Bestiary · Slavic · Maidens of fate
Rozhanitsy
Also known as: rozhanitsa, rozhanitsy, rozhenitsy, rodzanice, rojenice
The Slavic birth goddesses who decree a child's fate at its birth, honoured with Rod at birth feasts and condemned in the old church texts.
The rozhanitsy are the birth goddesses of the Slavs. Old Russian church texts condemn the "second table" set out for Rod and the rozhanitsy, with loaves, cheeses and honey. Among the Slovenes three sister rojenice come into the hut, sit down at the table and in short sayings decree the fate of the newborn child. They were honoured together with Rod, whose name means "birth, kin": at birth feasts people ate of the offerings, sang songs in honour of Rod and the rozhanitsy and prayed them to be kind to the newborn and endow it with happiness. For Afanasyev, Rod is the god who gives life and decrees the fate of each newborn, at the head of the maidens of fate. He compares the rozhanitsy with the Greek Moirai and the Norse Norns.