Identifier: mythologyofallra03gray (find matches)
Title: The Mythology of all races ..
Year: 1918 (1910s)
Authors: Gray, Louis H. (Louis Herbert), 1875-1955 Moore, George Foot, 1851-1931 MacCulloch, J. A. (John Arnott), 1868-1950
Subjects: Mythology
Publisher: Boston, Marshall Jones Company
Contributing Library: Wellesley College Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Wellesley College Library

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sizdiabolus. Further evidence of a deity worshipped in Radgost is givenby Adam of Bremen ^^ and his follower, Helmold.^° This idolstood in a spacious sanctuary among other gods, was made ofgold, and had its base adorned with brocade. It wore a helmetresembling a bird with outstretched wings, and on its breastwas the head of a black bison, the national emblem of theRhetarii; the divinitys right hand rested on this symbol,while the left grasped a double-edged axe. When Adam of Bremen terms this Lutician deity Radigastor Redigast, he seems to be in error and to have confusedthe name of the town (Radigast) with the divinity worshippedthere, especially as the older evidence shows this god to havebeen Svarazic himself.^^ The temple of Radigast was much visited by all the Slavicnations in their desire to avail themselves of the prophetic PLATE XXXIII Radigast This god may have been in reality only a form ofSvarazic and the special patron of the city of Radi-gast. After a picture by N. Ales.
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SVARAZIC 287 power of the gods and to join in the annual festivities.Human beings were likewise sacrificed there, for in honour ofa victory won in 1066 the head of John, Bishop of the Dioceseof Mecklenburg, who had been captured in battle, was offeredup to this divinity.^^ CHAPTER IVCERNOBOG THE evidence of Helmold shows ^^ that at banquets theSlavs were wont to offer prayer to a divinity of good andevil; and being convinced that happiness comes from the godof good, while misfortune is dispensed by the deity of evil, V they called the latter Cernobog or Zcernoboch (Black God).The conception of Cernobog as the god of evil in contrastto the god of good is probably due to the influence of Chris-tianity. The western Slavs, becoming familiar, through theinstrumentality of the clergy, with the ideas of the new faithand with its conception of the devil, transferred to the lattermany features of the pagan deities, worshipping him as abeing who was very powerful compared even with the god ofgo

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