Also called Mokoš, Makosh, Mokusha, Mother Moist Earth (a related figure).
Their story
Mokosh is the only goddess named among the idols Prince Vladimir set up in Kiev in 980. Medieval sermons warned women against praying to her, and folk belief long after held that she would punish those who spun on a Friday. Some legends say she walks the villages at night checking on the spinners.
Their day
Friday. Folk tradition links Friday with Mokosh, through her Christian successor St Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, whose name means Friday.
Best times to give to them
- Fridays
- autumn, after the harvest
- the time of spinning bees in winter
- at springs and wells
What they like being given
- wool, yarn or thread
- bread
- milk and honey
- embroidered cloth
- flowers and grain
How to honour them
- Spin, knit, sew or weave something with her in mind.
- Keep a spindle or a skein of wool on your altar.
- Avoid needlework on a Friday as a sign of respect, as village women once did.
- Visit a spring or well and leave a ribbon or thread there, where appropriate.
How they can help you
- pregnancy and childbirth
- crafts, especially textiles
- women's health
- weaving your own fate
- home and household
Symbols
- the spindle
- wool and thread
- a woman with raised hands (in embroidery)
- springs and wells
- the lozenge pattern
Sources are thin and much of what is said about Mokosh today is reconstruction from folklore and later saints' customs.