Slavic symbols originate from Northern Europe and Eurasia. The Slavs, who were their creators, are an ethnic group that has existed in Europe since at least the time of the Romans. Slavs are the largest ethnic group in Europe that share a linguistic and cultural history.
Ancient Slavs lived in tribal societies, presided over by tribal chieftains, and practiced a multi-theistic form of Paganism. Over time, however, tribes were consolidated and, not long after, most converted to Christianity.
The symbols in this category predominantly originate from the pre-Christian period and are related to the gods (bogs) of the Pagan Slavic mythology.
The Slavic mythology personified many aspects of the world, with worshipers believing that waters, forests, households and even illnesses were represented or governed by spirits. Equally important to the Slavic mythology was the worship of ancestors, though the tribes did not keep ancestral records. It was believed that dead ancestors existed within the same spiritual plane as the Slavic deities.
Also worshipped were primary gods, associated with the sun, moon, skies, heaven and the underworld. The Slavs believed in three planes of existence: the heavens, governed by Perun, Dazhbog, Mokosh and Lada, symbolized by the sun and the moon; the earthly plane, occupied by humanity; and the underworld, symbolized by snakes and darkness, ruled over by Veles.
In the modern day, some ancient Slavic rituals persist in Eastern and Northern Europe. Others have been assimilated by Christian teaching and aligned with new beliefs. A new Pagan belief system, Rodnovery, has arisen in recent years, claiming to be a continuation of the ancient Slavic beliefs that Christianity replaced in the middle ages.
Slavic Symbols - Slavic Meanings
Ruevit
Ruevit is a local, warrior god. He is the guardian and protector of the Isle of Rügen in the Baltic Sea. There is some debate as to whether his name translates to ‘Lord of Rugia/Rügen” or “Roaring/Howling Lord.” Symbolically, Ruevit is associated with autumn and the east.
Zhiva
Zhiva (or Živa) is the goddess of life in the Slavic mythology. Her name translates as ‘She who lives.’ Zhiva represents fertility, love and marriage. She is the opposing personification to Mara, the goddess of death.
Yarilo
Yarilo, in the Slavic mythology, is the god of springtime, fertility, sexuality and peace. His name, sometimes styled as Jarilo, comes from the Russian for ‘bright’ or ‘bright lord.’ Yarilo represents youth and rebirth.
Viy
In the Slavic mythology, Viy (or Bog Viy) is the guardian of the Heavenly Border, which separates the ‘Light Halls’ – the spiritual world inhabited by the gods and dead souls – from the ‘Dark Halls’ – populated by demons and evil spirits. Viy watches over the Slavs, and makes note of their good and bad deeds. For those who do wrong, Viy punishes them with nightmares and terrible visions.
Veles
In the Slavic mythology, Veles (or Bog Veles) is the guardian of the Heavenly Gates, which separate the spiritual world from the physical world. He is associated with herders and cattle farmers. It is believed that, for this reason, Veles’ symbol has stylized horns. Veles is associated with creativity, honesty and determination, as well as common sense wisdom and personal responsibility.
Trojan
The Trojan symbol represents Triglav, which translates literally as ‘three-headed.’ The three heads in question are those of Svarog, Perun and Veles. These gods are the personifications of the heavens, the earth and the underworld. The Trojan symbol also represents the three elements: air, water and earth.
Finally, the Trojan symbol may be said to connote the three dimensions of time: past, present and future.
Sventovit
Sventovit is the Slavic god of war. His symbol represents the connection between the waters of the earth and the fires of heaven. It is from this connection that new souls emerge. The Sventovit symbol is one of protection for pregnant women, and wearing it is said to encourage the birth of healthy children. It is also a symbol for those going through spiritual hardship or hard toil, offering strength and perseverance to those who need it.
Svarog
Svarog, in the Slavic mythology, was the god of fire, sun and heaven (heaven being the world of the gods and dead souls). He was associated with blacksmiths and the forging of iron. In some versions of the mythology, Svarog is the creator of many of the other gods, and a slayer of dragons. He represents virility.
Svarozhich
The Svarozhich (or Svarojich) is the symbol of Svarog. Svarog is the creator of the other gods, associated with smithery. The Svarozhich, then, is the heavenly fire from which the gods were forged. It guards the living from destruction, and from the degradation of the soul and spirit.
Stribog
In Slavic mythology, Stribog was the god of air, wind and storms. Stribog translates to mean ‘wealth spreader,’ and he was said to connect the earth to the heavens. As the personification of wind, Stribog was often symbolically invited inside the home, or to meals, due to wind being associated with the distribution of wealth or riches.
Semargl
Semargl is a chimerical creature in the Slavic mythology, often depicted as a lion or large dog with wings. Semargl represents good fortune, drinking, and abundance. He is a symbol of protection for sailors.
Rod
Rod is the original, supreme Slavic deity, who created the world and all that exists within it. In Slavic mythology, Rod separated the physical world from the spiritual world. Rod is often depicted as a man, holding a fish, wheel, flowers and wearing a linen belt which moves in the wind. These accoutrements represent four elements: water, earth, sun and air. The symbol of Rod is a circle containing a rose with six petals reaching out towards the edges.
Raróg
The Raróg, in Slavic mythology and legend, is a fire demon. The Raróg usually was depicted taking the form of a phoenix, falcon or other bird of prey.
Radegast
Radegast is the Slavic god of strength, honor and hospitality. The name ‘Radegast’ translates approximately to ‘dear guest’ or ‘welcomed guest.’ He is associated with many animals, particularly birds and snakes.
Prov
The symbol for Prov represents truth. Truth is sometimes personified as a god, Prov, who is the guardian of the law, lawfulness and righteousness.
Perun
Perun is the Slavic god of thunder, and of war. He is representative of the destructive, masculine force of nature. He is likely to have been the highest ranking god in the Slavic tradition, similar to Zeus in Ancient Greek mythology. He was associated with thunder, lightning, storms, fire, mountains, fertility, law, war and weapons.
Nemiza
Nemiza is the Slavic god of death, in that he or she would “cut the thread of life.” The god was depicted, at different times, as both male and female. Nemiza brought unhappiness with death, but also ended suffering, ushering souls from one life into the next.
Morok
Morok, which translates literally as ‘darkness’ in modern Russian, is the Slavic god of ignorance, error, deceit and lies. Perhaps surprisingly, he is also a guardian of truth, hiding truthfulness from the vain and the selfish.
Mara
The goddess Mara, sometimes ‘Marzanna’, in Slavic Paganism represented the death and rebirth of nature, particularly the end of winter and the beginning of spring. She is the goddess of death, rebirth, rural places and young plants. In some cultures, an effigy of Mara is ‘drowned’ (sometimes burned) to more quickly bring about the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
Mokosh
Mokosh is sometimes called the ‘Great Mother’. She is the Slavic god of female endeavours, such as spinning, weaving, and shearing. She offers protection to women during childbirth. Mokosh is associated with destiny and fate, particularly the destiny of women.
Lada
Lada is the Slavic goddess of beauty and fertility. Her symbol, or star, serves as protection against negative energy or dark forces. The four points of the star represent faith, freedom, righteousness and honor, while the circle represents the Sun.
Kupalo
Kupalo is the Slavic god of the summer solstice. Often represented as a female deity, she represents joy, water and the midday sun. Kupala night is still celebrated in many Northern European countries on the summer solstice, as the Pagan Slavic tradition was assimilated into early Christian rituals.
Koliada
The word ‘Koliada’ is derived from the Slavic word for ‘wheel’ or ‘cycle’. Koliada is the God of the new year and of the rising of the new sun each day. He represents the changing of the seasons and the Koliada festival is held after the winter solstice. It is likely that the English word ‘calendar’ is derived from this symbol name. Koliada is sometimes called Tausen.
Hors
Bog Hors is a god of the sun and the sunlight. He is the guardian of good weather. It is Bog Hors who ensures that the harvest is plentiful and the cattle are healthy. He ensures that the hunt is successful and that fishermen catch many fish.
Dodola
Dodola is the Slavic Goddess of rain, sometimes thought to be the goddess of the air, also. The Pagan ritual of Dodola is still practiced in parts of Northern Europe and the Baltic States, in which a young boy or girl sings and dances through the village, collecting money that will be spent on a feast in honor of Perun (the god of thunder), for whom Dodola is a wife.
Dazhbog
In Slavic mythology, Dazhbog is the sun god. He is a source of wealth, sometimes translated as ‘wealth-giver’, and represents justice and well-being. As with the sun in the sky, he is symbolic of the triumph of light over darkness.
Chur
The symbol Chur represents the god of boundaries and property, and the delineation between that which belongs to one person, and that which belongs to another.
Chernobog
Chernobog translates literally to ‘black god.’ Slavic religion dealt often in duality, meaning that the black god would oppose, or perhaps compliment, the ‘white god’ (Belobog). For this reason, the symbol represents darkness, night and death.
Belobog
The Belobog symbol represents light, goodness, well-being and happiness (the ‘white god’). The symbol grants the wearer good fortune and a plentiful harvest. For this reason, the symbol represents wealth. It is a symbol, also, of protection.
Slavic font
The earliest form of Cyrillic manuscript, known as Ustav, was based on Greek uncial script, augmented by ligatures and by letters from the Glagolitic alphabet for consonants not found in Greek. Currently based on early Kirillitsa of the 9th – 10th century, used to translate religious script into a new language.
The Slavic Font has been designed following the typical proportions of the Ustav alphabet (Uncial), translating the calligraphic letters into modern types that still keep the calligraphy effect but in more geometrical harmony.
The Slavic Font comes together with a family of 24 symbols from Slavic symbolism.
