vaesna:Slavic mythological figures [8/?] ↳ LadaA goddess from Slavic folklore, LADA  was worshipped

vaesna:Slavic mythological figures [8/?] ↳ LadaA goddess from Slavic folklore, LADA  was worshipped throughout Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic and other areas of Eastern Europe. She is usually depicted as a young woman with long blonde hairis considered to be the mother of all gods. In the place where she is, there is warmth and comfort, a feeling of you are “home”. The goddess is depicted as a woman in the prime of life and full bodied, symbol of mature motherhood. She is said to return from the underworld every year at the Vernal Equinox, bringing the spring with Her.Lada is represented as a girl with long golden hair sometimes with a wreath of ears of grain braided into her hair, which symbolises her function of fertility deity thus making her an aspect of Mother of Wet Land. A symbol of Sun, a mark of lifegiving power was sometimes on her breasts. As a fertility goddess, Lada has her annual cycles, which can be shown by the belief that she resides in the dwelling place of the dead until the vernal equinox comes. This world of the dead is called Irij, and here, besides Lada, dwells Veles, the horned god of cattle. At the moment when Lada is supposed to come out into the world and bring spring, Gerovit opens the door of Irij letting the fertility goddess bless the earth. At the end of summer, Lada returns to Irij . Although her reign begins on the 21st of March, Lada is primarily the goddess of summer. She follows Vesna, the Slavic spring goddess. However, both of these goddesses are associated with fertility so sometimes it can sometimes be difficult to separate their functions. As we can see, Lada’s reign begins in spring, the proof of which is ladenj, another name for April, given after this goddess. Apart from the Sun, Lada is also associated with rain and hot summer nights, the ideal time for paying respect to the love goddess. Lada’s animals are a cock, a deer, an ant and an eagle, whereas her plants are a cherry, a dandelion, a linden and a peony.A myth says that Lada is married to Svarog who is only with her help able to create the world. According to another one, she is a companion of Jarilo, thus associated with Aphrodyte, whose lover is Ares. -- source link

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