Kresnik (deity)
| Kresnik | |
|---|---|
| God of sun, summer solstice, fire, sky, thunderbolt, fertility | |
Combat between historical heroes Lambergar and Pegam (Bohemian) Jan Vitovec contains the mythological duel between stormgod Kresnik (Perun?) and a three-headed demon/ or demon with two devils (Veles?)
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| Abode | World's Mountain |
| Symbol | bonfire, east |
| Consort | Alenčica / Marjetica / Vesina |
| Parents | Higher sky god |
| Roman equivalent | Iupiter Depulsor ("Jupiter, Averter of Evil") of Noricum (?) |
| Christian equivalent | John the Baptist |
| Slavic equivalent | Perun, Yarilo, Dazhbog |
Kresnik (or rarely Kersnik and Krsnik) is a Slavic god associated with fire, the summer solstice, and storms. His mythical home, a sacred mountain at the top of the world, represents the axis mundi.
Kresnik was worshiped among the Slavic population of the eastern Alps. He is probably the same deity as Svarožič, son of the Slavic sun god, Svarog, described as having golden hair and golden hands. He gradually evolved into a Slovenian national hero who lives on a golden mountain, sometimes as a deer with golden antlers, associated with the summer solstice. He became known as a mythical king with strong magic, yet still a farmer.
The name of Kresnik has no clear etymology. Connections with Russian Khors and Indian Krishna have been proposed in the past. The name could be connected with old Nordic hress with the meaning »fresh, fiery, alive, vivid« (by Jeza, F.), but also with IE *ker-/kre- with the meaning »to grow, to feed« (by Gluhak, A.), perhaps with the Iranian root *krs-/kars-, and also with Slavic *krst- »cross« (by Bošković-Stulli and Merku). As Mikhailov has shown, the name of Kresnik could be derived from Balto-Slavic linguistic heritage: festival of Kresze is known among Balts and an old Slavic word *krěsδ has the meaning of »fire«. For Mikhailov there are three possible connections with the root *krês: Sun, Solstice or blow.
Kresnik is the son of the great creator deity, ruler of heaven, who has been identified in various sources as Svarog or Perun. He lives in a fantastical country, sometimes called the "Land of the Rising Sun", "Eastern Land", or the "Ninth Country", and rules on the "world mountain", which is frequently described as being golden, crystal, or glass.
Kresnik is described as having golden hair and golden hands or arms. He was born either with horse earlaps, horse hooves, or a birthmark shaped like hooves, and he frequently is said to be able to take the form of a horse.
Connected to sun and fire, he travels the sky on his golden chariot, armed with thunderbolt, axe, hammer, club, or sword. Like Hercules, Kresnik performed twelve great deeds. Sometimes he is helped by his brother Trot or his four-eyed dog. His chthonic opponent steals his property, cattle, or wife-sister, but Kresnik defeats him. Rain or wheat falls from the sky after such combat.
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Wikipedia