Slavic Myths. About Southern, Western and Eastern Slavs, Higher and Lower Mythology, as well as Popular Hoaxes

About the Book From ancient shrines to the whisper of herbs: Slavic myths, in which the memory of ancestors comes to life. Why does the wolf appear as a messenger from another world in our fairy tales, and why does the stork bring not only children? Where did the beliefs about the vilas, mermaids, and blooming ferns come from, and how have they transformed into the lines of Pushkin, Khlebnikov, and contemporary authors? Behind the images that we have come to consider «Slavic fantasy», there is a coherent, albeit fragmented, picture of the world of our ancestors. Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor at the A. S. Pushkin State Institute of the Russian Language, and professional translator of Slavic languages, Alexandra Matusova invites the reader on a journey through the mythological atlas of the Slavic world. Relying on the works of classics of Slavic studies (O. N. Trubachev, N. I. Tolstoy, S. M. Tolstoy, V. N. Toporov, L. Niederle) and many years of experience working with original folklore and chronicle sources, the author carefully separates scientific reconstruction from academic fabrications and neo-pagan forgeries. The book systematically examines the pantheons of Southern, Western, and Eastern Slavs, thoroughly investigates «lower mythology», as well as the magical properties of animals, herbs, and sacred places. Written in a warm, trusting language, the book combines academic rigor with a lively, almost dialogical narrative. There is no dry theory here: only verified sources, vivid literary illustrations, author translations of ritual songs in Slavic languages, and clear explanations of how ancient mythological themes live in our speech, signs, and culture today. This is a reliable compass in a sea of pseudo-scientific legends and an honest conversation about what the Slavs truly believed in. About the Author Alexandra Nikolaevna Matusova — Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor at the A. S. Pushkin State Institute of the Russian Language, philologist, translator, writer. Born in Moscow in 1983, she entered the A. S. Pushkin Institute of the Russian Language in 2000. From 2006 to 2010, she worked in Serbia, in Belgrade, teaching the Russian language.