnictwo UŁ, doi: 10.18778/8088-325-3.20 , ISBN   978-83-8088-325-3 , retrieved 2021-01-04
  4. Grzesik, Ryszard (2020), "Zeszyt węgierski. Testimoniów najdawniejszych dziejów Słowian, czyli Słowianie w oczach Węgrów .......... 99", Słowianie w monarchii Habsburgów. Literatura, język, kultura, Ksiegarnia Akademicka Publishing, doi:10.12797/9788381382533.06, ISBN   978-83-8138-169-7, S2CID   229222841 , retrieved 2021-01-04
  5. Nowaczyk, Marta (2016), "Średniowieczne wierzenia – nieczysta siła w kulturze Słowian", Varia Mediaevalia. Studia nad średniowieczem w 1050. rocznicę Chrztu Polski, Wydawnictwo UŁ, doi: 10.18778/8088-325-3.20 , ISBN   978-83-8088-325-3 , retrieved 2021-01-04
  6. Rybakov, Boris (2015) [1981]. Paganstvo Starih Slovena[Ancient Slavic Paganism] (in Serbian). Novi Sad: Akademska knjiga. pp. 472–473. ISBN   978-86-6263-097-1.