#slavic lore

TRAVEL BACK A CENTURY OR so, to a chilly winter night. Christmas has come and gone, and New Year’s Eve is on the horizon when a group of carolers approach your door. They’re dressed as figures from the Nativity. Elated, you welcome them. Then you notice a terrifying stranger among them: a tall creature with musky-smelling hair, silver bull horns, and a snapping jaw pierced with nails. He dances and jumps to the music, sometimes pouncing on children.

Meet Turoń, a symbol of virility. Polish Academy of Sciences folklorist Ewa Masłowska says the figure’s name derives from tur, the Polish word for aurochs, an ancient bovine that roamed much of Eurasia but was hunted to extinction by the 17th century. Turoń was one of the traditional characters portrayed by mummers who wandered and danced through the streets of Poland from Christmas through Lent. Unlike other European winter creatures, such as Père Fouettard and Krampus, Turoń does not dole out punishment. Instead, says Masłowska, this hirsute representative of ideal manhood brings blessings of fertility, including a good harvest for the year ahead.

Performing as Turoń descended from a millennia-old pre-Christian Polish tradition, when men dressed as aurochs and danced in rituals intended to bring fertility to their communities and farmland. The modern Turoń entered each home to chase people, particularly children, and dance frantically to the music. He then collapsed into a lifeless heap on the floor, only to be “reborn” when the carolers or hosts provided him with a small sip of vodka. After drinking it, he sprang to life again. According to Masłowska’s research, this ritual of life, death, and rebirth echoes another ancient pagan tradition in Poland: symbolizing the lunar cycle of waxing and waning through different animals, which in turn also represent ritual rites of passage for humans. In the tradition, the impressive horns of the aurochs are a symbol of the crescent moon.

The tur—and, by extension, Turoń—is primarily associated with fertility, strength, and masculinity. Even today in Poland, the phrase silny jak tur, or strong as an aurochs, conveys power and sexual prowess in a man.

However, it turns out that even the virile Turoń needs protection. Turoń behaves aggressively, and the costumes are particularly fearsome, the mummer’s face completely hidden, to fool evil spirits that might also have been out and about on the cold winter night.

“The mask was to protect against the devil, against evil. If they are in the mask, it means that they are strangers,” Masłowska says. “The evil is also a stranger, so the evil will not disturb [Turoń, thinking it is one of their own].”

Turoń’s terrifying appearance, and tendency to chase children, allows the figure essentially to blend in with malevolent creatures so that they leave him alone, letting him stealthily deliver blessings to the community.

The tradition of Turoń coming to your door around Christmas more or less died out in the 20th century, though mummers dressed as aurochs were sometimes spotted in the days leading up to Ash Wednesday and other times of year.

However, much like the revival of Krampus, now a global phenomenon, the Germanic Frau Perchta, and the shaggy kukeri of Bulgaria, Turoń is making a bit of a comeback. While the blessing bull figure is likely enjoying more attention as part of a pop culture trend celebrating the darker characters of winter holidays, there’s something else behind renewed interest in the tradition. Some practitioners of Rodnovery, a modern interpretation of pre-Christian Slavic beliefs, are reviving the ancient pagan fertility ritual of stado, which involved men dressed as aurochs, and bringing the dancing bull back to Polish streets.

But honesty I don't care which one it is, our culture is something we create and adopt to fit our lives not something that dictates how we need to do things. And I say we give the goddesses the recognition they deserve!

In other words, we actually do have a cool storm goddess. I've found a few different names: there's Perperuna and Dodola. These both being said to be names of the goddess and a ritual, with some sources saying she's a thunder goddess and some saying rain goddess - the ritual i mentiones is a rain ritual, but then again there is also debate over whether Perun is also a rain god as well or not, so she might be a full counterpart, with them both covering thunder and rain. There's some further debate on the etymology of the name Dodola on wikipedia, claiming she might be a spring goddess as well. I know there is a custom in parts of Croatia related to Dodola. It's not a thing here, so I don't know much about it, perhaps you know more about it? It's definitely something I'll look into a bit more. I'm not quite sure if it's the the same rain ritual I mentioned or not.

Then there's Perunika (which I might be biased towards because it's my favourite flower). The name of the flower is said to come both from the god and the goddess, so that's a bit confusing. Wikipedia mentions leluja/ljeljuja as a kajkavian variant for the name of the flower, it coming from the other name for the goddess Lela/Ljelja, which in turn is cited as the name of the spring goddess whose name Dodola comes from.

But wait, that's not all! Ljelja is then another name for Lada, goddess of summer/sun/fertility. (That's right we also have a sun goddess!)

I will also add that some sources (very hard to find ones even for slavic mythology standards) state that Perun's day is celebrated in the Summer, which is pretty interesting considering since we went from looking into a thunder goddess to a summer one.

Whether this is all a same goddess with different names depending on the location, or more than one and there's maybe a bit of overlap in some parts, I'm not sure. I can't make up my mind how I want to interpret it.

This is still mostly based on research I did a few years back. I'd definitely like to try looking into it anew when I get the time. Maybe my research skills have improved and I'll find even more information this time!

All hail Lada, Perperuna, Perunika, Lejla and Dodola!!

I knew about Lada, she's popular! And I'm a little disgruntled about female goddesses that are just a female counterpart of a male god, I mean it feels like they were created to mirror him and so that he could have a suitable wife and that shouldn't be the case. Reminds me of that custom in rome where women were only named after they were married and they got the female version of their husband's name, and that is nasty, like they were only the extensions. I mean it would be okay if there was a story that shows that the goddesses proved to be in every way superior and more important than the male counterparts and the male gods lost their names to them, that would be satisfying. Maybe that's something we should write.

Perun was always referenced as a god of thunder here, but who knows if the lore I got was correct, there's a lot of conflicting info! Perunika sounds way cooler and she's an absolutely gorgeous flower.

Different animals mean different things in Russian folklore, and often act accordingly. For example, the fox is a symbol of slyness, so it is often portrayed as a trickster, such as the character named Lisichka Sestrichka (Лисичка-сестричка). Here she is below:

Going along directly with fox is her friend wolf who is usually portrayed as a coward and is quite easily manipulated by the fox and is often blamed for her wrong doing.

Next, the hare is usually a courageous but still somewhat cowardly character. Courage, creativity and helplessness is what it seems to be described as.

Theres also a bear, usually portrayed as somewhat stupid, and sort of pitiful... though in early slavic paganism they were seem as a powerful. worshipped symbol, normally representing a father like figure and he was associated with the god Volos. For some reason in specifically Russian lore he seems quite different.

Hey guys! I was hoping to explore my slavic ancestry and get more familiar with the pantheon. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for:

- sources (to learn more!)

- offerings - what each of the gods like, things to offer to ask for prayers etc.

- festivals/feast days

Thank you!!💕🖤