The Silver Egg ~ Slavic Gzhel Kit

Description

This wonderful kit contains gold Easter egg dye and tools to create and decorate a Gzhel horse egg stand. The instructions are in Russian but include pictures and you can use your handy dandy phones translate tool.

In Western Slavic lore, black and white horses were believed to be created by Chernobog and Belobog, respectively. The Sun itself was thought to travel in a horse-drawn chariot during the day and in a boat drawn by ducks at night. Many male Deities (examples, Yarilo, Sventovit, and Perun) and some female (examples, Morana and Dziewana) are portrayed riding a horse. Stribog and His grandsons, the Winds are also sometimes portrayed riding a black horse. Horses that belong to the Sun, however, are traditionally white with golden manes. Researchers notice that Yarilo (Christian Saint George) typically rides a chestnut-colored horse. Morana is believed to specifically prefer “pale” horses, and Dziewana is usually envisioned riding a chestnut or dark bay horse. Svarog, the Heavenly Smith, is also associated with horses, particularly bay and chestnut-colored ones. A skeletal horse (Morovitsa) sometimes accompanies Koshchei or Death and represents Animal Death.

Gzhel is a Russian style of blue and white ceramics which takes its name from the village of Gzhel and surrounding area, where it has been produced since 1802. About thirty villages located southeast of Moscow produce pottery and ship it throughout Russia. The name Gzhel became associated with pottery in the 14th century. Gzhel pottery was originally created by potters in their homes; however, fairly early on these potters started to organize into workshops to increase production. The workshops eventually became a factory with pieces being formed in moulds and potters being responsible for separate pieces, a specific style, or decoration. The earliest pieces were created of earthenware. The pottery was painted solid white with distinctive blue designs.

Imported