16.06.2005
The study of folklore and mythology is problematic. Most often, myths existed well before writing and thus different variations of stories and even gods will often be found. This is perhaps the case in Russia even more than in other counties; do not assume that all information here is indisputably proven, that doesn’t happen with studies such as this. A Midsummer's Intro To Russian Mythology
Gods and Myths Live on Today
by Josh WilsonThe celebration of Midsummer’s Eve is still very important to many Slavic cultures, despite years of oppression faced from the Orthodox Church. The celebration is, of course, strongly connected with Russian paganism, a strange but interesting topic. The earliest known history of Russia, The Primary Chronicle (ca. 1113) states that in Kiev, the Grand Prince constructed giant statues to several deities in the 10th century: Perun, king of the pantheon and god of thunder, lightning, and war with his giant axe (Перун, главное божество, бог грома, молнии, воины); Dazhbog, god of the harvest and sunshine (Дажбог, бог жатвы и солнечного сияния, the name means roughly "God of blessings"); Simargl, a winged dog who protected seed and new crops (Симаргл, крылатая собака, оберегающая семян и новых зерновых культур); Stribog, a god of the wind, cold, and of conflicts (Стрибог, бог ветров, холода, войны); Mokosh, (Мокош, божество живой природы, прародительница и хранительница всего живого, also known as Мать-сыра-земля, or "Mother-Damp-Earth;" Мокош meant "moist") who was mother-earth, birth-giver and caretaker of all life; and Khors, (Хорс, владыка света белого, хаоса, тьмы) the god of the sun, chaos, and darkness. The list provided by the Chronicle is far from complete. Svarozhich was a divine blacksmith mentioned in a handful of sources. Ancient Russian lords swore oaths by the names of Perun and also Volos a god of livestock, commerce, and light (Волос, бог скoта, торговли, и света, sometimes written "Veles"). To further complicate matters, it seems the peasantry worshiped differently. Early sermons from the Orthodox Church make constant admonitions against worshiping "Rod" and "Rozhenitsa" (Род и Роженица, Небесными хозяйками мира) but these names almost never occur in official texts concerning the nobility. This indicates that these gods, whose names mean "Kin" and "Birth-giver," respectively, were gods of the household popular with the peasantry (who was not so concerned with warfare and commerce). Indeed, most importantly, popular folk belief seems to have not been concerned as much with gods themselves as with keeping in harmony with natural (and supernatural) forces. Folklorists call this the "lower mythology" of Russia and its importance has been disparaged by some including scholar E. Anichkov, who said that Russian paganism was "particularly impoverished; its gods were pitiful, its cult and customs crude." 
Domovoi |
However, it does not seem to have been so much crude as just very decentralized and complex. In Russian paganism, capricious spirits rule the world. For example, the Domovoi (Домовой, дух дома) the house-spirit, would protect the house from other spirits but he himself would often play havoc. For example, if a peasant moved to a new house and did not properly invite his domovoi along, the displaced spirit would become angry, sometimes killing horses, disrupting the peasant’s farming or creating noise at night. Another story tells of a woman whose domovoi would braid her hair at night and forbid her to undo the braid. The woman lived 35 years without washing or combing her hair. When she finally did, just before her wedding day, her mother came home to find her chocked to death. The Domovoi was blamed. Similar spirits were everywhere: there were Vodyanye (Водяные, водяные духи) or water spirits, Lecnye (Лесные, лесные духи, sometimes known as "old men of the forest") or forest spirits, Polevye (Полевые, духи в хлебнах полях) field spirits, even Dvorovye (Дворовые, дворовые духи), spirits of the yard, etc. and all of them carried a list of rules and a generally hostile attitude. For example, one was not to whistle anywhere (the noise disturbed the spirits) and to this day whistling is taboo in Russia, particularly in houses. Spirits could often be appeased with incantations or by generosity (such as by offerings of bread and salt - прием с хлебом и солью). Most importantly, peasants simply had to be "careful" (осторожно) to avoid harm.This cautious mentality is not at all surprising. In Russia the growing season is very short and any derivation in the crop cycle can result in hunger (голод) or even starvation (смерть от голода). Early Russian history was marked by almost constant warfare and likely these invading troops were likely not exceptionally kind to the resident peasants. The Russian pagan calendar was just about as complex, with holidays marked with a number of fairly elaborate rituals largely concerned with marking agricultural events. These included, among many others, ceremonies marking the beginning and end of the harvest, the planting, the "day of young shoots," and a holiday known as "Kupala" (Купала) held on midsummer’s night, the summer solstice (летнее солнцестояние). Many holidays were associated with a particular god and many folklorists have discerned that Kupala was held in honor of a god of vegetation called Kupala (sometimes Kupalo). Others, however, have stated that the holiday had little to do with any god and that the name simply refers to the event. "Kupala" loosely translates to "bathed" and ritual bathing is a major part of the holiday observances. According to folk belief, the sun imbues water with special powers during this time (some say it bathes itself in the ocean – говорят, оно купается в океане). These powers make bathing during this time exceptionally healthy. Other festivities include constructing a man of straw who is then ritually dismembered, burned, and his ashes buried (sometimes thrown in water) in order to ensure a good harvest. Fire also marked a divining aspect of the holiday: couples would jump over bonfires and if they remained holding hands when they landed, their wedding would soon materialize, single people would jump hoping for luck. 
Henryk Siemiradzki. Night on the Eve of Ivan Kupala. 1880s. Oil on canvas. The Lvov Picture Gallery, Ukraine.
Note the man pictured is about to jump over the fire.
When Russia was "baptized" the peasants did exceptionally well at accepting Christianity without giving up their pagan beliefs. This was despite the constant reprimands of the Church but also in part due to the Church’s own actions. For example, it attempted to replace Kupala with a holiday that honored John the Baptist. This only strengthened the "folk nickname" (народное прозвище) that the peasants had already given John - "Ivan Kupalo" (Иван Купало) or, translated loosely, "John the Bather." The straw man used in the pagan ritual is to this day known as "Ivan Kupalo," which must be sacrilege in most Christian religions. Yet this intricate interweaving of faiths is characteristic of Russian folk belief and is termed "dvoeveri" (двоевери) or, double-faith. Peasants also kept their beliefs in their various gods and spirits although in perhaps altered forms. For example, on occasion, old women can still be seen in the metro making the sign of a cross over the chair before they sit down, to make sure they do not sit on a "devil" and hence anger it. (devil: дьявол, черт, демон – language warning, these can be curses in Russian, so do not use them unless you know exactly what you are doing!) As another example, although the carvers could probably not always identify the source of the symbol, the sign of Rod, a rose in a circle, can still be seen carved on rural houses to bring good luck to the home. Kupala is still celebrated much as it always has been, though now always on July 7th, the day of John the Babtist as set by the Orthodox Church. 
Ivan Kupala's (Russian metal band)
album "Kostroma” (Кострома: a
doll built to be burned in efigy). |
Kupala is still well known, fairly widely celebrated and even now enjoys official government sponsorship in the Ukraine and some areas of southern Russia. It has become integrated into pop culture. In 2002, a type of "Herbal Essences" shampoo was marketed in the Ukraine and Russia called "Hочь Ивана Купала" (Night of Ivan Kupala). Last year, a Russian travel agency advertised a package for romantic travel asserting that "the holiday is truly counted the merriest and sexiest of the year" (Праздник по праву считается самым веселым и сексуальным в году) and offered a two-day, one night package of travel to the countryside for the holiday. While most would probably not quite agree with the sales pitch, there are stranger pop-culture takes. A Ukrainian horror film was produced a number of years ago called Вечер Накануне Ивана Купала (The Eve of Ivan Kupala - buy it!), which features a man who finds the fern-flower but is cursed for it. The name is the same, incidentally, as that of a story by Gogol. There are also still traditional celebrations as well. A society in the Vologda region which advocates a rebirth for ancient Russian traditions (ратующей за возрождение исконно русских традиций) and celebrates the holiday traditionally every year. For more information on this group and how the holiday has survived in the Vologda region, click here for a side-by-side translation of excerpts from an article that appeared in Komsomolskaya Pravada, Vologda. In short, pagan traditions in Russia are making a comeback and even enjoying the official support of regional and national governments and brand-name products. They are also, because of Russia’s isolation from such intellectual upheavals as the Renaissance and Reformation, as well as the isolation of individual villages from the central control of the church, paganism is likely purer in Russia than in most other countries. For more information on Russian paganism, we recommend Russian Folk Belief by Linda J. Ivanits, a relatively brief and informative collection of information and stories on the subject. Find Out More!
History of Russian Holidays
History of the Russian Dacha
Internships in Russia
Heath and Safety in Russia
The SRAS Newsletter
Library: All About Russia
Eurasian Regions and Cities
Journal for Students
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