Radomir Ristic > Quotes

“(for Serbian and other Balkan people, this is the time between 12p.m. to 2 a.m., although it could be extended to 5 a.m., when the third rooster’s crow sounds for the last time before dawn. This is considered to be a holy time, because it is the time when two worlds and two dimensions intercept; the world of people and the world of supernatural beings; the Witching hour in England).”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“Along with the Forest Mother and horned God, Fairies are among the oldest sprits of nature in the Balkans. They are not classified as separate group of supernatural creatures in relation to the gods or great spirits of nature, but they represent “lower” spirits who under the direct control of “higher” ones, the horned God, and above all, the Forest Mother.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“The rabbit is a sacred animal that is identified with the Moon. Many taboos are associated with the rabbit, and a great number of rituals that include the rabbit must be performed during Christmas. Pregnant women must not eat or look at a dead rabbit.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“Young girls rode male goats to make cattle fertile. Men masked as goats chased women. All of these rituals originate from cult of fertility.
Remember that during Christmas celebrations young men wore Lesnik’s mask, made from the skin and horns of a male goat.
The male goat is the animal that simultaneously represents both the demon of underworld and fertility.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“In Serbian tradition is a widespread belief that people exist who can protect their region from bad weather, and that they can drive away the evil forces which cause it. The essence of this belief is that when someone felt that bad weather was coming, that man would withdraw himself somewhere on the side and fell into a sleep in the place where the natural disaster found him. His soul would leave his body to fight with the dragon or other leader of that natural disaster. After he chases away the troubles, the man wakes up and become conscious, sweaty and tired from the struggle.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“For Witches, The lower realm is the home of aspects the Great Mother and the Horned God. The Great Mother is like Mother Earth when the vegetation falls dormant, the Goddess of Death, and the Horned God as the God of those who have died, in contrast to the aspects seen in the middle realm. It is also the home of dwarves, wise snakes, demons, spirits that guard spiritual and mineral wealth, and of course, the deceased. In other words, the underworld is always manifest as the home of the dead. It has so many different creatures, beings, and deities, that the realm is literally teeming with life. Almost all nations of the world considered this to be the underworld, or Hell. It cannot be compared to the Christian Hell, however. To Witches, that world is not seen as a dark and dangerous place, but rather a beautiful realm where another Sun is always shines, the underworld Sun.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“One of the so-called minor holidays is “vodena nedelja” (Water Sunday) on May 13. As its name says, this holiday is dedicated to water; that is, water demons — spirits from which people need to induce mercy in the springtime when the snow is melting, rains are falling, and the possibility of floods is increased. It was sometimes believed that water spirits have special powers at this time of year, so the rituals related to them were performed then.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“When someone wants to became a stuha he must not wash himself for forty days and he must not to pray to God. After forty days, he must go to some clearing, make a circle around himself and sit down. After some time the Devil would show up and would ask him if the man wants to join his army and into what shape he wants to be transformed. He agreed, the Devil then made the transformation, and that’s how he became a stuha”.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“The horse is almost unavoidable when we speak of sacred animals because it is closely connected to the underworld. Most supernatural creatures or creatures with supernatural capabilities, and even Witches have the ability to change into the form of a horse.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“On the other hand, the people from the south and southwest Balkans were famous for their pine wands, a piece of pine that is slightly burned on each end. According to tradition, they used these wands for fighting between individuals. Pine is known as “Soul Wood” (sen is the Slovenian word for “soul”), as the Balkan people says that this wood has particular capabilities.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“In Srem (a region in Vojvodina) it is said that Witches gather above the Molovina village on some kind of walnut tree, and in Croatia they say that Witches gather on the mountain pine over Ogulin.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“These are classical brooms made from birch wood, which young girls would wave in the air to persuade fairies to take them as sisters,”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“In essence, the grandmother represents collective spirit of female ancestors. It is said that she was the first woman who died and went to underworld. That is why people think that she resides in all major caves and pits. She is dangerous, but she is also a wise old woman the guardian of ancient knowledge; lucky is the one she chooses as a pupil.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“At first glance we can assume that his name is preserved only because people called him Lesnik in southern Serbia, but if we move north, he is referred to as Sumnik. Both names originate from the word “suma” (forest), with only difference that “Les” is an antiquated Slavic word; the name Lesnik means “creature of the forest” or “one in the forest”. His description reminds us of the Greek Pan, the Roman Sylvan, or Krampus. He is also represented as creature with a human upper body, while his lower body and ears are reminiscent of a goat. He usually has a beard, horns, and he is very hairy.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“The largest amount of these herbs were collected on the holiday that is dedicated to herbs, called “Biljni petak” (Herb Friday). Biljni petak (herbal friday) got its name because it is the last Friday before the 6th May, meaning that the actual date changes from year to year. The herbs must been collected manually, early in the morning before sunrise, because it is said herbs become medicines after midnight on Thursday.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“Scarlet Pimpernel (anagallisarvensis) Was once dedicated to the Slavic deity Svetovid, and is used today in rituals related to foretelling. It is considered that it is enough to keep this herb under the pillow, tell it what you want to know, and it will appear in your dreams.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“has always been considered that the benevolent God lives in the east, and that his opposite lives in the west. The God of life, birth, and prosperity lives on this side, while God of the dead and the underworld resides in the depths where sun goes at the end of the day. The sun which was reborn was seen as a victor over darkness and the carrier of light, without which there would be no life.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“The night before Ascension Day, between midnight and the crow of the first rooster, he goes to a previously selected Hazelnut tree, cleanly shaven and dressed in clean clothes. He then disrobes, and turns to the east with a previously chosen branch behind him. Throwing back his hands, he takes a branch and bends it down, trying to pick one, or better, three flowers from the tree with his buttocks. When he accomplishes that, he continues naked until the first fern bush he finds and tries to pick one flower with his buttocks. After that, he puts his clothes on and returns home.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“The most significant among them is the period known in the Balkans as The Unbaptized days that lasted from Christmas until Epiphany. During that period, many people did not want to leave homes, especially at night, to avoid contact with those “forces”.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“Mrs. Ruza from Crnjak village, born in 1907, told Paun how she became what she is. One day during a storm, she was looking for shelter under a big Rowan tree. At that moment she saw a smartly dressed man, who set a table and chairs under the tree. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a group of young girls, women and old women appeared. When they were all seated on the chairs, a woman with a tuft on her head showed up. She was demonstrating various magical techniques while the others were copied her. Grandma Ruza claims that from the first day they forced her to learn along with them. She remembers that her mother would often find her under the Rowan tree in some kind of trance. In contrast to Ruza, she did not see or feel anything, the only thing she did notice was that the grass was stamped down as if many people had been there. This continued for about three weeks, until she learned everything that she needed to. With this kind of trance, in Eastern Serbia among the Vlach people, they say that the person was adopted by “sojmane” — meaning adopted by spirits”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“Finally, there are those who were initiated and taught by three identical Goddesses simultaneously. One example cited by Jasna Jojic Pavlovski in her book “Miracles of Vlach magic”; they were called the three Marys. This trinity is well known in the Balkans. They were sometimes respected Celt Mothers, Slavic Sudjenice, and similar deities we can find among the Greeks under the name Mojre, Parke the Roman, German Norne, etc.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“E lder(sambucus nigra) is a demonic tree, which means that supernatural beings reside inside them, and they are filled with magical power. It is forbidden to cut this tree because there are almost always fairies among its branches and in its flowers, most of which are invisible to people. Dodole (young girls who perform rituals to invoke rain) decorate themselves with elder and magical flutes are also made from it.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“The color red is one of the most important and certainly the most used in ancient Balkan Witchcraft. There are several reasons for this. The first is that red is the color of protection, which protects and chases away all negative forces, demons, spells, and evil magic directed toward an individual.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“According to all the testimonies and interviews that we have, all Witches were initiated and led by the Goddess in the form of a young woman whom they say is the Forest Mother. There is also the old woman, or grandmother, who some say is Saint Petka. Ethnologists have tried to connect her with the Slovenian Mokosa, but we cannot agree because she is very similar to Morena, the Goddess or spirit of death, representative of the collective spirit of all deceased women. She is neither luminary nor solar; she is timeless and spaceless, and she greatly resembles the trinity of Stygian Witches with whom Perseus must cope in his myth.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“Tuesday is the opposite of Monday. Children born on Tuesday will be unfortunate. You should avoid any business on Tuesday, even cutting nails or washing hair. Still, it is considered a magical day, and that is why it is most appropriate day in the week for performing rituals. People believed that this is the day of supernatural forces, and that is the reason for being most appropriate day.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“When she does not want to be seen, she takes the shape of a haystack or she appears as an animal. The number of animals whose shape she takes is limited. She can show up as a turkey, cow, female dog, mare, goat, or a pig. Above all, she is protector of the forest and fields, wild animals, and nature, but she is also protector of fertility, pregnant women and women in general. Based on this, ethnologists conclude that she is very similar to Arthemida and Diana, although we will clearly see that she is probably the original Balkan Hecate who was preceded by a Slavic Goddess with similar characteristics, Morena – Mara”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“Veles is the protector of cattle, wildlife, music, magic, trickery, and health. He is also known for his generosity and magical powers. He was the one who bestowed magical knowledge concerning money, fertility, or anything else. He fought his battles in the form of a black dragon, a snake, or bull. This connects him with our dragon men and the zduhac who fight their astral battles in the form of a bull. He is also the great water bull in many stories from the Balkans. Because he is the greatest snake in the underworld, other snakes were considered the souls of the deceased, and that is why the cult of the snake exists in the Balkans. He can also take the form of a dragon, which we consider a positive and very beneficial attribute.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“Three basic groups of dragons exist in the Balkans. The first are the dragon-meteors that appear in the sky like flying fire, and set fire to everything around them. They are not evil, but if they stay too long in one place, they could cause drought. Then they must be chased away. The second group consists of dragons that resemble those of Western Europe, which are in essence giant snakes with wings and legs. The third group consists of human-dragons, and this is the most interesting one. Usually those are people whose astral body is not really human, and when they leave their body, it is possible to see their actual appearance. Descriptions of these dragons are different. They could be big winged snakes, big eagles, or men of huge proportions, with extremely hairy bodies, long hair, and beard. It is possible to determine if a person belongs to this type of dragons by testing their strength. As a rule, they have superhuman strength and powers. It is said that many folk heroes were dragons; this is evidenced in various folk stories and songs. Other types of dragons can also take human form, and they could go and visit women by night. There is a myth that says they are great lovers and that women can hardly resist them. Children from those relationships are always human-dragons and by virtue of that, great heroes also.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“Green is a very important and positive color. It is the color of vibrance, nature, and the spirits of vegetation. I recommended it in rituals for invoking spirits of nature. Green is a color of the underworld and its residents. As a color of protection and celebration, it is used in many rituals and celebrations. A green branch of rosemary or basil provides protection during celebrations. Aside from that, it is obviously the color of fertility, because it represents nature and growth. In conclusion, it is the color of the Forest Mother, fairies, and other, though no less important, spirits of nature.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft

“Among good snakes, the first is the guardian snake that lives under the threshold or near the house. It represents the spirit of ancestors and protects the family from physical and magical threats. Sometimes when people went to work in the fields, they carried their children with them and placed them under the shade of large trees. They said that snakes came and stayed near the children or they lay coiled on their chests, not allowing anyone to approach them until their mothers returned. When their mothers returned, the snakes would quietly leave.”
― Radomir Ristic, Balkan Traditional Witchcraft