Slavic Mythology/History

After last week’s jump into a Polish fairy tale, Carried Away by the Wind, this Slavic Saturday we’re returning to Slavic gods with one you might know the name of: Perun, god of thunder, justice, and war. If you’ve been following me since early 2020, you might have seen my original post about Perun, but […]

After last week’s more historical post about Koliada, this Slavic Saturday we’re returning to Slavic folklore and fairy tales with “Carried Away by the Wind.” I’ll tell a summarized version of the story and then talk about how the themes relate to Slavic folklore at large. (June 2021 Updated) Note: If you enjoy Slavic mythology,

Happy New Year everyone! Last week, we discussed Ded Moroz and other Christmas gift givers, and I promised in that post that we would talk about the origins of Koliada/Szczodre Gody on this Slavic Saturday. So, that’s exactly what we’re doing! The festival goes by Koliada or Koleda typically (also Kolyadá, Kolyada, Kaliada, Колядá, Коляда,

After last week’s post about the Slavic werewolf, the Wilkołak/Vukodlak, this special edition of Slavic Saturday we’re going merry and bright with the various Christmas gift bringers throughout the Slavic countries. Then, next Saturday (the 2nd of January) we’ll go into Koliada, which was a Slavic pagan celebration of the winter solstice that has now

After last week’s post about the warm and kind goddess(es) Żywia/Vesna, we’re going darker this Slavic Saturday with a creature famous in both Slavic mythology as well as western tales: the Wilkołak or Werewolf (in other Slavic languages: Vukodlak, Vlkolak, Vlkodlak, Volkodlak, верво́льф, Вукодлак, or Вовкулака). (June 2021 Updated) Note: If you enjoy Slavic mythology,

After last week’s post about the Wodnik/Vodyanoy, a water spirit in Slavic mythology, this Slavic Saturday we’re discussing a spring goddess (or two goddesses, depending on your interpretation) whose name differs depending on the region. In the north, she was called Żywia (also Siwa, Živena, Živa, Zhiva, or Жива), and in the south, she was

We dipped back into holidays last weekend with the Dożynki/Obzhynki harvest festival, but this Slavic Saturday we return to spirits and demons with a pretty famous one: the Wodnik (also called the Vodyanoy/Водяной, Vodenjak/Водењак, Vodyanyk/Водяник, Voden dukh/Воден дух, Vadzianik/Вадзянік, Vodník, and Vodanoj). (June 2021 Updated) Note: If you enjoy Slavic mythology, check out A Dagger

After last weekend’s discussion of Chernobog and Belobog, two Slavic “gods” who appear in books and TV but were likely not worshipped by Slavic pagans, we’re going to a lighter topic this Slavic Saturday. This past Thursday was Thanksgiving here in the United States, so it seems an appropriate time to discuss the harvest festival

After last weekend’s discussion of the mountains in Slavic mythology, I decided for this Slavic Saturday I need to address two of the gods I get asked about the most – Chernobog (also called Czarnobóg, Czorneboh, Crnibog, Černobog, Zcerneboch) and Belobog (Białobóg, Bjelobog, Belboh). These two famous “gods” are often referred to when people talk

After last weekend’s discussion of the Ovinnik, this slightly delayed Slavic Saturday we are doing things a bit differently. I have spent the past week visiting parts of the southwestern United States, particularly hiking in a few national parks, and, though they weren’t the Carpathians, Urals, or Balkans, they got me thinking about the role