In ancient times, the year was divided only into summer and winter, ruled by the goddesses Zhiva and Morena. Later, two more transitional periods were added to this division, which are spring and autumn. It was precisely over these rainy, wet, dry and windy seasons that the two daughters of Stribog and the goddess Pizmar were entrusted with power, namely the goddess of spring - Vesna and the goddess of autumn - Osenh.
VESNA, also called Dolya or Dodolya, like any wind creature, is a cheerful, cheerful, but also changeable goddess. This eternal trickster became the goddess of spring and is considered the goddess of vitality, life, water, rebirth, and the renewal of the world, as well as of art and entertainment.
Her beauty, eternal youth, bright golden hair cascading down to her waist, green eyes, and constant smile on her face managed to seduce even the god Perun, who became her husband.
Vesna, as a wind goddess, is often depicted as a winged goddess, dressed in soft green garments with a wreath of spring flowers on her head.
Although her twin AUTUMN does not have wings, she has even become an often invisible goddess. Sometimes, however, she appears in brown clothes, richly embroidered with gold and copper. Then her rusty hair is fastened with a wreath of fallen leaves, ears of corn and poppies.
Osena was entrusted with the care of the season called autumn and also became the goddess of sleep and dreams. Her windy restlessness manifests itself in creativity, which is why she can also be considered the goddess of art.
Stribog had many children all over the world, among the wind beings from other cultures that should be mentioned as an example is the GENIE. This magical wind creature comes from a desert environment. Stories about them were brought to our ancestors by Arab traders and travelers. They are described as wind beings trapped in lamps and bottles, condemned to fulfill the wishes of their owners.
In reality, genies were very free magical beings, floating above the savannahs and deserts. Their smoky bodies were the bodies of warriors, but sometimes also of various monsters.
Stribog often seduced human maidens as well, with Pizmar, the mother of Vesna and Osenh, being one such example. This gave rise to humans endowed with magical powers. Such individuals, known as ZDUKHACZ, could harness their powers particularly during sleep, when their soul and consciousness were able to leave their body. After leaving the body, the ghost would transform into a smoky cloud with hands and a human face.
A zdukhacz typically used their abilities to fight evil beings and protect their community from destructive weather conditions. Their skill lay in controlling storm clouds, hail, gales, or torrential rains, which they could relocate far from their villages and fields.
But their power also had a dark side, the ghost could transfer destructive forces to the territory of another ghost to bring destruction there.
