Could you share some interesting bits about bereginias? They are rarely mentioned by Poles but seem most intriguing.
It being a personal gnosis night, I am sharing a (somewhat) new and exciting private theory.
The current understanding of these characters is that of protective feminine spirits of an exceptionally benevolent disposition, as suggested here, for example - which is also a fine example of the habitual blurring of the line between human and non-human spirits.
That said, it is well-known that their very name is disputed, being derived, as far as can be judged, either from the word "to protect" or "shore".
As potential water spirits, they can be linked with rusalkas, who in themselves bear the ambiguity of aiding in earth's fertility through their association with water and being a direct threat to humans. As protectors, therefore, the association is formed with other divinities who are decidedly patrons of fertility, such as Maty Syra Zemlia.
From that one may glean the connection between the life-giving powers and safety in a Slavic mind, but also that something that can be helpful not necessarily is such in relation to humans. Effectively, the vital and life-giving principle of earth is concerned with itself, and human beings factor in as one element within nature, and as persons capable of forming a relationship with others, corporeal or not. Life, civilisation, and goodness, too, are not separated from death, wilderness, and danger: all is one, all shifts its status, and all has the potential to go either way.
In the context of the above contemplation, they might not be dissimilar from the Norse Disir, as well.
