Sevraejan mythology

**Sevraejan mythology** is a variant of Slavic mythology that is used in the northerly civilisation of Sevraeja. It is a rich mixture of native Slavic and Zarijanian traditions over millennia of prosperity and disasters, reflective of its vast home.

## High gods

* Pieruno (Perun) - King of Heaven, Lord of Pogimmel.
* Makosha (Mokosh) - Queen of the Earth, Lady of Justice.
* Stereibogo (Stribog) - God of the Winds and Seas, Lord of Sevraeja.
	+ He is Sevraeja's official and national god.
* Jerila (Jarilo) - God of the Crops, Lord of the Forest.
* Datibogo (Dazhbog) - God of the Sun, Lord of Rukania.
* Simagralo (Simargl) - the beast-god of the north star

## Other Slavic deities

* Seventy-Seven Winds - the seventy-seven sons of Stribog, the gods of the major winds of the world.
	+ One of them, Solnestiboro (Solnestibog, "Sun-bringer"), is the god overseeing the spring winds that end winter in Sevraeja, and one of the symbols of the country. He is depicted as a blonde prince in green and red robes, armed with a sword to slay the demons of winter.
	+ Stribog was believed to have two daughters, Suveseja and Sanaevira, who also learned from their older brothers.
* Sanaevira - the second daughter of Stribog and Kaelora. She is the goddess of gentle snow, the colours blue and white, and hope.
	+ Among the other Slavs, she is known as "Snegurochka". Southwards in Rukania, some Valjads refer her as "Snihurika" or "Siherika", also one of Stribog's daughters.
	+ Her elder sister is Suveseja, goddess of aurorae.
* Detmorozo - Grandfather Winter, an aspect of Stribog representing the good things in winter. He presents gifts to the righteous and virtuous, even when he does not show up; yet this is also represented by performers granting gifts to children on Kolieda.

### Twelve gods of the months

The azitjo or gods of the year, with each governing a month. Although this was a later belief from Pogimmel, it has spread from Rukania to as far east as Bujan and Nevkreno.

Their names are, from March to February: Vravarine, Ardavische, Khavrido, Tischeri, Amondare, Khaeshasara, Michaera, Abonna, Atara, Dasonna, Vamonna, and Aramoika. Like their corresponding months, their names were from an archaic Zarijanian calendar that caught on, referring to similar yazatas who serve Ahura Mazda.

Six of those gods are male, and six of them are female, each succeeding the other. For example, Vravarine is the god of March, and Ardavische is the goddess of April.

* Vravarine - god of the month of March and the new year. His name means "the archangel", or the fravardin who guide the righteous. He is surrounded by flowers, as a student of Jerila, god of trees.
* Ardavische - goddess of April and springtime. Her name means "most excellent truth". She holds a book and a sword, representing her loyalty to Mokosh as Her scribe.

## Local gods

* Kaelora - goddess of temperature and breezes. Supposedly Stribog's consort and wife, mother of over seventy-nine children.
	+ She was believed to be a student of Makosha, making her one of several gods of education and knowledge. In some towns in Sevraeja, students and teachers pray to her to begin the school year on May.
* Matǐslovaja - goddess of the birch tree, language, and writing. Also the mother goddess of the Sevraejan language and its cuneiform.
	+ Her name literally means "mother of words", referring to the birch tree's wood being used to write the earliest form of Sevraeja's language.
* Sarisoljato, Sarjalo - god of the sarasa plant, clothing, art, and beauty.
	+ He and Matǐslovaja are two popular deities representing Sevraeja's unique culture and human presence.
* Solnestiboro - god of spring, one of Stribog's seventy-seven sons.
	+ He is depicted as a blonde prince wearing green and red, using his sword to kill demons of winter.
* Jotsoteno - the god of Sevraeja's territory, known as "Fatherland".
	+ Depicted as one of the many divine children of Makosha and Pieruno.
	+ His consort is Suveseja, goddess of the aurora, and the eldets of Stribog's two daughters,
* Suveseja - the eldest of Stribog's two daughters, she is the goddess of aurorae and the dawn.
	+ Her sister is Sanaevira, goddess of gentle snow.
	+ She is also believed to be one of Pieruno's generals, leading an army of angels waving aurorae as magical banners.
* Schensaroko - a six-armed god who fights blizzards and undead spirits. Supposedly one of the divine children of Perun and Mokosh, but even though he was thrown out for being too hideous, he managed to fight his way out of the frozen wastes.
	+ It was Stribog who taught him to speak and defend himself, and use his six arms to cast breezes to scatter blizzards. After Stribog scolded Perun and Mokosh for their irresponsible behaviour, they agreed to raise him. However, Schensaroko chose to follow Stribog as his mentor.
	+ Although he never took a wife, he made hundreds of children from snow, wind, and the foams of sea waves, as if they were clay sculptures. His stories became folk legends all over ancient Sevraeja, becoming a Hercules-like figure and a caring father. He went on adventures with his other mentor and one of Stribog's sons, the wind god Solnestiboro.
	+ Schensaroko became a protector of orphans, adopted children, refugees, and apprentices.
	+ He never died, but only departed to Heaven. Although he was not one of the Seventy-Seven Winds, the sons of Stribog, they respected him as their brother and ally. They referred him as "Eighty" or "our eightieth brother".

## Other beings

### Good beings

* azitjo - the angels, the heavenly warriors of Pieruno.
	+ From a word in Madaenan, "yazata", which means "an angel".
	+ A single azitjo is an "azito", and a female azitjo is an "azitka".
* star gods - the servants of Pieruno who look after the heavens
	+ Twelve star deities represent the months of the year.
* doroskjae - minor goddesses of the aurorae, stars, and the sky.
	+ Some of them are the warriors of the goddess Suveseja.
* dorosko - gods of the aurorae, male counterparts of the doroskjae goddesses.
	+ Their race is known as dorosoi, angels of the aurorae.
* Seventy-Seven Winds - the sons of Stribog, the major winds of Jerde.
* okorokjo - dragons of the sea, servants of Stribog.
* laesonjo - a leshi, a forest spirit or fairy
* laesonjoka, laesoka - a female forest spirit, a dryad, a nymph
* paera, parikja - magical fairies with birds' wings.
	+ While they are also associated with forests and winds, they are aligned with Stribog and Jarilo. Most of them are benevolent beings who escort the virtuous dead to Paradise.

### Evil beings

* velune, veljune - the undead, wandering spirits, the shades. Usually malevolent, located in the far north beyond the frozen wastes or the swamps of the northwest.
* ońpjari - vampires, atrophied former humans who resort to cannibalism and murder in their savagery.
* daevo - demons, minor forces of evil
	+ "Daevo" became one of two words for "demon" in Sevraejan: "baeso" is for minor demons, while "daevo" has become more like "archdevil".
	+ Plural "daevo" is "daevjo".
	+ To refer to the "deva" from the countries east of Sevraeja, who are their allies, and enemies of the daevjo, these eastern gods are known as "devanjo" (sg. "devano") - evil "daeva" against good "deva". In Sevraejan dialects, the distinction is more clear because people pronounce "daeva" as "da-je-vo".
* blizzard devils, winter demons, spirits of starvation

## Evil gods and demons

* Volunno - God of Plagues, Veles
	+ He and Rimonno are the worst of enemies. Their rivalry ensures that evil cannot win against good because of its obsession with power.
* Rimońno - Ahriman, the Lord of Corruption
* Virońdo - god of lies and stealing, god of Darros and its vices
* Murona - goddess of blizzards, cold, death
* Tjarano - the three-horned king of brutality, god of the Terrans and warmongers
* Zolozoloto, Zolozolo - "evil gold", god of corruption, greed, and misuse of money and peace.
	+ People who misuse peace to appease evil people are condemned as servants of Zolozolo.
* Six Archdevils - six powerful daevjo (demons) that wage war against the world. Possibly the greatest servants of Rimonno and Volunno, yet even as they habitually switch loyalties between demons they always fight each other due to their obsession with power.
	+ Akonno - wicked thoughts and scheming
	+ Intomo - hesitation, doubt
	+ Naogaeto - frustration, fear
	+ Saruovo - cruelty, savagery
	+ Tarivo - hate, abuse, destruction, sadism, torture
	+ Daricha - disease, infection, decay, abuse of life

### Legendary evildoers

* Skull King - master of the veljune wraiths, the first necromancer.
* Oktoponto - the first vampire, a murderer who became a cannibal. His spawn grew from his rotting flesh, becoming a plague upon the north.
* Chief Ompara the Ravenous - a vampire tyrant who led a powerful tribe.
* Leskonro the Plunderer - a wicked king from the west who laid waste to many nations. He challenged one of the rulers of Vystrane (Sevraeja) to a duel while his soldiers plundered a city, and lost due to bleeding. He eventually died of blood loss, and his slaves rebelled.
	+ In mockery of Leskonro's defeat, that ruler named himself Aleskonro, "the un-Leskonro", who returned whatever the invader left behind to the ruined nations of the west.
	+ Among Aleskonro's trusted allies were the Zarijanian resistance that fought against the Plunderer, forming a coalition of nobles and peasants who elected a new king as their leader.

## Locations

### Geographical

* Velunije - Land of Ghosts, located in northern Darros beyond Tchukorja or further in the polar continent.
* Sixteen Lands - the first sixteen realms created by Perun and the Gods when the world was created.
	+ Paradise, located at the north pole, was the first.
	+ Sevraeja, Rukania, the rest of Darros, and Zarijana were the fifth, third, sixth, and fourth, respectively.
	+ Envious of the Gods' beauty, evil forces created sixteen plagues to destroy the world.

### Mythological

"Mythological places" do not have any known location in the world, as they are usually more like spiritual or mystical dimensions.

* Raana, Rana - a pink void of jesters and clowns, the nightmare of people born on unlucky days.
* Paradise, Parettedzana, Raijana - a vast garden where good souls and innocent victims go to after they die, in a spirit realm that is simultaneous with the real world. The paeri spirits escort them to its lush forests and fountains, inhabited by beautiful birds.
	+ Supposedly located below Heaven, as it is under the direct protection of the gods. In Sevraejan myths, this was the first land that appeared when the world was created. Fifteen more countries were created afterwards, but the forces of evil envied their immense beauty, and created sixteen evil plagues to destroy the newborn Earth.
	+ Heaven (or the Throne of Perun) is above the hill of the Guokerina tree, and Paradise's capital is believed to be just southwest of the hill. It is supposed to be around the Guokerina tree, spreading endlessly throughout its spirit realm. All of it is supposed to be at the site of the North Pole.
* Guokerina - a beautiful tree at the far north of the world, hidden in a spirit realm at the site of the North Pole on a grassy hill. It is guarded by a donkey with nine heads, and ten great fish or sea-lizards in a sea-like moat. Only those considered worthy or invited by the gods were allowed to drink from its sap, which completely heals the user.
	+ The tree, like many elements in Sevraejan myth, was originally from Madaenan folklore.
	+ It was believed to restore any corpse back to life, drawing the soul back from the afterlife (if it is not in Hell or destroyed yet).
* Mountain of the Stars, Kharabrazaetja, Mount Khabraesatja - a great mountain further north from Guokerina Hill, where the stars and planets were believed to circle. It is situated below the libraries and gardens of Heaven, beyond Perun's throne room.
* Kharatuora Lake - a great lake at the southern slope of Mount Khabraesarja, the source of all oceans, rain, and snow.
	+ Its bottom is full of gems that rise like bubbles, and become the stars of the sky. The stellar gems are plucked like berries by angels, saints, and lesser gods who dive into its barren floor.
	+ Stribog's palace is believed to be just north of the lake, further up the mountain.

### Cosmic

* Velje Dorosvae - the Great Road of Light, the Galaxy (according to ancient Sevraejans). Believed to be Heaven, the home of the gods.
* Perun's Palace - a golden palace roofed with diamonds.
	+ Perun's heavenly court was believed to be right above the Guokerina tree, in the middle of the North Star. So it corresponds with the north celestial pole, not just on Jerde, but on every world.
	+ Behind Perun's throne room is believed to be many vast libraries and gardens.
* Island of Diamonds - in one popular legend, a wizard used a magic carpet to fly to the Moon and seven other planets.
	+ The island of diamonds is the last and seventh planet, being a crystalline mass surrounded by ice-cold water, named for its rain of gems. It is home to many heavenly spirits, and one wise sage who guards the most valuable treasures in the universe.

## Things

* Aurorae - the "roads of light", or the flags of the azitjo (angels of Perun).
	+ The sarasa plant's sparkling fabric was believed to be saturated with magic or light from aurorae, doused by banner shreds left behind by angels.

## Religious practices

* Wind chimes are very popular in Sevraeja to worship the gods.
* Prayer flags are used in Sevraejan temples.
* Sevraejan temples tend to have blue domes, whether onion domes or broad, round domes. They represent the sky and remind worshippers of the majesty of Heaven.
* Blue is a holy colour to Sevraejans, as it is the symbol of the sky and of Stribog.
* The number six is blessed, because it is another symbol of Stribog. It represents the winds, water, snow, gentleness, beauty, creativity, and snowflakes.
* Some Sevraejan temple buildings have flying buttresses.

## Religious glossary

* ońgolo - a small shrine, household shrine, road or outdoor shrine. Literally means "corner".
* karjoma - temple
* sveńtaeja - holy
* ikonǐ - great fire, procession, parade, worship
* ikonǐselǐ - a torchbearer, a priest who tends to a holy fire, someone who attends a religious procession, a devotee
* ikonǐselǐstuo - devotion, religious procession, veneration
* ikonǐstuo - purification, consecration (especially using a holy fire)
* ikonje(ki) - prayer
	+ Originally, "something little by the holy fire", usually as prayers were uttered as worshippers burn plants and food to the gods.

* bogo, bago - a god
* bogoseljo - a "bogatyr", a servant of a god, a great hero
* bologo, balogo - blessing
* balognaeja - blessed
* atora, utara, utera, otera - (Zr, ātar) holy fire, sacred bonfire, a shrine
* uolkhovo - a priest, a holy man

## Trivia

* While Sevraejan religion was primarily based on Slavic paganism, it was also influenced by Zoroastrianism and Hindu religious rites. Servaejan mythology is basically a mixture of Slavic and Persian mythologies.
* Sevraejan temples look like Orthodox churches from mediaeval Novgorod and Russia, but with more flying buttresses and streams of flags.

## See also

* Bujanski folklore
* Rukanian mythology
* Hothrovian mythology