Summary page for Karna, the Slavic goddess of mourning, sorrow, and lamentations.
Pantheon:
Deity Of:
Mourning, Sorrow, Lamentations
Archetype:
Destroyer Deity: Associated with death, grief, and mourning rituals.
Other Names (a.k.a.):
Russian: Karna (Карна)
Slav: Carna, Karna, Kruchina, Kurnitsa
Ukrainian: Karna (Карна)
Karna was known as the goddess of sorrow and mourning.
She presided over funeral rites, lamenting the dead.
Karna was revered for guiding souls to the afterlife after funerals.
She mourned fallen warriors, especially those who died far from home.
Karna performed mourning rituals on battlefields at night.
She and her sister, Zhelya, foretold which warriors would die in battle.
Karna was tied to the afterlife, guiding souls to Virey or Iriy.
Siblings:
Zhelya: goddess of Mourning, Sorrow, Death
Consorts:
None Known
Children:
None Known
Karna was portrayed as a woman in long black robes.
Her dark clothing symbolized mourning, grief, and death.
Ancient artists depicted her at funerals and battlefields.
Karna lamented the dead, especially after battles.
She was often shown performing mourning rituals at night.
Weapons:
Karna was not associated with any specific weapons.
She was primarily linked to mourning and funeral rites, not weaponry.
Sacred Animals:
Karna was symbolically connected to the falcon.
The falcon represented the souls of fallen warriors in her mourning rituals.
Symbolism:
Karna’s black robes symbolized mourning, grief, and death.
The falcon symbolized the souls of the deceased, especially fallen warriors.
Her attire and the falcon both represented her connection to death and lamentation.
Celestial Associations:
Karna had no direct associations with celestial bodies, planets, stars, or moons.
She was mainly connected to sorrow, mourning, and death.
Realms:
Karna was associated with Virey (a.k.a. Iriy), the afterlife realm where souls went after death.
She guided the souls of the deceased to Virey after funeral rites.
Worship Places:
There were no specific temples dedicated to Karna in Slavic tradition.
She was honored during funeral rites and mourning ceremonies.
Rituals & Divinations:
After battles, Karna lamented the fallen warriors at night.
She was present at all burial ceremonies, guiding souls to the afterlife.
Mourning rituals, including wailing and weeping, were performed in her name.
Invoking Karna’s and Zhelya’s names was believed to ease souls and prevent misfortune.
War Themes: Karna mourned fallen warriors after battles, especially those far from home.
Death and Mourning Themes: She personified grief, sorrow, and guided souls to the afterlife.
Legends and Stories: In “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” Karna and her sister Zhelya mourned the fallen soldiers of Prince Igor’s army.
Visit All Slavic Gods & Goddesses
- A. Kononenko, L.P. Virovetz, Encyclopedia of Slavic Culture, Writings and Mythology (Russian Version) Энциклопедия славянской культуры, письменности и мифологии (Folio, Kharkiv, 2013) Карна, Pages 230-231
- Mayevska Svitlana Vasilivna, Pantheon of Slavic Gods (Ukrainian) Презентація ПАНТЕОН СЛОВ’ЯНСЬКИХ БОГІВ – ТО НАШЕ НЕБО. (Na Urok (Ukrainian) «НА УРОК», April 01)
- Editors of Drevnerusskiy Slovar, Карна (Drevenrusskiy Slovar (Russian) Древнерусский словарик, 2010-2024)