Day of the Fire Wolf among the Slavs

The ancient Slavs lived in inextricable connection with nature and the deities that were its creation During holidays and festivities, both good and evil characters of pagan mythology were celebrated The latter includes the defender of the Irian Garden and the god of war Volkh His wife was Lelya - the embodiment of love, fidelity, spring and beauty The mighty hero, the son of Mother Earth and Indrik the Beast, was revered as the guardian of the Family and the healer of wounded warriors September 14th is the Day of the Fiery Wolf In honor of the holiday, the Slavs came in the morning to stone temples - places of power where the objects of worship of our ancestors were located Volkh and his wife Lelya were offered roses, freshly baked bread and honey These gifts were supposed to appease the gods and protect families from troubles and misfortunes The continuation of the Day of the Fiery Magus was a magnificent feast The union of Lelya, the goddess of goodness and love, with a representative of the dark forces was initially doomed due to the eternal struggle between good and evil According to legends, when Volkh, the embodiment of mighty strength and rage, was born, Yav, Prav and Nav shuddered Tender and tremulous Lelya, a symbol of light forces, health and fertility, could not become the wife of a warrior god racing on a fiery horse, a descendant of the Serpent Goryn - the lord of all dark forces The Volkh, as a werewolf, who could understand the language of birds and animals, was forced to secretly visit his beloved in the form of Finist - the Clear Falcon Initially, he entered the Garden of Eden in order to taste the apples that bestow immortality and eternal youth, but he forgot about everything when he heard Lelya’s enchanting singing Secret night meetings were opposed by the sisters of the goddess, who once stuck hundreds of needles into the window opening through which Volkh flew in The wounded wings forced the god to return to his patrimony - the underworld Lelya, in love, could not come to terms with the separation She descended from heaven and for many years searched for Volkh During this time, according to legend, the goddess broke three iron staffs, ate three loaves of stone bread and wore out three pairs of iron shoes The blood that oozed from her wounded legs turned into roses That is why the flower later became a symbol of Lelya The goddess found her beloved in the underworld After meeting Lelya, Volkh forgot about his dark aspirations and evil intentions From a formidable monster and enemy of heaven, he turned into a faithful defender of Iriy Garden - paradise in the mythology of the Eastern Slavs The Day of the Fiery Volkh also coincided with the harvest festival - Autumn The Slavs thanked the mother of the god of war - the Raw Earth - for the generous gifts The main dish on the table was pies with juicy cabbage and lingonberries made from the new harvest flour Today, Osenins are celebrated and the Fiery Wolf is glorified, paying tribute to the customs of their ancestors, Rodnovers and other adherents of ancient traditions