Rozhanitsy Deer Mother
It just occurred to me as I was setting out the Rhozanitsa and Her Daughters Midwinter embroidery, and for the first time the dolly (I actually made her as a gift for someone with whom I’ve lost touch so I’ve never before worked with her), that when I encountered Mama and Baby in the glade in late summer that she was reaching out to me in her Mother aspect.
Northern Slavic/Baltic Finnic embroidery I designed by grouping Russian and Karelian patterns featuring Rozhanitsa and her daughters, bordered by suns (life) at the top, and grave markers (death) at the bottom.
She is an ancient, powerful, antlered goddess archetype in Slavic and broader Eurasian mythology, embodying fertility, fate, and the cycle of life, often depicted with antlers resembling the Tree of Life, bringing the sun back in winter, and linked to modern Midwinter figures like the Deer-Mother (or Antlered Mother) who guarantees animal security, rebirth, and is a culture hero for hunters. Rozhanitsa specifically is a Slavic fate spirit, sometimes depicted with antlers, linking her to this ancient archetype of rebirth and the solar cycle, often associated with women's roles in weaving fate and bringing light.
I dedicate December to the Deer Mother. Here's my introduction to the Deer Mother, why I dedicate the month to her, and what my devotional p
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