Tradition / Region: Southern Slavs (Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro)
Alternate Names: Badњak
Category: Hearth spirit / ritual spirit
The Myth
Badnjak is a spirit known among the Southern Slavs, closely associated with Christmas Eve. It is believed to appear either in the form of a bearded old man or embodied within a log prepared for ritual burning.
On Christmas Eve, a special log—also called the badnjak—is brought into the home and placed on the fire. This log is not considered ordinary wood, but the dwelling place or manifestation of the Badnjak spirit itself. As the log burns, it is believed to bring warmth, protection, fertility, and prosperity to the household for the coming year.
In some traditions, the Badnjak is imagined as an elderly, bearded figure who visits the home symbolically through the fire. The crackling, sparks, and glow of the burning log are taken as signs of the spirit’s presence and favor.
Through this ritual, Badnjak remains a liminal being—both spirit and object—bridging the human household and the sacred time of midwinter, appearing each year with the lighting of the Christmas Eve fire.
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
Philosophical Readings
Psychological Readings
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive