The Sky Father and Earth Mother: the Basis of All Indo-European Religions, Part Seven, the Slavic Sky Father

Proto-Slavic Sky Father

*Svarogъ (English, '*Svarog') is the Proto-Slavic Sky Father. This theonym is derived from the Proto-Slavic root *svar‑ ('bright,shining, clear sky, fire, heat, radiance') and is attested in Old Church Slavonic, Russian, Polish and Serbo-Croatian. This in turn is derived from the reconstructed PIE *s(w)er‑ /*swer‑ ('to shine, to glow, to burn'). This PIE root appears in several Indo-European languages:

. Sanskrit svár — 'sky, heaven, sunlight'.

. Vedic Svar / Svarga — 'heaven, the radiant sky'.

. Avestan xvarənah‑ — 'glory, shining divine radiance'.

Thus *Svarog means 'The Bright One', 'The Radiant One', 'The Shining Heavenly Father'. Scholars regard *Svarog as the closest functional (not linguistic) reflex of the PIE Sky Father  *Dyēus ph₂tēr. As in the case of other Indo-European religions there was a shift away from the original, older Sky Father as the chief deity to a younger Thunder God:

. Germanic- Thor overshadows Tyr.

. Greek- Zeus absorbs Dyaus. 

. Baltic- Perkūnas overshadows Dievas.

. Vedic- Indra replaces Dyaus.

Thus in the Slavic world Perun overshadows Svarog. 

Svarog becomes a more distant Sky Father and is no longer active in the running of the world: this function has been transferred to the Thunder God, Perun, who becomes the chief deity in historical Slavic paganism. He becomes the god who is invoked by princes and warriors, and in the agreement of treaties. Svarog remains as a sky-fire deity, the father of Dazhbog, a solar deity who is the giver of wealth, prosperity, and good fortune. The etymology of His name is dažd‑ / dať- 'to give' and bogъ-'god, fortune, wealth'. In other words, 'The Giving God', 'The God Who Gives Wealth/Good Fortune'. Svarog's other son in some traditions is Svarožič, his name meaning 'Son of Svarog' and He is a solar-fire deity. 

While Svarog's significance fades, becoming more distant and mythic, and Perun rises to dominance, Dazhbog becomes the culture-hero and the sole benefactor of Svarog. He is an essential link, middle generation or intermediary stage between the two deities. The Indo-European pattern of the shift of power and dominance from the original Sky Father to a more active, younger and martial deity is a reflection of what was happening in Indo-European society at that time, a move from pastoral  and sky- orientated cultures to warrior, storm-orientated societies. The Thunder God represented power, protection and active kingship.

The shift from the Indo‑European Sky‑Father (*Dyēus ph₂tēr) to the Thunder‑God (*Perkʷunos) occurred over a very long time period from  4,000 BCE to 2,500 BCE (See The Prehistorical Sky Father Who Predated Zeus , Alexander Gale, 1 June 2026), from the Neolithic to the Chalcolithic (Copper Age) on the Pontic-Caspian steppe. The rise of the Thunder God corresponded with the emergence of warrior elites, increased raiding and conflicts, the spread of the domestication of the horse and mobile warfare. These social changes necessitated the emergence of a warrior-protector deity over a more distant and abstract Sky Father. This shift was already underway before the dispersal of the Indo-Europeans and the beginning of the Bronze Age. During this time, before their dispersal, we see the rise in importance of the central myth of the Thunder God myth, the slaying of the dragon. See the excellent book, The Medieval Dragon: The Nature of the Beast in Germanic Literature, 1998 by Joyce Tally Lionarons, published by Hisarlik Pr.

Timeline

Early PIE	before 4000 BCE	Sky‑Father (Dyēus) is chief deity
Late PIE	4000–2500 BCE	Thunder‑god (Perkʷunos) rises in importance
Early Bronze Age	2500–1500 BCE	Thunder‑god becomes dominant in most IE cultures
Historical IE cultures	after 1500 BCE	Zeus, Indra, Thor, Perun, Perkūnas take over

East Slavic Sky Father

The East Slavic (Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian) reflex of the Sky Father is Svarog, as I have already discussed in The Proto-Slavic Sky Father section of this essay. Indeed, it is in the texts of the  East Slavs that His name is preserved best. While not worshipped historically, He survives in the mythic genealogy. His son, Svarožič does not survive independently and His functions appear to have been absorbed into the other son, Dazhbog. Indeed, East Slavs call themselves 'Dazhbog's grandchildren.'

West Slavic Sky Father

Svarog's name does not appear in West Slavic sources, and neither does Dazhbog's. The only reflex of the Sky Father is Svarožič. Among the West Slavs (Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Polabians, Sorbs) He is a fire-god, war-god, oracle-god and the protector of the tribe. His name is attested as Zuarasici among the Sorbs and as Rethra among the Polabians. 

South Slavic Sky Father

Among the South Slavs (Serbs, Croats, Bulgarians, Slovenes) no names (with the exception of Dazhbog in Bulgarian apocrypha) have been preserved, only divine functions. Bulgarian folklore preserves a faint memory of a sky-smith figure. Fire rituals (kres, koleda, oganj) preserve the role of a fire-god. As already stated, the Bulgarian apocrypha is the only place where Dazhbog's name is preserved in the texts of the South Slavs. The Bulgarian Apocryphal Chronicle of 1073 refers to Him as a pre-Christian being and as a sun-related figure ('Dazhbog, the sun‑tsar'). He is demonised as a pagan ruler. His name, having survived well into the 11th century, the Christian scribes could not erase him, so they recast Him as an evil entity, although His solar character still shines through (if you excuse the intended pun!).