Jarilo is Slavic word for THE man

A couple of days ago, we celebrated the International Men’s Day, so I’ve decided to dedicate my today’s post to my favorite Slavic god: Jarilo.

Jarilo, Jerovit, or Gerovit, or even Rudyevit, is Slavic god of war and spring. Among Christians, he is better known as Saint George (that’s right, the one that had slain the dragon, and the saint in whose honor, on the 6^th of May, Christians enjoy in at least one of the remaining pagan customs, such as making fresh flower wreaths).

Jarilo is a son of the celestial couple, Perun and Ziva. When he was still a baby, Veles, god of the underworld, stole him from his parents and took him to his kingdom of Nav. Jarilo grew up believing in two utterly painful lies. The first one was that his father was Veles, who was actually his uncle who kidnapped him out of pure jealousy and spite. The other lie brought him even more pain. Everyone kept from him that his one and only love, Morana, was in fact his sister. The only difference was that he was stolen, and Morana, goddess of winter, went to Veles on her own. When he abandoned Nav and joined his real parents in Jav, Morana became his eternal enemy, since she never forgave him for leaving. Honestly, I can’t think of a woman who could forgive him that. And here’s why.

Besides being the Slavic god of war: brave, determined, skillful knight in shiny armor, on a white horse (and he literally rides a white horse), Jarilo is also the god of spring, which is the reason why he looks so good he makes Apollo look like Nicki Minaj compared to him.

Jarilo carries eight swords and a big shield covered in gold. Seven swords represent the seven months of the year governed by Jarilo, and the eighth sword is his personal weapon. His greatest temple could once be seen on the island of Rügen and its roofs were covered in purple. The root of his name, “jar” stands for fire, vehemence, rage, and symbolizes his fiery temperament. However, he’s not some bloodthirsty god of war, like Mars. Oh, far from it, he’s extremely honorable and righteous. Obeying Svarog’s laws, he is, above all, the guardian of all Slavs, but also the guardian of all the weak and helpless. Of course, if someone got on his bad side, they would have a really good reason to be very afraid. 

Jarilo is mighty fire and celestial bliss in one. Perfect balance between two completely opposite worlds. On one hand, there is vehemence, strength, bravery, and skill of war, and on the other, there is warmth, beauty, fertility, and gentleness of spring. Combined with a certain dose of humanness typical of all Slavic gods, it all makes up a man that would make Angelina leave Brad. Unfortunately for her, he is taken, and when he’s taken, he’s faithful.

Step aside, Thor, we’ve got our new favorite god!

Yarilo

In holy time, in Lelya's week
Girls go mad with a dance of spirits.
In Rusalkas' days, in forests
We glorify young Yarilo
Oh, yeah, Yarilo! Yarilo, Yarilo!
Cloudy heaven shows you to us again
Hoy, you, young god!
Hoy, we call you!
We sing the song
With our April hearts

It will roll, it will roll
in the sky, in the bright sky
Turn gloomy clouds out
Hey, to Seven Hills!
To Mighty Seven Hills
That have stood in the darkness for centuries
Kolovrat, turn time back
Make people go on your road*

Oh, yeah, Yarilo! Yarilo, Yarilo!
Cloudy heaven shows you to us again
Hoy, you, young god!
Hoy, we call you!
We sing the song
With our April hearts

Hoy, you, hoy esi! Hoy esi, Yarilo!
Kolovrat turned time back
We wish you roll, roll till dawn
But do not forget to came back in the morning

Taken from http://lyricstranslate.com/en/yarilo-yarilo-yarilo.html#ixzz3JvU8oiE2

Fun Fact Monday - Slavs and Nature

It is a well-known fact that the early Slavs worshiped nature above all else. They respected it, loved it, and worked hard to preserve it. It filled them with awe. Not only were their divinities and mythological creatures inextricably related to nature, but Slavs also strived to live their lives in perfect harmony with nature and its laws. This made their lives so wonderfully simple. They believed that everything happened simply because it had to happen, because it was natural. A man is no different than an oak, a donkey, or a frail dandelion. A man is a living being who comes to this world, grows old, and eventually dies. Unless they suffer from a fatal illness, they die simply because it’s time to move on, because they grew old and embraced old age with everything it might or might not bring.

Everything natural was seen as beautiful. A little lamb and an old sheep alike. Figuratively: because a lamb symbolizes a new morning, fresh rush of strength and will, and a goat represents wisdom at the end of the day, the night that brings us dreams, whatever they may be. Literally: because mutton is delicious, and sheep that give birth to lambs are to be carefully looked after.

Although this may be difficult to comprehend nowadays, the early Slavs loved people, too. Regardless of different personality traits and tempers, they loved and cherished human life, since life is the most valuable human possession.

Human body was considered sacred, especially because they believed they were descendants of gods. They literally worshiped their bodies. They loved the light skin hidden underneath layers of clothes, perfect abs that were the result of hard work, and deep lines on the forehead, caused by frowning whilst aiming at prey.

They didn’t need to come up with No-Shave November in order to have a reason for growing a beard. No 7-day detox was necessary to keep their metabolisms running. Large female behind may have been used as a replacement for the timpani, but certainly not as a leitmotif in songs. After all, it serves the exact same purpose as a little one, if you know what I mean. An attractive naked girl in a field would perhaps grab the attention of an entire village, but only if she possessed something completely different in comparison to others; otherwise, a greater scandal would be the lack of honey brandy at one of their festivals where they celebrated life.  

To be honest, if one of today’s promiscuous celebrities happened to wander into the world of the early Slavs, she would end up burning in a bonfire during the festival of Kupala. On that holiday, they used to burn a woman-shaped doll that represented Morana. I’m just not sure if they could deal with the smell of burning plastics, though, since they used to make their scary dolls out of hay.

During their numerous festivals, they wore wreaths made of vine and wild flowers and enjoyed the magic of love, music, and dancing. Happy and free, in accordance with the greatest law, the law of nature, they were, in a way, the original hippies, who, unfortunately, had to realize that they would have to learn how to fight in order to defend themselves, and replace their Woodstock with battlefields.  

                Time went by and they became known as brave and fearless warriors. However, they never gave up on their love for nature. For the life it gives and takes. They taught their children how to survive and carry a sword, but there was no need for them to teach their offspring that they shouldn’t harm nature - they already knew that on their own. 

Today I saw two adorable little girls, singing a pop song and rollerblading past a dumpster. One of them decided to throw some trash into the dumpster, even though she was obviously too far from it. After failing to do so, she just went away with her friend, both of them giggling as if they’d just met Justin Bieber, leaving the entire content of the bag she threw lying on the sidewalk.

Of course we can’t live our lives the way the early Slavs lived theirs. However, until scientists find a way to artificially create all living beings, of until we move to Mars, we should at least try to be like them in this one respect. In their love and respect for the nature. Our one and only home. The Earth. 

image retrieved fromhttp://enlightenyourday.com/

Fun Fact Monday - The Cult of the Wolf

The cult of the wolf has long been an important part of Slavic history and mythology. It is strongly related to two major divinities: Dazhbog and Hors.

Dazhbog is one of the mightiest Slavic gods. He is the god of the Sun, rain, and the underworld, as well as the patron of miners, and the ancestor of all Slavs. He appears both in human and animal form, either as limping old man who often comes down to Earth to help and protect the humans, or a limping white wolf. The given features of the wolf are in no way random; in fact, they carry strong symbolism.

The fact that the wolf is limping does not imply its frailty; it indicates the strong connection between the wolf and the Moon. With the exception of the full moon phase, the Moon is always seen as incomplete, and this incompleteness is reflected in the wolf’s limping. As the phases change, so does the strength of the wolf. The wolf’s power is at its peak when the Moon begins to decline.

The color white symbolizes the fact that Dazhbog belongs to the underworld. In European folklore, the creatures and divinities residing in the underworld are almost always represented as wearing white clothes.

The myth of Dazhbog also includes the story of the son of Morana and Dazhbog, Van. It is believed that he is the original ancestor of Serbs. According to this myth, Morana wanted to take revenge against Dazhbog, so she blinded their son, and was severely punished in return. Boiling with rage, she cursed Van and made him transform into a wolf. Seven years later, his sister managed to lift the curse and help him regain his human form. This is one of the main reasons why Serbs used to believe they were descendants of the wolf.

As far as Hors is concerned, he is the god of the Moon and the morning sun, and is thus closely related to wolves. Being the god of the Moon, he is also the god of the night, which is the time of the day when wolves’ activity and strength are at their peak.

Belief in werewolves, inspired by this relationship between the Moon and wolves, was common among the Slavs long before Hollywood turned it into entertainment.    

After the conversion of Slavs to Christianity, the cult of the wolves survived, as wolves found their patron in Saint Sava, one of the greatest Serbian saints. Today, the significance of wolves is reflected in the common Slavic name Vuk (wolf) and numerous last names derived from this word. 

(images retrieved from www.pinters.com , video retrived from www.youtube.com Van-Vuk)

Fun Fact Monday - The Mischievous Womanizer

In Slavic mythology, Leshnik (or Lesnik, Lesovik, Leshy…) is a forest spirit, protector of wild animals and guardian of the entire forest in which he resides. His name in English would be Hazel, and he is one of the oldest fairy creatures. 
Capable of changing his appearance whenever and however he wishes, he can take various shapes and sizes. One moment, he can be as small as a blade of grass, and the very next second he can be a giant the size of a sequoia. He most often takes the form of a tall man, with long hair and beard made of grass and vines. His eyes are green and glistening, his blood is blue, and it is believed that he has no shadow and wears his shoes on opposite feet. 
This infamous womanizer is known to kidnap beautiful women and do God knows what kind of naughty things with them behind the closed doors of his fur-covered cabin. He often makes young girls dance kolo in front of him, so he could enjoy their beauty and their graceful movement. 
Although he is the protector of wild animals, he takes care of the domestic animals as well, preventing and solving the problems that arise from the antagonism between them. He has a pet bear that follows him around wherever he goes. 
Leshnik is in no way evil, though he is a rather mischievous spirit. He enjoys leading people down the wrong forest paths, making them desperately lost. He hides lumberjacks’ axes in order to prevent them from hurting the trees. He is extremely noisy and is a truly talented piper. This, coupled with his great sexual desire and potency, makes him rather similar to Pan. 
It can’t go unsaid that the myth of Leshnik sounds like it was created by women at a time when Jane Austen novels and rom-coms were nothing but a distant future.

(images retrieved from www.pinters.com and www.epica.org respectively)

Belgrade Book Fair Photo Book

I've always enjoyed going to the Book Fair. Being surrounded by books, book lovers, great authors, it is truly a sort of a holiday for everyone who enjoys reading. Every year, I make lists of books I want to buy, book stands I’d like to check out, and authors I hope to meet. This year, it was the first time I visited the Book Fair as an author, and it was absolutely amazing. I had so much fun, meeting so many people who've read my novel, signing their copies, and chatting with everyone. Such a fulfilling experience.
For all of you who couldn’t come to the fair, here is a little photo book. I hope that we’ve managed to capture bits of that magical atmosphere and save them for you.

Preparations - Arkona Purpure bookmarks: Cvecara Bloom and Senka Simić, thank you so much for these, they're gorgeous! 

My team - from left to right: my editor, my publisher, and my publisher's husband, the best and also the kindest bookseller in the whole wide world.

The Scent of Legacy

Happy book shoppers

Geronimo Stilton :)

Book signing

Blowing off steam

By the way, I was happy to hear that the wonderful Tony Parsons had a great time at Belgrade Book Fair as well. He says that he loves how it’s bustling with life and great energy, and how it’s focused on the people and the books, not the business. Couldn’t agree more.

Hope to see you next year!