The nawie, nawki, sometimes also referred to as lalki[3] (Polish language; all plural forms) were used as names for the souls of the dead. According to some scholars (namely Stanisław Urbańczyk, among others), this word was a general name for demons arising out of the souls of tragic and premature deaths, killers, warlocks, the murdered and the Drowned Dead.[6] They were said to be hostile and unfavourable towards humans, being jealous of life.[6]InBulgarian folklore there exists the character of 12 navias that sucked the blood out of women giving birth, whereas in the Ruthenian Primary Chronicle the navias are presented as a demonic personification of the 1092 plague in Polotsk.[4] According to folk tales, the nawie usually took the form of birds.[3]
The phrase Nawia (Polish) or Nav (used across Slavic tongues) was also utilised as a name for the Slavonic underworld, ruled by the god Veles, enclosed away from the world either by a living sea or river, according to some beliefs located deep underground.[3] According to Ruthenian folklore, Veles lived on a swamp in the centre of Nav, where he sat on a golden throne at the base of the Cosmic Tree, wielding a sword.[3] Symbolically, the Nav has also been described as a huge green plain—pasture, onto which Veles guides souls.[3] The entrance to Nav was guarded by a Zmey.[3] It was believed the souls would later be reborn on earth.[7] It is highly likely that these folk beliefs were the inspiration behind the neopagan idea of Jav, Prav and Nav in the literary forgery known as the Book of Veles.
^A figure named Nāves māte ("Mother Death") exists in Latvian mythology, as one of the Mahtes, a designation for several female deities.[1] The connection with Sloveniannavje was already seen by scholar Nikolai Mikhailov.[2]
^ abcdefgSzyjewski, Andrzej (2004). Religia Słowian [Religion of the Slavs] (in Polish). Kraków: Wydawnictwo WAM. ISBN83-7318-205-5.
^ abKempiński, Andrzej (2001). Encyklopedia mitologii ludów indoeuropejskich [Encyclopedia of mythology of Indo-European peoples] (in Polish). Warszawa: Iskry. ISBN83-207-1629-2.
^ abStrzelczyk, Jerzy (2007). Mity, podania i wierzenia dawnych Słowian [Myths, legends, and beliefs of the early Slavs] (in Polish). Poznań: Rebis. ISBN978-83-7301-973-7.
Kajkowski, Kamil. 2015. “Slavic Journeys to the Otherworld. Remarks on the Eschatology of Early Medieval Pomeranians" [Słowiańskie wędrówki W zaświaty. Kilka Uwag Na Temat Eschatologii wczesnośredniowiecznych Pomorzan]. Studia Mythologica Slavica 18 (July). Ljubljana, Slovenija: 15-34. https://doi.org/10.3986/sms.v18i0.2828.