Symbols of Nature in Ukrainian Beliefs

Abstract

Nature has always had a unique, sacred meaning in the beliefs of ancient Ukrainians. Rivers, forests, the sky – everything that surrounded our ancestors had its own spirit and was endowed with human features. In the imagination of our ancestors, the stormy river sang loud songs, the storm shouted, full of human-like anger, and ancient forests often appeared in people’s imagination thoughtful and full of strange sadness. Ancient Ukrainians lived in this subconscious, emotional world, and that is why concepts or symbols like Water, Earth, and Sun played a big role for our ancestors. They always accompanied the life of our ancestors, they were the main thing that people had once believed in.