The Gods Of Slavic Folklore
Even though Slavs and their myths don’t have a large representation in pop culture, apart from of course the massive export of crazy eastern-European videos, The Witcher, and her Majesty - Vodka; mystery, lore, ancient magic, witchcraft, strange rituals, and spooky stories await you in Slavic tales.
There are of course proper academic studies into Slavic Folklore, Etymology of Language, History and Genetic Traits, etc. Still, most of the folk stories remain obscure and are still passed down verbally as fables told by our grandparents, who heard it from theirs, and, well… you know how this goes.
The reason they remained just stories for a long time is because the Slavs couldn’t be asked to write any of it down, so others had to do it for them later. In the midst of all the battles, sacrifices to deities, and general (fairly compared to today’s standards) madness that was Europe during those days, who had time to learn to read and write… I don’t believe there would’ve been a good school for myself anyhow, forget about where I’d find an asthma inhaler.
All Slavic tribes had a peculiar and unique way of perceiving reality, as well as a shifting moral spectrum and complexity in their gods and folklore, supposed to explain their world..
So let’s dive in together and explore this tunnel I've burrowed for us, about the Slavs and their Major gods. Ready? Steady?
Going Back To My Roots, Yeah?
The majority of Slavic folklore is shamefully unused and obscure, even today. The word ‘Slav’ originates from the Slavic words for ‘glory’ or ‘fame’ (слава - slava) and 'speech' or 'word' (слово - slovo, since they didn't write much, or at all).
Though, they were known by many names among different societies and were also related to the Vikings ( the Kievan Rus were the best known among them as fierce and strong).
The first part of their mysterious mythos - the gods governing their cosmos.
The Great Tree, Veles below and Perun above - courtesy of (deviantart)
Naturally, the Slavic peoples were polytheistic. Many gods were worshiped for many different reasons. For good crops, harvest, rain, health, love, battle and magic - Jeff the god of hairstyles, Peter, god of Cupcakes, and John the god of Christmas Cards... You pretty much had a god for everything, the last three of course didn’t really exist... I think.
Many Slavic tribes used different names for the same god, which makes things even more arduous to track down, but I've done my best to put the pieces together!
ROD/DIEVOS
Primordial creator of the cosmos and the gods. According to Chronica Slavorum (finished in 1169 by an old geezer called Helmold of Bosau); All other gods had specific duties given to them by Rod, and since every god is the “blood” of Rod, they (the gods) had to obey their assigned responsibilities.
Each god had a distinctness, own nature, and power respective to their relative proximity to Rod - meaning time and order of creation rather than actual distance…that’ll be absurd…even for the Slavs.
As an example, in Greek Myth every generation of celestial and godly beings which superseded the previous ones are better and stronger than those that came before.
The first generation of primordial titans were Gaia and Ouranos, then all other Titans next (along with the Meliae - nymphs, the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires) who ruled after the primordial ones, and then the Olympian Gods who took over from the Titans. Each generation was "better" than the last. Slavic myth by contrast takes a more conservative approach, meaning the most powerful beings come first and then all other powerful beings next.
One of my favourite and epic, in my opinion, Slavic god-creation myths is the story of Rod moulding Svarog, the Divine Smith, from the "heart of a star". Svarog arrived in the world before anything else came into being, including time.
The god was gifted an anvil by Rod, from which Svarog could create anything. Rod then began their ultimate sacrifice - the creation of all other gods (the sacrificial archetype is common in Slavic folklore and of course observed in many other religions and cultures - people drink the blood of Jesus (wine) and eat his flesh (bread) or kill an animal on the day of this or that god).
The primordial creator spilled their sacred blood over the anvil, while Svarog toiled in this timeless expanse; hammering, moulding, and shaping all other celestials by the blood of his creator.
It seems that at its core, the genesis of Slavic myth has a deeply embedded sacrificial tone: for one thing to live, another must be destroyed. This is just one of the distinct stories of creation, and as myth was mostly verbal for the Slavs, I'm certain the story changed from person to person, with this being one of the versions that (sort of) made it through the ages.
No concrete evidence exists to suggest Rod was worshipped, though we believe the cosmos and existence itself was credited to them. Of course, the stories varied from tribe to tribe, but this whole “cosmos business” seems to have been kind of agreed upon.
Although the Slavic peoples had many deities, the next ones had the largest following and subscribers (you can most certainly call them “influencers”)
PERUN
Heavenly father, the justice of the skies, god of thunderbolts and lighting (very, very frightening)
Perun, by Sasha Kriger Ristic
He was a warrior-type deity, and the leader to all other gods. A mixture between Thor, Zeus, and Odin, and the Celtic Esus all in one, though really just Perun… His name was invoked by rulers, the elite, as well as warriors, but really anyone. Perun's symbol, the thundermark, was carved on houses for protection from the elements or on shields and weapons in order to gain power, inspiration, and His holy war blessings.
His "holy" weapon was an axe which carried his bolts of lightning; the Golden Apple Trees in Bulgarian (Slavic) Folklore are also associated with Perun, representing a ball lightning or raw power (and a three-headed Zmey dragon usually guards or tries to steal the apples in most common tales).
Perun is part of the "Old Faith" or, if you will, the ‘old testament’ of Slavic gods to which belong Svarog, Mokosh, Lada, Veles, and Rod. It's worth mentioning that Perun and his counterpart Veles (considered his "brother"-ish) have a very intricate dynamic; resembling that of Belobog and Chernobog, almost constantly at each others throats.
Veles would turn into a serpent and try and steal a Golden Apple so Perun would have to intervene and stop him. Then, Veles would release dead spirits into the world (when he was their manager) just to anger his brother, and Perun would have to chase them away or return them to the plane of the dead with the help of other gods (kind of a Halloween/All saints type thing).
Apart from being Veles's nanny, Perun was the chief adjudicator of the Gods, and his decision was final. It was said he would listen to reason though once he made his mind up, that was that. He was the justice system of the gods in a way, judge, jury and executioner.
After the Christianisation of the Slavic peoples Perun took on the guise of the prophet/saint Elijah who rode a chariot across the sky causing thunderstorms. There are many other stories about Elijah, alas this blog isn’t about him.
There are still places named after Perun, such as the Pirin Mountains in Bulgaria, the etymology of which comes from Perun. The name Perun itself still means 'thunder' or 'lightning bolt 'in a number of Slavic languages and the root of the word means 'to strike'.
He is undisputedly (by scholars) the highest god of the Slavic 'pantheon' and that of thunder, law, and lightning.
VELES
God of magic, commerce, traders, cattle, the serpent-dragon god, the horned one (cattle related), also associated with the underworld, poetry and nature too (talk about a busy resume)
Veles, by Sasha Kriger Ristic
He resembles the gods Hades, Loki and Varuna in one. Veles played a massive part in the cycle of Life & Death, while simultaneously giving Perun a hard time, creating (and perhaps poetically echoing) the intrinsic, constant cosmic conflict in the world. His name roughly translates to "souls of dead humans" and its root is "Vel" of "Wel" - spirit.
Veles once managed to seal away all the waters of the world, causing a mass water crisis (much like a financial crisis I suppose) and thus the death of people, cattle, and crops.
After this water shenanigans, he hid under the roots of the Tree of Life (or The Great Tree) to watch the gods panic. The gods didn't panic but instead came up with a cunning plan to capture him and make Veles release the waters once more.
To force him out of his hiding place Perun set the Tree aflame with one of his bolts of lightning knowing he wouldn't harm the Tree (world) but only scare his brother Veles into thinking the world would be reduced to smouldering ash.
Veles emerged surprised to see the world engulfed in flame, only to be apprehended by Perun and Dazhbog (champion of the Gods). Once caught, Veles was made to release the waters and imprisoned in the roots of The Great Tree, which would've represented another dimension or plane or world altogether.
His governance over the souls of the dead was also taken away from him and assigned to the goddess Morana or Merzana. Veles then fully took on the idea and domain of a trickster, shapeshifter god, but still presided over magic. All in all an interesting chap that Veles god.
Some argue Veles and Perun are two sides of the same coin, or at both ends of 'The Tree of Life' (that's one of the versions of the cosmology in which some Slavs believed, like the one in Norse Myth, representing the entire world or cosmos).
After the Christianisation, Veles took on the guise of Saint Nicholas and Saint George, often depicted as knight piercing a dragon/serpent with his holy spear. Though, during his Slavic reign Veles was depicted as a horned man with a beard, or at times as a man with a stags' skull holding a staff or a spear. Hence why, St. George is likely what happened to Veles.
Some believe that Leshiis or Leshens, or Lesniks (masters of the forest popularised by CD Project Red Witcher 3) were created by Veles, to represent his fickle temper and love for trickery, like that of nature.
SVAROG
The Bright (or Divine) Smith, god of creation; his sparks are said to illuminate the night sky and fill it with vibrancy (think they meant the stars...very romantic of the Slavs, well done).
Svarog by the famous painter Andrey Shishkin
The etymology of the name itself can be traced to words such as 'fire', 'burnt', 'to melt' or 'weld', 'boil' and 'forge at high heat' and in many Slavic languages that root is preserved until today.
Svarog is associated with fire, smiths, the sun loosely, and warriors too. The Slavic god could be compared to the dwarves of Norse myth, who crafted all the magical weapons for the gods, and many more marvellous machinations. Scholars find resemblance between Svarog and the Greco-Roman Chronos-Saturn, and he can be compared to the Greek Hephaestus and Helios.
Some people say Svarog' s symbol is supposedly the Kolovrat (a circular symbol resembling a sun with eight arrow-like rays stretching out), the arrows' tips pointing right to left, or east to west, representing the movement of the sun.
However, that is a strongly disputed matter and many scholars believe the symbol came to be in the early 1920's and has nothing to do with the god. The "real" symbol of the Svarog is likely lost to time and the lack of records from that period.
A trend which is observed in mythology, with regards to smith gods, is that they're often ugly and disfigured ( I don’t make the rules, just read and summarise them), not as able as a warrior or fit to be one. Which was the case with the disfigured Hephaestus (who was thrown off a cliff by his mother Hera…classic Greeks…).
They were likely depicted as such because in ancient times smiths were allowed to stay home instead of raiding with the tribe because they weren't very good warriors, but rather good crafters. This certainly wasn’t the case with Svarog. He was a major deity in the life of the Slavic peoples, quite handsome too if I may say so, usually depicted as a sturdy and muscular chap, and is the father of Xors Dazhbog (Dazhbog associated with the sun and later with Christ, and the champion of the Gods).
Instead of fighting, smiths supplied weapons and armour for the warriors, and farming tools for the people; while acting as sentinels of the homeland whilst most of the army was away doing what they do best.
Most of the smiths had to worship someone, so off go the smith gods. The idea being that apart from smith qualities Svarog also pertains the qualities of the warrior and leader gods, along with precedence over the element of fire (which was all important, just as it is today, as it gave our ancestors the ability to craft and cook. In Norse Myth there's an entire dimension, or world, where fire "lives" and comes from known as Muspelheim).
Worth nothing that with many tribes Svarog and Perun have been observed to be interchangeable as deities.
Svarog sadly disappeared during the Christianisation, however there are still places and words taking their names after him and echoing Svarog's existence.
For instance, mount Zwercheck in German or Svaroh in Czech, is a mountain between Germany and Czechia known to be named after the god.
Swarożyn, a small town in Poland the etymology of which comes from Svarog (Svarog isn't the way the then Polish people would have spelled it anyway) and in Romanian the word 'sfarog' means dried-up in the sense of charred or burnt.
This meaning of 'svaren' or 'svaria' is borrowed by the South-Slavic old Bulgarian language, also meaning to boil or heat up - derived from the very name of the god, used in written and verbal Bulgarian until this day.
There are many, many more words that would take the majority of this blog if I were to write them, and thus we swiftly carry on.
MAT MOKOSH - Mother Earth
She can be compared to the All-mother-type-goddesses like Gaya and Hera from Greek Myth. Also with the goddess of the Hearth - Hestia, Zeus’s sister. She also carries some semblance to Frigg/Freya of Norse Myth.
Art by Ekaterina Yusupova (Chesalova)
Mat (short for mother) Mokosh was the beloved of both Perun and Veles (quite naughty of them all really). This is how the cycle of the seasons was likely explained. Changes of Mokosh’s persona and mood depended on who she favoured. She was more fiery, and fertile with Perun, i.e. spring and summer, bringing the abundance of food and joy. With Veles however, she became colder and barren bringing autumn and winter, along with the death of crops and therefore the lack of food.
We can also see a resemblance with Persephone from Greek myth. Persephone (goddess of vegetation and grain) was the daughter of Demeter (goddess of fertility and harvest) and Zeus.
Hades fell in love with Persephone, that meant she had to come down from Olympus so Her and Hades could be together. Demeter wasn’t very happy nor impressed with her daughters' choice of lover, so Zeus ruled that Persephone shall be with Hades for six months of the year (i.e. autumn/winter, the cause being Demeter's sadness) and the other six months with her mother (i.e. spring and summer, Demeter's joy) - very roundabout way to explain the seasons I grant you that…
Apart from the seasons and harvest, Mokosh was the protector of women. Her name was invoked especially during childbirth, to protect the mother and the child, since during those days that was usually was a downright deadly and frightening responsibility.
Illustration of Mat Mokosh by polish artist Yolai
Mokosh was just as respected as Perun, Veles, or Svarog, and the first "sacrifice" of every year was in her name. People would often leave the first loaf of bread or grain of that years' harvest, wreaths of flowers, and corn (again...why corn?) on statues or idols made in her likeness.
During the Christianisation of the Slavs, so they could assimilate it better, Mokosh took the guise of Saint Paraskevi and Virgin Mary. Her symbol became fountains and their running water (quite serene, well done Christians. A little further and you could conquer all of Europe…oh, wait…).
Some romantic scholars have said that if Perun is the bolt of Lightning that strikes with justice, Mokosh is the hand that guides it. I quite like that, even though a tad misogynistic, though it isn't supposed to be since she was greatly respected and had more followers than any god.
For the Slavic tribes, there was little difference between the sexes when it came to battle or working on a field, apart from childbirth. We can say with ease that gods varied from tribe to tribe, but the mother goddess was a constant.
What's next? The second part of this series ofc, right HERE!
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