The Sacred Spindle. Mysteries of the Great Goddess

The study is dedicated to describing the reconstructable features of the cult and mythology of the Slavic goddess of fate - Mokosh, starting from the chronicle mentions of the goddess and ending with ethnographic evidence that has preserved her name and image. The belief in Mokosh, as will be seen, has not completely disappeared, but continues to exist even now within the folk-Orthodox tradition, where she is honored under the name of Saint Paraskeva Friday. This is not surprising, as the mistress of fate patronizes much that is important in the life of a modern person. In our focus, folklore continuations of the image of Mokosh with her assistants inevitably come to light: the fairy tale three sisters - Yagas, three maidens-spinners from incantations, the heroic spinner Dunya from the well-known song, as well as the spinners close to all of them from legends, riddles, and folk tales.

This work summarizes in the most detailed way throughout the history of studying the pre-Christian religion of our ancestors the material related to the goddess-spinner, including the magical aspects of women's handiwork associated with her. The publication is intended for all those interested in the customs and mythology of the Slavs.

Book 3
The cover design features the work of Irina Yerokhina (Dmitrov)