Berehynia in Kiev

During the recent murderous kerfuffle over would-be-dictator Viktor Yanukovych's grip on power in Ukraine, I've caught glimpses of this beautiful statue rising above the gun smoke in Kiev and wondered what it is. The short answer is that it's a Monument to Berehynia (2001). It was erected in Independence Square on the site of the former Lenin monument. (Hard cheese, Lenin.) So who is Berehynia? From what I can gather, she's a combination of hearth mother and a Slavic naiad or water nymph. Her role is to protect Kiev. Bit lax over the last few days, Mum. CLICK for BBC News on the tentative peace deal in Kiev.