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8 Fascinating Slavic Goddesses You Should Know

Magnetic, tricky, smart and absolutely gorgeous.

WikiImages (CC0), Pixabay

When you think about ancient gods and goddess, you usually keep in mind names of Greek, Roman and Egyptian deities. However, the Slavic world that existed among the influences of many civilizations created own, unique pantheon. The land covered by the Slavic countries is enormous, and many deities were known as local gods and goddess. The number of the female spirits related to these countries is tremendous, but we would like to remind you some of them.

1. Oźwiena

She was a companion of the god Veles, the goddess of echo. Some specialists in mythology connect her with Greek nymph Echo. She was also the goddess of gossip. According to the legend, it was impossible to her keep something she heard as a secret. Whatever you told her, she shared it. However, if she liked someone, she spoke only good things, but when someone became her enemy, she spoke all the bad things about this person. Moreover, Oźwiena loved glory, fame and listening to the stories.

2. Mokoš/Mokosh

She was a supporter of women. Responsible for protecting of their destiny and work, but also childbirth. Her impact on the life of women made her sort of Great Mother of Slavs, the iconic deity related to all of the women around the world. She was the only goddess who was granted with the sanctuary in Kiev, where she appeared among the major male gods including Perun, Hors, etc.

3. Dodola

She appeared as a young woman dressed in a skirt made of fresh plants. She was dancing all the time and sometimes came to the villages, where she is looking for the people who can play the music for her and serve some water. She is a joyful goddess of the rain, perhaps related to the god Perun, the deity of thunder. In some regions of the Slavic countries people believed that when it is raining, Dodola milks the clouds known as ”heavenly cows”.

4. Marzanna/Morė/Morana/Morena/Mara

Her fame comes from the Baltic area, but her cult also existed in the southern Slavic countries. She was a goddess related to the natural seasonal rites, the circle of life: birth, death, and rebirth. The decision about the end of the winter time lied in her hands, but sometimes she is described as a goddess of sorcery and magic. In the early medieval resources, she described as similar to the Greek goddess Hecate.

5. Kostroma

Well known in Eastern Europe, especially in Russia. She was a goddess of fertility and often presented as a scarecrow. She was an essential element of Semik celebration, the ancient fertility festival celebrated at the beginning of June. According to the legend, she always appeared during the Semik among the people as a girl or as a shadow of the straw figure.

6. Zorja

One of the fascinating Slavic deities, whose cult is still full of gaps. In fact, Zorja is a double goddess, two guardians called Auroras. The legend about them is related to the constellation Ursa Minor and the Morning Star and the Evening Star. According to the myth, heir home was Bouyan, an island where the Sun dwelt with the winds of North, West, and East.

7. Medeina or Medeinė

The nature-loving goddess of forest, animals, and trees. She was wild, and sometimes she appeared as a wolf. Medeina also liked to play with the hunters, who destroyed hr beautiful forest. She allowed them to see her as a beautiful young girl. According to the legend when they came closer to look at her, she changed into the wolf and attacked. As a guard of everything that belonged to the forest, she could be evil to the people who wanted to destroy her kingdom or murder her friends.

8. Devana or Dziewanna

Roman goddess Diana dressed up in Slavic shoes. She is well known from the 15th-century book by Polish writer Jan Długosz. Her name means ‘virgin’ or ‘maiden’ and it is believed that her story is nothing else but the rewrited myth about Diana. Moreover, some scholars suggest that Devana didn’t exist in the original Slavic pantheon. Now she stays one of the most popular goddesses related to ancient Slavs that appear in the modern folklore.

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