Belarusian mythology
Belarusian mythology (Belarusian Беларуская міфалогія) is the system of legends, myths and cosmological presentations in ancient religion that was practiced in Belarus before Christianization in the 10th century. Belarusian mythology also includes plots and folk presentations that existed in Christian age but were not a part of the canonic Сhristian religion.
Sources and Problems of verification
The folks who lived in Belarus in pagan age didn't have writing. Lion's share of information about Pre-Christian religion was obtained in Christian anti-pagan annals and in folk songs, fairy tales and art in the 19-20th century. Today scientists doubt that all gods, who are mentioned in such sources, really existed in ancient pagans beliefs of Belarusians.
Gods
- Perun was a god of thunder and war. The main god in the 10th century.
- Macosh is a hypothetical goddess of home and family.
- Yaschar was a god of underground world, dampness, rivers and lakes.
- Veles is a hypothetical god of animal husbandry.
- Mara could be a goddess of death.
- Yarila (existence of this god in ancient pagan mythology is debatable) could be the god of spring an youth.
- Zara-Zaranitsa was being a popular female character in folk magical traditions till the end of the 20th century. Sorcerers and witches addressed to her, asking for healing of a sick person. Zara-Zaranitsa cans be a late embodiment of an antient goodness whose name is forgotten.
The Lower Mythology
Presentations about spirits and monsters lived in folk imagination even in the middle of the 20th century. It's reasonable to differ:
- the spirits of forest: liasyn (лясун), pushchavik (пушчавік), gayun (гаюн), vuzhalki (вужалкі) etc.;
- the spirits of bogs: bahnik (багнік), arzhaven (аржавень), lazavik (лазавік);
- the spirits of rivers and lakes: aziarnitca (азярніца), rusalka (русалка), vadzianik (вадзянік);
- the spirits of home: damavik (дамавік), gumennik (гуменнік), piachurnik (пячурнік) and etc.
Holidays
Many todays holidays in Belarus have Pagan roots: Kaliady, Maslenitsa, Kupala Night (Belarusian Купалле), Call of Spring (Belarusian Гуканне вясны), Dziady (Belarusian Дзяды) and etc.
Cosmology and Cosmogony
The original pagan myths about structure of the world and its creating were forgotten. Rests of this myths were kept in fairy tales, folk beliefs, magical traditions. According to some plots the Earth is a thin plate that lies on the surface of the world ocean. Folk riddles, spells and some ornaments in old clothes of Belarusian peasants hints that antient religion could present that Earth is situated on the World Tree (the analogue of the Scandinavian Iggdrasil).
Ancient Creation myth wasn't kept in written sources. Today the scientists try to reconstruct it from folk proverbs, ballads, spells and songs. One spell says: "Sky is a father, Ground is a Mother". Another legend approves, that the Earth and the Sky where connected many centuries ago, and people could climb on the Sky. Ancient Belarusian mythology probably had universal myth about separation of Father-Sky and Mother-Ground which happened at the beginning of the world's existence. Today we can find this widespread myth in the Greek mythology (Uranus and Gaia) in more developed form.