Nowadays, when the Orthodox Church has again taken an important place in society, Holy Prince Vladimir is mentioned mainly as the baptizer of Russia. Meanwhile, in the period preceding this important event, he, using his power of authority, approved the universal pagan pantheon for universal worship. One of those who should have been honored by all who did not want to make themselves extra problems was the god Semargl. How he appeared on the banks of the Dnieper and what was included in the "sphere of his authority" will be described in this article.
The hypothesis of the Slavic god of Persian origin
First of all, we note that a number of the most respected researchers, including prominent scholars such as B. A. Rybakov (1908-2001) and K.V. Trever (1892-1974), believed that the Slavic god Semargl, oddly enough is of Iranian origin. In support of their hypothesis, they point to the ancient Persian deity Simurg, who was a kind of fantastic creature - a hybrid of a bird and a dog. It was depicted in the form of a ferocious dog with wings.
Something similar is observed in the pantheon of our ancestors. The Slavic Semargl was also represented as a half-dog-half-bird, as evidenced by a number of artifacts discovered during archaeological excavations. In addition, the names of these two mythical characters are consonant. Scientists explain the penetration of God Semargl into Russia by the fact that it was borrowed by the Slavs who lived in antiquity on the outskirts of the Iranian world. It should be noted right away that this is only a hypothesis, although put forward by highly respected representatives of the scientific world, but which at the same time has many opponents.
Blood-soaked throne
The entry of Semargl into the pantheon of primary deities, created by Prince Vladimir even before the baptism of Russia, the researchers explain purely objective reasons. They became a consequence of the political situation that developed at the beginning of the 80s of the 10th century on the banks of the Dnieper. The fact is that the future baptist of Russia seized the princely throne by force, staining his hands with the blood of his rightful heir ─ the elder brother of Yaropolk.
In order to consolidate his power and give it the appearance of legitimacy, the usurper needed to enlist the support of as many residents of the state as possible, among whom a considerable percentage was the population of the Khazar, Iranian (Sarmatian-Alanian) and Jewish origin.
Prudent political move
It is known that in the X century the rulers of the Khazar Khaganate, who controlled a vast territory stretching from the Ciscaucasia to the Dnieper and the forest-steppes of Eastern Europe, considered Kiev as one of the outposts on their western borders.
Given these conditions, the addition of the traditional circle of pagan gods Semarglom and Khors (also borrowed from the East), from the side of the prince was a thoughtful political move. Declaring the patron of his squad Perun the supreme deity, Prince Vladimir at the same time established universal worship for those gods from the pantheon that he created, which were revered by the South Russian population of Kievan Rus, which provided him with additional political support.
Twin gods
Trying to outline the sphere of power attributed to this Slavic deity, Academician B. A. Rybakov relied mainly on information concerning his ancient Iranian analogue of Simurg. This was explained by the lack of sufficiently complete and reliable information concerning Semargl himself, mean references to which are contained only in two or three written monuments that have reached us.
So, according to Rybakov’s hypothesis, the Slavs god Semargl is the patron saint of green shoots, seeds, shoots and plant roots, as well as a mediator between the supreme heavenly deity Perun and people. He, as it were, personifies “armed good”, the bearer of which is always ready to engage in battle with the forces of evil. These characteristics are almost identical to those customarily given to the Iranian god Simurg, whom the inhabitants of the Ancient World endowed with the ability to preserve the Tree of Life, on the branches of which the seeds of all plants growing on the earth were adjacent at the same time.
Ancient burial winged dogs
It is characteristic that not only modern Russian archaeologists, but also those that excavated in previous centuries, repeatedly extracted artifacts from the earth depicting winged dogs, but found it difficult to identify these mythical creatures. Academician B.A. Yakovlev brought clarity to this question, proving that the imagination of our ancestors endowed Semargl, the god of Slavic mythology, who had an outward resemblance to ancient griffins, in precisely this form.
Patron of the plant world
Museums in Russia and abroad exhibit many artifacts recovered from ancient Slavic burials. Among them there are pendants, bracelets and earrings made by masters of the 9th-12th centuries. in the form of winged dogs symbolizing the god Semargla. Photos of some of them are given in the article. Looking at them, it is easy to see that the mythical beast is surrounded by an ornament consisting of grass and tree branches.
This indirectly confirms its connection with the plant world, which academician B. A. Rybakov pointed out in his works. It is also interesting to note that the image of Semargl has long remained in the minds of our ancestors even after they adopted Christianity, as evidenced by his image carved on the gates of one of the oldest Suzdal temples.
In 1906, a treasure hidden in the ground was discovered in Tver. Among other treasures, a silver bracelet fell into the hands of archaeologists, which depicted a scene of a sacrifice to a pagan god. A woman with long flowing hair brought a ritual goblet to a certain figure, as if carved from stone, and resembling the shape of a winged dog. In addition to her, on the bracelet was presented a whole string of people dancing with wreaths on their heads near the fire. According to scientists, this was none other than the god Semargl, in whose honor mass festivities were held.
Name change deity
It is curious to note such a detail: in written monuments of a later period there are references to the fact that over time in the public consciousness this deity acquired a new name and began to be called Pereplut. One of these documents is the “Word of St. George,” dating to the late 14th century. Telling about how before the adoption of Christianity the Slavs worshiped idols, the author tells about dances with wreaths on their heads and exorbitant libations arranged in honor of Pereputut-Semargl.
As for the etymology (origin) of the new name of the pagan god, scholars believe that it came from the verb “to stray,” that is, to go astray, since it was invented by Christians who were extremely negative about previous beliefs and considered idol worship one of the gravest sins. Involuntarily, this name is also associated with the verb “to cheat,” which also expresses the contempt of new converts to former idols.
Among mermaids and female birds
Under the name of Pereput in folklore, Semargl is closely associated with well-known representatives of Slavic mythology ─ mermaids, or, as they were called in olden times, “pitchforks”. Contrary to the established belief, our ancestors often portrayed them not only as sea virgins with fish tails, but also gave them the appearance of beautiful female birds who sent rains to the fields and enveloped the earth in morning fog. Since the idea of the Slavs was the god Semargl, the patron saint of plants, then, accordingly, he could not do without those who gave them life-giving moisture.
The custom of depicting Semargl in the form of a dog with wings suggests that he, in the view of our ancestors, was a kind of mediator between earth and sky. In this regard, the hypothesis that connects Smaragla with the ancient Indian god Agni, who was also charged with the obligation to communicate between people and celestials, was widely used among researchers. It is not known, however, whether Semargl was the god of fire, as his "colleague" from the Hindustan Peninsula, but a certain similarity between them, of course, can be traced.
The modern follower of pagan cults
Nowadays, the image of the god Semargla is widely used by representatives of a number of religious movements, trying in modern historical realities to revive the beliefs of our pagan ancestors. One of these organizations, called the Old Russian Church of the Orthodox Inglovers, was founded by Alexander Khinevich, a prominent propagandist of occultism and ufology.
In his publications devoted to a wide range of issues related to the characters of the old Russian pagan pantheon, he devotes a lot of space to the god of the Slavs Semargl ─ the patron of the chamber, the keeper of the fire of family hearths, and the protector of people. This is precisely how its founder characterizes a new religious movement. Based on the materials that were the fruit, not so much studying historical monuments as drawing from folklore, in his book "Slavic-Aryan Vedas" the author recreates the picture of the birth of Semargl.
Fire giving life to a deity
According to his version, once the god Svarog - the ancestor and patron of the blacksmiths - struck with a heavenly hammer on the sacred stone Alatyr. Sparks scattered in all directions gave rise to a flame, from which a knight appeared on a silver horse with a fiery mane. This horseman was, as the legend tells, Semargl, who then applied his strength in many areas of life. As mentioned above, he patronized the seedlings of plants, guarded the homes and, in addition, made sure that the foci never went out in them.
Such an interpretation of his image, although supplemented by numerous speculations, but in general corresponds to the official scientific version. In contrast, followers of other modern pagan movements often represent Semargl as the god of death and destruction. This point of view has no serious justification, and is the fruit of idle fiction. Suffice it to say that among the monuments of ancient culture it is hardly possible to find examples of deities associated with death and destruction (and there were many), depicted surrounded by herbs and tree branches, symbolizing life.
Holy name
A. Khinevich also gives very interesting data: according to a number of sources, the ancient Slavs had a certain taboo on pronouncing aloud the name of this deity. It was believed that it was so sacred that it was not permissible to remember it through the mouths of ordinary mortals, and if such a need nevertheless arose, they tried to circumvent the ban using allegorical phrases of speech. By the way, a similar tradition exists in a number of modern religions. For example, in Judaism it is not customary to pronounce the name of God, and among Christians, as you know, one of the commandments prohibits mentioning Him in vain.