Monday 13 September 2021

Thracian Jarilo and Vesna

Amazing silver jug from Rogozen Thracians Treasure, second half of the 4th century BC, History Museum of Vratsa. Bulgarian Academy of Sciences...Pics by Daniel Nikolov...

Here is the plan of the vessel. The scene depicts two 4 wheeled carts pulled by 4 winged horses and driven by female drivers...



The passenger in the first cart is a male, holding a bow in his left hand and what looks like an arrowhead in his right hand. 

The passenger in the second cart is a female, holding a cup in her right hand while flowers grow out of the small finger on her raised right hand...

Who are these characters? If we assume that these are characters from the Greek mythology, the male could be Apollo. But who would then be the female?

It is interesting that in South Slavic mythology they could represent Jarilo (Young spring sun) and Vesna (Young spring earth) who get married at the beginning of summer...

Jarilo and Vesna are twins...Spring Earth is basically the effect of the Spring Sun...Which could explain both of them being driven in a quadriga pulled by white horses, the vehicle of choice of the sun god...

But that would be crazy, right?

Any other possible explanation for this...

I talked about horse as a solar animal in Slavic mythology in my post "Horseman" and about the reason why horse is a solar animal in my posts "Trojan horse", "Unicorn" and "Re'em"

1 comment:

  1. Could it be Artemis? Also can Apollo and Artemis be the Greek adaptation of Jarilo and Vesna, seeing that their mother is Leto and not Hera?

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