Also called Danica, Zornitsa, Zvezda Dennitsa.
Their story
In Serbian and other South Slavic folk songs Danica, the morning star, is a shining maiden who speaks with the Moon and the Sun, and in some songs she is the Moon's sister or bride. East Slavic tradition calls her Dennitsa, the star of the day. Afanasyev read her as part of a family of heavenly bodies, with the Sun as mother or father and the Moon as husband.
Best times to give to them
- before dawn
- Koliada
- Kupala Night
What they like being given
- a candle lit before sunrise
- water
- flowers
How to honour them
- Look for Venus in the dawn sky and make a quiet wish.
- Light a small candle before sunrise on a special day.
How they can help you
- hope
- beauty
- waking early with purpose
Symbols
- the planet Venus before sunrise
- a star
- a crown
She is a figure of folk poetry; treating her as a pantheon goddess is modern.
Sources
- Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, Srpske narodne pjesme (Serbian Folk Songs)
- Alexander Afanasyev, Poetic Views of the Slavs on Nature