(small) symbolizes the awakening nature, the generation of the new by nature. TO Lyala addressed in spring songs-incantations with requests for the future harvest of corn and wheat, vegetables in the beds and grasses in the meadows. On April 22, a spring holiday was specially dedicated to Lyalya, named after her - Lyalnik.
According to myths, it was inextricably linked with the spring rebirth of nature, the beginning of field work. The goddess was imagined as a young, beautiful, slender and tall girl. B.A. Rybakov believes that the second goddess depicted on the Zbruch idol and holding a ring in her right bow is Lada. In folklore, Lada is often mentioned next to Lelya. The scientist compares this pair: mother-daughter with Latona and Artemis and with Slavic women in labor. Rybakov associates two horsemen in Russian embroidery, sometimes with a wooden plow behind them, located on either side of Mokosh, with Lada and Lelya.
The spring spell song contains the following words dedicated to Lele-Spring:
Eat Spring, Eat.
On golden horses
In the green say
On a plow gray
Cheese the ground of aruchi
Right hand seyuchi.
The cycle of spring rituals began on the day of the arrival of the larks - March 9 (March 22 in the new style). People met birds, going to the tops of the hills, kindling fires, boys and girls danced in circles. There was also a special maiden holiday - lalnik - on April 22 (May 5). The most beautiful girl, crowned with a wreath, sat on a sod bench and played the role of Lelia. Offerings (bread, milk, cheese, butter, sour cream) were placed on either side of it. The girls danced around the solemnly seated Lelia.
The existence of the goddess Lelya and the god Lelya is based solely on the chorus of wedding and other folk songs - and modern scholars have deleted Lelya from among the Slavic pagan gods. The chorus, in different forms - lelyu, lelyo, lely, lyuli - is found in Russian songs; in Serbian "Kralitsk" songs (Trinity) magnificant ones related to marriage, it is found in the form of a lele, a lele, in the Bulgarian great and Lazar - in the form of a lele. Thus, the chorus goes back to antiquity.
The old Polish refrain lelyum (if it really existed in this form with "m") Potebnya explains through the addition of lelyu with "m" from the dative case "mi", as in the Little Russian "schom" (instead of "shomi"). In the refrain, "poleum" (if it is correctly conveyed by Polish historiographers) "po" can be a pretext; compare the Belarusian choruses: lyuli and o lyulyushki "(Shane" Materials for studying the way of life and language of the Russian population of the North-Western Territory. "
The myth of Lelia
The Slavs had their own goddess of youth and love - the Goddess Lelya, the daughter of Lada the Mother of God - the goddess of motherhood and the patroness of all Slavs. It was believed that before marriage, all young Slavic girls are under the patronage of the eternally young Lelia.
According to myths, it was inextricably linked with the spring rebirth of nature, the beginning of field work. The goddess was presented as a young, beautiful, slender and tall girl.
The Earth and Heaven loved each other so much that their love came to life as a separate being - and, like themselves once, immediately split in two, into Female and Male Love, for one is not enough - there are always two lovers.
God Rod, Male Love, began to give offspring and offspring to all breathing creatures, and People soon learned to read it: they began to make images and invest in wedding cups, for happiness and many children for the new family.
The goddess Lada became Woman's Love. Wise wives, who know how to cope with the family, to make a harmony in the house, were nicknamed after it. The Great Goddess liked faithful conjugal love.
Lada was also called Rozhanitsa, in honor of the giving birth field and young mothers, whom she invisibly wrapped her belt around, helping to get rid of the burden.
The great Lada had a young daughter. Her name was Lelya, Lelyushka.
Lelya grew up and began to walk through the meadows, through the dense shady forests, and the silk ants clung to her feet to straighten even greener and thicker.
Goddesses in childbirth - the goddesses repeatedly mentioned in the Slavic conspiracies: Mother Lada and her daughter Lelya... Patroness of pregnant women and women in labor.
Modern scientists, having processed a large archaeological, ethnographic, linguistic material, came to the conclusion that there were two Rozhanits: Mother and Daughter.
Mother in laborSlavs associated with the period of summer fertility, when it ripens, grows heavier, the harvest is poured. This is fully consistent with the image of mature motherhood: let us remember that the fruitful Autumn is usually portrayed by artists as a middle-aged woman, kind and full-bodied. This is the venerable mistress of the house, the mother of a large family. The ancient Slavs gave her a name Lada, and connected with it, perhaps, no less words and concepts than with the Genus. All of them have to do with the establishment of order: "OK", "FIX" and so on. At the same time, the order was thought primarily of a family: "LADa", "LADo" - an affectionate appeal to a beloved spouse, husband or wife. "LADINS" - a wedding conspiracy. Bulgarian "LADuvanye" - fortune telling about grooms.
The ancient Slavs also had a Goddess named Lelya- daughter of Lada, Younger Rozhanitsa... Think about it: it's not for nothing that a baby cradle is often called a "cradle", a gentle, careful attitude towards a child is conveyed by the word "cherish". A stork, allegedly bringing children, in Ukrainian - "leleka". And the child herself is sometimes called affectionately "lyalechka" even now. So the Slavic Lelia was born - the Goddess of quivering spring sprouts, first flowers, young femininity. The Slavs believed that it was Lelia who took care of the barely hatched seedlings - the future harvest. Lelya-Vesna was solemnly "called out" - they were invited to visit, they went out to meet her with gifts and refreshments. And before that they asked permission from Mother Lada: would she let her daughter go?
Rozhanitsy holiday was celebrated in spring - April 22-23. On this day, sacrifices were made with vegetable and dairy products, which they solemnly ate with prayers at a sacred feast, and then all night long they burned bonfires: a huge one, in honor of Lada, and around it twelve smaller ones - according to the number of months of the year.
According to tradition, it was a feminine and maiden's holiday. Boys and men looked at him from afar.
Lada
Lada is the goddess of the first generation of Slavic Gods. Lada among our ancestors was considered the goddess of beauty, love and happiness. She also served as the patroness of the family hearth. This is one of the supreme feminine principles, which in the Slavic pantheon of light gods personified the feminine ideal, but by no means the ideal of motherhood. Mother, mistress of the house is Makosh.
At the same time, Lada is not a spring girl, like Lelya, it is the image of a woman who is ready for marriage, but who has not entered the path of a warrior's wife. Although many researchers believe Lada is the goddess of marriage.
Lada the goddess was portrayed as a young (25-30 years old) woman, sometimes with greenish hair. Butterflies always curl around her, and her outfits consist of leaves and natural colors prevail in them - green, azure and crimson. Lada is always cheerful, she fills the vir with warmth, kindness and love. But Lada's love is sincere, pure and has nothing to do with carnal pleasures. Lada is a sublime image of a woman.
Lada is the mother of the Gods, the eldest Rozhanitsa, the patroness of childbirth, women, children, marriage, love, women's affairs, couples, harvest, fertility. Goddess of the Earth.
Lada is considered a family deity, widespread in Slavic folklore.
Lada is a sacred female image of our ancestors, which contains all the invincible and irresistible solar power of the Gods. The great goddess Lada is the patroness of unmarried women, an allegory of the forces of fertility and love. In this image, many canons of the Slavic world order are intertwined, such as wisdom, honor, frankness, sincerity, which all the women of our people once possessed.
Lelya
Lelya is the goddess of spring, girlish love, sincerity and beauty. Lada's daughter, sister (according to other sources - niece) Alive and Marena. She was revered on a par with Lada. Traditional ritual elements associated with these two goddesses are practically inseparable in Slavic culture.
Lelya is the image of a young, pure and bright girl who has just reached the age when she can get married. This is a light and gentle allegory of the eternal purity of the immaculate female heart, its strength, invincible and irresistible to evil. Our ancestors represented this goddess as a young fair-haired beauty, no longer a girl, but not yet a woman, the keeper of the hearth. That is why the image of Lelya, unlike Lada or Mokosha, is never considered in accordance with everyday life. Lelya is always surrounded by wild nature - at the edge of the forest, by the river. A gentle warm wind strokes her hair, deer and foxes touch her hands with their wet noses. This is a carefree creature, devoid of even a hint of belligerence or aggression.
Lelya has her own rune, which is called by her name. The rune Lelya symbolizes water in its active playful manifestation ("lila" is translated from Sanskrit as "play"). It is a light, but powerful spring stream that erases the past forever and brings with it renewal for the whole world.
Lelya's symbol is birch. Its symbolism is the image of a young girl who is ready to give her body and soul to only one man, her lover.
However, Lelya is a slightly sad image, despite all its positive and cheerfulness. A legend has survived that tells how Lelya fell in love with Yarila, the son of Veles. I fell in love openly and with all my heart, as soon as a pure heart like a dewdrop, untouched by pain or troubles, can love. Yarila, in response to Leli's confession, only smiled at her and said: “I love you too, maiden of the dawn! And I love Mara. And Lada. I love all women, because from my father I inherited the violent uncontrollable power of emotions! But if you want, then I will be with you and I will be yours. But only for a while. " Such speeches offended Lelya and she rightly decided not to associate herself with the god of the spring sun. But in secret, she loved this frantic and reckless fellow for a long time, until she met Finist on her way. Finist and Lelya fall in love with each other, and soon got married, but the eternally young goddess of spring forever preserved in her heart a small spark of inextinguishable feeling for Yarila.
- < 4) Славянский календарь
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Bogushevskaya Love
Lelya
Summary of the myth
Goddesses Lada and Lelya
The Slavs had their own goddess of youth and love - the Goddess Lelya, the daughter of Lada the Mother of God - the goddess of motherhood and the patroness of all Slavs. It was believed that before marriage, all young Slavic girls are under the patronage of the eternally young Lelia.
According to myths, it was inextricably linked with the spring rebirth of nature, the beginning of field work. The goddess was presented as a young, beautiful, slender and tall girl.
The Earth and Heaven loved each other so much that their love came to life as a separate being - and, like themselves once, immediately split in two, into Female and Male Love, for one is not enough - there are always two lovers.
God Rod, Male Love, began to give offspring and offspring to all breathing creatures, and People soon learned to read it: they began to make images and invest in wedding cups, for happiness and many children for the new family.
The goddess Lada became Woman's Love. Wise wives, who know how to cope with the family, to make a harmony in the house, were nicknamed after it. The Great Goddess liked faithful conjugal love.
Lada was also called Rozhanitsa, in honor of the giving birth field and young mothers, whom she invisibly wrapped her belt around, helping to get rid of the burden.
The great Lada had a young daughter. Her name was Lelya, Lelyushka.
Lelya grew up and began to walk through the meadows, through the dense shady forests, and the silk ants clung to her feet to straighten even greener and thicker.
Images and symbols of myth
Goddess Lelya
Since time immemorial, women have been dedicated to poetry, paintings, music and everything in which their images could be displayed. In the Slavic tradition, these images are carried by women in labor.
A woman, if viewed from the perspective of Christianity, is a true pagan symbol. Fertile strength. The essence of procreation. Therefore, it is the female images that are recreated in terms of the Land of Mother and Mother Nature.
We all know the custom of giving flowers to a woman, kept in our traditions from time immemorial, which carries the everyday ritual of sacrifice to a woman. Giving the life energy of flowers, men thereby express their respect to their beloved, in which they found the image of the goddess of love - Lelia. This image is as multifaceted as the woman herself.
Time passed - Lelya, together with her mother, began to go around and go around the fields, pull barely hatched seedlings by the green ears, and People saw that there had never been such crops on Earth before. They began to praise Lelia on a par with her mother and honor her as a woman in labor, call her the Spring-Nurse. They began to ask Lada for permission to call out and invite Spring, and when Mother allowed, they prepared a sod bench overgrown with herbs for the Daughter, made offerings: bread, cheese, milk. It was a girl's holiday, men, curious guys were not allowed close.
Lelya symbolizes fertility, female fertility, but at the same time fragility. She acted as a resurrection of the deceased nature and bestowing fertility, because of this, her cult approached the cult of a dying and resurrecting god. After the disappearance of the goddess on earth, the growth processes cease; the return of the goddess ensures fertility and prosperity.
Communication tools for creating images and symbols
Preparing for egg rolling nowadays
The formation of a positive image of Leli, first of all, was facilitated by the rituals associated with the development of agriculture. Plant and flower ornaments were dedicated to the goddess Lele. The custom of decorating household utensils and clothing with images of birds also goes back to the Rozhanitsy cult. The birds were dedicated to the goddess Lele, they were her messengers and servants, it was the birds that brought spring on their wings, and the birds easily rose from our Middle World to the Upper World - it was not for nothing that they were winged.
Images of birds are very common in everyday life - this is the custom of baking cookies in the form of larks for the arrival of spring and dishes - ladles and broths in the form of stylized birds (ducks and swans), and female amulets in the form of ducks.
In addition to traditional sacrifices associated with agriculture, there was a special holiday dedicated to Lele - Lelnik. The holiday was held in nature - they chose an open place - Krasnaya Gorka and performed rituals there. From a distance one could see how girls in smart sundresses, holding on to long satin ribbons tied to Leli's kapi, lead a round dance. They donated wild flowers and herbs to her, danced around her chur - the young goddess of love carved from birch.
On this day, which, according to the modern calendar, falls on April 22, all Slavic girls performed rituals dedicated to Lelia, and asked her for understanding with her beloved and for a happy marriage.
The tradition of dyeing eggs is associated with all spring holidays of the Slavs. Throughout the Slavic world, various magical actions with eggs were widely used.
For example, divination for marriage in Lelnik:
The girls one by one, with the help of beaters, roll their dyed egg to Lelya's cap. It is important that at the last blow, the egg breaks on the drip - then the girl will marry successfully.
The tradition of dyeing eggs has not only been preserved in Orthodox Russia, but has also come down to our days.
The social meaning of the myth
Talisman with the rune Lely
The cult of the goddess Leli became widespread and went far beyond the borders of the territory of the Slavs. The young goddess Lelia herself and her rune are associated with the element of water, and more specifically, with living, flowing water flowing in springs and streams.
The mention of Lelya can be found in the mythology of different countries and peoples. We meet her under different names in European fairy tales about the sea (river) Virgin, in the tales of King Arthur, where she acts as the Guardian Virgin of the Holy Grail and the Road to it, in Slavic and many other ritual myths. This is the goddess of power in the Nordic tradition, who leads the water stream, first dead, and then living force.
Nowadays, her name is associated with a very wide range of ancient roots. It is not for nothing that the beloved brainchild is still not just raised - cherished, the cradle is called a cradle, and the child itself is gently called a lyalek. The cult of Leli is so ancient that, according to some scholars, it found its reflection in the Sanskrit "lila" - "game".
Our ancestors believed that at night a barefoot girl walks across the sky, scatters the clouds with golden long hair and clears the way for the sun. This girl's name was Lelya. Among the Slavs, she was revered as a goddess who patronizes unmarried girls. She helps them find sincere and pure love, maintain lightness in character, femininity, youth and attractiveness, and also protects them from mistakes.
They turn to Lele not only for help in love affairs. She is able to cheer up the saddened and reconcile those who quarreled. People go to her to learn how to never lose heart and always remain happy.
In Slavic mythology, Lelya is considered the goddess of spring, love, beauty and sincerity.... Lelya is the obedient daughter of the supreme god Svarog and the patroness of the hearth of the Lada Mother of God, and Perun is considered her brother. Lelya is in close contact with other goddesses, for example, with the Living and Mara.
Lelia also has a spouse - this is Finist. The goddess met him after her first unsuccessful and unrequited love, which she felt for the god Yarilo. However, despite this, she was able to keep in her loving heart a small flame of the feelings of that failed love.
The main feature of Leli is youth, therefore the Slavs presented her as a very young girl - cheerful, playful and melodious... She had long hair to her feet with a floral wreath on her head and a radiant, open smile. Where she steps, the grass turns green and flowers bloom, and the birds happily chirp and circle in the clear sky.
At the sight of Lelya, the sun shines even brighter and warmer, because it is in love with the beautiful and tender Lelya, in whose image there is not a drop of anger or deceit. She charges everyone around her with her joy.
However, Lelya not only has fun herself and pleases the human race, in difficult times she is able to take an important step for the sake of another. An example of this is the legend, according to which Lelya, in order to save the young men of one settlement enchanted by the insidious Morena, cut off her long golden hair and wove magic cloth out of it.
Lelya is just a young girl of marriageable age who has woken up after the winter cold. She patronizes loving people in marriage., protects their family well-being and happiness.
Important: despite the fact that Lelya, like Lada and Makosh, is considered the patroness of family and marriage, she is not an assistant in everyday life or preserving a rich harvest.
Manifestation
Thanks to her pure love and the revitalizing power of the awakening of spring after a snowy winter, Lelya was very close to the Slavs. They always noted that she was easy-going and responsive, so they asked her for help in any matter and under any circumstances. Goddess Lelya brings the following to the world:
- Family happiness and mutual love.
- The warmth of the sun and the blossoming of nature in spring.
- Youth.
- Ease of communication.
- Luck and luck.
Attributes
Lelya is considered the most diverse goddess among the Slavs... In one moment it can turn into a birch, in another it is already a deer. She has many attributes, including:
- Birch and mountain ash, which are often found in ritual songs for chanting Lelya. Even the belief has gone that Lelya lives on birches - the same fragile trees as herself. Girls suffering from unrequited love often fled to the forest to hug a birch tree, cry to Lele about their female grief and take away their souls. Rowan, in turn, is a symbol of femininity and modesty. This tree also helped provide protection from evil spells for newlyweds.
- Doe. Among the Slavs, it was considered a symbol of prosperity.
- The stork is a symbol of new life, spring, childish affection. Among the Slavs, the stork symbolizes love in the house and family well-being.
- The first snowdrop is a symbol of the awakening nature after a long and cold winter.
- Silver is the metal of the goddess Lelya. It is a symbol of true and wise love.
- Agriculture. She helps and cares for young seedlings in the fields in spring.
- On Lelnik and Krasnaya Gorka, the Slavs brought her flowers, milk and cheese, and on the spring equinox they baked cookies, cakes and biscuits in the form of birds, which are called larks.
Symbol and amulets
The sign of the goddess Leli is called Lelnik. It gives a feeling of joy and lightness in the heart, a feeling of whirling in a cheerful festive round dance and symbolizes the first love of a young girl. Even outwardly, Lelnik resembles a young joyful girl who is spinning in a noisy round dance with her friends.
reference: the amulet of this goddess helps girls, young girls, women, as well as little boys under the age of 3 years.
Lelnik has a certain strength, which manifests itself in the following:
- Protection of young girls before marriage.
- Development of talents and intuitive abilities.
- Softening the female character.
- Preservation of love, happiness, health and youth.
- Recognition of other people.
The amulet protects its owner from the unwanted influence of certain things, for example:
- From bad intentions and thoughts.
- From other people's evil slander and conspiracies.
- From failures and various troubles.
- From self-doubt.
Attention: Amulets depicting the symbol of the goddess were usually made of birch and mountain ash, and were also embroidered by mothers on the clothes of their daughters who had not yet married.
Leli has her own rune, which bears the name of the goddess... This is the main rune of the water element and it means water running freely in streams and the awakening of spring. This rune of pure intuition and knowledge beyond reality has two meanings:
- The direct meaning of the rune- the presence and manifestation of love in family relationships, as well as the only nascent feeling of falling in love and the opportunity to find your future love.
- Inverted rune meaning- search for deception, fraud and dishonest ways to get what you want in a relationship.
Who patronizes?
Goddess Lelya patronizes cheerful and kind-hearted people, who, like her, are easy-going and always optimistic, as well as young girls who wish to find pure and sincere love and successfully marry. Any troubles and sorrows will bypass the person who wears an amulet with the image of the symbol of the goddess.
Prayer
- Since Lelya helps loving hearts to gain understanding of each other and family happiness, there is also a special prayer for love between husband and wife:
« Native mother Lelya, the red and beautiful Slavic Goddess,
You have protected our hearts and eternal consolation for our souls.
Wrap your heart in shade in my dear fret (my dear fret) (name), so that we rejoice in the treasure of heaven all the days.
On every path, in every bright deed, strengthen her (his) spirit, fill it with the power of love.
The clear dawns and the red sun may bring peace to my soul (my harmony) and firmness of spirit, for our love will shine forever.
Honor to You, mother Lelya, we are filled with Your tenderness, we give happiness to each other.
Glory to Lele! "
- Mothers have been embroidering the symbol of the goddess Leli for their unmarried daughters since their very birth. When creating magic embroidery, women always recited the following prayer:
« Praise be to you, Lelya, a great woman in labor!
Hear my words, goddess of love,
For in my chest only affection and tenderness burn with a bright fire.
Give my daughter happiness and joy, let him believe in himself and his beauty,
Heal her from the ills of the wicked, protect her from anger and envy. "
Holidays - days of veneration
In Russia, people were very fond of having fun and walking on the spring holidays. These celebrations always took place with songs and dances. And many holidays are associated with the goddess Lelya.
Our ancestors believed that she arrives with Yarila, accompanied by migratory birds.
- March 8- this holiday is considered the Russian analogue of International Women's Day, which is celebrated in the world today. In Russia, on March 8, children called for spring with special spring calls.
- 20th of March celebrate the day of the vernal equinox. On this holiday, the Slavic gods descend to earth, and the god of the spring sun Yarilo brings Lelia with him, who brings warm and sunny weather to people.
- April 16-22 the First Rusals are celebrated, during which Lelya is honored by the Slavs. These days, green grass begins to grow in the meadows, and mermaids-bereginas awaken in the seething streams. This holiday is dedicated to drowned girls who in their lives did not have time to know sincere and joyful love.
- April 22- Lelin day or Lelnik. On this day, the Slavs performed various rituals and sacraments, they prayed to Lelia to give the lovers consent and happiness. Even in the modern world, on this day, cleansing rituals are held that help drive out sorrow, discontent and envy from the heart. As a rule, people ask Lelya for happiness, inspiration, spiritual ease and joy.
- from May 26 to June 2 Green Christmastide, Rusalia or Lely's farewell are celebrated. During this time period, the warm summer season is gaining its strength. The date of the celebration depends on the weather conditions and the geographical location of a particular settlement.
The Slavic people considered Lelya to be the closest goddess to people. The kind-hearted and sweet young girl carried light wherever she walked. Lelya helped young and pure girls like her to find their feminine happiness, successfully marry and maintain concord in marriage between the spouses.
Useful video
In addition to the article, we suggest watching a video about the goddess Lelia:
The river gurgles and runs to itself, like a mischievous child. Only her waters today are bitter, but salty. Goddess Lelya heals her heart, broken and full of grief to the brim, with tears. Yarila's rays are looking for their dawn, but only the forest branches covered the maiden with a dome and hid from the sun. Pure, like dew in the meadows, spilled so good that you can't take your eyes off, but this was not enough.
Lelya is crying, but only there is no evil in her and resentment. Everyone loves the sun, and he cannot choose one. But this is for now. Lelya, after all, knows, knows that she will pass on the earth that will eclipse her and all others, and only for her sake the sun will shine and the earth will warm. And Lelya will grieve, like a human daughter, about her broken heart, but only after that she will smile again at the damp earth with a new dawn. And she will also be married one day. He will be clear and daring. And she will remember about Yarilo and smiles furtively, about her first and pure love.
Our ancestors had a belief that on the threshold of night a barefooted maiden passes through the sky, and with her long hair drives away the clouds, clearing the way for the sun. The maiden's name was Lelya and was revered as her goddess of the dawn. She was the daughter of the bright foremother Lada, and with her beauty she overshadowed the luminaries. Her companions were playful spring breezes, which the great Veles bestowed in the service of the young goddess.
Lelya was introduced to the ancient Slavs as a very young girl, with an unusually bright and open smile, and with long hair, down to the toes. She was not a woman, but not a child, but the one in whom spring first woke up, and the one for whom the youthful heart begins to beat fervently. Therefore, it was believed that Lelya was the goddess of spring, who comes after the winter cold to the sleeping land and wakes her up with running streams of melted snow.
Lelya was a symbol of purity and purity. In her image there is not even a hint of cunning, deceit and aggression. In general, Lelya and Lada are goddesses who personify the feminine principle: soft, flowing like water, light and full of goodness.
Lelya is the goddess of love.
The goddess Lelya among the Slavs was also revered as the goddess of love. But here it is worth mentioning that it was the first love, young and 
pure, the one that steals the ardent hearts of young boys and girls in spring.
According to legend, young Lelia herself was in love with the sun god Yarilo and, overplaying her shyness, she confessed to him. Yarilo, violent as a spring wind, answered her that he also loved her, however, like all women, both heavenly and mortals. He even suggested that she stay with her, but only for a while. Unaware of this grief, young Lelya was broken, but she had the wisdom to refuse. After that, Lelya began to be revered as a symbol of loyalty and perseverance, because she did not want hobbies and remained true to her purity.
Later, she met Finiste and fell in love with him, for his strength and lordship. She married him and became a faithful wife for him, the one who is able to give all of herself to only one loved one. The goddess kept her first love as a warm memory that happens to everyone who falls in love for the first time and not to those who are destined for them. It was rumored that Lelya herself blessed the marriage of Yarilo and his wife, the beautiful Yarilitsa.
Lelya, following her mother, Lada, came to the ground in the spring and awakened her from winter sleep. The strength of her grass turned green, the trees stretched into the sky, and people fell in love. Lelya stealthily walked between young boys and girls, whispering to them where their half is. She was revered as the patroness of marriages and families, because she personified the purity that the virgin gives to her husband for the first time, the love with which a young mother looks at her family for the first time.
Lelia was counted among the great women in labor, that is, those who were accompanied and blessed by the omnipresent Rod itself. He was the beginning of everything, and the Woman in labor was the continuation of his deeds.
Lelya, despite the fact that she patronizes marriage and family, she is not an assistant in everyday life. On the contrary, she is always in the bosom of nature, surrounded by animals. She is serene and cheerful, but this does not indicate her frivolity and stupidity. Simply Lelya, personifies that purity and naivety that is inherent in children, but she is also beautiful and ardent, like a virgin who has already reached the age when she can be married off.
Goddess Lelya symbol and rune.
The goddess Lelya has her own rune, which is called Lelya. It denotes water that boils and makes noise. This is water that awakens from a long sleep and gives a new life. So is the rune Lelya, interpreted as, awakening from the captivity of doubts and vices. It purifies the mind and soul and brings illumination and lightness.
Lely's symbol is a birch. Hence the belief went that in these trees, seemingly fragile and unpretentious, the goddess herself lives. When the girls first fell in love and suffered from unrequited love, they fled into the forest and hugged the birch in order to cry and take away their souls. So the custom has gone, every time it is bad and bad at heart to hug a birch. She is like an affectionate mother, she will take a deep breath and take all the sorrows.