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Outside, a blizzard rages, chilling the bones. And wretched is he who, at such a late hour, has not found a warm hearth. Winter will spare no one who falls into her clutches. Both old man and young man will fall into a deep
Explores the Slavic goddess Marena, her dual role in death and rebirth, and her significance in Slavic mythology and culture.
Key Takeaways
- Marena embodies both death and renewal, reflecting the cyclical nature of life in Slavic mythology.
- She is not purely malevolent but a necessary force maintaining cosmic balance and justice.
- Her image and influence extend beyond Slavic culture, showing universal themes of death and transformation.
- Marena’s blessings on children with special powers highlight her role as a patroness of sorcery and healing.
- Rituals and beliefs surrounding Marena illustrate the ancient Slavs’ respect for natural cycles and the inevitability of death.
What the video covers
- The video describes the Slavic goddess Marena, also known as Mara or Morana, as a complex figure associated with winter, death, and rebirth.
- Marena is portrayed as a dark yet not evil goddess who governs the cold season and the transition between life and death.
- Her names and attributes have parallels in various cultures, including Polish, Slovak, Czech, Mexican, Buddhist, Celtic, and Scandinavian mythologies.
- The goddess is linked to themes of death, justice, sorcery, and dark knowledge, and she blesses children with special abilities.
- Marena is depicted in various forms, from a young maiden to an old woman, symbolizing different phases of winter.
- She controls spirits of illness and death but also ensures the fertility of the earth by covering it with snow.
- Marena has the power to halt time, take lives, and warn mortals of impending death through signs and dreams.
- The goddess is associated with cosmic law, justice, and the balance of life and death, reflecting the Slavic worldview of interconnectedness.
- Her worship involved rituals to appease her wrath and ensure protection during the harsh winter months.
- The video also touches on legends involving Marena’s interactions with other gods and spirits, emphasizing her role in the Slavic pantheon.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Winter's Wrath
- 02:45Names and Cultural Parallels of Marena
- 05:36Marena's Role in Life, Death, and Rebirth
- 08:06Marena's Powers and Warnings of Death
- 10:48Marena in Slavic Legends and Afterlife
- 13:06Marena's Cosmic Role and Justice
- 17:53Rituals and Worship of Marena
- 20:28Marena's Influence on Nature and Fertility
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
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sleep. Apparently, the dark Mara rages in her crystal palace, and her wrath whistles through the cracks of the wooden walls with all the northern winds. Frightened children huddle close to their mothers in the darkness, as if that could save them. Men sharpen their
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knives and axes and frown. Everyone is afraid, for no one can stand before the mistress of winter, once she has decided to wipe someone from the world.
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Mortals are silent, but in their hearts they pray to all the gods to appease Mara's wrath and protect people from her cold. And fools, they don't know that Mara, like a little child, carefully wraps Mother Earth in her
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white veil until spring, lest she and all that grows within her perish. Many don't realize that the south is Mara's cradle, so that forests and mountains may sleep in a peaceful slumber. People don't know that the death they impose
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on Mara, their eternal companion, is not the end. And in the spring, instead of one hunter frozen in the forest, two, or even three, strong boys will be born in the village. They don't know, they don't love, and they blame them in
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vain. Mara has only one joy: children who grow up unlike others. They see and know what is hidden from others, and these children grow to her delight.
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They love her and fear her not. Their souls are drawn to her. Some of them will grow up to be healers, and some even vidui. And the path of all such children is blessed by Mara herself.
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And no illness befalls them. And winter does not chill them, for they are warmed by the goddess's love. And whoever loves her in return will never be betrayed by her. Slavic mythology is full of mysteries and secrets. One
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pagan image that continues to spark controversy is the Slavic goddess Marena. Marena is known by many names.
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There are such names as Morana, Marena, Mara, Maara, Morana, or Mora. Various peoples of the world have goddesses with similar names, bringers of death and responsible for justice. In Polish mythology, this goddess is called Maržana. In Slovak, the goddess's name
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is pronounced approximately as marmuriena. The Czechs call her marana and often call her merdka. However, without vowels. Something like smrtka, from the word death. The Mexicans call her Santa Moerta. In Buddhism, Mara is the demon of the destruction of
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spiritual life. Among the ancient Celts, the Morrigan was the goddess of war, destruction, and death. In Scandinavian mythology, Mara is a night demon. Other names for her can also be found in Slavic legends: the Ice Goddess, the
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Dark Goddess, the Mistress of Death, and others. All these names share a common root, "Morchitsia," which is of Slavic origin. Mor means death, or knowledge. Related words include: morok, haze, gmary, to bewitch, to die, death, darkness, and nightmare. In
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Sanskrit, Mara translates as death and destruction. All of these together mean knowledge, or killing. Hence, it becomes clear that the goddess's name is inextricably linked with death, pestilence, and plague. These words conceal two main semantic directions that are characteristic of the
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goddess's image: to torment, to torment, and to bewitch. Incidentally, it is said that the goddess of death had under her control the spirits of maras, kekimaras, and other evil spirits of the same root. They could frighten, send illness, and destroy. In any case,
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our ancestors imagined Mara as a dark goddess. Despite this negative connotation, she was not an evil goddess. Her image does not inspire the same horror and awe, as the Slavic attitude toward death was fundamentally different from that of Europeans. The
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ancient Slavs did not tend to divide the world strictly into good and evil. In the Slavic mind, everything was interconnected. Winter was perceived as death, but it was always followed by spring, that is, rebirth. Therefore, death in this context was viewed as
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merely the next stage in the cycle of existence. Therefore, considering the goddess Mara an exclusively negative figure in the Slavic pantheon of gods is fundamentally incorrect. In honor of the goddess of death, the Slavs sometimes named girls Maria Marusya. It
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is believed that this was an attempt to gain the approval of the ruler of darkness and justice, to ward off illness and disease. She could also grant new life and immortality. Mara herself, incidentally, loved young children endowed with unusual abilities.
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She blessed their path, and they grew up to become healers, sorcerers, and viduns. Therefore, among other things, the Slavic goddess Mara was considered the patroness of sorcery, witchcraft, and dark knowledge. She could completely transform the world around
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her, transform into animals and birds, and bestow magical powers upon those she liked. In keeping with her divine profile, this goddess was imagined by the ancient Slavs in a rather exotic image. A slender young maiden, significantly taller than any mortal
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girl. She has long black hair with silver strands. Her skin is pale, frosted, and her eyes are deep blue.
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According to another version, Mara was a tall, dark-eyed beauty with jet-black hair and a strikingly serene complexion. She was believed to wear an azure dress with snow-white lace and decoration, perhaps draped with a fur cape. She was sometimes depicted riding
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a snow-white mare. In her hands, she held a silver serb, with which she severed the threads of life, and behind her was a matching silver braid.
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However, she had many forms in which she could manifest herself. This also depended on the time of year. A depiction as a young girl symbolized the young goddess at the beginning of winter, while an image of an old woman
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with worn-out clothes symbolized its end. Winter was considered Mara's time. During this time, Mara reigned supreme over the world of Java and bound Mother Earth with her powerful cold and snowstorms until spring. Marena also has the ability to halt the flow of
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time, both locally and globally. She can take the lives of both mortals and immortal beings, even gods. Before death, people often receive warning of its approach. This aspect is prominent in Slavic beliefs. Meeting one's double or a woman with long black hair was
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considered a sign of an imminent end. By sending such signs, the goddess of death gave time to prepare for the transition to the afterlife. However, there is a legend according to which Mara could not only take but also
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bestow immortality. It is said that this is how she prolonged the long life of her son Bogumir, sending him a serpent with small living apples.
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According to one version, one of Mara's favorite hobbies is needlework. She loves spinning and weaving, using the threads of fate of living beings in her crafts, leading them to turning points in their lives and ultimately cutting the thread of existence. Overseeing the
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transition of souls from the waking world to the nav world, Mara was the personification of justice and fairness. She ruled the spirits of darkness, cold, and water, and was considered one of the fundamental principles of the universe, a cosmic law that must be
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respected. If a person made a promise for a horn or an oath and failed to keep their word, Mara could take their soul. Ancestors believed that the patroness of the forces of darkness came on November 25th. On this
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transition day from autumn to winter, the weather deteriorated, frosts intensified, and winds raged. Praising any gods was forbidden, as Mara took all sacrifices. By covering the earth with snow, she ensured fertility, for which she was revered by farmers.
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Occult sources claim that the mistress of winter ruled the entire dark half of the annual cycle, from the night of October 31st to November 1st. During the cold season, Mara reaped a harvest of frozen human souls. The goddess Mara
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rules over all three worlds:
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to be dreams, through which people receive warnings and advice. However, not everyone can correctly interpret what they see. Slavic legends contain information according to which Mara resides most of the time in Navi.
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However, unlike Chernobog, she is not a prisoner of this world and can freely cross the border between the two worlds of Navi and Yava via the viburnum bridge that spans the Smorodina River, guarded by a three-headed serpent.
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Mara's influence extends to all three worlds, but she is especially powerful in Naya, where she maintains a black castle. This beauty also lived in vast icy chambers on the northern cliffs in a world of eternal ice. Perhaps the
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image of the Gentle Queen was based on her. It is said that Mara's world has two entrances: one through the Kalinov Bridge, and the other gate in the mountains guarded by the giant Svyatogor. Mara meets the souls of the
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dead on the Kalinov Bridge. She is strict and principled and does not forgive betrayal. Anyone who turns to her for help and fails to keep their word will be punished. She led the souls of living beings through the
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gates of death to rebirth and opened the way out of the cycle of life and death for the wise. Now let's talk about the goddess's genealogy.
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Understanding the intricacies of the Slavic gods seems impossible. But let's try to clear away some of the confusion of arguments and beliefs. There are several versions of the origin of the Slavic goddess Mara in literature. The first version states that the goddess
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of death is the daughter of the god Koschei. Considering that Koschei is more often identified with Chernobog, Mara's name comes from the father of Chernobog. But given that legends contain accounts of their marriage, this version is implausible, as incest
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was frowned upon among the Slavs. The second version tells us that no one gave birth to Mara, for she is darkness , and eternal darkness, and from her the universe was born. Here we are dealing with the integument of the
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golden egg of creation, from which emerged the great race. According to this version, Mara is the mother of all things, for she gave birth to the race itself. We ask a very important question: what is the connection then
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between the goddess Mara and the god Vyshen, who is the source of all things ? Then either Mara is the female hypostasis of this primordial god, or she was a goddess who existed independently, without any beginning and equal to Vyshen. In support of this
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, I said earlier that she was the goddess of justice, and, as we know, Vyshen himself was such. In support of this theory, some cite the following interpretation of the goddess's name: Ma, mother, Ra, primordial fire, that is, the mother of primordial fire. Some
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researchers consider her the eldest of all the gods, the primordial goddess of darkness, from which light originated.
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This version is indirectly supported by Vedic sources, which feature the cosmic god Mara, the destroyer, the demon of darkness. According to a third version, the goddess Mara is the daughter of Svorog and is the beloved sister of the
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thunderer Sperun. Incidentally, this myth has two variations. In one, Mara is the daughter not only of Svorog but also of Lada. According to the second version, the goddess Mara is Lada's sister and was similar to her, born from the first sparks that flew from
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the Alatyr stone after the blows of Svorog's Hammer. The version that Mara is the daughter of Svorog and Lada is criticized due to her possession of superpowers, which contradict the structure of the pagan pantheon. It is believed that the mistress of darkness,
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while controlling powerful energies, could not occupy the middle or lower echelons of the divine hierarchy.
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Nevertheless, researchers of the genealogy of the Slavic gods place Marena among the Svorogs. But why did the daughter of the brightest god choose a dark path for herself?
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According to legend, the three daughters of Svorog and Lada were kidnapped by a skipperzmey. Lelya, Zhiva, and Marena were transformed into terrifying monsters and served the skipperzmey until he was defeated. When Perun freed the sisters, the bright gods disenchanted them and restored
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them to their former forms. However, the heart of the goddess Marena remained dark, and she departed to Navi . Let us turn to the personal life of the goddess Mara. According to one legend, Chernobog was the goddess Mara's first husband. Some Koschei
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myths even include a legend about how the cunning Mara overpowered Koschei and bound him with enchanted chains in the Navi world. According to the legend , it happened like this: Koschei once kidnapped three beautiful princesses.
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At that very hour, three dashing young warriors rushed to rescue the fair maidens. Then a terrible goryn came out to fight them, capturing Koschei. The warriors fought bravely, but their forces were unequal. Then the bright dazbok decided to intervene. He rushed
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to the Irian gardens to ask Mara, who seemed great, for help. God promised the beautiful goddess any wish she could grant if she helped defeat the enemy Kayan. Mara remained silent and walked away from the blooming gardens.
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She descended to the world of Java and went into the dense forest to visit her friend Yagina. And no one knew that the two Vidunya goddesses were friends. In Yagini's house was a secret passage to the Navi world, which the goddess Mara
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took advantage of. She descended into the underworld and stopped the slaughter. She offered herself to Koschei in place of the imprisoned princesses and exhausted heroes.
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Koschei agreed. He loved the dark daughter of the svorog too much. And so the heroes departed with the princesses . And Mara told Koschei that she held the secret of his death, hidden in an egg. Koschei begged her not to tell
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anyone this secret. Amara squinted slyly. "Then take me as your wife," she said to Koschei. And he decided that he would not find a better queen. He brought two cups, filled to the brim with wine, but Mara secretly added
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intoxicating herbs. Koschei drank the enchanted wine and became intoxicated. Amara dragged him to prison and bound him with twelve chains, and then escaped from the Navi world. Despite the goddess of death's composure, even a god once managed to melt her icy
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heart, and she forced him to marry her. But this happiness was short-lived. Ultimately, Mara was left alone.
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According to another legend, Mara was first married to Dazhbog, and then fled with Koschei to the Navi world. In short, everything is complicated and confusing. Ultimately, the goddess was left alone. There is even a mention of Marena being the wife of the god Veles.
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To summarize, Marena had three husbands in different cycles: Dazhbog, Veles, and Koschei the Black-Backed. Regarding Morena's motherhood, some sources indicate that she bore several children from her relationship with Chernobog.
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These included NTA, the goddess of Revenge. Mor, the deity of death and misfortune. His faithful companions were cold and storms, which freeze all living things. Morok, the god of lies, deception, delusion, the god of illusions. Despite his harsh negativity
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, he is also the guardian of the path of truth, hiding the truth from the unenlightened. Black infirmity is an evil spirit that attacks livestock and drains the life from them. Fever, the evil sisters, were harbingers of illness. Their very name signifies the
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triumph of dark forces. The 12 sisters were each responsible for a specific type of illness, both physical and spiritual. The goddess Father of God has a son and a daughter. Surica, the goddess of joy and merriment. Together with her husband, Khmel, they evoke
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feelings of happiness and lightness in people. Bogumir, the Slavic god, the progenitor of several Slavic tribes: the Rus ', Severians, Polyans, Krivichi , and Dregovichi. His union with Veles gave birth to: Son, the god of sleep, lulled tired people to sleep and
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guarded their peace until dawn. If a person leads an unhealthy lifestyle, he sends nightmares upon them, warning them of the need to atone for their sins. Frost, the patron of winter cold and frost, binds the earth with ice and
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plunges all living things into sleep. Sonya, the goddess of good dreams, along with her brother Sleep, guards the peace of people and ensures that no evil spirits steal their souls while they rest. She wards off nightmares.
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Karna, the goddess of mourning. When a warrior died on the battlefield, she fulfilled the duty of all wives and mothers. She was the first to mourn the fallen man. Zhelya is the goddess of mortal sorrow and funeral rites. She
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accompanies the deceased to the funeral pyre and ensures that all customs and rituals are observed. Let's move on to the goddess's attributes. All of them are interconnected with the concept of death. The first and most important attribute of the goddess is the sickle.
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With this sickle, she cuts the threads of human life, as if mowing grass in a field, reaping her mortal harvest.
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Incidentally, it is precisely in connection with this description of the goddess's harvest that it has often been mentioned that Mara loves to stroll across battlefields and collect the souls of the bravest warriors. It was believed that Mara herself escorted
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such souls across the Golden Bridge. How true this is remains unknown. Mara can also be an iron scythe, scissors, or a pitchfork, the trident of which points downward toward the earth, like the roots of the world tree. Other
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attributes of the goddess include the black moon, broken skulls, a black swan , or a raven, which, in addition to being a harbinger of misfortune, is closely associated with the magical world. Mara's nature is feminine, cold, and belongs to the left side. Her color
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is white or black. Her cardinal direction is the west, the place where the sun perishes. Her taste is bitter, salty, like the taste of blood. Her celestial body is the moon, her ore is silver, her stones are pearl and black
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pearl, marion, serpentine, and moonstone. Animals include snakes, lizards, wolves, a white horse, and a black goat. Her trees are aspen, juniper, pine, and spruce. Her flower is anemone. Her number is de. Her day of the week is Monday, and the night
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from Wednesday to Thursday. Her symbol is also the wave, indicating that the element of water is also under her control. Any inanimate body of standing water, such as a pond, swamp, backwater , or whirlpool, were the abode of her
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servants, evil spirits. So, the wavy line is the symbol of the goddess's kingdom. This sign is also called the waters of Mara, and it is also a symbol of frozen water, or ice. This symbol represents a bridge between worlds,
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making it popular among those involved in magic. While the amulet possesses great power, it is not suitable for those unprepared for contact with the realm of the dead. The next sign is called Maraviy, also known as the sign
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of winter Mara. It is represented by two triangles whose apexes point toward each other. This sign is considered extremely negative, as it brings destruction to all. Having absorbed the essence of the fatality of existence, it speaks of the inevitability of the
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end of each life. Other symbols include the summer mara, which refers to the summer cycle. The symbol of the goddess with her arms raised speaks of her creativity, no matter how much this contradicts her essence and divine direction. A triangle with its apex
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downwards. As practicing magicians and esotericists know, such a triangle is also a symbol of the moon and dark magic. The goddess Marena is quite revered and respected in Black God circles and among practitioners of Slavic magic. This symbol is applied to
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ritual objects and idols when they want to activate the hidden powers of Mother Mara. The Lunitsa amulet is considered feminine and is closely associated with the goddesses Mara and Makash. The ancient Slavs believed that it helps girls conceive, bear, and give birth to
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a healthy child, and also protects them from evil spirits and negativity. There is also an amulet of the goddess called the Cross of Mara or the Cross of Crosses. It speaks of two principles that have one end. And it is a symbol
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of the balance maintained by the goddess Mara. This amulet is believed to protect a person from the influence of external negative factors and help maintain inner balance. The primary meaning of the Mara amulet is maintaining equilibrium. This equilateral symbol, the cross of
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crosses, signifies that everything in the world must exist in harmony and balance, which must not be disturbed.
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The four cardinal directions, the four elements, the four seasons. The Mara amulet grants its wearer balance and softens exaggerated character traits.
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The ancient Slavs revered the goddess of death and winter as an integral part of the universe, the mistress of fate.
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They knew that after a fruitful autumn, nature must rest and slumber. And who, like the mistress of winter, will cover Mother Earth with a delicate blanket, allowing her to rest and regenerate?
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Several major holidays dedicated to Mara can be distinguished. These include the autumn equinox on the twenty-second, twenty-third, or 24th of September. It was believed that on this day, Mara crosses the Currant River and enters the world of Java. Some sources
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indicate that the gates of Navi open on the night of the autumn equinox. November 21st to 25th are sacred days of the goddess. Foul weather sets in, with drizzling rain, sleet, a cold wind , and slush underfoot. People
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experience the first cold and frosty weather. It's worth noting that different sources fall into two categories. Some say that offerings were necessary on these days to ensure a mild winter. Others claim that no prayers are offered at the beginning of
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the season. Different sources also indicate different dates for Mara's accession to power. So, which day of which month is considered the beginning of the time of darkness? Researchers believe that across the vast Slavic lands, in varying climates, each tribe
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celebrated the arrival of winter in its own way. This explains the differences in calendar holidays. January 13th marks Winter Mara, the holy day when the great dark mistress, mistress of the winter huts, comes into her full power. This day is considered by the
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people to be terrifying, dangerous for all living things. It is not actually celebrated as a holiday, so ethnographic information about it is extremely scarce. It is known that this day is one of the most unlucky days of the year. This is due to the fact that,
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according to popular belief, fevers, the daughters of Mara, who dwell in the dark dungeons of the world of Navi, are released throughout the year. On this day, porridge, milk, and bread are left on the table for the brownie, asking
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for well-being. If evil has settled in the house, they turn to the brownie for help. On this day, charms were cast and protective signs were applied to the house and objects. February 15th. This date was considered a turning point in
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Mara's reign in the world of Java. The day when she reached her greatest power . During the harshest winters and serious epidemics, gifts were presented to her on this day to gain her favor.
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March 1st can be considered one of the most interesting and mystical Slavic holidays. This holiday is considered the last before the long-awaited spring arrives. In the Slavic holiday calendar , it is called Navi Day or Marena Day.
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It is a holiday of farewell to winter before its departure. They honored the already aged, hunched Mara, giving thanks for a good winter, awaiting her spring sister, Lelya. The Slavic calendar holiday Navi Day is the last in winter for the dark gods. People
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joyfully welcomed the new spring. On this day, our ancestors honored and glorified the goddess who would one day come for them and take them away, leading them to the gates of the world, Navi. There were also folk beliefs
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associated with the goddess's holiday. If the sun peeked out at midday, it meant spring would arrive earlier. If there was a snowstorm on this day, the first half of March did not promise warmer weather. People rejoiced at the
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heavy snowfall, believing that the more snow fell in the spring, the greater their harvest would be in the fall. And if the windows fogged up during the spring frost, it meant a warmer weather was imminent. With the onset of March,
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the Slavs began ritual visits to graves with the offering of trepas. On this day, offerings were made in water to those long dead. March 19, 20, or 21 marked the vernal equinox, when Lelya, the springtime of the dead, came to the
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lands of people, and Maria Nazima departed back to the world of Navi. On this day, the mistress of death and winter was praised for the last time, offering gifts to her on the altar, and then banished, figuratively burning her
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effigy and appeasing spring. Knowing all these celebrations of Mara, the Slavs prepared gifts for her in advance , expressing their praises and prayers.
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Like any other gods, the Slavs revered Marena and made sacrifices to her. Sanctuaries to Marena were not built near people's homes. They were usually erected in remote places, near swamps or dead forests. Only the most knowledgeable were allowed to enter.
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Ordinary people were forbidden from entering, as it would bring no good to the uninitiated. The goddess Marena, as the embodiment of fate and justice, was often invoked for help by establishing temples. These were sparsely populated sacred places of power, equipped with
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large stones, boulders, and idols, inscribed with symbols. Mara's symbol, the cross of crosses, was usually depicted. Offerings and gifts were made to Mara's stone. The power of the deity of death can also be felt in cemeteries , battlefields, abandoned houses, caves
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and rock crevices, river backwaters, and other forbidding places. Ancient temples to the goddess of death are still found in the forests and swamps of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and the Baltics. In mysterious places, deep in the forest or mountains, travelers will
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see unusual stones and experience an inexplicable feeling, but not everyone will guess what this place is or what its purpose is. Some claim that no separate temple to the goddess Marya was built. She was remembered and simply feared. If they wanted to honor
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her, they would place an idol on the ground in a spacious area and perform services. This is rather limited information to fully explore the question. How did our ancestors honor this goddess? However, a little information can be found online. Idols
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were made of wood or, unlike other deities, straw. They were dressed in real clothing, hung with beads of dried berries and fruits, and decorated with ribbons. They were set up right before the offering and surrounded by stones, drawing a circle around it. A larger
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stone or wooden plank was placed directly in front of the idol, serving as an altar upon which offerings intended for the goddess were placed.
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Once the location had been determined, the idol of the goddess was carried throughout the village or hamlet, gathering people. During the ceremonial procession, people sang songs praising the moraine and scattered rowan berries around. After the idol had been carried
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through all the courtyards, it was placed in a pre-prepared spot and the festivities began. During the festival, unmarried girls danced in circles around the goddess's shrine, singing and dancing. It was believed that good housewives should treat everyone with
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bread, pies, or other dishes prepared on the eve of the festival. This promised happiness and prosperity for their household. After all the festivities, the shrines were dismantled, and the idol of the goddess was thrown into the river, but more
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often, it was burned. Many claim that the straw idol burned on the goddess's day was not a representation of Mara herself, but merely of winter, which was supposed to take with it all the worst. The ashes were scattered over
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fields, gardens, and vegetable patches. It was believed that this would make the land fertile. With the arrival of spring, the goddess Mara's powers wane, for it is the time of birth and life, where there is no place for death or
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its cold. Therefore, the Slavs solemnly bid farewell to the goddess Mara, transformed into an ugly old woman, by burning an effigy of winter, signifying the change of seasons. Mara Svorogovna herself retired to her icy chambers until the following winter. Offerings
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to the deity included flowers, various fruits, and ears of grain. The main offerings to the goddess were rowan berries, viburnum berries, sour milk, and red juice reminiscent of blood. If the symbol of Mara was carved or drawn on an object or product, it was
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considered a gift from the goddess. Torahs of the mistress of darkness could be offered on holidays to appease her. Turnips, carrots, jelly, wine, honey, bread, gingerbread, kalachi, and various prepared dishes, as well as fish, lamb, beef, and horse meat, were
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also given on the feast of greeting. People tried to appease the goddess with offerings to ward off her wrath and gain protection from other dark forces. Offerings were made in times of great need or misfortune. This occurred when illness or severe snowstorms
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befell people, or if warriors needed protection on the battlefield, they prayed to Marena for good fortune and justice. Mothers with small children gave gifts of ribbons and towels embroidered with amulets. They asked the goddess to have mercy on their
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children, lest she take their souls with her. Offering to the goddess Treba is an offering of a sincere gift, of good energy, with respect and prayer.
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Sometimes, during years of severe epidemics, animals were sacrificed, bled directly at the altar, and her altars were sprinkled with sacrificial blood. The rite itself was accompanied by obligatory rituals. The giver purified the site and themselves with the four elements: fire, water, earth,
Speaker A
and air. Usually, it took place at sunset, facing north or west. A large offering with prayers for the well-being of a family or several families could be accompanied by a priest who understood the laws of energy. With the advent of Christianity
Speaker A
, many deities, symbols, and holidays of the ancient Slavs were transformed, acquiring new features and new interpretations. Thus, the pagan goddess Mara often came to be perceived as Mary the Mother of God. And the celebration in honor of the goddess
Speaker A
Mara became known as Maslenitsa, as the burning of an effigy of winter on Maslenitsa reflects the ancient custom of honoring the goddess, designated by the day of Marena. That's the end of the video. If you found this information helpful or interesting,
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please like this video and subscribe to the channel. This will help grow the channel, and click the bell to stay up to date with new episodes. All the best . Until next time.
Topics:MarenaSlavic mythologySlavic goddesswinter goddessdeath and rebirthMaraMoranaSlavic paganismSlavic folklorecosmic balance
