The Slavic goddess personifying winter and death, often burned in effigy, is Marzanna.
Marzanna is the Polish name of a Slavic seasonal goddess associated with winter, frost, death, and the dormant phase of nature. Her symbolic destruction marks the end of winter and the return of spring. In the traditional rite, communities create a female effigy, carry it in procession, and burn it, drown it, or do both.
The custom survives in Poland and related forms in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania. In Poland it is known as Topienie Marzanny, or the drowning of Marzanna. The ritual is commonly held around March 20 or 21, near the vernal equinox, although older calendars placed it on the fourth Sunday of Lent. Afterward, participants may bring a decorated green branch or small tree into the village to symbolize renewed vegetation.
Marzanna has regional names including Morana, Morena, Marena, and Morė. She is often confused with Vesna or Lada, but those names are associated with spring or fertility in later interpretations. The exact pre-Christian mythology is uncertain because much of the surviving evidence comes from folklore and later written accounts.