Where the ancient Slavs used wood. Trees in the culture of the ancient Slavs

We live in the Russian land, which has always been called Rus. We need to honor her, and the ancient laws, and her customs. We will not delve into the terminology of explaining the outline of the borders of states. We will say only one thing: Russia has always been, Russia will always be.
From the first message (Russia has always been), we, in fact, will build this article.
The term “has always been” means that those times, which are considered to be primary by the main humanity, were current, but not initial, for Russia. Then, when (according to Darwin) basic human skills were just beginning to emerge in the hairy arms of human primates, Russia already celebrated a very round and great date of its existence.
The doubting reader may say: “Where did such statements come from?” And he will obviously be partly right, because he is ignorant - the taboo imposed by “unknown” forces on research in the field of the true history of Russia is strictly executed by the “unknown” bureaucratic tribe.
Those grains of truth that became public, allow us to draw the following conclusions regarding the history of our homeland - Russia.

Looking for the roots of civilization, any researcher considers the following message to be correct - what was before what became is earlier. Consequently, if earlier religious knowledge existed earlier, then it is earlier. Before Christianity, which came to our Russia from an enemy country (since in antiquity any country other than Russia was hostile to Russia, as, in fact, any other country to any other), Russia had its own religion.
Before creating a new religion, which Christianity had become at one time, humanity should have a very good command of an object called religion. Religion at the time Christianity entered the world has already become an adjective. All the main institutes of religious knowledge were formed: ceremonies, holidays, hierarchs, broadcasters (prophets), the words of God, temples, images, symbolism, religious literature, etc.
That is, the model of the (socio-ideological-political-commercial) enterprise under the general name “religion” was fully developed, widely known and widely applicable by all the peoples living in Russia, including in those countries where Christianity later emerged.
Well-known scientific evidence indicates that a newer, but alien to Russia, Christianity was superimposed on a well-functioning, native religion of the Slavic peoples. Our studies have shown that the Slavic religion is called "clericalism" by the name of the one God - Rod.

KIND is the One Universal God of the Slavs, whom all the peoples inhabiting our planet honored before the Christianization of the Earth.

Naturally, from such long veneration, numerous religious episodes were formed, expressed both in direct religious accompaniments (ceremonies, services, hierarchs, temples), and in indirect ones. These are Russian fairy tales, myths, traditions. And also in the canonical evidence of other, later religions, such as in the Bible.
First of all, it is interesting that the Jewish Torah (the first five books of the Bible) testifies to the times when a "nameless" representative of the tribe of the gods appeared in a certain territorial part of the Earth and began to form a religious "army" of his followers-slaves. It turns out that:

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness was above the abyss; and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters ”(Beaten, 1: 1-2).

The Bible does not explain where the water came from. But, obviously, water existed. After that, God separated the light from the darkness, created the firmament, the heavenly bodies and the land, which he inhabited with all living creatures. Next, the biblical “nameless” God set about creating man:

“And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them ”(Genesis 1:27).

It is only at first glance that such a formulation looks ridiculous. As we said above, the Bible can provide many interesting evidence.
From the first chapters of Genesis, when “the Spirit of God hovered over the waters”, He appears before us in a single person and does not honor himself in the plural (like some emperors). And why would it, to Him, the One God (how the Jews and Christians position him), speak of Himself in the plural? And in verse 26 of Genesis, He suddenly declares for no reason, clearly addressing his companions:

“And God said: Let us make man in our image and likeness; ...” (Genesis 1:26).

The question of who were the associates of God was posed by the Bible from the first page and was not explained. Librarians, of course, will say that together with God, the creation of man was done by angels and Satan, which is why the plural is used. But each of these creatures has its own “image and likeness” and is different, and, secondly, in the quoted verses of the Bible there are no indications of either their presence or their ability to create a person. And then the Bible very clearly and unequivocally shows the plurality of the tribe of the gods. Thus, lamenting that Adam had tasted the forbidden fruit in paradise, the Lord declared the following:

“... Behold, Adam has become like one of Us ...” (Genesis 3:22).

To the question: who is this “us”? The Bible almost immediately gives the answer:

“When people began to multiply on the earth, and their daughters were born, then the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful, and took them as their wives, who chose whom ... At that time there were giants on the earth, especially since that time, how the sons of God began to go to the daughters of men, and they began to give birth to them ”(Genesis 6: 1-4).

About the last giants who lived in Russia back in the 10th century, purely historical news has been preserved. So, an Arab diplomat and respected land surveyor Ibn Fadlan, who visited the upper Volga, at the court of the Bulgarian khan saw the remains of the just-killed ogre giant.

“And I saw that his head was like a big tub, and now his ribs were like the largest dry fruit branches of palm trees, and the bones of his lower legs and both of his ulnar bones were in the same way. I was amazed at this and left. "

This giant was caught in the forests of the Vesi tribe (that is, in the Murom forests). He was violent in nature, because he was kept on a chain, and was strangled due to the fact that from his cry, women had miscarriages.
Here they are - the plural number - the sons of God! Not angels. Not Satan. And for such a mixture of "races" the Lord punished people !?

The question of the image of God is an important question. Some holy writings give a direct reference to it when God creates various importance. The Bible, saying that man was created in the image and likeness of God, gives a certain description of the image of God:

“And he heard the voice of the Lord God walking in paradise during the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife hid from the face of the Lord God among the trees of paradise ”(Genesis 3: 8).

It is known and established that God Rod is not a creature of the human image. In particular, in the book “Songs of the Gamayun Bird” (Tangle One) the following is said about him:

“1.10. ... Before the birth of white light
The world was shrouded in pitch darkness.
There was only darkness in the darkness - our ancestor.
1.11. Genus is the spring of the universe, and the father of the gods.
At the beginning, Rod was enclosed in an egg,
He was a seedless seedlings
He was an unopened kidney.
1.12. But the end came to confinement,
Rod gave birth to Love - Lada-mother.
Rod smashed the dungeon by the power of Love,
And then the world was filled with Love.
1.13. Rod suffered for a long time, worked hard for a long time.
And he begat the kingdom of heaven
And underneath he created the celestial.
Cut the umbilical cord with a rainbow
1.14. Separated Ocean - Sea of \u200b\u200bBlue
From celestial waters with a firmament of stone.
He raised three vaults in heaven.
Separated Light and Darkness, Truth with Crivdoi.
1.15. Rod then gave birth to Mother Earth ...
... Then the sun came out of his face ...
1.20. ... He is the father of the gods, he and the mother of the gods,
He is born of himself and will be born again.
Genus - all gods, and the whole of heaven,
1.21. He - what was and what should be,
What was born and what is born.
Rod gave birth to heavenly Svarog
And breathed into him his mighty spirit. "

In those distant pre-Christian times, every descendant of the God of the Kind acted as the initiator and progenitor of his people. The people who went from their progenitor god were called so - by the name of their progenitor. Russians came from Russia. From Cheek - Czechs. From Kia - Kievans. From Horeb, the Croats. From the Khazar - the Khazars. Etc.
One of the sources recognized throughout the world for the true history of Russia is the Veles Book. It is written in a strange Russian priestly alphabet - “Velesovitsa”.
The book owes its name to two facts - firstly, the mention of the name Veles on one of the tablets, which explicitly says that the book of the Magi is dedicated to him. Secondly - the wise men are themselves ministers in the first place of the god of wisdom - Veles (Volos is an older version). Think, by the way, of the words "power", "magic", "voloshba" ...
The book begins the story with the legendary exodus of the ancient Rus from the Seven Rivers in the second millennium BC led by Arius and his sons. She unequivocally classifies our supposedly "inferior" ancestors-Slavs among the sons and grandsons of the gods.
Here is what Yu.P., who studied the Veles book, writes. Mirolyubov about the tablets on which it was "printed":

“We were very happy to see the“ plaques ”from the collection of the artist Isenbek, number 37 ... Part of the letters resembled Greek capital letters, and partly resembled Sanskrit ones. The text was merged. The content was difficult to parse, but according to the meaning of individual words, these were the prayers of Perun, which was sometimes called “Parun”, sometimes “Varun”, and Dazhbog was called “Dazhbo” or “Even”. The text also contained a description of how "Veles taught the Grandfathers the land of rati." On one of them it was written about the “Coupe-Bose”, probably Kupala, and about the cleansing by “ablution” in the bathhouse and the sacrifice to “Rod-Rozhanitsa”, “like Dedo Sventu”. There were lines devoted to “Stribe, but the cue is better”, as well as about “God exceeded, there is a storehouse for our stomach”. A detailed analysis of the "tablets", which we managed to read before their disappearance, will be given by us separately. These "planks" were discovered by Isenbek during the Civil War in the destroyed library of the Princes of Zadonsky. "

The story ends with the mention of Eric-Rurik, as well as Askold, who is trying to baptize Kiev. Further, a certain break in the narrative and the last tablet read:

“And Russia was baptized today ...”

By the way, the adoption of Christianity reduced the Russian population in Kievan Rus from 12 million to 3 million, of which 6 million died before the Mongol-Tatar yoke, and 3 - with the help of the Horde (N.N. Ostrovsky "Holy Slaves", p. 10) - 75% of the population of Russia. Vladimir destroyed the customs of the Slavs, religion, magicians, guardians of folk wisdom. The baptism of the White Horvaths was cruel, where he made “more than ten cities deserted, while at least five hundred villages were completely ruined” (“Note of the Greek toparch”). These acts of genocide, in fact, explain the extremely small number of surviving Slavic sources.
One of them, the old Russian “Boyanov Hymn” (IV in AD), a runic and telegraphic, extremely concise style of the document is surprisingly reminiscent of “Velesovitsa”. A document is a correspondence between two magi-cobs (fortunetelling birds). One of them is the priest of Staraya Ladoga, and the second magician is from Novgorod. Researcher V. Torop gives the following lines:

"... wildebeest kobe suite hrsti ide vorok ldogu
mlm sacrifice orot slave a degree shit
kb speech proupe wildebeest ummu kbi pg
mzhu term caa lv grmtu m kimru rusa
and before kimra kind vrgo room and you
steelhu blv dor warrior mkom bu vrvu
grudging otuarich to izhodrik to
t lher yeruek warrior and klmu aldorog
mru dei and burn the svove of god mrchi grdniku
vcna borus on kostuhe stau
shrad bus to doriu nobubsur ... "
“To the lord of the bright cob:
Christians go, enemies, to the city of Ladoga.
Pray, offer sacrifices, lest we
enslaved and would not destroy the city.
I am sending the speech of Perun to my master,
old cob.
I am sending my husband, waiting for the coveted term,
against false literacy.
The Russians were Kimry and lived before the Kimry.
Were enemies of Rome and you, Stilicho;
Bolorev; The deer warrior was a torment for us, he was a barbarian, and a Greek was a kind.
Otuarich. Then Izhodrik, then the lying Eric the warrior;
damned Aldorg
they sowed death, they burned our god, killing the townspeople.
Eternal Borus, standing on the bones.
Suffering from Bus to Deer .... "

The Ingling Saga (by the way, the Inglian Russian religious community, the only one in Russia, was closed by an illegal court decision in 2004 without any reason) confirms the foregoing in the above sources and says that:

“... the area at the mouth of the Don is the country of Vanov, and that the aces, led by Odin, were coming from behind Vanaksville.
... From the north from the mountains, which are outside the settled areas, a river flows through Sweden (Scythia), the correct name of which is Tanais. It was formerly called Tanakvisl, or Vanakvisl (Don). It flows into the Black Sea. The area at its mouth was then called the Country of the Vanes, or the Residence of the Vanes. This river divides thirds of the world. The one to the east is called Asia, and the one to the west is called Europe.
... The country in Asia east of Tanakwisl is called the Land of Ases, or the Residence of Ases, and the capital of the country was called Asgard.
The ruler there was the one who was called Odin. There was a big temple. According to ancient custom, there were twelve high priests in it. They had to make offerings to the gods and judge the people. They were called melons, or lords. All people had to serve and honor them. One was a great warrior, and traveled a lot, and took possession of many powers ...
... A large mountain range stretches from the northeast to the southwest (Urals). It separates Great Sweden (Great Scythia) from other countries. Not far south of it is the Country of Turks (Turkmenistan). Odin had great possessions there ... "

Saxon Grammatik, quoted here by Snorri Sturlusson, and contemporary authors, for example, Franco Cardini (see “Sources of the Middle Ages Chivalry”) and Vladimir Shcherbakov, wrote about the exodus of aces from Turkmenistan (Parthia).
Schliemann, focusing on Homer, discovered Troy. And Shcherbakov discovered one of the Asgards (Ashgabat), focusing on the “Younger Edda” and the “Ingling Saga” by Snorri Sturlusson (his findings are confirmed by recent excavations at Old Nisa).

“... In those days, the rulers of the Romans went on campaigns around the world and conquered all the nations, and many rulers then fled from their possessions. Since Odin was a seer and a sorcerer, he knew that his offspring would inhabit the northern outskirts of the world. He put his brothers Be and Willy rulers in Asgard, and he set off on a journey with him all the dii and many other people. He went first west to Gardariki (Novgorod Russia), and then south to the Land of Saxons. "

In 1018, Dietmar, Bishop of Mezhiborsky (Titmar of Merseburg), reported:

“There is a city called Riedegost in the land of retailers (modern-day Germany - author). There is nothing in the city but a temple, skillfully built of wood. Its walls are decorated from the outside with wonderful carvings representing the images of gods and goddesses. Inside, there are man-made gods, ... on each his name is cut. Chief among them is Svarozhich. ”

Thus, it seems strange that the biblical origin of the peoples, now positioned as the pinnacle of civilization, did not find the corresponding reflection in the name of any corresponding peoples.
And at the same time, it looks no less strange that the “generally accepted” positioning of the Slavs as wild and uncivilized people is now in deep cut with the fact that all the peoples of the Earth’s Slavic belt bear the names of Slavic gods - a deep, indelible trace of the most ancient Divine Slavic civilization.
The goal - knowledge about the history of the Motherland and the development of the civilization of the Earth as a whole should be true, not drawn to ideological ears.
Our studies based on the processing of a large number of literary sources, some of which are reflected in the bibliography of this article, allowed us to build, in the form of a version, the family tree of Slavic civilization:

[clicking on [+] will open an additional tree]
Kind - One God of the Slavs | + ——— Alatyr - stone | [+] —— Barma - god of prayer - was born from the word Rod

| +——— Goat Sedun - from her milk the Milky Way was born | [+] —— Cow Zemun - from her milk the Milky Way was born

| [+] —— Lada mother - virgin

| [+] —— Mayan - embroidered golden Clear Month, Red Sun, Frequent Stars

| [+] —— Mother swa - the spirit of God - Rod emanated from his lips

| [+] —— Mother Earth Cheese - was born from whipped milk

| [+] —— World Duck - was born from the foam of the Ocean

| [+] —— Stribog - born of Rod’s breath

| [+] —— Tarusa - The spirit of Barma

The most important thing is that the Most High (Vyshen), Rod and Svarog, all the gods and people descended from them are relatives, relatives. All of them are manifestations of the first gods, their small copy. People called themselves grandchildren (“Dazhobnye grandchildren,” for example), and not slaves of the gods, as is customary in some modern cults.

The main and most important feature of the Slavic-Russian faith was that everything in the world is one - gods, nature, people. Everything born of the Kin, to this day bears his name:

Many of you will ask: why do we still not know anything about the Slavic religion?

The Bible will answer you:

“Destroy all the places where the peoples that you possess have served their gods, on high mountains and hills, and under any branchy tree; destroy their altars, and crush their pillars, and burn their groves with fire, and smash the images of their gods, and destroy their name from that place ”(Deut. 12: 2).

Previously, the ancient Slavs made and crafted almost everything from wood: utensils, spoons, buttons, built houses. For each item, a special tree was selected from the Slavs. The Slavs divided the trees into good and evil. The good ones were used for building a house, household needs and ceremonial actions.
In our time, bioenergy has confirmed the separation of tree species into those that can nourish a person with energy and, conversely, take away, suck out vitality. Energizing energies include: birch, oak, pine, chestnut. Trees that drain energy include aspen, poplar and spruce, they weaken the energy, but the Slavs were very savvy and smart and used aspen as follows. An aspen log was made from aspen, then it was applied to get rid of a headache; in case of toothache, the gums were rubbed with an aspen chip, thus, aspen draws energy and relieves stress and alleviates pain.

Our ancestors often left a tree that began to grow inside the house or built a house around a trunk of a noble breed. At the beginning of the 20th century, a young mountain ash, birch or oak was planted at the place where the house will be felled, and young Siberian cedar was planted in Siberia. They planted in a red corner, where later, during the time of Christianity, they began to hang an icon. The Slavs believed that the world is based on a Tree that supports the Earth and all nine heavens. The construction of a house was equated with the device of the World.

Especially revered trees — tall, wide, and old — have never been cut for household needs. They believed that the souls of the dead, righteous old people were instilled in them. The trees that grew on the graves were not cut - and suddenly the soul of the deceased dwelt in this tree! They were afraid to touch trees with developmental anomalies - twisted, twisted, especially “against the Sun” (saline). Do not use the "damned" breed - aspen and spruce. Out of respect - and shoe, and sometimes dressed the ancient Slavs linden. They did not take dry dead trees, they no longer had the vital energy that feeds a person. They did not harvest wood in winter, since the plants were in hibernation, according to the ancestors - they were "dead".

Well, the tree has been picked up for cutting. Now they looked: where it will fall on top of the head. If it fell north or hung on neighboring trees, then the trunk was not taken - a bad sign. They threw a tree that crushed a lumberjack. It was called "violent," "steroos." Even a sliver of such a tree, slipped by an evil carpenter into a log house, led, according to the Slavs, to the death of the owners.

Never cut trees planted by people, garden and growing inside the fence. Remember the tales: the characters talk, consult with an apple or cherry? They were revered as family members.

Trees were considered living beings, the same children of Earth and Heaven. People believed that when trees are cut, they cry. Nowadays, scientific studies have confirmed that potted plants “panic” when someone who has just killed another plant approaches them.

Our ancestors trembled trees before chopping them down. It was necessary to take off his hat, bow, tell about the need for which he came to the forest. By treating, they lured the spirits of the tree so that they would not suffer when cutting. Returning from the forest, it was necessary to cleanse: fast and thoroughly wash, it is best in the bath.

Our ancestors felt intuitively what in our time scientists, studying the world around us, confirmed, and lived in harmony with nature and the creatures that inhabited it.

Willow is a very interesting tree, sometimes it is even called a shrub, which is not entirely true. Willow is the main symbol of fertility, which is activated in the cycle of Yaril - the Sun. At this time, willow is very useful as a charm against evil and for giving birth to children, if the branches are in the bedroom of the newlyweds.
Girls at the Kupala played with a willow and placed a pole with willow branches and led a round dance around it, and the guys had to get into a circle and grab at least one branch, which symbolized the introduction to fertility, which was in harmony with the spirit of the holiday.
At the first cattle pasture, willow necessarily drove animals. It was believed that then there would be a good offspring and the animals would not get sick.
The old willow among the Slavs was considered a bad tree, partly because it did not bear fruit, partly because it was rotten inside. Such a tree was shot from a bow and it was believed that such a tree had no shadow.
The Western Slavs have a legend about willow. In these lands it is believed that if you found a willow in a dense forest, then from this tree you can make a wonderful pipe that can revive the senses and give people and living organisms a great mood!

Since elderberry grows closer to the Western Slavs, it is most often found about it in the traditions of our brothers. Elderberry is a Western Slavic analogue of our aspen. It is believed that elderberry is an extremely harmful and even dangerous tree that can harm a person.
Elderberry was not used in buildings and as firewood, and if it was necessary to uproot it, they asked the holy fools, since it was believed that the elderberry would not harm them. And in the place where the elderberry grew, usually nothing else grows anymore.
Elderberry was used in ceremonies as a charm in the rain, the girls wondered with elderberry branches on the narrowed one, but it was necessary to drown elderberry branches after ritual actions. This is very symbolic since the Slavs believed that elderberry grows in all three worlds and therefore sending it to the bottom of the reservoir, they sent news to that world.
Elderberry can hardly be called one of the main Slavic trees, but it is present in practice - magical actions and is fixed in the cultural aspect.

Hazel is a sacred tree of the Slavs. It is believed that he protects from thunderstorms and lightning, so during a thunderstorm they hid under its branches. Especially hazel absorbs protective power on Kupala. On this day, from its branches, the most charged underwear amulets are obtained. but, of course, you need to ask the tree for permission to cut a branch!
Amulets endowed with such power protected from navi spirits, the evil eye and hostile power.
In Slavic culture, it is customary to identify the spirit of the deceased with a tree. In the context of hazel, this tradition is as relevant as possible. so for all Slavic holidays it is customary to whisper to the hazel the words that are dedicated to the deceased relative. From here there is a belief that they said to a seriously ill patient: “Leave the nut and come to the explicit”, thereby wishing the patient to return from the navi world to the living world.
Naturally, without extreme need, hazel was not chopped or even disturbed.
There are carol fortune telling with a nut. Here the fruit looks. If the fruit is large and saturated, then the year will be warm and full, if the fruit is not, then everything may be bad in the new year.

Mountain ash in Slavic mythology firmly entrenched. Mountain ash is considered a protective-magic tree. It is believed that if a sick person passes over a broken mountain ash three times, then he will not be overcome by any disease. I continue the topic of diseases. It can be said that on the second day it was obligatory to bring a rowan branch to the wedding and pat the guests away from adversity and diseases, and then charge it to give the young from the evil eye. Apparently, due to these traditions, a rowan branch was hung above the door, returning from a funeral. In the Russian north, for example, a shepherd drove cattle through the branches of a mountain ash so that the cattle would return home.
Belarusians and Ukrainians did not use mountain ash as firewood and there was an unspoken ban on the felling of this tree. It was believed that those who harm the mountain ash will then rush off with toothache.
Often the Slavs turned to the tree itself, asking him to overcome pain and difficulties in life.
Mountain ash is popularly associated with sadness (apparently due to the fruit) and a dreary life.

Not much is known about alder. But, nevertheless, there are several legends in which this tree is present. The most famous legend says. When Chernobog and Belbog competed in Iria, they tried to create a predator for the Russian forests. Chernobog didn’t succeed, and Belbog was able to create a wolf. And then the angry Chernobog chased the wolf. The wolf hid in an alder, but when he tried to climb to the top of his head, Chernobog was able to bite the wolf at the heel. From the blood of the first wolf, the alder bark turned red.
Alder is a powerful amulet and can even be said to be a weather regulator. Therefore, a piece of alder saves from the weather.
Also, a piece of alder, from the evil eye, is laid under the clothes of the newlyweds.

Maple in Slavic culture personifies the element of reincarnation. Actually, the Slavs believed that in every maple there is a living entity of a person who is waiting for rebirth. The middle name of the maple is "Yavor". For example, mother refers to her son, who passed away early, “Ay, my son, you are my little thing.” Therefore, it was impossible to make coffins and funeral pyres from maple. and in general they tried not to destroy the maple for these purposes. In part, such a comparison is possible for all trees, just a maple has a five-fingered leaf that correlates it with a person.
In Western Slavic culture, it was believed that the maple was fateful. It determines whether a person is honest. If when you touch a dry maple, that bloomed. then the good news in a person lives and is honest. If the maple has dried up, then the person lives a lie. Some traditions even indicate that the disputed cases were resolved this way during the evenings and courts.

Aspen has long been known to Rus. Most often ships and ships were built from it. The word "Aspen" comes from the word "aspen" - this is when the saw cut of the aspen is covered with blue. This semantics firmly entrenched this tree with a deadly context in many cultures, even those far from Slavic.
Aspen body amulets save from evil and vicious and block the access of the Navoi world to human thoughts. Hence it is believed that a carrion can be killed only with an aspen stake.
This thin line between life and death leads us to understand that this is the tree of the Goddesses Alive and Marne, who in their binary confrontation drive the Makoshi spindle.
This value of aspen quickly led to the fact that this tree is an indispensable element of the warrior's armor. Shields and many other elements of armor were made from aspen. It is more a charm than a real defense.
In popular beliefs, the confrontation between Marena and Alive influenced the legend of living and dead water. It was believed that aspen could revive.
Aspen firmly entrenched in the Slavic mythological system.

Spruce, like pine, is a very old tree that has been growing on the territory of the Rus' stay since ancient times. The Slavs used spruce as a building material very actively. Brothers Belarusians, in order to honor Perun during the construction of the house, at each supporting stone, laid spruce branches. According to popular beliefs, it caused the mercy of a thunderbolt and the fire sidestepped the house.
Spruce, like pine, is actively used in funeral rites. Firstly, it scares away evil spirits, and secondly, they planted a fir tree in people who had passed away early. Hence, the Russians believed that the spruce is one of the symbols of eternal life. Partly because the spruce is an evergreen tree.
Because of its shape, spruce is associated with a female figure, and therefore it is a female tree.

The pine tree boasts the fact that it is her genus known on our planet for more than 100 million years. The oldest pine is 4900 years old. This is to say the least respect!
In folk medicine, needles are used. bark and gum. Zhivitsa - cleanses the body, so today it is especially loved by the Rodnover.
Pine coniferous tree with a specific smell. It is believed by the people that in Sosnovy Bor it is only to strangle oneself. This is the case, since in Vedic culture, pine is strongly associated with the world of the dead, the world of the Navi. In the view of Rodnoverie, the pine connects Yav-Prav-Nav.
That is why when they bury they throw pine branches. The smell of pine scares off Navi spirits, and burnt pine branches carry away the essence of man from the Navi world. Pine is present in all funeral rites.
In Vedic culture, pine is strongly correlated with Makosha. This is her tree.

Oak is an original, Slavic tree. He was always called the princely tree. That is why the oak is considered the tree of the god of Thunder Perun. Oak is a male tree, as opposed to a birch - a female tree. This is partly because oak is a very durable tree that is difficult to process, which makes it so durable.
Traveling in Russia a thousand years ago, one could often meet oak faces with temples. That was the norm in those days. In each oak grove there lived a Magus who conducted services and watched the grove. Especially honored the oldest oak. It was next to him that ceremonies were held. No wonder the people preserved the epithet that goes in conjunction with the word "Oak", it must be centuries-old ...
It was near the oaks that weddings were played before and names were given.
Oak in folk medicine is firmly associated with toothache, which cures its bark.
Oak is a powerful and interesting tree from the point of view of Slavic Vedic mythology.

Birch is a beautiful and flexible tree that takes pride of place in the Native Faith. A lot is connected with the cult of birch. For example, many rites were performed exclusively in birch groves. This is due to the fact that the birch is a light tree, and therefore it is well suited for light rites. Not in vain in Russia a birch grove was contrasted with a pine grove, where according to popular beliefs it was only time to strangle oneself.
Birch in Rodnoverie is considered a girl's tree. that is why the cradles for young mothers were made of birch in order to help the mother in and protect the baby. All female body amulets were made of birch.
The protective properties of birch as a talisman are very strong, since this tree gives energy, which is why one of the folk signs says that when a headache hurts you need to apply a birch branch to your head.
Birch is a magical and beautiful tree that pleases the eye and gives, with the right approach, a lot of useful for the Slav.

Trees today are raw materials that we ruthlessly destroy. We use it for unnecessary crafts and how to build material, we drown them at home and simply, by stupidity, burn it. Trees are not a source of life for us, but a source of income. It used to be different. The tree was much more than just a tree. Every tree flows life, which sometimes goes [...]

In ancient Russian monuments of 11-17 centuries. it is reported about the worship of the Gentiles “groves” and “woods”, about the prayers under them (“grove ... bastard”). Chronists mention the existence of sacred groves among the Slavs in ancient times. Apparently, these were, as a rule, enclosed areas of the forest. In these places, veneration of trees was sometimes combined with elements of the Christian cult. Inside the grove was some kind of shrine - a tree, a chapel, a cross, etc. Groves were considered reserved, they did not chop trees, they did not collect brushwood. During the feast days, religious processions were performed there.

People came to these trees to get rid of diseases, evil eye, infertility, etc. They brought gifts and sacrifices (hung towels, clothes, rags on the trees), prayed, touched the trees. Patients crawled through the hollows and crevices of such trees, as if leaving their illnesses outside this hole.

The mythopoetic consciousness of the Slavs is characterized by a consistent rapprochement of the temple and the tree as sacred places where rituals were performed. This is evidenced by numerous legends, legends and apocryphal legends about the construction of churches near revered trees, as well as trees planted on the site of the former church.

Various sacred rites were performed near sacred trees. The southern Slavs practiced the custom of “crowning” the young around a tree (or precede the wedding ceremony with this action). Among the Serbs, Bulgarians and Macedonians, many ceremonies and celebrations took place at the “record” - a sacred tree (usually an oak or a fruit tree). On holiday they arranged festive meals, slaughtered sacrificial animals, burned bonfires on Maslenitsa; near the “record” they blessed the water, made vows, arranged courts, etc.

In Slavic mythology and folklore, the image of a tree is known, which is the center of the universe. Such a tree is correlated with all three worlds. Underground, earthly and upper-heavenly and connects them. According to legend, a tree is the path by which snakes go to a mythical land in the fall.

The tree connecting the earthly and underground worlds also appears in West Slavic mythological tales of children replaced by demons. To regain her son, a woman carries a changeling under some tree, and later takes her child from there.

Things that had to be disposed of were thrown onto the tree (or carried to it) —to send it to the next world (objects that were in contact with the deceased, old wedding attributes, etc.) In addition, there were also customs to burn, bury and let these water items.

A tree as a metaphor for the road, as a path along which you can reach the afterlife is a common motive of Slavic beliefs and rituals associated with death.

The notion of a posthumous transition of a person’s soul to a tree is characteristic. So, Belarusians believed that in every creaking tree the soul of the deceased languishes, which asks passers-by to pray for it; if after such a prayer a person falls asleep under a tree, he will have a soul that tells how long and for what sins it has been imprisoned in this tree. The Serbs believed that the soul of man finds peace in a tree growing on his grave; therefore, it is impossible to tear fruits from graveyard trees and break branches. Slavic ballads about people sworn in trees are connected with the circle of these beliefs. Such folklore stories usually relate to people who have died premature death before their allotted time; their interrupted life, as it were, seeks to continue in other forms.

A tree, like a plant in general, is correlated with a person by external signs: trunk - trunk, roots - legs, branches - hands, juices - blood, etc. There are “male” and “female” trees (birch - birch, oak - oak), which differ in shape: at the birch the branches open in the sides, at the birch - up.

At the birth of a child, a tree is planted for him, believing that the child will grow as this tree develops. However, in some beliefs, the growth of such a tree causes exhaustion of a person and leads to his death. Therefore, they tried not to plant large trees near the house. Southern Slavs did not plant hazel, believing that when his trunk is equal to the neck of the man who planted it, he will die.

The tree is closely related to the field of demonology. This is the habitat of various mythological creatures. Mermaids live on birch trees, the devil sits in the roots of elderberry, in a hollow willow, pitchforks and samodivy on sprawling large trees, whose branches are played. Often demons live in thorny shrubs (hawthorn is a pitchfork tree).

Ash

Ash is considered a tree that helps a person find the goal of life. In Slavic mythology, ash was revered as a tree of resurrection, as a conductor between the world of people and the world of gods. To this day, ash wood is used for fortune telling: runes, amulets are made from it. In Scandinavia, weapons from this tree were endowed with magical power, giving the owner the right to lead. And according to the ideas of the inhabitants of Europe, smoke from a fire from ash wood has a special magical ability to drive away evil spirits and have a beneficial effect on a person.

According to European symbols, the apple tree is a symbol of eternal life. In many folk tales, there are legends about the fruits of this tree: these are Greek golden apples, and the Celtic island of apples, and, of course, Slavic rejuvenating apples. The apple tree is the patroness of women. They believe: in order to see your betrothed in a dream and feel erotic emotions, a shy girl needs to lie under an apple tree in the summer. Amulets from this tree are good for health: they help improve metabolism and regulate water metabolism. The apple tree also has a beneficial effect on the emotional state of a person, neutralizing excitement and stress.

Elder

The attitude towards elderberry as a damned, unclean and dangerous plant is characteristic; hence its limited use in family and calendar rites and its widespread use in magic, charms, fortune telling, and folk medicine.
Elderberry is endowed with the function of a mediator: it is believed that it exists from the beginning of the world and therefore is involved in mythical events.

It was believed that under the elderberry there lives a spirit, a demonic creature (devil, demon, etc.). In the Polish legend it is said that the first demon settled in a huge pit and planted an elderberry on top to protect it. In Ukraine, they believed that the elder “planted the devil” and now constantly lives under it, so it can not be dug up with the root, so as not to annoy him. In Western Ukraine, mythological tales are known about forest spirits living in its thickets, about the transformation of a ghoul into an elderberry bush. The Serbs considered it a habitat for the pitchfork.

At the same time, elderberry is the abode of domestic spirits that bring good to the owners, guardians of the economy, etc.
   Elderberry was forbidden to dig out, uproot, as this could lead to the death of a person, misfortunes and various diseases, as well as the death of cattle. If necessary, elderberries hired specially crippled or mentally ill people for uprooting. It was believed that where an elderberry bush was dug, nothing would ever grow.
   In Ukraine, it was forbidden to make children's toys from elderberry, otherwise the children would have a headache; also among the Western Slavs it was forbidden to burn an elderberry, sleep under it, urinate under it, climb on an elderberry. Elderberries were not used as fuel, so as not to bring fleas and bugs into the house.
   In Ukraine and Poland, elderberry was considered a cursed tree. Elderberry is mentioned in curses. There are known stories about how a person could not find the way, wandering around the elderberry bush. Similar beliefs among the Slavs concern aspen.
   In Ukraine, conspiracies turned to elderberry are widely known, containing motifs of a “miracle” and pronounced under an elderberry with a certain magical purpose: “from adversity”, “so that the court does not condemn”, “to gain strength and courage”, “to get rid of all misfortune” etc. The plots of such conspiracies often reproduce a kind of mythical protest, as witnessed by an elder. This event, for example, sharply violated moral standards, but nevertheless had a favorable outcome.

In folk medicine, in the treatment of certain diseases, these diseases were "transferred" to elderberry.
Among Czechs and Slovenes, girls turned to elder during fortune-telling about marriage.
Elderberry branches were used as a universal amulet. They decorated houses, outbuildings, fences, gates, etc. They were also used as objects to protect people and households from witches on the eve of Ivan Kupala. In the Balkans, elderberry branches (along with other plants) were used in rain-making ceremonies. They decorated the dodola, peperuda, Herman’s doll from head to toe, and at the end of the rite, they threw branches into the water.

Rowan

Like an apple tree, mountain ash gives women the strength. In the old days it was believed that she awakens love in the fair sex and adds beauty. For the same purpose, it was recommended to wear homemade beads from rowan berries. From time immemorial, mountain ash has symbolized modesty and grace. To protect the house from fire, rowan trees were planted around the house. It was believed that mountain ash develops the gift of foresight and protects from adversity. Above the threshold, two branches of mountain ash were attached, tied crosswise with a red thread - from the evil eye. And tourists and in our time for disinfection of water put in it for three hours a branch of mountain ash with berries.

In the Novgorod province, returning from the cemetery, hanging rowan bars above the door so that the deceased would not return home. In Voronezh province, the matchmaker poured rowan roots over the top of the groom so that they would not spoil him at the wedding. In 1630, a certain son of the boyar, accused of witchcraft, told the investigation that, going to his brother’s wedding, he broke a branch of rotten mountain ash along the road and said: “How will he go to a wedding or somewhere and break ... a mountain ash branch, and no de tributary (illness) will take that person. ”

In various diseases, a man crawled three times through a split mountain ash and tied along the edges of a mountain ash or through a mountain ash bush. In the Russian North, the shepherd went to the forest and uprooted three trees - mountain ash, spruce and pine, chopped them to the top, put them in the gate and for the first time drove cattle to the pasture in the spring.

In Russia and Belarus, there was a ban on chopping, breaking rowan bushes, using mountain ash for firewood, picking flowers and even mountain ash berries. Belarusians considered a mountain ash a revenge tree: whoever breaks or cuts it, he will soon die himself or someone from his house will die.
The mountain ash could not be cut because the healers transferred the human diseases to it; he who cuts down such a tree will fall ill himself and die.

According to Russian and Belarusian beliefs, those who harm the mountain ash will have toothaches. With a toothache, in the morning dawn, they knelt secretly in front of the rowan, hugged and kissed her, and uttered a conspiracy, where they promised not to harm the rowan in return for getting rid of the pain. Then they returned home so as not to meet anyone and not looking back.

In folk songs, mostly lyrical, mountain ash is symbolically associated with a yearning woman, and the bitterness of her berries is associated with a bleak life.

Viburnum

In the representations of the Russian people, the fate of the woman was symbolized by viburnum. It was no accident that her scarlet berries were used as a decoration for the bride’s wreath, as well as a wedding cake. In Ukraine, a newborn girl, so that she was healthy and happy, was bathed in water with viburnum berries. Still viburnum, as the personification of maternal care, was planted on the graves of unmarried and early dead men.

Cypress

But the male tree is cypress. There has long been a belief that this tree has a positive effect on the sexual activity of men, enhances potency. Cypress brings harmony and courage to the marital bond. Herbalists say that in order to feel the miraculous effect of cypress, you can grow it at home. And then the powerful energy of cypress will endow a man with charm and charm. It is also believed that cypress will help with a problem that needs immediate resolution.

Bird cherry

Bird cherry in Russia personified youth and vitality. People with melancholy, spleen, and indifference turned to her. It instills optimism, joy into the soul, relieves pain from disappointments and helps in love.

Hazel

The Slavs believed that hazel would help restore justice. To calm down and make the right decision, people often came to this tree "for advice." Today, many phytotherapists believe that hazel has really very strong energy, which contributes to an objective view of the problem.

In the folk culture of the Western and Southern Slavs - a sacred tree associated with the afterlife and the field of meteorology.
Hazel belonged to the “blessed” trees into which “thunder does not strike”. At the same time, it was believed that a thunderstorm and thunder, not having power over the tree itself, would have a detrimental effect on its fruits. Nuts spoil, blackening, as if burning from the inside.
Due to its status, hazel was widely used as a talisman from evil spirits.

The Bulgarians expelled the demons sending insomnia on children, bypassing the cradle of a child with a lighted nut branch. Walnut branches defended themselves against mermaids.

Hazelnuts were an effective guardian of chthonic creatures, primarily snakes and mice. The Bulgarians believed that snakes are not only afraid of hazel, but also die from it. Czechs and Slovaks planted hazelnut branches in barns, beat them on the walls of houses and pantries, thus expelling mice from there.

In Bulgaria, Macedonia and eastern Serbia, hazelnut and its branches were considered the habitat of the souls of their ancestors.

At the birth of the foal, the domestic animals tried to lift it from the ground as soon as possible, saying “Leave the nut, take the cornel”, thereby wishing the newborn to leave the sphere of nonexistence as soon as possible, and begin to grow, to be healthy (cornel dog symbolism health tree and fortress). The same words were spoken by the mother of a child who could not learn to walk for a long time, i.e. has not yet completed his transition to “this” world. The same words were sometimes addressed to a seriously ill person.

Like any other fruit tree, hazelnut is widely used in productive magic (such as cattle breeding, agriculture, the accumulation of dowry).

Maple

Maple (sycamore) - in the etiological traditions of the Western and Eastern Slavs, the tree into which the person is turned (“sworn”). For this reason, the maple tree is not used for firewood, (“sycamore from the man went”), they do not put maple leaves under the bread in the oven (you see a palm with five fingers in the maple leaf), they do not make a coffin out of it (“it’s a sin to rot in the ground person ”), etc.
The transformation of man into sycamore is one of the popular motives of Slavic ballads. You can compare this with the lamentation of a mother over a deceased son, typical of the Eastern Slavs, with an appeal to him: “Ay, my son, you are my little thing,” etc.

In the South Slavic tradition, where such ballads are unknown, maple is nevertheless thought to be involved in human destiny. According to Serbian beliefs, if a dry maple is embraced by an innocently condemned person, the maple will turn green; if an unhappy or offended person touches a green maple in spring, the maple will dry.

Maple represents restraint. In the past, maple was called a good, bright tree, believing that deities lived on it. It was said that a maple growing near the house brings him well-being, protects him from the elements and evil.

Larch

Larch among trees plays a pacifying role. In the old days, in order to heal spiritual wounds, the first thing they turned to was larch. And now they believe that if you sincerely tell the tree about your experiences, it will certainly improve your mood and help you tune in to positive.

Willow

In ancient Greece, willow was a symbol of inspiration, melancholy, female grace. The Slavs believed that the willow sympathizes with the suffering of man and takes on all his pain. It is known that many European nations believed that willow can heal a woman from infertility: for this, willows were laid under the bed.

Birch

One of the most revered trees among the Slavs. It can act as a “happy” tree, protecting from evil, and as a malicious tree associated with female demons and the souls of the dead.
According to Carpathian beliefs, if a married man planted a birch in the yard, then one of the family members will die. In the Russian North, the place where birch trees used to grow was not used to build a house.

At the same time, sometimes and in many places, birch was specially planted near the house for the well-being of the family, on the occasion of the birth of a child ... [Such contradictions may be related to the "female" nature of birch.]

The birch branch installed in the front corner during the construction of the house was a symbol of the health of the owner and family. Birch branches stuck into the field to get a good crop of flax and cereals. Birch logs were buried under the threshold of a new stable, "so that horses were led."

Women's symbolism of birch is manifested in ceremonies for treating childhood diseases: for example, sick girls were worn to a birch, and boys to an oak. In the marriage rites, the symbols of the bride and groom were oak and birch.

In Polesie, it was believed that planted birch, close to home, causes female diseases in its inhabitants; that growths are formed on a birch from “female curses”. In some Polesie villages, at the funeral, the woman’s body was covered with birch branches, the man’s body was covered with poplar branches. In wedding and lyric songs, birch is the most popular symbol of the girl.

The connection of birch with the evil spirits and the souls of the dead also points to female symbolism: they said about mermaids in Polesie that they "descend from the birch." Mermaids were considered birch trees, whose branches descend to the ground.

In Poland, such trees, standing alone in a field, were called perfume trees. The souls of the dead girls who instilled in them at night came out of the birch and “danced” to the death of random passers-by. According to Polish beliefs, under the lonely standing birch lies the soul of the deceased by a violent death, and instead of juice, blood flows in it.

Some signs of an unusual type of birch (twisted or fused with another tree) were evidence for Belarusians that an innocently ruined soul was buried under it. In many East Slavic traditions, legends, and songs, the deceased girl turns into a birch. In the Kostroma Territory they spoke of a dying man “gathering in birches”.

Birch is often referred to as an attribute of evil spirits in demonological beliefs and tales. The witch could milk milk from birch branches, she could also fly not only on a broomstick or a bread shovel, but also on a birch stick. The white horses donated to the man by the devil turned into crooked birches, and the bread given by the devil into a birch bark; the woman into whom the demon “populated” was “thrown” onto a birch during an attack.

With the help of birch branches they tried to protect themselves from evil spirits, especially the “walking dead”. On the eve of Ivan Kupala, birch branches stuck in the walls of the barn did not allow the witches to milk milk from other people's cows, and to harm them in general. Cows also wore birch wreaths on the horns. Among the Western Slavs, a birch broom, leaning against the bed of a woman in labor or the cradle of a newborn, was considered a reliable amulet. In many places it was believed that beating a sick child with a birch rod would save him from the disease.

Birch has also been used to "transmit the disease." Under the birch water was poured from the bathing of a sick child. Russian peasants requested a birch tree to heal from the disease, while twisting birch branches over the patient, threatening not to let go until the disease subsided. In Mazovia, a malaria sufferer was supposed to shake a birch tree with the sentence “Shake me like I like you, and then stop it.”

Oak

One of the most revered trees among the Slavs. Symbolizes the masculine principle, power, strength, firmness. Connected with the image of the thunderer Perun, served as a place and object of sacrifice.

Among the Baltic Slavs, oak or oak grove was considered the seat of the deity. The veneration of oaks by the Eastern Slavs somewhere until the 18-19 centuries. in some places it retained a religious character: prayers were served near them, married, turned to them in conspiracies, attributing healing power to them. The Spiritual Regulation of 1721 stated that “priests with the people are praying in front of the oak, and the pop people give out branches of the onago oak to the people for blessing”.

In Serbia, each rural community had several sacred trees - “records”. And usually it was oaks. In Bulgaria, near Sofia, there were three venerable oaks, which seemed to protect the surrounding fields from hail, storms and other disasters.

At the end of the 19th century Belarusians of the Minsk province told a legend about it. that a long time ago "grew in one clearing" an old oak "of very large sizes. If anyone, it happened. hit him with an ax, then without fail the misfortune happened. And when. by order of the owner, they cut down this oak, then, falling, it crushed everyone who chopped it, and. in addition, a terrible storm was raging for a whole week, with thunder and lightning, causing much trouble. ”

In some places, among the Old Believers-Bespopovites back in the middle of the 19th century, the marriage was concluded in this way: a guy, conspiring with the girl, went with her to the treasured oak tree and traveled around it three times around.

Archaeological finds also indicate the cult role of oak: in 1975, an ancient oak was raised from the bottom of the Dnieper, into the trunk of which 9 wild boar jaws were inserted. In 1910, a similar oak was removed from the bottom of the Desna. Apparently, these trees were used in sacrifices.

Among a number of European nations, the oak was dedicated to the supreme god of thunder; The Slavs are indicated by the location of Perun among the Slavs, in particular, by the locality Perunov Oak, mentioned in a letter of 1302.

In medieval apocrypha, an oak or an iron oak is depicted as a world tree: it was planted at the beginning of the creation of the world, stands “on the power of God” and holds the whole world on its branches.

In the Zhytomyr region, in a conspiracy from children's insomnia, they turned to oak, each branch of which has its own name: a branch with acorns is male, and without acorns it is female. If the girl suffered from insomnia, then the name of the branch-boy was mentioned in the plot, and vice versa. The sorceress or mother suggested that the oak take a break and not touch each other's children.

Oakalso used to carry disease onto it. Oaks with a through hole through which children could be dragged were especially successful for people. Then such an oak was tied with a sash.

http://mirmystic.com/2010/05/11/mysteryofwoodinslavianparanscultes/