Slavic mythology is very little known to the Western public. Also a group of researchers from seven different countries (Australia, France, Greece, Poland, Czech Republic, Russia, Ukraine) has made the choice to translate recent works on the subject into English. Eight of the articles in this volume study different aspects of ancient Slavic mythology, while one is a synthesis of the Baltic mythology and religion. With the contributions of Ji
Following a first volume published in 2019, here are nine new studies on the religion and mythology of the pagan Slavs. Some are interested in validating the reliability of ancient sources, while others offer more focused case studies, including studying particular deities. With the contributions of Tsimafei Avilin, Elena Boganeva, Nikola Danisová, Alexander V. Ivanenko, Kamil Kajkowski, Aleksandr Koptev, Oleg V. Kutarev, Patrice Lajoye, Giuseppe Maiello, Tatiana Oliferchik, Marina V. Valentsova and Stamatis Zochios.
In Sources of Slavic Pre-Christian Religion Juan Antonio Álvarez-Pedrosa presents all known medieval texts that provide us with information about the religion practiced by the Slavs before their Christianization.
In this volume, Stanisław Rosik focuses on the meaning and significance of Old Slavic religion as presented in three German chronicles (the works of Thietmar of Merseburg, Adam of Bremen, Helmold of Bosau) written during the time of the Christianization of the Western Slavs. The source analyses show the ways the chroniclers understood, explained and represented pre-Christian beliefs and cults, which were interpreted as elements of a foreign, “barbarian”, culture and were evaluated from the perspective of Church doctrine. In this study, individual features of the three authors are discussed– including the issue of the credibility of their information on Old Slavic religion– and broader conclusions on medieval thought are also presented.
This book offers a radical reinterpretation of the Slavic pagan religion made on the basis of a thorough re-examination of all reliable sources. What did Slavic pagan religion have in common with the Afro-American cult of voodoo? Why were no Slavic gods mentioned before the mid-tenth century, and why were there no Slavic gods at all between the Dnieper and the Order? Why were Slavic foundation legends similar to the totemic myths of the nomadic peoples of the Eurasian Steppe, and who were Slavic Remus and Romulus? What were the Indo-European roots of Slavic hippomantic rituals, and where was the Eastern Slavic dragon Zmey Gorynych born? Answers to these and many other provocative questions can be found in this book.
Covers the myths and legends of the Russian Empire at its greatest extent as well as other Slavic people and countries. Includes historical, geographical, and biographical background information.
A practical guide to the ancient magical tradition of Russian sorcery and Eastern Slavic magical rites • Offers step-by-step instructions for more than 300 spells, incantations, charms, amulets, and practical rituals for love, career success, protection, healing, divination, communicating with spirits and ancestors, and other challenges and situations • Reveals specific places of magical power in the natural world as well as the profound power of graveyards and churches for casting spells • Explores the folk history of this ancient magical tradition, including how the pagan gods gained new life as Eastern Orthodox saints, and shares folktales of magical beings, including sorceresses shapeshifting into animals and household objects Passed down through generations, the Slavic practice of magic, witchcraft, and sorcery is still alive and well in Russia, the Ukraine, and Belarus, as well as the Balkans and the Baltic states. There are still witches who whisper upon tied knots to curse or heal, sorceresses who shapeshift into animals or household objects, magicians who cast spells for love or good fortune, and common folk who seek their aid for daily problems big and small. Sharing the extensive knowledge she inherited from her mother and grandmother, including spells of the “Old Believers” previously unknown to outsiders, Natasha Helvin explores in detail the folk history and practice of Russian sorcery and Eastern Slavic magical rites, offering a rich compendium of more than 300 spells, incantations, charms, and practical rituals for love, relationships, career success, protection, healing, divination, averting the evil eye, communicating with spirits and ancestors, and a host of other life challenges and daily situations, with complete step-by-step instructions to ensure your magical goals are realized. She explains how this tradition has only a thin Christian veneer over its pagan origins and how the Slavic pagan gods and goddesses acquired new lives as the saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church. She details how the magical energy for these spells and rituals is drawn from the forces of nature, revealing specific places of power in the natural world as well as the profound power of graveyards and churches for casting spells. She explores the creation of amulets and talismans, the importance of icons, and the proper recital of magical language and actions during spells, as well as how one becomes a witch or sorceress. Offering a close examination of these two-thousand-year-old occult practices, Helvin also includes Slavic folk advice, adapted for the modern era. Revealing what it means to be a Slavic witch or sorceress, and how this vocation pervades all aspects of life, she shows that each of us has magic within that we can use to take control of our own destiny.
"Slavic Traditions & Mythology" is the fourth book by Stefan Cvetkovic which sums up his research in the field of Slavic mythology. The book explores the pre-Christian Slavic customs, symbols and myths from the deepest parts of prehistory up to our contemporary folklore. As such it is a book valuable not only to people of Slavic descent who wish to find out more about their roots, but to all European people as it shows that most of the symbols and mythical motifs are actually common to all of Europe, and stem from the same prehistoric root. It is a book which explains all the essential symbols related to the Slavic pre-Christian culture and separates them from the many New Age inventions. Furthermore, this book can serve as a practical tool to anyone who wants to apply the knowledge in his daily life, going through all the major festivals of the calendar and showing how to properly celebrate them, as our ancestors once did. The deities are also explored, clearly defining those of them which were really honoured by the ancient Slavic people, and which ones are results of the misinterpretations of various scholars through history. The myths related to the deities and other mythical beings are explained in detail through a microcosmic and macrocosmic perspective, with a special emphasis on the Slavic ancestral cult as an inseparable element from them. It is a book full of illustrations representing the different chronological variations of the symbols, archaeological finds related to the Slavic cultures, embroidery motifs, tombstones, representations of the deities, and much more. It is not a book which leaves open questions and doubts regarding the Slavic mythology, but provides insight, depth and meaning for one who truly wishes to know the primordial culture of our forebears.
The coming of Christianity to the state of Kievan Rus' at the end of the tenth century had an enormous impact on the development of Russian civilization. Despite the abandonment of the pagan gods, both Christian and pagan practices and beliefs continued to coexist for centuries, producing a system known as "dual faith." Russian Myths deals with mythic beliefs, notions, and customs—concerning the veneration of earth, water, fire, and air, demons and spirit-beings in the world of nature, the cult of the dead, and witchcraft—many of which have their roots in the pre-Christian past but still survive to the present day. To illuminate the evolution of major themes and motifs and set Russian myths in the context of mythology the world over, Elizabeth Warner draws upon a rich variety of sources, including anecdotal narrative forms and religious legends, epic songs, funeral laments and folk religion, and, of course, the folktales where the sacred gives way to pure imagination in the depiction of mythic themes and characters.
A new and refreshing look at the ancient beliefs of the people that lived in the Slavic lands. A religion rooted in balance, connection and the Earth. Explore these different faces of deity: Veles, the teacher of magic and lord of the animals; Zhiva, the radiant goddess of life, love and justice; Mat Zemla, who is the "moist Mother Earth" and more! Approximately 32 million people in the United States identify as having Slavic heritage and yet most of them have probably never heard of the native gods of their homeland. As more people look to find their own connection to earth spirituality they have only to look to the indigenous religion of their heritage. There is little available in English on these beliefs and the little that has been published is often tainted with white supremacist agendas. Come learn about the deities of the Slavic lands. Woodruff is an academic, an interfaith minister and a practicing Lemko bosorka. Her intense research and multi-disciplinary approach has broken new ground and resulted in same amazing new discoveries about this ancient religion.
