Slavic goddess Makosh and her amulet. Goddess Makosh - amulet of the Slavic goddess
Makosh (Makosh, Mokosha, Mokusha) is a Slavic goddess. Occupies one of the most important and significant places in the pagan pantheon of the Slavs. It is worth saying that the idol of Mokosh was among others in the Kiev temple, which was erected and then destroyed by Prince Vladimir. The fact that Makosh was awarded such an honor as an idol on the main princely temple speaks of her extraordinary significance in the beliefs and ideas of our ancestors. Among other idols, Makosh was the only female deity.
Makosh is the goddess of earth and rain, harvest, spinning, weaving, patroness of crafts, patroness of women, goddess of fate. The very name “Mokosh” or “Makosh” is associated with several versions of its origin. One of the versions put forward by M. Vasmer is that Mokosh comes from the word “get wet,” and in ancient times this goddess was directly associated with rain and the harvest. Other researchers - V.V. Ivanov and V.N. Toporov, suggested that Mokosh comes from the word mokos, which can be translated as “spinning.” That this goddess was closely associated with weaving and spinning is not in doubt. There are still beliefs that one should not spin or do handicrafts on Friday, since this day is dedicated to Mokoshi and the goddess can punish for such an offense. For the same reason, Mokosh was often depicted as “punctured with needles and twisted with spindles,” because wicked women do not obey, they sew and spin on Fridays. As sacrifices, Mokoshi brought yarn, tow, and threads, which were thrown into the well. This ritual is called mokrids. Surprisingly, in one ritual two aspects of this goddess are emphasized - the patroness of needlewomen and the goddess of rain and harvest. According to a famous researcher, the name Makosh comes from the phrase “ma” - mother and “kosh” - lot. This phrase can be translated as - Mother of Fate. In ancient times, “kosh” also meant a basket for grain, a barn, a pen for livestock, a cart for sheaves, and from this we can conclude that Makosh is the mother of the harvest. None of the names of the goddess are erroneous, that is, you can call her Makosh and Mokosh, but later in the article, so that there is no confusion, we will call her Mokosh.
Like a spinner who spins divine threads, Makosh appears and goddess of fate. According to the beliefs of the pagan Slavs, it is she who spins the threads of life (pokuta, pokutnye threads). The assistants of this goddess are Dolya and Nedolya (Srecha and Nesrecha).
Makosh was, without a doubt, one of the central figures of the pagan beliefs of the ancient Slavs. The cult of Mokosh is especially popular among women, whose direct patroness is the goddess. Makosh is mentioned in chronicles and teachings against paganism: “Bow before the invisible God: people praying to Rod and women in labor, Perun, and Apollo, and Mokosha, and Peregina, and do not approach any vile demands of gods” (XVI century, Teachings to Spiritual Children) , “For this reason, it is not appropriate for Christians to play demonic games, who eat dancing, gudba, Myr songs and the sacrifice of idols, who pray to the fire with the barn and pitchfork and Mokoshi and Sim and Ragl and Perun and Rod and Rozhanitsa” (XVI century, Word on bribery ), “...the same gods are required to create the Slovenian language: Vilam and Makoshi and Diva, Perun. Kharsu...” (XV century, The Word on Idols) and many others.
It is worth noting the fact that during the times of dual faith the image of Mokosh was transferred to the Christian saint Paraskeva Friday or Paraskeva Pnyanikha. Mokosh's Day has always been considered Friday, which is why Paraskeva is called Friday; Pnyanikha or Lyanikha - a flax spinner, also refers to the image of Mokosh. Paraskeva, translated from Greek, means “Friday”. Perhaps also for this reason, the Slavs, who had not yet lost contact with the pagan gods, saw in this name something very similar to Makosh and all the features that were inherent in the pagan goddess were transferred to the Christian saint, thus making a unique "castling". Some ancient churches, which belong to Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, stand on the site of former temples dedicated to Mokosh. The connection between Mokosh and Friday is proven by many different pieces of evidence, ranging from the tradition of holding rituals on Fridays in honor of this goddess, various Friday prohibitions, and ending with the similarity of goddesses identical to Mokosh in other traditions. For example, the German Freya, which is very similar to our Makosh, has a direct connection with the name of Friday - Freitag.
Makosh is often compared to such goddesses as Hecate (ancient Greek goddess of the moon, night visions and sorcery), Freya (Scandinavian goddess of love and beauty), Aphrodite (ancient Greek goddess of beauty and love). Makosh existed not only on the territory ancient Rus', but also in other countries. For example, among the Czechs, Makosh is the goddess of rain and dampness, to whom they resorted with prayers and sacrifices during droughts.
Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, like her pagan predecessor, is considered a dressmaker who patronizes busy girls manual labor. There is also a belief here that Friday prohibits all women from working on this day or doing any handicrafts. It is believed that Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa became especially popular in XII-XIII centuries when Christianity was already flourishing. IN Christian time people continued to pray to Paraskeva, seeing in her image that very archaic Makosh, for patronage in needlework, fate, and also for rain. Prayers were held for Paraskeva at wells and springs, which indicates a direct connection with ancient rites dedicated to this goddess. Another interesting comparison of the “old” and “new” goddesses was the idea that icons of Paraskeva miraculously appear near bodies of water or directly in the water of reservoirs, which is also an echo of ancient pagan myths and legends. In the first time after baptism, when pagan customs were still very strong, people brought various fruits to the icons of Paraskeva (the cornucopia is one of Mokosh’s attributes), flax, left the first compressed sheaf on the field, and so on. In order for Makosh-Paraskeva to give good harvest fruit trees, in villages they still place fruits under the icon of this saint and keep them there until next year.
For the same reason that You can't do business on Friday, the floor is swept the day before so that on the holy day the house is clean, and the goddess who comes to visit the house is pleased with what she sees. On Friday, do not leave the yarn in the spindle, threads and needlework utensils uncleaned. You cannot comb flax, wash clothes, dig, plow, harrow the ground, sweep floors, or clean manure. It is believed that the one who does such things dusts the eyes of the goddess, pricks and cuts her skin with needles and scissors. Friday among the Slavs was revered on a par with Sunday (Week).
associated with the cult of water and rain, she is considered closely related to the reverence of the earth and protects fertility. She is often depicted as a female figure with horns and also belongs to the lunar cult. As you know, in Rus' the Moon has always been considered the “star” of women and patronized women. Thus, Makosh is the goddess of the moon, the goddess of rain and earth, the patroness of women, the patroness of handicrafts, housekeeping and the eldest of the spinners - the goddess of fate. There is also an opinion that not only the Moon is the personification of Mokosh, but also the planet Venus. Venus has always been considered the patron saint of women, and therefore some researchers bring together Dennitsa, Zorya (the goddess of Venus) and Makosh.Researchers of this goddess pay special attention embroidery, where Makosh is presented in some detail. Here she is always depicted as the central figure. Makosh with raised hands means the goddess-giver of rain (prayer for warmth, light and rain - spring and early summer); the goddess with her hands down is the patroness of the earth and the fertility of the earth (prayer for the fertility of the earth - summer and autumn). Often in embroidery it is accompanied by two figures. These are the same figures that Boris Rybakov wrote so much about in his studies: the once mistresses of the universe - the heavenly elk or the Rozhanitsa - Lada and Lelya. In instructions against paganism, medieval clerks often placed Makosh next to Bereginya and pitchforks. You can read about Bereginya and pitchforks in the article ““. Makosh is considered their mentor, their main goddess. Vilas or Vilas-mermaids, Beregini are Mokosh’s assistants in agricultural matters, as well as in protecting and helping people. The same assistant is the sacred dog Simargl, who protects the seedlings and harvest.
Since Makosh is associated with the moon, the amulet stone of this goddess is considered to be moonstone and rock crystal. Mokosh's metal is silver. Animal: cat. At the same time, a cat can be an animal of a goddess for two reasons. Since ancient times, the cat was considered a nocturnal animal that walks under the moon and is closely associated with the night element, night spirits and night Gods. The cat is also considered the beast of Mokosh due to its consonance: Kosh-ka - Ma-kosh. The symbol can be yarn, a spindle, a ball of wool or other handicraft items. The idol often looked like a female figure with horns and a cornucopia in his hands. It is preferable to make an idol or an idol from female breeds wood, for example, aspen. Another symbol of Mokosh is the spider and spider web. The spider, like Makosh, spins a thread (of fate). This is where the belief comes from that if you suddenly get caught in a spider’s web in the forest, then this is a good sign, that is, Makosh favors such a person and gives a sign that his thread will be smooth and happy. Also, its symbol can be the most famous and widespread amulet-amulet - Lunnitsa, which in ancient times was a women's decoration and amulet, and looked like a crescent with various inserts and images, such as: oblique lines of rain, stars, and so on.
Makosh was present not only in many chronicles, writings, teachings and in the courtyard of Prince Vladimir in the form of one of the idols. The image of the goddess is also found on the famous Zbruch idol. Among the other Gods who are depicted on each of the four faces, Makosh is represented on the front face with a horn (of plenty) in his hand.
Friday, aka Makosh, was considered patroness of trade. The researchers came to this conclusion, judging by the numerous names, including: the Church of Friday at Torg in Veliky Novgorod, built in 1207; Church of Friday at Torg in Chernigov, XII and XIII centuries; Friday's Church Okhotny Ryad in Moscow and so on. In addition, since ancient times, Friday has always been considered the day of trade, bazaars, and fairs. The very name “Mokosh” was not forgotten after baptism, but was transferred to the house god (as in the case of Rod, who, after the baptism of Rus', turned from an omnipotent creator into a house god). Mokosha now appeared as a house spirit feminine with a big head and long arms. There are legends that the house spirit Mokosha spins at night while everyone is sleeping and if you leave the tow untidy, Mokosha can ruin it. There is also the following mention about Mokoshi, recorded in the 19th century in the Olonets region: “A sheep, no matter how the wool is sheared, will sometimes dry itself; and they say: Mokusha sheared the sheep. Otherwise: they are sleeping - the spindle is purring. They say that Mokusha was spinning. When leaving the house, she (Mokosh) will sometimes come up and click on a beam or a spindle.”
Another holiday dedicated to this goddess is Veshnee Makoshya (Earth Day) - May 10.
Makosh, together with women in labor Lada and Lelya, are the main patron goddesses of the Babi Porridge holiday, which is traditionally celebrated on January 8th.
Feasts of the Christian saint Paraskeva: Paraskeva Gryaznikha (October 14) and Paraskeva Linen (October 28).
Makosh(Mokosh, Makosha, Makusha, Makesh, Ma-Kosh, Goddess of Fate, Spinner of Fates) is a Slavic Goddess revered from ancient times to the present day. Makosh is revered as the Spinner of Fate, the patroness of women's crafts, and the Goddess of Magic. In some rituals, Mother Makosh is referred to as the Goddess of Fertility, especially when the ritual is dedicated to the cultivation of flax necessary for spinning and weaving.
The Goddess turns to the Goddess Makosh to learn divination and influence a person’s destiny. The northern magic of spindles, embroidery, and arts is associated with Makosh. They also turn to Makosh in other Slavic rituals.
Makosh in mythology
Makosh in the pantheon of Slavic Gods
Makosh is so unlike other Slavic Gods that no match was found for her. The Goddess Spinner of Fate cannot spin a thread for herself and tie a knot on it to meet her betrothed. It is unknown where Makosh came to the Slavs; the Goddess of Fate has no relatives among the Slavic Gods.
In Makosh’s mansion, two sisters Dolya and Nedolya live with her. Sometimes they are called the daughters of Makosh. Mother Makosh spins the threads of fate for people and Gods, and Dolya and Nedolya wind the threads into balls. Whose ball Dolya takes, that person has a good fate; if Nedolya winds a thread into a ball, the person’s fate is bad.
It is reliably known that Makosh idols were installed on ancient temples. This is what the Tale of Bygone Years says:
At the beginning of his reign, Volodimer was the only one in Kiev. And place the idols on the hill outside the castle courtyard: Perun is wooden, and his head is silver, and his mustache is gold, and Khursa, and Dazhbog, and Stribog, and Semargla, and Makosh
During Christian times, Makosh remained one of the most revered Goddesses. They addressed her under the name Paraskeva Pyatnitsa.
Legends and myths about the Slavic Goddess Makosh
Goddess Makosh is the mysterious Goddess of Fate. In her hands are the threads of the destinies of people and Gods. “It will be like Makosh gave up” - they say when a person’s fate is unknown. In some myths, Makosh is credited with being related to Veles, but we believe that this opinion is erroneous. According to northern legends, the Goddess Makosh is lonely.
Goddess Makosh is always calm. She knows the past and future of people and Gods. The Slavic Gods turn to Makosh for advice and always listen to her words. To a brave, kind person who does not want to give up in trouble, Makosh can return a good share. Few things get done without the participation of Makosh: she can give a new destiny to a person if his share is lost, return him to the path of the Rule of man or even God. Makosh interferes with fate only when this intervention does no harm general canvas destinies of the whole world.
Symbols of the Goddess Makosh
Amulet - symbol of the Goddess Makosh
Most famous sign Goddess Makosh - Rodovik, swastika anti-salt. The rotating amulet Makosh reminds of the constant rebirth of people’s souls, of the connection of human destinies.
The sign of the Goddess Makosh is most loved by women, although men also wear it. The Makosh amulet helps to develop intuition and magical abilities, to learn to feel the interweaving of destinies in a single pattern. The patronage of Makosh also protects from malicious intent, slander, and evil spells.
Attributes of the Goddess Makosh
Plant- linen.
Animal – tabby cat, a couple of birds (especially white and dark nearby).
Heraldry, objects– thread, spindle, kichka (“horned” headdress), alternation of light and dark objects (like the white and dark stripe of life, light and darkness, manifested and unmanifested).
Day of the week- Friday.
Treba (offering)– silver coins (silver is the metal of the Goddess Makosh), combed flax, spun threads, embroidered towels and shirts, linen canvas. Most of all, Goddess Makosh appreciates those needs that a woman created with her own hands.
Makosh – Patron Goddess
The Slavic Goddess Makosh is the patroness of women and women's crafts. In addition, Makosh maintains strong family ties. Goddess Makosh loves those who are able to see the entire pattern of life, not succumb to sorrows, knowing that there will be joy behind them. Makosh is the patroness of those whose character includes:
- kindness;
- love of work and learning;
- mercy;
- calm;
- softness;
- the desire to comprehend the deep essence of things.
Such people do not like quarrels, but cannot stand lies and injustice. Makosh will help such a person to insist on his own and gently resolve the conflict, to resolve the situation for the benefit of others.
Makosh in the northern tradition of fortune telling and magic
The Slavic Reza Makosh looks the same as the sign of the Goddess - Rodovik.
Reza number – 2.
Reza Makosh comes, when the Questioner begins a new period of life. What he will be like: joyful or not - only Makosh knows. You can look at the neighboring Rezas in the layout to understand what the coming period will be like, or you can trust the Goddess of Fate to understand the wisdom: both bad and good create a single pattern, without the wrong side there will be no beautiful embroidery on the canvas.
The Goddess Makosh is addressed in Slavic magic, when they want to get help, strengthening their abilities for sorcery. With Makosh's permission, the magic of the spindle and embroidery is happening. The Makosh pledge is given when knitting Slavic nauz knots. Slavic spells for a child's peaceful sleep are often addressed to Makosh, and a small spinning wheel and spindle are placed in the cradle.
Holidays where Makosh, the Goddess of the Slavs, is honored
Every Friday is dedicated to the Goddess Makosh, but especially 12 Fridays a year, one Friday in each month. The main Fridays of the year are the ninth and tenth. In the week from the ninth to the tenth Friday, Makoshina Week is celebrated. On the tenth Friday the day of the Goddess Makosh is celebrated.
Makoshina week- holiday from the last Friday of October to the first Friday of November.
Day of the Goddess Makosh(popularly “Paraskeva Friday”) - first friday in november.
Many generations before, people chose a king for themselves and added the prefix Ra to his name. He became a high priest and emperor named Ra-Mu. The empire itself was called the Empire of the Sun.
There were seven main cities on "Mu" - centers of religion, science and education. The cities were decorated with huge temples made of carved stone, without roofs - transparent Temples. There was no roof so that the rays of Ra (the sun god) could freely penetrate the Temple and illuminate the heads of those praying.
The symbol of the Sun was first perceived and understood by the Lemurians. The Cult of Fire and the Cult of the Sun were glorified in the Temples. In those days, all images of God were prohibited. The Golden Disk of the Sun was the only emblem and was located in every temple. It was placed in such a way that the first ray of the Sun illuminated it during the Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. The name of the One and Indivisible was not taken in vain, but every dawn and sunset the Rmoahalas were accompanied by the singing of the sacred consonance A-U-M. They were able to transmit messages and figurative concepts over long distances. They communicated on equal terms with aliens from outer space. They could communicate with animals and birds telepathically.
The symbol of Egregor Lemuria was the seven-pointed Star (possession of the energies of the seven chakras and the secrets of the seven planets, the seven stars of the Pleiades) - the star of the Magi. The Star of the Magi is the seven-rayed star. Its seven rays are the six Amesha-Spenta (Archangels in the Avesta) and Ahura-Mazda himself, the Creator and Guardian of the Universe. All rigid, unchanging rhythms of time work according to the laws of this star, for example, the connection of planets with the days of the week. One of the varieties of the image of the Star of Bethlehem.
The seven-pointed star is one of the most ancient symbols of the East, ancient civilizations. Known in ancient Assyria, Chaldea, Sumer and Akkad. It was the emblem of Iveria (ancient Georgia). Symbol of the astral cult, seven alchemical rays (emanations) of God, seven planets, seven days of the week, etc.
The poles of their Egregor of Limuria were the “Temples of the Sun” with a golden male figure in the main Temple and the “Temples of the Earth” with a silver female figure (everything feminine in it was exaggerated) in the main Temple.
Goddess Mother
50,000 - 47,700 BC Age of Aquarius
AQUARIUS - MAKOSH - MOIRA - GODDESS OF FATE
-49,000 BC Nostratic monolanguage arose.The estimated emergence of a monolanguage - according to linguistic data, is no deeper than 40 - 50 thousand years. This is the maximum, because those macrofamilies that we know have a dating of about 15 - 17 thousand. To bring others together language families two or three more floors may be required, but the starting point cannot be older than 40 - 50 thousand years.
CONSTELLATION AQUARIUS: “A male figure standing or sitting on a throne, from whose shoulders (or from a jug pressed to his chest) flow two streams of water (in which fish are sometimes depicted). The symbol has been known since the old Akkadian times and in most cases represents the god Enki/Ea." In ancient times, the god Enki, Ea, was called Aquarius.
Hieroglyphically, Aquarius is depicted as streams pouring from two vessels, which turn into a spiral, as astrologers write.
Archaic name - Mokos, includes a derivative of the concept “wet” (raw), because in this the spiritual component of the Goddess of the Earth reveals itself - on the entire Mother Raw Earth.
In many ancient Egyptian images astrological sign Aquarius, we see a series of images in which a person symbolizing Aquarius is depicted carrying TWO OBJECTS of a cone shape, having the top of the “cone” located at the bottom, and thickening towards the top (sign 1). From each of these objects, from its upper part, a wave-like stream of an unknown essence emanates - first spreading slightly upward, and then smoothly descending (sign 2).
On the head of Aquarius there is a headdress that consists of three “STICKS” sticking up (feature 3.1.), as well as two directed to the sides or hanging down (feature 3.2.).
Aquarius is necessarily accompanied by two characters (sign 4). The first one happens - without a head (sign 4.1.). The second is with a “knife” (sign 4.2.) and sometimes holding a certain animal by the ears, very similar to a hare (sign 5).
There is also a variation of the image of Aquarius, which differs from the first in that the character is depicted holding not two “vessels”, but one - always in his right hand, and something very similar to a towel, “shawl”, rag, bun is thrown over his left hand something, etc. (sign 6).
Medieval astrologers assigned corresponding hypostases to this sign: one jug with living water, the other with dead water.
We can compare the objects that the Egyptian Aquarius holds in his hands with images of a spindle - found in different parts Indo-European-Slavic linguistic community. The distribution of the wavy substance depicted in Egyptian frescoes moving first upward and then vertically downward exactly corresponds to the behavior of wool/fiber being spun using a spindle. The spindle is designed in such a way that a toroidal spindle made of heavy stone is strung on a pole at one end. It acts as a flywheel when unwinding the spindle. And the pole serves as the base on which the knotted thread is wound.
Yarn- a mythopoetic symbol of long life, spinning and weaving. The image of yarn, spun thread, drawing it out and twisting it, is closely connected and inseparable with the theme of raw materials - animal (wool, fleece, hair) and plant (flax, hemp, cotton, etc.), as well as with weaving as a further processing of yarn . Yarn, made from animal material, leads us to the concepts of fleece, hair, and also snakes.
The Wendish name of the Goddess Mokos is based on the concept of “yarn” - a ball of threads of fate. The ending of the name of this Goddess with the letter “s” is similar to God Volos and Veles. The softening of the ending and the appearance of the letter “a” instead of “o” in the name Makosh is associated with the oral form of speech and is due to the addition of the southern dialect (rumor) to the northern dialect.
IN Slavic mythology hair is a symbol of mystical power. The hair contained supernatural power. For many peoples, uncut hair is a symbol of power and noble origin. It is no coincidence that the “barbarian” kings did not cut their hair. And, conversely, the shorn back of the head of the “chosen ones of this world” symbolized a slave. The fashion for such a haircut, which spread among the Puritans, allegedly implied that we are all servants of God. Hair cutting also occurs during baptism - a person is transferred to the level of a slave. Initiation into the monastic order is called tonsure. When ordained to the clergy, Catholics have their tonsure cut off. IN Ancient Egypt Only children wore hair combed to the right side. Loose hair also symbolized virginity. In Rus', one braid symbolized girlhood, two - marriage.
Both processes - spinning and weaving - are performed by the so-called cosmic weaver, who in a number of cosmological traditions not only creates cosmic fabric (matter), but also spins the cosmic thread, the yarn that makes up the fabric itself.
Metaphorically, the rope/thread refers to life, which develops like the spinning of a thread. Not only thread, cord and life are spun, but also a human collective is formed, a community in which everything is spun with one thread. Russian rope as a designation of rope, that is, something spun and twisted, and the community realizes precisely this image.
Chronologically, yarn/rope represents the interweaving of generations. For example, words of the same root as Russian “verv”, Serbo-Croatian “vrvnik”, “relative” or Hittite “aralan-”, “family”, “offspring”; Luwian "warwala/i-", "seed", "embryo", "offspring".
In this context, the following are explained symbolic meanings yarn-threads, like life, umbilical cord, continuity, order, series, and also fate. Hence the role of thread, rope as an image of the connection between heaven and earth and, less commonly, earth with the lower world. The image of a thread or a savior rope, with the help of which one manages to go down somewhere, go up, or simply escape, constantly appears in myths and folklore texts.
A female character spins yarn, “continuing” the ancient Russian Mokosh.
But the widespread image of the divine spinner maiden, practically indistinguishable from the weaver maiden, gives us an idea of the combination of two actions (spinning, weaving) and two results (yarn, fabric). For example, in the myth, Arachne, transformed by Athena into a spider, spins thread (yarn) and creates fabric (web). MAKOSH(Mokosh) - Goddess of Fate (kosh, kosht - fate, the syllable “ma” can be abbreviated as the word “mother”), the eldest of the goddesses, the spinner of fate, as well as the patroness of women’s handicrafts - on Earth; guards women's fertility and productivity, thriftiness and prosperity in the home.
It can be correlated with the beliefs of the ancient Greeks in the spinners of fate - the Moira, as well as with the German spinners of fate - the Norns and Frigg - the wife of Odin, spinning on her Wheel. Due to the fact that the goddesses - the spinners of fate in beliefs appear in threes, the Goddesses Dolya and Nedolya help to weave the Yarn of Mokosh's Fates, connecting with the threads of a person with the fruits of his labors - good or evil.
She is connected with the Earth (in this her cult is close to the cult of the Mother of the Raw Earth) and Water (which here also acts as a maternal, life-generating environment).
The name of the goddess Makoshi (mother of Kosha-fate-choice) defines the sound “K”, as, for example, in the words braid, (re)cross, etc., denoting the process of weaving by crossing at least three threads (fibers).
In the Vslavic swastika letter - the name of the goddess Makosh in the variant Makozh (Makog) has consonants - M, K, Zh. As was shown earlier (see paragraph 3.6.2.1. Chapter VI), the structure of the Goddess Makosh is three-part - in the center is Makosh herself ( her logogram is “K”), on the left is Mara (death; her logogram is “M”) and on the right is Zhiva (life; her logogram is “F”). When reading using the indicated logograms, we get the name “Makosh/Makozh”.
In Russian, the word “idol” literally means: “I” - Indra - “inside”; “D” - Dyy - “I do, I do”; “L” - Lada - “rain, rain (fat, prosperity, wealth).” As a result, we get: an idol is “the container of what wealth makes” (god). The word “wealth” in other Russian languages is designated either by the first half of its synonym “luxury” - (ro-) words with the root “ri, re, ro, er, etc.”, on behalf of the common Slavic god Ra - for example, English . riches, richness, German. Reichtum, French. richesse, italian ricchezza, Spanish riqueza, etc. Or in the second half - (-kosh), on behalf of the common Slavic goddess Mokosh - French. fortune, Spanish fortuna, etc. The word “luxury” in Russian means ro + so + kosh = “god (Ra) with happiness (Makosh).”
The word "idol" in English used to designate god - idol. The letter "i" in English means "internal, own." The syllable “dol” literally means one of Mokosh’s companions, the Slavic goddess of wealth and share Dole (dol - for example, French “intention”). Happiness (Share) - English. fortune, italian fortuna, Spanish fortuna is the name of the Roman goddess of happiness, luck Fortuna, the local late analogue of the Slavic Mokosha - the goddess of fate, providence, and intent. IN English word“fate”, along with fortune, is also denoted by the word fate (on behalf of the goddess Fatum - a local and later analogue of Mokosh). In French, the meaning of the words “happiness, luck” goes back to the common Slavic god Ra - the ancient root “r” in the word heur (h, e - dentures).
Mother of the gods, or wife, or the realization of Veles-Mokos-Mokosh, correlated with Hecate (the name is sometimes used in the masculine gender). “Mamai, the king... began to call upon his gods: Perun, Salmanat, Mokosh, Raklia, Rus and his great assistant Akhmet.”
The cult of Mokosh arose 40 - 30 thousand years ago and passed through millennia.
Paleolithic sculptural images of Mokosh are found in abundance on the territory of the Russian Plain, as well as in Northern and Eastern Europe, the Alps, in Ukraine, in Southern Urals and in Siberia. Found in many Paleolithic sites - Montespan (France), Willendorf (Austria), Lossel (France). And in Russia - Buret (Siberia), Eleseevichi (Bryansk region), Gagarino (Voronezh region), Malta (100 km from Irkutsk), Yudinovo (150 km from Bryansk), Khotylevo (on the Desna), Zaraysk (Moscow region), Kostenki (Voronezh region), Avdeevo ( Kursk region), etc.
There is a special concentration of Paleolithic figurines in the central part of Russia.
The most ancient figurines of the Paleolithic Mokosh were found in Kostenki - 40 thousand years ago. BC (Kostenki XIV).
In all its features, Kostenki 1 (21 - 20 thousand BC) is very close to the culture of the Avdeevskaya site, where 40 Makosha figurines made of mammoth ivory and marl, as well as figurines of a bear, a cave lion and anthropomorphic heads made of marl were discovered. The head of the figurine is carefully designed: an attempt is visible to convey a hairstyle or headdress in the form of short rhythmic vertical notches, forming narrow horizontal belts surrounding the head and tapering from the base to the crown.
During excavations carried out in 2005 at the Zaraisk site located in the Moscow region (20 thousand BC), two female figurines carved from mammoth ivory were discovered. One of them is a completed work, the second remains unfinished.
IN Hohle Fels cave(Hollow Rocks, Germany) a six-centimeter female figurine (“Paleolithic Venus”) was found with grotesquely exaggerated sexual characteristics (protruding bust, wide hips, convex belly and equally exaggerated labia), carved from mammoth ivory.
The find is approximately 35 thousand years old, and it is one of the oldest examples of figurative art, the oldest image human and the oldest known “Paleolithic Venus” - archaic female figurines supposedly symbolizing fertility.
The figurine was split into six pieces, all of which were found within a single 25 x 25 cm square. The glued sculpture is missing a left arm and a shoulder. The length of the figurine is 59.7 mm, width - 34.6 mm, thickness - 31.3 mm, weight - 33.3 g.
Hypertrophied female sexual characteristics make her similar to the famous “Paleolithic Venus” of the later Gravettian era (which began about 30,000 years ago). Another interesting feature of the figurine is complete absence heads. Apparently, the ancient sculptor considered this part of the female body to be the least significant. Instead of a head, he cut out a neat ring so that the figurine could be worn on a cord. The ring is slightly polished on the inside: it is likely that someone actually wore it, perhaps as an amulet.
The waist of the “Cholefelsian Venus” is only slightly narrower than the broad shoulders and hips. The belly is decorated with horizontal lines, which perhaps symbolize some kind of clothing. The lines were scratched with sharp stone tools, and the ancient sculptor repeatedly drew the point over the same place and exerted considerable effort to ensure that the groove in the hard mammoth bone became deep enough. Unlike typical Paleolithic Venus, the chest of the Cholefelsian Venus does not hang, the shoulders are very wide, and the stomach is almost flat.
Kostenki 1 (left). "Venus of Willendorf" (right).
The symbols that have come down to us have mostly been preserved since the Paleolithic, and in the course of the evolution of symbols and signs, “writing is a sign system for recording speech, which allows, with the help of descriptive (graphic) elements, to transmit speech information and consolidate it in time.” One of the most ancient archaeological sites containing both symbols and proto-letters is the Paleolithic Mokosh figurine, found at the Kostenki site.
Comparison of written characters:
row 1 - “Chinese” notches (5th - 3rd millennium BC);
row 2 - proto-Russian symbols from the sculpture of Mokosh (Kostenki, 40th millennium BC);
row 3 - writings of Lepenski Vir (7th millennium BC);
Row 4 – Vinca letter (5th millennium BC).
Ideograms:
row 1 - Slavic swastika symbols (from left to right): “Smychka”, “Makosh”, “Zhiva”, Dyi”, “Horse”, “Swastika” (starting from the 25th millennium BC);
row 2 - symbols of the Vinca culture (5th millennium BC);
row 3 - notches on ceramics from China (Caucasian culture of painted ceramics, 5 - 3 thousand BC);
4 - symbols on ceramics from Trypillia (4 - 3 thousand BC); 5 - large fragment; 6 - a symbol from China called “Yin-Yang”; 7 - symbol from ceramics from Trypillia.
Etymology Slavic symbol"Sown field":
1 - sample of the “Sown Field” symbol; 2 - symbol “Sown field” in a Slavic pendant; 3 - sown field with seedlings; 4 - chess field; 5, 6 - “Sown Field” symbols on the bellies of Trypillian figurines depicting the Slavic goddess Makosh (4 thousand BC).
Makosh
Where, obviously, Paleolithic Mokoshes, carved from mammoth ivory, bone or stone, or fashioned from a mixture of bone ash and clay, were brought into the Upper Paleolithic culture Gravett(France) - “brought to Europe from the east, monuments are usually attributed to it Southern Russia, such as Gagarino."
In 1908, a figurine of the Paleolithic Mokosh, called “ Venus from Willendorf". The height of the image is 11 cm, the material is fine-grained dense limestone, age 26 thousand years.
In 1922, in the upper reaches of the Garonne River in the Lespug cave (France), a female figurine made from mammoth ivory was found.
The developed female sculpture of the West is traditionally attributed to the rather early phases of the Aurignacian. The only thing that can be associated with the developed Aurignacian culture is the “Venus of Lespue”, which is complex in its modeling..., and, not excluded, the sculptural series of Brassempouy. The figurines of Willendorf in Austria, Liesenberg and Mauern in Germany, Dolni Vestonice, Petrzkovice and Pavlova in Slovakia and, possibly, Kostenok, Gagarino, Avdeevo and Eleseevich belong to the time corresponding to the final Aurignacian and late Périgordian of France (25,000 - 20,000 BP) in the European part of Russia.
"Lady with a Hood" - " Venus of Brassempouy" is an Upper Paleolithic ivory figurine that was discovered in Brassempouy, France. She is approximately 25 thousand years old. Gravett. It was unveiled in the "Hyena Gallery", in the "Cave of the Priest" and was accompanied by at least eight other human figures, which were then often ignored as examples of unfinished work, and with multiple figurines of women carved at the same time.
The Venus of Brassempouy is carved from mammoth ivory. It is 3.65 cm high, 2.2 cm thick and 1.9 cm wide. Her face is triangular and appears calm. While the forehead, nose and eyebrows are carved in relief, the mouth is missing. Vertical crack With right side persons associated with internal structure tusk The head has a hood with notches like a chessboard, formed by two series of narrow cuts, starting from the right corner; they are interpreted as a wig, a hood, or simply representing hair.
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The features of the original Slavic gods are clearly visible in many Christian saints. One of these “reborn” is Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, a strict and fair patroness of women, handicrafts and any women’s craft. And the one from which Christians copied almost everything characteristic features- the ancient goddess of the Slavs, Makosh.
It is not known for certain how the cult of worship of Mokosh was formed, nor is the origin of her name known. There are two interpretations. The first states that the name of the goddess consists of two parts: “ma” (mother) and “kosh” (fate). The thesis is based on the fact that in addition to her many “responsibilities,” Makosh was also the goddess of fate. Together with her younger sisters, Dolya and Nedolya, Makosh shaped and reshaped human destinies, distributing happiness and misfortune. The ancient Greek Moiras and the ancient Germanic norns acted in a similar way: spinning goddesses, in charge of the threads of fate, existed in the pantheons of many nations.
The second version of the formation of the name goes back to the word “kosh” - “basket”. We can conclude that the goddess of fate patronized the harvest and harvest; Moreover, Makosh was considered the mother of the other gods. But this did not stop some tribes from seeing her in the male guise of Veles-Mokosh - maybe that’s why many idols of the goddess on the temples have a small, neat beard?
The degree of “reverence” of the goddess was already indicated by the fact that she was the only goddess for whom a place was allocated in the princely pantheon; and also that as many as 12 holidays a year were dedicated to Mokosh. But the demand from her was greater than from an ordinary deity. Of course, the Slavs asked for a good harvest, but at the same time they understood perfectly well that the father-case was of great importance; and therefore Makosh was also considered the goddess of chance.
But most of all, the goddess was revered by women, since she embodied all feminine principles. Any work performed by a Slavic woman. “supervised” by Makosh. The personification of the ideal housewife, the goddess is now remembered precisely in this form. All household chores, handicrafts, field work - all this was under her protection. Like any strict woman, Makosh did not tolerate careless workers, and roughly punished those who were guilty. In Belarusian legends there is a belief that if you leave a tow overnight, the goddess will re-spun it and leave the quality at her discretion. And woe to the woman who was too lazy to finish the lesson on time - the next morning the tow turned out to be terribly tangled, and it took a long time to comb it again.
The Slavs had their own idea of how Makosh distributes fate. No one would have suspected a deity in the young, simple-haired woman, and she calmly walked around the villages. I looked closely at the dexterity and hard work of the Slavs, and noticed who endured the difficulties. Makosh favors those who, even in an unbearable situation, do not think of giving up, but still go forward. Makosh sends his beloved younger sister, Srecha, to such people. Otherwise, a person will never meet the goddess of happiness: Makosh will deprive him of his protection and turn away. At that very moment he will be in the power of Likh and Nedolya, and will be accompanied by them until his death.
From the same legend we can conclude that Makosh is in charge of the Transition, through which souls from Reveal go to other worlds. It is believed that one of the lower forms of the goddess is Baba Yaga, known to everyone, and Makosh has all her qualities.
In popular perception, the goddess looks like a tall, portly woman with a kika on her head. The embroideries preserved her stylized images, in which Rozhanitsy in the guise of moose cows stands on either side of Mokosh. The goddess always holds a cornucopia in her hands. An interesting fact is that there was a strict ban on depicting the face of the goddess. This is connected with the fateful image of Mokosh - no one should see even an approximate appearance of him.
It can be summarized like this:
- Makosh is a goddess who distributes human destinies.
- Mother deity, patron of fertility, and is honored 12 times a year or every full moon.
- Magic in all its manifestations and the Passage between the worlds of Rule, Reveal and Navi - all this is subject to Mokosh.
- Considered to be the wife of Veles; wise and skillful housewife.
- She patronized and protected diligent women who did all their work well.
- The lower hypostasis of Mokosh is Baba Yaga, who, according to some beliefs, commands life and death.
- The entire animal world obeyed the goddess.
The cult of Mokosh is one of the strongest in Rus'. Apparently, thanks to his power, the goddess was not forgotten, but simply merged with a Christian character in the person of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, considered by Christians to be the patroness of women. A reverse analogy can also be drawn: if Paraskeva has all the features of Mokosh, it means that the image of the ancient Slavic goddess also contains the features of Paraskeva. For example, the latter is considered the benefactor of trade - is this why Friday is considered the best day for making transactions?
The only difference between Mokosh and Paraskeva is the date of the day of veneration. For the Christian saint it is October 28, but for Mokosh there is no “fixed” day - festivities in her honor were held on the Friday closest to April 8.
Makosh loves silver, rock crystal, moonstone and cats. The gifts that the Slavs brought to her idol at the temple were most often wool, balls, spindles and other “women’s little things.” The idol itself was made from “female” wood, but for some reason they preferred aspen to birch. The idol always stood in a prominent place, and the masters always decorated his head with a stylized kick.
In distant pre-Christian times in Kyiv, at a pagan temple built by the future baptist of Rus', Prince Vladimir, a single female figure stood out among other idols. It was the mysterious goddess Makosh. Her power, according to the ancient Slavs, was great and was not limited only to the patronage of spinning and weaving attributed to her. Our ancestors knew that she commands human destinies.
Goddess of the Moon, witchcraft and handicrafts
Who is this goddess Makosh, the photo of whose idol is presented at the beginning of the article, and what is hidden under her name? Many Christian authors in the works that have come down to us, warning against the worship of pagan gods, certainly mention her name. It is curious that in one of these works, “The Tale of Idols,” dating back to the 15th century, Makosh is likened to Hecate, the ancient Greek goddess of the Moon and witchcraft. If such a comparison is fair, then it is clear why our ancestors tried not to quarrel with her.
According to researchers, Makosh is a Slavic goddess, whose name comes from the Greek word “mokos” - spinning. And this is no coincidence, because she was considered the patron goddess of purely female crafts. In those days, everything necessary for life was produced in their own household, and every Slav woman, even if she lived in a princely mansion, learned to spin and weave from childhood. This was the reason that the goddess Makosh became one of the most revered deities in the vast pagan pantheon.
Mother of fate and goddess of fertility
In fairness, it should be noted that there is another version that explains the meaning of her name. According to this version, the name is based on the verb “get wet.” This explanation suggests that her power once extended to such vital areas as rain and harvest. Hence the definition that has come down to us - the goddess of the earth Makosh. It is quite rare, since preference is still given to the first interpretation.
To fully understand the name of the goddess, let us remember that it can be considered as a combination of two roots - “ma” - mother, and “kosh” - lot, fate. From here it follows - “the mother of fate,” that is, the one on whom depends the lot destined for a person in life. But it should also be taken into account that the word “kosh” among the Slavs meant a basket for grain, a barn and a cart for sheaves, in other words, concepts associated with the harvest. Here is another interpretation - “mother of the harvest”, goddess of the earth and fertility.
Day of Veneration of Mokosh
According to the tradition established in those days, every Friday was considered a day of special worship. In this regard, many customs arose, information about which has come to us mainly from literary monuments. For example, spinning and weaving on Fridays was prohibited, as this was considered an insult to the goddess. In the same monuments there are purely folklore descriptions of Mokosha with her hands pricked with needles and wounded spindles, because women do not honor her and work on this day.
The arbiter of destinies
In folk tales, the goddess Makosh was usually depicted as a long-armed woman who came into the house at night, sat down at the spindle and began to spin. This is where the most mysterious things began. The point is that in ancient mythology spinning is attributed a special sacred meaning. The thread born from the rotation of the spindle is associated with the thread of fate, and the process itself is associated with the continuity of life. This was the reason that the goddess, busy with a completely innocent task, was considered a secret arbiter of destinies.
Like any deity, she was supposed to make sacrifices. In this regard, there was a special ritual - “mokrids”. It consisted in the fact that on a set day - Friday - women threw yarn and tow into the wells. Many researchers are inclined to believe that the goddess Makosh among the Slavs occupied one of the leading positions in their pantheon. There are even hypotheses that she was considered the wife of the thunderer Perun.
Goddess is a symbol of the feminine principle
It should also be noted that if the cult of Perun was of a “squad” nature, that is, it was widespread mainly among service people, then his “girlfriend” was worshiped by the entire population pre-Christian Rus'. There is an opinion that Makosh is a goddess-symbol of the feminine principle in life. It is based on many arguments, including its sacred connection with the odd day of the week - Friday.
Pagan goddess and Christian saint
When Christianity replaced paganism, Saint Paraskeva-Friday, oddly enough, inherited many of the features of the pagan goddess. It was to her that Makosh transferred her functions. The Slavic goddess and the Christian great martyr merged in the popular consciousness. One of the reasons for this was the name Paraskeva, which means “Friday”, that is, the day of veneration of Mokosh, which was familiar to our ancestors. A certain role was also played by the fact that on this day many peoples of Europe worshiped female deities. As a result, Friday became a weekly women's day, linking the pagan goddess with the Christian saint.
In addition, the connection between Saint Paraskeva-Friday and her pagan predecessor is also indicated by the fact that the image of the Christian ascetic is often presented in the form of sculptural images, which are generally not accepted in Orthodoxy, but were used by pagans. Not only is an exception made for this saint, but there is also a tradition of installing these sculptures, as well as chapels and churches dedicated to her, near rivers and reservoirs. This suggests that there were also places of worship of idols of Makosha, the goddess from whom they asked for rain and harvest, that were also located near reservoirs.
It is well known that in the early stages the Christian church fought against such tendencies, but over time, realizing all its futility, it resigned itself and tried only to give the worship of Paraskeva the appropriate forms. It is curious that people still often call her the same way they once called Makosh - “the woman’s intercessor” or, more appropriately for the time, “the woman’s saint.”
Symbols of the goddess Makosh
The goddess Makosh, as mentioned above, was often likened to the goddess of the Moon, and was associated with everything that has to do with the night. For this reason, its stone is considered to be moonstone and rock crystal, and its metal is silver. It was believed that among animals, cats enjoyed the special protection of the goddess. There are two explanations for this. Firstly, the cat leads an active night life, and therefore is probably familiar with all sorts of spirits of the night element. Whether this is true or not, we don’t know. The cats themselves keep quiet about this. Secondly, a simple consonance attracts attention: cat - ma-kosh.
Among the symbols representing the goddess, the most common are items associated with handicrafts, such as balls of thread, yarn, or simply a spindle. Among modern admirers of pagan gods, her idol is usually made in the form of a female figure with horns on her head and a cornucopia in her hands. For its production, as a rule, we use tree species, bearing feminine names, for example: pine, linden or birch.
