Goddess Bereginya – Storytelling for Everyone

Ukrainian Spirit of Protection

The ancient Slavs believed in Bereginya – the Great Goddess that produced all things. Bereginya is basically a combination of  “hearth-mother,” associated with the guardianship, even of the nation itself, which is a trait of Mokosh, and the rusalka (feminine water spirits).

Bereginya has many similarities with rusalka. According to popular belief, a betrothed bride who had died before her wedding could easily turn into either a Bereginya or a rusalka. The main trait which sets Bereginyas apart from rusalkas is that they usually live in light instead of water.

On Rusalka or Trinity week, the time of flowering rye, Bereginyas and rusalkas would emerge from another world and haunt the earth. But come end of Rusalka week, and Rusalkas would leave earth and return to water. Bereginyas, on the other hand, would leave earth to go back to the light.

However, Bereginya has more power than a regular Rusalka. She is a protector of the family, and a protector of women – which is another trait of Mokoš.

Cult of Bereginya in Ukraine

Since the Ukrainian independence in 1991, she has undergone a folkloric metamorphosis, and is today identified as a combination of the “hearth-mother” (associated with the guardianship of the nation) and a rusalka.

This metamorphosis has its roots in the late 1980s, as several Ukrainian writers sought to personify their vision of an ideal Ukrainian woman. Consequently, Berehynia (the Ukrainian version of the name) today also has a place in Ukrainian nationalism, feminism, and neopaganism.

The re-interpretation as a “protectress” is due to a folk-etymology, which associates the name, which is derived from the Ukrainian word bereh (Russian bereg) – “river bank”, with the unrelated verb berehty in Ukrainian (Russian berech) which means “to protect”.

In 2001, a column with a sculpture of Berehynia on top (pictured) was erected at Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in the center of the city, on the site of the former Lenin monument. The monument is to serve as a protector of Kiev, with an older monument located just across the square – Kiev’s historic protector Archangel Michael, who is also pictured on the Coat of Arms of Kiev.

Rituals of Bereginya

Rituals foods devoted to Bereginya are dairy products: milk, butter, curds, and cheese. This is why in some villages this day is called: “Cheese Bogoroditsa”, i.e. Mother Mary of Cheese.

N.V. Belov also mentions a ritual of “bewitching the field for plenty of grain” on this day.

For this, three women of different ages, take new linen towels, and go into the field. Each of these women waves the towel in the air with her left hand and recites a spell. They recite in an order of age: the oldest first, then the middle one, and finally – the youngest one. The spell sounds like this:

__________________

Source: Igor Ozhiganov