German (mythology)

Life and work

If rain became excessive, the doll would be dug up again.^[2] Girls would make a doll 20 to 50 cm long, adorn it with flowers, bury it with funeral observances, and after three, nine, or forty days dig it up and throw it into water.^[3] A separate ritual to ward off hailstorms was recorded around Pirot at the beginning of the 20th century, where the head of the household invited German to dinner on Christmas Eve.^[4] Constructed from rags, fired clay, or dried fruits, the effigy of German was notably large and always included a clear depiction of male genitalia.^[1]

Only girls or young women were involved in making and using this doll during rituals.^[1] Local customs varied: the doll was either interred near the river or placed in a small coffin to be sent downstream.^[2] Two girls would then mourn the doll, responding to questions that German had died so rain would come.^[2] In northern Bulgaria, German rituals either came right after Dodola ceremonies or were conducted on their own.^[2]

On the Feast of Saint Germanus, some villages held these rituals.^[3]

What the cited sources add

Janićijević interprets German as a vegetation spirit whose death enables nature's regeneration through rain.^[5] According to the same source, the doll's prominent male genitals are a symbol of fertility.^[5] Janićijević suggests the doll likely replaced an earlier practice of human sacrifice.^[5] Alongside dolls of Yarilo, Kostroma, and Morena, German's doll is counted among Slavic sacrificial figures.^[5]