Proto-Slavic Earth Mother
The Proto-Slavic Earth Mother, *Mati Zemja or *Mati Syra Zemlja, descends from the Proto-Balto-Slavic *Mātē Žemē / *Mātē Zemjā, the Proto-Baltic reflex being *Mātē Zemjā. The Proto-Balto-Slavic in turn descends from the PIE *Dʰéǵʰōm Méh₂tēr.
*Mati Zemja and *Mati Syra Zemlja have the meanings of 'Mother Earth' and 'Moist Mother Earth' respectively. She is both primordial and non-anthropomorphic. She is the receiver of the dead and the protector of women, childbirth and agriculture. As the second reflex of Her name indicates, She is associated with moisture and soil as well as oath-taking; Her worship is strongly attested in later individual Slavic cultures.
East Slavic Earth Mother
The Russian Reflex
The Russian reflex is the closest continuation of the Proto-Slavic. Mat' Syra Zemlya is invoked in oaths, an example being, 'Let the Earth Swallow me if I lie.' She has this function in common with the Baltic reflexes. Offerings are made to Her in rituals, including ploughing and protection rituals, the earth being eaten or kissed.
The Ukrainian Reflex
This is very similar to the Russian: Mati Zemlia/Syra Zemlia is invoked in wedding rituals and offerings of bread, salt and milk are made to Her in ploughing rituals, funerals and wedding blessings. Like the Russian reflex, She receives the dead in Her embrace and She also acts as a witness in human disputes.
The Belarusian Reflex
Mac Syra Ziamla (modern spelling: Mać Syra Ziamla) has the same shared functions as Her Russian and Ukrainian counterparts. It would be helpful at this stage to clarify these functions:
1. Fertility of crops and soil. Offerings of grain, bread, salt and milk are made to Her to seek Her blessings for the fertility of the land.
2. Receiver of the dead. Burial is regarded as the return to the Mother and the Earth is addressed as the Mother in funeral rites.
3. Oaths are sworn 'by Mother Earth' and these are considered as inviolable.
4. Healer and purifier. Soil is taken from a sacred spot, such as a crossroads, under a threshold or from a field's first furrow and placed on the affected part of the body, to heal wounds, fevers and swellings. The healer then addresses Mother Earth directly in these words or similar formulae: 'Moist Mother Earth, take the illness into Yourself.' This is strongly attested in Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian charms.
Another method is for the sick person to lie on the ground in order to transfer the illness to the Earth, appropriate wording being, 'Mother Earth, take my weakness; give me your strength.' This is especially strongly attested in Russian and Belarusian charms.
Symbolic objects which represent the illness can also be buried in the Earth, the sickness then being transferred to it. This is attested in Ukrainian and Belarusian healing magic.
Soil mixed with water or milk may also be used to wash the sick person, with the remaining fluid poured onto the Earth as an offering.
Earth taken from a field sprinkled around a house or barn protects against disease, misfortune, storms and evil spirits. This rite is attested in all three East Slavic cultures. After a new house is constructed, Earth is placed in all four corners, possibly with the addition of bread and salt, and Mother Earth is invoked to protect the household. This is especially attested in the Ukrainian tradition.
Earth carried in a small pouch can offer protection to a soldier, a pregnant woman or a traveller. This is attested in Russian and Belarusian sources. Earth may also be used to protect livestock against disease and witchcraft by rubbing it on the forehead of cattle, scattering it in the barn and placing it under any threshold that animals cross.
5. Protector of women and childbirth. The invocation of the Earth Mother for fertility, childbirth and female well-being is found across all three East Slavic traditions.
The Russian tradition preserves the most archaic form of the Earth Mother, while the Ukrainian tradition has an emphasis on fertility, agriculture and household rites. The Belarusian tradition places a strong emphasis on healing and weather magic.
Belarusian Weather Magic
The following are examples of archaic Slavic rites preserved in the Belarusian tradition:
In order to produce rain, water is poured onto the earth while repeating an appropriate formula such as, 'Mother Moist Earth, drink and give us rain.' Similar to this, a stone may be washed and placed on the earth and as the stone 'sweats' it encorages the sky to do likewise. A young girl (presumably a virgin), as a symbol of purity is dressed in white and led into a field barefoot and pours either water or milk onto the soil, and asks the Earth Mother for rain.
In the case of stopping storms, a woman may take a handful of soil from under the threshold and throw it towards the approaching storm, saying 'Mother Earth, hold your child-calm the wind.' Soil may also be placed on the roof or in the attic in order to 'anchor' the house against lightning. Burying a burning coal in the soil 'cools' the storm. The idea is that the earth is cool while the fire of the lightning is hot.
In order to guard against draught or excessive rain, farmers would draw a protective barrier around their fields by sprinkling soil from a sacred spot. Another means of protection was to bury bread, salt and earth at the edge of the field. The placing of earth from a graveyard on a field was done in order to 'bind' destructive weather.
In Belarusian folklore, wind was treated as a child of the Earth Mother, and so a person kneels and whispers the following into a hole in the ground (representing the Earth Mother's ear), 'Mother Earth, quiet your winds.' The gesture of pressing one's palm to the earth accomplishes the same thing.
For protection against lightning, a person would either touch or lie flat on the ground and ask the Earth Mother for protection. Placing a pinch of soil in the hearth fire would also cool the path of the lightning.
West Slavic Earth Mother
The West Slavic reflex is more fragmented and less strong than the East Slavic version. She appears mainly under the name of Matka Ziemia / Matka Země / Matička Zem. Like the East Slavic Earth Mother, Her functions are recognisably the same:
. Fertility of the soil.
. Protection of the household.
. Receiving the dead.
. Agricultural blessings.
. Moral witness in oath-taking.
The Polish Reflex
Matka Ziemia/Matka Ziema Wilgotna has the meaning of 'Mother Earth'/'Moist Mother Earth'. She has been partly syncretised with the Roman Catholic Virgin Mary. Her functions are:
. Fertility: farmers bless the first furrow with bread or grain, which is a pan-Slavic practice.
. Funerary: earth is placed on the coffin, symbolising the 'return to the mother'.
. Household protection: soil is sprinkled in the corners or a new home.
. Oaths: mediaeval Polish legal texts preserve the formula, 'by the earth'.
The Czech Reflex
Matka Země/Matička Zem has the meaning of 'Mother Earth'/'Little Mother Earth'. Her functions are:
. Household protection: earth is placed under the threshold of the home.
. Healing: the use of soil in charms to alleviate swellings and fevers.
. Agricultural rites: spring authorings and first-furrow blessings.
The Slovakian Reflex
Matička Zem again has the same meaning of the Czech, 'Little Mother Earth' and She has the following functions:
. Fertility: offerings of grain or bread are made at the edges of the field.
. Funerary: the earth is invoked as 'the mother who receives the dead.'
. Weather lore: She is appealed to for protection of crops against storms.
Ziva/Siva/ Živa/ Żiwia
Although She is not identical to Matka Ziemia, nevertheless as a fertility goddess, She is the closest mythological (not linguistic) construct to the East Slavic Mat’ Syra Zemlya. Ziva or using Her Latinised name, Siva, is referred to by the German priest, Helmold of Bosau in the 12th century Chronica Slavorum as a goddess worshipped by the Polabian Slavs, who is associated with fertility, vitality and life, and was honoured with offerings and rituals. Although She is not referred to as an Earth Mother, she does fulfill all those functions. Her name derives from the Proto-Slavic root, *živa which gives us the verb žiti, 'to live', the noun život, 'life' and the adjective živa, 'alive, living'. Thus Her name may be interpreted as 'The Living One', and 'She-Who-Gives-Life'.
The cult of this goddess was especially strong among the Obrodites, the Veleti and the Rani, the westernmost Slavs living in today's Germany. Her cult would have been seasonal with celebrations taking place in Spring and Summer. There may be a connection with the Old High German goddess, Zisa but this is a minority view. Both Ziva and Zisa share the same PIE roots, *gʷih₃w‑/*gʷeyh₃‑, which have the meaning of 'to live, to be alive, life and vitality'. From these PIE roots descend the Proto-Slavic *živa and the Proto-Germanic *kwis‑ /*kʷeis, from which we derive the OHG Zisa. Both goddesses are life-giving deities, and it should be remembered that the Polabian Slavs lived directly next to Germanic tribes, hence the potential for mythological overlap and cultural exchange.
South Slavic Earth Mother
The Serbian/Montenegrin/Bosnian Reflex
She is invoked in oaths ('By Mother Earth')The earth is called Majka Zemlja Vlažna, meaning 'Moist Mother Earth'. Soil is used in both healing charms, curse-breaking and oath rituals. In thunderstorms, people touch the earth and ask for protection.
The Croatian Reflex
In agricultural blessings, the earth is addressed as Majka Zemlja, meaning 'Mother Earth' and soil is placed in the corners of new houses for protection and the concept of 'returning to the mother' is emphasised in funeral rites.
The Slovenian Reflex
The earth is called Mati Zemlja, 'Mother Earth' and Matička Zemlja, 'Little Mother Earth', and She survives in spring fertility rites and is invoked in healing and weather magic.
The Bulgarian Reflex
The earth is called Zemjata and treated as a living being. The Bulgarian reflex of the goddess preserves earth-touching rituals the strongest; women lie on the ground for fertility and soil is used in healing. The earth is also invoked in rituals to summon the rain.
The Macedonian Reflex
Majka Zemja is invoked in rain rituals which involve the pouring of water on the earth, and is also invoked in oath-taking and funeral rites.
Živa / Živana
Sharing the same linguistic root as the Polabian Živa, but not Her functions, the South Slavic Živa / Živana is a supernatural figure who is associated with life, fertility and vegetation, and appears in Serbian and Croation charms, but there is no evidence that she was worshipped as a deity or had a cult dedicated to her. She is thus a folkloric figure, not a mythological one, unlike the Polabian Živa.
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