Slavic Pagan Resources

[Yazichestvo]

Hello all,

I noticed Lunaxsilvermoon posted a thread requesting resources on Slavic paganism about a year ago. Another individual did back in 2013. Neither of them got very many responses. My own research is something over a decade in the making, and I thought I could provide a pretty high quality Slavic Reading List.

For those who are iffy on the topic, the Slavic languages include most of those spoken in Eastern Europe, including Russian, Polish, Czechoslovak, Serbo-Croatian, and Bulgarian. The tradition is best preserved as folklore, which means it requires a fair amount of research and interpretation. This can be done, particularly by meticulously comparing the folklore of multiple East-European countries, as well as Indo-European cultures in general. As you can imagine though, it’s not easy. There are also some medieval chronicles which help a *little.* But the folklore really is where it’s at.

I’m wondering, is this a tradition that anyone is interested in? Does anyone have ties to Eastern Europe, however distant?

In my reconstruction of late Slavic paganism (Just before Christianization) it’s a polytheistic tradition with dualistic elements. The Gods are the children of the one creator God (Svarog), who has largely retired from worldly affairs after creation. The chief among his children include Perun, Mokosh, Jarilo/Dazbog, the Zoryas, and Svarozic/Swietowid. By definition, most Gods are bringers of prosperity. The word for God, “Bog” is directly related to “Bogatstvo” or wealth. However, the black god, Chernobog, also played a role in the creation of the world, and is largely malevolent. As I’ve said, there is a lot of interpretation there. However, the sources to attempt reconstructionism are out there.

(1)Russian Folk Belief- Linda Ivanits
(2) Bathhouse at Midnight- W.F. Ryan
(3) Bulgarian Folk Customs- Mercia McDermott
(4)Hero Tales & Legends of the Serbians- Petrovitch
(5)Russian Fairy Tales- Afansev (Pantheon Books Edition)
(6)Sixty Folktales from Exclusively Slavonic Sources- Albert Wratislaw
(7)Baba Yaga- Andreas Johns
(8) Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors- Bohdan Rubchak
(9) Supernatural Beings from Slovenian Myth and Folktales-Monica Kropej
(10) The Dancing Goddess-Elizabeth Barber
(11) Russian Fairy Tales- Afansev (Pantheon Books Edition)
(12) On the High Uplands- Stanislaw Vincenz
(13) Polish Customs Traditions and Folklore- Sophie Knab
(14) Waiting For Elijah- Time & Encounter in a Bosnian Landscape- Muhammedovic
(15) Cossack Tales- Nisbet
(16) The Glass Mountain: 28 Ancient Polish Folktales and Fables- Kuniczak
(17) Mythology of All Races Volume 3: Celtic & Slavic- John A. MacKulloch

Supplementary- (Related cultures)

(1) Indo-European Myth and Poetry- M.L. West
(2)Tales of the Narts- Colarusso
(3) Nart Sagas of the Abkhazians- Colarusso
(4)Mythic Discourses: Studies in Uralic Traditions
(5)The Other God- Yuri Stoyanov
(6) Komi Mythology- I.V. Il’ina
(7)Aspects of Romanian Folklore
(8)Of Gods and Men, Studies in Lithuanian Mythology- Greimas

There are also some great articles online:

https://www.academia.edu/21275275/Or...nega_izrocila_


https://www.academia.edu/21276444/Th...itical_Systems

https://www.academia.edu/10102747/Ph...ND_BOGOMILISM_

http://sms.zrc-sazu.si/pdf/01/SMS_01_Smitek.pdf

http://sms.zrc-sazu.si/pdf/18/09_sms_18_Hrobat.pdf

https://www.academia.edu/26973145/Th...9_str._141-171

[Morganite]

The site sacred-texts.com under Legends and Sagas click open scroll down and see Slavic and Eastern European.
The tale of the armament of Igor.
The Songs of the Russian people.
And more. Last in list is Armenian Legends and Poems.
sacred-texts.com/neu/index.htm

[Yazichestvo]

The site sacred-texts.com under Legends and Sagas click open scroll down and see Slavic and Eastern European.
The tale of the armament of Igor.
The Songs of the Russian people.
And more. Last in list is Armenian Legends and Poems.
sacred-texts.com/neu/index.htm

This link is a really good free source. In particular, the ballads from Serbia in the link are partially new to me. I would highly recommend Ralston. His Songs of the Russian People is a really great alternative to some of the Russian folklore sources listed above. His Muscovite book of fairy tales is also my second favorite book of Russian Fairy Tales, after the Pantheon books edition listed above. In fact, it’s arguably better for starters because Ralston has footnotes to explain things in almost every tale.

Some of the sources listed above are free on project Gutenberg. Serbian Hero tales and Cossack tales are there. I know that Monica Kropej’s book on Slovenian lore can also be found for free. Likewise for Elizabeth Hapgood’s “Epic Songs of Russia.” Parker Fillmore’s Czechoslovak tales are also excellent, and free on Gutenberg. It’s very difficult to put together a single definitive list. Still, this is more than enough to get someone started. Thank you for the contribution.