Nav (Slavic folklore)

The words nawia, nav and its other variants are most likely derived from the Proto-Slavic , meaning "corpse", "deceased". ==As souls or spirits==

during an epidemic in Polotsk. Miniatures from Radzivill Chronicle, late 15th century. The nawie, nawki, sometimes also referred to as lalki (Polish language; all plural forms) were used as names for the souls of the dead. According to some scholars (namely Stanisław Urbańczyk, among others), this word was a general name for demons arising out of the souls of tragic and premature deaths, killers, warlocks, the murdered and the Drowned Dead. They were said to be hostile and unfavourable towards humans, being jealous of life. According to folk tales, the nawie usually took the form of birds. ==As an underworld==

The phrase Nawia (Polish) or Nav (used across Slavic tongues) was also utilised as a name for the Slavonic underworld, ruled by the god Veles, enclosed away from the world either by a living sea or river, according to some beliefs located deep underground. It is highly likely that these folk beliefs were the inspiration behind the neopagan idea of Jav, Prav and Nav in the literary forgery known as the Book of Veles. ==See also==