Binding the Lady of Death: Dark Slavic Myths and Legends

Kostej the Immortal is a figure in Russian fairy tales and foklore, where he appears as an antagonist, a formidable enemy. He is, in essence, an immortal lich, whose lifeforce is bound to an object that is exceedingly difficult to capture. For example, his soul is hidden in an egg, the egg is in the duck, the duck is in the hare, the hare is in the chest, the chest is buried or chained up on the far island. Kostey often takes the role of a malevolent rival father figure, who competes for the hero’s love interest, or entraps her.

The origins of his character are lost in history. Early accounts suggest that he could have been, like most black magicians in history, a warlord. His name appears as Koshey 12 th century Slavic chronicles where it refers to an official during a military campaign. Similar terms exist in Ukrainian, where Koshovoy denotes the head of the ‚Kosh‘, or a military encampment.

The tales of Kostey can be traced back to Khan Konchak, the Kuman leader who fought the then Christianized Slavs and would be, as a Pagan sorcerer, demonized in later accounts. His last recorded appearance in Russian chronicles appears during the 1203 capture of Kiev, which would place him at 100 years old. At that time, that would make him be remembered by almost six generations. Koschei’s life-protecting spell may be derived from traditional Turkic amulets – not only were these oval (egg) shaped, but they would often contain arrowheads, just like the folkloric tales speak of a needle in Koschei’s magical egg.

The most prominent feature among his magical powers are his protection against being killed, hence his name “Deathless”. He can also cast a sleep spell that can be broken only by playing an enchanted instrument. He is said to ride a three- or seven-legged horse, he may have tusks or fangs, and may possess a variety of magic objects, like cloaks and rings, that a hero is sent to obtain. When a princess rejected his offer of marriage, he turned her into a snake.

The name of this Slavic goddess can be traced to the old indoeuropean root „mare“ which is found in various expressions for “nightmare” or “death”. She is a dreadful figure of terror that is only invoked to be appeased and propitiated, especially in springtime processions which have been a feature in Slavic foklore from ancient times. During these processions, an effigy of Lady Death dressed in white robe is paraded, adorned and buried by either throwing it into water or burning in fire.

Morana is listed as Diana or Ceres in medieval chronicles, which would make her also an agricultural deity, witch connections to the moon, the realm of the night, and werewolf cults. Her more benign face might have link her to themes of fertility and healing, just as many other similar deities who rule over both death and bringing new souls into this realm. Some accounts tie her to the Twelve Nights of Darkness following the winter equinox, a period of time which was traditionally full of mischief and masquerade.

Morana appears as a pale maiden dressed in white with penetrating gaze. As the Queen of Nightmares, she is in charge of terrorizing souls and dashing out punishment, and learning through hardship. She is compassion-free and rules over natural death and cycles of lack. In Slavic lands, winter was essentially a time of great test, where only those well-prepared and favoured would survive. She can make you perfect your skills through application of Darwinian laws: Only the strongest and those who adapt well to the conditions will survive.

Vodnik (”The Water Man”) is perhaps the most famous of dark Slavic spirits. As the cranky and dangerous lord of the water realm he rules over the souls of those who had drowned. He keeps them in jars, and when he finally decides to set them free, they pop up to the surface in the form of a water bubble. To enter his realm usually meant one´s fate was sealed, and they could only return among the living if they came up with some incredible wits or a high price. Rarely, he will take a shine to some unfortunate human who stumbled into his realm and teach them mysteries.

He rules over a tremendous empire that spans riverbeds, creeks and lakes where he has palaces of crystal, and herds of all animals. In wintertime, he rests in his underworld realm, sleepy and stagnant. In spring he awakens and stirs, just as the water springs awaken, and brings fertility, and also the risk of floods. Just like his Greek counterpart Hades, Vodanoy has an insatiable lust and a thing for kidnapping women, whom he takes down to be his brides. Vodanoy´s wedding then manifests as raging elements. Just as other dark deities, he was venerated mostly in the form of appeasing sacrifice. Mill owners sacrificed him black pigs to prevent him from breaking the dams. Other sacrifices include black ducks, black chicken, cats or loaves of bread. In times of dire need, he was given a black horse dressed with honey. Vodanoy is thought to be a nighttime spirit, afraid of lightning. He appears as a cranky old man, or an attractive young fellow. He can turn into frogs, fish, snakes or any water-related animal.