Slavic Pantheon

[moonraingirl]

Thank you for adding more symbols!
I'm so glad that there's someone interested in Slavic mythology. I think it's important to spread knowledge about it, because then we have lots of Slavs who worship Celtic or Egyptian mythology... Don't get me wrong, there's absolutely nothing wrong about that! It's just that it seems that most sources are about foreign mythologies so that our people don't get the info about their own culture. I am the same, I've only recently discovered Slavic culture which is closer to me than the foreign ones.
So I thought it would be a good idea to create a thread where we could at least-copy paste the info from various sources, because it seems that there's no large, all-inclusive source online. Maybe it will be useful for someone some day (even though this is a predominantly English and US forum)
It would be so great if more people joined, maybe Yana Khan (is she from Bulgaria?) and someone who recently introduced himself is from Poland, too.

Here's one Goddess that is missing from the original list.
Samovila
The Eastern European goddess who lived deep in the woods and was a great protector of animals. If anyone harmed any of her creatures, they could be lured into a magical circle and danced to death, or perhaps caught in a landslide or drowned in a river. As a shape shifter, she could be a falcon, swan, snake, horse or whirlwind. She might agree to teach a human her skills if the proper ceremony were performed in the woods on a full moon Sunday before sunrise. A bear mother goddess figure was found at Kosovska-Mitrovica (Fafos II) Yugoslavia, of the Vinca culture, c. 5300-4000 BCE.
The Slavic goddess of the woods who has the ability to shapeshift into a falcon, horse, snake, swan or a whirlwind; and would not hesitate to cause harm to anyone who threatens her creatures. She lives deep in the woods and has great knowledge of plant medicine.

[Bychan Wulf]

Some more beings from the Slavic Folklore and Mythology

Baba Yaga

Among mythologies, Baba Yaga is unique to the Slavic people. Many other Slavic gods and creatures have equivalents in Roman or Greek mythology, but Baba Yaga does not.At first glance, Baba Yaga seems like various witches in European folklore. She appears as an old woman and has an extremely long nose and spindly legs. When travelers meet her, she gives them a blessing or a curse depending on her mood.But Baba Yaga also has a variety of features that are uncommon. She lives in a hut with chicken legs on the bottom that allow it to move around. When Baba Yaga is outside her hut, she travels in a mortar with a pestle.Like traditional witches, Baba Yaga carries a broom, but she uses it to sweep away the tracks that she makes. In certain traditions, Baba Yaga appears as three sisters, each with the same name.Nobody knows exactly when Baba Yaga stories began. Unlike many other Slavic mythological beings, Baba Yaga folklore was still going strong in the 20th century. Part of the staying power of Baba Yaga is that her morality is hard to pin down. In hopes of receiving great wisdom, travelers trekked from far and wide to talk with her.
(In the TV series "Lost Girl" which is mostly about different types of Fae, Baba Yaga can be summoned by young women with broken hearts who seek vengeance against their ex-lovers. Not sure if the info used there is accurate,but thought it should be shared)

Bannik

The banya steam bath is an important part of Eastern European life, especially in countries like Russia and Ukraine. These steam baths are especially frequented in the winter and are supposed to have a variety of medicinal benefits.Ancient Russian records often mention the banya. In fact, it was even used for childbirth. Due to the social and cultural influence of the banya, Slavic mythologies included a banya spirit known as Bannik.Bannik was a mischievous spirit who rarely did good for anyone. His appearance was that of an old man with long claws. Whenever bathing occurred in the banya, occupants of the banya always left on the third or fourth session to give Bannik privacy. They also regularly thanked the spirit and left him offerings of soap.Tales of Bannik said that he had the power to predict the future. When asked a question, Bannik would softly touch the back of the questioner if the future was good and flay his back if the future was bad. When Bannik got angry, he would claw off the skin of those who annoyed him.As the banya was usually the place of Russian childbirth, folk traditions included ways to keep Bannik from interfering with the delivery. When a woman gave birth in the banya, part of the midwife’s job was to keep Bannik away.According to legend, Bannik ate or flayed children in the banya. A midwife would dip stones in water and throw them into the corner of the banya to distract Bannik.The banya was also important in wedding ceremonies. Before a couple sat in the steam bath together, wedding guests threw rocks and pottery at the walls from the outside to scare away Bannik and keep the wedding couple safe.

Zduhac

In pre-Christian Slavic lands, witchcraft was an important part of the culture. Various witches and wizards were employed to protect people and lands from marauding spirits. Chief among the protectors of the ancient Slavs were the zduhacs. A zduhac was a man who used supernatural powers to protect his village and attack other villages.Scholars are unsure about the origin of the zduhac tradition, but it seems to be a corrupted form of the Eurasian shamans. The shaman tradition most likely traveled west with trans-Siberian Finno-Ugric and Uralic ethnic groups.Ancient Slavs were already superstitious people, and the idea of a supernatural protector fit in well with their belief system. Each village had a zduhac that fought the zduhac from another village. Often, these fights occurred in the clouds.Sometimes, the two zduhacs transformed into animals and fought that way. If they were not shape-shifting, zduhacs had a variety of weapons, including sticks that were charred at both ends and used as magical talismans.Tradition varies about how the zduhac got his power. Some traditions state that it came from special clothing, although others assume that the zduhac made a pact with a demon to get his powers.The tradition of the zduhac survived well into the modern era of Slavic culture, especially in Montenegro. Although zduhacs were no longer defenders of villages, common folklore stated that different influential men were the modern zduhacs. These include the Montenegrin general Marko Miljanov and various Montenegrin spiritual leaders.

Domovoi

The domovoi are household spirits that were common in pre-Christian Slavic myths. Although Christian missionaries were mostly successful in removing the old pagan ideas from their new Slavic converts, domovoi traditions remained intact throughout the centuries.Domovoi were household protectors that were generally seen as kind spirits. Most depictions of domovoi show small, bearded, masculine creatures that are similar to Western European household spirits such as hobgoblins.To complete his chores and protect the house, a domovoi often took the form of the head of the household. Many legends state that a domovoi was seen working in the yard in the shape of the head of the household while the real person was fast asleep in bed. Rarely, a domovoi took the shape of a cat or dog.If the household that he was protecting was rude or unclean, the domovoi harassed the family in ways that were similar to a poltergeist, pulling small pranks until the family cleaned up their act.A domovoi could also act as an oracle. If one was seen dancing and laughing, good fortune would come. If a domovoi rubbed the bristles of a comb, a wedding would happen soon. But if he extinguished candles, misfortune would fall upon the household.The legend of the domovoi survived through the 20th century, making occasional appearances in Russian art.

Kikimora

The opposite of the domovoi was the kikimora, an evil household spirit in Slavic mythology that was especially prominent in Polish and Russian stories.The kikimora was a witch or the spirit of the deceased who lived in the house and was usually seen as a source of evil. She lived behind the stove or in the cellar of the house and made noises to get food. Most of the time, the kikimora terrorized the family, especially if the house was not in order.According to Slavic traditions, the kikimora entered a house through the keyhole and attempted to strangle people in their sleep. The kikimora normally sat on the sleeping person and strangled them. Ancient Russians assumed that the kikimora was the cause of sleep paralysis.To repel the kikimora, residents had to say elaborate prayers or place brooms near the door. Polish traditions held that children should make the sign of the cross on their pillows to repel the kikimora.Although encounters with a kikimora could be life-threatening, the kikimora was usually more of an annoyance and just attempted to scare residents of the house.When the house was dirty or not in order, the kikimora whistled and broke dishes. But if she liked the house, she helped to take care of the chickens and other household chores.Since the kikimora is such a big part of Slavic mythology, she is a common character in stories and music. A recently discovered spider was named after her.

Mokosh

Before the Christian era, Mokosh was the Slavic god of fertility that was common in Russian and Eastern Polish mythologies. She was traditionally associated as a handmaiden to Mat Zemlya, the god of nature, but worship of Mokosh gradually overtook that of Mat Zemlya.Unlike Mat Zemlya, Mokosh worship survived well into the 19th century, and she is still a popular figure in modern-day Russia. Although Mokosh seemed to originate in Finno-Ugric tribes, she gradually became widespread in Slavic lands. This accounted for the Finnish etymology of her name.Mokosh was depicted as a wanderer who was responsible for spinning, childbirth, and protecting women. Believers saw her as the giver of life in the form of children and weather. Tradition stated that rain was the breast milk of Mokosh and gave life to the land.Worship of Mokosh included fertility rituals and praying to breast-shaped boulders. The Slavic people reserved the last Friday of October to worship her. Mokosh festivals included dancing in two circles, with the outer circle representing life and the inner circle representing death.Christian missionaries attempted to stamp out all Mokosh cults by replacing her with Mother Mary. However, the missionaries were not entirely successful because Mokosh is still an important figure in Slavic mythology.

Radegast

Radegast is one of the oldest gods in Slavic mythology and one that has been mostly reconstructed from secondary documents. His name comes from two old Slavic words meaning “dear guest.”From that etymology, it is assumed that Radegast was worshiped as a god of banquets and houseguests. It is believed that a ceremonial invitation was given to him by people holding a feast.When he arrived, tradition stated that Radegast wore black armor and was armed with a sphere. Researchers believe that he was an important god for leaders and town councils.Usually, the person appointed to lead a town council was called Radegast for the duration of the meeting. As a result, Radegast became central to the political and economic lives of the Slavic people.Piecing together the mythology behind Radegast is difficult because Christian missionaries made a special effort to stamp out worship of him. Mt. Radhost in the modern-day Czech Republic had a large statue of Radegast, but the Christian missionaries Cyril and Methodius destroyed it.Legend also states that Slavic pagans sacrificed Christian bishop Johannes Scotus to Radegast in 1066. During the era of Christianization, these actions made the missionaries focus on ending Radegast worship and many of the primary documents were lost.In modern times, author J.R.R. Tolkien named one of his wizards Radegast, ensuring that the legend survives today.

Chernobog

Of all the Slavic polytheistic deities, Chernobog is the most well-known to the general population. He appeared in Disney’s Fantasia and was also important in Neil Gaiman’s popular novel American Gods, which will soon be adapted for TV.Oddly enough, Chernobog was one of the more theoretical gods of the Slavic pantheon. It is nearly impossible to find source material for him, and most secondary material comes from Christian sources.The first known record of Chernobog came from the writings of Father Helmold, a German priest, in the 12th century. According to Helmold, the Slavic people engaged in rituals surrounding Chernobog, including passing bowls around a circle and whispering prayers to protect themselves from him. From Helmold’s writings, scholars have learned that Chernobog was the personification of evil. He wore a dark cloak and appeared to be a devil.It is not clear how widespread this myth was in ancient Russia, but it seems to have been prominent in northern Russia. The role of Chernobog overlapped with the evil god Veles of older mythology.Evidence of Chernobog is also seen in common Slavic phrases. The phrase do zla boga literally means “go to the evil god” and is a curse. Other instances of the term “evil god” are used as an intensifier for adjectives. This structure in Slavic languages supports the idea that early Slav phrases used Chernobog as a conceptual influence.

Veles

Most ancient mythologies have one god that represents all evil and one supreme god that represents all good. Veles is the ancient Slavic god that is associated with evil. He is in constant conflict with Perun, his good brother that was the thunder god.Scholars have found a variety of sources confirming the influence of Veles over the ancient Slavs. In Slavic myths, Veles represented a supernatural force in charge of the earth, the waters, and the underworld. He is also associated with magic and cattle.Veles is said to have fought with and been defeated by Perun. Although no primary source for this myth exists, scholars have reconstructed it through analysis of Slavic folk songs, secondary records, and comparisons with other Indo-European mythologies.The Slavs believed that Veles and Perun were in constant combat, with Perun protecting the human world from Veles. Still, temples were built and dedicated to Veles, mostly in low geographical points such as valleys. He was also associated with musicians and wealth.As ancient Slavs did not usually have a clear dichotomy between good and evil, Veles was not seen as being completely bad. However, when the Christian missionaries attempted to end Slavic paganism, they taught that Veles was the Christian Devil. Thus, the depiction of Veles gradually merged with the characteristics of Satan as described in the Bible.

Perun

Although some scholars disagree, the general consensus is that the ancient Slavs considered Perun, the thunder god, to be the supreme god of humanity. Perun appears the most often in old Slavic texts, and symbols of him are common in Slavic artifacts. For the ancient Slavs, Perun was the most important god in their pantheon.Perun was the god of war and thunder. He rode a chariot and wielded several mythical weapons. The most important was his axe. He threw it at the wicked, and it always returned to his hand. Perun also fought with stone and metal weapons and fire arrows.
When Perun wanted to send the ultimate destruction upon his enemies, he used magical golden apples. These apples were talismans of ultimate devastation. Due to his epic nature, Perun was always depicted as a muscular man with a beard made of bronze.In the mythology, Perun fought with Veles over the human race and always won, banishing Veles to the underworld. As such, Perun was considered to be the most important god.
In 980, Prince Vladimir the Great erected a statue of Perun in front of his palace. As Russian power spread, the worship of Perun became prominent among the Eastern Europeans and spread throughout the Slavic culture.When the Christian missionaries first came to Russia, they attempted to dissuade the Slavs from pagan worship. In the East, missionaries taught that Perun was the prophet Elijah and made him a patron saint.Western missionaries replaced Perun with St. Michael the Archangel. Over time, the characteristics of Perun became associated with the Christian monotheistic God. Still, the worship of Perun survived throughout the Christian era, and worshipers still hold feasts on July 20 in honor of the thunder god.

[moonraingirl]

Rusalka

(Russian: Русалка) is a water nymph,[1] a female spirit in Slavic mythology and folklore. The term is sometimes translated from Bulgarian, Belarusian, Russian and Ukrainian as "mermaid".
According to Vladimir Propp, the original "rusalka" was an appellation used by Pagan Slavic tribes, who linked them with fertility and did not consider rusalki evil before the nineteenth century. They came out of the water in the spring to transfer life-giving moisture to the fields and thus helped nurture the crops.[2][3]

In nineteenth century versions, a rusalka is an unquiet, dangerous being who is no longer alive, associated with the unclean spirit. According to Dmitry Zelenin,[4] young women, who either committed suicide by drowning due to an unhappy marriage (they might have been jilted by their lovers or abused and harassed by their much older husbands) or who were violently drowned against their will (especially after becoming pregnant with unwanted children), must live out their designated time on earth as rusalki. However, the initial Slavic lore suggests that not all rusalki occurrences were linked with death from water.[3]

It is accounted by most stories that the soul of a young woman who had died in or near a river or a lake would come back to haunt that waterway. This undead rusalka is not invariably malevolent, and would be allowed to die in peace if her death is avenged. Her main purpose is, however, to lure young men, seduced by either her looks or her voice, into the depths of said waterways where she would entangle their feet with her long red hair and submerge them. Her body would instantly become very slippery and not allow the victim to cling on to her body in order to reach the surface. She would then wait until the victim had drowned, or, on some occasions, tickle them to death, as she laughed.[5] It is also believed, by a few accounts, that rusalki can change their appearance to match the tastes of men they are about to seduce, although a rusalka is generally considered to represent universal beauty, therefore is highly feared yet respected in Slavic culture.

While lore often says that the rusalki could not completely stand out of water, some fiction works tell of rusalki that could climb trees and sing songs, sit on docks with only submerged feet and comb their hair, or even join other rusalki in circle dances in the field. A particular feature of such stories revolves around the fact that this behaviour would be limited to only certain periods of the year, usually the summer (see Rusalka

The rusalki were believed to be at their most dangerous during the Rusalka Week (Rusalnaya nedelja) in early June. At this time, they were supposed to have left their watery depths in order to swing on branches of birch and willow trees by night. Swimming during this week was strictly forbidden, lest mermaids would drag a swimmer down to the river floor. A common feature of the celebration of Rusalnaya was the ritual banishment or burial of the rusalki at the end of the week, which remained as entertainment in Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine until the 1930s.[7]

[moonraingirl]

Bludička

is a supernatural being occurring in folklore around the world and also a light illusion. Bludičky occur at night, especially in the marshes and swamps, seducing pilgrims from the right direction. In medieval Latin is called Ignis Fatuus "fidgety fire", English will-o'-the-wisp or jack-o'-lantern.

Slavs believe that they are souls of the dead, especially those who died a violent death or unbaptized, in the form of bluish lights, children or men with lanterns and burning bone. [1] They can also be souls of witches who always appear in odd number. [2] Most often it is possible to meet them during winter nights, on All Souls' Day, during Advent and on Christmas Eve midnight. Most often in the marshes, cemeteries, decaying wood. Those who ridicule or whistle at them are often led into mud or water. One can, however, repent their sin and the traveler will be shown the right path or even buried treasure. They have no power over the man who has his shirt inside out. [3] They resemble a fiery man, known as fuming or dýmač. It is the soul of the sinner in the form of a pillar of fire, cask, kite or clematis in swamps, he drowns his victims, burn or tear, but like jack-o'-lantern can also help.

In the Czech Republic are also called lights or torchbearers, cvendy, rychmandle and Moravia zhubenčata or zabobončata. In Lausitz is this creature called błudnička, Bludník or delusion, Poland błędnik, Świetlik, ogonek in Russia, macarul in Serbia, vedunec in Slovenia

[Bychan Wulf]

Rod and the creation of the world

Rod is seen by the Slavs as the creator. In fact, he is thought to be everything that exists. He was born from himself. At first he was only darkness, and Rod was like a bud, trapped in the shell.
When he gave love to Lada, the goddess of love, the shell broke and love came out. (This description of the creation of the universe resembles the Big Bang). After cutting the ombilical cord Rod separated the water of the sky and the water of the ocean, creating the earth. When he freed from the egg he continued to create. He separated the true from the false, the light from the darkness, Nav (the world of the dead) from Jav (the world of the living), good from evil. Then it was the turn of Mother Earth that entered the ocean. Rod is the creator of all gods.
At the end of the creation Rod created from his body the heavenly bodies, the nature and natural phenomena. He made the sun from his face, the moon from the chest, the stars from his eyes, the sunrise and sunset from his forehead, the dark night from his thoughts, the wind from his breath, rain and snow from his tears and the lightning and the thunder from his voice.

Rod became the principle of the universe. He created cow Zemun and goat Sedunj. Their milk spread and the Milky Way was created. Svarog completed the creation of the world, putting 12 pillars to support the celestial sphere. Some sources say that Rod created the stone Alatir which poured the milk of life and from that milk Mother Earth and the milky ocean were created. Alatir remained on the milky ocean bottom and from the sea foam duck Sveta was created, who gave the birth to many other gods.
Rod actually represents the monotheistic religion of the ancient Slavs. Although there are many Slavic gods, Rod is actually portrayed as a kind of god that may be encountered in monotheistic religion today. Rod also fits into the scheme of Nietzsche’s God that had existed to create the world and form the principles of the universe. When he had finished his goal, he could disappear, or die. Rod becomes a principle and ceases to appear as God, ceases to interfere in the lives of mortals and gods directly, but he is always present and the principles that he represents everyone. He is in everything and he is the basis of everything.

In Slavic mythology, Rod is the protector of crops, birth and family.

These words in all Slavic languages ​​have their roots in the word ROD. Cousin (Rodak), relatives (rodina), birth (porod), Nature (Priroda), the people (narod), all these words contain the root of his race. This shows how Rod was respected by the Slavs who saw in him the basis of everything. Nature is Rod. The people are in Rod and Rod according to the principle is the protector of the people. Rod is the protector of blood relations and relations between the clans. Rod spreads on everything as a basic element or as a sort of foundation.

[moonraingirl]

Today, I was listening to a very interesting programme in a mainstream commercial radio where an ethnologist spoke about Slavs and their magic.

They had an interesting practice of sexual magic. When a girl wanted to charm a boy, she baked a cake for him. In the cake, she used an egg that she let flow on her naked chest and her groin area. Yeah, right THERE.
Another practice was inserting dried menstrual blood into alcohol, which was offered to him when he came to visit her.

Pagan Christmas customs included using a white table cloth embroidered with red thread for protection.
Legs of the table were binded by a chain to ensure that the whole family would hold together the following year.
They had 12 simple meals- a symbol of wholeness and prosperity. However, there was no wasting or overeating- each family member only got one bite of everything!
They put the results of their hard work on the table- grains, dried fruits, straw and anything they made that year. It was believed that this will ensure equal prosperity next year.
Breadcrumbs from Christmas dinner were kept as a magical healing food for both people and animals.
They made a long type of pasta with poppy seeds called šúľance which imitated long and rich wheat that was expected next year.
Every family had honey and garlic on the Christmas table. Honey was used by parents who made a sign of cross with it on their children's forehead to bless them. Garlic was eaten with wafers to repel evil forces.
A traditional form of divination was puring of lead into water and predicting the future from the shape that emerged.
Christmas dinner includes a fish (a symbol of Christ) and its scales are put into wallet to attract money.

Many of these customs are still practiced today.

[Bychan Wulf]

Another practice was inserting dried menstrual blood into alcohol, which was offered to him when he came to visit her.

using a white table cloth embroidered with red thread for protection.
In Romania we still do that with white and red or green and red (white gets dirty very fast,especially when people respect the tradition and eat very fat foods.

Every family had honey and garlic on the Christmas table

About Honey I don't know,but I know the east european custom of cutting garlic and drawing the outside of the windows and doors with it,so that the evil spirits can't come in. It is not done on Christmas Eve though,but on 30th of December when the Saint Andrew's night ist. It is also believed that wolfes are the only beings that are able to see and kill the evil spirits in that night.

[moonraingirl]

St. Lucy's day- December 13
(From google translate)

St Lucy's day was the most dangerous day of the year. The days were short and darkness was getting longer and longer. it was necessary to drive away evil, demonic forces, which would further strengthen in darkness. It was necessary to prevent them from entering roads and shelters. To do this, people would bang and rattle.. On that day, the noise echoed everywhere, banging and screaming. Boys and young men threw old pots and shards in both doors for stables.. This would scare the evil forces and they run away from people's houses.

On st. Lucy's eve, adults and children ate garlic, which should protect them from evil spirits. Many people made cross on the forehead, chin and wrists to increase its protective effect. They made crosses on the doors of apartment buildings and stables using garlic, chalk or blessed salt. Cattle was also smoked with sacred herbs. Important role on this day also had a local shepherd. They went around the village with a large horn to scare powerful witches. They cracked the whips, whistled the whistle and fingers, blew the horns. Their tour was usually ended on Calvary, where witches often met.

Vivid ideas associated with belief in the existence of witches is demonstrated by the many recipes that have lead to the discovery of their incognito. The most popular means of identification was certainly Lucia's stool. It was made gradually, adding something each day from Lucy to Christmas. When a boy sat on such stool in the church on the Midnight sermon, the identity of all witches was revealed to him. Or he took a stool to the cross, made holy by chalk circle around him and showed him the witches.

Generally it was a favorable time for magic and prophecies in love affairs. The girls most often used to do with apples from which they bit every morning before sunrise. The last time they bit into it when the bells rung for Christmas. The first boy they saw was supposed to become their groom. Widespread use of the method, which has been preserved until today, is the preparation of the thirteen papers with male names. They are put under the pillow and one is burned each day. The one that is left for Christmas will reveal their future husband. However, only 11 names were written on papers. One paper was hiding "death" and one, which was the scariest, said "spinster".

The most famous custom is cleansing of evil forces by young girls. They wore white sheets and their faces were powdered with flour. They carried goose feathers or brooms and swept corners of every house, cleansing it from evil. This custom has remained to present day.

I can't attach a picture but here you can see how Lucias look today https://www.google.sk/search?q=lucia+zv ... 632#imgrc=_

[Bychan Wulf]

Here's a video from Morena burning

I just heard about a simmilar custom in my country,near to the city my dad was born in....it is called breaking the goat
At first,between Christmas and New Year,young boys build a wooden goat head and "dress up" in a goat. They come in small bands and wish people good things for the New Year
And now,on 2nd of January,they "break the goates",meaning that they burn their wooden masks and make a lot of noise in order to banish the bad spirits.
http://m.stirileprotv.ro/lbin/mobile/in ... id=3607989

[Bychan Wulf]

I did some research and the "goat" is a custom in western Russia too and has the same meaning.

[Bychan Wulf]

Slavic festivals:
Source:wiki
Slavic myths were cyclical, repeating every year over a series of festivities that followed changes of nature and seasons.

The year was lunar and began in early March, similar to other Indo-European cultures whose old calendar systems are better known to us. The names for the last night of the old year and the first day of the new year are reconstructed as Velja Noc (*Velja Notj)/Velik Dan (Velikŭ dĭnĭ) (Great Night/Great Day). After Christianization, these names were probably passed onto Easter. In Slavic countries belonging to Orthodox Churches, Easter is known as Velik Dan/Great Day, while among Catholic Slavs, it is known as Velika Noc/Great Night. The names blend nicely with the translation of the Greek Megale Evthomada, Great Week, the Christian term for the week in which Easter falls. In pagan times, however, this was a holiday probably quite like Halloween. Certain people (shamans) donned grotesque masks and coats of sheep wool, roaming around the villages, as during the Great Night, it was believed, spirits of dead ancestors travelled across the land, entering villages and houses to celebrate the new year with their living relatives. Consequently, the deity of the last day of the year was probably Veles, god of the Underworld.

There was a large spring festival dedicated to Jarilo, god of vegetation and fertility. Processions of young men or girls used to go round villages on this day, carrying green branches or flowers as symbols of new life. They would travel from home to home, reciting certain songs and bless each household with traditional fertility rites. The leader of the procession, usually riding on a horse, would be identified with Jarilo. The custom of creating pysanki or decorated eggs, also symbols of new life, was another tradition associated with this feast, which was later passed on to Christian Easter.

The summer solstice festival is known today variously as Pust, Ivanje, Kupala or Kries. It was celebrated pretty much as a huge wedding, and, according to some indications from historical sources, in pagan times likely followed by a general orgy. There was a lot of eating and drinking on the night before, large bonfires (in Slavic — Kres) were lit, and youngsters were coupling and dancing in circles, or jumped across fires. Young girls made wreaths from flowers and fern (which apparently was a sacred plant for this celebration), tossed them into rivers, and on the basis of how and where they floated, foretold each other how they would get married. Ritual bathing on this night was also very important; hence the name of Kupala (from kupati = to bathe), which probably fit nicely with the folk translation of the future patron saint the Church installed for this festival, John the Baptist (Ivan Kupala Day). Overall, the whole festivity probably celebrated a divine wedding of a fertility god, associated with the growth of plants for harvesting.

In the middle of summer, there was a festival associated with thunder-god Perun, in post-Christian times transformed into a very important festival of Saint Elijah. It was considered the holiest time of the year, and there are some indications from historic sources that it involved human sacrifices (See Human Sacrifices of the Slavic People).

The harvest probably began afterwards. However, this theory of a blood sacrifice of the Slavic people is claimed to have been debunked by Волхва Богумила Мурина (Volhv Bogumil Murin) in his 2011 book, 'Кровавые жертвоприношения у славян: Разоблачение мифа' (Bloody Sacrifices of the Slavs: Debunking the Myth)

It is unclear when exactly the end of harvest was celebrated, but historic records mention an interesting tradition associated with it that was celebrated at the Svantevit temple on the island of Ruyana (present-day Rugen), and survived through later folklore. People would gather in front of the temple, where priests would place a huge wheat cake, almost the size of a human. The high priest would stand behind the cake and ask the masses if they saw him. Whatever their answer was, the priest would then plead that the next year, people could not see him behind the ritual cake, i.e. that the next year's harvest would be even more bountiful.

There was probably also an important festival around winter solstice, which later became associated with Christmas. Consequently, in many Slavic countries, Christmas is called Bozhich, which simply means little god. While this name fits very nicely with the Christian idea of Christmas, the name is likely of pagan origin; it indicated the birth of a young and new god of the sun to the old and weakened solar deity during the longest night of the year. The old sun god was identified as Svarog, and his son, the young and new sun, as Dažbog.An alternative (or perhaps the original) name for this festival was Korochun or Koleda.

For who is interested,the russian pagan folk/metal band Arkona sing about the Slavic gods,beliefs amd festivals. The only problem:the don't speak much English

[moonraingirl]

A short article about festival at the end of the witner. Zvončari, Croatia

http://www.slavorum.org/zvoncari-the-pa ... n-croatia/

[moonraingirl]

Znitch- an old Slavic deity of fire. His symbol was fire which was kept by priests in temples. Znitch was a giver of life sustaining warmth and helped in battles. That's why he recieved sacrifices in the form of war trophies.

To this day, there are words in Slovak
"zničiť", to destroy and
"vznietit" - to set on fire

Painting by Emilievich Ivanov

[moonraingirl]

MAVKA (from Facebook group Slavs)

Ancient Slavic mythology is rich in fantastic creatures. One particularly interesting and mysterious group of these creatures, the mavkas, have even inspired the great Ukrainian poetess Lesya Ukrainka to write her immortal poem "Lisova pisnya" ("Forest Song").

As ancient Slavic mythology has it, mavkas are the souls of dead children living in forests and fields.
The word "mavka" (or "navka") likely derives from a common Slavic root "nav" meaning "death" or "dead body". Some researchers suggest that the word may come from the Indo-European root "nau" meaning "corpse".

Mavkas were little children who either died unbaptized, were killed by their mothers, or were children who died during the so called "Mermaids week" (the week after Trinity when according to Slavic mythology, mermaids walk the earth). It was believed that after death mermaids took these children.

So what did mavkas look like? They looked either like children or young beautiful women with flower crowns on their long hair, wearing thin white grave clothes. Mavkas-girls had long blond hair. And mavkas-boys had short, red, curly hair. They could be found in the woods, at the crossroads, or in the fields.

Mavkas had a nice, round face, and a beautiful, tall stature. But they looked like young women only from the front; from the back one could see all their insides as they didn't have skin. They did not cast shadows. When running on the grass, it rocked under their feet.

Mavkas lived in forests and also in caves. In the spring, as soon as the snow began to melt, mavkas planted flowers near mountain caves, and when everything flourished, they were swaying on the branches, picking flowers, garlanding and dancing. In the places where they danced, grass grew better. Mavkas could live in bodies of water like rivers and lakes. They often made friends with mermaids. In some regions of Ukraine mavkas were considered a kind of mermaids(sometimes, they were called "forest mermaids"). Mavkas had many things in common with mermaids.

Mavkas took revenge with people for their early death. They would misdirect people into swamps where the people would drown. Mavkas could also tickle a person to death. Mavkas often lured young fellows and killed them, just like mermaids did. Sometimes mavkas asked travelers to give them a comb. If they got it, they would comb their hair and go away, otherwise they could kill the travelers.

It was believed that mavkas appeared on earth in the springtime.

And on Green holiday (the last three days of the week preceding the Trinity, and the first three days of the Trinity week), mavkas danced with frenzy near lakes and rivers. On Mavkas' Easter (otherwise referred to as Clean Thursday), mavkas and mermaids went into meadows and forests - they turned into people and even ate ordinary human food.

On Mermaids' week, they ran through the fields and shouted "My mother gave birth to me and then she buried me unbaptized"..

If someone baptizes a mavka, it turns into an angel and thanks its benefactor by various favours. But it can only be baptized for seven years after the death of the child that turned into a mavka. If in seven years baptism did not happen, mavka will never become an angel and will remain a demon forever.

Effective means of protection against mavkas, according to the beliefs of ancient Ukrainians, were garlic, onion, horseradish, and lovage. Also it was considered that wormwood could protect humans against these treacherous beauties (as well as against mermaids, mavkas' friends). In Ukrainian mythology there was also a character who hunted mavkas and thus saved people. It was Chuhayster - a funny, humorous, cheerful goblin with blue eyes, covered with black or white hair.

Mavka were knowledgeable and were endowed with magical abilities (again, as well as mermaids). People treated them respectfully, especially during Pentecost, they brought them sacrificial bread and placed it on fields, hoping that mavkas could contribute crops and scare away evil.

It's an everlasting paradox: on the one hand, mavkas were considered evil, people were afraid of them, and on the other hand - they worshiped them and honored them...

[moonraingirl]

How Poland and Czech kingdom were founded. A legend.

One of the oldest of all Polish and Czech legends. Begins blurred in the mists of the past, when ‘all Slavs were inhabitating one land’ and were ‘speaking one language’. That story is put roughly around the year 550 AD by some historians who point at the era of the migration period, but its real origins are still a mystery.

There were three brothers – Lech, Czech and Rus. They were considered the wisest of all men and that's why they were chosen leaders of Slavic people.

When a famine came and there was a shortage of food, brothers decided to search for new lands.

Brother Czech moved westwards and settled in what is now called the Czech Republic. Brother Rus went eastwards and came to Russia.

Brother Lech went north but didn't know where to settle. So, he decided to ask gods for a sign. The people prayed and offered sacrifices. Shortly, a beautiful white eagle appeared and its white wings were shining against red evening sky. That's where gods confirmed Lech should stay.

The town is now known as Gniezno, which comes from the root meaning "nest". Archeological examination proves that there are remains of a pagan temple under local Christian church.

Polish coat of arms with an eagle.