Few people need information about what kind of goddess Mara is. In short, she is the goddess of death. We wrote about this goddess in more detail in this article. If this image is not known, we suggest that you first read this article.
But we were interested in the fact that this goddess has too many different chir symbols. This leads to the wildest confusion among Rodnovers, and this is a reason to figure out what belongs to what and why it actually happened this way. Let's start with the fact that some minds in official science generally question the existence of this goddess, and here we are writing about a bunch of symbols associated with her. This is such a paradox. The impetus for this article was a question from one of our clients, which actually started my interest. I was extremely curious to figure it out and it turned out that I myself had forgotten about the existence of one symbol, and what can we say about people who have recently joined the Native Faith...
Therefore, below I will list all the options for the symbols of the great goddess Mara with a detailed description. 
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 the circles of Chernobozhia and people practicing Slavic magic. This symbol is applied to ritual objects and idols when they want to activate the hidden powers of Mother Marena. But there is also a little-known fact: such a triangle in a more figurative form has a very clear reflection in Slavic amulets. The symbol of the goddess, it turns out, is also quite well-known, archaeologically verified women's amulet Lunnitsa.Triangle with its apex facing down
This is a fairly well-known symbol, which is usually depicted by several wavy lines running parallel to each other. We use this display to show one of the main functions of the goddess. This is due to the fact that according to legend, Marena transports the bodies of the dead across the river S-Mor-Rodina (Smorodina). According to mythology, the river flows between the Yavny and Navy worlds, and Mara transports the dead to the world of the Gods. This is how Mara is responsible for transporting souls through this water and is called Maryina waters. We display this significant symbol on our idols.Symbol of water of Mary
Everything here is neither clear nor ambiguous. The fact is that the cross of Mara does not mean this graphic symbol, but a right-sided swastika. A symbol of the destroying sun or dying, if you like. But such a symbol cannot be attached to idols and amulets. So, for a reason unknown to me, this symbol appeared under the guise of the cross of Mary. Although the symbol itself is more related to symbols of fertility. But let's return to the very meaning of the symbol. He, as you understand, is related to the dying sun. To the winter sun to Kolyada. At this time Mara has greatest strength in nature. This is her time. The famous Russian band Butterfly Temple sings about this time, atmosphere and essence; the song itself is called “The Time of Mary”.Oblique Cross of Mary
Like many Slavic gods, Madder has two natural cycles: summer and winter. This symbol refers to the summer cycle. The symbol of the goddess with her hands raised up speaks of her creativity, no matter how much this contradicts her essence and divine orientation. According to some sources, Madder patronizes wildflowers, berries, mushrooms, etc. She helps the seeker of nature’s gifts find what he needs and reveres the presence on earth of everything a person needs in the field and forest, be it a berry, a flower or a mushroom. 
Winter, as we have already written, is the time of the power of the goddess. Winter was generally considered by the Slavs to be a time of ice, frost and death of nature; it seemed to be given over to the possession of this goddess. Therefore, with such pleasure, the Slavs burned the effigy of Madder in the Spring and met Young Yarilo. The symbol of two triangles connected by sharp angles tells us about the duality of the goddess, on the one hand she is the patroness of magic and death, on the other she is the goddess of creativity. Some researchers interpret this symbol as a sign of balance, as if emphasizing the fate of Madder’s functions. And what she does is always in balance. This is the basis of the Slavic pagan picture of the world. 
Everything here is quite simple. If you know the functionality and divine duties of Mara, it will become clear that she is the reaper of souls. And this is a necessary attribute in her difficult work. According to legend, Marena sat with the dying man in the last minutes of his life; she never cleaned up people whose time had not expired. This is a fair and calm goddess. In the picture you can see a sickle that is used in magical rituals and practices dedicated to the cult of this goddess. Here we have everything focused on the essence Slavic horoscope and actually to the palaces. The fact is that everyone who was born in the Fox’s palace is protected by the Slavic goddess of death. The picture shows the hall of the Fox, but thanks to the light hand of Internet users, this is now another symbol of Madder. As you can see, I brought as many as 7 symbols of the goddess Madder and justified and explained them all. Perhaps none of the Slavic Gods has such diversity in symbols. But this shows and reveals to us the fact that from the point of view of working with Slavic magic, the arsenal of the goddess’s capabilities is extremely large. And let those who say that Slavic mythology is empty and uninteresting, themselves list and explain all the symbols of Mary. And you, dear reader, can now troll such people or enlighten (here it depends on the person) with the knowledge gleaned from this article.
The Slavic goddess Mara has several names: Mara, Kashcheevna, Morana, Morena. Mara is the goddess of death and fertility. According to one version, Morena (Mara) was the daughter of Kashchei, the ruler of the lower kingdom of Navi. Therefore, she was also called Kashcheevna. But according to another version, Mara was the sister of Lada and Zhiva (or Lelya), who were the daughters of the first generation of gods who appeared from the sparks of Svarog’s hammer, which struck the sacred stone Alatyr.
The goddess Mara is the patron of witchcraft and justice. According to legends, her beauty was in no way inferior to the beauty of the goddess Lada, but despite popular belief, she is not her antipode. Many also claim that the goddess Mara opposes Zhiva, but even though she embodies the entire complex of forces that are opposite to the creative energy of life, there are no confrontations between the goddesses.
So who is the goddess Mara? If you study Slavic mythology in detail, you can come to the conclusion that all three sister-goddesses had absolutely equal rights and were equally perceived by both other gods and people.
Mara. Mythology
The goddess Mara in Slavic mythology was represented as a young girl with fair skin and black beautiful eyes. She was the epitome of ice and dignity.
All her outfits were in the form of azure-colored dresses, decorated with white lace. As legends say, Morena lived in a large palace, which was made of pure sky ice, and she had all the spirits of water and cold under her control. It is believed that Mara is a dark goddess, since death itself was subject to her.
In addition, she also made friends with Veles’s wife, Yaga. Their friendship was not entirely ordinary. Mara gave Yaga human souls, and Yaga in return allowed Mara to descend into the Navi world, into which entry was strictly prohibited for both people and gods. Together with Yaga, Mara often practiced sorcery, and they also learned to control the elements and various energies.
Goddess Mara and Kashchei
Mara, the goddess of the Slavs, was often connected in one way or another with the ruler of lower Navi - Kashchei. According to one version, she was his daughter, and according to another version, his wife. The Slavic goddess was seductive and had a very cunning and sharp mind. She managed to literally ask Kashchei to be his wife. How did she do it? Everything turned out to be quite unexpected. Marena promised Kashchei, if he took her as his wife, the lives of three Heavenly Virgins, as well as the lives of three Irian heroes. But Kashchei never received these lives, since Mara, after her marriage, bound him with her magic chains in the casemates of the Kashchei palace.
After this, the cunning goddess tried more than once to repeat her attempt to marry, but this time to the god Dazhbog. After several attempts, she still managed to get the cherished family happiness, but it did not last long. Dazhbog left Morena, and she was left alone with her power. Despite the unsuccessful relationship, Mara did not lose herself, and continued to fulfill her functions: in the summer she sent people harvest, and in the winter she gave vent to her feelings and became fierce.
Goddess Mara and the Slavs
The physical manifestation of Mara was, of course, winter. When the long, cold, dark winter nights came, she reigned supreme over the Slavic land. Maara filled Navi to the very brim human souls who died from bad weather or froze in a snowdrift. When winter ended, the ancient Slavs drove the goddess of death from the Real World by building an effigy of her and symbolically burning it.
Over time, this custom lost its meaning and its traditions were distorted beyond recognition. In our time, such a pagan ritual is usually called Maslenitsa, but it is impossible to consider Maslenitsa a rite that drives Mara away from the world of Reveal, because it is not even a rite at all, but only its echo.
Along with Truth, Mara is also considered the patroness of justice and fairness. Due to the fact that she simultaneously took the souls of the dead in Navi, and was Slavic symbol True, it is difficult to say what kind of goddess our ancestors imagined - light or dark. Along with saving the world, Mara more than once threatened to completely destroy it.
Based on these facts, we can say that the goddess Mara was a being who rose above such traditional concepts as "good" and "evil". Obviously, the Slavs revered her along with the other light gods, and therefore consider her an exclusively negative character in Slavic religion stupid and baseless.
Despite all the arguments that claim that Mara is a dark goddess who came to our world along with Chernobog, but ultimately took the side of the Irian gods, she is still a representative of the Slavic pantheon of Yasunya - light gods.
Attributes of the goddess Mara
Attributes Slavic goddess death and justice - tren, winter, death, cold, destruction and darkness. Madder’s personal symbol is a stream of frozen water, which is called “Water of Mary”. This symbol means immovable force, potential energy, which remains at rest until a certain time.
Another metaphysical emblem of Mara that was widespread is the symbol of Winter, part of the season. A combined symbol consisting of two triangles, called Mara-Viy, was perceived by our ancestors as very bad sign, since it meant absolute death.
Goddess Mara.
Outside the window a blizzard is raging. The cold penetrates to the bones, and the one who does not find a warm hearth at such a late hour is unhappy. Winter will not spare anyone who falls into its clutches, both the old man and the young man will fall into a deep sleep. Apparently, Dark Mara is angry in her crystal palace, and her anger whistles through the cracks of the walls with all the northern winds. wooden huts. Frightened children huddle close to their mothers in the dark, as if this could save them. The men sharpen their knives and axes, and frown. Everyone is afraid, because no one can resist the mistress of winter, since she decided to remove someone from the white light. Mortals only remain silent, but in their souls they pray to all the gods so that they will calm down Mara’s anger and protect people from her cold. And Mara, know that she is sitting in her palace, transparent as ice, and smiling at her heavy thoughts. Mortals do not know that now there is a blizzard and blizzard, that inseparable friends walk across the open spaces without her knowledge. Kohl 
fate has destined someone to perish in the white snows, even her will will not save the poor fellow, for death is inexorable in its right, like life. And people call her dark and evil, and in the spring they drive her away, like an uninvited guest, and burn her in effigy. And the fools do not know that Mara carefully covers Mother Earth with her white blanket, like a little child, until spring, so that she and everything that grows in her do not perish. Many people do not know that the blizzard is the cradle of Mary, so that forests and mountains sleep in a serene sleep. People do not know that death, which they impose on Mara as an eternal friend, is not the end, but the beginning, 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, they scold in vain, and they don’t see how the goddess cries in secret. Mary has only one joy - her children grow up to be different from others. They see and know what is hidden from others, they smile at her, as soon as they see her through the fluffy spruce branches. And these children grow up to her joy, they love her and are not afraid, they themselves are drawn to her with their souls. And some of them will grow up to be a great commander, some a healer, and some a witch. And the paths of all children are blessed by Mara herself, and not a single illness takes them, and winter does not get cold, because they are warmed by the love of the goddess. And whoever loves her in return will not be betrayed by her forever.
The ancient Slavs called Mara a dark goddess. Why did it happen?! Let's take it in order. Let's start with the pedigree. According to the first belief, the goddess Mara was the daughter of the god Koshchei. There is a second statement that Mara, together with Zhivaya and Lada, was the goddess of the first generation of Yasunya, born from sparks carved by Svarog on the Alatyr stone. In essence, the power and responsibilities of all three goddesses are equal to each other.
The time of Mary was considered to be winter. At this time, Mara reigned supreme over the world of reality, and with her coldness she shackled Mother Earth until spring. Therefore, it is no wonder that the goddess was identified with death itself. Nothing pleasant, you agree, but it’s worth remembering that it was unusual for the ancient Slavs to clearly divide the world into good and evil. Everything was interconnected in the Slavic view. Winter was perceived as death, but it was always followed by spring, that is, rebirth. Therefore, death in this aspect was considered only as the next step in the cycle of existence. Therefore, considering the goddess Mara to be an exclusively negative character in the Slavic pantheon of gods is a fundamentally wrong position.
The image of the goddess Mara and the etymology of the name.
Goddess Mara is known by many names. She is called both Morana and Madder. In Polish mythology, this goddess is named Morzany, in Slovak the name of the goddess is pronounced approximately like Marmurien, but in Czech this goddess is often called Smertka, although without vowels, something like “Smrtka” from the word death. There are so many different variations of the name of one goddess, sheer diversity, but it’s very interesting where the root itself came from, from which all this worship of this goddess later grew?! 
The platform for the formation of the name of the goddess is the root “Mǒr”, which by the way is of Proto-Slavic origin. Related to this root are the Old Russian “sea”, the Ukrainian “more”, the Bulgarian “mor’t” and so on. All this together means withering, killing, and from here it becomes clear why the name of the goddess, pardon the pun, is tightly connected with death itself. The original root undergoes frequent alternation over time with the root “merti”, which means to die. Related words with the second root are the words “mãras”, which in Lithuanian means “pestilence and plague”, and “marakas”, which means “death” from ancient Indian. To be honest, this is not a particularly positive selection, but what can you do, as it is.
So, the name of the goddess Mara is inextricably linked with death, pestilence, and plague. From her name also come such words as morok, haze, gloomy, fool, marit, drizzle, marakosit. These words conceal two main semantic directions, which are characteristic of the image of the goddess “to starve,” that is, to torture, torment, and “to fool,” that is, to mislead. By the way, there is a claim that the goddess is subordinate to evil little spirits - maras, who, unlike brownies who help with the housework, on the contrary, spoil things, steal and create complete bedlam in the house. It is these maras that act as obsessions, which very often make people see nightmares. In a word, they are fooling their heads.
One way or another, our ancestors imagined Mara as a dark goddess. In accordance with her divine profile, this goddess appeared to the ancient Slavs in a very exotic image: a black-eyed beauty, with jet-black hair, tall and with surprisingly pale skin. They believed that she wore azure dresses with snow-white lace and painting. This beauty lived in huge, icy palaces. Something smells very much like the Snow Queen, don’t you think?! So, according to the ancient Slavs, the goddess Mara was so beautiful in the fall, since winter was just coming into its own and gaining full power. With the approach of spring, the beautiful Mara turned into a terrible and grumpy old woman in rags, who did not want to give up her place to the bright goddesses Lada, Lele and Zhiva.
Holiday in honor of the goddess Mara.
With the arrival of spring, the powers of the goddess Mara are waning, for the time of birth and life is coming, where there is no place for either her minion death or her cold. Therefore, the ancient Slavs solemnly drove away the goddess Mara, who had turned into an ugly old woman, by burning her effigy, which meant the change of season. This holiday was usually celebrated on the first of March.
By the way, in common people beautiful goddess called the one-eyed kikimora. Of course, this is not a very flattering nickname, but most likely it means that the forces of winter have dried up and it’s time for it to leave the earth. The belief persists that Mara became one-eyed in the spring because the god Yarilo lifted her up with his pitchfork. This sounds, however, rather ambiguous given the fiery temperament of the solar god. Who knows, maybe in this at first glance, completely simple folk saying, hidden is the great mystery of the change of seasons, like the intercourse of winter cold and fiery sun, gives birth to new life. Purification with ice and fire, so to speak.
On the day of the goddess Mary, the ancient Slavs believed that the goddess would lead them across the Kalinov Bridge, which connects the worlds of Yavi and Navi, and the Smorodina River runs between the two banks. And crossing this bridge marked the transition from winter to spring, from death to life.
There were also folk beliefs in connection with the festival of the goddess. If the sun came out at noon, it means spring will be early, and if there was a snowstorm on that day, then the first half of March did not promise warming. People rejoiced at the heavy snowfall, because they believed that the more snow that fell in the spring, the greater the harvest they would have in the fall. And if the windows sweated in the spring frost, then this meant a quick
warming.
With the advent of Orthodoxy on Russian soil, the celebration in honor of the goddess Mary was called Maslenitsa. Many argue that the straw effigy that was burned on the day of the goddess was not the personification of Mara herself, but only winter, which was supposed to take away all the worst things. When the effigy was burned, the ashes were scattered over the fields, orchards and vegetable gardens. They believed that this would make the land fertile. And Mara Svarogovna herself retired to her icy palaces and indulged in sleep, until the next winter.
Genealogy of the goddess Mara and her husbands.
Understand the intricacies family ties Slavic gods generally seem unreal. But still, let's try to clear away a little of the rubble from arguments and beliefs.
So, the first myth is Mara, the daughter of Koshchei the immortal. Well, it’s not scary, you’ll think that dad is a necromancer and generally a very dark type, and the daughter is not bad at all, she’s actually become the goddess of death. Continues the family business, so to speak. And if we take into account that Koshchei is more often identified with Chernobog, then Mara goes by Father Chernobog.
So, the second myth is that the goddess Mara is the daughter of Svarog and is the beloved sister of the thunderer Perun. Well, in any case, the fact that Mara belongs to the first generation of Yasun is indisputable. And Mara Svarogovna somehow sounds more respectable than Mara Koscheevna.
Only then does it become incomprehensible with what joy it was that the daughter of the brightest god suddenly chose a dark path for herself. I doubt she was encouraged by Darth Vadar to turn to the dark side, but oh well. By the way, this myth has two variations. In one, Mara is the daughter of not only Svarog, but also Lada. According to the second option, the goddess Mara is Lada’s sister, and like her, was born from the first sparks that flew from the Alatyr stone after the blows of Svarozhy’s hammer.
So, the third myth - no one gave birth to Mara, for she is darkness, and the darkness is eternal and the universe was born from her. Here we are dealing with the hen of the Golden Egg of the universe, from which the Great Family emerged. So, Mara is our mother of all that exists and bears, for she gave birth to Rod himself. We ask a very important question: what is the connection then between the goddess Mara and the god Vyshen, who seems to be the primary source of everything. Here either Mara is the female hypostasis of this primal god, or she is a goddess existing on her own, without any beginning and equal to the Highest. In favor of this theory, some give the following interpretation of the name of the goddess. They say Ma-Ra is the mother of the primordial fire, that is, Ra. Judge for yourself.
Further discussion goes beyond the boundaries of the earth’s orbit, so at this point we, perhaps, will pause and move on to the personal life of the goddess Mara. Here we have plenty of candidates for the hand, heart and all other limbs and organs of the goddess.
The first candidate for husband to the goddess Mara is the well-known Koshchei. Either it smacks of incest, or the dark lord wooed Svarog himself. In a word, it doesn't matter. There is even a legend about how the cunning Mara defeated Koshchei and bound him with enchanted chains in the Navem world. According to legend, it was like this: one day Koschey the Immortal kidnapped three beautiful princesses (well, apparently he was bored in his dark kingdom). So, at that very hour, three brave young heroes rushed to save the beautiful maidens: Zorka, Vechorka and Polunochka. And the terrible Goryn and his brother Koschey came out to fight them. The heroes fought bravely, but their forces were unequal. And then the bright Dazhdbog decided to intervene and he rushed into the Irian gardens to ask for help from Mary, who was a great sorceress. God promised the beautiful goddess to fulfill any desire if she helped her defeat the accursed enemy. Mara remained silent in response and walked away from the blooming gardens. She descended into the world of Reveal and entered the dense forest to visit her dear friend, Yagina. And no one knew that two witch goddesses were friends. In Yagini's house there was a secret passage to the Navi world, which the goddess Mara took advantage of. She descended into the underground world and stopped the massacre. She offered herself to Koshchei instead of the imprisoned princesses and exhausted heroes. Koschey the Immortal agreed, the dark daughter of Svarog turned out to be too fond of him. And so the heroes and princesses left, and Mara told Koshchei that she knew the secret of his death, that it was hidden in the egg. Koschey begged not to tell this secret to anyone, and Mara, you know, squinted her eyes cunningly. Then take me as your wife, she said to Koshchei, and he decided that it was better for him not to find a queen for his kingdom. He brought two charms filled to the brim with wine, but only Mara secretly added intoxicating herbs to the wine. Koschey drank the enchanted wine and became numb, and Mara dragged him into prison and bound him with twelve chains.
Mara got out of the Navya world and forced Dazhdbog to marry herself, but the family happiness did not last long. The gods fled to different corners. There is a statement that at first Mara was the wife of Dazhdbog, and then she fled with Koshchei to the world of Navi. In one word, everything is complicated and confusing. Ultimately, the goddess Mara was left alone, although there are those who attribute to her a relationship with Chernobog himself. So, to hell with this whole story, he already broke his leg and still has a limp.
The goddess Mara is credited with the motherhood of thirteen ugly daughters at once and these are: Lomeya, Pukhneya, Sukheyya, Glukheyya, Zhelteya, Ogneya, Ledey, Shaking, Grynusha, Gneteya, Korkusha, Neveya-Plyasavitsa and Glyadeya. It looks like an extract from a medical reference book of diseases. Allegedly, the goddesses gave birth to her “beauties” from a secret relationship with the Serpent, apparently we are talking about Chernobog, for he was known as the Great Serpent.
Temples and services for the goddess Mara.
Someone claims that the temples of the goddess Mara were not built separately, she was remembered and simply feared. If they wanted to pray to her, they placed a statue of the goddess on the ground in a spacious place and performed the service. Quite crumpled data for a full disclosure of the question itself, how our ancestors used to worship this goddess. But on the vastness of the World Wide Web you can find quite colorful descriptions of how neo-pagans worship the goddess Mara today. I apologize in advance to overly impressionable readers. You can simply skip this section.
So, the basic description is taken from a book called “ Black Book Mary." The authorship of this book belongs to a certain sorcerer Veleslav, who, however, was not alone in poring over this treatise, but in collaboration with six other founders of the new direction. The book is based on the division of the Rodnovers into followers of the Shuyny path and the path of the Hand. The path of the Right Hand is the path of the right and righteous hand, that is, those who follow this path worship the light gods: Svarog, Lada, Zhiva, and so on. The Shui path is the path of the left hand (and we all know that left hand she's also a harlot). So, the followers of this very left-handed prodigal path worship exclusively dark gods, such as Chernobog, Veles and Mara. Basically, these two deities receive all the attention.
The followers of the goddess Mara are now commonly called the radars of Mara - these are those who fulfill the zeal of the goddess. They are mainly engaged in afterlife matters, in the sense of holding funeral services for the deceased among the native believers, because they will not trust such an important matter Orthodox priests?! So, if in ancient times the funeral was marked by the right hand of the goddess Kara and her sister Zheli, then today, apparently, the goddess Mara decided to displace them.
So, the radars begin worshiping their beloved goddess with intercourse, and not with anyone, but with the goddess herself (how they do this in general is a secret behind seven seals, don’t ask the author, he himself is perplexed). Before ritual intercourse one should cleanse oneself. It is necessary to abstain from food for 24 hours; it is advised to avoid showers and basic hygiene standards for at least three days. And apparently the followers of this newfound cult decided that their goddess has a fetish for unkempt hair, so you shouldn’t comb your hair for three days either, if you still hope to get along with the goddess. By the way, in this book, it is indicated that a follower can take with him a woman who agrees to go through the path of purification (yeah, an unkempt, unwashed and hungry woman is generally a hot thing) and can copulate with her. Then this woman becomes like the goddess Mara. The book also contains detailed descriptions of what pose is intended for what. Everything is as simple as the stool itself, because this is not the Kama Sutra.
I don’t know how you, my dear readers, imagine this process of worshiping the goddess, but all these uncensored descriptions evoke in the author of this article a desire to remember what he ate for lunch throughout the last week.
Symbolism of the goddess Mara.
The first and most important attribute of the goddess of death Mara is the sickle. With this sickle she cuts the threads of human lives, as if mowing grass in a field. The mortal gathers his harvest. By the way, it was precisely in connection with such a description of the goddess’s harvest that it was mentioned more than once that Mara loved to walk along the battlefields and take the souls of the bravest warriors. They believed that Mara herself escorted such souls across the golden bridge. How true this is is unknown, because Zhelya and Kara were the messengers of death among the Slavs in ancient times. By the way, a parallel is drawn between Mara and the Roman god of war Mars, who originally had agricultural functions. Mara - goddess of war?! It sounds tempting, but there is no direct evidence of this, nor is there any refuting evidence.
Broken skulls, a black swan or a raven are also called symbols of the goddess Mara. Not a positive set these days, but what can you do? dark goddess That's why it's dark, to scare you with its gloom.
The symbol of the goddess Mara is also the wave sign, which indicates that the element of water is subject to this goddess. It is generally accepted that the possessions of the goddess Mary were located beyond the black waters of the Smorodina River (by the way, S-mor-odin, the very name of the river makes one think about its relationship with the name of the goddess). So, the wavy-shaped line is the symbol of the kingdom of the goddess Mara. This sign is also called the waters of Mary and it is also a symbol of frozen water, ice, if you like.
The sign of the goddess Mara is also called the sign of Winter. It is also called Mara-Viy, and it consists of two triangles whose vertices tend to each other. This sign was considered extremely negative, as it carried destruction for everything.
There is also a talisman of the goddess Mara. It is very unique in appearance and is based on a cross. Each branch of the cross is two connected arcs. This speaks of two principles that have one end and this is a symbol of the balance that the goddess Mara maintains. This amulet is designed to protect a person from the influence of extraneous, negative factors and help in maintaining internal balance.
Slavic mythology along with the divine pantheon of other nationalities, it glorifies positive and negative characters. Pagan idols awed our ancestors. Their worship was accompanied by sacrifices. The ancient Slavs presented the goddess of death with the best of what they had in order to protect loved ones.
Character history
Mara was mentioned in legends under the names Morena or Morana. The main attribute of the goddess was considered to be a sickle. They were huddled human lives. The Black Moon and skulls were present in the character's images. In the mornings, Mara attempted to reach the sun, but the rays of the luminary drove her away. Mara personified death, winter, night, associated with the extinction of life's fire, negative symbols, evil and darkness. Accompanying the transition to the world of the dead, she was also present at the ritual of calling rain and the change of seasons leading to the withering of the living.
The daughter and, Morena changed her appearance in accordance with the seasons, appearing either as a lovely girl or as an unbearable old woman. The elderly fan of winter did not want to give way to the blooming spring and resorted to cunning tricks to prolong the cold. The ritual of burning Maslenitsa originated from this belief. People drove Mara away, calling for warmth and sun.
The heroine's name is derived from the word "mor." The ancient Slavs associated its appearance with the death of people and animals. Taking the souls of mortals, she allowed them to be reborn and appear on Earth again. The legends were modified over time, and the magic of the goddess began to be forgotten. But the fear of death, inherent at the level of instinct, remained.
Mythology
Slavic legends do not give characteristics of Mara. Despite the change in appearance, she did not demonstrate any commitment to the dark or light side of existence. The Slavs feared the goddess because they considered her a threat to life. She took life and gave it again. Mara had magical powers. She was in control of time. The death and life of people and gods were in her hands. To please Mara, people wore a talisman, embroidering it on clothes or cutting it out of scrap materials. The goddess had the ability to change the world, but not on a permanent basis.
Mara loves to weave. She plays with the threads, as with people's lives, cutting them and watching the direction they fall. Gods like Morena are not commonly worshiped. If they wanted to offer a prayer to her, they built an idol on the ground, covering it with stones. After the ceremony, everything that was used was burned or drowned.
Mara in Skyrim Mara has ghost servants - maars. At night they wandered through people's houses and whispered their names. Anyone who responded to the cry had to die. Some beliefs say that maars live behind the stove and bring trouble into the house. In fairy tales and epics, Mara acts as a wife and creates obstacles for good heroes and heroes.
Family
Slavic mythology is known for its intricacies. Family ties, about which legends narrate, are difficult to recognize. About biography, origin and marital status old tales tell. Some claim that Mara is the daughter of Koshchei, who was equated with. Others said that the goddess is the daughter of Svarog and sister. The second legend seemed more convincing to the Slavs. An alternative version says that Mara appeared on her own, as she symbolized darkness, and from it the universe arose.
The goddess gave birth to Rod and Vyshenya. The latter was considered the primary source of living and existing things. Folklorists wonder whether she was a female version of him or whether she existed outside of his connection but had equal power. Only a powerful character could be the husband of such a woman. Koshchei is tipped for this position.
According to legend, the witch Mara saved three girls from captivity under Koshchei. Dazhdbog himself came to her with a request for help, promising a reward for her support. The girl came to visit (Baba Yaga) and went through her house to the Navi world, where the captives were hiding. She offered herself in exchange for the beauties. Koschey fell in love and agreed to the exchange. Mara revealed a secret to Koshchei: she knew where the villain’s death was hidden. He promised to marry the witch so that she would keep silent about the great secret.
Having drunk Koshchei, Mara returned to her world and married. The union did not last long. In the finale, the goddess was left in splendid isolation. According to legend, the woman gave birth to thirteen girls from the Serpent, whose guise is Chernobog.
- In the spring, Mara weakens, as the night and winter she protects are on the decline. Cold gives way to warmth. Mara is called one-eyed, hinting that there is almost nothing left of her and it’s time to go home. The epics say that Maru was made one-eyed by Yarilo, hanging the goddess on a pitchfork. The patron of the sun drove away his rival, giving way to a new life.
- Our ancestors believed that on the holiday of Mary the goddess would lead them across the Kalinov Bridge, connecting the world of Yavi and Navi. The Smorodina River runs under the bridge. The crossing connects life and death, winter and spring. The ancient Slavs burned an effigy on this day to drive away frost. The holiday of Mary began to be called Maslenitsa only from the moment of the adoption of Orthodoxy.
- The images that the ancient Slavs used as a talisman for Mary are today used to create amulets. Similar symbols can be found on runes.
A creature not from our world
“The deity of death among the ancient Slavs was female and wore different names. The most used: Madder, Mara, Morena, Pestilence Maiden, Maara, Morena Kashcheevna. She appeared to people in different guises, sometimes in the form of a terrible hunchbacked old woman with long black hair, sometimes in the form of a very beautiful young girl, again dark-haired. She dressed in bright red or white clothes and certainly had a ball of thread with her. The ball was not easy, and Morena did not do needlework out of love for art. Each thread in the yarn meant someone's fate. The threads intertwined with others, which meant turns and changes in a person’s life. Sometimes the threads broke, or Morena herself tore them, and then her ward died.”
Mila Tarasevich, a third-year philology student at Leningrad University (class of 1964), put the book aside and thought. She was not interested in reading about Mara; she was preparing a coursework on the poetry of modern Leningrad poets, in particular about Joseph Brodsky, but her supervisor did not advise her to write about Brodsky. It turned out that the young poet was a parasite, and they were going to prosecute him for it. This is where a new topic arose, about Slavic mythical creatures long forgotten by everyone.
Sacrifices in honor of Marena
Mila sighed and continued reading.
“Some researchers claim that in honor of the goddess of death, the Slavs occasionally organized sacrifices. They built huge scarecrows from branches and straw, similar to the figure of a maiden, and empty in the middle, and prepared them.
They lined them with brushwood and firewood, and brought criminals sentenced to death inside. Sometimes there were crazy volunteers who decided to sacrifice themselves to the deity from the afterlife, and they themselves went to the fire, climbing into these dummies.
Madder, Mara, Morena Mara-Maruha
“Was faith really so strong that it forced normal people to end their lives in such a painful way,” Mila thought, “and went to the kitchen to make tea.” – There was no Mary-Marukha, there was ignorance and savagery of our ancestors. And what is the point of studying their barbaric customs today?
The doorbell rang. In the morning, Milka was not expecting anyone, her parents were at work, her friends were at school. Opened it. On the threshold stood a young, beautiful and tall girl with black flowing hair. She was dressed in a red trouser suit and had shoes on her feet that matched the color of her ensemble.
“You are Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Tarasevich,” she asked, checking the entry in her notebook.
“Yes,” Mila decided that the employee of the dean’s office had reached out to her, and the misdeeds that could have resulted from this visit began to flash in her memory.
“Don’t worry,” the girl said, “I’m not from the dean’s office, I’m from your supervisor, Semyon Markovich.” He asked to pass on some notes on the topic of your coursework. And I live nearby, so I decided to bring it.
“Oh,” Mila was delighted, “come in, will you have some tea, I just made it?”
She nodded welcomingly, smiled and walked into the kitchen.
“My name is Lyudmila,” the student chirped, but everyone just calls them Milka, what about you?
“And I’m Maria, but to my friends I’m Mara.”
“Mara,” Milka drawled, “and I’m just writing a term paper about Mara, Marena.
“I know,” the girl pointed to the package she was holding in her hands and took out a cardboard folder from there entitled “Goddess of Death - Mara,” “this is from Semyon Markovich.”
“Well, of course,” Mila nodded understandingly, “you’re from his department, I haven’t seen you before.”
— I recently transferred from Moscow, I’m a graduate student.
Over tea they started talking, and the conversation turned out to be interesting. The conversation again turned to Madder, Morena, and the Pestilence Maiden.
“What do you think about her,” the graduate student asked Mila?
- Nothing special, they gave me a topic and I write.
“It’s in vain,” Masha objected, she was an extremely interesting girl or old woman, whoever liked to introduce her.
“That’s right, just imagine,” Milka objected, “she didn’t really exist.”
“Why did you decide that, Lyudmila,” Maria looked at her very carefully?
- How is this why? Fairy tales, legends?
—Have you heard that our thoughts create the reality around us?
“How is this,” Mila didn’t understand?
— Roughly speaking, everything a person thinks about becomes a reality.
“Are you saying that if I write and think about Morena, I thereby call her to life?”
— Quite simplified, but generally correct.
Mila began to think, and Maria began to get ready.
- Sorry, I have to go.
She took the bag, from which a ball of multi-colored thread suddenly rolled out.
“Are you knitting,” Milka asked?
“I’m trying, but it’s not working out well.” They are constantly breaking, the threads are probably bad, look.
She pulled a thin blue thread from the ball and easily tore it into two parts.
At the threshold they said goodbye and Maria suddenly, unexpectedly turning around, said: “You should not have called her Marukha, this is a bad word, Mara may be offended, but she is vindictive!”
When the door slammed behind the stranger, Milka stood for a while in confusion: “And how did she know that I called Mara Marukha?”
But I didn’t think long, I had to do a coursework. Lyudmila sat down at the table, untied the strings of Semyon Markovich’s folder, opened it and began to read.
VIDEO: Gods of the Slavs: Mara - goddess of death
Gods of death in the culture of different nations
“The dark world of death has always been present in the folklore of all peoples. Among mystical and divine beings, representatives of the afterlife occupied one of the leading places.
This is understandable. The grave has always frightened and still frightens people. We know little about life, much less about death.
Non-existence terrified our ancestors; what is beyond the horizon? And there, perhaps, terrible things are happening.
That is why the ancients treated the kingdom of the dead with respect, feared and revered the creatures one way or another involved in it.
And, of course, death was perceived not as a natural act, but as a manifestation of divine will.
Sometimes in kingdom of the dead one being dominated, and sometimes this position was shared by several at once, as in Ancient Egypt. Anubis, Selket, Meritsekert and several others, smaller ones, ruled there.
IN Ancient Greece The care of the dead was carried out by Hades and his beloved wife Persephone (Proserpina), the mistress of the souls of the dead.
In Hinduism, the dead were guarded by the goddess Kali, one of the forms of the Great Goddess Mother Devi.
Is death female?
Among the dark, evil gods who rule the kingdom where the souls of the dead live, there are representatives of both sexes.
For the Germans, for example, death is masculine, life is neuter.
But most often. Why this happens is a question, but the old woman with a scythe is a symbol that everyone understands.
Although this image is not unique.
Sometimes death appears in the form of a beautiful girl, and dying in her arms is much more pleasant than in the hairy hands of a man with dirty nails.
In addition, the “bony” one, although she performs her immediate duties, can sympathize with those leaving.
The goddess of death has no plans to destroy everything around her. She fulfills the will of the supreme deity and at the appointed hour takes souls for another life.
Goddess Mara
The grave has always frightened and still frightens people. We know little about life, much less about death.
The Slavs were no exception, and their goddess of death was also a woman and wore beautiful name Mara or Marena.
Although if we listen closely to the sound, we will catch a related word “Pestilence”, the synonym is epidemic.
By the way, “mara” in Sanskrit means “killer”.
It is not surprising that the Slavic queen Mara also ruled the periods of resurrection and death of nature.
Mara – bride, sister, wife, mother, daughter, granddaughter
- The genealogy of the goddess of death is so confusing that Svarog himself cannot figure it out. Here are some versions of her family connections.
- Mara, the giver of death, belongs to the first generation of Slavic gods.
- Morena is the daughter of the Black Snake. This monster guards the Kalinov Bridge, across which you can cross from Yavi to Nav.
- The Pestilence Maiden is the granddaughter of the Lizard, the creator of universal evil and the ruler of the underworld.
- Maara is Koshchei’s wife, he is her brother on his father’s side.
- From her husband-brother Koshchei, Morena gave birth to daughters: Snezhana, Ledyanitsa, Zamora, Nemocha, Vodyanitsa and several others who were associated with cattle pestilence, dying, crop failure, devastation, and hunger.
- Later, Mara Kashchei deceived her and bound her with magical chains in the casemates of his palace.
- Then the insidious Morena seduced Dazhbog and married him to herself. . Poor Mara never found family happiness and was left alone with her strength.
- Next version: Mara is not Kashchei’s wife, but his daughter, who ruled the kingdom of the dead.
- Another common option is Morena, Zhiva and Lada - three goddesses who were born from the sparks of Svarog’s hammer, which he carved from the sacred stone Alatyr.
Madder's image
As in the case of genealogy, the image of Mara is doubled, tripled and tenfold.
You will never guess which one is wearing it, or maybe they are all real, the goddess simply changed her disguises, depending on her mood, time of year, time of day, and so on.
- Mara, the goddess of death among the Slavs, is beautiful, remarkable for that beauty that can be called magical. You won't find this in ordinary earthly girls.
- This is a young girl with very white skin and long black hair falling freely on her fragile shoulders. This image was typical of the young goddess at the beginning of winter.
- The goddess Marena was dressed in red or dazzling white clothes and in this form often appeared among the ripening grains.
- Amazingly beautiful girl in Slavic beliefs There was also the goddess Lada, but, according to some evidence, the Pestilence Virgin was in no way inferior to her in beauty and attractiveness.
- The next image is exactly the opposite of the one drawn above. Mara is the direct embodiment of a nightmare: an ugly, hunched old woman of very tall stature with tangled long hair.
- Sometimes Mara appeared in old, worn-out clothes with a scythe in her hands.
- She could also appear before mere mortals in the form of a skeleton with white bones.
- And again Morena took on the appearance of a beauty in an azure dress trimmed with white lace.
- It was believed that she lived in a large palace made of transparent ice.
Deity of death among the ancient Slavs
In the minds of the ancient Slavs, Mara was above the concepts of good or evil, she performed the work to which she was doomed supreme god Slavs Svarog.
The goddess of death ruled in the kingdom of shadows, it was there that her possessions were located, but sometimes Mara visited the world of people.
Goddess Mara
Mara, the goddess of death, is beautiful with that beauty that can be called magical. You won't find such beauty in ordinary earthly girls.
She appeared to a person at a time destined by fate and took him to her kingdom. Sometimes she came to warn about upcoming events - pleasant or tragic, so that a person could prepare for them.
In addition to her ice palace, Mara could be found in other rather gloomy and dark places: grottoes, damp caves.
There were spells that summoned Mara, but specifically seeking a meeting with the goddess of death was very dangerous. Once in the arms of the dark maiden, it was not always possible to escape from them. Mara did not like to be remembered in one form or another.
Several more qualities characterized the beautiful goddess. She was principled and strict, she never forgave betrayal, insults and people who did not keep their word.
Mara's abilities and strength
Mara is a sorceress who is able to change the world beyond recognition, although only for a short time.
In addition, she was subject to the passage of time, both on a global scale and locally.
Favorite activity: handicrafts.
In mythology, the Roman goddesses of fate are better known - Parks (Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos). Clotho began to spin the thread of human destiny, Lachesis spun and unraveled it, Atropos cut it and the person died.
“...The noise of the sea is not heard and the stars are bright,
And the north wind blows steam from your lips,
And eternal peace, like this shore is empty,
And the threads weave the invisible Parks.”
Morena did this alone. And she spun, and unraveled, and cut. The ancient Slavs believed that the threads of fate, the threads of life and the death of all people on earth were hidden in its yarn. As the threads are woven into the pattern, so will the life of a living creature be.
Goddess Mara
She could also appear before mere mortals in the form of a skeleton with exposed bones
Legends say that Mara mastered witchcraft, magic and, thanks to these abilities, the lives of not only people, but also the gods themselves, were in her hands.
Marena was also friends with the all-powerful wife of Veles Yaga. She gave Yaga the souls of people, and she allowed the beautiful brunette to visit the Navi world, where, according to Svarozh’s laws, access was closed to both gods and people.
Through the dream pictures that Mara sent to people, they received warnings of imminent death.
Sign the end is near among the Slavs it was believed that you would meet your double or a woman with long black hair. On the part of the goddess, these signs were gestures of good will, which made it possible to complete earthly affairs with dignity and prepare for the transition to another world.
They also say that Madder's power extended to such an extent that she could not only take a life, but resurrect a person and give him eternal life.
The goddess Mara also had her own minions who helped her and carried out assignments. Mortal people saw them in the form of black-haired beauties.
Attributes of Mara
There are a great many attributes of Mary with which the Slavs associated her existence. Most of them represent death, which is natural for this goddess.
Here are some of them:
- Black Swan;
- A sickle, with the help of which she ended a person’s earthly existence, cutting the thread of fate;
- Black Moon;
- Griffin;
- And, of course, the raven, a bird associated with world of the dead, a harbinger of misfortune and trouble.
The attributes of Mary were also winter, cold, death, darkness, decay, destruction.
Her personal symbol, the so-called “Waters of Mara” - a frozen stream of water containing energy frozen for the time being, also indicated that the element of water is also subject to this goddess.
The next sign-symbol of the great goddess Mara is the sign of Winter or Mara-Viy. Two triangles connected by vertices symbolized trouble, the death of all living things. An extremely negative sign.
Amulet, amulet of Mary - protective properties
The amulet of the beautiful goddess was an unusual cross, the so-called cross of Mary. The symbol that protected helped to achieve harmony in life and thoughts.
The amulet is a cross with equal sides and another mini cross on each top.
The symbolism is as follows: 4 seasons, 4 cardinal directions, 4 elements. Skewing one of the symbols could lead to serious consequences.
Goddess from another world
The physical manifestation of Mara is, of course, winter. On cold, hopeless winter nights, she reigned supreme over nature, over the entire Russian land, and filled Nav with new souls of peasants who had died from the winter cold.
Goddess Mara
Through the dream pictures that Mara sent to people, they received warnings of imminent death
And according to the legends, she was not completely and unreasonably cruel; on the contrary, along with truth, she was also considered the goddess of justice.
Mara - Goddess from another world Marena's real actions and deeds were incomprehensible and inaccessible to the human mind. No one knew why it acted one way or another. After all, Morena destroyed the world many times, but saved it more than once. Mara is a goddess who exists in another layer of reality, as if in another dimension, where such concepts as “good” and “evil” are completely ambiguous.
Features of the cult of Mary
How the goddess of death was worshiped
In honor of Marena, many altars and temples were built in Rus', but honors could be paid to her everywhere. Images of a black-haired maiden were carved from wood and made from straw. They chose a place for the ritual and covered it with stones. The largest stone was placed in front of the image; it was something like an altar.
When the ceremony was over, all the attributes of the ritual were removed.
Sometimes, during severe pestilences and epidemics, animals, sometimes people, were sacrificed to the goddess of death, but very rarely.
Goddess Mara
On winter nights she reigned supreme over nature, over the entire Russian land, and filled Nav with new souls
In addition, the victims were volunteers who deliberately burned in giant dummies made of straw.
Mara's Revenge
Third-year student of the Faculty of Philology at Leningrad University Mila Tarasevich submitted her essay in three days. The next week, Semyon Markovich praised the student.
“This is thanks to your materials from the folder that Maria brought,” Lyudmila said gratefully.
— Folders? “What folders,” the scientific supervisor was surprised? - But then he was distracted and the conversation was interrupted.
Lyudmila shrugged, put the notebooks in her bag and headed towards the exit.
The next day, Lyudmila Aleksandrovna Tarasevich died in her bed from a detached blood clot.
Many relatives gathered for the funeral, including classmates and university representatives.
A little further away stood a dazzlingly beautiful young girl with flowing black hair.
Sticking out of the bag at her side was a ball of thread with knitting needles carelessly stuck into it, shining in the sun.
Goddess Mara
Mara is a goddess who exists in another layer of reality in another dimension, where concepts such as “good” and “evil” are completely ambiguous
Animals
