Devana

🏹Devana – Slavic Goddess associated with Hunting, Wildlife, & Forests

🦌Devana or Dziewanna is the Slavic Goddess of hunting and wildlife. She was mentioned by 15th century Polish historian Jan Długosz in Annales seu cronici incliti regni Poloniae (History of Poland).

🐎Some believe that she is connected to the Roman goddess Diana. Many people do not consider Devana a true Slavic deity because the first written account of her was in the Annales seu cronici incliti regni Polanie in the 15th century.

🌲Some scholars doubt her existence in the Slavic pantheon. Despite that though, many do believe in her and the details that follow. The animal that is connected to Devana is the mare, which is considered sacred.

🏔 Mount Devica in Serbia is also connected to this mysterious goddess. Legend says that a rock was found on Mount Devica that displayed a picture of her sacred mare. In mythology it is also discussed that Devana may be the true wife of the Salvic god Veles.

📚Devana appears throughout Russian fairy tales (under the name Vasilisa). Besides being a goddess of the hunt, she is known as a goddess of fertility & love. Some historical records describe Devana as a manifestation of Rodiva-Deva, a great fertile goddess who can be compared to Nerthus, a Germanic goddess with the same traits.

Art: Andrey Shishkin