Simargl- Slavic GodDeity · Beast"Winged Dog"
Also known as: Semargl, Симаргл, and Семаргл
Description
Named among the six gods of Vladimir's Kiev pantheon in 980 CE, Simargl bears an unmistakably Iranian name tied to the Persian Simurgh. Scholars identify him with the winged dog-beasts of Scythian art, but no Slavic myth or prayer preserves his story.
Mythology & Lore
Vladimir's Hill
In 980 CE, Prince Vladimir erected idols to six gods on a hilltop in Kiev. The Primary Chronicle names them: Perun, Khors, Dazhbog, Stribog, Simargl, and Mokosh. Eight years later, when Vladimir converted to Christianity, the idols came down. Of Simargl, the chronicle records nothing beyond the name.
The name is Iranian. It connects to the Persian Simurgh. How and when it crossed from the steppe peoples into Slavic religion, no source explains. Łowmiański raised the possibility that the name was not one god but two: "Sim" and "Regl," fused by scribal error in the manuscript tradition.
The Winged Dogs
On Scythian and Sarmatian metalwork from the Black Sea steppe, winged dog-like creatures appear on bracelets and pendants. Similar figures show up on Russian silver bracelets from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, flanking vegetation, their wings spread in a protective stance. Rybakov identified these as Simargl, a guardian of plant life. The identification cannot be confirmed. No inscription names the creature, and no text describes Simargl's form.
He stood on Vladimir's hill beside Perun and Mokosh. That much is certain. What prayers were said to him, what he protected: all of it is gone.
Relationships
- Guards
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