| Devana | |
|---|---|
Goddess of the hunt, wild animals, forests | |
| Other names | Zevana, Dziewanna |
| Weapon | Bow and arrows |
| Animals | Sighthounds |
| Equivalents | |
| Greek | Artemis |
| Norse | Skaði |
| Roman | Diana |
Devana (Polish: Dziewanna [d͡ʑɛˈvan.na] , Latin: Dzewana), Zevana (Polish: Ziewanna), less often Zievonya (Polish: Ziewonja, Zewonia) is the goddess of wild nature, forests, hunting and the moon worshiped by the Western Slavs. In the sources, she was first mentioned in the 15th century by Jan Długosz, who compared her to the Roman goddess Diana. Dziewanna is also a Polish name for Verbascum, and the etymology of the word is unclear. After strong criticism from Aleksander Brückner, researchers rejected her authenticity, but nowadays it is accepted by an increasing number of researchers. Sometimes, in folk rituals, she performs together with Morana.