Mokosh bears Perun two children — Jarilo, god of spring fertility, and Marzanna, goddess of winter and death. The infant Jarilo is stolen by Veles and raised in the underworld, returning each spring to unknowingly court his own sister in the eternal cycle of the seasons.
⚠ This family structure derives from the Ivanov-Toporov reconstruction of the Proto-Slavic 'basic myth' (1974), widely influential but debated by scholars such as Łuczyński and Gieysztor who question the extent of the reconstruction.
Jarilo and Marzanna are siblings who marry at midsummer in a doomed union. Their wedding brings peak fertility, but Marzanna kills Jarilo at summer's end, beginning winter's reign.
⚠ The Jarilo-Marzanna sibling marriage is a scholarly reconstruction by Katičić and Belaj, synthesized from South and West Slavic ritual songs, Kupala customs, and Marzanna effigy drowning traditions. No single primary source narrates it directly.
Marzanna kills Jarilo at the end of summer when the truth of their sibling bond is revealed. His death triggers the onset of winter as Marzanna descends in grief and rage.
⚠ Part of the Katičić-Belaj reconstructed seasonal cycle, synthesized from South Slavic Jurjevo traditions and Kupala customs.
Jarilo dies at the end of summer and descends to Nav, the underworld, only to be reborn each spring in a cycle of seasonal death and resurrection.
In reconstructed Slavic myth, Veles abducts the infant Jarilo from Perun and raises him in the underworld. Jarilo's annual return to the surface world triggers the renewal of spring.
⚠ The Jarilo abduction narrative is a scholarly reconstruction from South Slavic folk songs and ritual patterns. No single primary text narrates the episode directly.
Jarilo dwells in Vyraj through the winter months, returning each spring as the migratory birds return from paradise, his arrival bringing warmth and fertility back to the awakening earth.
We use cookies to understand how you use our site and improve your experience. Learn more