Slavic Mythology · deity
Dazhbog
Dazhbog
also: Dazhbog · Dazh'bozh
deitythe sunthe daylightthe giver of light (his name means 'day-god' or 'light-god')attested
The 'day-god' or 'light-god' (his name means 'giving day' or 'giving light'); a sun god, in the Kiev pantheon.
The account
Who they are
Dazhbog (Dazh'bozh) is the 'day-god' or 'light-god' — his name is generally interpreted as 'giving day' or 'giving light' (from 'dazh' = day, 'bog' = god) [S1]S1 · Primary Chronicle (Povest' vremennykh let / Latopis povest' vremen'nykh let)c. 1113 CE (describes 10th c.)textOpen source ↗[S2]S2 · Hypatian / Hletovskaya Chronicle (Kiev idol list)14th-15th c. (later copy)text[S4]S4 · Vsevolod Miller, 'Slavic God-Concepts' (Slavjanskije bozhestvennye predstavl'enija)1860 (19th c. ethnographic)academic[S5]S5 · 19th-20th c. Slavic ethnographic collections (Volkov, Ivanov, etc.)19th-20th c.academic. He is a sun/light god in the Kiev pantheon [S1]S1 · Primary Chronicle (Povest' vremennykh let / Latopis povest' vremen'nykh let)c. 1113 CE (describes 10th c.)textOpen source ↗[S2]S2 · Hypatian / Hletovskaya Chronicle (Kiev idol list)14th-15th c. (later copy)text. His exact role is less well-attested than Perun or Veles: the sources name him but give little detail [S4]S4 · Vsevolod Miller, 'Slavic God-Concepts' (Slavjanskije bozhestvennye predstavl'enija)1860 (19th c. ethnographic)academic. He is sometimes identified with the sun, sometimes with the daylight in general [S4]S4 · Vsevolod Miller, 'Slavic God-Concepts' (Slavjanskije bozhestvennye predstavl'enija)1860 (19th c. ethnographic)academic[S6]S6 · Modern comparative reconstruction (e.g., Ivanov & Toporov, 'Theses on Slavic Mythology')1970s-2000sacademic. A solar cult (the 'Dazhbog' sun-worship) is attested in folk survivals [S5]S5 · 19th-20th c. Slavic ethnographic collections (Volkov, Ivanov, etc.)19th-20th c.academic.
Worth knowing
- The 'day-god' or 'light-god' (name = 'giving day/light') [S1]S1 · Primary Chronicle (Povest' vremennykh let / Latopis povest' vremen'nykh let)c. 1113 CE (describes 10th c.)textOpen source ↗[S4]S4 · Vsevolod Miller, 'Slavic God-Concepts' (Slavjanskije bozhestvennye predstavl'enija)1860 (19th c. ethnographic)academic.
- A sun/light god in the Kiev pantheon [S1]S1 · Primary Chronicle (Povest' vremennykh let / Latopis povest' vremen'nykh let)c. 1113 CE (describes 10th c.)textOpen source ↗[S2]S2 · Hypatian / Hletovskaya Chronicle (Kiev idol list)14th-15th c. (later copy)text.
- Less well-attested than Perun or Veles [S4]S4 · Vsevolod Miller, 'Slavic God-Concepts' (Slavjanskije bozhestvennye predstavl'enija)1860 (19th c. ethnographic)academic.
Uncertainties & variants
- Dazhbog's exact role is poorly attested: the sources name him but give little detail [S4]S4 · Vsevolod Miller, 'Slavic God-Concepts' (Slavjanskije bozhestvennye predstavl'enija)1860 (19th c. ethnographic)academic.
- Whether 'Dazhbog' is a sun-god or a 'daylight' god is debated [S4]S4 · Vsevolod Miller, 'Slavic God-Concepts' (Slavjanskije bozhestvennye predstavl'enija)1860 (19th c. ethnographic)academic[S6]S6 · Modern comparative reconstruction (e.g., Ivanov & Toporov, 'Theses on Slavic Mythology')1970s-2000sacademic.
Relationships (2)
Connections
Family & kinship
SIBLING_OFPerun — Perun and Dazhbog are both members of the Kiev pantheon (the 'sky/sun' group).[S1] [S2]
Alliances & rule
ASSOCIATED_WITHKhors — Dazhbog and Khors are both solar/light deities; their distinction is not clear.[S4]
Local graph
Their corner of the divine world
Viewhierarchical — generations top → bottom, partners side by side
Overlays
FocusDazhbogSlavic
- parentage
- marriage ♥
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Depictions