Iriy
Slavic otherworld of souls and birds, linked to spring.
Iriy (also known as Vyrai, Vyriy, or Irij) is a mythical otherworld in Slavic mythology, often identified with paradise. It is the place where birds fly for the winter and souls go after death, and from which spring arrives on Earth. The gates were guarded by Veles, sometimes in the form of a raróg holding keys. The realm was imagined as a garden beyond an iron gate, situated in the crown of the cosmic tree, where birds—identified as human souls—nested. The path to Iriy was thought to lie through water, such as a whirlpool. Some folk tales describe the soul departing for Vyrai during cremation and later returning to a pregnant woman, carried by a stork or nightjar, suggesting traces of reincarnation.
Quick Facts
- Alternate names
- Vyrai
- Vyriy
- Irij
- Ráj
- Raj
- Ириј
- Associated deity
- Rod
- Guardian
- Veles (sometimes as raróg)
- Location
- Beyond the sea, at the end of the Milky Way; also underground or beyond water
- Notable feature
- Gates guarded by Veles
- iron gate
- cosmic tree
- Associated animals
- Birds (human souls)
- stork
- nightjar
- snakes/dragons (later underground Vyrai)
Facts from the source article.
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