Wildspeak Article - Gods: Vavale
Jan. 1st, 2005 12:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
moonvoiceVavale (pron. Vah-VALL-ay)
Depicted As
- An old crone woman with blackened eyes and long, loose hair, living in a derelict house in the middle of swamplands, with forest behind such a house. The gate and fence of this house is made of the bones of children. The house itself is capable of great, unearthly screams.
- A swan-goose (goose).
- Disembodied hands.
- Gales of Wind (non-personified).
Other Names
Vava.
Vavayega. (paralleled to Baba Yaga.)
Black Virgin.
Chu'Ch.
Vabalecze.
Old Woman.
Old Woman of the Swamps.
Symbols
Raven.
Hound.
Domestic Cat. (particularly pure black or white)
Vulture.
Servants.
Hands.
The Loom / Spinner.
Cloth / Yarn / Wool / Thread.
Marbles.
Mirrors.
Plain Rings.
Gates and Fences.
Crossroads.
Thresholds.
Firebird.
Swan-geese. (Geese)
Birch.
Juniper.
Broomsticks / Sweeping and Cleaning Tools.
Swamps / Wetlands.
Chaos.
The Crone.
Presides Over
If Vasilia presides over the spider and the spiderweb itself, it is Vavale who can be seen as the eternal force that weaves the spiderweb, and gives the spider knowledge of how to do it. Vavale is a creative and destructive force, representing both fate and free will. She is very dangerous, as all wisdom and knowledge can be, but she is also the impetus behind the beauty and ugliness of this world.
Vavale is the 'Wind Mother,' and births the gales and destructive winds, as well as the gentle breezes. While violent weather phenomena often comes with its own deity, or is personified as a deity, it is still often thought that the force of Vavale is behind it. She also shepherds middleworld violence, and is a very dark goddess - though not Cthonic in nature.
Vavale is a custodian of folklore, etiquette, respect and bravery. It is often told in folklore that to survive encounters with her, one must be respectful and humble, obey cultural law, and be brave and true to oneself. Those who are cowards and disrespectful in folklore are often killed and eaten, no mercy is spared for children. Vavale teaches a deeper lesson here, that without respect for elders and the community and the self, we die; literally and spiritually.
Vavale concerns herself with what we might call fundamental aspects of our existence; life, death, fate. She knows all the stories, past, present and future, and knows our stories too. Naturally, she also presides over all mysteries, those stories that we shouldn't know, or aren't ready to. She is an initiatory goddess, and often not appealed to. She often looks over and presides over the Orai'ma, or female 'shaman.' It is to them she gives folklore, wisdom, magic over life and death, and the ability to know everyone else's stories without needing tools of divination.
Old age, menopause and the wisdom of elders are also presided over by Vavale.
Vavale is a prime matriarch, and does not concern herself with men, though she may gift heroes and true warriors 'gifts' for their heart, spirit and body. She is not a goddess who helps Orai'ka or Ilkara'ka.
Connections to Other Deities and Folklore
Vavale has a rich history of being connected with other gods in folklore. She has an antagonistic relationship with Lesavny. She also has rather positive or 'friendly' relationships with L'yuvotn'r (the fox and the rain), and Zirczekaja (the empty plain). It is thought that she is the mother or grandmother of Vasilia, and at times she has been characterised as a mother or sister of Karijiana. While I tend to shy away from characterising these three female deities as a 'triple goddess,' I cannot deny that they are often connected in folklore.
Vavale tends to dislike men and 'masculine' energy, and is not a safe deity to pray or propitiate if you consider yourself a 'masculine' person. In the legends, there are varying reasons for this dislike, many spawning from her hatred of the playful, joking Lesavny who is thought to be the source of all that is 'male.'
Vavale is connected to many underworld gods, while she doesn't visit them, it is thought that they visit her for advice / knowledge / wisdom / answers. They often come to her in the form of hounds or beetles.
Vavale has also been implicated as the sister of Ucza, one of the less forgiving primary underworld deities.
Times of Honour
- Night-time.
- During the colder Winter months.
- During wind-storms.
Places of Honour
- Swamps and Wetlands.
- Forests, near Water.
- Places void of light.
- At crossroads.
- Inside the home, in darkness.
- Villere (festival of Sacrifice)
Offerings
- Animal Sacrifice (any, except waterbirds).
- Feathers (particularly raven, crow or vulture feathers).
- Blood and 'Old Blood' (brown blood of menstruation).
- High quality Cloth, Yarn, Thread etc.
- Silk (for special occasions).
- Hair.
- Nails, Claws, Teeth, etc.
- Mirrors.
- Fear / Respect / Bravery. (these are considered offerings, with Vavale)
- Juniper oil and berries.
- Writing implements.
- B'lethra (plaits / plait magic)
Depicted As
- An old crone woman with blackened eyes and long, loose hair, living in a derelict house in the middle of swamplands, with forest behind such a house. The gate and fence of this house is made of the bones of children. The house itself is capable of great, unearthly screams.
- A swan-goose (goose).
- Disembodied hands.
- Gales of Wind (non-personified).
Other Names
Vava.
Vavayega. (paralleled to Baba Yaga.)
Black Virgin.
Chu'Ch.
Vabalecze.
Old Woman.
Old Woman of the Swamps.
Symbols
Raven.
Hound.
Domestic Cat. (particularly pure black or white)
Vulture.
Servants.
Hands.
The Loom / Spinner.
Cloth / Yarn / Wool / Thread.
Marbles.
Mirrors.
Plain Rings.
Gates and Fences.
Crossroads.
Thresholds.
Firebird.
Swan-geese. (Geese)
Birch.
Juniper.
Broomsticks / Sweeping and Cleaning Tools.
Swamps / Wetlands.
Chaos.
The Crone.
Presides Over
If Vasilia presides over the spider and the spiderweb itself, it is Vavale who can be seen as the eternal force that weaves the spiderweb, and gives the spider knowledge of how to do it. Vavale is a creative and destructive force, representing both fate and free will. She is very dangerous, as all wisdom and knowledge can be, but she is also the impetus behind the beauty and ugliness of this world.
Vavale is the 'Wind Mother,' and births the gales and destructive winds, as well as the gentle breezes. While violent weather phenomena often comes with its own deity, or is personified as a deity, it is still often thought that the force of Vavale is behind it. She also shepherds middleworld violence, and is a very dark goddess - though not Cthonic in nature.
Vavale is a custodian of folklore, etiquette, respect and bravery. It is often told in folklore that to survive encounters with her, one must be respectful and humble, obey cultural law, and be brave and true to oneself. Those who are cowards and disrespectful in folklore are often killed and eaten, no mercy is spared for children. Vavale teaches a deeper lesson here, that without respect for elders and the community and the self, we die; literally and spiritually.
Vavale concerns herself with what we might call fundamental aspects of our existence; life, death, fate. She knows all the stories, past, present and future, and knows our stories too. Naturally, she also presides over all mysteries, those stories that we shouldn't know, or aren't ready to. She is an initiatory goddess, and often not appealed to. She often looks over and presides over the Orai'ma, or female 'shaman.' It is to them she gives folklore, wisdom, magic over life and death, and the ability to know everyone else's stories without needing tools of divination.
Old age, menopause and the wisdom of elders are also presided over by Vavale.
Vavale is a prime matriarch, and does not concern herself with men, though she may gift heroes and true warriors 'gifts' for their heart, spirit and body. She is not a goddess who helps Orai'ka or Ilkara'ka.
Connections to Other Deities and Folklore
Vavale has a rich history of being connected with other gods in folklore. She has an antagonistic relationship with Lesavny. She also has rather positive or 'friendly' relationships with L'yuvotn'r (the fox and the rain), and Zirczekaja (the empty plain). It is thought that she is the mother or grandmother of Vasilia, and at times she has been characterised as a mother or sister of Karijiana. While I tend to shy away from characterising these three female deities as a 'triple goddess,' I cannot deny that they are often connected in folklore.
Vavale tends to dislike men and 'masculine' energy, and is not a safe deity to pray or propitiate if you consider yourself a 'masculine' person. In the legends, there are varying reasons for this dislike, many spawning from her hatred of the playful, joking Lesavny who is thought to be the source of all that is 'male.'
Vavale is connected to many underworld gods, while she doesn't visit them, it is thought that they visit her for advice / knowledge / wisdom / answers. They often come to her in the form of hounds or beetles.
Vavale has also been implicated as the sister of Ucza, one of the less forgiving primary underworld deities.
Times of Honour
- Night-time.
- During the colder Winter months.
- During wind-storms.
Places of Honour
- Swamps and Wetlands.
- Forests, near Water.
- Places void of light.
- At crossroads.
- Inside the home, in darkness.
- Villere (festival of Sacrifice)
Offerings
- Animal Sacrifice (any, except waterbirds).
- Feathers (particularly raven, crow or vulture feathers).
- Blood and 'Old Blood' (brown blood of menstruation).
- High quality Cloth, Yarn, Thread etc.
- Silk (for special occasions).
- Hair.
- Nails, Claws, Teeth, etc.
- Mirrors.
- Fear / Respect / Bravery. (these are considered offerings, with Vavale)
- Juniper oil and berries.
- Writing implements.
- B'lethra (plaits / plait magic)
