Mokosh is a popular deity of womanhood. To a modern eye she also sounds like a spirit of sexism as she has a rather old-fashioned approach to female interests. She is largely concerned with knitting, wool-spinning, crochet, weaving, laundry and washing. But she is not just a Goddess of Housework — there is more to her than that.

She appears to have started off as an ancient Earth Mother Goddess (see Mati Syra Zemlya) who gradually became rather more domesticated. Her interests turned from raw fertility to housekeeping, with a little divination thrown in. As a deity of chance and predestination, her weaving abilities come in very handy for spinning the threads of life. That’s what we call a twist of fate.

Something of a wanderer, she makes house calls during Lent disguised as an old woman. Your winter woolies production had better be up to scratch. She knows all the secrets of knitting and picking up dropped stitches. She also helps the hard-pressed with sheep shearing. Very useful for close-knit farming families.

In case you were wondering, we call her ‘wet’ because her name means ‘moist’ — a possible link to her old Moist Mother Earth fertility days. Devotees fondly imagine that rain is her milk. During droughts, people would pray to her for relief. If you wish to try this, remember that she is represented by pebbles shaped like breasts. Simply collect a handful of boob-shaped pebbles and rub them gently — while thinking of milk.

To sum up, Mokosh is a splendid addition to any home. And her favorite day is Friday. Knit her something nice for the weekend — crochet a Goddess today.

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Article last revised on May 25, 2019 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

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