Mother Goddess Mokosh

[Luna Arjuna]

The Slavic Mother Goddess Mokosh was worshipped in Ukraine up until the 10th Century C.E., with instances of her survival into the 19th Century when she was worshipped as breast-shaped boulders or "Mokosh stones" with rule of birth and death, and peasant rituals and festivals right down to the present day retain features of Mokosh worship. Throw in the native religion revival of Slavic neo-pagans today and Mokosh is the oldest continously worshipped European goddess whose name is remembered.

She may have originated as an indiginous goddess among Finno-Ugric tribes. Her name means "She is Wetness," indicating association with rivers and rainfall though it is also an erotic allusion. She was noted as a spinner and weaver, and for her far-reaching travels.
roughout Eastern Europe she was Artemis-like as a protector of women and orchestrator of women's destinies. During Kiev's christianization, citizens were warned against the worship of Mokosh, but by changing her name to St. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa (a personification of the day of Christ's crucifixion with many of Mokosh's attributes) or even as the Virgin Mary, it was not possible to root out Mother Goddess worship in one guise or another.

There are today several villages and geographical toponyms in Slovenia, Bosnia, and Croatia that echo her name.

In Siberia today, primitively designed "Mokosh dolls" are carved for sale to tourists or gifts for girls. The one shown has a spiral face, the spiral symbolizing the Earthmother. The embroidery on her tunic includes the Tree of Life growing from a Mokosh symbol. Similarly embroidered wall-art of Mokosh is hung to protect homes and kitchens.

In Ukraine, cloth Mokosh folk dolls are common girls' toys (the dolls can look like basic peasant girls or grandmotherly babooshkas since Mokosh has maidenly and crone aspects) or with more unusual designs serving as family luck charms.