Orisnitsa, also known as female partners and women in labor, came to us from ancient pagan times. Faith in them was most widespread among the southern Slavs, Czechs and Slovaks.
On the third night after the birth of the child, three entities come to his cradle, determining his future fate. It is they who are called orisnitsy. Usually they appear in the form of three beautiful young girls, although there are cases when women in labor looked like old women, in this case, instead of three, only one orisnitsa often appears. It is not known for certain whether women in labor are sisters or are simply united by a common cause in tracing the fate of a newborn.
Orisnits can not always be seen, more often they simply whisper to the mother or the closest relatives of the baby about which life path he has to overcome. One of them is responsible for the appearance of the newborn, the other determines what diseases he will have to endure, and finally, the third - what dangers and hardships he will face in life, as well as how rich or poor he will be, both materially and spiritually.
Women in labor are not some kind of good or evil spirits, rather they can be called impartial. There are some similarities between the Orisnitsy and the Norns from Scandinavian beliefs. Both of them weave the thread of human destiny, it depends on them what kind of life path lies in front of a new person. Contenders often argue among themselves about how long the newborn will be given to stay in this world and leave after they come to an agreement. To appease the orisnits, sweets, jewelry, coins are placed in the cradle.