Dazhbog
Dazhbog (Dazbog, Dazdbog) (giving god) In Slavic mythology, sun god, son of Swarog, the sky god, and brother of Svarogich, the fire god.
According to one myth, Svarog became tired of reigning over the universe and passed on his power to his sons, Dazhbog and Svarogich. Dazhbog lived in the East, the land of eternal summer, in a golden palace from which he emerged every day in a chariot drawn by white horses that breathed fire. Some accounts say the chariot was drawn by three horses, others say 12. The chariot is described as golden with diamonds, and the horses as white with golden manes.
Among the Serbians, Dazhbog was believed to be a handsome young king who ruled over the 12 kingdoms of the Zodiac and lived with two beautiful maidens, the Zoyra. One maiden was the Aurora of the Dawn; the other, the Aurora of the Evening. In some myths the two sisters were accompanied by two starsāthe morning star, Zvezda Dennitsa, and the evening star, Vechernyaya Zvezdaāwho help the Zorya in tending the horses of the sun god. In the Russian epic poem The Lay of Igorās Army, Prince Vladimir and the Russians call themselves the āgrandchildren of Dazhbog.ā In other Slavic folklore, however, Dabog or Dajbog, variants of Dazhbog, are names applied to a devil-like creature that opposes God. In 933, when Vladimir married Anna and became Christian, the huge statue of Dazhbog was thrown into the river along with other pagan deities. Sometimes Dazhbog is identified with Chors, a Russian sun god.
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SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow– Copyright Ā© 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante
