Holidays of the Slavs - Intra (Patron of Snakes)

Slavic mythology is a bright, multifaceted world with extraordinary deities of terrible, crushing power One of these celestial beings is considered to be Intra, the patron god of snakes, wells, life-giving springs, menacing clouds, and warrior-defenders of the native land The ancient Slavs considered Intra a faithful assistant to the great Perun himself, his associate and right hand He was the son of the Mother of God Zemun and the Night Sky (Dyja) The Day of Worship of God falls on January 18th The essence of Intra has always been identified with the world of Navi, the world of spirits and the dead It was believed that God never descends to Earth to people The essence of Reveal is closed to him Only from heaven could a valiant warrior exercise his influence on the lives of believers He must constantly hold the line in the endless starry space, keeping out the forces of darkness In his struggle, he cannot cross a certain line and appear to people His home is the Vaults of Heaven, the palaces of boundless space The ancient Slavs endowed Intra with amazing strength, firmness and prudence of mind He was the only one given the honor of becoming the Guardian of the Weapons of the Gods After each battle with dark enemies, the celestials had to transfer weapons to Intra for safekeeping It was believed that the Guardian would correctly judge and protect the Gods from ill-considered actions caused by anger and blind rage For believers, he was an unsurpassed fearless warrior, the intercessor of all men who sought to protect the Slavic lands from misfortunes The all-powerful Slavic pantheon possessed secret knowledge; it was Intra who was the guardian of these great secrets of strength, wisdom and hidden divine secrets, inaccessible to mere mortals Ancient images of God present us with the image of a great warrior dressed in unusual chain mail This is a strong, broad-shouldered husband His armor is marked with intricate weaving; according to legend, it shone brighter than gold in the light of the sun The helmet is cone-shaped, pointed, to give the great warrior an even more formidable and crushing appearance The weapons are concentrated in both hands of God - these are two large swords, so as not to leave even a single chance to the forces of evil Intra rode on a magical unicorn, which had no equal in speed and endurance The Slavs called the horse Indrik the Beast Together with him, the Slavs endowed Intra with a number of insidious qualities: he is the lord of snakes, the snake king, his wife is the snake demon Paraskeva The ancients respected and feared God His connection with the world of the dead has always evoked in the souls of believers a sticky fear, apprehension and a desire to protect themselves from the influence of otherworldly forces On the day of honoring God, January 18, rituals and offerings were carried out in specially erected temples and near them At night, on the eve of the holiday, clergy and wise men performed rituals and cast spells to prevent Navi from entering the world of the living Most often, chimneys in houses, doorways and windows spoke, because this is where evil spirits could direct their gaze Modern researchers of Slavic mythology endow the image of God Intra with a deep philosophical meaning It is generally accepted that the celestial being among the ancient Slavs was identified with the dark face of Perun, and was endowed not only with the right to store weapons, but also with the right to repay well-deserved retribution and revenge for traitors This is the image of an angry punisher, a cruel judge who knows no mercy, as befits a real warrior