Slavic Pagan Beliefs
By Natalia Kamenskaya
 Before Christianity Slavonians practiced pagan religion. Besides main gods Slavs trusted that everything on the earth is full of spirits. They believed that every physical object or different forces of nature had their own spirit. One spirits were good, others were wicked. Spirits were divided on forest, aquatic, earthly, air, fiery and domestic ones. Slavs sought mutual understanding with every spirit. They knew how to propitiate ones and to scare the others. But there were days, when nobody dared to collide with evil forces. For example, it is better not to sleep at Midsummer Night, because all evil spirits revive and become active that night.
Lord of forest Leshiy (wood-goblin) lives in the places which are difficult of access. Not only all forest spirits, birds and animals, but every person wandering around the forest submit to Leshiy. He can bring travelers to such places were getting on the right road is impossible. Hunting results are also depends on Leshiy’s favor. Successful hunters know how to show their gratitude to Leshiy.
A meeting with Leshiy’s daughters Mavki can be dangerous for people. Forest beauties with a slender girlish figure do not have back. They cover the back of their body with long thick deep-green hair. Mavki protect animals, trees and bushes from senseless human activity. They try to ensnare travelers to midwood and sing them to eternal sleep or sing and dance in a ring till the traveler die.
Lord of underwater lands Vodanoy (water-spirit) is known for his malicious character. He watches closely everyone who enters his territory, attacks the victim and takes him or her to his land for permanent residence as a dependent servant. In order to bribe Vodanoy fishermen throw the first fish back into the water and beekeepers share the first honey with him.
A meeting with a Rusalka (Mermaid) is not less dangerous for people. Most of them are Vodanoy’s daughters, but some of them are the souls of drowned woman and children who were damned by their parents.
Small water spirits Potechata are friendlier. With the help of lightning bugs they often help travelers who have lost their way to find the road at night. But if they don’t like the traveler he will be brought to marshlands and die.
Activity of the field spirits is limited by the term of the field work. The field spirit carefully protects harvest and punishes negligent owners making their lands sterile. The field spirit is kind by nature but he can pay a trick on a drunken ploughman. But his children Mezhevichki (from Russian mezha - boundary) and Lugovichki (from Russian lug - meadow) can smother a traveler sleeping in the field.
Earth spirits are the most gracious to people. They protect and help people. In the last spring month the Mother -Earth celebrates her name day. These days any digging is not allowed in order not to offend the Earth spirit. All evil forces fall in through the earth. Till now swearing people say “I will be swallowed by the earth”. A handful of the ground, where relatives lie, guards a person against any misfortune.
To find a treasure it is necessary to come to agreement with spirits that guard it. In the case when the treasure is found the spirits control it is divided into equal parts.
Some malicious spirits settle down in houses in addition to domestic gods who keep the hearth. They make the owner’s life unbearable. Often even wealthy people become beggars.
Quite often people connive with evil forces. Witches, sorcerers and werewolves instead of their souls get talents for witchcrafts, fortunetelling and other sorcery. Principal activity of sorcerers is spoilage, jinxing, plots, etc. In contrast to sorcerers witches full their incantation with words that should salve, console and calm people. Sometimes they help girls to charm an admirer. Werewolves are people who can turn into animals. It is easily to know them because their hind leg knees bend forward but not backward. Wedmacks are good creatures who guard people against sorcerers and forbid dead people to leave their graves.
Millers, carpenters, stove-maker, shepherds and witch-doctors do not sell their souls, but they came to agreement with evil forces. Unlike sorcerers witch-doctors do not hide their actions from people. There is no lock on the doors of their dwelling. Their houses are warm and clean, saturated with dried herbages odor. Their main activity is removing spoilage and jinxing. Shepherds keep a number of secrets. They covenant with spirits and protect their herds from misfortunes and wild beasts. Being offended carpenters and stove-makers make friends with spirits and can do a house unsuited for habitation. Therefore people try their best to please them.
All stages of life of Slavs were accompanied by certain ceremonies which helped to gain on or to pacify bad spirits. Many elements of such ceremonies can be found in way of life of contemporary Ukrainians.
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