Tamara’s Reviews > Slovenska mitologija > Status Update

Bes
Evil spirit that possesses people and makes them go into a rage or madness. At some point “bes” became the word many Balkan people use for “rage”.

Bauk
This could be translated as “goblin” (at least the translator of the Serbian edition of The Hobbit did so). They hide in the dark and the only part of them you see then is the glow of their red eyes. They hide in holes and they hunt their victims at night, and the only way to get rid of them is by shouting or making other loud noises, and light, which they are afraid of.

Ala
Ala is often confused for an aždaja, but they are two separate creatures, though they both resemble snakes in some stories, while in others an ala is described as a terrible, black, wind-like creature. It can grow incredibly big, with its head in the clouds and a massive tail that scours the earth.

Aždaja
Aždaja is a creature in Slavic mythology that often lives in lakes or rivers and is evil by nature. It resembles a snake, it has a long tail, four legs, rough scales on its back, and often multiple heads. It doesn’t have wings, but it does have gills. It is evil by nature and not very intelligent, and it will attack humans so many Slavic folk tales feature a hero killing an aždaja.

Bridges and crossroads
These were deemed “unclean” and were considered to attract evil forces. Young men would spend nights on bridges or near crossroads to prove their courage. Crossroads were places where strangers, evil-doers, criminals, and suicides were buried.

Fairy rings
A circle in the grass, it could be in another color or with different herbs growing in it. A dancing spot for fairies, witches, and demons. A mortal entering a fairy ring risks illness, or being turned into a tree or a rock, or being kidnapped by demons. If you enter the ring while the fairies are dancing in it, they will make you dance “until the only thing left of you is your soul”.

Horses
Both Svetovid and Triglav were said to have a magical horse, stabled at their main temple. It was said the horse was able to predict outcomes of battles by which leg they used to step on when put in front of 3 rows of spears - right for a good outcome, left for a bad one.
I wonder if it has anything to do with an idiom we have here - “to get out of bed with your left leg”, meaning to have a bad day.

Mokoša
Goddess protector of women and women’s work (especially spinning and weaving), and the only goddess mentioned in official historical records dealing with the Slavic pantheon. The worship of Mokoš among Slavic women is as recent as the 19th century, and in some Slavic countries she took the role of Virgin Mary after christianization. Her name is kept in a lot of place names.

Vesna
Goddess of fertility and spring. The name “Vesna” is a common name in the Balkans, and in some Slavic languages it’s the word for spring 😀 In school, we actually learned a song that was used in rituals for summoning rain, where young girls called dodole wore costumes of Vesna to summon the rain. Other names: Živa, Diva, Devana

Svetovid
Name literally means "Sees the World". He has 4 heads, each one turned in a different direction. Later he became Sveti Vid (Saint Vitus) in Serbia (though some think it's questionable). He was one of the the main deities of Western Slav tribes.