Since ancient times, people believed in supernatural powers, spirits and gods. In different nations, they were represented in the form of animals or human images. To communicate with gods and spirits,
ancient people made their images, because it is difficult to worship something invisible, so people created the embodiment of their deity in the form of wooden or stone figures. With the advent of Christianity,
ancient people were accused of idolatry. But what is an idol really? This is any image of a deity, his image in the form of a statue or icon.
The most famous idols of antiquity are images of Krishna and Kali in India, Ra and Anubis in Egypt, Odin and Thor in Scandinavia, as well as statues of many ancient Greek gods. They were made of a variety of materials: wood, stone, gold or marble. Most of the idols of antiquity were destroyed, and those that remain now are mainly valued as objects of art.
In the modern interpretation of this term, little is left of a negative attitude towards
idols in the era of the emergence of Christianity. If you look in the explanatory dictionary of
what an idol is, it is clear that this is any object that is worshiped as a deity, this is any blind worship or cult. From the point of view of psychology, the idol of a modern person can be money and any material values, success and power, any famous person. People worship these realities, honor them and direct all their attention to them. From this point of view, idolatry is very dangerous, since it leads a person away from reality.
And what is an idol from the point of view of the Christian religion? These are any images of gods other than Christ. The pagans were branded as idolaters, it was believed that they worshiped idols and prayed to them. In fact, among ancient peoples, statues were the same images of gods as Christians - icons. Our ancestors understood that an idol is not a god, but only his image.
The idols of the Slavs were most often made of wood, and not only because it was the most common material. Our ancestors respected nature and believed in the magical power of trees. Thus, the image of the deity also acquired the energy of the tree from which it was made. But for the same reason, now there are almost no examples left of what were the wooden idols of our ancestors. Almost all of them were burned or turned into dust under the influence of time.
But the ancient Slavs also had stone idols. They are most common in the Black Sea region. The most famous stone idol was found in the 19th century in
the Zbruch river. It is a tetrahedral pillar covered with images. They are located in three tiers, it is believed that this reflects the faith of our ancestors in the worlds of Navi, Yavi and Prav. The upper tier is the four faces of the gods, most likely - Kupala, Yarilo, Lada and Kolyada.
But basically all the idols of the Slavs were destroyed, and information about the beliefs of our ancestors is collected bit by bit. Most of all this is known from Christian texts in which the ancient Slavs are presented as idolaters. But if you carefully study what an idol is, the same can be said of Christians themselves. After all, their icons, statues, and even crosses are also idols that they worship.