#magia slavorum

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Healing practices also change and evolve while retaining certain features: Заговаривать от тоски нужно над проточной водой, у реки, как объясняла мне одна из моих собеседниц, но в городе «ты можешь и над батареей», в ней тоже вода течет [“You have to say the words to ease toska (longing) over running water, by a river”, one of my female interlocutors explained to me, but in town “you can do it over a radiator,” in which water flows too]

- Review of Магические практики севернорусских деревень: заговоры, обереги, лечебные ритуалы. Записки конца XX – начала XXI в. (reviewed by Sibelan Forrester)

#Folk magic #magia slavorum

[anaklusmoshq]

A mitologia eslava pode abranger as religiões dos primeiros poloneses, russos, morávios, servos, masuri e silésia. Com efeito, esse folclore se baseia na ideia de princípios duais. Ou seja, há uma raça de divindades boas e outra de divindades más.

São conhecidos poucos registros escritos tratando dos Eslavos dos séculos antes da cristianização. Entre outras fontes é comum se apelar para o controverso Livro de Veles, que é um texto sagrado dessa religião. O Saxo Grammaticus é outra fonte de autenticidade disputada.

O Chronicon Slavorum por Helmold é em geral aceito como uma fonte genuína, tratando de cultura Eslava do primeiro milênio depois de Cristo, mas dele só se tem poucos fragmentos. Apesar disso, nos escapa quem detinha o poder sacerdotal na religião eslava, ou mesmo a cosmologia desse povo.

Perun

Perun é, sem dúvida, o deus supremo do Panteão eslavo. Adorado em grandes extensões da Europa eslava e até além (como Perkunas) ele também aparece na mitologia báltica. Perun é o senhor reinante dos céus e o deus do relâmpago e do trovão. Como um deus do trovão, ele foi comparado a Zeus na mitologia grega ou Thor na mitologia nórdica. Ele é o deus do trovão e do relâmpago . Entre seus símbolos estão a flor da íris, o machado e o carvalho

Veles

É um dos principais deuses da mitologia eslava, deusa da terra e da água, associado ao gado, ao comércio, ao submundo, a riqueza e a magia. É também o deus dos druidas, dos segredos e o guardião da passagem do mundo de Tav, onde vivemos para Prav, ou o superior mundo dos espíritos e Nav, o mundo inferior.

Triglav

É uma antiga divindade guerrira. É um dos deuses mais misteriosos dentro do panteão eslavo. No seu culto, figurava um cavalo sagrado que servia para oráculos. Antes de se empreender uma expedição colocavam-se sobre o solo nove lanças afastadas uma da outra; em seguida, o sacerdote segurava a rédea do animal, e o fazia percorrer, por três vezes, nos dois sentidos, o espaço dentro do qual elas se achavam; se tocava em alguma, era um mau presságio; e a expedição devia ser cancelada; em caso contrário, a mesma teria êxito.

Stribog

É o deus do ar e dos ventos da mitologia eslava. Em algumas áreas é considerado o deus da riqueza e, segundo lendas, elas eram espalhadas conforme seus ventos sopravam. Também é considerado o deus do inveno, já que as rajadas de vento carregavam a neve e esfriavam a terra.

Svarog

É geralmente comparado ao deus ferreiro dos gregos. No entanto, é muito antigo e representa que era uma divindade do panteão protoeslavo, Svar significa “brilhante, claro” e o sufixo rog indica lugar, de tal maneira que Svarog significa simplesmente “céu claro”, possivelmente era o Deus do céu panteão. Svarog também pode significar um lugar brilhante e feroz. Este Deus tinha dois filhos, Svarozhich que representava o fogo na terra e Dazhbog que representava o fogo do céu, acredita-se que Svarog teria forjado o sol e deu ao seu filho Dazhbog para leva-lo através do céu.

Makosh

Makosh, ou Mokosh, é uma das principais divindades da mitologia eslava. Seu nome em tradução livre significa ‘Mãe Fortuna’, onde “ma” seria uma parte de “mãe” e “kosh” é uma antiga palavra eslava para destino, boa sorte ou fortuna.  Em suma, ela zela pelas mulheres. Seu domínio é a fertilidade, a colheita, a magia e as riquezas da casa. Ademais, ela observa o tear do destino. Nesse trabalho, ela é auxiliada por Dolya e Nedolya. Diz-se que são irmãs mais novas de Makosh ou suas ajudantes.

Morana

Também conhecida como Marzanna, Mara e Marana é a deusa do pesadelos, escuridão, inverno e morte. As lendas dizem que ela e seus asseclas tentam destruir o Sol todas as noites, mas sempre recuam com medo de sua majestade e beleza. Seu reino é inverno e morte. Além disso, seus símbolos incluem crânios rachados, a lua negra e uma foice com a qual ela corta os fios da vida. Ela é filha de Lada, irmã de Giva e Lelya, e esposa de Koshei.

Lada

Lada é a mãe de Lelya, Lel e Morana e esposa de Svarog. Ela é a deusa da harmonia, da alegria, da juventude, da felicidade em família, do amor e da beleza. Seu nome é comumente citado em casamentos eslavos e bálticos, e em diversas canções populares. .Ela também zela pela continuação da vida de todas as coisas vivas. O relacionamento de Lada e Lelya é visto como o relacionamento mãe-filha ideal.

#rp br #rpg br #krp br #akmshq: mitologias

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Uspieński mentions offerings of decorated eggs (pisanki) to the forest spirit (Leshy). Ivanits also lists bread, salt, grits and pancakes – those sacrifices were wrapped in a clean cloth, tied with red ribbon and left on the crossroads. (…) Eggs are typical sacrifice offered for various forms of the forest spirit. They are also used for casting spells, and during funerary rituals they had to be buried at the feet of the deceased.

- Sacrifices among the Slavs: Between Archeological Evidence and 19th Century Folklore by Izabella Wenska

#Slavic folklore #folk magic #magia slavorum #leshy #pisanki

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Here I have to give some explanations, which will be useful to us later on. Our village informants distinguish between two types of witch or wizard. There are those who know some spells and are able, for example, to stop bleeding or to cure toothache. But there are also those who not only “know” magic tricks and texts, but who also know in the sense of “are familiar with”, i.e. deal with supernatural powers and it is to them the villagers will go in order to remove a jinx or to get a herdsman’s spell. Everybody knows that they can do both “good things” and “bad things”. Furthermore, rumour suggests that these wise-folk cannot help but inflict magical damage because of the devils who serve them. And the devils must be kept busy at all times, otherwise they may start tormenting their master. To keep the devils under control, such wise-folk send them “to count the needles on a fir-tree”, i.e. ask them to do meaningless work, so they won’t be a nuisance.

- A Letter to the “King of the Forest” Contemporary Magic Practice in Russia by Svetlana Adonyeva

#folk magic #magia slavorum #russian folklore #slavic folklore #devils

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Foundation offerings

A foundation offering is a magic practice known since antiquity, performed during the the construction of new residential buildings, but also the of sacred or defensive buildings, roads and bridges. The foundation offering (pl. zakładzina) should ensure the well-being of the users and residents of the building and strengthen the building’s durability by giving it the life of a living being. In his monograph about archaeological excavations in Opole (Poland), Hołubowicz writes that a textual account known as Rudolf’s Catalogue of Magic mentions the practice of foundation offerings in medieval Silesia. He also interprets the bowls found under foundations of houses or inside them as possible sacrifices or foundation offerings for households spirits. Also pisanki – traditionally painted or decorated eggs were found there – they were made from chicken eggshells as well as of limestone and “of size and form corresponding to chicken eggs”. The most expensive and splendid ones were made of clay and ornamented with colourful toppings. Hołubowicz adds that eggs and crushed eggshells were found at Ostrówek in Opole within houses and also in the eastern corners of houses.

Foundation offerings of horses were placed under corners of houses of Slavs and Balts. Findings from Novgorod (10th–14th century), Opole (12th century) and Szczecin seem to confirm this. According to Szafrański, sacrifices of this type were also placed under ramparts, for example in Biskupin (8th–9th century), Gdańsk (12th century), Santok (12th–13th century). Those rites were supported by many folk beliefs about apotropaic qualities of the horse and they can be observed in Christmas mock rituals, costumes and requisites of mummers. The findings of horse skulls are also known from Kalisz, Wolin, Gniezno and Czeladź Wielka.

- Sacrifices among the Slavs: Between Archeological Evidence and 19th Century Folklore by Izabella Wenska

#polish folklore #slavic folklore #slavic paganism #folk magic #poland #pisanki #magia slavorum

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Plants against urok (charm/evil eye)

Lipę (Tilia) uważa lud za drzewo święte, nieprzyjazne złym duchom i czarownicom. (…) Do okadzania krów, a także ludzi zielarki sprzedają lipę Jasnej Górze. (…) Smaganie takim łykiem krowy, która padła ofiarą uroku, uderza również w czarownicę, która uczyniła.

W Polsce lud chroni pola od uroku, zatykając tam w ziemię wiechy z pokrzywy. Pokrzywa (urtica dioica L.) należy też do roślin zatykanych na św. Jana w strzechy, ściany.

Bylicę (Artemisia Vulgaris L.) stosuje się również przeciw urokom. Należy okadzić osobę, na którą rzucony został urok. W okolicy No- wego Targu stosuje się w tym celu obok bylicy jeszcze koper i bławatek (Centaurea cyanus L.) (Cyanus segetum Hill).

Polacy nad Niemnem stosują to ziele (kopytnik - Asarum europaeum L.) także w wypadku urzeczenia, ale tylko wtedy, gdy urok rzucony był na człowieka z tyłu. Inaczej skuteczny jest tylko urocznik (Gladiolus communis L .)

Czosnek (Allium sativum L.) bywa uważany przez lud za bardzo skuteczną roślinę apotropeiczną przed czarownicami, zmorami i wszelką złą siłą. Dlatego zaleca się noszenie czosnku przy sobie, jako zabezpieczenie przed czarami (Mazowsze) lub urokami (Wielkopolska) i zbłądzeniem z właściwej drogi (okolice Hrubieszowa). Czosnkiem z wianka święconego na M.B. Zielną smaruje się od uroków na krzyż drzwi (pow. Sambor).

- Rośliny w wierzeniach i zwyczajach ludowych. Słownik Adama Fischera, Monika Kujawska, Łukasz Łuczaj Joanna Sosnowska, Piotr Klepacki

[eng]

The linden tree (Tilia) is considered by the people to be a sacred tree, hostile to evil spirits and witches. (…) On Jasna Góra herbalists sell linden for the incensing of people and cows. (…) Whipping a cow that has fallen victim to urok (evil eye/charm) with the phloem of linden also hits the witch who did it.

In Poland, the people protect their fields from urok by placing bunches of nettles there. Nettle (urtica dioica L.) is also one of the plants that are sticked into walls and thatched roofs on Saint John’s.

Mugwort (Artemisia Vulgaris L.) is also used against urok. The person on whom the charm has been cast must be incensed. In the vicinity of Nowy Targ, dill and cornflowers (Centaurea cyanus L.) (Cyanus segetum Hill) are also used for this purpose.

Poles by the Niemen also use this herb (hazelwort - Asarum europaeum L.) in the case of urok, but only when the urok was cast on the man from behind. Otherwise, only common corn-flag (Gladiolus communis L.) is effective.

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is sometimes considered by the people to be a very effective apotropaic plant against witches, nightmares and all evil forces. Therefore, it is recommended to carry garlic with you as protection against witchcraft (Mazowsze) or urok (Wielkopolska) and straying from the right path (around Hrubieszów). Garlic from the wreath blessed on Our Lady of Herbs is smeared on a door in a cross to ward against urok (Sambor district).

- Fragments from Rośliny w wierzeniach i zwyczajach ludowych. Słownik Adama Fischera, by Monika Kujawska, Łukasz Łuczaj Joanna Sosnowska, Piotr Klepacki

#magia slavorum #polish folklore #slavic folklore #folk magic

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Polish charm to calm a crying infant

O zachodzie słońca matka idzie z dzieckiem w pole mówiąc “Niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus” i sama sobie odpowiada “Na wieki wieków.” Następnie z twarzą zwróconą do zachodzącego słońca woła:

Zorzyczki, zorzyczki, trzy was jest: jedna porankowa, jedna południowa, jedna wieczorowa. Weźcie od mojego dziecka płaczenie, a oddajcie mu spanie.

Zamówienie powtarza się trzykrotnie.

- Trzy zorze dziewicze, Stanisław Czernik

[eng] At sundown the mother shall go with her infant into the field saying „Praised be Jesus Christ”, and replying to herself „Forever and ever.” Then, with the face turned to the setting sun she shall cry out:

“Zaryas, zaryas* there’s three of you: one of the morning, one of the midday, one of the evening. Take my child’s crying away and give [them] back [their] sleep.”

The charm should be repeated three times

- from Trzy zorze dziewicze by Stanisław Czernik

*in the original text a diminutive is used

#Zorza #polish folklore #slavic folklore #magia slavorum #verbal charms #folk magic #zaryas #zarya #zoryas

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

For no magic to harm you

Write the following spell on paper and carry it on your person:

X osa x osa asa x so x ea x aa x sax, nn, Patres x exx Filyxax Spiritus x sanctinomen

We can recognize in this spell fragments of Eax Filiax Artifex; “x exx” seems to refer to Christus rex.

Poland, nineteenth century. Vaitkevičienė, Lietuvių užkalbėjimai, no. 1534, found in Traditional Magic Spells for Protection and Healing by Claude Lecouteux

#Poland #magia slavorum #folk magic

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

On the other hand, charms addressed to authorities may also sporadically include formulas typical of love incantations, and the relationships between the one who recites the charm and the authority figure emerges as one of love, of even almost conjugal tenderness. The subject (“I”) of the charm wants to be beautiful in order to attract the person in authority:

More beautiful than the beautiful sun, more radiant than the radiant moon, more dear than father and mother, sweeter than sugar, honey and the comb (1774).

… let them gaze at Andrei and not look away, let him be more beautiful than the beautiful sun, more radiant than the radiant moon, whiter than the whitest snow, sweeter than father and mother, family and clan, friend and enemy… (1702).

- Verbal Charms Against Authorities and Judges in Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Russia by Andrei L. Toporkov

#magia slavorum #folk magic #my notes #verbal charms #zagovory

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Matki Boskiej Zielnej - Our Lady of Herbs

The holiday known to the wider public as The Assumption in Poland is also called another charming name, Our Lady of Herbs (the literal translation would be God’s Mother of Herbs) and counted among most significant religious holidays in the calendar of agricultural communities.

Our Lady of Herbs is the day of blessing herbs, flowers and grains. Historically small quantities of fruits and vegetables were included as well. Plants blessed on this day were believed to contain special powers - not solely because of the blessings but also because they’ve been harvested at the peak of their ripeness and full of vital energy. The blessings were also a symbolic expression of gratitude for the year’s harvest. While nowadays plants carried to the church are typically arranged in small bouquets, dominated by flowers and herbs, in the past people would often bring with them large sheaves containing many different species.

The commonly included plants vary between the regions and it seems like there weren’t any strict rules as to what should be consacrated. People would gather whichever plants were prevalent in their gardens, fields and meadows and later use them in accordance with local lore.

Blessed grain would be mixed with the rest of the grain harvest to transfer it’s special properties onto the whole of it. Alternatively it could be preserved and planted, to transfer the blessings onto next year’s harvest. Hallowed herbs were hanged in the kitchen, waiting for use - they’d be burned or brewed into teas to heal the sick (both people and animals), bless newborns (people and animals), cure fearful children and folks who believed there was a spell put on them. They could be placed under the pillow of a dying person to ensure evil forces will not get a hold of them and their spirit will get to heavens undisturbed. Before next Assumption the leftover blessed sheaves/bouquets/wreaths had to be ritually burned, as throwing them away or destroying them was seen as disrespectful. In some regions cattle would be chased through the smoke and fumigated as part of the ritual.

Other examples of uses for blessed plants:

As is common for many similar holidays the blessed plants would frequently be used to protect families from witchcraft and the household from thunderstrikes and subsequent fires.

Apples were often included in the celebration of Our Lady of Herbs, since according to a popular folk legend on this date Theotokos gives them out to people. They were believed to fortify one’s health and could be given to pale or sickly family memebers to ensure their wellbeing. They also had the power of removing temptations.

Blessed poppy could be used in rituals to end draught or to make sleepless child rest.

Saint John’s Wort, also known as „Lady Mary’s Bells” was believed to make births easier and protect the mother and child from demons praying specifically on newborns and young mothers. Shepherds should have some with them when taking cattle out to the pasture for the first time that year.

Homes could be fumigated with blessed hyssop to shield them from evil.

Seeds from blessed sunflower could be used by men in fortunetelling, to know if their wife is faithful to them.

Only witches bless white bryony! A cow fumigated by a witch with bryony will take away the milk of any other cow it meets.

Blessed mint can be placed under the bed of a dying person to alleviate their sorrow.

Overall you could bring a little bit of every important crop you planted to show gratitude and ensure continuous prosperity.

Less popular names for the holiday can be translated as „God’s Mother/Our Lady of Death”, „God’s Mother/Our Lady of Rest” and „God’s Mother/Our Lady of Falling Asleep”.

Sources: Rośliny w wierzeniach i zwyczajach ludowych. Słownik Adama Fischera by Kujawska et. al, Etnografia Lubelszczyzny - cykl roczny w życiu wsi; sierpień, 15 sierpnia - Matki Boskiej Zielnej by Muzeum Etnograficzne w Rzeszowie, Bukiety zielne święcone w dniu Matki Boskiej Zielnej w Sanockiem by Łukasz Fitkowski, Plants in bouquets blessed on Assumption Day in Orthodox churches in the vicinity of the Białowieża Forest by Łukasz Łuczaj, Archiwum Programu Historia Mówiona - Krystyna Maj, Blessed plants reported in Józef Rostafiński’s (1850–1928) questionnaire, distributed in 1883 by Piotr Köhler.

Art: Niedziela Zielna by Witold Pruszkowski

#Polish folklore #slavic folklore #poland #folk magic #magia Slavorum #Matki Boskiej Zielnej

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Dear Zarya, do you know, and perhaps would be willing to share, any traditional Polish/Slavic spells/charms to summon rain?

The easiest method would be asking your neighborhood devil to make it rain for you - they are masters in bringing about downpours or winds or whipping up storms. In absence of such friend to call on for favors you might seek out a meadow where touch-me-not balsam (impatiens noli-tangere) grows and pluck some very overtly. If the devil that watches over the herb sees you he will surely try to catch you in a heavy rain to punish you for stealing it. You will not make a friend this way but you will have rain and a magical herb that supposedly can open anything at midnight, so really I feel like you’re still the winner.

Or perhaps you might choose to get up before dawn and, with your back to the rising sun, gather sand in both your hands and throw it behind you.

Best of luck either way!

#I was trying to think of a method that does not include setting fire to an anthill or killing birds #asks #folk magic #magia slavorum #polish folklore #slavic folklore #devils

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

may i ask something (in good faith i swear)

there is quite a community of witches on tumblr. there is also one of pagans. while they overlap, it's two different things. both pagans and witches, as i understand, can make offerings, pronounce spells, is that right?

and another question: are they any like recourses to get into witchcraft? there are different types of it (like wicca or others), there is a ton of various practices, many of them as i understand are personal, but are there some underlying principles that are the same for them all? i guess my main question is where and how to start with all of it because i am confused, i need structure achgssgkds like suppose i, a slav, am interested in witchcraft that existed in my country centuries ago, do i like research the practices that were done and adapt them to my personal vision?

i am sorry it's really messy

Yes, paganism and witchcraft are two different things! Paganism is an umbrella term used to refer to a bunch of different religions such as Slavic paganism or Norse heathenry. These days it’s mostly used to describe european religions and not necessary welcomed by people of other cultures, to give an example, from what I heard practitioners of Shinto oppose being referred to as „pagans”.

Witchcraft is a practice that may or may not be practiced in religious context. It’s a bit like singing - you can sing psalms in church choir or you can do karaoke in a bar with your friends. The former will be a religious activity, the latter will have you singing in secular context. Of course you are not limited to doing solely one or another, as you probably noticed in life people who sing secularly may include some lyrics relating to their religion and it’s symbolism - it doesn’t automatically make the performence of that song a religious ceremony. I hope I didn’t push that metaphor too far.

As you correctly noted yes there are many different magical systems that include many different magical practices. Slavic folk magic will function very differently from Wiccan witchcraft or chaos magic or ceremonial magic rooted in renaissance grimoires. I certainly don’t know all the systems and I’m not one to look for some universal rules that they all may follow - it’s just not something I find particularly useful.

„i, a slav, am interested in witchcraft that existed in my country centuries ago, do i like research the practices that were done and adapt them to my personal vision”

I’m happy to say you pretty much hit the nail on the head with this one! Research magical practices of your region and try to understand according to what principles they functioned. Learn what was the role of various plants and objects used in those practices, what was the role of the words that were spoken, what was the role of specific ritual actions that were taken. Try to gain understanding of the viewpoint behind those practices.

I am also happy to say that I gathered quite a collection of resources (in English) on Slavic magical practices. They are to be found towards the bottom of the resource list and the link to the whole list is always available at the top of my pinned post. If you happen to be Polish like me I have some more recommendation for Polish sources here.

Now keep in mind that Slavic folk magic is pretty tightly connected to Christianity, the dominant religion in the region. I know a lot of people assume it’s choke-full of pagan lore and that Slavic witches are some kind of remnant of pagan culture but that’s not really true - Slavic magic contains many unique cultural elements that most likely have their roots in pre-Christian Slavic beliefs but across the centuries they were adapted to co-exist with Christianity and to be used by Christians. Slavic folk magic is like a song that would not be sung during mass and may even be frowned upon by some priests, but is nonetheless filled with religious references and performed by deeply religious individuals. You may want to remove/replace some Christian elements or you may choose to keep them, even despite not being Christian yourself. I’ll tell you a secret: this February I blessed my throat candle in the name of both Saint Blaise and Veles and it still worked.

#asks #magia slavorum #folk magic #slavic folklore

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Notes on oak

Oak enjoyed a lot of reverence among the pre-Christian Slavs, especially the larger and more ancient trees. The main sanctuary of Vagrians (a Western Slavic tribe) was a sacred grove of oaks near Starigrad/Oldenburg, devoted to a little known deity Prove/Prone, which served as a place of worship and legal proceedings. A giant oak tree grew on the island of Saint Gregory (Khortycia), under which, according to Constantine Porphyrogenitus, the merchants of Rus’ made sacrifices. Another giant oak grew next to the temple of Triglav in Stettin. Traces of yet another have been found on the top of the Krakus Mound. Saxo Grammaticus claimed the image of seven-headed god of the Rani Rugiaevit was carved out of oak wood. Oak is of course also associated with the Thunderer, in Slavic context usually understood to be Perun. Countless other mentions of oak trees connected to Slavic cults can be found.

In many places people believed that harming or destroying those great ancient oaks would bring misfortune upon their community. In Kalisz region plagues were attributed to cutting down of a sacred oak (frequently a tree on which a shrine was hung). Near Nowy Targ legend held that whoever breaks a branch of great oak in Niedzica will surely die. 

Oak is viewed as a quintessentially masculine tree, frequently paired with feminine linden. Oak or linden trees would often be planted by the house, to protect it and it’s inhabitants from misfortune. Both were also viewed as particularly well suited for religious purposes.

Characterized by hard and resistent wood the oak became a symbol of physical strength and invincibility as well as royal power and life. Poles used to bake bread on oak leaves, believing that whoever eats it will have oaken strength. Oak trees were used in healing rituals in which the illness could be passed onto the tree and defeated by it. In many folk tales oak was associated with raising people from the dead.

The connection between oak and thunder is obvious and apparent. Oak branches could be stuck into the thatched roofs or walls of the houses to keep the thunder away from them and prevent subsequent fires. For the same reason oak wood would be burned during thunderstorms.

The wood and leaves of an oak are a great remedy against witchcraft. Fumigations of smoke from oak leaves are believed to work well against devilish powers and cleanse air from illenesses. Oak stakes (along those made of hawthorn and aspen) were considered an excellent weapon for combating vampires, and they were sometimes pre-emptively driven into graves of hanged and drowned men, so that they couldn’t rise again and harm the community (Hrubieszów).

On the other hand oak wasn’t seen as completely benign. Witches gathered for Sabbath not only on Bald Mountains but also in oak groves. They had the ability to curse a household by sticking an oak branch into one of the house walls and ordering the family to wither as the branch itself withers. Lone oak trees growing in the fields of by the road could be seen as inhabited by the penitent spirit of a dead sinner.

Overall every oak could be seen as a dwelling place for spirits - good or bad.

In many regions of Poland, from Greater Poland to Eastern Borderlands acorns were used in fortune telling to predict the success of the next harvest, the circumstances of the coming year and potential misfortunes that might befall the community.

oak bark was used to produce black dye as well as to paint pisanki dark brown,

it was also used in tanning of animal hides,

in Lesser Poland oak would was the preferred wood for house foundations

due to it’s hardness oak was in particular associated with teeth diseases and used in curing them

Sources: Sources of Slavic Pre-Christian Religion by Juan Antonio Àlvarez-Pedrosa, Slavonic Pagan Sanctuaries by Leszek Paweł Słupecki, Rośliny w wierzeniach i zwyczajach ludowych. Słownik Adama Fischera by Kujawska et. al, Obraz dębu i lipy w literaturze polskiej i litewskiej XIX - XX wieku. Studium porównawcze. by Stanisława Gajewska, The symbolic meaning of plants grown in a traditional homestead by Małgorzata Dróżdż-Szczybura, Społeczeństwo wobec przyrody – związki przyrody z człowiekiem w zwyczajach ludowych w Polsce i wybranych krajach Europy by Joanna Szmuc

#localized practice #polish folklore #magia slavorum #folk magic #slavic folklore #oak

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Noc Świętojańska - St. John’s Eve

Gather your herbs on the Eve of St. John - it’s a long standing tradition that herbs gathered on this day possess greater potency, especially in matters of healing, magic and eroticism, and they are used in many other customs connected with Kupała. Herbs gathered after Eve of St. John were considered much less powerful (witches steal their power… or you know, piss and spit on them).

The herbs commonly harvested on that day vary by the region but some popular choices are mugwort, St. John’s wort, fern, nettle, plantago, mullein, branches of oak, ash, hazel, beech, black alder, maple and any thorns or spiky coniferous branches.

Many of those herbs (thorns, nettles, wormwood, mugwort, birch) would be used on the same evening to start a celebratory fire (sobótka) with protective properties. The remaining herbs and tree branches were used to decorate the house (usually walls and the roof) in order to shield it from evil forces and witches and ensure good luck. Wayside shrines and figures of Saints would also be decorated. Playing a defensive role, needly conifers, thistles and stinging nettle were favored in some areas. Nettle could be scattered by the windows.

Mugwort played a very significant role in most midsummer celebrations. In Polish folklore it’s viewed as one of the best remedies against witches and witchcraft. For this reason in some regions doors and fences were woven out of mugwort. During St. John’s Eve it was worn by women around their waist and placed above the doors or on the roofs (though not solely for protection - it’s supposed to draw the perfect husbands for the girls living in the house). Mugwort and burdock could be thrown into wells to protect and purify the water. Gathered on St. John’s Eve mugwort was to be carried in a pouch untill the next St. John’s Eve to protect the owner from any harmful magic. Fumigations of mugwort were thought to keep thunder strikes away from the house.

Plantago blessed on St. John’s Eve was believed to be an excellent remedy for countless ailments and was used in many forms in various treatments.

Wreaths commonly worn by girls during Saint John’s Eve could be made of periwinkle, rue, guelder-rose, buttercup, lemon thyme, tansy, lovage and many other; generally fragrant herbs with romantic and erotic associations. Ideally the herbs for the wreath were stolen from the fields belonging to the family of the boy the girl wanted to marry. In some regions they were also believed to protect the wearer from disease. Oskar Kolberg noted that at least in Lesser Poland the wreaths weren’t particularly big having roughly eight centimeters in diameter. They were tied to tiny planks on which a candle was placed and then floated on the water. The wreaths could also contain little pieces of paper containing short rhymes expressing girls’ wishes for love and matrimony.

In the region of Opoczno women used wreaths in another form of fortune-telling They'd stand in front of a linden tree, with their backs to it and threw their wreaths behind them. If a wreath was caught on a linden branch the woman was sure to get married that year.

Sources: Świat roślin w obrzędowości świętojańskiej na podstawie źródeł etnograficznych z przełomu XIX i XX wieku by Rafał Pilarek, Rośliny w wierzeniach i zwyczajach ludowych. Słownik Adama Fischera by Kujawska et. al

#polish folklore #localized practice #slavic folklore #summer #kupała #st john's eve #magia slavorum #folk magic

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Hi Zarya! I was gardening today and as I was pulling plants from the road by my house I started to think how people in the past dealt with unwanted plants. So the question is: did you ever stumbled on spells used to make plants Not grow? The growing part is easy, everyone wants their plants to be lush, so I'm specifically wondering about shushing unwanted plants away

Actually I did see some things mentioned, though not very often.

„Rośliny w wierzeniach i zwyczajach ludowych, słownik Adama Fishera” mentions for example how thistle was generally not welcome in the fields so folks would try a lot of different things to ensure it doesn’t grow there: they’d plant oat in the shape of a cross or plow the field using a plow smeared with bat blood (apparently bat blood is great for getting rid of thistles). You could also bury a piece of wood that was stricken by lightning on Thursday at sundown - I believe this one has something to do with the thistle being seen as demonic, devilish plant. Or you could pray to Saint Stephen.

Wheat grains had to be kept in clean bags to ensure it will „grow clean”. There were also some rituals that could be done on Saint Stephen’s Day to ensure it’s clean growth, on of them consisting of a young girl throwing away the trash. Pregnant women were not supposed to work with wheat grains.

There seems to be a lot more of other little things you could do to prevent unwanted plants from popping up - for a example a belief from Jasło was that one should not weave during ostatki or their potatoes and flax would become overgrown with weeds. Flax should not be planted on wet days for the same reason. But I have to say overall I don’t see this mentioned a lot. I even checked a couple of books just now and most of them didn’t even touch on the subject.

#magia slavorum #folk magic

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

Rozpoznawanie uroku. W pierwszym typie obrzędu wykorzystywane są rekwizyty, czyli naczynie (zazwyczaj krążel od kądzieli) wypełnione wodą. Wodę brano z rzeki (w czasie czerpania naczynie trzymano zwrócone otwo­ rem w kierunku biegu rzeki) lub ze studni (wtedy woda musi być nienapoczęta, czyli nikt w tym dniu nie powinien nabierać jej wcześniej), czasami wodę przynoszono do domu w ustach i dopiero tu przelewano ją do naczynia wy­ korzystywanego w rytuale. Do tego właśnie naczynia (czasami za pośredni­ ctwem noża) wrzuca się węgielki (zwykle trzy lub wielokrotność trzech, czyli dziewięć; jeśli pacjent jest urzeczony, węgle pływają po powierzchni), licząc w porządku rosnącym lub - znacznie częściej - malejącym. W drugim typie - oprócz węgla występuje też chleb: skórka lub ośródka (także w liczbie trzech lub wielokrotności; jeśli tonie sypany na wodę chleb - urok rzuciła kobieta, jeśli węgiel - mężczyzna; jeśli obydwa - uroki są śmiertelne) lub sól (trzy szczypty); kamyczki; czasami wykorzystywane są też pręciki z miotły brzozowej (węgielki mogą pochodzić z jej spalania). Wodą wykorzystywaną do zatapiania (węgla, chleba, soli, kamyków itd.) ob­mywa się urzeczonego: zwłaszcza głowę, twarz, oczy, skronie, czoło, piersi, puls przy dłoniach i stopach (istotny jest też sposób obmywania: palcami, wierz­ chem dłoni, od lewej ku prawej; stosuje się też opryskiwanie chorego wodą, którą odczyniający bierze w usta).

- Ja cię zamawiam, ja cię wypędzam… Choroba. Studium językowo-kulturowe, Marzena Marczewska

Recognizing urok (a charm/evil eye). In the first type of ritual props are used, i.e. a vessel (usually a circle from a distaff) filled with water. Water was drawn from the river (during the drawing, vessel would be held with the opening facing the river) or from the well (then the water had to be untapped, i.e. no one should take it earlier on that day), sometimes water was brought home in the mouth and only there it was poured into the vessel used in the ritual. Into this vessel (sometimes with a knife) coals were thrown (usually three or a multiple of three, i.e. nine; if the patient is under the influence of a charm, the coals float on the surface), counting in ascending or, more often, descending order.

In the second type of ritual in addition to coal, there is also bread: crust or center (also in the number of three or multiples; if the bread sprinkled on the water sinks - the charm was cast by a woman, if the coal sinks - by a man; if both - the charm is lethal) or salt (three pinches); pebbles; sometimes birch broom sticks are also used (the charcoals may come from their burning). Water that was used for immersion (of coal, bread, salt, pebbles, etc.) is now utilized to wash the charmed person: especially the head, face, eyes, temples, forehead, breasts, pulse at the hands and feet (the method of washing is also important: with the fingers, the back of the hand, from left to right; spraying the patient with water that the healer holds in their mouth is also used).

- I speak you off, I expell you… Sickness. A linguistic and cultural study by Marzena Marczewska, translated by Zarya-Zaryanitsa

#polish folklore #folk magic #magia slavorum #slavic folklore