This article describesSerbianfolk astronomy.
In Serbian belief, the Sun isanthropomorphised as aman.[1] Sometimes, the Moon is described as theSun'sbrother[2] oruncle,[1] andVenus as hisdaughter[3] or (in one song)wife,[1] or bothstars andVenus as his sisters.[1][3] Of the Sun's parents, only hismother is ever mentioned.[1]
Some commonProto-Indo-European beliefs about the Sun are preserved: a belief that the Sun is riding in a cart or on a horse, or that it isGod's eye.[1] Various beliefs exist that explain the Sun's role regardingday andnight: that it travels underground or under the sea during the night to emerge again during the day, or that it dies every sunset to be born anew the next sunrise.[1] The Sun is also present in a number of other folk beliefs and customs.[1]
Moon is alsoanthropomorphised as aman.[2] The Moon is sometimes described asSun'sbrother[2] oruncle,[1] andVenus as Moon'ssister[3] orwife.[2] Also, sometimes Moon'smother orchildren (mesečić) are mentioned,[2] apparently not referring to any astronomical objects.
A great deal of attention in folk beliefs is given toMoon phases, withnew Moon respected as bringer of good fortune, andfull Moon also viewed positively.[2] There are various explanations about theMan in the Moon, which is viewed as a head of an animal, or as a human.[2]
Depending on how it appears, Venus may be called differently:[3]
Venus isanthropomorphised as awoman, sometimes described asSun'sdaughter[3] or (in one song)wife,[1] Sun's orMoon's sister,[3] Moon's wife[2] and in some songs asblood sister (posestrima) ofPrince Marko.[3] It is regarded as harbinger ofdawn andday.[3]
Serbian mythical creatures calledzmaj, usually translated asdragon, are described variously, as either snake-like monsters (see alsoaždaja), humans with supernatural abilities, or flying fiery creatures; these fiery dragons can be identified as meteorites.[4] They are described as flying across the sky while shining, generally at night, with fire flowing from their wings, and producing a loud noise.[4]
In some regions it was believed that ashooting star indicated a captive, slave or soldier had broken free, or that one man is chasing another to fight with.[5] It was a custom that the person who saw the shooting star remained silent at that moment, as uttering a sound might disclose the fugitive.[6] By another custom the person should say, "Behind a bramble, behind a bush, hide!",[6] "Run to the mountain!" or similar.[5]
Stars areanthropomorphised aswomen, sometimes described as sisters ofSun andMoon.[7] A variety of beliefs about them exist.[7]
Serbian name for Sirius isSvinjarka,Svinjaruša (svinja =pig),Volarica orVolujara (vo =ox).[8] In some regions, appearance of Sirius signifies that pigs should be released topannage onacorns.[8]
Big andLittle Dipper are calledVelika kola 'bigcart' andMala kola 'little cart' inSerbian. Another Serbian asterism isPorednice (red = 'queue'), identified asOrion's Belt andSword. Other asterisms are recorded, such asVolovi 'oxen' andTrougao 'triangle', but it is unclear what stars they refer to.[5]
InSerbian, the Pleiades are calledVlašići orSedam vlašića (sedam = 'seven'). While the name is identical to "LittleVlachs" 'Seven little Vlachs', this is afolk etymology, and it is in fact derived fromSlavic god ofcattle andunderworld,Veles.[9]
A number of stories about the Pleiade's origin exist. The stars are described as seven brothers, or six brothers and a sister. Several sets of their names are recorded, for example:
Pleiades are used to determine appropriate dates for various field works, or to measure time by night.[9] Sometimes, when they appear on the sky, they are calledkvočka s pilićima 'hen with chicklets'.[9]
InSerbian, the Milky Way is calledKumova slama 'godparent's's straw'. A legend explains that once, a godparent stole straw from another, but as he was carrying it away, he was losing some of it. Then,God put the straw in the sky as a permanent warning not to steal.[10]
