Text 5. Myths and Legends of Belarus

Below is the text about myths and legends of Belarus. Skim the text for the main ideas

One of the difficulties of studying Belarusiam mythology is the absence of any large body of written source material. The old Belarusian Chronicles were lost or destroyed in the course of innumerable and ruinous wars, and any other books or writnigs which might have dealt with ancient customs or beliefs have probably suffered the same fate. Our traditions have persisted, of course, often in great abundance, but in the course of time Christianity has heavily influenced them.

Consideration must also be given to the problem of the taboo, which surrounded the names of various divinities. Belarusian folklore shows that this taboo of the sacred names was more strictly observed among the Belarusian tribes than elsewhere. Thus one encounters the saying:”I would tell you something, but the oven is in the room”. The oven was, of course, the seat of the household spirits, and by referring to their abode, one could avoid pronouncing their names. To avoid offending divinities and spirits the ancient Belarusians gave them descriptive names. For example, name Dzied was used to describe not only the ancestor spirit but also the great divinity Bielboh. After the reception of Christianity, the Christian chronicles tended to disread the name-taboo.

The religion of the early Belarusians took the form of paganism based on the deification of the forces of Nature. Examining Belarusian folklore one finds many legends and tales of pre-Christian origin. Among the tales collected by Karsky and Federowsky are several which attribute the creation of the world to a being who had no proper name, but was referred to as the “god of gods”. Other stories recount the various deeds of this divinity, who walked the earth disguised as an old man. These tales tell nothing of the proper name of the god, except occasionally when he is referred to as Bielboh. All this might suggest that the early Belarusians had a basically monotheistic approach to religious matters, and that in speaking of the paramount god, they felt no specific need to distinguish him from other created beings.

The Belarusian tribes worshipped as the paramount divinity the god Bielboh, otherwise called Bialun, who was sometimes referred to as Niebo. As he was considered to be the begetter of all the other gods, he was familiarily known as Dzied. Bielboh was venerated as the “praboh”, the god who gave the enchanted hammer to Piarun to fight against the god of evil, Carnaboh, and to destroy him. As Piarun, according to Belarusian folk tradition, was the son of Bielboh, and was the brother of Ziuzia and Carnaboh, the major hierarchy of Belarusian mythological beings stems from Bielboh.

The Belarusians believe that Bialun frequently walks on earth, and appears as an old man with a long white beard, robed in white, and bearing a staff in his hand. He was full of compassion and did nothing but good. Bialun would appear only in the day time, when the sun was shining. Whenever he met a traveller in a forest who had lost his way, he would direct him towards the right path. At harvest time he liked to appear in the field and help the harvesters. He would go about with a purse attached to his nose, and whenever he met a good-working man or a woman, he would ask the worker to wipe his nose. As soon as he did so, the purse would spill out gold pieces and Bialun would disappear.

It is surmised that Bielboh-Bialun had three sons – Piarun, Ziuzia and Carnaboh.

Piarun was the god of evil, thunder and manly virtue. Belarusian folklore shows him as being of great height, having black hair and a gold beard. He is depicted bearing two great millstones in his hands, which he would clash together – probably to make the sound of thunder. When angered he would strike down and kill those who offended him. The worship of Piarun was widespread throughout the East Slavic world, and was particularly popular with princes, who addressed themselves to him as a power ensuring victory in battle.

The wife of Piarun was Zyva, though she was also known as Ciotia, Hramavica, and occasionally as Kaliada. She was worshipped as goddess of summer and of fertility, and was depicted as a beautiful woman, wearing on her head a crown of ripe ears of wheat, and bearing fruits in her hands. She was filled with kindness and compassion towards mankind.

Ziuzia was the terrible god of winter. Folk tradition depicts him as an ugly old man with a long grey beard. He went about clad in a white fur, bareheaded and bare-footed, having in his hand an iron staff or mace. When he moved to anger he would strike the tree trunks in the forest with his staff, bringing ice and snow, and causing the winter to cast a cold shroud over the land.

Carnaboh was the god of evil. He was the husband of Marana, the goddess of death. Carnaboh was involved in a struggle with the god Piarun, who vanquished him with the aid of a magic hammer given to him by his father Bielboh.

Lada was the daughter of the god of the sea, Car-Mora. She was fair of face and her tresses were long and golden. She would row on the sea in a golden boat with silver oars.

Lada because of her beauty was called Lala and or Liola. Dazboh fell in love with Lada, and came down to earth to ask Car-Mora for her hand in marriage. The seagod waxed angry against Dazboh, and beat him till he was senseless. But Dazboh escaped from the power of Car-Mora, and resolved to win Lada.

Dazboh and Lada had a son Jaryla, who was the god of the fields, germination, strength, courage and love. He was depicted as a handsome man, wearing a white cloak and having on his brow a coronet of flowers. At the command of his mother Lada, he opened the gates of heaven and came down to earth, and his coming marked the beginning of spring. His wife was Viasna, the goddess of spring, warmth and grace.

In connection with his role as harbinger of spring, there existed a custom in Belarus among the village girls at the end of April to dress one of their number as Jaryla in a long white cloak and a coronet of flowers. It has been suggested that the Pahonia or coart of arms of the Great Principality of Lithuania is derived from the popular representation of the young Jaryla.

The moon god Volas-Veles was also mentioned in the chronicles as being the protector of herdsmen and the guardian of cattle and sheep. He was usually depicted carrying a set of bagpipes, which gave rise to the belief that he was the patron of singers and musicians.

Svaroh was the god of the heavens and also the god of fire. Kupala was the sun god, perhaps the god of the midsummer soltice.

The goddess Pahoda controlled fair weather. Pasvist on the other hand, was the god of clouds and bad weather.

Among the gods of good influence is found Lad, a god of spring, love, marriage and grace. Rada was the goddess of intelligence and good counsel.

On the other hand, Jascur was the god of plagues and epidemics. His name is still used in the Belarusian language to describe an infectious disease, which afflicts cattle.

Numerous household spirits – some benevolent, some innocuous and others evil, traditionally haunted the Belarusian homestead. Chatnik was a household spirit in the form a bearded and longhaired man dressed in a caftan and girdle. He would rise early and frighten the cockerel till he crowded, and then awoke the householder for work. Chleunik was a malicious demon who harried the cattle and horses by riding them to exhaustion. Cur or Scur was a benevolent spirit who protected the boundaries of the family lands. Liasuny were forest elves, whereas Paliasia was the spirit of the countryside.

Although little of this heritage survives today, folksongs, rural customs and local proverbs still preserve some remnants of the pre-Christian beliefs, despite a heavy over-gloss of Christian concepts and attitudes. They constitute precious links with an original and colourful past.