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{{Short description|Slavic guardian deity of the dawn}}
{{About|mythology|other uses|Zorya (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Slavic
| name = Zorya
| image =
| caption =
| other_names = Zaranitsa, Zarya, Zara, Zaria, Zoryushka
| greek_equivalent = [[Eos]]
| roman_equivalent = [[Aurora (mythology)|Aurora]]
| hinduism_equivalent = [[Ushas]]
| color = Red, gold, yellow, rose
| siblings = Sun ([[Dažbog]]), Moon, [[Danica (mythology)|Zvezda]]
| god_of = Dawn
| Indo-european_equivalent = [[H₂éwsōs]]
}}
'''Zorya''' ([[Literal translation|lit.]] "Dawn"; also many variants: '''Zarya''', '''Zaria''', '''Zorza''', '''Zirnytsia''', '''Zaranitsa''', '''Zoryushka''', etc.) is a figure in Slavic folklore, a feminine [[personification]] of [[dawn]], possibly [[goddess]]. Depending on tradition, she may appear as a singular entity, or two or three sisters at once. Although Zorya is etymologically unrelated to the Proto-Indo-European goddess of the dawn [[H₂éwsōs|''*H₂éwsōs'']], she shares most of her characteristics. She is often depicted as the sister of the [[Sun]], the [[Moon]], and [[Danica (mythology)|Danica]], the [[Venus|Morning Star]] with which she is sometimes identified.{{sfn|Graves|1987|pp=290–291}} She lives in the Palace of the Sun, opens the gate for him in the morning so that he can set off on a journey through the sky, guards his white horses,{{efn|In a tale Zorya is described as preparing the "fiery horses" of her brother, the Sun, at the beginning and at the end of the day.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Peroš |first1=Zrinka |last2=Ivon |first2=Katarina |last3=Bacalja |first3=Robert |title=More u pričama Ivane Brlić-Mažuranić |journal=Magistra Iadertina |volume=2 |year=2007 |doi=10.15291/magistra.880 |doi-access=free }}</ref>}} she is also described as a virgin.{{sfn|Zarubin|1971|pp=70–76}} In the Eastern Slavic tradition of [[zagovory]] she represents the supreme power that a practitioner appeals to.{{sfn|Toporkov|1995|p=189}}
== Etymology ==
The Slavic word ''zora'' "dawn, aurora" (from [[Proto-Slavic language|Proto-Slavic]] ''*zoŗà''), and its variants, comes from the same root as the Slavic word ''zrěti'' ("to see, observe", from PS ''*zьrěti''), which originally may have meant "shine". The word ''zara'' may have originated under the influence of the word ''žar'' "heat" (PS ''*žarь''). PS ''*zoŗà'' comes from the [[Proto-Balto-Slavic language|Proto-Balto-Slavic]] ''*źoriˀ'' (cf. Lithuanian ''žarà'', ''žarijà''), the etymology of the root is unclear.{{sfn|Derksen|2008|pp=548, 541}}
== Comparative mythology ==
{{Main|H₂éwsōs}}
The [[Proto-Indo-European mythology|Proto-Indo-European]] reconstructed goddess of the dawn is [[H₂éwsōs|''*H₂éwsōs'']]. Her name was [[Etymology|reconstructed]] using a [[comparative method]] on the basis of the names of Indo-European goddesses of the dawn, e.g. [[Greek mythology|Greek]] [[Eos]], [[Roman mythology|Roman]] [[Aurora (mythology)|Aurora]], or [[Vedic mythology|Vedic]] [[Ushas]]; similarly, on the basis of the common features of the goddesses of the dawn, the features of the Proto-Indo-European goddess were also reconstructed.
Although the Zorya cult is only attested in folklore, its roots go back to Indo-European antiquity, and the Zorya herself manifests most of ''*H₂éwsōs'' characteristics.{{sfn|Váňa|1990|p=61}} Zorya shares the following characteristics with most goddesses of the dawn:
# She appears in the company of [[Saint George|St. George]] and [[Saint Nicholas|St. Nicholas]] (interpreted as [[divine twins]]){{sfn|Sańko|2018|pp=15–40}}
# Red, gold, yellow, rose colors{{sfn|Zarubin|1971|pp=70–76}}{{sfn|Afanasyev|1865|pp=81–85, 198}}
# She lives overseas, on the island of [[Buyan]]{{sfn|Shedden-Ralston|1872|p=376}}{{sfn|Zarubin|1971|pp=70–76}}
# Opens the door to the Sun{{sfn|Graves|1987|pp=290–291}}{{sfn|Zarubin|1971|pp=70–76}}
# She owned a golden boat and a silver oar
[[File:Две Зари.png|thumb|311x311px|Evening and morning Zoryas from [[Chludov Psalter]]]]
L.A. Zarubin, who was a Slavonic scholar of the 20th century, undertook a comparison between Slavic folklore and the Indo-Aryan ''[[Rigveda]]'' and ''[[Atharvaveda]]'', where images of the Sun and its companions, the Dawns, have been preserved. These images date back to ancient concepts from the initially [[Fetishism|fetishistic]] (the Sun in the form of a ring or circle) to the later [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]]. Chludov's Novgorod Psalter of the late 13th century contains a miniature depicting two women. One of them, fiery red, signed as "morning zorya", holds a red sun in her right hand in the form of a ring, and in her left hand she holds a torch resting on her shoulder, ending in a box from which emerges a light green stripe passing into dark green. This stripe ends in another woman's right hand, in green, signed as "evening zorya", with a bird emerging from her left sleeve. This should be interpreted as the Morning Zorya releasing the Sun on its daily journey, and at sunset the Evening Zorya awaits to meet the Sun. A very similar motif was found in a [[Nasik Caves|cave temple]] from the 2nd or 3rd century AD in [[Nashik]], [[India]]. The bas-relief depicts two women: one using a torch to light the circle of the Sun, and the other expecting it at sunset. Some other bas-reliefs depict two goddesses of the dawn, Ushas and Pratyusha, and the Sun, accompanied by Dawns, appears in several hymns. The Sun in the form of a wheel appears in the Indo-Aryan ''Rigveda'', or the Norse ''Edda'', as well as in folklore: during the annual festivals of the [[Germanic peoples]] and Slavs, they lit a wheel which, according to medieval authors, was supposed to symbolize the sun.{{sfn|Zarubin|1971|pp=70–76}}
Similar images to the one from the Psalter and the Nashik appear in various parts of Slavic lands, e.g. On a carved and painted gate of a [[Slovakia|Slovak]] peasant estate (village of [[Očová]]): on one of the pillars is carved the Morning Zorya, with a golden head, above her is a glow, and even higher is the Sun, which rolls along an arched road, and on the other pillar is carved the Evening Zorya, above it is a setting sun. There are also darkened suns on this relief, possibly ''dead suns'' appearing in Slavic folklore. These motifs are also confirmed by the Russian saying "The sun will not rise without the Morning Zoryushka". Such a motif was also found on the back of a 19th-century [[sled]] where the Sun, in the form of a circle, is in the palace and two Zoryas stand in the exit, and on a peasant [[rushnyk]] from the [[Tver Region|Tver region]] where Zoryas on horseback rides up to the Sun, one is red and the other is green.{{sfn|Zarubin|1971|pp=70–76}}
===Baltic mythology===
According to scholarship, Lithuanian folklore attests a similar dual role for luminous deities Vakarine and Ausrine:<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Razauskas |first1=Dainius |title=Iš baltų mitinio vaizdyno juodraščių: Aušrinė (ir Vakarinė) |journal=Liaudies kultūra |date=2011 |pages=17–25 |url=https://www.lituanistika.lt/content/32737 |language=lt }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Zaroff |first1=Roman |title=Organized Pagan Cult in Kievan Rus'. The Invention of Foreign Elite or Evolution of Local Tradition?Organizirani poganski kult v kijevski državi. Iznajdba tuje elite ali razvoj krajevnega izročila? |journal=Studia mythologica Slavica |date=5 May 2015 |volume=2 |pages=47 |doi=10.3986/sms.v2i0.1844 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Vakarine, the Evening Star, made the bed for solar goddess [[Saulė]], and [[Aušrinė]], the Morning Star, lit the fire for her as she prepared for another day's journey.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Straižys |first1=Vytautas |last2=Klimka |first2=Libertas |title=The Cosmology of the Ancient Balts |journal=Journal for the History of Astronomy |volume=28 |issue=22 |year=1997 |pages=S57–S81 |doi=10.1177/002182869702802207 |s2cid=117470993 |bibcode=1997JHAS...28...57S }}</ref> In other accounts, Ausrine and Vakarine are said to be daughters of the female Sun (Saule) and male Moon (Meness),<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Razauskas |first1=Dainius |title=Dievo vaikaitis: žmogaus vieta lietuvių kosmologijoje |journal=Tautosakos darbai |date=2011 |pages=131–158 |url=https://www.lituanistika.lt/content/33049 |language=lt }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Laurinkienė |first1=Nijolė |title=Dangiškųjų vestuvių mitas |journal=Liaudies kultūra |date=2019 |pages=25–33 |url=https://www.lituanistika.lt/content/81896 |language=lt }}</ref> and they tend their mother's palace and horses.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Andrews |first1=Tamra |title=Dictionary of Nature Myths: Legends of the Earth, Sea, and Sky |date=2000 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-513677-7 |page=20 }}</ref>
== Russian tradition ==
In Russian tradition, they often appear as two virgin sisters: Zorya Utrennyaya (Morning Zorya, from ''útro'' "morning") as the goddess of dawn, and Zorya Vechernyaya (Evening Aurora, from ''véčer'' "evening") as the goddess of dusk.<ref>{{cite book |last=Christian |first=R. F. |chapter=RUSSIAN |title=Eos: An enquiry into the theme of lovers' meetings and partings at dawn in poetry |editor=Arthur T. Hatto |pages=658-676 [659] |location=Berlin, Boston |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |date=1965 |quote=Another point of general interest is the Russian conception of the dual nature of the dawn. Numerous examples reveal the existence of two Dawns who are sisters - the Morning Dawn (''Utrennyaya Zarya'') and the Evening Dawn (''Vechernyaya Zarya''). The latter refers to  the after-glow of sunset and is frequently contrasted with the morning or 'white' dawn, with the midnight period as the mean between the two  extremes. |doi=10.1515/9783111703602-047}}</ref> Each was to stand on a different side of the golden throne of the Sun. The Morning Zorya opened the gate of the heavenly palace when the Sun set out in the morning, and the Evening Zorya closed the gate when the Sun returned to his abode for the night.{{sfn|Graves|1987|pp=290–291}}{{sfn|Zarubin|1971|pp=70–76}} The headquarters of Zorya was to be located on [[Buyan]] Island.{{sfn|Shedden-Ralston|1872|p=375}}
A myth from a later period speaks of three Zoryas and their special task:{{sfn|Graves|1987|pp=290–291}}
{{Blockquote|author=|title=|text=There are in the sky three little sisters, three little Zorya: she of the Evening, she of Midnight, and she of Morning. Their duty is to guard a dog which is tied by an iron chain to the constellation of the [[Ursa Minor|Little Bear]]. When the chain breaks it will be the end of the world.}}
===In folk incantations and popular medicine===
''Zara-Zaranitsa Krasnaya Devitsa'' (aka "Dawn the Red Maiden") appears interchangeably with Maria ([[Theotokos|Mother of God]]) in different versions of the same [[zagovory]] plots as the supreme power that a practitioner applies to.{{sfn|Toporkov|1995|p=189}}
She was also prayed to as Zarya for good harvests and health:{{sfn|Shedden-Ralston|1872|pp=362–363}}
{{Blockquote|author=|title=|text=Ho, thou morning zarya, and thou evening zarya! fall upon my rye, that it may grow up tall as a forest, stout as an oak!}}
{{Blockquote|author=|title=|text=Mother zarya [apparently twilight here] of morning and evening and midnight! as ye quietly fade away and disappear, so may both sicknesses and sorrows in me, the servant of God, quietly fade and disappear—those of the morning, and of the evening, and of the midnight!}}
Professor Bronislava Kerbelytė cited that in Russian tradition, the Zoryas were also invoked to help in childbirth (with the appellation "зорки заряночки") and to treat the baby (calling upon "заря-девица", or "утренняя заря Параскавея" and "вечерняя заря Соломонея").<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kerbelytė |first1=Bronislava |title=Folkloro duomenys - senosios raštijos žinių vertinimo priemonė |journal=Tautosakos darbai |date=2009 |pages=13–30 |url=https://www.lituanistika.lt/content/20987 |language=lt }}</ref>{{efn|"Заря-зарница, красная дѣвица,/ Утренняя заря Прасковья, Крикса, Фокса, / Уйми свой крикъ и дай младенцу сонъ. / Заря-зарница, молодая дѣвица, / Вечерняя варя Соломонѳя, Крикса, Фокса, / Уйми свой крикъ и дай младенцу сонъ".<ref>"[https://archive.org/details/popow1903/page/231/mode/2up Русская народно-бытовая медицина]" [Russian folk-medicine]: [https://www.prlib.ru/item/442408 по материалам этнографического бюро князя В. Н. Тенишева] / Д-р мед. Г. Попов. С.Петербург: тип. А. С. Суворина, 1903. p. 232.</ref>}}
Zarya was also invoked as protectress and to dispel nightmares and sleeplessness:
:Заря, зарница, васъ три сестрицы, утренняя, полуденная, вечерняя, полуночная, сыми съ раба Божія (имя) тоску, печаль, крикъ, безсонницу, подай ему сонъ со всѣхъ сторонъ, со всѣхъ святыхъ, со всѣхъ небесныхъ.<ref>"[https://archive.org/details/popow1903/page/231/mode/2up Русская народно-бытовая медицина]" [Russian folk-medicine]: по материалам этнографического бюро князя В. Н. Тенишева / Д-р мед. Г. Попов. С.Петербург: тип. А. С. Суворина, 1903. p. 232.</ref>
In another incantation, Zarya-Zarnitsa is invoked along with a "morning Irina" and a "Midday Daria" to dispel a child's sadness and take it away "beyond the blue ocean".<ref>"Заря-зарница, красная дѣвица, утренняя Ирина, Дарья полуденная, прійдите, возьмите денной іфикъ и полуденный полу крикъ, отнесите его въ темные лѣса, въ далекіе края, за синія моря, на желтые пески, во имя Отца". "[https://archive.org/details/popow1903/page/231/mode/2up Русская народно-бытовая медицина]" [Russian folk-medicine]: по материалам этнографического бюро князя В. Н. Тенишева / Д-р мед. Г. Попов. С.Петербург: тип. А. С. Суворина, 1903. p. 232.</ref>{{efn|Other songs and charms can be found in "РУССКИЙ КАЛЕНДАРНО-ОБРЯДОВЫЙ ФОЛЬКЛОР СИБИРИ И ДАЛЬНЕГО ВОСТОКА. ПЕСНИ. ЗАГОВОРЫ". Издание подготовили Ф.Ф.Болонев, М.Н.Мельников, Н.В.Леонова. Научный редактор В.С.Кузнецова. Новосибирск: Наука Сибирское предприятие РАН, 1997. pp. 397, 410, 417, 420-422, 428-429, 432-433, 460.}}{{efn|Further charms are found in Майков Л. Н. "Великорусские заклинания". С.-Петербург: 1869. pp. 32-33, 42, 51, 97, 107, 111.}}
===Further attestation===
Croatian historian [[Natko Nodilo]] noted in his study ''The Ancient Faith of the Serbs and the Croats'' that the ancient Slavs saw Zora as a "shining maiden" (''"svijetla" i "vidna" djevojka''), and Russian riddles described her as a maiden that lived in the sky ("Zoru nebesnom djevojkom").<ref>Banov, Estela. "Nodilova mitološka razmatranja kao arhitekst Pričama iz davnine Ivane Brlić–Mažuranić" [The mythological in the work of Vladimir Nazor and Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić (Slavic Legends and Tales of Long Ago)]. ''Stoljeće Priča iz davnine Ivane Brlić-Mažuranić''. Kos-Lajtman, Andrijana; Kujundžić, Nada; Lovrić Kralj, Sanja (ur.). Zagreb: Hrvatske udruge istraživača dječje književnosti, 2018. pp. 113-130.</ref>
As for the parentage of the Dawn, she is referred "in a Russian song" as "dear little Dawn" and as the "Sister of the Sun".<ref>Ralston, William Ralston Shedden. ''The songs of the Russian people, as illustrative of Slavonic mythology and Russian social life''. London: Ellis & Green. 1872. p. 170.</ref>
== Belarusian tradition ==
In [[Belarus]]ian folklore she appears as Zaranitsa (Зараніца) or as Zara-zaranitsa (Зара-Зараніца). In one of the passages, Zaranica is met by [[Saint George|St. George]] and [[Saint Nicholas|St. Nicholas]], who, according to comparative mythology, function as [[divine twins]], who in Indo-European mythologies are usually brothers of the goddess of the dawn: "Saint George was walking with Saint Nicholas and met Aurora".{{sfn|Sańko|2018|pp=15–40}}
In folklore she also appears in the form of a riddle:{{sfn|Shedden-Ralston|1872|pp=349–350}}
{{Blockquote|author=|title=|text=Zara-zaranitsa, a beautiful virgin, was walking in the sky, and dropped her keys. The moon saw them, but said nothing. The sun saw them, and lifted them up.}}
This is about the [[dew]], which the moon does not react to and which disappears under the influence of the sun.{{sfn|Shedden-Ralston|1872|pp=349–350}} ''Zara'' is probably simply the goddess of the dawn, and can be translated literally as "Dawn", and ''Zaranica'' is a [[diminutive]] and may indicate respect towards her.{{sfn|Sańko|2018|pp=15–40}}
In Belarusian tradition, the stars are sometimes referred to as ''zorki''<ref>Moskalik, Michael. ''[https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/id/9f505433-7741-429d-987f-6afeccb58fd6/1002846.pdf Janka Kupała: Der Sänger des weissruthenischen Volkstums]''. München/Berlin: Verlag Otto Sagner, 1961. p. 131.</ref> and ''zory'',<ref name=Avilin2008>{{cite journal |last1=Avilin |first1=Tsimafei |title=Astronyms in Belarussian folk beliefs |journal=Archaeologia Baltica |date=20 December 2008 |volume=10 |pages=29–34 |url=https://e-journals.ku.lt/journal/AB/article/1245/info }}</ref> such as the star [[Polaris]], known as ''Zorny Kol'' ('star pole') and ''polunochna zora'' ('star of midnight').<ref name=Avilin2008/>
== Polish tradition ==
In Polish folklore, there are three sister Zoras (''Trzy Zorze''): '''Morning Zorza''' (Polish: ''Zorza porankowa'' or ''Utrenica''), '''Midday Zora''' (''Zorza południowa'' or ''Południca'') and '''Evening Zora''' (''Zorza wieczorowa'' or ''Wieczornica''), which appear in Polish folk charms and, according to Andrzej Szyjewski, represent a threefold division of the day.{{sfn|Szyjewski|2003|p=71}} They also function as [[Deities and fairies of fate in Slavic mythology|Rozhanitsy]]:{{sfn|Grzegorzewic|2016}}
{| style="margin:auto;"
|
: ''Zarze, zarzyce, three sisters.''
: ''The Mother of God went on the sea, gathering golden froth;''
: ''St. John met her: Where are you going, Mother?''
: ''I am going to cure my little son.''{{sfn|Vrtel-Wierczyński|1923|p=60}}
|
: ''Zorzyczki, zorzyczki,''
: ''there are three of you''
: ''she of morning,''
: ''she of midday,''
: ''she of evening.''
: ''Take from my child the crying,''
: ''give him back his sleep.''{{sfn|Czernik|1985|p=123}}
|
: ''Zorze, zorzeczeńki!''
: ''You're all my sisters!''
: ''Get on your crow horse''
: ''And ride for my companion (lover).''
: ''So he cannot go without me''
: ''neither sleep nor eat,''
: ''nor sit down, nor talk.''
: ''That I may please him in standing, in working, in willing.''
: ''That I may be thankful and pleasant to God and men,''
: ''and this companion of mine.''{{sfn|Greater Poland Digital Library}}
|}
Another folk saying from Poland is thus: ''Żarze, zarzyczki, jest was trzy, zabierzcie od mojego dziecka płakanie, przywróćcie mu spanie''.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Dlaczego nie obserwujemy więcej komet? |journal=Urania |volume=52 |issue=4 |year=1981 |pages=98–101 |url=https://www.urania.edu.pl/archiwum/urania-nr-4-1981.html }}</ref>
In a magical love charm from Poland, the girl asks for the dawn (or morning-star) to go to the girl's beloved and force him to love no other but her:<ref name=Toporkov2009>{{cite book |doi=10.1057/9780230583535_10 |chapter=Russian Love Charms in a Comparative Light |title=Charms, Charmers and Charming |year=2009 |last1=Toporkov |first1=Andrei |pages=121–144 |isbn=978-1-349-36250-9 }}</ref>
:''Witajze zorze''
:''Welcome, morning star''
== Ukrainian tradition ==
[[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] also has words deriving from ''*zoŗà'': зі́рка (dialectal зі́ра ''zira'' and зі́ри ''ziry'') ''zírka'', a [[diminutive]] meaning 'little star', 'starlet', 'asterisk'; зі́рнйця ''zirnitsa'' (or зі́рнйці ''zirnytsi'', a poetic term meaning 'little star', 'aurora, dawn'.<ref>''[https://books.google.com/books?id=4i_1gqf2-vMC&dq=%22%D0%B7%D1%96%D1%80%D0%BA%D0%B0%22+star+dawn&pg=PA338 Ukrainian-English Dictionary]''. Compiled by C. H. Andrusyshen and J. N. Krett, assisted by Helen Virginia Andrusyshen. Canada: Published for the University of Saskatchewan by University of Toronto Press. 2004 [1955]. p. 338. {{ISBN|0-8020-6421-3}}</ref>
In a saying collected in "Харківщині" ([[Kharkiv Oblast]]), it is said that "there are many stars (Зірок) in the sky, but there are only two Zori: the morning one (світова) and the evening one (вечірня)".<ref name="autogenerated512">Українська мала енциклопедія [A little encyclopedia of Ukraine]. У 8 т.[uk]. Тom 2: Книжка IV. Літери Ж-Й. Буенос-Айрес, 1959. p. 512.</ref>
In an orphan's lament, the mourner says she will take the "keys of the dawn" ("То я б в зорі ключі взяла").<ref name="autogenerated512" />
In a magical love charm, the girl invokes "three star-sisters" (or the "dawn-sisters"):<ref name=Toporkov2009/>
:''Vy zori-zirnytsi, vas na nebi tri sestrytsi: odna nudna, druga pryvitna, a tretia pechal'na''
:''You dawn-stars, you three sisters in the sky: one dull, the second welcoming, and the third sorrowful''
Zorya also patronized marriages, as manifested by her frequent appearance in wedding songs, and arranged marriages between the gods. In one of the folk songs, where the Moon meets Aurora while wandering in the sky, she is directly attributed this function:{{sfn|Shedden-Ralston|1872|p=190}}{{Blockquote|author=|title=|text=O Dawn, Dawn! Wherever hast thou been?<br />Wherever hast thou been? Where dost thou intend to live?<br /><br />Where do I intend to live? Why at Pan Ivan's,{{Efn|Pan (Master) Ivan is supposed to be some kind of celestial being, sometimes mentioned in songs also as "Brother Ivanushko". In Ukrainian folklore, young Ivan is the son of the Sun and calls his sister "Bright Zorya".}}<br />At Pan Ivan's in his Court,<br />In his Court, and in his dwelling,<br />And in his dwelling are two pleasures:<br />The first pleasure—to get his son married;<br />And second pleasure—to give his daughter in marriage}}
==Slovene tradition==
In a Slovene folksong titled "Zorja prstan pogubila" (Zorja lost her ring), the singer asks for mother (''majka''), brother (''bratec''), sister (''sestra'') and darling (''dragi'') to look for it.<ref>Štrekelj, Karl, ed. ''[https://archive.org/details/slovenskenarodn00matigoog/page/n198/mode/2up?q=%22zorja%22 Slovenske narodne pesmi]''. V Ljubljani: Izdala in založila Slovenska matica. 1895. pp. 156-157.</ref>
According to Monika Kropej, in Slovene mythopoetic tradition, the sun rises in the morning, accompanied by the morning dawn, named Sončica (from ''sonce'' 'sun'), and sets in the evening joined by an evening dawn named Zarika (from ''zarja'' 'dawn').<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kropej |first1=Monika |title=Cosmology and Deities in Slovene Folk Narrative and Song Tradition |trans-title=Kozmologija in boštva v slovenskem ljudskem pripovednem in pesniškem izročilu |journal=Studia mythologica Slavica |date=5 May 2015 |volume=6 |pages=121 |doi=10.3986/sms.v6i0.1780 |doi-access=free }}</ref> These female characters also appear in a Slovenian narrative folk song about their rivalry.<ref>{{cite conference |last1=Strle |first1=Gregor |last2=Marolt |first2=Matija |title=Uncovering semantic structures within folk song lyrics |conference=Workshop on Folk Music Analysis |year=2014 |url=http://lgm.fri.uni-lj.si/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/1536059587.pdf }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Novak |first1=Petra |title=Najstnikom 'predpisana' slovenska bajčna in mitološka bitja |trans-title='Prescribed' Slovene Mythical and Mythological Creatures for Teenagers |language=sl |journal=Studia mythologica Slavica |date=17 October 2011 |volume=14 |pages=327–341 |doi=10.3986/sms.v14i0.1617 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Fanny Copeland also interpreted both characters as mythological Sun and Dawn, as well as mentioned another ballad, titled ''Ballad of Beautiful Zora''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Copeland |first1=F. S. |title=Slovene Folklore |journal=Folklore |date=1931 |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=405–446 |doi=10.1080/0015587X.1931.9718415 |jstor=1256300 }}</ref> Slovene folklorist Jakob Kelemina ([[:sl:Jakob Kelemina|sl]]), in his book about Slovene myths and folk-tales, stated that a Zora appears as the daughter of the Snake Queen (possibly an incarnation of the night) in the so-called ''Kresnik Cycle''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Copeland |first1=Fanny S. |title=Slovene Myths |journal=The Slavonic and East European Review |date=1933 |volume=11 |issue=33 |pages=631–651 |jstor=4202822 }}</ref>
==East Slavic tradition==
According to professor [[Daiva Vaitkevičienė]], the [[Virgin Mary]] most likely replaced deity Zaria in East Slavic charms. The Virgin Mary is also addressed as "Zaria" in Russian charms.<ref name="jstor216">{{cite book |last1=Vaitkevičienė |first1=Daiva |chapter=Baltic and East Slavic Charms |pages=211–236 |jstor=10.7829/j.ctt2tt29w.12 |title=The Power of Words: Studies on Charms and Charming in Europe |date=2013 |publisher=Central European University Press |isbn=978-615-5225-10-9 }}</ref>
In a charm collected in Arkhangelsky and published in 1878 by historian {{ill|Alexandra Efimenko|ru|Ефименко, Александра Яковлевна}}, the announcer invokes зоря Мария and заря Маремъяния, translated as "Maria-the-Dawn" and "Maremiyaniya-the-Dawn".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Toporkov |first1=Andrei |title='Wondrous Dressing' with Celestial Bodies in Russian Charms and Lyrical Poetry |journal=Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore |date=April 2018 |volume=71 |pages=207–216 |doi=10.7592/FEJF2018.71.toporkov |doi-access=free }}</ref>
In another charm, the "Evening Star Mariya" and "Morning Star Maremiyana" are invoked to take away sleeplessness.<ref>"Вечерняя заря Марія, звѣзда-звѣздица, утренняя заря Маремьяна, дай рабу (имя) сонъ, возьми безсонницу". In: "[https://archive.org/details/popow1903/page/231/mode/2up Русская народно-бытовая медицина]" [Russian folk-medicine]: по материалам этнографического бюро князя В. Н. Тенишева / Д-р мед. Г. Попов. С.Петербург: тип. А. С. Суворина, 1903. p. 232.</ref>
==Slavic tradition==
Goddess Zaria (alternatively, a trio of deities named Zori) is also invoked in charms against illness. According to professor [[Daiva Vaitkevičienė]], this "is a very popular motif of the Slavic charms".<ref name="jstor216" />
== Legacy ==
The word "Zorya" has become a [[Slavic influence on Romanian|loanword]] in [[Romanian language|Romanian]] as its word for "dawn" (''zori'') and as the name of a piece of music sung by [[colinda|colindători]] (''zorile'').<ref>Hatto, Arthur T. (1965). ''Eos: An enquiry into the theme of lovers' meetings and partings at dawn in poetry''. Walter de Gruyter. p. 421. {{ISBN|978-3-11-170360-2}}</ref>{{sfn|Eliade|1980|pp=1–26}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Firică |first1=Camelia |title=Slav influence upon the Romanian language–Direct references to Croatian |journal=Društvena istraživanja |date=30 June 2010 |volume=19 |issue=3 (107) |pages=511–523 |url=https://hrcak.srce.hr/55458 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1515/9783110218442.230 |chapter=8. Loanwords in Romanian |title=Loanwords in the World's Languages |year=2009 |last1=Schulte |first1=Kim |pages=230–259 |isbn=978-3-11-021843-5 }}</ref>
The Morning Star is also known as ''dennica'', ''zornica'' or ''zarnica''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ryan |first1=W. F. |title=Curious Star Names in Slavonic Literature |journal=Russian Linguistics |date=1974 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=137–150 |doi=10.1007/BF02526657 |jstor=40159797 |s2cid=170344951 }}</ref>
In Serbo-Croatian, the planet Venus is known as ''Zornjača'', when it appears in the morning, and ''Večernjača'' when it appears at night.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kovačević |first1=Marina |last2=Janković-Paus |first2=Svjetlana |title=Od značenja i referencije prema metafori u svjetlu odnosa čovjeka, jezika i svijeta |journal=Fluminensia |date=15 November 2001 |volume=13 |issue=1–2 |pages=75–102 |url=https://hrcak.srce.hr/7406 |language=hr }}</ref>
In a folksong, the Dawn/Morning Star is depicted as the bride of a male Moon.<ref>Dexter, Miriam Robbins. ''Whence the goddesses: a source book''. The Athene Series. New York and London: [[Teachers College Press]], Teachers College, Columbia University. 1990. p. 65. {{ISBN|0-8077-6234-2}}.</ref>
In some [[Croatia]]n folk songs, collected and published in 1876 by Rikardo Ferdinand Plohl-Herdvigov, a "zorja" is used along with "Marja" in "Zorja Marja prsten toči";<ref>Plohl-Herdvigov, Rikardo Ferdinand. ''[https://archive.org/details/hrvatskenarodne00unkngoog/page/n44/mode/2up?q=zorja Hrvatske narodne pjesme]''. U Varazdin: Platzer i sin. 1876. pp. 40-42.</ref> and referred to as "Zorja, zorija" in "Marija sinku načinila košulju";<ref>Plohl-Herdvigov, Rikardo Ferdinand. ''[https://archive.org/details/hrvatskenarodne00unkngoog/page/n86/mode/2up?q=zorja Hrvatske narodne pjesme]''. U Varazdin: Platzer i sin. 1876. pp. 83-84.</ref>
== Zorya in culture ==
* Popular folk song ''Zoryushka'' (''Зорюшка'') sung on a wedding day.{{sfn|Siewierski|2018}}
* In the 2001 novel ''[[American Gods]]'', and its [[American Gods (TV series)|2017 television adaptation]], author [[Neil Gaiman]] depicts Zorya as a [[triple goddess]]: Zorya Utrennyaya (morning star), Zorya Polunochnaya (midnight star), and Zorya Vechernyaya (evening star).{{sfn|Griffiths|2017}}
* Zorya appears in ''[[The Iron Druid Chronicles]]'' by [[Kevin Hearne]].{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}
* One of the works by Australian composer [[Julian Cochran]] is named ''Zorya Vechernyay''a.{{sfn|Cochran|n.d.}}
* One of the albums by Czech composer [[Floex]] is called ''Zorya'', and the last number on the album is called ''Zorya Polunochnaya''.{{sfn|Zorya by Floex|n.d.}}
* Zorya figures prominently in the game ''[[Eve Online]]'' as the leader of the invading precursor entity, the Triglavian Collective.{{sfn|S-TTOB}}
== See also ==
* [[Ēostre]]
* [[Amenouzume|Uzume]]
* [[Dali (goddess)|Dali]]
* [[Orvandil]]
== Notes ==
{{notelist}}
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|30em}}
== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin|30em}}
*{{Cite book| title = Поэтические воззрения славян на природу: Опыт сравнительного изучения славянских преданий и верований в связи с мифическими сказаниями других родственных народов
| trans-title = Poetic views of the Slavs on nature: An experience of a comparative study of Slavic traditions and beliefs in connection with the mythical tales of other kindred peoples
| last = Afanasyev | first = Alexander Nikolayevich | year = 1865
| author-link = Alexander Afanasyev
| publisher = Izd. K. Soldatenkova | place = Moscow
| volume = 1
| language = ru
}}
*{{Cite book| title = Słownik stereotypów i symboli ludowych. Volume I: Kosmos. Part I: Niebo, światła niebieskie, ogień, kamienie
| last = Bartmiński | first = Jerzy | year = 1996
| publisher = Wydawnictwo UMCS | place = Lublin
| language = pl
| isbn = 83-227-0901-3
}}
*{{cite news| title = Sheet Music of Julian Cochran: Urtext Editions
| last = Cochran | first = Julian
| website = juliancochran.org
| url = http://www.juliancochran.org/CO?command=displayMusicSearch
| date = n.d. | access-date = 2020-07-18
}}
*{{Cite book| title = Trzy zorze dziewicze: wśród zamawiań i zaklęć | edition = 2nd
| trans-title = Three Virgin Aurorae: Among Orders and Spells
| last = Czernik | first = Stanisław | year = 1985
| publisher = Wydawn. Łódzkie | place = Łódź
| language = pl
| isbn = 83-218-0422-5
}}
*{{Cite book| title = Etymological dictionary of the Slavic inherited lexicon
| last = Derksen | first = Rick | year = 2008
| publisher = Brill | place = Leiden
| isbn = 978-90-474-2816-9
}}
*{{Cite journal | title = History of Religions and "Popular" Cultures
| last = Eliade | first = Mircea
| journal = History of Religions
| year = 1980 | volume = 20 | issue = 1–2 | pages = 1–26
| doi = 10.1086/462859 | jstor = 1062333 | s2cid = 162757197
}}
*{{Cite book| title = New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology: With an Introduction by Robert Graves
| last = Graves | first = Robert | year = 1987
| others = Gregory Alexinsky
| publisher = Crescent Books | place = New York
| isbn = 0-517-00404-6
}}
*{{cite web| title = Who are the Zorya sisters in American Gods, and what myths did Neil Gaiman base them on? American Gods mythology explained. Amazon Prime, Starz
| last = Griffiths | first = Eleanor Bley
| publisher = Radio Times
| url = https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/fantasy/american-gods-mythology-guide-who-are-the-slavic-zorya-sisters-and-what-is-their-story/
| date = 2017-08-13 | access-date = 2021-05-10
}}
*{{Cite book| title = O Bogach i ludziach. Praktyka i teoria Rodzimowierstwa Słowiańskiego
| trans-title = On Gods and People. The practice and theory of the Slavic native religion
| last = Grzegorzewic | first = Ziemisław | year = 2016
| place = Olsztyn
| language = pl
| isbn = 978-83-940180-8-5
}}
*{{Cite journal | title = Reflexes of Ancient Ideas about Divine Twins in the Images of Saints George and Nicholas in Belarusian Folklore
| last = Sańko | first = Siarhei
| journal = Folklore: Electronic Journal of Folklore
| year = 2018 | volume = 72 | pages = 15–40
| doi = 10.7592/fejf2018.72.sanko
| doi-access = free
}}
*{{Citation| title = The Scope - Triglavians Take Over Billboards | via = [[YouTube]]
| website = [[Eve Online|EVE Online]]
| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Mj8g4k2Gs&list=PLQvKSs1k6DLND_n1eyjHLML_0G__CEqMg | url-status = live
| archive-url = https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/v2Mj8g4k2Gs
| date = 15 March 2019 | access-date = 2021-04-06 | archive-date = 2021-12-21
| ref = {{harvid|S-TTOB}}
}}{{cbignore}}
*{{Cite book| title = The Songs of the Russian People: As Illustrative of Slavonic Mythology and Russian Social Life
| last = Shedden-Ralston | first = William Ralston | year = 1872
| author-link = William Ralston Shedden-Ralston
| publisher = Ellis & Green
}}
*{{cite news| title = [Muzyka] Sound of Triglav – Zoriuszka
| last = Siewierski | first = Lechosław
| agency = Słowianie i Słowianowierstwo
| language = pl
| url = https://slowianowierstwo.wordpress.com/2018/10/03/muzyka-sound-of-triglav-zoriuszka/
| date = 2018-10-03 | access-date = 2020-07-19
}}
*{{cite book| title = Religia Słowian
| last = Szyjewski | first = Andrzej | year = 2003
| publisher = Wydawnictwo WAM | location = Kraków
| page = 71
| isbn = 83-7318-205-5
}}
*{{cite encyclopedia| title = Zarya
| last = Toporkov | first = Andrey | year = 1995
| encyclopedia = Slavyanskaya Mifologiya: Entsiklopedicheskiy slovar
| location = Moscow
| page = 189
| language = ru
| isbn = 5-7195-0057-X
}}
*{{Cite book| title = Svět slovanských bohů a démonů
| trans-title = The world of Slavic gods and demons
| last = Váňa | first = Zdeněk | year = 1990
| publisher = Panorama | place = Prague
| language = cs
| isbn = 80-7038-187-6
}}
*{{Cite book| title = Średniowieczna poezja polska świecka
| trans-title = Medieval Polish secular poetry
| last = Vrtel-Wierczyński | first = Stefan | year = 1923
| author-link = Stefan Vrtel-Wierczyński
| publisher = Krakowska Spółka Wydawnicza | place = Kraków
| language = pl
}}
*{{cite news| title = Wisła. Miesięcznik Geograficzno-Etnograficzny. 1903 T.17 z.3 - Wielkopolska Biblioteka Cyfrowa
| trans-title = Vistula. Geographical and Ethnographic monthly. 1903 Vol. 17 z.3 – Greater Poland Digital Library
| volume = 17
| language = pl
| website = wbc.poznan.pl
| url = https://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/publication/134978/edition/147954/content
| access-date = 2019-12-25
| ref = {{harvid|Greater Poland Digital Library}}
}}
*{{Cite journal | title = Сходные изображения солнца и зорь у индоарийцев и славян
| trans-title = Similar images of the sun and dawns among the Indo-Aryans and Slavs
| last = Zarubin | first = L. A.
| journal = Советское славяноведение [Soviet Slavic Studies]
| publisher = Наука | place = Moscow
| year = 1971 | volume = 6 | pages = 70–76
| language = ru
| url = http://kirsoft.com.ru/freedom/KSNews_673.htm
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120411041700/http://kirsoft.com.ru/freedom/KSNews_673.htm
| archive-date = 2012-04-11
}}
*{{cite news| title = Zorya by Floex
| website = floex.cz
| url = http://floex.cz/discography/solo-works/zorya.html
| date = n.d. | access-date = 2020-07-18
| ref = {{harvid|Zorya by Floex|n.d.}}
}}
{{refend}}
== External links ==
* {{YouTube|id=uO5fqdv6ksI|title=Zoriuszka}} performed by the [[Werchowyna (zespół muzyczny)|Werchowyna]] band
* {{YouTube|id=LIfkKkPNeWM|title=Zoriuszka}} performed by the Drużyna Grodu Trzygłowa band
{{Slavic mythology}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zorya}}
[[Category:H₂éwsōs]]
[[Category:Mercurian deities]]
[[Category:Night goddesses]]
[[Category:Slavic goddesses]]
[[Category:Stellar goddesses]]
[[Category:Triple goddesses]]
[[Category:Venusian deities]]
[[Category:Virgin goddesses]]
[[Category:Dawn goddesses]]