Mokosh: The Slavic Goddess of Earth, Fertility, and Women’s Destinies

In the rich tapestry of Slavic mythology, Mokosh stands out as one of the most revered goddesses. She is seen as the divine mother, the Earth Goddess, the goddess of weaving, agriculture, and the home. 

In a culture that was often patriarchal, Mokosh was the goddess who looked out for women, their destinies, their health, their desires, their work, their sexuality, and their offspring.

Mokosh is often depicted as a powerful female figure, embodying both the sensual and maternal aspects of the harvest. She was a provider, a nurturer, and a protector.

She is closely associated with the earth’s fertility, ensuring the abundance of crops and the well-being of the community.

Symbols and Worship

Representations of Mokosh often includes symbols of fertility and femininity, such as sheaves of wheat, spinning wheels, and water. These symbols reflect her importance in an agrarian society, where the cycle of sowing, growing, and harvesting was central to survival and prosperity.

Her favorite tree was the Linden tree. Her favorite animals were the sheep and the spider. 

The worship of Mokosh persisted even as Slavic societies transitioned from paganism to Christianity, with many of her attributes and symbols being absorbed into veneration of the Virgin Mary.

Mokosh: Goddess of Sensuality

Mokosh’s presence in Slavic mythology is marked by her deep connections to the natural world and the cycles of life.

She is often portrayed as having a complex relationship with both Perun, god of the sky, and Veles, god of the underworld, as both gods sought to win her affections.

Perun brought Mokosh wheat and flowers, fragrant from the warmth of the sun. With Perun, Mokosh delighted in the light, the rain, and the wind. He promised protection and strength.

Veles brought snakes and worms to help Mokosh keep the soil healthy, so that it could become more fertile. With Veles, Mokosh enjoyed the water, the moist earth, and the decomposition that returned nutrients to the soil. He promised dreams, darkness, rest, magic, and mystery. 

When Mokosh became pregnant, each suitor was overjoyed, thinking he had been chosen as Mokosh’s favorite and that she would choose him as her husband.

The Great Storm: The Epic Rivalry Between Perun and Veles

Mokosh gave birth to twins, one with the golden hair of Perun, and one with the black hair of Veles. Not only had Mokosh refused to choose between the gods, she had taken them both as her consorts. 

Perun’s jealousy flared. Thunderstorms gathered and lightning struck the earth. Perun turned into a giant eagle and challenged Veles to an epic battle over Mokosh’s affections, and the right to raise her children. Perun attacked Veles, determined to banish him from Yawia, the land of the living, once and for all.

Yet Veles, ever the shape-shifter, evaded Perun’s wrath. Veles changed his form into a tree, into a human, into a serpent, into a bull. He hid in the shadows, and he hid amongst the sheep and the trees. And finally, when Perun found him, Veles took the form of a dragon and fought back.

The world shook as the two divine suitors battled for Mokosh and for dominance over the earth—for, indeed, their rivalry predated Mokosh.

Mokosh’s Choice

To prevent the world from being torn apart, Mokosh intervened. In her heart, Mokosh harbored love for both gods, for each represented vital aspects of the world she cherished.

Mokosh bade Perun and Veles to look at the world and at all the destruction they had caused to her lands in their jealous rage. They saw crops that had been charred and flattened. They saw people and animals, cowering in the fields and forests. They saw deserts, which had been deprived of Veles’s waters and nutrients.

Mokosh knew that a healthy landscape needed the attentions of both the sky and the land and waters, and there needed to be balance. A world with only sky and fire could not sustain life.

To ensure peace, Mokosh proposed that Perun and Veles each take the other’s child to foster and raise as their own. The golden-haired boy, Jarilo, was given to Veles to raise as his son. The dark-haired girl, Marzanna, was given to Perun to raise as his daughter.

In this way, Mokosh negotiated peace between the sky and the land below.

Mokosh’s story is just one of many in the captivating world of Slavic mythology. To delve deeper into these ancient tales and explore the legends of gods, heroes, and mythical beings, join our Reader’s Club newsletter. Receive updates on new entries in the “Slavic Spirits” series and immerse yourself in the enchanting narratives that have shaped centuries of Slavic culture.

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UPDATE — This blog post includes text and images generated with the assistance of OpenAI’s models. I provided detailed prompts, curated the outputs, and made edits, but the majority of the content was created with AI assistance. This disclosure aligns with my commitment to transparency under the EU AI Act. Disclosure added on November 18, 2024 to align with transparency requirements under the EU AI Act.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Portions of this content were generated using OpenAI’s models, with significant curation, editing, and creative input by E. S. O. Martin. AI-generated portions may not be subject to copyright under current laws.