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This article describes Serbian folk astronomy.
In Serbian belief, the Sun is anthropomorphised as a man.[1] Sometimes, the Moon is described as the Sun's brother[2] or uncle,[1] and Venus as his daughter[3] or (in one song) wife,[1] or both stars and Venus as his sisters.[1][3] Of the Sun's parents, only his mother is ever mentioned.[1]
Some common Proto-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 is God's eye.[1] Various beliefs exist that explain the Sun's role regarding day and night: 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 also anthropomorphised as a man.[2] The Moon is sometimes described as Sun's brother[2] or uncle,[1] and Venus as Moon's sister[3] or wife.[2] Also, sometimes Moon's mother or children (mesečić) are mentioned,[2] apparently not referring to any astronomical objects.
A great deal of attention in folk beliefs is given to Moon phases, with new Moon respected as bringer of good fortune, and full Moon also viewed positively.[2] There are various explanations about the Man 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 is anthropomorphised as a woman, sometimes described as Sun's daughter[3] or (in one song) wife,[1] Sun's or Moon's sister,[3] Moon's wife[2] and in some songs as blood sister (posestrima) of Prince Marko.[3] It is regarded as harbinger of dawn and day.[3]
Serbian mythical creatures called zmaj, usually translated as dragon, are described variously, as either snake-like monsters (see also aždaja), 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 a shooting 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 are anthropomorphised as women, sometimes described as sisters of Sun and Moon.[7] A variety of beliefs about them exist.[7]
Serbian name for Sirius is Svinjarka, Svinjaruša (svinja = pig), Volarica or Volujara (vo = ox).[8] In some regions, appearance of Sirius signifies that pigs should be released to pannage on acorns.[8]
Big and Little Dipper are called Velika kola 'big cart' and Mala kola 'little cart' in Serbian. Another Serbian asterism is Porednice (red = 'queue'), identified as Orion's Belt and Sword. Other asterisms are recorded, such as Volovi 'oxen' and Trougao 'triangle', but it is unclear what stars they refer to.[5]
In Serbian, the Pleiades are called Vlašići or Sedam vlašića (sedam = 'seven'). While the name is identical to "Little Vlachs" 'Seven little Vlachs', this is a folk etymology, and it is in fact derived from Slavic god of cattle and underworld, 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 called kvočka s pilićima 'hen with chicklets'.[9]
In Serbian, the Milky Way is called Kumova 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]
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