Lada: Jump Over Fire For Goddess Of Beauty, Love, And Marriage In Slavic Mythology

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - Ancient belief in Lada, a goddess of beauty, love, and fertility, was widespread in the Baltic and Slavic regions of Europe.

Lada - a goddess in Slavic ancient beliefs. Image credit: Max presnyakov  - CC BY-SA 3.0

Lada and her male counterpart, Lado, are usually referred to together in songs related to wedding ceremonies and activities such as planting and harvesting, accompanied by the Sun, grain, and water.

Sometimes as multiple deities, Lada and Lado were considered to be divine twins or a mother goddess and her son. To the ancient Slavs, the name ‘Lada’ was related to the original goddess of love and the entire order of life, where everything exists in perfect harmony.

Ancient Slavic people used to say symbolically "Lada" when they decided on some important agreements, business, important daily events, or baked pancakes in the spring to honor the reviving of life, plants, and the whole nature. During such events, people sang: sang: Bless, mother, Oh, mother Lada, mother… She was approached with prayers and requests (mostly in spring and summer - the time when nature wakes up from hibernation).

The Slavs believed the goddess Lada was Svarog's wife. In other versions, the god Perun was her husband.

It was believed that any place Lada visited was always warm and comfortable, a home-like place. Usually, she was the mother of all months of the year—Lada—depicted as a woman in the prime of life and full-bodied, a symbol of mature motherhood.

Lada was a young, beautiful girl with long golden hair decorated with pearls in other appearances. A crown wreathed in pink flowers adorned her head, and the goddess seemed to shine. The image of this goddess was often carved out on stones by ancient warriors, who believed that Lada protected their lives and would save them from the enemy.

Lada's symbol is a white swan, which symbolizes purity, loyalty, and mutual understanding. This goddess was designated on amulets with a circle inside, placed in an inverted triangle. The circle represents the entire universe, and the triangle is its center, its heart.

Some scholars have suggested that Lada and Lado are not the names of deities but rather refrain in songs and poetry. Others suggested ‘Lada’ could be related to the Russian word: ‘Lad’ – peace, harmony, union.

However, many songs and historical chronicles provide evidence for a cult of worship, which is historically attested in Russia during springtime fertility rites and in Polish church prohibitions on pagan rituals. Generally, the goddess Lada was known to many European nations, where one ritual—jumping over the fire—was performed in her honor. Its purpose was to ensure fertility and protect people and cattle from evil powers. Offerings to the goddess included sweet honey, beautiful flowers, and ripe liquid berries.

Updated on March 19, 2024

Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer

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