All of the modern historians and you can students evaluating societal interactions certainly the fresh new pre-Christian Slavs, point out that people had the lowest(ish) position inside our ancestors’ communities. Seem to pre-Chrisitan Slavs – males, the newest parents off clans/parents, didn’t esteem brand new advice of your own ladies and you may cared thus nothing regarding their girl, that they failed to actually provide them with best off genetics.
The fresh wreaths of Kupala – a nutshell regarding women’s condition among the many Slavs
The brand new historic supply was written by people and you will, let’s not pretend, have been concerned with facts of men, for this reason, this new supplies cannot discuss much on the female. Among the many very early gothic chronicler published in the a partner, which assisted a great missionary, a differnt one recounted a female called Wiosna, who had been the top off a small grouping of Slavic warriors, and you may… well, as far as i understand, that’s about it. Thanks to this in this post, to determine the benefits and reputation of females about pre-christian Slavis community, in place of analysing historic source, as Witia’s team usually would, we shall analyse the current weather from occasion regarding Kupala – among the many oldest, really recognized nonetheless alive Slavic pagan community.
In which did it have the vegetation off? In which performed they have the virgins?
Weaving wreaths and you may putting her or him towards the lake is the most the very first components of the fresh event from Kupala. Each year within Kupala’s date the fresh new social network are full regarding (primarily half naked) ladies sporting multiple-colorful wreaths. At the same time, most certainly intoxicated by Judaeo-Christian living, the individuals wreaths symbolise purity and virginity, and you may throwing them into lake is assumed so you’re able to symbolise losing of your own oh-co-beloved intimate purity. That it regular picture of affair away from Kupala, definitely extremely catchy and you may news-friendly, stays but in disagreement to the facts worldwide away from our very own ancestors. It remains a mystery exactly how performed the forefathers, instead of the means to access flower shop and you may rose landscapes, exactly how did they be able to find multicoloured plants into the June? And, most importantly, where performed they discover the virgins?
In today’s minutes, to the average life expectancy getting 72.six many years (according to the United nations) family comprise 13% of people, while you are ladies and you can female 44.6%. Approximately an average very early 
gothic village had 30-40* society, where as much as half of – therefore 15-20 – was in fact female. In those times some one stayed far shorter than i perform today, lady 31-thirty-two ages, and you may guys 33-thirty five. Because the society out of pre-Religious Slavs is half of who are only ours, we can believe that teenagers – teenagers ranging from 12 and you can 19 years old – constituted around twenty five% of one’s community your ancestors. Thus regarding fifteen-20 females four or five have been teenagers, and you will some of those 4 or 5 single female exactly how many had been virgins? Possibly you to? Toward an effective year – perhaps a couple of? However, appear to most of the Kupala there were numerous virgins weaving wreaths and you can tossing her or him in water. In which performed men and women virgins come from?!
Away of your unfamiliar supply of the fresh virgins, it’s important to figure out where performed those individuals mystical virgins bring the newest herbs due to their wreaths? The forefathers existed on a secure covered into the 80% because of the tree and you can swamps. Meadows – such as for example common function regarding XXI 100 years surroundings – was basically so much more uncommon. Meadows was indeed found simply within the places that forest would not develop. All of our ancestors didn’t mine the latest belongings as intensely as it is done immediately, so they failed to understand big, regularly reduce pastures, phony meadows, parks otherwise flower home gardens. And therefore, so you can weave good wreath, pre-Christian Slavic lady was required to see plants increasing on the nuts. Inside the June, about temperate climate out of center and eastern European countries multicolored herbs commonly no problem finding – an undeniable fact I verified myself during an area (or in other words a tree) trip to my regional woodland.