The Slavic Mystery: Searching for the Lost Myths of the Slavs

Sirin (left) and Alkonost (right) "Birds of Joy and Sorrow" by Viktor Vasnetsov'

​When I set out to look more deeply into Slavic mythology to understand how it survived in fairy tales, such as was the case in the Western European paradigm, I discovered that the language barrier means that there is not a great deal of research on this topic available in English to the general public. So, I've been collecting the books that I can find, and wanted to give you a bit of information on what I've learned thus far and a rundown of a few of the best books that I've yet found for people who want to learn more about the Slavic folk tradition.

The Slavic Mystery

Not only is there a dearth of information available in English (comparatively to other cultural studies), but the beliefs of the early Slavs are shrouded in even more mystery than many of the other language/culture groups on the European continent. And there are several reasons for this. 

While the Teutonic people used the runic writing system and the Celts used a system called Ogham, the Slavs are thought to have had no form of writing before the creation of the Cyrillic alphabet. 

Interestingly, when Christianity was adopted by groups such as the Anglo-Saxons, eventually runic script was banned as it was seen as a pagan writing system with magical connotations (which is, actually, accurate).  But, luckily for us, rune stones have survived which add to the lexicon of what we know about the Teutonic peoples. 

Fairy tale illustration by Ivan Biliban

However, the Slavic people did not write at all until the advent of the Cyrillic writing system. Some people may not be aware that the name "Cyrillic" is thusly labeled after the Christian saint who invented it, Saint Cyril. 

Since the very alphabet itself was invented by a religious missionary for the purpose of reaching the Slavic people for conversion missions, it may be that there was a greater impetus to use the language strictly for Christian writings. Which brings us to the next reason the beliefs of the ancient Slavs are such a mystery. 

Artist's interpretation of Snorri Sturluson writing down the Norse Eddas, by Hauki Stefánssyni

In both the Celtic and Teutonic cultures, and to our great benefit, several individuals took it upon themselves to write down the myths and legends of their ancestors for the sake of posterity. Ironically, it was Christian monks working in Ireland who felt the stories of their pagan forebears were worthy of preserving. And, it was another Christian by the name of Snorri Sturluson who wrote down the myths of the Norse.  

It is to our great loss that no such individual preserved the myths of the Slavs in the same way. Therefore, mainly all we have to go on is fragmentary evidence in the folk tradition. 

Russian Dvoeverie - The Double Faith

Folklore to the rescue! As is seen clear across Europe, the old ways died hard. In fact, they really did not die at all. European peasants found ways to incorporate their native folkways into their daily lives so that their old folkways could linger on.

Once the conversion had been in place for several generations, the peasantry eventually had no conception that they were engaging in pagan activities. They viewed themselves as strictly Christian, yet many of their beliefs and practices were overtly pagan. 

But, Slavs, just like other Europeans, kept their old beliefs alive in their folklore, customs, songs, legends, arts and crafts, and so on.

Art by Ivan Bilibo

I strongly assert that this is the case far and wide throughout Europe. And, indeed, this same phenomenon can be seen throughout the world in places where a new religion is superimposed upon a populace. However, ethnologists and other scholars have long noted that the old faith lingered on in a very powerful, and even overt, way among the Slavs. This is referred to as "Dvoeverie" or "double faith." 

The double, also referred to as dual, faith was so intense that it still lingers on in many Slavic nations today, but it is most often studied and discussed in relation to Russia.

However, most individuals living in traditional Slavic societies today typically have no idea that certain beliefs, symbols, images, and stories that they continue to share are representative of paganism.

This is not unusual. In fact, it is the norm. And we see it quite strongly through the ages in Western Europe as well.

What this means is that the ancient beliefs were allowed to linger on and evolve naturally and organically with the culture. We may not know certain epic myths of the Slavs in the same way we know of the exploits of the Norse gods, but we can still get to the heart and the soul of Slavic indigenous belief by studying their folk and fairy tales. 

"Ivan Tsarovich Riding the Grey Wolf" by Viktor Vasnetsov

Digging for the Heart of the Slavs

If you are really interested in indigenous Slavic belief, of course I would tell you to read folk and fairy tales. However, it's really helpful to approach the lore with a foundational knowledge in the culture. The wonderful thing about fairy tales is that they reach our inner psyches without any research necessary. One tale can have countless interpretations. Their role is really to touch us as individuals and guide us through life's obstacles. So your own personal interpretation of what a tale means to you is valid.  

But, if we're looking for more from the fairy tale canon, and especially looking for how our own ancient native faith lived on through these tales, it's helpful to have some background knowledge. 

Because there aren't any ancient full length myths to reference directly, the "Encyclopedia of Russian and Slavic Myth and Legend" is great to keep on hand. Scholars have reconstructed some Slavic myth from evidence surviving in the folk culture of Slavic Europe.

Piecing together these sources is a painstaking process, so having this research handy can help us make some sense of certain images, figures, and motifs that come up in the folk and fairy tale tradition. In addition, certain symbols that are related to deities also come up in Slavic folk art that is still created by traditional artists today. 

I'm just a big nerd for these kinds of reference books and I will buy as many as I can and use them often in my research. 

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"Slavic Folklore: A Handbook" is written as a textbook for folklore students. However, the author's prose flows smoothly so that it reads quite easily. 

This book gives a solid discussion on broad Slavic culture in relation to the folk tradition. She also addresses certain problems we have  in getting to the roots of Slavic myth as outlined above. 

For those looking for some of the history of folklore, who exactly has been recording and preserving the folklore of Slavic peoples and the methodologies used, this is pretty much THE essential book on the subject. 

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"Russian Magic: Living Folk Traditions of an Enchanted Landscape" is the kind of book that makes my heart beat fast. The author is a woman after my own heart. She has a passion for Russian culture and has spent years studying it deeply. 

I haven't looked into the author's background, so I don't know her academic credentials. It doesn't read like a scholarly book, per se. She comes off more as an enthusiast than a scholar on Russian studies. That said, she certainly comes off as very knowledgeable, very intelligent, and as someone who reads scholarly work in order to make sense of her own observations.

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So, as someone who values scholarship on cultural studies, I do find this author to be reliable. Her observations and thoughts on Russian culture jibe with my own deep study on indigenous European spirituality from the Germanic and Celtic perspectives. ​​

Last but not least, for years I have been recommending Jacqueline Simpson's "European Mythology" as highly as I can. This book is not about the great epic myths of ancient times, but rather about folk beliefs, customs, and traditions which demonstrate how mythology remained vibrantly alive in the European consciousness through the ages. 

Simpson emphasizes the continuity of belief and worldview which transcends language barriers throughout Europe. So, she discusses examples from many different European cultures (including Slavic) but reminds us that just because a practice is mentioned in one culture group does not at all mean that the same (or similar) practice does not occur in other culture/language groups throughout Europe. 

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Touch the Hand of a Seer to See as They See

One common motif found in Celtic folklore is the notion that if you hold the hand of someone who has the ability to see the Faerie Realm, that their gift will be transmitted through their hand to yours and you will be able to see what they see (until you let go of their hand). 

My supernatural gifts are quite modest. But, I have spent years studying the European folk tradition, and I have been told that I have a knack for relaying what I have learned with others. 

So, I invite you to come along with me for this journey while we dig deeply into the European folk tradition to discover our lost folkways.  

What we find when we make the effort to look is that our native folkways never actually died at all. They just became encoded within folk culture. 

Slavic fairy tale art by Konstantin Vasiliev

And, as as urbanization, industrialization, and now globalization, have taken our eyes off of our own cultural identities, we have lost the lenses with which to see our own native worldview. ​

I am working very hard at crafting new lenses so that all people of European heritage can find the focus we've lost. And, the steps and techniques that I'm using can be utilized by any person of any cultural background to find their own native cultural worldview in exactly the same way. If we value diversity on this Earth, it is important that each and every one of us cherishes, protects, and preserves our own unique ancestral heritages. 

The European Fairy Tales Series

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It is for this reason that I have started the European Fairy Tales Series. Each month we take a deep look at a different European fairy tale, often they are tales that you likely never heard before! The booklets give introductions which explore culturally significant topics that help us understand what is represented in the tale, followed by a re-telling of the tale. Every booklet is richly illustrated in color.  

These books are available in print and Kindle via Amazon, and also available in PDF. However, for a $1 subscription, you can receive them in PDF as they become available each month. Higher tier subscriptions receive more content as it becomes available.

​More importantly, your subscription sponsors research into our lost native folkways. I am working on the August 2017 volume now, and as you may have guessed, we'll be delving into the Land of the Slavs!

​My name is Carolyn Emerick, and I write on the history, myth, and folklore of Northwestern Europe. 

Explore this website for more on European history, mythology, and folk tradition. Please check out the section for my books!

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