Summary page for Kostroma, the Slavic goddess of spring, fertility, and love.
Pantheon:
Deity Of:
Spring, Fertility, Love
Archetype:
Death and Rebirth: Represented the seasonal cycles of nature.
Other Names (a.k.a.):
Russian: Kostroma (Кострома)
Slav: Kostroma
Ukrainian: Kostrubonka (Кострубонька)
Other Pantheons:
Similar to seasonal deities like Belili in Sumerian mythos, Persephone in Greek mythology and Osiris in Egyptian mythology.
Known as the goddess of spring and fertility. Central to rituals marking the arrival of spring.
Played a key role in fertility, death, and rebirth rituals. Represented the renewal of nature’s cycles.
Revered for ensuring agricultural abundance and crop fertility.
Featured in tragic myths with her brother, Kupala. Transformed into the flower Ivan-da-Marya after her death.
Symbolized love, loss, and the cycle of life and nature.
Parents:
Kupalnitsa: goddess of the Night, Lakes, Rivers
Semargl: god of Vegetation, Agriculture, Fire, Moon, Hearth
Siblings:
Kupala: god of Sun, Summer, Fertility, Abundance, Harvest
Consorts:
Kupala: god of Sun, Summer, Fertility, Abundance, Harvest
Children:
None Known
Young Woman: Depicted as a young woman dressed in white. Often held an oak branch symbolizing spring and fertility.
Straw Effigy: Represented by a straw effigy in fertility rituals. The effigy was burned or buried in seasonal rites.
Symbol of Fertility: The effigy embodied fertility energy for agricultural abundance. Rituals aimed to transfer this energy to the fields.
Festival Representation: A young woman from the community symbolized Kostroma in spring festivals. She carried an oak branch, representing the revival of nature.
Weapons:
None Known
Sacred Animals:
The bird Sirin played a role in her tragic myth. Sirin led to the separation of Kostroma and Kupala.
Symbolism:
Oak Branch: Symbolized spring, fertility, and nature’s renewal.
Flower Ivan-da-Marya (Kupalo-Da-Mavka): Represented Kostroma and Kupala’s transformation after death.
Straw Effigy: Embodied fertility and was used in rituals for crop abundance.
Celestial Associations:
None Known
Realms:
Closely tied to the earthly realm of nature and fertility.
Associated with the afterlife through rituals involving her effigy.
Worship Places:
Kostroma was worshiped in fields, villages, and near rivers.
Natural locations like rivers served as key sites for rituals, particularly during spring and summer festivals.
Rituals were common in the Vladimir, Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod, Penza, and Saratov provinces.
Rituals & Divinations:
Ritual processions involved carrying her effigy from villages to rivers.
Effigies of Kostroma were burned, buried, or floated on rivers during fertility rituals.
Divination rituals predicted marriage success through wreaths of flowers.
Girls participated in wreath-throwing games to foresee their marital happiness.
Couples jumped over fire to determine future marriages—holding hands symbolized lasting unions.
Festivals:
Kupala Festival: Celebrated around the summer solstice, marking the end of spring. During the festival ancient Slavs burned or buried Kostroma’s straw effigy during Kupala Festival.
Ivan Kupala Day: June 24, later merged with John the Baptist’s feast in Christian times.
Spring Festivals: Associated with rituals in different Slavic regions like Vladimir and Kostroma provinces.
Semik Festival: Effigies of Kostroma were made during Semik, tied to Jarilo’s day.
Kostroma and Kupala: Central story where they marry, unaware they are siblings. During a festival Kupala picked up Kostroma’s wreath, leading to their marriage by custom. After it was revealed to them that they are actually brother and sister they were devastated.
Cleansing Rituals: To escape their tragic fate they underwent cleansing ritual, by death through fire and water. Fire and water rituals on Kupala Night symbolized cleansing from sin.
Transformation: After their deaths, they transformed into the flower Kupalo-da-Mavka which was later renamed to Ivan-da-Marya.
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- Multiple Authors, Кострома (мифология) (Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia, September 16, 2024)
- Jan Hanuš Máchal, George Foot Moore, Louis Herbert Gray, Slavic Mythology: Folklore & Legends of the Slavs (e-artnow, Originally published 1922, Date Published 2020) Page 127
- Editors of Drevnerus Dictionary, Кострома (Drevenrusskiy Slovar (Russian) Древнерусский словарик, )
- Editors of Godbay.ru, Кострома (Godsbay.ru)