Beer is one of the world’s favorite beverages, and it has been for quite some time. It had even made its way into a vast number of religions. Here is a list of Slavic deities that were in one way or another associated with either brewing or consuming this popular drink.
In English, her name would be Moist Mother Earth and she is considered to be the oldest known Slavic deity.Due to her immense power and control over the Earth, the Slavs prayed that she would bring peace in the nature and save them from harm. They believed they could propitiate her by burying bread and pouring beer into the ground. If one was to stumble upon a hole in the ground, they believed it was Mati Syra Zemlya’s sign they should offer beer in order to appease her.
Pereplut: Slavic Goddess of Drinking and Changing Fortune
Some sacrifices are really not hard to make. If you’re a Slav and your luck has recently changed for worse, you know what to do. To get on this goddess’s good side, you should drink from a ram’s horn. No wonder so many sports fans drink beer during a match. Keep this in mind in case your favorite team is on a losing streak.
* Perun: Slavic God of Thunder
Appeasing this mighty god was believed to require animal sacrifice. The Slavs used to kill animals in his honor, in hopes of good weather in the future and the end of a drought season. Afterwards, they would gather around the fire and eat and drink together, venerating Perun by pouring him beer and spilling it in the fire, praying that he would give them rain in return.
* Radegast: Slavic God of Hospitality
In case you had the need to thank someone for the invention of beer, you could thank Radegast, since the Slavs believed he was the one to create this beverage.
* Ragutiene: Slavic/Baltic Goddess of Beer
This goddess is a part of the holy trinity of beer making. She is the partner of the god of fermentation, Raugupatis and the spouse of Ragutis, the god of beer. She is said to be a goddess with a truly intoxicating personality.
* Ragutis: Slavic/Baltic God of Beer
Also a part of the trinity and the god of beer, Ragutis was celebrated together with his wife and Raugupatis for letting humans in on the secrets of food preservation and inebriation.
* Raugupatis: Slavic/Baltic God of Fermentation
Raugupatis or Raugo-Zemepatis was thought to be the spirit responsible for making dough rise and turning grain into beer. Today, with magic long gone from our everyday lives, we believe it’s just yeast.
Semargl: Slavic God of Barley
There are many different beliefs about this god. Some thought him to be a griffin with dog’s body, some believed he had seven heads, and there is also a story of two gods of barley, Sem and Argl, who eventually grew to become one god.
(Images retrieved from journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com, goddesses-and-gods.blogspot.com, meettheslavs.com, holistix.org, livingthepath.blogspot.com, rugutis.wordpress.com, pinterest.com, and artnow.ru respectively. For more beer gods and goddesses, visit brookstonbeerbulletin.com)
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