For questions about Slavic mythology and folklore
Questions tagged [slavic]
21 questions
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Where was the World Tree located?
In Indo-European mythology, particular, in Slavic, Baltic and Germanic mythologies there is a so-called World Tree, more precisely, World Oak that plays a sacred role and connects the underworld to heaven.
It is mentioned in Pushkin's poem "Ruslan…
Anixx
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14
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Does Baba Yaga ever desire the heart of Koschei the Deathless?
I've been re-reading Fables and Reflections, the sixth volume of The Sandman, and in the story title "The Hunt", I stumbled upon the following dialogue:
The story is full of Slavic folk lore, being told by a Slavic immigrant. Vassily, the man on…
Gallifreyan
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12
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Slavic mythology, human-animal hybrid creature
In Greek mythologies, there are a lot of human-animal hybrid creatures (Satyr, Centaur or Lamia, to name a few...), but I can't find any from Slavic mythos.
The best list I found is on Wikipedia - but AFAIK there are only full-monster (like…
Jan 'splite' K.
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11
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How did the gods in the Slavic pantheon relate to each other?
The Russian Primary Chronicle mentions the Slavic pantheon of Vladimir I of Kiev, possibly an attempt to reform Slavic paganism:
Vladimir then began to reign alone in Kiev, and he set up idols on
the hills outside the castle with the hall: one…
yannis
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9
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Was Chernobog evil, before Christians?
Chernobog is a name many authors use for their big bad guy. But was Chernobog really an evil god? Was he really Belobogs evil opposite, or is there some proof that he simply represented different aspects that didn't fit with Belobog?
Was Chernobog…
Nuloen The Seeker
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8
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Does Baba Yaga drink blue rose tea to reverse ageing?
Is the fact that Baba Yaga ages with each question asked and drinks blue rose tea to reverse ageing from Russian folklore or is it something the internet came up with?
I've heard several mentions it but can't find which story this information came…
TeachMe
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8
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Why should glass harm a fext?
Why should glass bullets and other odd items (usually not used as ammunition) harm a fext?
A fext is a revenant that is impervious to most damage, superman style, but glass it its kryptonite, why?
Nuloen The Seeker
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In what ways did the Rus worship their gods?
I don't know much about the Kievan Rus, and I can't find any good sources about the worship practices of the Rus or much about their mythology. I have found a load of sources for the baptism of the Rus, but nothing about how they worshiped their own…
Sam
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7
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Link between mythological Czernobog and his hammer
In the novel American Gods by Neil Gaiman Shadow and Mr. Wednesday meet Czernobog. He tells the story of his use of a hammer as a "knocker", a job he has taken in
America
"So, I got job on killing floor as a knocker. It was a good job. Yeah,…
VerasVitas
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7
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Do vegetation deities tend to be connected with the Moon?
Egyptian Osiris is associated with vegetation and this is what Wikipedia says about him:
Through syncretism with Iah, he is also the god of the Moon.
This is what Wikipedia says about Jarilo, Slavic god of vegetation:
From comparison to Baltic…
Roman
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7
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What is a Planetnik?
From what I gathered, a Planetnik seems to be an air spirit that is somehow associated with Perun, the Slavic god of thunder and lightning. However, my sources are not particularly credible, sometimes contradictory and fail to mention any actual…
yannis
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Is Baba Yaga always the antagonist, or sometimes the protagonist?
I ask because I only know her from folktales, children's plays, and secondary sources, but the general impression I formed was of Baba Yaga as the protagonist. Is this incorrect or is she sometimes the hero of stories?
DukeZhou
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5
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Origins of the "bodark"
There is a moderately-widespread notion in (amateur) English-language sources that a "bodark" is one of the words in Russian mythology/folklore referring to a werewolf.
Some examples:
Moderately well-known video game (Ghost Recon: Future…
Ptr
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4
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What type of god is Semargl?
I’ve read he’s a god of grains and a god of fire but I’m not exactly sure which is from genuine Slavic myths. Much of the information I found is from new age religion sites.
TeachMe
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Are there any known records of pagan worship in early 13th century Europe?
(Specifically Scandinavia, Iceland, Finland, Gotland, Baltic lands, and Russian Slavic lands to the east of the Baltic) I am aware of recorded paganism in Henry of Livonia's Chronicle of Livonia (i.e. Taara, and idolatry) and The Chronicle of…
Koios
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