Also called Rozhenitsy, Rodzanice, Rozhanitsa.
Their story
Old Russian sermons of the eleventh to fourteenth centuries repeatedly condemn women who set a second table for Rod and the rozhanitsy, with bread, cheese and honey. The rozhanitsy were female spirits linked to birth and to the fate given to a newborn, and they go with the figure of Rod. Their relatives among other Slavs, such as the Czech sudičky and Serbian suđaje, visit a cradle to decide a child's destiny.
Best times to give to them
- after a birth
- Koliada
- Radonitsa
What they like being given
- bread
- cheese
- honey
- porridge (kasha)
How to honour them
- After a birth in the family, set out a small plate of bread, cheese and honey.
- Remember your mothers and grandmothers with a quiet meal.
How they can help you
- pregnancy and birth
- accepting what life brings
- honouring the maternal line
Symbols
- a second table laid for them
- bread, cheese and honey
- embroidered female figures
The rozhanitsy are well attested in sermons, but details of their belief must be inferred from those hostile texts and later folklore.
Sources
- Old Russian sermon "Slovo o idolakh" (Sermon on Idols)
- Old Russian sermon "Slovo nekoego khristoliubtsa"
- Linda J. Ivanits, Russian Folk Belief