Gamayun The Prophetic Bird

Gamayun is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge, a talking bird who foretells the future and tells fortunes. Its name is derived from the Russian word “gam” or “kam”, meaning “noise”, hence are the words “kamlat” (i.e. to perform shamanistic rituals) and “shaman”. In the Belorussian language the word “gamanits” means “to speak, to talk”.

Like the Sirin and the Alkonost, the Gamayun is normally ...

Morana

Morana or Morena is a Slavic goddess associated with death, winter and nightmares. The tradition of burning or drowning an dummy of Morana to celebrate the end of winter is a folk custom that survives in Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. This ritual represents the end of the dark days of winter, the victory over death, and the welcoming of the spring rebirth.

Her arrival was therefore always expected with fea...

Svarog

Slavic sun and fire god, originally the supreme god-creator of the Slavic pantheon and and the central part of the pagan trinity known as Triglav.

He is the divine smith, and patron of the fire of the hearth and of blacksmiths. The root svar means bright, clear. Sanskrit word ‘Svarga’ meaning the sky or heaven. In Indo-Aryan word ‘svar’ meaning the sun.

Svarog was believed to have forged the Sun and have given it to...