Bujanski folklore

This is a list of characters in the folklore of Bujan.

## Overview

See also: Slavic mythology, Vozonid mythology, Sarmelonid pantheon, Wonao mythology

Bujanski folklore was derived from the folklore of the Bujanski people's Slavic ancestors, later influenced by Vozonid and Wonao legends.

In addition, the legends and myths of Bujan's traditional culture were also influenced by its history and location on an archipelago. This results in legendary places beyond the known seas used as stock locations for fiction, or bizarre ghosts and monsters representing the values and actions of historical enemies and bad habits.

The rich folklore of Bujan also resulted in worldbuilding and creative writing being a national pasttime.

## Main deities (Bogi, Богі)

See also: Bujanski Rodnovery

* Perun - king of the gods, lord of thunder, war, justice, and all that is good. Venerated by men, smiths, pilots, and engineers.
	+ He is depicted as a bearded king in white and red robes, wielding an axe wreathed in lightning. He rides on a chariot pulled by bulls.
	+ His symbol is a hexagon with six lines inside, and sometimes with six dots along the outer sides of the hexagon.
	+ He is represented with the gas giant planet Seobennodir.
	+ Some people believe that it was he who turned people into the first mutants (people with lightning powers), to enforce his authority and defeat evil.
	+ His sacred day is Thursday.
* Mokosh - queen of the gods, lady of rain and the earth. Venerated by women, weavers, and (mostly female) artists.
	+ She is depicted as a queen in white and red robes, holding a basket of plants and a spindle in her hands.
	+ She is represented by the gas giant planet Sungavir.
	+ Her sacred day is Friday.
* Svetovid - four-headed watchman, patron god of Bujan, lord of war and prosperity. Venerated by most people and especially the King, Queen, and Royal Family of Bujan.
	+ He is depicted as a king with four heads, wearing a red and blue robe with a cloak. He wields a sword and a horn of plenty, and he rides on a white horse named "Jarikonj".
	+ He is represented with a wheel of six spokes.
	+ He is associated with the planet Harumin.
	+ His day is Sunday, and his colours are red, white, and gold.
* Svarog - god of the sun, fire, the forge, creation, and technology. Venerated by smiths, pilots, engineers, and artists. In some myths, he is listed as the king of the gods; and in others he is mentioned as the creator of the world. He keeps a falcon known as Rarog or Jarog.
	+ He is depicted as a bright, young man in white robes holding a hammer and a sword.
	+ He is represented with a diamond loop (representing the cycles of energy) or a wheel of eight scythes (representing divine order).
	+ He is represented with the planet Irdastir.
	+ Some people in Bujan believe that their nation's technological advancement and high intelligence on most of its people is a gift from Svarog, a reward for honouring him and his holy symbol. Others claim that the high intelligence and creativity found in many Bujanski Ontemazei was his blessing, a bountiful reward for serving him in building Bujan into a mighty nation.
	+ Blue is his sacred colour, and Tuesday is his sacred day.
* Dazhbog - god of the sun. His brother is Mesjats, and his father is Svarog.
	+ He is depicted as a man wreathed in holy fire.
	+ Farmers pray to him to bless their crops.
* Mesjats - god of the moon. His brother is Dazhbog, and his father is Svarog.
	+ He is depicted as a man glowing with a silver light.
	+ In other nations, he is known as Jutrobog or Khoros. As Jutrobog, he removes bad luck and protects people from evil spirits.
		- Some Slavonian nations also interpret that he, not Jarilo, is the patron of non-heterosexuals, as the changing phases of the moon represent their own changes against social norms. That can be another reason why some Heronoi like him.
	+ The Heronoi citizens and expatriates of Bujan pray to him as an aspect or ally of their guardian god, Heros.
* Jarilo - god of plants, vegetation. Venerated by farmers and growers of crops.
	+ He is depicted as a young man in white robes, wearing a wreath on his head. He rides on a white horse, and he holds a bow or a sword.
	+ Popular among the Ontemazei, who regard themselves as his children and creations. In spite of his ever-young and virile appearance, Ontemazei often refer him as "Grandfather".
	+ In Bujan, he is also the patron deity of people who are neither male nor female, possibly due to his beautiful face being seen as "feminine". He is also the patron of non-heterosexuals and their romance, and any transgender people in the country, again because Bujan considers him as their protector.
	+ He is represented by the planet of Luril/Ontemaz.
* Morskoi - god of water, the seas around Bujan, and the weather (but serving as Perun's lieutenant). Venerated by fisherfolk, sailors, the navy's soldiers and officers, and travellers.
	+ He is depicted as a bearded man in blue robes and golden armour. His weapon is a trident.
* Zorja Utrennaja, Zorja Vechernaja - the two goddesses of the dawn and dawn. They are the daughters of Dazhbog.
	+ They are depicted as women wearing white and red or gold dresses and crowns.
	+ They are the reason why Bujan was formerly known as Zvesta ("Star") to honour them. That name also represents its location between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres and its cultural and technological influence on Jerde's societies.
* Rugievit - ancestor god of Bujan's royal family. Every king, queen, and president of Bujan is obliged to pay respects to Rugievit to complete any ancestral rites and bless the island nation.
* Triglav - the threefold lord of the universe, who also resides in Bujan's triple peaks.
	+ He is depicted as a man in white robes with three bearded heads.
	+ In Bujan, he is considered to be greater than Perun, as he represents the divine and material energies of this universe.
* Stribog - the god of weather, winds, rain, and the seasons.
	+ His day is Saturday, the same day as Svetovid, so he is usually honoured at sunset or afternoon.
	+ His sacred colour is silver.
* Radagost - the god of guests and travellers.
	+ Replaced Veles as the patron of travellers.
	+ Every hotel, port, train station, and airport has a shrine to Radagost, next to shrines of Perepluta.

### "Evil deities" (Zlaubogi, Злаубогі)

These deities are considered to be "evil" because of their opposition to Perun, Mokosh, Jarilo, Svarog, and Svetovid's joint authority, and because of their contempt towards humanity and the world.

* Veles - the wild god of greed, chaos, winter, moisture, storms, disease, death, and commerce. Because he is the enemy of Perun and Mokosh, Bujanski consider him to be an evil deity for opposing the will of Heaven.
	+ He is depicted as a bearded man with a wolf's skin coat and two horns.
	+ In Bujanski art, Veles is depicted as a jester or a horned crook, something like Loki from Norse religion.
	+ One insult in the Bujanski language literally means "go to Veles": it simply means "get lost".
* Morana - the cruel goddess of winter, and Jarilo's abusive wife. In Bujanski mythology, she is the patroness of the blizzard, frostbite, the northern ice wastes, famine, cruelty, abuse, oppression, typhoons, and starvation.
	+ The enemy of the Heronoi of Bujan, who fear her as Skadi, the goddess of death, winter, and vampires.

## Wonao gods

* Tsaduron - the thunder god, a friend of Svetovid
* Iajelon - the sun god
* Mjaresa - the farming goddess
* Anessa, Inessa - the Wonao goddess of the Moon, who bestowed the Alatyr stone to Jerde to mark the Gods' chosen representative on the world.
	+ Monarchs of Bujan - from ancient Wonao times to the present day nation of Bujan - would kneel in moonlight to be consecrated be her, finishing their consecration.
* Uarol - god of writing and books
* Kiraz and Kizan - two crane brothers, gods of communication, travel
* Thirteen Rivers, Laroly, Vron Laroly ("King Rivers", "River Kings") - Thirteen river gods who represent the major rivers that sustain Bujan.
	+ The rivers are Slonin, Roisa, Nesar, Chanij, Estanij, Riezan, Choren, Noshad, Solerin, Olanij, Taeglo, Irunari, and Mihiwon.
	+ They are worshipped to turn unlucky thirteens into bringers of good luck, usually by tying blue ribbons around worshippers' shoulders.
* Ljolonom, Ljanom - god of the forests, a friend of Jarilo
* Otaivjo, Akkevar, and Imujato - three gods of fire
* Sarjon - king of the wind gods, ally of Stribog.
	+ He fights the demonic god of typhoons, Yolunva, representing the eternal fight of justice against destruction.
* Sjorau, Sonurau - Sörau, Wonao god of the hunt, writing, and war.
* Aljukon - god of the mangrove tree, farms, and land
* Zōkran, Zōkrany - a race of wind gods and goddesses

## Wonao mythology

See also: Wonao mythology

* džōrækjom - a tiger god
* džōriran, džōrana - a red crane
* rankana - a falcon spirit of the winds
* bejanta, bejonta - a dragon of the winds with rainbow scales, who helps the wind gods.
	+ Bejanty were believed to bring the souls of heroes to be rewarded in Heaven, sometimes to be raised as new protector gods.
* ainenjol - a merperson with the body of a shark.
	+ Friends or relatives of the rusalki and vodjanoi, they help the sea gods protect all waters on the world. They are also very playful and jovial.
* irodan - a star angel.
	+ Seen in Bujanski myths as more warriors of Perun who guard the expanses of space.
* airota - the highest of stellar angels.
	+ The champions of Perun, when irodanau who performed exceptionally excellent deeds were promoted as demigods.
* maitamjo - blonde water fairies with slender bodies and an affectionate attitude. They love romance so much, they are seen in pairs, or abducting young men and women to marry them.
	+ In the syncretic folklore of Bujan, they are usually an offshoot of rusalki or vodjanoi, most likely the latter. They are also seen wearing skimpy clothes as they reach adulthood, with their men going bare-chested.
	+ They also tend to intermarry with rusalki, vodjanoi, hanenol, and other humanoid fairies of the sea.
* Lidongrad forest wights, "saints of Lidongrad" - tree spirits created from various murdered victims dating back to before the reign of Motakol.
	+ These blessed spirits dwell in the hallowed trees in what is now Lidongrad. Whenever the trees were cut down and the forests were cleared, new trees were planted around temples to house those spirits. Some of those trees, especially dying or dead trees, were cut and made into idols and holy artifacts.
	+ Bujanski - both Wonao, Slavic, or others - venerate those spirits, meditating to them or seeking their aid. Some legends claimed that the tree wights helped the Bujanski during their revolution against Wannaenid and Terran oppression, and later when they protected innocents from being murdered by fanatical mobs.
	+ A few of those sacred trees were consecrated outside Lidongrad, where they were kept to sanctify a place. Hundreds of those trees and their seeds were planted all over Bujan, as people sought divine protection from the July murderers.

## Vozonid mythology

See also: Sarmelonid pantheon

* Tarhunz - another heavenly king of thunder, a judge of all deeds and thoughts.
	+ An ally of Perun.
* Khanokhana - Tarhunz' consort, queen of all spinels and lands.
	+ An ally of Mokosh.
* Pjosaroz - four-headed protector of the universe.
* Kalandil - god of time
* Nimboz - god of decay
* Zomjonor - god of dreams and gryphons
* Sammakori - god of the sea
* Zovjalo - god and judge of the dead.
* Tuoron - god of war
* jauporo - gryphon angels
* bedžar - death spirits.
	+ Bedžar in white robes bring virtuous and innocent souls to be examined by the god of death. Black-robed bedžar are the hunters of the wicked dead and unholy wraiths, riding on hyenas or wolves wreathed in green fire.
* Kjazoloi - one of the Sixteen Paladins, the knights of Emperor Sarmelon I. As a god, he oversees the western lands, former colonies, and even aided local revolts to punish the Sarmelonid Empire for its oppressive behaviour.
* kirkod - a spinel wight, usually clad in crystal armour.
* tadžur - the heavenly servants of Tuoron, warrior angels.
* rjaso - wights of the waters
* nišai, nišarai - wights of the land, especially forests and roads
* drodžaro, drodžary - wights of roads and travels
* aroito - tree wights and warrior spirits

## Spirits (Dukhi, Духі)

* Domovoi - the earth-wight who lives at every house and dwelling. Nearly every religiously-minded Bujanski prays to their respective domovoi for his or her blessing.
	+ When Bujanskis move to a new home, they take ash from their wight-shrine and place it at their oven, stove, microwave, or fireplace to invoke the local wight to bless them.
	+ Before Bujanskis travel or after they return home from a journey, they sit or kneel in front of the domovoi for a few minutes to greet the domovoi.
	+ Bujanskis cannot touch other people or greet others from across the doorway, because that is where the domovoi observes the house, and doing so will offend the domovoi. They should do it outside or inside the house.
	+ When a new house is finished, a priest is sent to determine the gender of its new domovoi. He flips a white stick: if it lands with a red dash, the domovoi is male, or if the stick lands with a blue dash, the domovoi is female.
	+ If the house is destroyed, it does not kill the domovoi, as he or she will retire and depart for a new house somewhere else.
		- Therefore, the stick-flipping ceremony may be the "rebirth" of a domovoi, so he or she becomes a different person. To prevent accidentally doing so, many families who move into existing houses ask their priests to conduct another ceremony, so the domovoi will tell the priests their attributes. The result will be in a sketch on a piece of paper, and the new domovoi idol will be carved or moulded with the sketch as its design.
		- It is considered important, whenever possible, to rebuild a ruined home, so the domovoi will not leave and his or her blessings will not be lost forever.
* Zemljanoi Djed - Earth Grandfather, the chief domovoi of a family.
	+ Offerings to the Zemljanoi Djed and the respective domovoi of a house include bread, salt, and milk. Alcohol is sometimes served as a tribute.
* Særoi Djed - The Grey Grandfather, the domovoi elder who protects the orphans, the outcasts, and the homeless.
* Prædoky, Predoky - the ancestors, guardians of the living; collectively known as the Mudretsy (Wise Ones). One important aspect of the Bujanski religion is honouring one's own ancestors.
* Vodjanoi - water spirits, general spirits of water.
	+ In Bujan, vodjanoi are depicted as both virile men and even beautiful women. They tend to be more stockier and buff than rusalki.
	+ Both the vodjanoi and rusalki are the warriors and subjects of their god-king Morskoi, god of the sea.
* Rusalka - merpeople, women and men of the sea, rivers, and lakes. (plural: rusalki)
	+ Male rusalky are simply known as rusalko or rusok.
	+ Rusalki are the "warriors" of Morskoi's realm, while the vodjanoi are more often depicted as "commoners". They tend to be more slender.
* Leshi - forest spirits, forest wights, tree fairies, fairies, the fey
	+ While in Slavic mythology, leshi are depicted as monstrous old men, Bujanski venerate all leshi as simply forest spirits.
	+ Bujanski leshi look more like elves but with human ears and faces. They tend to wear splendid green robes reflecting the trees they live within. They are just simply a beautiful people, more akin to demigods.
	+ Female leshi in Bujan are called "leshorja" or "lesovikha".
	+ With the start of the Ontemazei as one of Bujan's recent communities, leshi have become very popular, being elevated in many Ontemazei households to the level of ancestor gods. This is because the Ontemazei believe that they were created from trees, making the leshi more like ancestors.
	+ Idols of leshi for Ontemazei tend to be more tree-like, having leaves and flowers for hair. They are also syncretised with the yakshas, more monsters softened to beautiful demigods of the forests and trees.
* Vila - wind spirits
* Poludnitsa - spirits of the sun gods, but mostly like roving bandits who enjoy killing people who do not rest or take shelter from the heat. They appear as dust storms or mirages, usually to slash a person dead, causing their victim to die of thirst.
* Samodiva - fire maidens
	+ Also a romantic nickname towards attractive women or fire mutants who are female.
	+ In many legends, samodivy often seduced and married men.
	+ They have male counterparts called samodniki, spirits of fire who marry samodivy to continue their race of fire spirits. In some legends, male offspring are born as mortals or demigods, with only one in every thousand or hundred sons being born as a fire spirit.
	+ Occasionally a talented or good young samodiva or samodnik would ascend into becoming a celestial, a spirit assigned to a star.
* Queen Vesnovka - a legendary daughter of Jarilo, his first child with Morana.
	+ Every Jarilodan on spring, a woman is dressed as Queen Vesnovka to conduct a procession to honour Jarilo and his blessings. She becomes a priestess for just one day, and after the ceremony is done, she can go back to her usual life.
	+ This, unfortunately, was so popular among Ontemazei women, that fights broke out between the candidates, nullifying whatever sanctity that they required to be this year's Vesnovka, making them unsuitable for this year's ceremony.
	+ The Pogimmellian ancestors of the Bujanski cursed their Darroskei oppressors long ago, that all the souls of victims sacrificed to Vesnovka will be raised as goddesses. It indeed was also the will of Vesnovka, that she turned every soul murdered in her name into a goddess, sent to punish Darros with disasters. After sanctifying various natural sites, each of the goddesses was sent to be reborn as a normal human girl, to be returned to the lives they were denied long ago.
* Djed Moroz - Grandfather Frost, the good god of winter who protects travellers and residents in arctic ice wastelands from being consumed by Morana and the bitter cold.
	+ According to Bujanski mythology, he was the first human to die during the migration of the Slavonians' ancestors north from Ardesch. Stribog, the god of winds and seasons, pitied him and made him the guardian of the Great Crossing, the polar continent in the north. All the other humans who also died after him were raised as benevolent ice spirits who protect travellers.
	+ In Bujanski law, all shrines and temples to Djed Moroz are officially considered as dedicated to Stribog, Perun, Mokosh (as praying for rain or snow), or Svarog.
* Vesnovka's Maidens - the hundreds of Pogimmellian women murdered as sacrifices long ago to Jarilo and Vesnovka. The father and daughter deities willed that all of their souls were raised as goddesses of nature.
	+ After they cursed Darros with many storms that killed their tormentors, the goddesses blessed the forests and rivers of the northern parts of the continent. Ages later, they were reincarnated as human women, regaining the lives that they had lost ages ago.
	+ Some legends claimed that because they were formerly goddesses, after their deaths in the mortal realm, they returned to godhood. Their spouses and some of their children also became gods after their deaths, venerated in shrines all over the continent.
	+ One legend claimed that the maidens of Vesnovka also dressed their fellows as queens on the month before their reincarnation to the world, to remind them to be better than the people who killed them.
	+ One of them was Veselije the Fair, supposedly the most beautiful woman who ever lived in ancient Darros. After her death by old age and ascension to godhood, the forest spirits left the trees near where she died, leaving her tomb barren and empty in their sorrow.
* Veselije - one of the demigoddesses raised by Vesnovka, born as the most beautiful person on the continent. Yet in spite of her beauty, she chose to be humble, refusing the temptations of pride for the joys of life.
	+ After her death, she became a goddess of arts and song. Artists in Bujan sometimes even prayed to her as a muse, or for her blessings on rainy days.
* Kolobok - a roll of dough that came to life and grew a face.
	+ Now the Bujanski word for "football" due to the ball's resemblence to the kolobok, or simply the popularity of folk classics in modern Bujan.
	+ "Kolobnik", "footballer", is also a widely-used slang term for a sports hooligan, nowadays especially towards jousting fanatics.
* Vjēdo - any ghost, spirit of a dead person

## Syncretic characters

* Kironira - the spirit of cherry trees. Popular among the Ontemazei, who venerate her as their patron deity alongside their existing gods and Jarilo.
* Ratanid - the god of horses. Popular among Arnadjanai and Heronoi, who regard horses highly in their cultures.
* Bannik - the spirit or wight of bathhouses and baths. While the bannik was originally depicted as an ugly bearded man, Arnadjanai depict them instead either as a handsome lad or a seductive woman, depending on who uses the bath.
	+ As nudity is considered romantic in Arnadjanai culture, they regard the bannik as a mischievous matchmaker, a spirit of love.
	+ Devout people make little precautions to ensure the bannik does not tempt them to fall in love!
* Devana - the goddess of forests, the wild, the hunt, animals, and the moon. Popular among Arnadjanai, who love archery.
* Chandro, Chandra - a beautiful charioteer who steers Mjesjats' lunar chariot across the sky. He wears white and gold or silver armour.
* Volos, Vjolos, Vjaros - the brother of Veles, who replaces him as the patron deity of cattle, wealth, fields, and rain.
	+ He was a later invention in Darros as a replacement for Veles, allowing Veles-worshipping minorities to be tolerated.
	+ In Vozolaz or Azgo, he is known as Vjaroz, the god of farmers and rain. His brother, Veles, is Vyzil, who was corrupted into evil.
	+ Some artists tended to compare Vjolos and Veles as "Mars and Ares", as though they were two separate beings: Vjolos-Mars represents things used for the good of humanity, while Veles-Ares represents things that are corrupted to evil and destruction.

### Pogimmellian gods

* Twelve Months - the gods and goddesses of the Bujanski months, from April to March. They sit around Perun and Mokosh as a divine court, recording everyone's deeds and sometimes helping people.
	+ On the final day, the twelve deities present all the deeds they recorded to the Gods, who reward or punish everyone.
	+ On New Year's Eve, all twelve deities bow to the King and Queen of Heaven to honour their role as the rulers of the universe.

### Local deities

These are later deities added and syncretised into the official Bujanski pantheon, aside from Morskoi.

* Svoja - Goddess of the self, the soul, and DNA. According to legends, she assigns traits to every unborn soul and wight, according to Perun's commands from Heaven. She is a servant of Perun, representing a person's innate attitude.
	+ She also aids those who seek to overcome their negative traits and weaknesses, as these bring a person closer to Perun's guidance.
* Zloja - Svoja's shadow, who became a goddess of evil. Zloja was Svoja's sister, feeding on the weaknesses of mortals and their wickedness.
	+ She represents every evil desire that exists, especially greed, selfishness, corruption, deceit, and brutality.

## Fictional or uncertain deities (Bogi Njejasnij, Богі Нјејасніј)

In Bujanski law, any temple or shrine to an "uncertain deity" (a deity not sanctioned in the official Rodnover state religion's pantheon) is automatically assigned to a corresponding deity. For example, a shrine to Djed Moroz the First Man is considered as a "Stribog temple", and a Juzheinaja Zvesta temple is considered as a "Mjesjats temple".

* Sverǐnaja Zvesta, Sverinoja - god of the north star, prince or king of the stars
* Južeinaja Zvesta, Juzheinoja - god of the south polar star, prince or king of the stars. Guide of sailors, pilots, and rulers.
	+ He and Sverinaja Zvesta are considered as Jutrobog's (Mesjats') bodyguards.

* Sāmilesvia, Sailesvia - goddess of the rainbow and art
	+ In some works, she is believed to be the one who gave the first mutants their powers, making her the protector deity of mutants.

* The Zelan - a cursed ship doomed to sail around the world and bring ruin to any ship that sees it. It burns with green fire from the underworld.
* Borzobrod Frostbeard - the mythical king of the northern ice wastes, also the bringer of blizzards and snowfall.
	+ He has a southern counterpart, Zveskruzhil (Dances with Stars), who lives alone in a palace of ice in the southern ice wastes.
	+ His weapon is known as "the Biter", a sword of wraith-steel tipped with icicles.
* Zorja Polunochnaja - an additional Zorja goddess venerated in some countries, including Bujan, as a guardian spirit at night. Because she was not mentioned in the ancient scriptures, she is considered as a myth and not an actual goddess in most countries.
	+ In Bujanski law and government documents, all temples to Zorja Polunochnaja are officially labelled as temples to Zorja Vechernjaja, so Zorja Polunochnaja is considered as an aspect of the latter.
* Perepluta - the goddess of luck and parties. In some parts of Bujan, she is worshipped as the goddess of rivers or travel: train stations and ports in the eastern provinces have shrines to Perepluta.
* Gorjoscho - one of the children of Svetovid, a son with just one head. According to Bujanski folklore, he is also the student of the Wonao god of horses, Nanolko.
	+ His name means "the blazing one", and he uses flames as his attacks on his fists and his sword.

## People and creatures (Āsoby i Syčestvy, А̄соби і Сѵчестви)

* Tembo and Svejo - two wandering brothers that went with the Moon. The black-coated Tembo attacks and tortures people in the darkest nights, while the brightly-armoured Svejo protects people during the full moon. Both of them appear as knights riding on ghostly horses.
* ghost lanterns - lanterns that have legs and walk on their own. They are believed to be either servants of the gods or ghosts of people with unfulfilled wishes who were killed. They have no faces, but if one were to see the flames inside the lamps without a filter or a lens, he would go insane.
* pala - guardians of temples. Mostly likely fairies, wights, or ogres who defend temples from spiritual threats. Some also ride on crocodiles, horses, raptors, birds, and gryphons.

### Animals

* nætopeča, nætopæča - a bird made of blue wood or crystal that pecks at people who make wrong excuses, also known as a "no-bird" or an "excuse bird".
	+ Eosome: næntul
* darjadōri - a "diamond bird", representing honesty. The darjadōri and the nætopeča are seen together, representing truth or facts, against lies.
	+ Eosome: radakara
* džuraulja, džurōlja - a lucky red, orange, or yellow crane from the east. It represents Bujan blossoming as an independent nation.
	+ Eosome: džōrara

## Terrans, Taerai (Тѣраі)

See also: Denlotian folklore

The Taerai are mostly-evil beings in Bujanski folklore, owing to the many invasions from otherworldly human warriors known as "Terrans" after their earlier counterparts from the Sixteenth Age onwards. They were a survival of Denlotian folklore, adopted by the wary locals of the Movarian Sea as they fended off more Terran raids.

According to Bujanski folklore, the Taerai were the creations of evil deities, mockeries of existing humans and their accomplishments made to destroy creation with their corruption and sadism. Every Taerai was born from every sin and every harmful act committed by everyone who lived; therefore, as long as evil continues to exist, the Taerai will never be truly eliminated.

Yet the Terrans were also human, so it can be possible for them to become good. Many Terrans were reported to be far from the human-fleshed, living weapons of folklore: like the Jerdiskar who feared them, the Terrans were also capable of feeling love, kindness, empathy, pity, and beauty. The indoctrination and corruption in many Terrans made it harder for them to truly free themselves and no longer become a threat to society, making them more avoided by the Movarian peoples.

Practicing or thinking in certain ways. such as malice, theocracy, hatred of the poor, and genocide, can also turn a person into a Terran, allowing their evil to devour a person until nothing is left of them. This was also why the peoples of the Movarian Sea mostly refused to exterminate the Terran invaders: those who did so did greater evil, until they must be put down to stop them from destroying the region.

The corruption caused by hate and murder, even if it was directed back at the fanatical Terrans, was seen as if the Terrans were possessing the corrupted as a sort of revenge. The resulting self-destruction meant that the Terrans had won. Therefore, it is an important value to deny the Terran their victory, by refusing to commit the same evil as they did.

### Terran locations

"Terra", or "Taerana", is seen as a vast hell populated by evil people who infest various war-torn planets. As the opposite of the living world, it is seen as an "anti-Earth", a "Counter-Earth" created and ruled by demons instead of the Gods. A multiverse of endless suffering, misery, and delusion that seeks to drag everything into its torment.

* Chetravelski - the Four Empires, a continent at the eastern edge of the Taera universe. "Beyond the setting sun", or far west of the main universe, at the border where it ends and Taera's hell begins.
* Mærana - one of four empires in this evil realm, representing the interdimensional "American" armies that invaded Bujan and its neighbours millennia ago.
	+ Much of what is depicted about Maerana was derived from Earth 96's dystopian "America", under the corporate theocracy of the Church of Q mixed with prior warlords and dystopias.
* Čolulon - the City of Ash, a mythological capital of Maerana.
	+ "Novy Cholulon" became a nickname for the Q Theocracy's colonial capital, Selena.
* Čōsara - the Pink City, a ruined castle inhabited by angry ghouls.
* Drindžomna - the City of Darkness. Another capital of the hellish realm of Maerana, torn between an army of red and an army of white.

## Specific Terran characters

### Terran gods

The gods of Maerana are "Chaos", "Selfishness", "Greed", "Vanity", "Hatred", and "Corruption". The seventh, "Slavery", is the worst of the Maeranij gods, a monster who enjoys devouring souls and ripping people apart. All of them, along with the Maeranij undead, are trapped in Hell for their murderous cruelty.

### Armies

The Taerai were humans, but they were mostly hostile, driven mad by their harsh and brutal surroundings. This resulted in militarism, war, cruelty, corruption, hate, and violence becoming a way of life that many Terrans used to stubbornly cling to.

* Maeranoi - other monsters and enemies from Maerana, the Terran empire of America that once invaded Jerde ages ago and failed: "koppon" (policemen), "miljeny" (militants), "trally" (keyboard warriors), "mashtary" (murderers), "silebrii" (a sort of celebrity turned vampire), "vedrabni" (bearded warriors who attack those closer to the gods), "vadnii" (fanatics to the Maerikan gods), "pinkesony" (soulless minions of dragon-lords), and "bumorii" (more militants).
	+ koppon - the enforcers of the Maerik Emperor
	+ miljeny - the infernal armies of the Emperor of Maerik, an arch-devil
	+ trally - the fanatical shock troops and guerillas of the hellish army
	+ mashtary - serial murderers promoted to champions, sent as exterminators
	+ silebrii - former artists forcibly turned into vampires
	+ vedrabni - bearded warriors who hunt those who are closer to the Gods
	+ vadnii - fanatics of the Maerikan gods
	+ pinkesony - soulless minions of dragon-tyrants
	+ pūmari - disorganised, obese brutes who hate happiness.
	+ In Bujanski folklore, they are seen as monsters and demons, notorious for their cruelty and lack of sanity and reason.
	+ In spite of their status as demons, Bujanski treat them nowadays as monstrous costumes to laugh at, as their threat was long gone. Popular costumes of Americans include blue-haired women, pink-haired monsters, drunk celebrity vampires, nerds in cosplay for long-forgotten characters, werewolves, and ghosts of warriors.
* pūmeri, pūmari - archaic-minded militants
* inkontsok - two kinds of ghostly militants with bright-hair
	+ One species simply known as "inkontsok" is named as trallok (male) or tralla (female). The other species is the "prednoi", which looks similar but is more reckless and savage. All of them are collectively known as "inkontsok", "other-enders" who were the opposite of some American fanatics.
* Pink-haired American monsters, especially females, are popular costumes for Ontemazei women and girls, because they will anger their ghosts even more for bigger laughs by turning the monsters into beautiful princesses in splendid dresses!
	+ Occasionally, Americans might visit Bujan, and they were able to fit in as they did not display stereotypical and destructive behaviours. They even put on those costumes in spite of them being stereotypes of them, thinking that those monsters are cute and funny.
* krōviro - bloodthirsty Terrans who became the berserkers of demonic overlords. Some were poorer men, others were idealistic patriots, still more were victims of war or tyranny, and many more were obsessive computer users who boasted about their alleged supremacy, and then drafted to their armies. They represent hate and fanaticism, and how it destroys the lives of those who embrace them.
	+ From their enemies' languages, their name was derived from a word known as "ork", merged into "krovi" (a word for "blood"). An "ork" was a mythical creature who was too brutal for any creative thought, which enemy armies were named after for their brutality.

### Ghosts

* nazdoi, nastoi - a spirit of the past, representing backwards attitudes, rigid traditionalism, and religious extremism.
	+ Nastoi are depicted as scrawny elders, dukes, or priests.
	+ They are attracted to tradition, old age, faith, devotion, weddings, heterosexuality, children, and families.
	+ Nastoi hate modernity, comfort, happiness, relaxing, and practicing of other cultures.
* sredna - a spirit of the present, representing vulgarity, militarism, contrarianism, radicalisation, racism, and extremism in general.
	+ Sredny are depicted as burly thugs, handsome men, and soldiers.
	+ They are attracted to violence, strength, frustration, anger, and rage.
	+ Sredny hate peace, cooperation, diplomacy, common sense, science, and calmness.
* prednoi - a spirit of the future, representing immaturity, hatred of society, popular culture, self-hatred, change, instability, and overuse of social media.
	+ Prednoi are depicted as angry youths with colourful hair and fangs, or as wolf-like fiends.
	+ They are attracted to cute things, animals, happiness, youth, creativity, excitement, chaos, and humour.
	+ They hate tradition, faith, common sense, families, old age, marriages, romance, children, and those who love their own culture and people.
	+ Prednoi are not to be confused with Trally, from a different species in spite of a similar appearance. Because they are weaker and more stupid than trally, they end up being the slaves of the trally.
* Tralla - a sort of raider or monster, representing Internet trolls and obsessive fans. Their whole species is known as "inkontsok", "other-enders", which they share with the more vicious prednoi.
	+ Trallok - male wraith who defends his comics and videogames. Ontemazei sometimes wear Trallok costumes, but make him look more like a knight to mock his ghost, where he screams in anger in the depths of Hell for his murders.
	+ Tralla, Trallasna - a female wraith who hates femininity and demands violence. She tends to have blue and pink hair - making her very popular among Ontemazei who think her hair and reckless violence makes her relatable. Like the Trallok, making her into a beautiful costume mocks her ghost, who is in Hell for her murders.
* tælojæd - a cannibal, a mass murderer, a war criminal.
	+ His punishment was either to wander the world as a powerless wraith after he is deservingly killed, forever tormented to insanity by his own pain. Or, he will be cast to drown in the darkest seas of Hell.
* itigoren, bomintjok - a ghost with a bean-shaped mouth who loves mischief.
	+ Terrans who are not evil, or who have not committed any evil deeds, become these after they die. They are barred from Hell because they were not evil, but also barred from the afterlife due to them being half-demons.
	+ A survival of the grudgingly-popular chellarcha ghosts in Denlotian times.
	+ "Itigoren" is an Eosome word that means "bean mouth".

### Monsters

* oboroteli - cursed wolves and greedy people. Occasionally sighted in the forests.
	+ Although volkolaky are considered dangerous because of their attempts to overthrow civilisation, oboroteli are considered more deadly because they are stronger and more fierce than volkolaky. In their vicious rage, they regard volkolaky as weaklings, no different than the humans they were created from.
	+ It, along with "volkolak", are insulting terms directed against Zuronnonzo due to the latter's canine appearance. Zuronnonzo take "oboroteli" with pride for its association with strength, but become easily angered by the term "volkolak", as they regard the volkolak's colourful appearance and usage of magic (instead of raw force) to be weakness.
* volkolak - wolf-people and warriors who take the forms of wolves and dogs. Also a name applied towards the warriors of Red Ardesch (from the wolf-costumes of the raiders) or the wolf-warriors of the ancient Norse kingdoms.
	+ In Bujanski folklore, the volkolak are a sort of wolf with colourful fur who can control minds with their magic: the volkolaky seek to establish their own depraved kingdoms, rife with infighting, decadence, and corruption. They supposedly come from the otherworldly nation of Maerana, a dystopia thrown into utter chaos.

Whenever a Terran dies, their soul becomes into a kostǐkōpa, a floating pile of bones. They may tempt people into destroying themselves and joining them in oblivion, but ultimately, they are forever punished for any atrocities they did in life. However, many other Terrans eventually became into other kinds of ghosts or demons after they died, reflecting what evil deeds or attitudes they had committed in life.

## Specific Terran characters

* Trinorka - the spirit of Herellia Minvori, believed to be cursed to appear as a female version of Trinor from Broken Plates.
	+ Because she was abusive in life, going as far as block people over certain mistakes and curse them as her enemies, someone murdered her. As punishment for unleashing a wave of violence across Bujan, the gods cursed her to return as a ghost.
	+ Because the character Trinor was her favourite character, he became associated with online offenders who did the same thing as she did. Trinor was banned from any depiction after independence for twelve years, and in the parts where the ban was not used, people prayed for her spirit to reconcile and be forgiven by the gods.
	+ Some reports of Trinorka depicted her as being shamed by her transformation into a ghost, and her alleged responsibility for the violence against Terrans. At first, she denied that she was responsible, until Trinorka felt ashamed of what she did in life as she wanted to end her suffering.
	+ Some legends depicted her being comforted by the spirit of Kauoria, another ghost who appeared as a character from the same cursed show.

## Demons (Бѣси)

Demonic creatures and characters are used in Bujanski legends to represent sins, crimes, and destructive behaviours and attitudes. This was from a tradition dating back to Pogimmel before many people were taken as slaves to Vozolaz.

* bæs - demons
* kūdo - a demon, a lesser demon
* Oiblojut(r)ǐ - monsters and ogres who dwell at the edge of the world.
* mjōskōpa - meat pile. A pile of organs, limbs, and body parts. It represents every carnal desire and bodily urge that should be overcome in order to acheive success.
* kostǐkōpa - bone pile. A pile of bones from various creatures, created from unnecessary loss, dead animals, prey animals killed and eaten, and wasted lives cut short. The kostǐkōpa mainly represents guilt and temptations to waste one's life on useless pursuits, or people who tempt others to destroy themselves for their sake.
	+ Terrans, other invaders, and liars end up becoming kostikopy after they die, for all the lies they made to make others waste their pity on them. Their souls are either devoured by the kostikopy, or each spirit becomes a pile of bones forever cursed with agony and hollowness, reflecting the emptiness of their motives.
* ōntrumma - walking, pot-like bellies who also appear as women to swallow victims. The victims who drown in their acids are absorbed as a collective consciousness, which the ōntrumma uses to manipulate their cries for help to lure more victims.
	+ The demons' Bujanski name is from "ontroba", an old Pogimmellian word that means "a womb".
	+ In Bujanski legends, the ōntrumma represents human sacrifice and cannibalism, two abominations in Bujanski culture.
	+ Some writers also use these pot-monsters to represent grudges and bitterness. In their legends, the souls absorbed into an ōntrumma can be freed by either killing the monster, or by "moving on", causing the monster to burst into light.
	+ Others use the ontrummy to represent bodily abuse, paranoia, abuse, and hunger; instead of respecting other people and being fair to them. Their appearance as seductive women represents people being more abusive to females, seeing them as "weak".
* plačadrau, plačau; kōsočau - a walking tree made of bones that barely resembles a lanky human. He is usually covered in rag-like skin, dripped in blood. Anyone who is touched by the demon's dripping blood and tears ends up with scars and burns.
	+ His Bujanski name means something like "weeping tree", and the other means "bone tree".
	+ This demon represents abusive people who force males to be more warlike or perfectionist, destroying their futures. It also represents abuse of children (whether sons or daughters), forcing them to be someone they do not want to be.
	+ The bone tree demons usually visit families who torture their children. Killing a child guarantees more recurring appearances, until when the murderer dies, his soul may get devoured by the demon.
	+ The only way to defeat one is simply to be kind to your children, not to force them into a goal. Some legends conclude that loving your children causes the plačadrau to crumble to dust.

### Orcs and asury

* "orcs", irok, rykon - a slur directed at Darroskei people, later applied to Bujanid Slavs for being descendants of Darroskei. In Bujanski legends, "orcs" also existed, but they were usually humans who turned to evil, and cursed for their wickedness to lose everything.
	+ The Bujanski "orc" was different from an "asura". An asura can be monstrous, but he or she can also choose to break away from his urges to become more virtuous and beautiful than they are. An orc is usually a human who became evil, or his or her descendant, and chooses to continue being evil.
	+ The fear of people turning into murderers and brutes ("orcs") was why many Bujanski Slavs made it a tradition to oppose the existence of fascism, to avoid the same evils from Darros being practiced in their new home.
	+ The wickedness of the Terran and Wannaenid tyrants also revived the fear of "orc-ness", with every horrific sin a lesson to all Bujanski about their self-inflicted ruin. The brutality of some Bujanski, corrupted by a mad desire for revenge, crystallised that fear into a desire to use compassion and reason to enact justice instead of annihilation.
* Mother Darros, Matjosaron - in ancient Bujanid belief, Mother Darros was a great ogre who bore many children. Her sons were sent to kill and eat other people, while other sons were eaten with their sisters. She also threw her children to a burning pit as sacrifices to evil forces, to ensure she would rule and devour the world.
	+ She represented the Darroskei Empire that existed at the end of the Sarmelonid Era, and abuse in general. The Bujanski were sometimes represented by an ogre-child who was taken away by a slavemaster. Perun (or another god) rescued the child and raised him for many years until he reached adulthood, then armed him to defeat the slavemaster and other tyrants.
	+ The Bujanid intervention against Darroskei attacks on the other Slavs was represented by the ogre-son cutting off his demonic mother's arms and throwing her back to the north. Then, the ogre-son pleaded for forgiveness as he offered everything he could get in his new home to rebuild the other Slavs.
* "asury" - asuras, handsome ogres who live in the spirit realm, possibly as an equivalent of humans. Many of them fell to corruption and barbarism, while the remnant who continued to honour the Gods' instructions were more like demigods. Yet, both good and evil asury are capable of high intelligence and cunning, although most evil asury lose their intelligence and sanity to become "rakshasy", or brutes.
	+ They represented the capability to do good that remained in all Bujanski Slavs, in spite of their cursed Darroskei ancestry.
	+ Vibhishana, a good asura, became a folk hero among the Bujanski Slavs because he was an example to their ideal: overcoming their evil origin to do what is right for others.
* "jakshany" - yakshas, mighty wights and demigods of wild places, like forests and mountains. Although they are different from asury, they are also strong and intelligent like them.

### Demon Titans

These giant warriors were believed to dwell in the far ends of the world, the enemies of Perun. They even fight against Veles' devious plans as an upstart against their primordial chaos, and against Morana for attempting to freeze the world in everlasting ice.

The kingdom of Pogimmel also believes in these evil gods.

* Bly(d)van - wind titan demon
* Kruknirǐ - ice titan demon
* Lammo - lava or volcano demon
* Sylto - fire demon
* Toržnil, Trožnij - demon lord of tsunamis and floods. Enemy of Morskoi and Stribog.

### Wonao demons

The Bujanski Slavs also included beings in Wonao folklore into their legends and art. The demons and monsters of Wonao folk art were also representatives of various human evils, lessons that all Bujanski of all races must avoid.

* Onturo - the spirit of a cannibal. In Wonao folklore, the body of a cannibal must be burned or torn to pieces, to prevent their soul from a dark ascension that turns it into a powerful demon.
* Inchal, Enchal - a "nothing among nothings", a shadowy demon in the form of a human outline in negative colours. Ethereal parasites who feed on cruelty and lies as they slowly consume and dissolve matter.
* Nōtmoli, Nōtoroi - ice wraiths from the north, spirits of the blizzard who feed on warmongers and the arrogant. In Bujanski folklore, they are depicted wearing stereotypical Darroskei clothing: male Nōtmoli wear fur caps and jackets, and female Nōtmoli wear kokoshniks and robes, a mockery of wicked rulers.
	+ Because they do resemble themselves to some extent, the Bujanski use the Nōtmoli to represent a desire for power corrupting the user to commit greater evil.

## Locations

* Njebes - Heaven, the beautiful domain of the Gods
	+ Bujanski depictions of "Heaven" consist of archaic, imposing cities and castles similar to Sarmelonid imperial palaces, surrounded by gardens, forests, and fountains. The skies have stars that shine even at daylight. It is very similar to Imbar from Vozonid religion.
	+ Perun and Mokosh are believed to dwell in a diamond palace, surrounded by twelve gods of the months and various guards.
	+ Instead of a huge cloud, Njebes is an endless sky filled with planets and islands floating over its expanse, with Perun's Palace and "Heaven" proper on an enormous planet filled with forests.
	+ "Heaven" in Bujanski pop culture is not associated with harps and trumpets, but instead with great drums similar to those in Vozolaz, Pinoguni, or in Wonao temples. This may be why Bujanski "angels" always bring drums when going on armies.
* Vyrai, Vjorai, Vyorai - Paradise, the domain of the righteous dead
	+ It is similar to Njebes, but more forested and lush. Cities also exist in Vyorai, but they are smaller and simpler than the celestial metropolises of Njebes.
	+ Oddly enough, the evil god Veles dwells in an isolated river somewhere hidden in Vyraj's valleys. Luckily, the righteous never find it, but those unlucky ones who do never return...
* Pjeklo - Hell, the domain of the demons, creatures of Chaos, and evil people
	+ Pjeklo in Bujanski art isn't always a place of fire. It is often depicted as a pink waste of melting islands full of mouths and eyes, similar to Vozonid artwork about Hell. The "fire" part of Pjeklo's original meaning now refers to the shape of the monsters and demons in this abominable dimension.
	+ Hell is believed to last for nine trillion years. After that, it will crumble to black dust, causing everything on it to fall into Navi's endless darkness to be destroyed.
* Navǐ, Nāvǐ - the Abyss, Chaos, Hell, damnation, the domain of primordial monsters and eldritch abominations
	+ In Bujanski folk cosmology, Navi is located outside Pjeklo and around it, a sea of darkness against a pink void. It is considered to be worse than Pjeklo.

### Legendary and folklore countries

Many mythical places in Bujanski folklore are locations beyond the known seas of Jerde.

* Četrævelski - a hellish wasteland inhabited by the Four Powers, where Terrans slaughter, kill, and torture for their masters or driven by their corruption. Located to the west of the known world.
	+ Maerana, the "America" of Earth 96, is considered as one of the four kingdoms of Chetraevelski.
	+ Chetraevelski is beyond the Land of Ghosts, perhaps west of the planet (orbiting it?) or the universe.
* Opaisa - a kingdom at the far south or east, beyond the oceans. It is always sunny.
* Okjana - the great southern ocean, supposedly inhabited by merpeople and exotic island kingdoms.
	+ Okjanese cities are depicted with domes, even onion domes, something that never existed in Bujanski architecture.

* Zemja Zhenja, Womenland - a land for men's fantasies, tropical matriarchy filled with attractive women. Now seen in modern Bujan as an example of a corrupt failure, like Marnos.
* Zemja Muzhjo, Menland - a land for women's fantasies, a boreal patriarchy filled with attractive men. Now seen in modern Bujan as an example of a stupid failure, like Azgo.
* Rastistran, Land of Unions - a lonely island where the miserable inhabitants of Zemja Zhenja and Muzhjo meet to mate and bear children. They either start families on the island, move to start a family elsewhere, or mostly leave. If the two parents do not want to go together, they play a card or dice game, so the winner takes the child home.
* Land of Ghosts - a barren, misty wasteland located at the west, beyond the setting sun. It is the domain of evil people after they die, but who have not committed more destructive crimes.
	+ Beyond the Land of Ghosts is the hellish continent of Četrævelski and Maerane (America).

### Places in legends

* The Last Tower, Posilvjǣdža - a haunted tower in the far eastern oceans, situated on a lonely, barren island. It has many lanterns, and those who enter never return.

## Holy sites of Bujan

Although Bujan is affectionately known as "the holy land" or "the blessed islands", some places in Bujan are considered holy. They make up a large number of restricted areas and some natural parks.

* Mount Dedogron
* Mount Matjegron

## Characters

### Ancient Slavic

* bogatyr - a hero
* polenitsa - a heroine

### Wonao

* Montal - an ancient king who unified Bujan as a champion of the people, driven by sorrow from witnessing his loved ones die brutal deaths. The Bujanski syncretise him as a saint chosen by Perun for his love of justice and fairness, even if he and his people were mentally scarred by the war that they ended.

### Bujanski Slavic

* Around 1,060 women, of the many queens in Bujanski history, were also warriors and leaders.
* Vansalja - ninth ruler ("emperor") of the Bujanid Empire and first empress, led her army to repel a Darroskei invasion.

### Dharmic

* Vibhishana - an asura who was sad that his brother, Ravana, destroyed his own nation of Lanka as a brutal tyrant, and wasted Lord Shiva's gifts and wisdom. That was why he turned to Lord Rama and helped him defeat his evil brother, ending up becoming a better and wiser king.
	+ Because Vibhishana was considered as a monster, the Bujanids celebrated him as a folk hero. They used him as an example that even people from evil and cursed lineages can redeem themselves through good works as service to Heaven. In a sense, Vibhishana also represented hope and redemption through choosing good over evil.
	+ Ages later, the Porasonids also honoured Vibhishana as another of their heroes, even as far back as during the Rodnover Era of their republic. Eventually, that became one of the reasons why they wanted to make friends with the Zvestarids, successors and descendants of the Bujanid Empire, all the way to aiding local rebellions against Wannaenid rule.
	+ In Old Bujanid, Vibhishana was "Vibēšan"; in Old Ēosomê, "Wimešjê"; modern Bujanski as "Vjebesan": and in modern Eosome as "Wimesjōna". Nonetheless, the Sanskrit pronunciation of "Vibhishana" is used when specifically referring to the character in Dharmic records.

## Superstitions

Some superstitions are still practiced by many Bujanski, while many others have been abandoned for being too inconvenient and unnecessary against the Gods and spirits. These are regarded as "good manners", or to uphold the *pravi* (divine blessing) in a person's soul and ensure blessings. Losing *pravi* will attract evil forces and harm.

* The corners of a table are reserved for children under the age of 14, elderly people, sterile people, and the ancestors. Anyone else who sits there will suffer under a great curse for violating their ancestors' sanctity.
* Do not greet a person's birthday before its day, or you will attract evil spirits that might make you get older faster, leading to death.
* Odd numbers of flowers are for happy events, like weddings and birthdays.
* Even numbers of flowers are for sad events, like funerals and losses. The wrong number of flowers will bring bad luck: even numbers for a happy time dooms the guests and host to ruin, while odd numbers for a sad time will mock the event and bring a curse.
* Do not celebrate birthdays at night, or especially light a birthday cake's candle, or you will attract spirits that can kill you.
* Celebrating a birthday under the light of a Full Moon negates the curse, as it ensures the moon god Jutrobog's protection.
* On Full Moon nights, three or four chairs are left at the entrance or near an event. These represent Jutrobog and his consort, and two heavenly guards. Sometimes a white flag is placed on one of the seats to signal that Jutrobog is sitting on the chair.
	+ This is especially practiced by Heronoi people in Bujan, who regard Jutrobog or Mesjats as an aspect of their god Heros.
* On a New Moon or during a blackout, you may place a candle on a chair to invoke the protection of Jutrobog, the Lord of the Moon. Never place a candle on the corner of a house in total darkness, or evil spirits might hurt you.
	+ This custom is especially popular among Heronoi in Bujan, who instead use blue lanterns and happily pray to Heros as they light lanterns all over the house.
* Do not wear all-white in on a new year's eve or new year's day, or you might brings sadness and/or death.

## Grudges

From the Wonaos' customs, Bujanski write their grudges when they grow old, are near death, or simply when they felt very frustrated. One by one, they renounce their grudges, or send worse grudges to a temple to be subjected to the Gods' judgement.

It also led to Bujanski punishments being somewhat more harsh on a number of crimes, to force offenders to apologise and explain to the people they hurt, and repay them for every offense committed in order to be forgiven. It also was in line with traditional Wonao beliefs that people are only forgiven by doing actions that "undo" their crime.

## Religious terms

* pravǐ - justice, divine order, blessing from upholding justice
	+ In Bujanski belief, good behaviour and fairness, simply known as "justice", purifies a person's soul so he shines with pravi, allowing the Gods to improve and guide his life.
	+ This is part of an ancient belief transcending almost all religions, that teaches, "no justice, no peace", because justice prevents fear, panic, desperation, chaos, and torment.
	+ The better someone behaves and thinks, the closer a person is to greatness in life, for the Gods are very happy seeing such a virtuous person make their world a better place for all.
* bog - god, deity
* boga - goddess
* dukh, dukhi - wight, nature spirit, spirit (usually for good or natural spirits)
	+ The most widespread examples of dukhi are the domovoi in homes, and the leshi in the forests.
* svent - blessed one, holy one, illuminated one.
	+ Symbolised by a lantern for the light of the Gods, or a flower on one's head for the guidance of the Gods.
* kapišče - shrine
* khram - sacred field or temple
* khorom - great temple
	+ Influenced by massive temples built during the Sarmelonid era.
* konǐki - roof ornament on a temple or its sacred gate.
	+ In Bujan, konǐki have different designs to represent which patron deity is honoured there. Jarilo temples have branches and flowers, Svarog temples have sun motifs and kolovrat spires, and Svetovid temples have spears and sun-like shapes.
* čur, rodovoi, stolb, kap - log or idol used to worship a god
* bolvan - large idol or statue, especially that used to represent a god
* opaška - fence or stones around the shrine
* krada, ogonǐ - sacred fire
* vozzhiganije ognja - lighting the sacred fire
* khorovod, kolo - sacred dance around the idol
* træba - offering to a deity or spirit
* prinesenije træby - "bringing the treasures", offering a sacrifice
* požrætǐ - to offer a sacrifice
* krasnij ugol - "red corner", the house shrine
* otkūdistvo - exorcism, killing a demon, consecration
* otkūditǐ - to exorcise, to consecrate
* otkūditelǐ - exorcist, a person who fights and kills demons, consecrator

### State religion matters

* Rodnoverije Radævatǐ - "Smiling Rodnovery", the Bujanski religion
	+ The Bujanski version of Rodnovery is considered to be modernist and universalist, in spite of its conservative norms and aesthetic, because Bujanski Rodnovers tend to focus more on politeness, benevolence, harmony, and justice (which includes courage to fight injustice and achieve fairness).
* volkhov - high priest of a local temple, sorcerer
	+ In Bujan, a volkhov is simply a high priest in its state Rodnovery.
	+ In its church-like structure, volkhovy have become something like a bishop, to the point that "volkhov" was sometimes the Bujanski word for "a bishop" or any equivalent in various other religions.
	+ The high volkhovy of each province in Bujan are known as "arch-volkhovy". The highest volkhov of all of Bujan, who works in the National Temple of Svetovid, is known as the Supreme Volkhov or simply as the "high priest of Bujan". He, along with the reigning king, conduct the most sacred ceremonies in the whole kingdom.
* Svjatnij Væče - Holy Veche, the religious authorities of Bujan's state religion. Considered a sort of polytheist synod representing all the provinces of the kingdom.
* Vysnovolkhov - Arch-volkhov, high priest of a province or delegate to the Holy Veche (a sort of Rodnover council or synod).
	+ Some people use this term to refer to an archbishop or equivalent priests in other religions covering a region, province, or diocese.
* Velkovolkhov - High Volkhov, Supreme Volkhov. The supreme leader of the Rodnover state religion of Bujan, his role is to assist the King in conducting the most holy rites for the whole kingdom.
	+ He is sometimes referred to as the High Priest of Bujan or "Lord Pontifex". That rank was influenced by both the Zoltokrugist clergy and the High Priests of the Sarmelonid Empire.
* vidun - intermediate priest, seer
* vedunja - seeress, priestess
* žrets - priest, minor priest, chaplain
	+ Nowadays, zhretsy priests tend to be local priests for certain places, such as dormitories and military bases, and even any public place that requires one like an office, a market, a spaceport, and a town hall.
* žretsa - priestess
* kolovrat - sacred wheel used as a symbol of Svarog, the sun god
	+ In Bujanski culture, the kolovrat is an extremely holy symbol that must never be defiled, but treated with absolute respect. Displaying it in some ways, such as exposing it to filth, desecrates the kolovrat and angers the Gods.
	+ It also reminds the Bujanski that the Gods made a beautiful world, and they love their creations, so it is the duty of the Bujanski to protect and improve the world and all of its inhabitants.
	+ The Tyrskans also used kolovrats as a symbol of supremacy and hate, defiling it as graffiti and blood. In contrast, the Bujanski used the kolovrat to show that they love their Gods and their people. Their dedication to the well-being of Jerde isn't just for their Slavic people, but also for all races who live on the world, which was how they reinterpreted the sacred kolovrat, as a emblem of their dedication to Heaven.
	+ Angered and saddened by how the kolovrat was abused by the Tyrskans, the Bujanski people reinstated the restrictions on displaying the kolovrat, replacing it with various symbols to convey the same ideals in their polytheistic religion. The Bujanski people consider this to protect the kolovrat from any form of defilement, to ensure the Gods will remain holy and respected.
* Vosīmkrug Znjama - Eight-Wheels Flag, a holy flag used in Vozonid countries instead of the kolovrat flag
* bog niejasnij - uncertain deity, a god not present in the official pantheon of the Bujanski state religion.

## Others

* Curse of Bujan, Curse of Resovjant - according to legend, after a tyrant or wicked ruler is removed from power, any follower or supporter who refused to reject him and his crimes, would suffer a sickness in themselves.
	+ The disease does not spread to anyone, but appears within a person's body. It causes the victim to feel as if their organs are withering and being strangled, rotting from within. They do not need to eat or drink, but within 3-4 days, they may start coughing. Their faces start to become grey. At the 6th-10th day, they begin to cough blood, and within several weeks, they begin to become less active and their faces turn grey and green.
		- If the victim does not resolve the curse, they will feel as if something is crushing him from above. The 50th to 60th day will result in some kind of agony in the victim's heart, and the 70th to 74th day is when the brain starts to stop functioning except to sense a growing pain.
		- Death, the end of the unresolved curse, may occur at around the 100th day, in the form of one's own insides bursting apart, causing the victim to vomit blood and die.
		- The only way to lift the curse was to apologise to a victim and undo your offense. Then the disease subsides and you become healthy as usual.
	+ The most recent "instance" was on Black July, affecting only thousands of Terrans who stubbornly clung to supporting acts considered offensive to Bujanski society and law. From the most fervent fanatics to even youngsters who wanted to block people online, they suffered from the sickness, causing them to be isolated even as their peers did not know it cannot spread to others.
		- Those who were willing to apologise or felt any remorse felt the curse being lifted from them, becoming healthier again by the time they were released from prison. However, even as the curse forced them to reconcile with their victims, their own crimes haunted their minds until the days of the deaths.
	+ Recent records revealed that the curse was caused by several scientists who started a project to utilise magical energy left behind by Wannaenid scientific projects. They were able to tweak it to identify every Terran and offender in the kingdom. Hundreds of offenders, both in the Bujanski, death gangs', and Wannaenid sides, were mysteriously killed as they exploded into a bloodied mess. It may had led to the implementation of the penance system to prevent more people from falling into the mysterious curse.
* Curse of 400 - a specific curse, or a variant of the Curse of Bujan, that affected nearly all Terrans who did not join the Free North. It drives Terrans mad with memories of everything harmful they had committed.
	+ If a cursed Terran dies, his soul will wander as a ghost with a hole in what his heart was supposed to be. He shrieks with agony as his soul rots with his own sins.
	+ There is almost no way to break the curse completely, but to weaken it, by undoing one's own sins or completing penance. It is possible to use the curse for good by using the nightmares as reminders of who to help, and what problems to resolve. Those who reduce and resolve the curse may be freed from it after death.

## See also

* Slavic mythology
* Gdjestranian mythology
* Porasonid mythology
* Sarmelonid pantheon
* Wonao mythology
* Rukanian mythology
* Sevraejan mythology
* Bujanski glossary