One of the best and most interesting objects from the collection of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine is a ritual finial associated with the cult of the supreme Scythian deity - Papai. Papai is the god of fertility and a harsh heavenly thunderer, the personification of the sky, the creator of the world and mankind, the forefather of all Scythians. It was closely connected with the cult of the cosmic world tree and the eagle - the bird-symbol of this deity.
The finial in the form of a branched world tree with a trunk and four branches vividly reflects the Scythian worldview. There is the figure of Papai in the center of the trunk. Above it, there are eagles that symbolize the heavenly world. Below it, there are animals on the branches that embody the earthly world. The round pendant badges represent the Sun in the sky, the crescent ones depict the Moon. Bells are symbols of thunder and lightning. Scythians attached finials to a wooden shaft and used it during rituals.
