Mokosh, or Mokosha, is the Rodnovery Goddess of fertility, protector of women, women’s work, and women’s destiny. She is connected with the powerful Gods in the Rodnovery pantheon, Perun (God of sky), and Veles (God of Earth).
Who is Mokosh?
Mokosh got the epithet of Mother Goddess because in Rodnovery tradition she represents a personified deification of motherhood and fertility.
Mokosh watches over women as they work, spinning and weaving wool, shearing the sheep, and knitting clothes.
She is connected to fertility, women and childbirth.
The Eternal Battle of Perun and Veles
A key saga in Slavic mythology is the eternal divine battle of the Thunder God Perun, and the God of the Underworld, Veles.
They were both the companions of Mokosh, and some Rodnovery authors believe that the abduction of Mokosh by Veles started this continuous struggle between the highest deities in the pantheon.
During later periods, when Rodnovery started to emerge again amongst Slavic people, Mokosh was also worshiped as the ruler over death, meaning that Veles was losing the eternal battle.
Mokosz, one of the Slavic goddesses (mother of moist soil)
Protector of Women and Mothers
As a protector of women, she excels the most in protecting them during childbirth. In the old days, childbirth was a hard, grueling, and painful process that had a high chance of ending with a loss of life or long-term consequences.
Women often turned to Mokosh and worshipped her to have good fortune in this event.
She is also a mother herself, bringing us two very important deities to the pantheon.
Did Mokosh Have Children?
She had a son named Yarilo and he became the God of fertility, springtime, and vegetation. But, she also had a daughter that is very opposite to Yarilo. Her name is Morana, Goddess of winter, death, and dreams.
How Did Slavic People Worship Mokash In The Past?
From the old days, Mokosh was a very important female deity in Rodnovery. According to the Kievan chronicles, she was the only female deity worthy enough to have a huge idol erected in Rodnovery Kyiv Sanctuary in the 10th century.
Places Honoring Mokosh
Not many things survived Christianization, but we can find a good number of places in various Slavic countries that can give us proof of the existence of Mokosh in Rodnovery tradition.
In Slovenia, her name is preserved in a village called Mokoshe. When we venture down south to the Adriatic Sea in Croatia, near the town of Dubrovnik we can also find another village with the same name.
A bit north from it, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we can find a village named Mukushina, near a hill called Mukosh. All the way north in the Czech Republic we can also find Mokoshin, a small village.
Mokosh 2016 celebrated by the Svetoary community, of the Union of Slavic Rodnover Communities
What Happened to Mokosh During Christianization?
As it happened with a lot of pagan deities, Mokosh wasn’t excused from being replaced with something from Christianity to adapt the folk to the imposed religion.
Our Mother Goddess was replaced by the cult of the Virgin Mary, who is believed to be the mother of Jesus.
Also, in some parts, especially the South Slavic lands, she was replaced with St. Paraskevia, a Christian virgin martyr.
Why is Mokosh Important Today?
Today, Mokosh is popular as a powerful life-giving force and protector of women. She has a big following amongst Rodnovery women.
They often make small idols out of stone for prayer. The stones are called Mokosh-stones or breast-shaped boulders, and it’s believed that they hold power.
As mentioned above, many places can be found bearing the name of Mokosh, or a similar name. In Eastern Europe, we can find even more villages named after her, and stories that depict her as a woman with uplifted hands.
Mokosh is celebrated in the Rodnovery tradition twice per year, once in Spring around the first or second Friday of May, and once in Fall on the last Friday of October.
Mokosh in the Dimensions Today
If you have read our introductory article, you now know that Rodnovery recognizes three plains of existence or three dimensions. They are mostly depicted as a holy oak tree, with the treetop being Nav, the tree trunk and base being Yav and the roots being Prav.
Mokosh takes her place in two of these at the same time today.
Primary Place of Mokosh
As the Goddess fertility and a protector, her primary place is at the foothill of the holy oak tree, next to a spring of water where she yarns threads of destiny for the newborns. It’s also believed that she holds a golden key of doors between Yav and Nav and decides on when it will be unlocked. By doing this she decides the fertility of the year.
Secondary Place of Mokosh
As the consort of Perun, her secondary place is high up the treetop, at the table of the Thunder God. This is why Fridays are her days.
Rodnover home altar with rushnik (ritual towel) and statuettes of Mokosh and Veles. Photo by Wojsław Brożyna
How is Mokosh Worshiped?
Now that we are familiar with Mokosh, I will talk about how Rodnovery (Slavic) people worship her. As a part of pagan traditions, deities require some sort of sacrifice to gain their favor, and Mokosh is no different.
Fall Worship
In the old days, women made distaffs out of hemp fiber and offered it to Mokosh as a sacrifice, because hemp was harvested in late October when we celebrate her.
Today, as hemp isn’t grown much, women make distaffs out of corn fiber as corn is one of the common agriculture plants that is harvested in October.
Spring Worship
In the Spring edition of her holiday, as she is the Goddess of fertility, it’s forbidden to disturb nature on any occasion.
You are prohibited to dig in your garden as every hit with the tool is like hitting the Goddess herself.
You are also prohibited to pluck grass or weed as every pluck is like pulling her hair. What Rodnovery does on this day is just relax and spend time nurturing things in nature to get favor from Mokosh.
How do I worship her on these days?
As she is the protector of women I never felt a connection with her. Usually, on her Fall holiday, I didn’t offer sacrifice, I just devoted my prayers to her.
On the other hand, as an amateur gardener, during her Spring holiday, I respected the tradition of not disturbing nature and I nurtured my gardens with water and natural fertilizer with a prayer to Mokosh in my head for good fertility.
Take Away
Mokosh is just one of many deities in Rodnovery, and believe me when I say every single one of them is as unique as everything you just read about her! May she bring you good fortune, and to all the women readers great protection!
Guest Author, Marko, is a young pagan from Southeastern Europe, specializing his pagan path in his Native Faith called Rodnovery and dwelling into Wiccan solitary practices. Years of research and practice, from a very young age when curiosity blooms, gave Marko a good level of expertise on the topic of the Rodnovery religion.