Slavic Folklore

Rod

The first and most important god.

Name means “tribe” and “birth”

He created tree and three worlds.

Prav

The world at the top of the tree.

Where the gods and goddess live.

Blue light

Yav

The middle of the tree.

Where we live.

Yellow light

Nav

The roots of the tree.

The underworld where the dead and evil creatures live.

Red light

Rozhanizas

Rod’s sidekicks.

Dolya

Sits on Rod’s right

Good luck

Nedolya

Sits of Rod’s left

Bad luck

Mokosh

Moist Mother Earth

Fertility, plants, Yav, Earth goddess

Svarog

Rod’s kid

Name means who is walking through the sky

Forger, strong

Created Yav, sun, and fire out of a magic stone he found in the ocean

Lada

Rod’s kid

Name means nice and kind

Spring, love, beauty

Lives in vyri/juri until the spring equoinox

Veles

Rod’s kid

Name means hair

God of the underworld and many other things.

Often seen with a wolf or bear

Created the 2nd law of life

Khor/Hors

Rod’s kid

Name means good and shinning sun

Sun god, from Iranian sun god

Yellow light of Yav

Svyatogor

Rod’s Kid

Name means St. Mountain.

Protector for Prav and Yav from the evils of Nav

Rod’s Children

Five total

Svarog

Lada

Veles

Khor

Svyatogor

1st Law of Life

Life is endless

-Rod

2nd Law of Life

The sun creates the rotation from dark to light. Darkness will always lead to light. Hope

-Veles

3rd Law of Life

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift

-Kolyada

Polyane

Tribe

Field men

Drevlyane

Tribe

Woodmen/people from forests

Radimichi

Tribe

Happy people

Dregovichi

Tribe

Swamp people

Krivichi

Tribe

Riverbank people

Viatichi

Tribe

People from the edge

Slovene

Tribe

Famous people

Kiev

Eastern Slavs

Named in honor of the eldest brother

Eastern Slavs

Russian, Ukraine, Belarus

Southern Slavs

Serbo-Croatian, Macedonia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Western Slavs

Poland, Czech, Slovakia

First land of Slavs

Unknown

Dunube river and Carpatian mountains region

Mid-Dnepr region

Alatir

Magic stone Svarog used to make world

Close to word for altar

Perun

Grandchild of Rod

Son of Svarog

Name means to strike

Warrior and thunder god

Six spoke symbol

Axe

Semargl

Grandchild of Rod

Son of Svarog

Name means birds and seven

Messenger god

When on a battlefield he amplifies the powers of the gods

A griffin with seven heads

Fire

Dazdbog

Grandchild of Rod

Son of Svarog

Name means god-giver: grandfather of Russians

The blue sun god

Drives chariot

Jarilo

Grandchild of Rod

Son of Perun or Veles

Sexuality and heat

Young, fair, flowers, summer heat

Iriy

Pagan paradise

Svarga

Place where ancestors live

Kalinov Bridge

Mystical place where fights between good (Perun) and evil (Veles) occur

Found in your soul

Smorodina River

Separates Nav and Yav

Protected by Baba Yaga

Juriy

Hell

Peklo: very hot

Great grandchildren of Rod

Kupala

Kostroma

Stribog

Kolyada

Ovsen

Kupalo

Great grandchild

Son of Semargl

Name means to bask

God of baths and cleansing

Associated with summer solstice

Kastroma

Great grandchild

Daughter of Semargl

Name means red and fire

Spring and fertility

Became a mermaid, Mavka

Stribog

Great grandchild

Son of Semargl

God of cold winter wind

Distributes wealth evenly

Kolyada

Great grandchild

Son of Dazdbog

Name comes from calendar

Real man, invented the calendar

Associated with winter solstice

Ovsen

Great grandchild

Son of Dazdbog

Name comes from the morning

Bridge to the future

Kupalo and Kastroma

Twins

Accidently feel in love

Killed themselves

Represented in flower

Spirits of the House and Bath

Domovoy

Bannik

Kikimora

Domovoy

House spirit

Name comes from word for house

Grey bread, old looking, small

Protects house

Lives near stove in attic or under threshold

Please with porridge, salt, bread, tobacco, candy

Must ask to come to new house with you

Bannik

Spirit of the Bath

Beard, hat, black cat

Lives behind stove or under steaming shelf

Please with soap, birch firs, salted bread, black chicken, don’t be intimate in the bathhouse

Kikimora

Spirit of the house

Name comes from the word for scarecrow, bag-made person

Strange legs, bird-ish, beaklike nose, traditional costume with loose hair

Spins wheel of fate, associated with disaster, messes up house

Likes ferns

Sprits of Forests, Waters, and Fields

Leshii

Polevik/Polevoy

Poludnista

Vodianoi

Rusalka

Leshii

Master of the Forest

Name comes from word “les” for forest

Changes appearance, glowing eyes, backwards clothes

Captures girls and children

Likes bread, salt, kasha, red string, wolves

Polevik/Polevoy

Spirt of Field

Name comes from “pole” meaning field

Hair like grass, color of soil, ugly

Leads people astray in forests, don’t go on the field boundaries

Like eggs and noon

Poludnista

Spirit of the Fields

Name comes from word “polden” meaning noon

Girl, white dress, dried grass in hair, beautiful

Crazy, hurst people who work during high heat, breaks bones, spins them around

Vodianoi

Water Spirit "water devil” dark force

Name comes from word “voda” for water

White beard, glowing eyes, half human half fish, ugly, bloated, bluish

Drowns people, marries drowned maidens

Likes millers and fisherman, bread and salt, vodka, black rooster

Rusalka

Spirit of water, evil

Name comes from words “rusyi” and “ruslo” for light hair and riverbed

Naked girls, light brown/green long hair, drowned maidens, no tail, beauty and eternal youth from the devil

Drown people, dance in moonlit circles, tickle people to death, steal kids

Likes late spring (powerful)

Protect against with cross, magic circle, garlic, and verbal charms

Magic Birds and Air Spirits

Firebird

Finist

The Duck/Utochka

Sirin

Alkonos

Gamayun

Stratim

Swan Princess

Geese-Swans

Crow

Rooster

Firebird

In the story “Prince Ivan, the Firebird, and the Gray Wolf”

Feathers shine so brightly they can blind, silver and gold, wings like flame that can burn, eyes sparkle, peacock size

Lives in golden cage in Prav

Eats golden apples, dies in autumn revives in spring, singing heals and brings wealth, immortal and beautiful

Finist

In the story “The Feather of Finist, the Bright Falcon”

Young man who can turn into falcon

Immortal, embodies power happiness, fighting for love

The Duck/Utochka

Duck, good luck ornaments

Power to purify water, guard against misfortunes and disasters

Sirin

Keeper of the tree of life

Half woman half bird, body of owl, multicolored/white, strong, crown

Positive bird, protective nature, voice brings beauty, happiness, and joy

Alkonos

Keeper of the tree of life

Half woman half bird, holds flower, black

Negative bird, brings sorrow, melancholy, kindness, sadness, dawn

Gamayun

Name comes from word “gam” meaning noise/talk

Half woman half bird

Wisdom, knowledge, prophecy

Lives on island near Prav where she serves gods

Stratim

Mother of all birds, lady of the seas, keeps the world under her right wing

Lifting wings birds light, lowering them brings dark, flapping them brings misery and suffering

Swan Princess

Swan who becomes a beautiful girl

Geese-swans

Evil power

Gang

Follow Baba Yaga’s orders

Crow

Evil

Messengers of underworld

Baba Yaga

Rooster

Represents sun, can see great distances, anticipates events, helps and punishes people

To cross the Kalinov bridge

to die

To meet someone on the Kalinov bridge

to fall in love