Żadanice - Slavic Folk Magic Rag-Dolls

[Shub Niggurath]

Slavic folklore never ceases to surprise me. The more I'm digging into my roots the more it fascinates me.
Recently I've discovered that there is a Slavic equivalent of Voodoo/Hoodoo dolls - Żadanice.
Unlike the dolls in other traditions, Żadanice (also known as Motanki) are supposed to be household guardians, lucky charms or wish-fulfilling amulets etc.
They are made out of fabric scraps - no sewing, only knots and ties allowed. Their purpose depends on what they're filled with.
Żadanice have no faces because it was believed that if they had any facial features they'd gain free will

Ziarnuszka - a female rag-doll filled with buckwheat; is supposed to guard the household's abundance, making sure that the family is always well-fed and never lacks basic supplies;

Bogacz - a male rag-doll also filled with buckwheat; is supposed to attract abundance into the household;


Bogacz and Ziarnuszka - both should be placed in the main living room of the house (sadly I don't know who's the owner of this photograph, found a link here)

Love attracting doll - a female rag-doll with a birch tree twig inside; is supposed to attract love into her owner's life;


Love attracting doll (Found here: Click)

A prosperity doll - a tiny rag-doll charm with a button inside; is supposed to protect the owner, attract luck, health and prosperity;


Prosperity rag-dolls - should be carried around, just like regular amulets (Source: same as the first photo)


There's probably much more but that's all I could find for now. I'm truly fascinated by those rag-dolls and I'm definitely going to make one for myself soon.
I hope anyone found this thread informative and/or interesting

[SnowCat]

That's interesting. I love learning about other cultures and traditions. Thank you for sharing that.

Snow

[azriel]

These dolls are quite adorable! Would there be a specific place in the house that one would put them? Just out of curiosity's sake.

Thanks for sharing!

Azriel
^-^~

[Shub Niggurath]

Would there be a specific place in the house that one would put them? Just out of curiosity's sake.

Oh, they should be placed in the "heart" of the household - in the past that probably would've been the kitchen, nowadays - it's the living room. It should be placed in a visible spot. A lot of Rodnovers (Slavic pagans following the Old Ways) have altars or shrines in their living rooms so that's where they would place the rag-doll. Basically any display spot should work


I'm glad you found it interesting, SnowCat and Azriel!

[azriel]

Thank you for the answer!

I agree with SnowCat in that learning about others cultures and their traditions is quite exciting!

Azriel
^-^~

[Nightwatcher]

Oooh, this is really interesting!

[Echo_of_shadows]

Those tiny prosperity dolls are so cute. I bet you could incorporate a little knot magick into their strings.

[Kassandra]

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Wonderful share, Levitating Cat. Thanks.




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[Shub Niggurath]

Thanks for the info and lovely images!
Which Slavic nationality/country are these dolls attributed to?

I am Russian, and have also been interested in researching the folk traditions & magical practices of the cultures that comprise my heritage (Russian, Ukrainian & Polish).

From my family, books, and Russian fairytales, I've learned that the "Heart of the Home" (at least in Russia) was the Russian Oven, called a "Pech(/ka)"
http://pinterest.com/pin/359584351467778144/
The Russian Oven was much more than a cooking stove and cooking range -- it also encompassed a communal area, heating system, and toasty sleeping area for the entire cottage ("Izba" or "Izbushka").
In modern days, the equivalent would probably be a fireplace mantlepiece, or the kitchen stove.

As far as I'm informed Żadanice were the most popular and probably originiated in Belarus but they're pretty popular amongst Slavic pagans in other countries too.
And I know what you mean with the oven - it was the same in Poland too (I'm Polish) - in my granparents' and great-grandparents' houses these ovens are still there Sadly, contemporarily we don't have these kinds of ovens traditionally built in modern houses and most of the families spend their time together in livingrooms instead of the kitchen so I guess it's safe to say that it could be nominated as the modern Heart of the Home.
Good to see a fellow Slav interested in our ancestral traditions - welcome to the forum, Paulina!

[Yex]

Thanks for sharing! This is of interest to me: not only do I have some Slavic roots (well, Ashkenazi Jews from the Russian Empire, but still...), but I also happen to have a wood burning stove in my current house that serves as a focal point of the living room, and as a source of heat in the wintertime. I might have to create some of these critters and put display them on there.