Rodnovery: Animal Totems And Spirit Guides

Animal totems and spirit guides were common among many pagan groups including the Native Slavic Faith.

 Some Gods in the Rodnovery pantheon had really strong connections with certain animals. To some extent, they were even shapeshifters who came to our realm of living in the form of animals or animal spirits to interact with humans.

In this article, we will mention the concept of totemism in Slavic Native Faith and how spirit animals are connected to it. You will be given a list of all major Rodnovery deities and their spirit animals.

Rodnovery Background

Before we dive into Rodnovery Gods and their spirit animals, we should take a step back and remind ourselves of how the Rodnovery pantheon of Gods and Goddesses is built, so we can further understand the connection of deities and animals.

Unlike some other old pagan religions, Slavic Native Faith has a monistic theology, where we have a celestial supreme God that brought the Universe into existence. His name is Rod, and he generated a multiplicity of deities who are only independent of Rod itself.

God is singular and plural, and the Universe is just an unfolding manifestation of Rod, while each subsequent creation of Rod, like deities and the whole pantheon, are endowed with freedom and spontaneous will to life and co-creation. There aren’t any real familial relations with deities in the Rodnovery pantheon.

You can read our article Rodnovery: An Introduction to learn more

Totems and Animals

Back when Europe was still majorly pagan, the Slavic people built huge totems to represent their clans. Each tribe would have a totem of a spirit animal of their main deity that was sacred. It was forbidden to kill or eat this special animal during ceremonial rituals and some holidays.

Slavic people have a unique relationship with animals. People from Slavic tribes were mainly hunters and were very close with nature and animals, therefore they believed that animals themselves were our first ancestors and that each tribe or bigger group of Slavs originated from an animal.

As a result, each Slavic tribe or group had its own totem of a sacred spirit animal connected to a deity that they mainly worshiped. The most famous examples are the real close ties between Russians and the Bear, and also Serbs and the Wolf. Both peoples believe that the particular animal is their first ancestor and that they originated from it.

Rodnovery Deities and Their Spirit Animals

Without further redo, let’s dive into the list of Gods and Goddesses and their spirit animals!

Perun

Perun is one of the main deities in the Rodnovery religion. He is the god of lightning and thunder, as well as the God of war. He was depicted as a warrior wielding an ax, spear, or hammer, with an ox on his chest armor. The Ox was considered by the Slavic people to be a powerful animal, with its stature and greatness.

Perun's spirit animal was the ox, and when men went to war they prayed that they would have the power and endurance of it. Ox is the symbol of virility and physical endurance.

Veles

Veles is the counterpart of Perun, his eternal opponent. He rules over the underworld and he is the protector of animals and cattle. He was a trickster and a shapeshifter, and in his everlasting clashing’s with Perun, he would shapeshift in various animals. His animal incarnations were a bull, a bear, a dragon, and a snake.

Veles' spirit animal was the snake. A serpent was his main form of shapeshifting, he was also called the great serpent. Snake is the symbol of fertility and guardianship, as Veles was the guardian of animals.

Veles also has another spirit animal, and that is the bear. The bear stands for strength and wisdom and everlasting balance between our reality, and the underworld.

 Learn more about Veles

Dazbog

Dazbog is a sun, God. His name can translate to “the God of giving”, which may suggest that he was attributed to abundance. His spirit animal was the wolf. Wolves are a symbol of bravery and loyalty.

The wolf was a really important animal for the Slavs, one of the staple animal figures in folklore and in mythology. They adored this animal like no other, and many tribes and groups considered themselves direct descendants of wolves. There was a complete ban on hunting this animal over autumn when Dazbog is celebrated.

The wolves are one of the animals that have their own festival.

Yarilo

Yarilo was the deity of agriculture, he is described as a young, beautiful man with decorated clothes, riding his horse through the meadows. His spirit animal was the horse. Horses were a symbol of masculine energy and fertility.

 Slavic people had special respect and connection with horses as they were a necessary companion in agricultural endeavors, but also transportation means for traveling and for war. Horses, the same as wolves, have their own festival dedicated to celebrating them. During the festival, it's completely forbidden to use horses in war, agriculture, or any other means, let alone to sacrifice or kill one.

Svarog

Svarog is the Rodnovery Allfather, the first creation of the supreme God, Rod. He was a blacksmith, the God of fire, and he is the one who crafted the sun. When it comes to spirit animals, some deities in the Rodnovery pantheon have a spirit animal that is a mythological creature, and Svarog is the main example of this occurrence.

Svarog’s spirit animal is the Rarog. The Rarog is a mythical majestic bird of Svarog, very similar to the concept of a Phoenix, but much smaller, like a falcon. With this comparison, some scholars also consider that the falcon was the spirit animal of Svarog. Falcons are a symbol of victory and superiority.

Svetovid

Svetovid is a chief god in the Slavic pantheon. He was depicted as a four-headed man who can see in all directions at the same time and had incredible insight into everything.

Svetovid’s spirit animal was the eagle. The eagle survived through the ages and can be seen on some crests and flags of Slavic people, for example, the two-headed eagle on the flag of Serbia and the coat of arms of Russia, or the white eagle on the coat of arms of Poland. Eagle was a symbol of the highest aspirations.

Mokosh

Mokosh is the Mother Goddess in the Rodnovery pantheon and a protector of women. She is the embodiment of fertility and feminine energies. She was also the protector of women who would weave wool.

Mokosh’s spirit animal was the sheep and goat. They symbolize fertility, similar to Mokosh who looks over the fertility of women and protects mothers. During celebrations of Mokosh, sheep and goats were banned from being sacrificed or used in feasts.

Morana

 Morana is the Goddess of death and winter. She is tied to the harshest period of the year and was feared by the Slavic peoples, as really cold and long winters in that part of the world took the lives of people with it. Morana was highly respected because you’d need her favor to survive.

Morana’s spirit animal was the cat. Morana, as a Goddess, was endowed with feminine energy, and the cat, especially a black one, was closely tied to her. Cats symbolize rebirth and resurrection. One of the famous superstitions in the world originated here, that the black cat crossing the road in front of you brings you bad luck.

Take Away

Rodnovery didn’t survive well through the ages and the periods of Christianization, so many of the teachings and history went down the abyss without any insight of returning. Connections between deities and animals as well, but I hope that the list of some connections helped you get a feel of how animals were perceived in the Slavic Native Faith.

Author, Marko Rajkovic is from Serbia, Europe, specializing his pagan path in his Native Slavic Faith called Rodnovery and dwelling into Wiccan solitary practices. He loves outdoor adventures, hiking and has lots of animal friends. He is one of the administrators of Pagan Chat Marko writes about Rodnovery and Wicca.