Morena

The painting shows a young woman in white Slavic robes holding a skull. Behind her is a winter forest.

Morena is the Slavic goddess of winter and death. The Slavs considered winter a very bad time of year. Winters in the Slavic lands were harsh and food was sometimes scarce; people often died of illness, cold and hunger in that season, and so the goddess of winter was also held to be the goddess of death — which the skull in her hands points to.

She is dressed in white, recalling snowy plains, and wears a great deal of gold — she is, after all, the wife of Koschei the Deathless himself. The raven perched on the skull also marks her marriage bond to Koschei, since in Slavic mythology the raven was considered his servant.

In the background stand bare trees, as if to underline further the darkness she brings with her. And although all around is deep snow, small flowers still show through it, recalling red blood and again pointing to death. Around her float small lights — the souls of those who died at winter's coming.