From the forests of last week’s Leszy post to the sky today, this Slavic Saturday we’re looking at the well-known and loved sun god from Slavic mythology: Dadźbóg.
(June 2021 Updated) Note: If you enjoy Slavic mythology, check out A Dagger in the Winds, the first book in my Slavic fantasy series called The Frostmarked Chronicles. You can also join my monthly newsletter for updates and free novellas (such as the prequel, The Rider in the Night) set in the world of the series.
Dadźbóg is a fascinating character in Slavic myth because he is one of the few gods who seemed to be worshipped across most Slavic tribes. In fact, he was so revered that Prince Vladimir of the Kieven Rus built a statue to him and six other gods in front of his palace in 980.
Because his worship was so widespread, Dadźbóg takes on varying forms in different regions. His name can be translated to “giving god.” In addition to this, he is commonly considered as not only a solar god, but also a god of fire and rain. His father, Swarog/Svarog, was also the god of fire and the one who many believed created the earth. Still, the southern Slavs especially tended to worship Dadźbóg more than his father, and in many areas Dadźbóg simply replaced Swarog. Some early Serbs even believed themselves to be descendants of the solar deity.
As god of the sun, it was believed Dadźbóg guided it through the sky on a chariot pulled by three horses: one of gold, silver, and diamond. He died every evening, passing into the underworld of Nawia/Nav, and then was reborn in the morning with the sun. Cycles like this are common in Slavic myth and form both the days and seasons.
Dadźbóg had an affinity for wolves, like many Slavic gods, but his ran deeper. Though he was connected to the sun, the white wolf was thought to be his holy symbol. He was a shape-shifter who could also appear as a white wolf himself or as an old man dressed in wolf or bear furs. In either form he typically has a limp and only one good eye.
He had two daughters to help him on his travels, the Zorza/Zorya, who were the goddesses of dusk and dawn. Zorza Poranna (or Zorya Utrennyaya in Russian) guarded the morning gates and Zorza Wieczorna (or Zorya Vechernyaya) watched the evening ones. It’s not known who the goddesses’ mother was.
In some stories, Dadźbóg had a brother, another fire god named Svarožič (which means “little Svarog”). Little is known about this brother, but assumptions of his status simply come from his name.
Dadźbóg doesn’t directly make an appearance in the first book of my series, A Dagger in the Winds, but as the god of the sun, he is ever-present. As a farmer reliant on the sun’s power, Wacław (one of the protagonists) respects the god and wishes for his warmth as Marzanna‘s cold chill closes in.
That’s all for this week’s Slavic Saturday. Be sure to keep a lookout for more posts next week, and if you haven’t seen the full series of posts, be sure to check them out.
*As always just a quick disclaimer. Slavic mythology is broad and not written in many if any primary sources, so there’s a variety of interpretations. The interpretations I’m using here are from the sources I’ve found to be reliable and as well as some creative freedom for my book series.