Perun - the god of thunder and lightning

Rumble of thunder, heavy rain, lightning in the sky ... Even to modern man, these natural phenomena inspire some fear. Imagine what it was like for people who lived ten to fifteen centuries earlier!

Then the man had just begun to master the natural secrets, much he could not understand. And everything that could not be explained from the point of view of logic or science, he explained by the existence of supernatural forces and gods. God of thunder and lightning was at that time the most important among other deities. He was worshiped most of all, he was feared and revered.

Perun - the god of thunder, lightning and war among the Slavic peoples. It was believed that it amazes those who are guilty or somehow angered him. In order to cajole Perun, animals were sacrificed to him, and also a symbol in the form of lightning was cut out at each house . His name is found in many historical sources. For example, in The Tale of Bygone Years, written by Nestor, Neptune is mentioned more than ten times. The God of thunder and lightning among the Slavs caused trembling and fear; They even said: "Grab you by Perun!", Which meant the wish for troubles and misfortunes.

People believed that Perun punishes non-observance of special laws (which were something like a Bible for Christians). It was believed that on those who did not please him, Perun will send stones, axes, arrows and, of course, thunder and lightning. If a family, or even an entire village, overcame crop failures and, as a result, hunger and disease, it meant Perun's intervention and served as a "reminder" that people were waging a racket and not working hard.

The god of thunder and lightning was one of the first explanations of the unexplored phenomena of nature. The cult of Perun was born even more than three millennia ago. However, he was not only afraid, but also asked for well-being. People believed that in the case of regular sacrifices and unconditional veneration, Perun would grant them prosperity, save them from disease, make sure that the crops were rich.

Perun was considered the progenitor of all Slavs. In addition to carved from the tree of idols, people were also present images of the god: it was a powerful warrior with blue-black hair with gray hair and a long beard of fire.

In Kievan Rus, the god of thunder and lightning became the object of worship in the 6th century. Later, the development of this cult, as it turned out by the results of numerous studies of paganism, contributed to Prince Vladimir himself. Even after his order in Russia was adopted Christianity, a wooden idol, symbolizing Perun, was not burned, like many other figures of the gods, but allowed along the Dnieper. Vladimir could not do this, since the remnants of the old faith in pagan deities still held firmly in the minds of the people. He was afraid to completely destroy the symbol of a happy life and successful conduct of military affairs.

The God of thunder and lightning was not only among the Slavic peoples. The ancient Greeks considered Zeus to be the main god. In Germanic-Scandinavian mythology, a deity capable of sending kara in the form of a destructive lightning is Thor, and in India Indra.

The times when people massively believed in pagan gods had passed. However, even now there are those who are called Old Believers: they, continuing the traditions of their ancestors, worship the most ancient gods, among whom, of course, there is Perun.