Echoes of the Wild Souls - 31 hand-drawn animal cards from Slavic and Nordic tradition
Martyna Szczykutowicz spent three years making this deck. That is not a marketing detail. It explains why the illustrations carry the weight they do. Every card is hand-drawn, vibrant, and detailed, grounded in a tradition she knows from both sides: as an artist and as a shamanic practitioner.
The deck contains 31 cards, each centred on an animal from the Slavic and Nordic world. The animals carry themes of memory, freedom, courage and transformation. The 128-page guidebook develops those meanings in full and is written entirely in English.
What you see on the cards
The illustrations are full of colour and life. Reviewers consistently use the word vibrant, and it fits: these images demand attention. The blue-green base of the cards contrasts with metallic red gilded edges, giving the deck a considered, distinctive finish.
Inside the guidebook, all cards are reproduced in colour on lightly glossy paper. The box is solid and well made. Picking this deck up, you notice that the production has been thought through.
What the deck is built on
Szczykutowicz has studied with teachers from Nepal, Siberia, North America and South America. Her work centres on power animals, the concept in shamanic practice of animals that act as spiritual guides. That is the foundation of this deck: not decorative, but rooted in a living tradition.
The focus is specifically on the Slavic shamanic tradition, which is far less familiar in Western Europe than its Nordic counterpart. That gives this deck a distinct position among animal oracle cards.
Pull a card and read what is written about that animal, without any particular question in mind. The texts are concrete enough to work with immediately, but they also carry a second layer that tends to arrive later.
About Martyna Szczykutowicz
Martyna Szczykutowicz was born in 1985, graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, and has followed the shamanic path for many years. Her teachers come from a wide range of traditions: Nepal, Siberia, North America and South America. In her workshops she works with power animals and shamanic healing and development methods, both traditional and contemporary.
Her focus is on reconnecting people with nature, and specifically on reviving and extending the Slavic shamanic tradition.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 31
- Guidebook: 128 pages
- Language: English
- Publisher: Königsfurt-Urania Verlag
- Publication date: 16 April 2026
- Weight: 382 g
- Dimensions: 104 x 40 x 144 mm
- Finish: Metallic red gilded edges, blue-green card background
- Author and illustrator: Martyna Szczykutowicz
Questions we often get
What language are the cards and guidebook in?
Both the cards and the 128-page guidebook are in English. There are no multilingual texts on the cards themselves.
How does this differ from other animal or totem oracle decks?
Most animal oracle decks draw on general symbolism or Indigenous North American traditions. This one focuses specifically on Slavic and Nordic animals, which is a less common angle in the current market. The creator has a background in the Slavic shamanic tradition and spent three years developing the illustrations.