Mokošica 'THE WOMEN OF SPINNING by Angela

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

SOURCE
bifrost

Mokošica 'THE WOMEN OF SPINNING

i is a single female deity among the names mentioned in the 'Canon of
Vladimir, "and is the goddess Mokošica', which had a place among the
idols that great prince had set up in Kiev before his conversion to
Christianity. Who was this Mokošica ', is unclear. It
seems to be a goddess connected to the earth moist and fertile, the
patron saint of the housework and spinning, and thus, perhaps, a lady of
fate who spins on his distaff the destinies of all creatures.
After being knocked down as a goddess by the name of Mokošica spirit has
survived as the home and women's work: with its large head and his large
hands, it introduces the night in homes, where it disturbs the same row
or spinners wool , or shear the sheep in the fields.

In Christian times Mokošica 'has been identified with St. Paraskeva
Pjatnica to which, as a temple to the goddess, the sacred is the fifth
day, Friday.

Sources
    * Chronicle of the Years Past [6488/980]
    * Text-old Russian Church> Sermon Christoljubec
    * Text-old Russian Church> Sermon of St. Gregory the Theologian

I - PRESENCE OF Mokošica 'in the ancient sources
The goddess Mokošica 'has stood in the chronicle of the past years, between
the idols that the Grand Prince Vladimir of Kiev had erected on the
hill. Only female character mentioned by the
'canon', the text unfortunately does not give us any indication as to
the figure of Mokošica '.

И нача княжити Володимеръ въ Кие†единъ, и постави кумиры на холму внЂ двора
теремнаго: Перуна древяна, а главу его сребрену, а усъ златъ, и Хърса,
Дажьбога, и Стрибога и Симарьгла, и Мокошь.


And he began to reign in Vladimir in Kiev alone, and erected statues on the
hill that was behind the Terem: Perun of wood, with silver head and a
mustache of gold, and CHorse, and Daž'bog, and Stribog, and Semargl, and Mokošica '.

Chronicle of the Years Past [6488/980]
(Translated by Itala Pia Sbriziolo)
In addition to the Chronicle of the past years, the goddess is mentioned in several homilies, which is associated with Vilya. His name was also, according to Ivanov and Toporov, a Ukrainian duma.

These admissions literature, in addition to some information from the folklore that we will see. In the language field, they seem to have reference to the goddess some Russian names, as makusa, Makušenki, makusa and others.

 
II - SEMANTIC ANALYSIS
The name of the goddess Mokošica '(an old Russian Mokošica) is perhaps
connected, through a complex etymology, Russian mot "Hank" (cf. Russian
motajum motâm Slovenian, Czech motám "reel, wrap, plays') (Pisani 1949).
Another etymology connects instead theonym mokryj the Russian verb 'wet' (Mikhailov 1995).
One possibility proposed by scholars, but with little consensus, bring back
the goddess Mokošica 'even the Indian Machas demon, passed in Russia
through the mediation Scythian (although one can not exclude a direct
derivation from a colleague, though unattested, Iranian demon ).

 
III - THE ONLY GODDESS OF 'RENT' Mokošica '
According to one school of thought, Mokošica 'was an ancient goddess of the earth.
Traditional Russian embroidery, which is why, according to Rybakov, overshadowed
the goddess of the ancient Slavs Mokoš'Che knew a goddess of the earth
is acknowledged by most scholars, it's Mat 'Syra Zemlya, the famous
"Mother damp earth of the Russians . According
to Jakobson and Gimbutas, a large number of Slavs, Baltic and
Finno-Ugric share an idea quite similar to the goddess of the earth, the
model would indeed be identified in Iran Ardvī Sura Anahita 'wet mother
of the earth "(Jakobson 1950 , Gimbutas 1967). Most scholars see precisely Mokošica 'the outcome of the Russian mythologeme the "Mother moist earth." This
etymological theory is justified by the hypothesis according to which
the name of the goddess is precisely to reconnect to the Russian mokryj
'wet'.
According to Rybakov, Mokošica 'was a bit' all these things, goddess of fertility and water,
the patron saint of household chores, lady of destiny. The student believed to be represented on one of the four faces of the idol of Zbruch with a drinking horn in one hand. Mokošica
also believes that 'to refer certain traditional Russian embroideries
representing tall figure placed between two horses, a composition that
corresponds to a typical image of the great goddess in the ancient Near
East (Rybakov 1987).

Ivanov Toporov and rely instead on the etymology of alternative Mokošica as goddess of
women's work and the spinning (from the Russian mot "Hank"), to make a
sort of goddess of fate, on the model of Moirai Greek and Scandinavian
Norns. (Ivanov & Toporov 1974 and 1992).

IV - SURVIVAL OF THE DEA Mokošica 'BACK IN FOLKLORE
With the spread of Christianity in Russia and its end of dvoeverie, Mokošica
'was canceled as a deity superior to survive, however, the lower level,
in the folklore of the Eastern Slavs.
For example, in Russian folklore existed, until very recently, a domestic
sprite named Mokošica (Mokoška at Slovenes), a woman with a large head,
long arms and large hands, that during Lent he went to the homes and
harassed the spinners, spinning the night itself, and also watched the sheep shearing (Ivanov & Toporov 1974 and 1992, Mikhailov 1995).
In Christianity, the role of Mokošica 'was taken by the Holy Paraskeva Pjatnica, patron saint of the land and labor camps. This bond of Mokošica 'with a holy calling "Friday" (in greek and paraskevē
pjatnica in Russian) is justified by the fact that this day was, in many
cultures, the day tied to the goddess of fertility (the name of the day
is in fact related Venus in Romance languages and Freyja in Germanic) (Rybakov 1987).