The main god of the Slavs, of course, is Perun. The ambassadors of Russia swore his name, concluding an agreement with the Greeks in 911, and the warriors of Prince Igor. The god of thunder and lightning was always armed with an ax and a bow with arrows.
It was believed that the fireballs that Perun throws to the ground are the wrath of the deity, and if the wooden buildings lit up during a thunderstorm, then they could not be extinguished.
Terrible Thunderer
Clouds and clouds people called perunovy trees on which lightning birds sit. If a living creature was struck by them, then this meant only one thing: inside there is evil spirits with which the deity is fighting. At the place of the lightning strike there remained molten sand (belemnite), called Perunov stone.
Wanting to win the war, the ancient people made sacrifices, and in sacred places they depicted a formidable god. It is known about the findings of archaeologists - iron hatchets with ornaments of lightning and the sun. It was believed that such items have tremendous power and protect their owners. The powerful god was feared and asked for his protection.
What is a temple?
The place of worship of the Slavic deities is called the temple. One of the main structures of the pagan world kept the great wisdom of the ancestors who built round-shaped sanctuaries in the open. The temple, the entrance to which was necessarily decorated, was erected on a hill and fenced with picket fences and a moat.
Sacred place
The shape of the temple of Perun resembled an octagon. Nine sanctuaries broke the inner space of the ritual place. Eight of them were located around the main one, dedicated to the thunder deity. Historians suggest that the altar of the temple was located on Alatyr-stone on Red Square in Moscow. This powerful boulder served as the foundation of the Trinity Church, and later the appearance of the sanctuary was taken as the basis of St. Basil’s Cathedral with nine domes.
Bonfires to the glory of Perun
At the temple of Perun, they asked for protection from God, and it was believed that he was closely peering at a person before giving something to him. Here the spiritual growth of people took place, and the oaths uttered became indestructible. In honor of the god worshiped by all warriors, eternal bonfires made of oak logs were lit (this mighty tree, according to legend, is associated with Perun, and such groves in Russia were carefully guarded).
Is the Eternal Flame connected with paganism?
Few people think, but the Eternal Flame is a revival of the cult of the Thunderer, and the canonical temple of Perun is located near the Kremlin wall in Moscow. Here, all the principles that our ancestors followed were: the unquenchable fire, its armed guard, elevation above the ground, an altar of granite, rituals of worship for fallen soldiers and the laying of oak wreaths.
By the way, the Orthodox Church believes that the Eternal Flame has nothing to do with honoring the memory of those who fell in the Great Patriotic War.
Ritual place in Kiev
Archaeologists who examined the temple of Perun in 980 in Kiev, found a huge number of bones of bulls and roosters, which were sacrificed to God. It is not surprising that an iron ax was also found here - a symbol of the patron saint of warriors. It is curious that during the baptism, the images of pagan deities were transferred to the bright images of Orthodox saints, and Perun was renamed Ilya the Prophet (Thunder).
The Temple of Perun in Orel
Those who are not indifferent to our heritage have revived the sanctuary, which helps to make an idea of pagan constructions. On the land belonging to a private person, a stylized temple of Perun (Oryol) allowing to transfer into the atmosphere of the ancient Slavs has been prepared.
What is this, we have already learned: as the legends say, on this sacred place gathered people who praised God and burned bonfires.
Next to the appeared sanctuary is adjacent quarry, where sandstone is mined. Tourists visiting a small village, it seems that once upon a time the stone melted from the wrath of God and froze in the most bizarre way where the temple of Perun in Orel is now located.
The photo of the reconstructed structure conveys the spirit of the powerful god, in whose honor festivities are held several times a year. The whole family chooses here to relax in the fresh air, recharge with positive emotions, get acquainted with Slavic customs and express their respect to the ancestors.