Summary page for Zimerzla, the Slavic goddess of winter.
Pantheon:
Deity Of:
Winter
Archetype:
Destroyer goddess: She symbolized the death of nature in winter.
Other Names (a.k.a.):
Russian: Zimerzla (Зимерзла)
Slav: Zimerzla, Zimarzla, Simargla, Zimaragla, Zimaerzla
Key figure in Slavic culture due to her control over winter’s severity.
Ruled winter with icy winds, frost, and snowstorms.
Feared and revered for her cruelty during harsh winters.
Ancient Slavs prayed to her for mercy from cold and frost.
Depicted as the queen of winter with a crown of ice.
Parents:
None Known
Siblings:
None Known
Consorts:
None Known
Children:
Frost personified were considered to be her children
She stood as the queen of winter, draped in frost and snow.
Her cloak shimmered with icy layers, woven from the breath of winter itself.
An ice crown, glittering with hailstones, crowned her head like a frozen storm.
Pale skin and red cheeks captured the cold’s fierce beauty, frost biting her lips.
Icicle earrings glistened, echoing the silence of frozen winds.
Blizzards and snowstorms bowed to her will, swirling in her wake.
As winter faded, her beauty withered, revealing an ancient crone of frost.
Weapons:
Her power over frost, blizzards, and cold acted as her “weapons.”
Frost and freezing winds symbolized her destructive force in winter.
Sacred Animals:
None Known
Symbolism:
Frost, snow, and ice represented her dominion over winter’s harshness.
Wore a crown of ice and hailstones, symbolizing her control over cold.
Her breath symbolized frost, as did her frost-covered clothing.
Her transformation into spring symbolized renewal and the cycle of death and rebirth.
Celestial Associations:
Her domain was tied to winter, not the heavens.
Realms:
Ruled over the realm of winter as its queen.
Associated with frosty landscapes, snowstorms, and icy winds.
Governed the cold months, embodying the harshness of winter.
Worship Places:
No specific temples or locations dedicated to Zimerzla were found.
Her worship occurred primarily through rituals and prayers, not linked to specific sites.
Rituals & Divinations:
People prayed to Zimerzla for mercy from the harshness of winter.
Rituals focused on asking her to protect homes and crops from frost.
Festivals:
Celebrations occurred at winter’s end as Zimerzla transformed into an old woman.
This event marked the joyful departure of winter and the arrival of spring.
Her role focused on personifying winter and the seasonal transformation.
Embodied winter’s harshness, transforming into spring as the seasons changed.
Symbolized the natural seasonal cycle, with winter “dying” and spring “reborn.”
Visit All Slavic Gods & Goddesses
- G. Glinka, V. Zhukovskiy, A. Gilferding, Slavyanskaya Mifologia (Beliy Gorod, 2020) ЗИМЕРЗЛА, Page 51
- A. Kononenko, L.P. Virovetz, Encyclopedia of Slavic Culture, Writings and Mythology (Russian Version) Энциклопедия славянской культуры, письменности и мифологии (Folio, Kharkiv, 2013) Зимерзла, Page 226
- Editors of Drevnerusskiy Slovar, Зимерзла (Drevenrusskiy Slovar (Russian) Древнерусский словарик, 2010-2024)