Slavic Khokhloma Wood Horse Red

Description

Perfect for your ritual space or altar.

The three animals that appear the most in Slavic myths are the bear, the wolf, and the horse. In that trio, it would at first seem the horse is the odd one out. Both wolves and bears were seen as powerful forces of nature, though, and to the Slavs, the horse was no different.

The multitude of sides to the horse are reflected in the many gods represented by it. Jaryło (Jarilo/Yarilo), a god of agriculture and spring, was often pictured riding a white horse with the coming of spring. One of his sisters, Dziewanna (Devana), was the goddess of the wilds and hunt, and her symbol was the mare. Dadźbóg (Dažbog), god of the sun, was said to be riding a chariot through the sky with three horses: gold, silver, and diamond. But not all the perceptions were positive. Czarnobóg (Chernobog), a dark god, rode a black horse when he faced his rival, Białobóg (Belobog), who rode a white horse.

This horse’s importance doesn’t stop with deities, though. In rituals conducted by wróżbici diviners, the behavior of horses would be used to determine whether the tribe should march to war or not. During weddings, horses were also considered to symbolize the young groom, and during many festivals, people dressed up as horses or rode them to symbolize great creatures or battles.

In Western Slavic lore, black and white horses were believed to be created by Chernobog and Belobog, respectively. The Sun itself was thought to travel in a horse-drawn chariot during the day and in a boat drawn by ducks at night. Many male Deities (examples, Yarilo, Sventovit, and Perun) and some female (examples, Morana and Dziewana) are portrayed riding a horse. Stribog and His grandsons, the Winds are also sometimes portrayed riding a black horse. Horses that belong to the Sun, however, are traditionally white with golden manes. Researchers notice that Yarilo (Christian Saint George) typically rides a chestnut-colored horse. Morana is believed to specifically prefer “pale” horses, and Dziewana is usually envisioned riding a chestnut or dark bay horse. Svarog, the Heavenly Smith, is also associated with horses, particularly bay and chestnut-colored ones. A skeletal horse (Morovitsa) sometimes accompanies Koshchei or Death and represents Animal Death.

The Khokhloma style is named for the village of Khokhloma in Koverninsky District, Novgorod Oblast, Volga region, where it first appeared in the second half of the 17th century. The production of painted dishes in Khokhloma is first mentioned in 1659 in the letter of a boyar called Morozov to his bailiff, containing an order for the following: “One hundred painted dishes polished with powdered tin, both large and medium, of the very same kind possessed by us earlier, not forgetting twenty large painted wine bowls, twenty medium, and twenty somewhat smaller”.

The handicraft owes its origin to the Old Believers, who, fleeing from persecutions of officials, took refuge in local woods. Even earlier, however, local villagers had experience in making tableware from soft woods. Among the schismatics there were icon-painters, who taught local craftsmen the special technique of painting wood in a golden color without the use of genuine real gold.

You will receive 1 hand painted horse

Imported