Svarog is a Slavic deity about whom we actually know very little, but a modern myth has been created about him based on a single passage surviving in the Primary Chronicle, scattered folklore references, and comparative religious studies.
He is most often described as a sky god, who may have been a creator, and was the father of the gods of the sun and fire. He may have created the world and then handed it over to his sons to rule.
Elsewhere he is described as a more humble blacksmith god, who made some of the weapons of the great heroes, not unlike the Greek god Hephaestus, with whom he is often compared.
Evidence from the Primary Chronicle
A passage from an earlier work called simply the Chronicle by John Males appears in the work known as the Primary Chronicle, put together by the Kievan Rus to cover the years from the 850s to the 1110s. The compilation that survives today probably dates to the 17th century.
There is a short section that deals with Svarog, who is described as using the name of the Greek god Hephaestus. It says that the sun god Helios is the son of Hephaestus, who was known by the Egyptians as Svarog.
The passage implies that he was a smith, as during his reign in Egypt tongs fell from the sky and began to forge weapons. Before that time, men beat each other with sticks and stones.
It also says that Svarog established the law of monogamy and that men and women should only be married to one other.
After his reign, he handed power over to his son, the sun god Helios, called Dazhbog, who ruled for 7470 days.
This passage is very unclear as it is not certain whether the characteristics described refer to Svarog or Hephaestus. For example, the pagan Slavs were not monogamous, so this seems like a strange law to credit the god. But there is also no evidence that Hephaestus was ever considered the father of a sun god. The association with weapons might point more to war than blacksmithing.
Sky Father
The suggestion that Svarog could have been a sky father comes from etymology. The name could come from the Slavic stem svar, which means heat of light, which is also the source word for blacksmithing. But others suggest that e comes from the Sanskrit stem svar, which means radiance, sky or sun.
On this basis, it is suggested that in Slavic mythology Svarog is the celestial fire, the sun, Perun is the atmospheric fire, lightning, and Dazhbog, the son of Svarog, is earthly fire, so fire.
This interpretation has largely been rejected from lack of other supporting evidence.
Master Blacksmith
The comparison with Hephaestus strongly suggests that Svarog was some kind of god of blacksmiths and forges. This might mean that he is better compared with the Russian folklore her Volk Vseslavyevich, who was a magician and hero and a blacksmith to many other ancient heroes. He is also associated with marriage, as he welded the hair of men and women to symbolically unite them in marriage. This would seem to relate back to the story of Svarog in Egypt.
This could also suggest that he was related to the Finnish god Ilmarinen, an immortal capable of creating practically anything and working in iron, gold, and silver. In the story known as The Kalevala, he forged many weapons to try and win a maiden’s hand in marriage, including a crossbow with a golden arch, copper shaft, and quarrel-tips of silver. But the bow has an evil spirit and asked for a new victim each day, so Ilmarinen broke it and cast the pieces back in the fire.
Next, he made a metal ship with ribs of gold and copper oars, but it too was evil at heart and always wanted to rush towards battle, so Ilmarinen broke it and threw it back in the first. On the third day e made a metal cow with golden horns and the sun and stars on its brow. But it was ill-tempered and also destroyed. On the fourth day he made a golden plow with copper beam and silver handles. It too was flawed destroying the fields it plowed.
Following these disappointments, he called the four winds to help him and flame his forge for three days. From this he produced the Sampo, a magic mill that produces grain, salt, and gold. While the mother of the bride was pleased with the gift, the maiden herself still refused to marry Ilmarinen.
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