Veles (Π±Π΅Π»Π΅Ρ) While being the god of the Underworld, Earth, and Waters, Veles is also considered a trickster deity akin to Loki in Norse mythology. He is also connected with magic and sorcery. Veles is described as the god of livestock and farmers who punishes those who go against him with sickness. It is also suggested in multiple myths that he was a shapeshifter, often in the form of a snake or a dragon. In addition to horses, cows, goats, and sheep, Veles is also associated with wolves, reptiles, and blackbirds (specifically ravens and crows). His name is primarily mentioned in 16th-century Czech records, here his name has the meaning of βdragonβ or βdevilβ. His realms were in the roots of the tree. The primary chronicle is a detailed record of early Kievan Rus and it mentions the god Veles multiple times. Velesβ idol did not stand next to others on the hill where the princeβs palace was, but was in the city marketplace lower down. This indicates that the worship of Perun and Veles had to be done separately for several reasons. One being that Perun and Veles were enemies and so it would be wrong to place the two in such close proximity to one another, and secondly was that while it was correct to place Perunβs idol high on mountains, Veles was supposed to remain down in the lowlands. Dazbog (Π΄Π°ΠΆΡΠ±ΠΎΠ³) In most surviving images, he is shown with a glowing halo around his head and an orb in his hand. Both of which are represent the sun. Dazbog is the god of the Sun, fire, light and weather. When winter ends, Dazbog brings the light from the sun and rain to help new life begin again. Because of this, Dazbog is viewed as a god of life. The primary tale about Dazbog is that he lived in a palace made of gold in a land of never-ending summer and wealth. The morning and evening were known as the Zoryi and were his daughters. The Zoryi would open the palace gates to allow Dazbog to leave in the morning. Later in the evening, Zoryi closed the gates and in different versions of the myths, the sisters are combined into the single goddess Zorya. In some stories, Dazbog starts out in the morning as a young, strong man but in the evening he is elderly and weak. He is reborn every morning. At night Dazbog crosses the great ocean with a boat pulled by geese, wild ducks, and swans. Dazbog is said to be the son of Svarog the god of the sky and celestial fire, and the brother to Svarozhich. He is married to the moon goddess Mesyats, who is his opposite. Stribog (ΡΡΡΠΈΠ±ΠΎΠ³) Stribog was the god of the wind and is also the son of Perun. They both ruled over the sky. All winds, no matter if they are from land or sea, small or great, are considered as his grandchildren. His symbolic animal and messenger was the eagle. He is represented as an old white-bearded man with a large horn which we uses to call the winds. There are several possible interpretations of his name. Stribog could originally have been an epithet meaning βfather godβ. The βstri-β root can be linked to the proto-indo-european β-ster- , which can also seen in the verb
28
