Rus, Perun and Prince Vladimir

A long time ago, when Mother Russia was still in her infancy, she was known as Rus. The name itself originates from the tribe of its first ruler, prince Rurik, who agreed to rule the loosely organized native Slavs and unite them. Rus was pagan in its roots until the official arrival of Christianity as the accepted religion in 988.

The Russian people were very much in tune with nature and her creatures: the forests, lakes and rivers, the sky, sun and moon. They worshipped a variety of gods, both good and evil. There was Perun, my personal favorite, the god of thunder and lightning, Yarilo, the sun god, Dazhbog the god of rain and even a goddess called Mokosh, mother earth. Spirits were found everywhere as well and were taken seriously, especially the domovoi, whose domain was the house and the rusalki or mermaids that lived in the water. Life was lived according to the seasons and omens, both good and bad, could be found everywhere.

The ancient Russians, known as Slavs, settled close to the rivers and it was on the river Dnieper, in the ancient city of Kiev, now in the present day Ukraine, that the massive baptism occurred.

The ruler at the time was Prince Vladimir, who grew up as a pagan, but as he matured, he wasn’t satisfied and thirsted for more. Who was God? In what religion could he (or she!) be found?

The old chronicles relay how Prince Vladimir sent emissaries all over the world to explore various religions and their beliefs. It was upon the return from Greece that the Prince made his decision: Rus would become Christian.

The legend goes that upon entering a beautiful church in Greece, the emissaries did not know if they were on earth or in heaven, so beautiful and inspiring was the liturgy and the singing. Apparently a Greek monk also made an impression on the Prince, and a fierce one at that. He showed him an image of the Last Judgment: those on the right side would go to heaven, the others… ?

Another version of a legend insinuates that Prince Vladimir was very much taken with Islam, but once he discovered that alcohol was forbidden, this definition unfortunately including vodka, Islam was not a contender.

Prince Vladimir was convinced. He made the decision that Rus would become Christian.

The day arrived in 988 when Perun was thrown into the river Dnieper as many cried for their lost god. The masses were baptized and converted to Christianity, but, somehow, remnants of the old ways still remain to this day.

Probably the most obvious example is that of St. Elijah the prophet. My Grandmother or Babushka, was witness to this.

“Annushka,” she would remind me, “don’t forget that on St. Elijah’s day, August 2nd, there will always be a thunderstorm. Remember, this is St. Elijah, riding through the heavens on his chariot, pulled by a mighty horse. You must be careful: watch out for the lightning, close the windows and the doors, and pray. Da, yes, pray for your safety.”

Perun or St. Elijah?

You decide: I’d venture to guess that the old ways are never truly forgotten or erased from the memory. They live on.