Mokoš

Slavic goddess
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mokos
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: Mokosa, Mokosh, Mokusa
Also spelled:
Mokosh

Mokoš, the goddess of life-giving in ancient Slavic mythology. She is the only female deity mentioned in the Old Kievan pantheon of ad 980 and has survived in East Slavic folk beliefs as Mokoša, or Mokuša. A tall woman with a large head and long arms, she spins flax and wool at night and shears sheep. Her name is connected, on the one hand, with spinning and plaiting and, on the other, with moisture. Associations with spinning, plaiting, and moisture suggest early European roots: the Great Goddess, or Fate, the spinner of life’s thread, dispenser of life’s water.