This week’s Slavic Saturday post is one that covers a topic of slight controversy due to the lack of primary sources in Slavic mythology: the realms of Prawia (or Prav), Jawia (or Yav), and Nawia (or Nav).
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There are multiple stories of the Slavic afterlife as well as the dwelling place of the gods (thus the controversy), but one of the most popular ones is that of the Three Realms. It is likely there was a variety of beliefs among Slavs in different areas and time periods. Regardless, this is the system I’m using in my book series, so it is a fun place to start. We may take a look at some of the other stories in another post. For now, though, let’s dive into each of the realms and their role in Slavic myth.
The World Tree – The axis mundi
Before we can discuss the realms, let’s talk about the Slavic World Tree. Yggdrasil in Norse mythology is the most famous example of a world tree, but it is fairly different for the Slavs (and more simple).
The Slavic World Tree is an oak, a sacred tree that is incredibly important throughout Slavic mythology. At its roots is Nawia, the realm of the dead/underworld. Here, the god Weles (Veles) dwells. The trunk of the tree is Jawia, the realm of the living. And among the branches is Prawia, the realm of the gods, ruled by the thunder god, Perun.
Nawia – The realm of the dead
Slavic mythology, unlike Christian beliefs, did not have a heaven and hell. Everyone who lived an overall positive life and didn’t die an “unnatural” death went to Nawia. Those that either wronged many people in life or were significantly wronged in life, though, could become demons (many of which we’ve talked about) and never see Nawia.
After death, Slavs believed the soul left the body and wandered Jawia for forty days, often in the form of a bird. They would visit the places they did in life and torment those who wronged them. Then, at the end of those forty days, they would follow the flow of the rivers to the Smorodina River.
The Smorodina, aka the “stinking river”, was the Slavic version of the River Styx and burned with fire. It stood at the entrance to Nawia and was guarded by a żmij, a shape-shifting dragon of Slavic myth. In theory, this creature’s job may have been to prevent both demons and the living from entering the underworld, but there isn’t much written about it. The dead had to cross Kalinov Bridge over the river to pass into Nawia, and some stories tell of the żmij complicating matters. In some stories, Marzanna, the goddess of winter and death, also has her mirrored palace at the end of the Kalinov Bridge.
Once the souls reached Nawia, though, the treachery was considered over. Weles’s realm was a sea of rolling plains – close to a paradise if not one for the agricultural-focused Slavs. He sat in the swamps at the heart of Nawia, where the roots of the World Tree met his realm.
At different times of the year, souls could return to those they loved in Jawia as crows and ravens in the winter and storks and nightjars in the summertime. The visits were temporary but show the eternal connection between the realms, one that Slavs often believed could become blurred.
Jawia – The realm of the living
In itself, Jawia is fairly self-explanatory. It is the known world at the trunk of the tree. Humans dwelt there along with spirits, both positive and mischievous.
The gods oversaw it all like distant giants. Sometimes they would intervene directly, but it is often thought in Slavic mythology that the gods kept this distance more than the Greek ones. That being said, there are many stories of the gods’ involvement in Jawia, as well as their clashes for control (especially that of Perun against Weles). Many gods are thought to have lived throughout Jawia. The world of the Slavs involved many dark and distant forests and seas, and these were the homes of gods (when not in Prawia), demons, witches, and spirits alike.
Jawia was often considered a dark and hard place. Unlike Nawia’s eternal plains, life for the early Slavs was often cold, dangerous, and unforgiving. This is perhaps why so many gods are given both positive and negative traits towards humans, because often, time in Jawia involved much suffering. There was the positives of spring and summer, the harvest in autumn, but also the death of winter.
Prawia – the realm of the gods
There is often thought be be chaos attached to the realms of Jawia and Nawia. In turn, this makes Prawia the realm of order.
Perun, pictured as an eagle among the oak’s branches, looks down upon the other realms from Prawia. He is the chief of the gods, and though not much is known about Prawia itself, Perun’s role of the bringer of justice must have a role to play here.
It must be restated that Prawia is also not heaven. While some claim the most heroic and pure people could enter Prawia, it is not considered the “good place” vs Nawia as the “bad place“. Nawia in itself is near a paradise, so Prawia doesn’t have to be. It’s the realm for the gods to oversee the world.
The Three Realms are often considered in conflict by the gods. Weles and Perun clash from opposing ends of the World Tree. Some stories tell of the goddess Dziewanna attempting to overthrow her father and claim control of the realms. In the end, we don’t know everything about the realms, but it’s a fun adventure to see how they relate and how they differ to other mythologies.
That’s all for this week’s Slavic Saturday. Be sure to keep a lookout for more posts next week, and if you haven’t seen the full series of posts, be sure to check them out.
*As always just a quick disclaimer. Slavic mythology is broad and not written in many if any primary sources, so there’s a variety of interpretations. The interpretations I’m using here are from the sources I’ve found to be reliable and as well as some creative freedom for my book series.