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Fig. 100. Stone statues from Ruthenian territories. 1 -rod, 2 - Slonim, 3 — the area of Pskov, 4 - Sebezh, 5 • two-faced idol from Yarivka. The faces arranged as (From V.V. Sedov, 1982, p. 287-288). 7 - the statuę J.S. Yinokur, 1972, p. 108).

-    the area of Novog-

-    Akulinino, 6 - the in images of Janus. : from Kalus (After

Fig. 101. The statuę from Łopuszna near Rohatyn, turend into a cross. A pair of legs which remained fron the former sculpture is visible in the front. After J. Sokołowska, 1928, p. 127.

Figurę B has been quałified as female only because of the accompanying picture from the middle layer. The ring in its hand, eagerly interpreted as a symbol of marriage, is rather a bracelet, one of the Germanie symbols of priesthood (de Vries, 1956-1957, vol. 1, p. 386-390). The Scandinavians decorated statues of gods with bracelets, they were wom by priests during rituals. Bracelets were also known in Ruthenia, which is mentioned in Primary Chronicie (year 945). Thus, the Zbruch deity shows the four aspects of its naturę: the absolute, though passive sovereign (figurę D with-out any attributes), the warrior (figurę C with the sword and horse), the priest and cult patron (figurę B with the bracelet), and the patron of harvest, similar to Sventovit in his agrarian function. If we accept the reconstruction of the Slavonic pantheon proposed by A. Gieysztor, the only god of such features can be Perun. Traces of red paint on the Zbruch idol (Kozłowski, 1964, p. 64) supply another argument for this thesis, as red is the colour of war deities.

Quite recently, in an alleged sanctuary on the mountain Zamczysko--Zvenigorod, a steep hill upon the Zbruch several kilometers from Bogit, a primitive stone idol of square shape was found. Only fragmentary results of the excavations undertaken there have been published so far (Rusanova, 1992, p. 62; Timoshchuk 1993).

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