Another little-studied character from the Slavic pagan pantheon is the goddess Devan. The cult of this goddess was most widespread among the northern and western Slavs. Under the name of Dzhevan, the goddess was revered on the territory of modern Poland.
Like the goddess Tara, Devan is the patroness and protector of forests, but protects the animal world. It is natural that most of all she was revered in the tribes feeding on hunting, living in the forests. According to legends, Devan is the daughter of Perun and the goddess Diva. She inherited courage, wisdom and determination from her father, and beauty and pride from her mother. Devan looks like a young, beautiful and very strong girl, usually with a bow in her hands. As a rule, two wolves accompany the goddess on her wanderings through the forests. Devan's clothes are made from animal skins.
This Slavic goddess has some similarities with the Greek Diana, who is also considered the patroness of hunting.
The main function of Devan is to protect the wildlife of the forests. It helps animals survive in a harsh winter, avoid traps, get food and feed their offspring. Therefore, our ancestors turned to her with requests for help before the start of the hunt, and after the hunt they brought gifts in the form of part of the prey. Unfortunately, information about the day on which this goddess was especially honored has not reached our days. In addition to the hunters, everyone who went to the forest brought gifts to the goddess. She favorably accepted girls' ribbons, beads and other jewelry.
According to the legends, Dewana understands the language of animals, and she herself can turn into a forest dweller if necessary. She does not accept hunting as entertainment, and can severely punish people who are addicted to such fun. At the same time, the goddess can help a hunter in search of prey, for whom hunting is the only available source of food. At the same time, the help of the goddess is invisible and it can often be mistaken for simple luck.