The ”Glossarpedia”

Gods, Goddesses,
Faeries, Spirits and Glossary
of the Slavic Polish (And not only) Culture

Note that some of the creatures are in dualistic, male and female form.

Bajka

Faery tale, fable.

Bannik

Bath house spirits. It was customary when firing up the fires for the sauna-type bath houses, that only the first two firings were to be used ... the third firing was for the Bannik, as an offering. Bannik were also keepers of the family life, as they were privy to the goings on and chatter that took place while bathing. The old bath house was also used for many other things .... for being still and silent, for contemplation. As a place associated with birth and curative properties, the bath house was particularly strongly endowed with vital forces.

Bear

It is the bear, not the ground hog, that foretells the future on Gromniczne (February 2nd), in Polish culture. Bears symbolize the Goddess in Her aspect as Mother and Nurturer. Bears are the protectors of the weak and of the divine child - the infant aspect of the Year God. The guardian of the forest, bravery, wisdom, strength, endurance, reawakening, protection, the guardian of homeowners, these are attributes of the bear.

Bee

Melissa the bee is the symbol of the Goddess of Regeneration. It is an ancient and culture-spanning belief that bees are begotten of bulls, and in most paintings they are pictured together. Souls are seen as bees; it is Melissa that draws them down into bodies to be born. The Bee Goddess is the Mistress of Animals and the Lady of Wild Things. In Neolithic cultures, She was pictured with a fish inside of her, the symbol of regeneration as well. Honey produced by bees is sacred; it is believed to ensure a long and healthy life, and is a healing substance. In the same vein, the linden tree, which is the prime attractor of honey bees in Poland, is also sacred.

Bereguini- Russian, Bóginki- Polish

These "bank spirits" spirits are supposedly the snatchers of newborn babies, who leave behind their own offspring instead. These babies are called Odmieńce, (or Oborotni in Russian) changed ones.

Białobóg

The god of the day, lightness  and goodness. Opposite of the Czarnobóg.

Birds

Birds are the sacred symbol of community, of tloka. It is the return each spring of the bocian, or stork,  that signals rebirth. Each type of bird has its own symbolism: sparrows symbolized the soul of man trying to be one with the Divine under any conditions, and of community life; swallows protected households; larks protected fields; nightingales protected orchards; ducks and geese protected lakes and rivers; and storks protected villages. It is the crow that is the familiar of the czarownica (enchantress) in her role as shape shifter and crone.

Bison

Żubr, Wisent Yes, believe it or not, bison do exist in Poland. Białowieża National Forest serves as a safe haven for these magnificent animals; it survived occupation and invasion for centuries, and is one of the very few areas of true primeval forestland still in existance. The bison, and its horns, are symbols of the Year God in his mature and "feisty" aspect.

 

Bolotnyi- Russian, Bagnica- Polish

Swamps spirits; those who inhabit the wetlands

Bull

Bulls are said to be the source from which bees are born; as such, they hold an important place in the mythos, since bees, and the honey they produce, are sacred.

Butterfly

Neolithic symbol of the Great Goddess in Her guise as Mother of Magic, the butterfly, or chrysalid, is the symbol of divine ambivalence, transformation. She is a musician, often pictured with pan pipes. She possesses the secret of life; symbolism in Her honor features the yoni, ancient triangular symbol of womanhood, the womb. She brings new life after death, and is the patroness of reincarnation. As early as 6000 BCE Her symbol was the double axe, which when drawn looks like the wings of a butterfly. About 2000 BC, when the double headed axe actually came to be manufactured, this weapon became in Old European traditions the weapon of females, not males.In runic symbolism, butterflies represent frivolity, soul's ascent to immortality, freedom

Charodei, charodeika- Russian

Sorcerer, witch

Chertovka- Russian

The Rusalka, in Her role as demoness.

Chram

The place of cult of a given god, a temple (e.g. Chram of Swiętowit at the Rugia Island).                                   

Chur

Russian
Taboo - not meaning necessarily something prohibited, but a set of laws that govern behavior, both dictating deeds to be done, and things not to be done

Czarnobóg

In the east and north Slavic mythology, the god of the night, darkness and evil, the source of all disasters, patron of the faith. The opposite of the Białobóg.

Czarownica- Polish, Chor-hani- Gypsy tongue,

Carati, Carovnik- Russian, Carani- Slovak

Enchantress, witch, spell binder.

Czart

A mortal antropomorphical being covered with fur, with horns, tail and hooves. Its image was then taken over by Christianity and negative features were given to it. Since then it has been claimed that czart takes human soul for his favours.

Dażbóg

The sun - rode his diamond chariot, pulled by 12 horses with golden manes, across the heavens each day, bringing light to the world. Pagan Russians prayed to Dażbóg for justice.

Delak- Latvian

Cradler of newborn babies.

Demon

Mostly an evil spirit that appears suddenly, does some harm and then disappears- talks into bad deeds, summons nightmares; however some demons might be also good.

Demony domowe-(dom-house/home)

Friendly home spirits under the condition of being respected; living around the house and farm and helping out; usually invisible but sometimes showing themselves to children.

Djabełek

The djabełek is an imp, the player of practical jokes. In modern terminology, this term has come to mean devil or demon. Of course, little ones with far too much energy, the ones always getting into mischief, are also called djabełek by their families.

Doe

The doe is the symbol of the Great Goddess in Her role as Mother of Regeneration; does mean growth, beauty, grace, and agility. There are ancient myths that the universe is ruled by a race of pregnant women that look like deer, covered with hair and with antlers on their heads. The udders of a doe are the mythological source of rainwater.

Dog

The dog is seen as a double of the Lunar Goddess aspect of the Great Mother. Always depicted with crescents or does, sometimes also pictured with the life tree, in Macedonian culture it is a dog that is the enemy of and protector against vampires, who are also nocturnal creatures. In the Balkan lands, it is legend that solar and lunar eclipses are caused by a dog headed monster. In Northern European and Baltic lands, the dog (or sometimes the wolf) is the spirit of the corn.

Dogoda

The spirit of the west wind, gentleness, love

Doła

Appearing in the guise of man or woman, God, cat or mouse, the Doła are protective spirits that embodied human fate. Each Doła have their preferences and provinces; if you chose a career, for example, that went against fate's own inclinations, the result was not good, for the spirit would hound you.

Domowije- Polish, Domovoi/Domikha- Russian

The "Grandfather", the house spirit. He is responsible for maintaining peace and order in the household. Peasants always made sure that the domowije was fed nightly, in return being protected and taken care of. When a new house was built, the owner would make sure that a piece of bread was put down before the stove went in, to attract the domowije to the home; the favorite places for the domowije to live are under the stove or the threshold under the front door. They forewarn of threats and troubles. Before the death of family member the domowije weeps.

Duch (ghost)

A spiritual force influencing the material world and human life, an invisible being, which sometimes shows itself to people; neither good or evil, its behaviour depends on the moment.

Dvorovoi- Russian

Yard spirit

Dyngus- Polish

The tradition of the day following the Spring Equinox in Poland. The boys will be found hiding in doorways, courtyards, behind trees and even dousing those who remain in bed to hide; they will be everywhere in search of girls to drench with water. The girls of course must return the favor. There are two explanations for this traditional drenching, called “oblewanki” in Polish - one is pagan and the other Christian. The pagan one is that Easter is a spring festival and that this Polish-made downpour summons the rains for the spring sowing - something that expresses the meaning of our English rhyme, April showers bring May flowers.

Dziewona

The Slavic  Diana. This name only appears much later in the history of the Slavs; seems to be a direct influence of contact with outside peoples.

Eagle, Biały Orzeł- Polish

The symbol of Poland is a white eagle, the biały orzeł.

 Fire

Fire was thought to be a divine gift to the Earth, brought to her in the form of lightning.

Fish

Ryba, the fish, is a sacred animal to the Poles, signifying regeneration.

Frog

See Toads and Turtles.

Geese

Geese symbolize warning, wakefulness (many Poles use geese as watch animals)

Glass Mountain- Polish

It is an old Polish belief that the UnderWorld is a glass mountain

Gromniczne-Polish

February 2nd, this is the time of purification and protection. Candle-making is the prime focus of this holiday; the sacred beeswax is used to make candles that will not only light the home through the balance of the dark days preceding spring, but which will protect the home from the ravages of the thunder and lightning that accompany the tumultuous showers that arrive every spring. These candles are saved to bless and mark the fields as they are turned for planting. A special taper is made also at this time, and it is used should the maker pass from this world to illuminate their path to the OtherWorld. It is also believed that candles made at this time will protect against colds and illness to which the throat and lungs succumb in this coming time of wet and damp weather. It is from this practice that the Catholic Church borrowed the festival of St. Blaise, on February 3rd, at which it is traditional to bless throats.

Góra Slęża-the Slęża Mountain, look also -Mounts and faery sites…

718 m high; at its top there are remains of stone constructions and sculptures, interpreted as a part of a holy place.

Gwiazdka- Polish

The Little Star, Yule , the New Year - see other pages on this site.

Hedgehog

The hedgehog has a unique role in the mythological life of Eastern Europe - he is the spirit of sexuality. Nocturnal animals, hedgehogs, when rolled into a ball, look amazingly like a uterus. Statues of hedgehogs were found in graves and at places of worship all over Old Europe, where the term used for these icons translated out to "-“uteri”.

Hejnał- Polish

The song played from the tower at the Mariacki in Kraków, it is a song of alert and warning. It also plays a part in one of the most sorrowful legends is the Trumpeter of Kraków:

In the times of the Tartar invasions of Poland, the enemy threatened to overrun the capitol. The sentry in the tower of the Mariacki church saw the Tartars sneaking through the back streets of the city. He raised his trumpet to his lips, and began to play the Hejnał as the troops swarmed around him, staying to his post in the melee. An archer drew back his bow, and in order to silence the alarm, shot the sentry. The sentry’s song was halted in the middle of a note as the arrow pierced his throat .... And to this day, the Hejnał that plays from the Mariacki ends abruptly in mid-note, an honor to the young sentry who saved his homeland at the cost of his own life.

Horse (Koń)

Horses are symbols of the sun, as it is legend that 12 horses pull the sun across the sky on its daily trek. Horses symbolize wealth, prosperity, speed, and endurance. The Tarpan is a prehistoric wild horse type, which ranged from Spain to Russia. The Polish government created a preserve for animals descended from the wild Tarpan at a forest in Białowieza, since the original Tarpan became extinct as their natural forest and steppe habitat was destroyed to make room for more people. Over the years this herd has developed more and more Tarpan characteristics. Today this breed is sometimes referred to as the Polish Primitive Horse; many refer to it as a “steppe pony”.

Jarilo, Jarowit

The young God, the god of spring, love and passion, the symbol of male fertility and strength (jary-strong, passionate)..

Jeżi Baba, Baba Jaga- Polish, Baba Yaga- Russian, Baba- Hungarian

The Baba Jaga, crone aspect of the Mother, the dark lady. Wild Woman. Birth/Death Patroness. Mistress of Magick. Seen as a forest spirit, or the leader of a host of spirits. In Russia and Poland, the Jeżi Baba flies about in a mortar; her house dances on chicken legs. In Hungary, She is seen as a fairy type of being.Modern faery tales show Her to lure children to Her and kill them; in fact, the only things the Jeżi Baba ever truly consumed were the souls of those who came to Her afraid and unprepared.

Jurata- Polish, Jurate- Lithuanian

Queen of the Baltic Sea, the Sea Goddess. Folk tales tell us that Jurata fell in love with a human fisherman, much to the jealous ire of Piórun, the God of Thunder. He caused a great lightning storm, which chained the fisherman to the bottom of the sea and caused Jurata’s amber palace to shatter. It is said that to this day, any time there is a lightning storm on the Baltic, you can hear the fisherman’s cries, and small pieces of Jurata’s amber palace wash up on the shore.

Khitka- Russian

The Rusalka, in Her role as abductor

Khorovod- Russian

Circle dance.

Kikimora

An evil home spirit appearing as a tiny woman hostile towards men; at night she was scaring children and during the day doing harm to the farm animals and spoiling the yarn.

Krivda

(KRIHV-dah) Russian
false - left - female

Kupała - Polish, Kupala - Russian

The Water Mother, herbs, trees, flowers. Her time is the summer solstice, and Sobótki or Kupała was one of the four major fire festivals in Polish/Russian tradition. This was a most holy time, combining the two sacred elements, fire and water. Kupała comes from the root word “kupati” which means to bathe. Pagans gathered the “dew of Kupała”, that is, the dew that fell on solstice eve, and annointed with it. The holy fires lit on the eve of Kupała were purifying; circles were formed around them, and the celebrants jumped over them in order to be cleansed. Cattle were also rounded up and driven across the flames. Small straw poppets represented Her, dressed in a gown and adorned with necklaces and ribbons. These poppets were burned or drowned at sunset. Important to the celebration were flowers, trees, and herbs. Celebrants set to wreaths woven of nine different herbs to the waters this day, and bathed in the sacred water. Poles and other Slavs had the ceremonies reflected in other cultures at Beltaine/May Day. Groups of women would go out into the woods and select a birch tree (it was considered sacrilegious for men to touch the tree to be used). The tree was honored and felled, and then stripped of all but the uppermost branches, which were woven to form a crown. The tree was then returned to the village, where it was set upright in the circle and adorned with ribbons. It was felt that herbs cut on this night had extraordinary magickal or healing powers. At dawn on Kupała purple loosestrife, sacred to the Goddess, was gathered. ( NOTE - please do not use purple loosestrife in your workings if you live in North America - it has become a hazard here, choking out indigenous wetlands plants and providing no nourishment for the local fauna)This herb had the power to repel demons in its roots. During the daytime, saxifrage was gathered for its power to break things, even the most dense of metals. But the most sacred flower to the Goddess and the one most elusive was the fern. Legends say that there is only one evening all year long that the fern opens its “fire-flowers”, sacred flower of the Goddess, and that is on the eve of Kupała. Anyone finding this flower gains the magick to read minds, to find treasure, and to repel all evils. To gather it, the seeker had to go to the forest before midnight. The flower would climb up the stalk of the fern, and then at midnight, would burst into ripeness, exploding with a burst of light so bright that none could look at it. A circle must be drawn around the fern in order to gather it. Demons would try to trick the seeker into wavering from his pursuit. The brave soul who sought the fern must not waver, nor answer the voices who spoke to him during his task, or all would be lost, and he would sacrifice his life. Trees were believed this night to walk, pulling up their roots and speaking among themselves in a tongue only the possessor of the sacred fire-flower could understand.Of course, ferns don’t flower .... or do they?

As a God Kupała or Kupajło was the god of summer sun, passionate love

Lasowik

(las-forest) a forest spirit taking care of deer, wolves, bears and hare. Shephards were making an agreement with him by giving him food in order to protect their herds from predators; he could be recognised by having no shadow.

Łada,- Polish, Lada - Russian

In the stillness of a May night, comes a song on misty dew
My heart hears each word so tender, knows each note so very true
Always does it render, soothing calmness ever new
Soon it’s caught by young wild breezes, over dale, beyond the blue,
In deep waves, in dreamy waters, for the world to dream anew
Thus spent it surrenders, sweet May song, forever new
The Spirit of harmony, merriment, love, youth and beauty. Her time is May, and She is the Lady of Flowers. Sacred to Her are the linden (lime-blossom) and the purple loosestrife. According to Leland, She is also known in the Slavonian areas.

Łąkanica

Meadow spirit

Leszi- Polish, Russian, Laskowice- Slavonic

Male woodland elves. They protect wild animals, and have an especially close relationship with the wolf. Leschia is derived from the old Slavonic word meaning “forest”

Linden

The linden, or lime blossom, is sacred to Poles, Hungarians, and Germans. From ancient times the linden tree was sacred to the Pole. It protected against lightning and evil spirits. It was a place to leave offerings and hold rituals. Jan Kochanowski, one of the great Polish poets, wrote his verses while sitting under the linden. The month of July - Lipiec - was named for the linden; its flowers attracted bees, which represented the Great Mother in Her form as Bee Goddess, and provided the pagan Poles with honey, which preserved and flavored their foods. This tree was also sacred to Venus in the Greek pantheon, as its leaves are in the shape of a heart - and the correspondence to Lada, the Spirit of the May celebrations, is no coincidence.

 

Loskutukha- Russian

The Rusałka, in Her role as the tickler

Lugovnik- Russian, Łąkanica- Polish

Meadow spirit

Marzanna

Death, personified, the Marzanna appeared dressed in white, the traditional color of the Otherworld in Polish traditions. Every spring the Marzanna, pictured with her broom, was drowned in effigy, thereby celebrating the return of life to the villages.

Matka Syra Ziemia- Polish, Russian , Zemyna, Zemynele- Lithuanian

Moist Mother Earth, this name is from the Russian mythos. Poles would call Her simply Matka Ziemia. In Lithuanian She is also called the Mother of Plants; the poetic phrase ziedkełe, she who raises flowers, was her name. She is honored at seedtime and at harvest. The Earth was a supreme being, sentient and just; swearing an oath was always made binding by touching the earth. She was called on as a witness to settle disputes over land. She is the universal life source, the fabric of becoming, to quote Marijas Gimbutas. The following ritual was part of the harvest (dożynki) festival in August, and is outlined in the New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology: At dawn the peasants arrive in the fields with jars of hemp oil. Turning towards the east, they say: Mother Earth, subdue every evil and unclean being so that he may not cast a spell on us nor do us any harm. Turning to the west, they say: Mother Earth, engulf the unclean power in thy boiling pits, in thy burning fires. Turning to the south, they say: Mother Earth, calm the winds coming from the south and all bad weather. Calm the moving sands and whirlwinds. And finally turning to the north they say: Mother Earth, calm the North winds and the clouds, subdue the snowstorms and the cold. After each invocation oil is poured onto the ground, and finally the jar which held the oil is buried. This from the same source: on the eve of the First World War ...to preserve their village against a plague of cholera ... At midnight the older women circled the village, summoning theother women without the knowledge of the men. They would choose nine maidens and three widows who would be led out of the village. They would all undress down to their shifts. The maidens let down their hair, the widows covered their heads with white shawls ( note - white is the color of the crone, of death). They seized ploughs, the maidens armed themselves with scythes, and others would grab various objects of terrifying appearance, including the skulls of animals. The procession would then march around the village, howling and shrieking, while they ploughed a furrow to permit the powerful spirits of the Earth to emerge, and so to annihilate the germs of evil. Any man who had the bad luck to meet the procession was felled without mercy

Miesiąc

The Spirit of the Moon - interestingly enough, in most Polish mythos, Mięsiąc is male, and is married to the Zorya Zwezda Dnieca. Where Mięsiąc is female, she is married to the male Sun. She is the healer, and to this day some Poles invoke Her healing power. Many Russian legends portray Mięsi±c as a beauty whom the Sun marries in the beginning of Summer, abandons in Winter, and returns to in the Spring

Mokosz

Female occupations, weaving, spinning, weaving the web of fate. In folklore, She is called Mokusa. At night women would leave strands of fleece beside the stove to honor her. Linguists track Her name to a Finnish surname, which would indicate that the name had been borrowed at some point in time, and covers the name of an older Slavic deity.

 Months-Polish

Most cultures name their months after God/desses. In Poland, an agricultural society, with no pantheon per se, they are named as follows:

January - Styczeń - to meet ( as in the old year meeting the new)

February - Luty - bleak skies

March - Marzec - to freeze

April - Kwiecień - blooming flowers

May - Maj - the may pole

June - Czerwiec - to ripen or redden

July - Lipiec - the linden tree

August - Sierpień - sickle

September - Wrzesień - heather

October - Październik - flax

November - Listopad - falling leaves

December - Grudzień - hard ground

Mora- Polish, Mahr- Czech, Jugoslav

Seen as wisps of hair or straw, or as moths, the mora are the souls of living people which leave the body during the night.

Mounts and Faery sites in Poland and Eastern Europe

There are many sites scattered across Slavic lands that were held sacred and at which worship took place. Mount Slęża-Sobótka ( Sobótka being the name of the summer solstice fire festival in Polish) towers in solitary state in the middle of the fertile plains of Silesia. Lysaia, Łysa Góra (Bare Mountain) is another of these sites, in the central mountains of Poland. Sacred sites and groves were also located near Jawór; in the twelfth century the Bishop of the area set to great lengths to destroy the icons there. One faery mound, in Dębno, now is home to a rustic wooden church - no pictures taken of it ever develop clearly. In Lithuania, the altar of the Church of Saint Stanisław in the castle at Wilno was built in 1387 over the site of an eternal sacred fire. The fire that burned on a hill overlooking the Niewiaza River in Samogitia, regarded as the most sacred site in that territory, was extinguished with water in 1434, and the ashes thrown into that the river to ensure that pagans would be unable to ever relight the flame.

Naw

Demons from the souls of people who had met a premature death, or those who died under tragic circumstances. This term is found far and wide in Slavic areas; evidence exists from Russia, Bulgaria and Slovenia.

Nawia

The ancient Slavic land of endless happiness

Neuri

The Neuri were shape shifters. It is believed that, in part, the legends of werewolves arose from the Neuri, sorcerers and priests of the Slavic people. It was reported to be custom among the Neuri that once a year they would take the form of wolves for a period of one week, then return to their own form.

Nochnitsa- Russian

Female night spirits

Otgadchik/Otgadchitsa- Russian

Diviner

Ovinnik- Russian

Threshing barn spirit

Pig

The pig is the symbol of the Goddess of Vegetation; this symbolism arose at least as early at 6000 BCE.

Piórun/Perun- Polish, Perun- Russian, Perkunas- Lithuanian, Perkons- Latvian

The ruler of lightning, thunder and of an oak (perun-lightning in the archaic language), the god of war and warriors; an “equivalent” of Greek Zeus and Scandinavian Odin. He was pictured as a handsom man holding a bow and arrows. It was believed that the stones with holes in them made by a lighting had healing properties. In Lithuania, he protects law and justice; his weapon is an axe. In Russian, he is pictured with a club. In Latvia he brings the rains, and is the smith of the heavens.

Płanetnik

A friendly air spirit.

Polewiki-Polish, Polevoi- Russian

The spirits of the fields. In Polish, pole means field, and it was for this that Poland was named.

Południca- Polish, Psezpolnica- Serbian

“Lady Midday”, the whirlwind. The Południca were most often evident in the middle of hot summer days, as whirling dust clouds. In both Serbian and Polish tales, She appears when the day is the hottest, and drives people out of their heads, weakens them, or cuts off their heads with a sickle.

Posidelniki- Russian, Pólnocniki- Polish

Evening gatherings

Pravda

Russian:
truth - right – male

Przemieńce – look “Wilkołaki”

Przeleśnik

 A spirit in a form of a handsome man; he used to seduce young wives and girls, taking away their energy and beauty.

Psotnik, Psotnica

“Mischief  makers”, elves.

Rainbow

Interestingly enough, in the creation mythos of the Slavs, a rainbow was explained as a dragon drinking water.

Ram

Strength in the face of opposition, perseverance, dignity; all these are attributes given to the Ram, in addition to its role as symbol of the Year God in young manhood.

Rooster

The rooster is the totem of good fortune, exultation, vigilance, married life.

Różanica- Polish, Rodienitsa- Croatian

These spirits stood for the ancestors; Różanica were female, stood for the stars, and were spirits of birth and fate; Rod was male, and represented the ancestors. The Różanica were present at the birth of babies, and birth parties were called Różiny. In those areas that honored the Różanica and Ród, it was believed that all new births are reincarnations of ancestors; no new souls are ever created. Birth itself was tied to two elements, both water and fire, both present in the bath-house where women gave birth; this is also a reason why folktales attribute magickal properties to the stove, and why folk tale births often take place from the stove

Rogułka

(Horned), a Slavic term used to denote witches in the Renaissance period, a reference to service to the Horned God.

Rusałka

Queen of the Faeries, under the reign of wodnik, mostly spirits of girls who died young; imagined as beautiful women with long hair decorated with flowers; except the water environment they could be seen in forests and on fields; they liked to seduce boys and tickle them to deat, they  live in the waters from Fall to Spring; in some traditions, they become sylvan from Summer to Fall, in others, they become the "sky women when they return from the waters. It is said that only witches dared to swim with the Rusałka in the waters. The spring festivals celebrating the return of the Rusałka from the waters included the placing of wreaths on the waters by women, by round dances, and by fire festivals which reflected the belief that the thunder and lightning of spring time was brought about by the sky women coupling with the thunder spirits. This vaguely mirrored the Beltane celebrations of other groups; in Poland the celebration is the Rusałje, in the Balkans it is called pascha rosarum, which is latinized.

Sky Women

The Sky Women were the warm weather incarnations of the Rusałka. Interestingly, the first snow fall was believed to be brought by the Sky Women, and Slavic females would go outside and make snow women to honor them.

Śmięrna- Polish,Smert- Russian,

The Spirit of death - see also Marzanna above.

Snakes

Wąż, the snake, was a sacred animal to the Poles as the spirit of the hearth; as such, they would be connected not only with fire, but with birth and the bathhouse.

Sorrowful God

The Sorrowful God, depicted in much pre-history sculpture, is representative of the mature elder Year God, not masked as other male figures were, seated, head in his hand, contemplative, and peaceful, the wise sage.

Spiders

Spiders symbolize creativity, artistry, and weaving.

Spór

The spirit of fertility, the Spór made the corn grow, made the cattle mature, and every family invoked them.

Stag

Stags represent leadership, victory, nobility, joy, maleness - and conversely, also symbolize the Lunar Goddess.

Śtribóg

Spirit of the winds

Sud- Russian, Sąd- Polish, Sudicki- Czech

Spirits of judgment. These are also spirits that meted out fortune and destiny.

Sudicki- Russian, Czech

The spirit of fatality; in Czech and Slovakia, the demons of fortune. Interesting that the same root, sud, is the spirit of judgment

Sun

The Sun lives in a golden palace in the East, the land of eternal summer and of plenty. Each morning he emerged from the arms of the Zorya to ride his chariot across the skies, drawn by twelve white horses with golden manes who breathed fire. In Poland, the chariot was thought be drawn by three horses, one of silver, one of gold, and one of diamond. Serbs considered the Sun to be a handsome young God, living in a kingdom of light, and seated on a throne of purple. At His side stood two virgins, the Aurora of the morning and the Aurora of the Evening (corresponding to the Zorya Dnieca and Wieczórniaia); seven judges (the planets) and seven messengers disguised as stars with tails (comets) stood by Him as well, along with His “bald uncle Myesyats” (Miósiąc), the moon. In Russian lore the Sun had twelve kingdoms, his children lived in the stars, and he was attended by the solar daughters. The Sun was born each day as a handsome child; he approached adulthood towards midday, and in the evening he returned to the heavens where he died, only to repeat the process the next day.

Śwaróg, Swarożyc

The most important from the whole pantheon, the god of sun (swar-sun in archaic speech), fire, sky and earthly matters, sending happiness (bóg-god, meant wealth in the ancient Slaves language). Depending on the region he carried a different name: Swietowit, Swaróg, Trzyglów. He was pictured as a man with moustache having a horn by his belt, often on a white horse.

Świętowid, Światowid

The creator God/dess, androgynous, with 2 male faces and 2 female faces, corresponding to the directions and seasons. The harvest festival is dedicated to Świętowid; celebrants partook of honey-breads (honey being sacred) and wine in the celebration of this deity, along with making offerings of soil. Świętowid means literally “Strong Lord”. A white horse is Hir sacred symbol. Was also the main god of the tribes living on the Rugia Island, often identified with Perun and sometimes with Swarożyc.

Światowid from Zbrucz

The name of a stone sculpture taken out of the River Zbrucz in 1948; it can be seen in the Archaeological Museum in Kraków and its copy has been places by Wawel, also in Kraków.

Światowid Woliński

A little four-faced figure for personal cult (6 cm high) found in Wolin.

Świety Bór-(holy forest)

A place of cult and rituals,  holy trees.

Tłoka

The spirit of neighborly compassion, once prevalent in Slavic societies. It is tloka that compels you to put aside your disagreements to help a neighbor repair a damaged home, or to come to the aid of a community member in financial trouble.

Toads and Turtles

Symbol of the Great Goddess in Her role as life-giver, stylized toads and turtles adorn many ancient artifacts. When used in runic form, they look much like the letter “M”, a squatting figure appearing as if about to give birth. Toads are protection against barrenness. In Northern Europe and the Baltic, the Toad Goddess was the chthonic magician goddess; they represent birth, pregnancy, and the womb.

Topielce

Water spirits.

Triglav,Trzyglów - Polish,Triglav - Russian, Pomeranian, Polabian, various Slavic

Triglav was a three-faced deity, symbolizing the dominion over the three realms - sky, earth, and the places underground. Triglav was shown blindfolded. Bolesław Chrobry (Boleslaw the Wrymouth), King of Poland during the Piast dynasty, commanded that a temple sacred to Triglav be built in Szczecin. According to accounts written by Christian chroniclers, the temple had carvings and sculptures so well done and so natural that they seemed alive. An oak tree graced the center of the temple; no doubt the temple was constructed in the site of an existing grove.

Tsvetnik travnik, lechebnik- Russian

Charm books - no enchantress worth his/her salt would be without one. Interestingly, the word lechebnik carries into Polish as well; the root word from which this term comes is leczenie, which means healing or cure.

Upióry-look “Vampires”

Vampires

 Dead people who drink blood of their enemies and feed on it (they were afraid of cock’s crow!) Yea, they are Slavic thing, indeed!

Warrior Women

Evidence uncovered by Dr. Valery Gulyayev, of the Russian Institute of Archaeology, contains what may be proof that Herodotus reference to races of women warriors on the steppes of the present-day Ukraine and south Russia were real. Usually such women are found in large kurgans, buried with the same rituals as for men, said Dr. Valery Gulyayev, of the Russian Institute of Archaeology. They are buried with womanly things - mirrors of silver and bronze, necklaces of gold, glass or clay, earrings. But alongside these they are buried with weapons - a quiver, bow and arrows, and, often, two throwing spears. The discovery of 2,400 year old graves along the Don river, added to older finds, suggests a broad band of sister cultures that reached from Hungary to China. We have a fixed idea that European civilization was built on Greco-Roman foundations, said Dr. Gulyayev. In a sense, this is fair, but if we ignore the fact that in the west and in the east two large, so-called barbarian cultures, the Celts and the Scythians, made an enormous contribution to ancient Europe, we fail to see the whole picture.

Water

One of the most sacred spirits, in all its forms and names. In folklore, reference was made to dead water and living water, each of which had its own magickal powers. When a hero of legend was said to have perished in battle, his limbs cut from him, the faeries brought both types of water to him. Sprinkling him with dead water recombinated his body; they then sprinkled him with living water, and he was revived. Sacred springs and waterways were areas of worship and celebration. Slavic folk followed the custom of begging the waters pardon - a piece of bread was given to the waters, the spirit was greeted three times, and an incantation was spoken:
I come to thee, little water mother, with head bowed and repentant. Forgive me, pardon me - and ye too, ancestors, and forefathers of the water.

New Larousse Encyclopaedia of Mythology, p. 296

Weles- Polish, Volos- Russian

The oldest god of welfare (the god of cattle, which used to be the symbol of wealth), the protector of salesmen and artists but the god of dead as well (vele- the souls of dead); guarding the ancient Slavic land of happiness, Nawia, the guardian spirit of domestic animals

Wiedźma- Polish, Viedma- Russian, Vjestica- Bulgarian, Veaa- Slovenian

In current usage the word “wiedźma” means hag; it stems from the root word meaning wisdom/knowledge, and was the word for witch.

Wilkołaki

They could take the shape of a wolf and then come back to human form (like Werewolves).

Wiła- Polish, Vily, Vile, Samovile, Samodivi, Vilevrjaci- various Slavonic tongues

Female spirits that lived in the woods, mountains, and clouds; they could shape shift into swans, horses, falcons, or wolves. In Slovakia, they are regarded as the souls of dead girls that lead young men to their deaths; they fire arrows that may disturb ones reason. The souls of the dead in Lithuania, as in Poland, were believed to visit the homes of their families; they could change their shape into animals. Peasants would lay flowers at the entrances to caves where they believed that Wiła dwelt. In Russia they were seen as beautiful naked girls who charmed shepherds and young boys.

Wódjanoj

Male water spirits

Wodnik

(woda-water) the water ruler pictured as an old man with a long beard, the master of rusałki (water female spirits); could appeear in a shape of a sheat-fish, a pike or other fish; Fishermen and sailors were offering him gifts to protect their boats and ships from sinking.

Wolf

The wolf in Polish mythos is not the feared hunter of humans that he is in many cultures. He takes his place as a double for the Lunar Goddess, in places where the dog is not this representative. Wolves symbolize loyalty, family (they are family oriented, staying with the same mate), and wisdom.

Wołchw- Polish, Volkhvy- Russian

Priest, sorcerers of the pagan faith. Slavic shamans, seers and healers ; also women- Wołchwynia.

Year God

The Year God is the symbol of the turning of the wheel over all four seasons: born as the divine child at Yule and symbolized by bear and or wolf cubs; maturing as the lusty and robust God at Equinox and symbolized by bisons, bulls, goats, or rams; and finally as the mature Sorrowful God as sage.

Zadruga

In the times of clans and tribes in Poland, Zadruga was the community, the clan, the tribe. It was for this reason that when Jan Stachniuk formed a social movement based on paganism in 1937, he named it Zadruga. To quote Pearson:
In the Slavic zadruga, the heads of families assembled after work every day to discuss soical issues, under the chairmanship of the village chief. When a tribal decision had to be made, the headman from each village would attend a tribal council where he represented his kinsmen under the chairmanship of a tribal chieftain."

Zors

Male day spirits

The Zorya/Zorza

The Auroras, the three faces of the Goddess, the Slavic fates; believed to be the guardians of the Universe. They are the Keepers of the Doomsday Hound, which is chained in the constellation Ursa Major.

Zwezda Dnieca- Polish, Dennitsa- Russian, Auseklis- Latvian

Spirit of the Morning Star, the Dawn Sister, married to the male Miesiac, the maiden/warrioress, She opens the Gates of the Heavens each day to let the sun out; a fully armed warrior Goddess, courageous. Slavs prayed each morning to Dnieca as the Sun rose. Patroness of horses, protection, exorcism, associated with the planet Venus. Prayers for protection were addressed to Dnieca: ...Defend me, O Maiden, with your veil from the enemy, from arquebus and arrow ...  She was invoked to protect against death in battle.

Zwezda Wieczórniaia

(vyeh-chor-NYAH-nya)
Spirit of the Evening Star, the Twilight Sister, the mother; She closes the Gates of the Heavens each evening as the mature Sun returns across the skies. She is the mother, and Patroness of exorcism and protection.

Zwezda Północa

The Night Star, the Midnight sister, the crone. It is to the crone the sun returns, as she is death; he is rejuvenated in her arms as the light is gone, to be reborn and return in the morning. Patroness of death and rebirth, magicks

Żmij

A mythical winged being, a dragon-snake, friendly towards people; associated with fire-like phenomena in the sky; it could appear as various birds or a man with little wings by his shoulders.

Back To:

*Slavic Paganism* *Up*