#volkhv

Oleg Meets the Wizard

“Volhv. Pagan Rus” by Yuriy Sergeev.

A volhv (Cyrillic: Волхв; translatable as wiseman, wizard, magus, i.e. shaman, or mage) is a priest in ancient Slavic religions.

‘Wołchw’ by Polish artist Aleksander Karcz.

Wołchw is a Slavic shaman and seer/prophet dealing with the spiritual life and magick, and mediating with the god Weles (Veles). Wołchw is responsible for passing down the oral traditions of a community. Recitations, music, dance and often also natural intoxicants putting them into a trance are important in their rituals.

Another similar profession is a guślarz, strongly focused on the ‘shamanic’ aspects and on conducting various common rites (for example healing practices or charms). Guślarz is derived from a noun gusła that describes primarily the rites during which the souls are being summoned from the outerworld. He is the conductor of the annual rites of dziady when the souls of the ancestors are invited for a feast and paid homage.

Another important profession is that of a żerca, a priest and a spiritual leader. Żerca leads sacrificing practices, major divinations and important ceremonies like weddings, and is responsible for designating dates of the religious festivals. They protect the sacred sites (temples, groves, sacred fires). In the past they were seen as the most elite profession among those mentioned above, and held the most of political power - it was also usually them who advised the rulers. The word żerca is derived from a noun żertwa which means an offering.