Hors

For the town in Armenia, see Hors, Armenia.

In Slavic mythology, Hors (Old Church Slavonic: Хърсъ, Cyrillic: Хорс) is the Slavic sun god.

The name Hors comes from the Iranian languages (Scythian or Sarmatian) — see Avestan: hvarə хšаētəm, Middle Persian: xvaršêt, Persian: xuršēt «shining sun».

According to the Russian Primary Chronicle, in 980, Vladimir I of Kiev «placed the idols at the hill outside the palace: wooden Perun… and Hors, Dažbog and Stribog and Simargl and Mokosh».

Based on the situation in the transfer of the gods of the pantheon of great prince Vladimir, the Hors was the second most important deity in this period. The author of Tale of Igor's Campaign provides the name of the Hors epithet Great.

Hypotheses about the functions of the god Hors based on the interpretation of the text of the Tale of Igor’s Campaign. It is believed that the Hors was the god of the solar disk. Hors moved across the sky during the day, and under the ground — at night. Based on a literal reading of the text Tale of Igor’s Campaign can be assumed and the existence of representations of the sacred «way of Hors», which Vseslav crossed somewhere between Kiev and Tmutarakan.

In connection with the motif of movement Hors among scientists there is a perception of «Riding of Hors».

External links

• Hors // Mythological Dictionary (Russian)
• Hors // Dictionary-reference of the Tale of Igor’s Campaign. Vol. 6. T-Ya and additions. M., 1984. (Russian)