| “ | Among Slavic people, there is one weird belief that is kept in their drinking fests and feasts. They at same time bless and curse under names of their Gods, respectively in the name of good One and evil One, saying that good things come from good God and evil comes from evil One. In their language they call evil God Chernobog, or Black God. | „ |
| ~ Abraham Sapien |
Chernobog is an enigmatic, dark and accursed deity from Slavic mythology, who is the usually seen as the root of all evil. He is the dualistic counterpart to the good Belobog.
Description[]
Chernobog is a god of darkness, about whom much has been speculated but little can be said definitively. The only historical sources, which are Christian ones, interpret him as a dark, accursed god, but it is questionable how important (or evil) he was really considered to be by ancient Slavs.
In the 20th and 21st century the image of Chernobog has been often compared to that of Satan or many other demons, often forgetting the dualistic truth of the deity. Wherever he went, calamity and disaster would follow such as famine, disease, blight, and murder. Wherever he turned, bad luck and misfortune accompanied him. It is very possible that the worship of Chernobog was out of fear. Families sacrificing cattle, and giving everything they possessed to the god in order to appease him.
Overview[]
Chernobog is among the most enigmatic dark deities throughout mythology. All that is known of him is that he is a god of darkness and represents the dark counterpart of the dualistic side to creation and the natural order as a whole. He is often interpreted as the darkness that dwells in the same space as the light within the spiritual shells of human and beast. Despite the mystery surrounding him, he is one of the most popular Slavic gods in the world.
Chernobog's origins are largely a mystery though some believe he was born of Chaos, while others suggest that he took shape when the first act of evil was committed. In regards to the latter, his manifestation through the first malevolent act is implied to have actually been one committed by the gods themselves rather than humanity. Moreover, given that he is the dualistic counterpart of Belobog it is safe to assume that the Slavic light god engaged in an act that warranted the darkness taking form from within him. However, another belief in regards to his origins is that both Chernobog and Belobog were once a single entity, which was Sedobog, that constantly warred against himself through his indecisiveness, resulting in him separating himself into two halves which became Chernobog and Belobog whilst Sedobog embodied neutrality.
Whatever the case may be concerning Chernobog's background, he is still an important deity among the Slavic people despite his position as a being of darkness and evil. Much like how the ancient Chinese philosophical concept of the Yin and Yang is important in Taoism, Chernobog carries the same status of importance, serving as a counterbalance to benevolence and goodness throughout the natural order of things for one cannot exist without the other, which in itself is indication as to how Chernobog and Belobog view each other.