![Funeral_of_Kostroma](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Funeral_of_Kostroma.jpg)
Kostroma (russian: Кострома́) is an
East Slavic fertility goddess. Her name is derived from костёр (kostyor), the Russian word for "
bonfire
A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration.
Etymology
The earliest recorded uses of the word date back to the late 15th century, with the Catho ...
".
The rites of
Semik
, cz, rusalné svátky, rusalje, russian: зелёные cвятки, русальная неделя, русалии, pl, zielone świątki, uk, зелені свята, русалії
, observedby = Slavic people
, litcolor =
, longty ...
were devoted to her. During this festival a disguised girl or a straw figure portrayed Kostroma. First, a
scarecrow
A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley ...
was honored and revered. Then, participants of the rite mourned the death of Kostroma, and burned or tore the scarecrow. Rituals with Kostroma were aimed at improving soil fertility.
The scarecrow of Kostroma is part of
East Slavic folklore.
Mythology
There is a Slavic myth about Kostroma and
Kupalo
Slavic pseudo-deities (pseudo-gods, pseudo-goddesses) are Slavic deities that exist in popular or even scientific literature, but their historicity is not recognized by the vast majority of scholars, i.e., that the deity in question was not actua ...
. According to the
myth
Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...
, Kupalo and Kostroma were twins. Their parents were
Simargl
Simargl (also Sěmargl, Semargl) or Sěm and Rgel is an East Slavic god or gods, mentioned in two sources. The origin and etymology of this/these figure(s) is the subject of considerable debate. The dominant view is to interpret Simargl as a singl ...
, the god of fire, and Kupalnitsa, goddess of the night. They were born on the
summer solstice
The summer solstice, also called the estival solstice or midsummer, occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the summer ...
. In honor of their birthday,
Perun
In Slavic mythology, Perun (Cyrillic: Перýн) is the highest god of the pantheon and the god of sky, thunder, lightning, storms, rain, law, war, fertility and oak trees. His other attributes were fire, mountains, wind, iris, eagle, firmam ...
gave Kupalo and Kostroma a
Fern flower
The fern flower is a magic flower in Baltic mythology ( lt, paparčio žiedas, lv, papardes zieds), in Estonian mythology ( et, sõnajalaõis) and in Slavic mythology ( be, папараць-кветка, pl, kwiat paproci, russian: цвет ...
, but they presented it to people as a sign of the unity of the human world and the world of gods.
Once, Kostroma and Kupalo ran into a field (or to the riverbank) to listen to songs of birds
Sirin
Sirin is a mythological creature of Russian legends, with the head of a beautiful woman and the body of a bird (usually an owl), borrowed from the siren of the Greek mythology. According to myth, the Sirin lived in Iriy or around the Euphrates R ...
(the bird of sorrow) and
Alkonost
The Alkonost is a legendary woman-headed bird in Slavic folklore. Alkonost is more likely an individual character, as was noted in some legends about this bird.
Folklore
The name of the Alkonost came from a Greek demigoddess whose name was ...
(the bird of joy). Both birds, especially Sirin, were dangerous. The one who listened to the singing of Sirin forever went into the
Nav, the world of the dead. Kostroma listened to the singing of Alkonost, while Kupalo listened to the song of Sirin. And then, by the order of the Ruler of the Underworld (probably
Veles or
Chernobog
Chernobog ( "Black God") and Belobog ( "White God") are an alleged pair of Polabian deities. Chernobog appears in the Helmold's '' Chronicle'' as a god of misfortune worshipped by the Wagri and Obodrites, while Belobog is not mentioned – he wa ...
), Sirin and gusi-lebedi (
The Magic Swan Geese
The Magic Swan Geese or is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in '' Narodnye russkie skazki'', numbered 113.
It is classified in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther Index as tale type ATU 480A*.
Synopsis
Once there was a couple who ha ...
) stole Kupalo and carried him into the
Nav.
Many years later, one day, Kostroma walked the shore of the river Volga and made a wreath. She boasted that the wind would not blow the wreath off her head. According to the belief, it meant that she would not marry. This boast was not approved by the gods. The wind become stronger, and wreath was blown by the wind from Kostroma's head and fell into the water, where it was picked up by Kupalo, who was nearby in the boat. According to the Slavic customs, the one who picked up the wreath must necessarily marry the girl who made it. Kupalo and Kostroma fell in love and shortly were married without any knowledge that they were brother and sister.
After the wedding, the gods told them the truth. That is why Kupalo and Kostroma committed suicide. Kupalo has jumped into the fire and died, while Kostroma ran to the forest, threw herself into the lake and drowned. But she did not die, she became a
mavka
''Mavka'' ( uk, Мавка) is a type of female spirit in Ukrainian folklore and mythology. She is a long-haired figure, sometimes naked, who may be dangerous to young men.
Terminology
There is variation in the names and spelling, including uk ...
(or a
rusalka). Walking around that lake, she charmed the men she met on her path and dragged them into the water abyss. She mistook them for Kupalo, and found out that the caught young man was not her lover only when he had already drowned.
And then, the gods repented, realizing that their revenge was too cruel. But to give Kupalo and Kostroma again the human body was impossible, and they turned them into the flower with yellow and blue petals, in which the fiery-yellow color was the color of Kupalo, and the blue one, like the waters of a forest lake, was the color of Kostroma. The Slavs gave the name Kupalo-da-Mavka (Kupalo-and-Mavka) to the flower. Later, in the time of the
Christianization of Kievan Rus'
Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
, the flower was renamed to the
Ivan-da-Marya (Ivan-and-Marya).
Other versions
In some versions of the myth, the Sirin appears alone, without the company of Alkonost. One of the versions also describes the suicide of Kostroma and Kupalo differently: the lovers joined hands and threw themselves off the cliff into the river.
See also
*
Kupalo
Slavic pseudo-deities (pseudo-gods, pseudo-goddesses) are Slavic deities that exist in popular or even scientific literature, but their historicity is not recognized by the vast majority of scholars, i.e., that the deity in question was not actua ...
*
Rusalka
*
Mavka
''Mavka'' ( uk, Мавка) is a type of female spirit in Ukrainian folklore and mythology. She is a long-haired figure, sometimes naked, who may be dangerous to young men.
Terminology
There is variation in the names and spelling, including uk ...
References
Sources
Kostroma. Encyclopedia of Russian & Slavic Myth and Legend
Citations
Sources
:
:
{{Slavic mythology
Slavic goddesses
Fertility goddesses