Category Archives: Slavic

It’s Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature

Posted on April 27, 2013 by

The concept of Mother Earth is an ancient one, appearing in many different cultures. One of the most famous is the Greek Gaia, mother to the Titans, the giants, and many others. Obviously the myth-makers realized that nature has both … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Greek Mythology, Greek Philosophy, History, Middle Ages, Mythology, Native American, Philosophy, Slavic | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wednesday’s Woman

Posted on November 22, 2012 by

A book I recently read, James Branch Cabell’s Jurgen, contains many references to deities from various cultures, some real and some apparently original with Cabell. One figure who interested me was Sereda, the personification of Wednesday, who restores Jurgen’s youth … Continue reading →

Posted in Fairy Tales, Mythology, Russian, Slavic | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Russian Religious Rip-Off

Posted on September 29, 2012 by

Slavic mythology is not as well attested as the beliefs of other contemporary societies, with records being sparse. Still, it appears that at least one of the main gods, if not THE main god, was a storm deity named Perun. … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Mythology, Norse, Religion, Slavic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Less Deathless Than Advertised

Posted on September 17, 2012 by

An interesting character I came across recently is Koschei the Deathless, a supernatural villain from Slavic folklore. Despite his name, he can be killed, but it is by no means easy. In the paradoxical-sounding “The Death of Koschei the Deathless,”, … Continue reading →

Posted in Fairy Tales, Monsters, Mythology, Russian, Slavic | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

The Satanic Family Players

Posted on July 14, 2011 by

One curious character who shows up in at least two fairy tales collected by the Brothers Grimm is the Devil’s grandmother. She puts in appearances in one story called simply “The Devil and His Grandmother” (sometimes called “The Dragon and … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Fairy Tales, German, Mythology, Religion, Russian, Slavic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Birds of an Element

Posted on June 5, 2011 by

The Thunderbird and Firebird are probably best known today as types of cars, but both have their origins in folklore and mythology. I tend to pair them mentally, despite the fact that they come from myths originating in totally different … Continue reading →

Posted in Fairy Tales, Mythology, Native American, Slavic | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Chernobog Standard

Posted on April 23, 2011 by

Picture by Vsevolod Ivanov After writing about Fantasia, in which the Devil character in the Bald Mountain segment is called Chernabog, I thought it would be appropriate to research the origins of this name. Chernobog was actually a Slavic deity, … Continue reading →

Posted in Mythology, Slavic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment