Religion:Deities of Slavic religion

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A shrine of Svarog in Bitsa Park, Moscow.

Deities of Slavic religion, arranged in cosmological and functional groups, are inherited through mythology and folklore. Both in the earliest Slavic religion and in modern Slavic Native Faith's theology and cosmology, gods are arranged as a hierarchy of powers begotten by the supreme God of the universe, Rod, known as Deivos in the earliest Slavic religion.[1] According to Helmold's Chronica Slavorum (compiled 1168–1169), "obeying the duties assigned to them, [the deities] have sprung from his [the supreme God's] blood and enjoy distinction in proportion to their nearness to the god of the gods".[2]

The general Slavic term for "god" or "deity" is бог bog, whose original meaning is both "wealth" and its "giver".({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) The term is related to Sanskrit bhaga and Avestan baga.[3] Some Slavic gods are worshipped to this day in folk religion, especially in rural areas, despite longtime Christianisation of Slavic lands,({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) apart from the relatively recent phenomenon of organised Slavic Native Faith (Rodnovery).

Slavic folk belief holds that the world organises itself according to an oppositional and yet complementary cosmic duality through which the supreme God expresses oneself, represented by Belobog ("White God") and Chernobog ("Black God"), collectively representing heavenly-masculine and earthly-feminine deities, or waxing light and waning light gods, respectively.({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) The two are also incarnated by Svarog–Perun and Veles, whom have been compared to the Indo-Iranian Mitra and Varuna, respectively.[4]

All bright male gods, especially those whose name has the attributive suffix -vit, "lord", are epithets, denoting aspects or phases in the year of the masculine radiating force, personified by Perun (the "Thunder" and "Oak").[5] Veles, as the etymology of his name highlights, is instead the god of poetic inspiration and sight.[6] The underpinning Mokosh ("Moist"), the great goddess of the earth related to the Indo-Iranian Anahita, has always been the focus of a strong popular devotion, and is still worshipped by many Slavs, chiefly Russians.[7]

Hypothetical primordial god

Concept Name variations Description / Various hypotheses Modern image and alleged symbol[lower-greek 1]
–Rod
–Deivos[lower-greek 2] 		–Dievas(Lithuanian)
Rid(Ukrainian)
–Rodu (Old East Slavic)[9]
–Sud (South Slavic)[10]
–Prabog, Praboh (Slovak)[10]

 According to some scholars[citation needed], the Rod is absolute, primordial god of the universe and of all other gods. Supreme creator of all things and kins and their power of generation. Scholars have defined Rod as the "general power of birth and reproduction".[13] The root *rod means "birth", "origin", "kinship", "tribe" and "destiny". Sud, literally "Judge", is a South Slavic name for the supreme god, especially when conceived as the interweaving of destiny. Praboh is another name for the same concept, this time from the Slovak tradition, and literally means "pre-god", "first-god", "primordial god".[10][unreliable source?]

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Wheels and whirls[lower-greek 3]

Sylenkoite representation of Rod.png

Highest cosmological concepts

Basic information from Mathieu-Colas 2017.[10] Further information is appropriately referenced.

Supreme polarity

Concept Name variations Description / Various hypotheses Main attestations Modern image and alleged symbol[lower-greek 1]
Belobog—Chernobog ①
–Bielobog, Byelobog[10]
–Belibog[10]
–Bielbog, Bjjelbog[10]
–Gilbog[19]
②
–Chernabog, Chernebog, Chernibog[10]
–Czernabog, Czernibog, Czernobog[10]
–Crnobog[10]
–Zcerneboch[10]
–Zernebog (Germanised Wendish)[20]
–Tiarnaglofi, Tjarnaglofi[1]

 Literally, respectively, "White God" (cf. bieli, "white") and "Black God" (cf. cherni, "black"). The "Black God" is the deity of darkness and evil. The "White God" is the hypothetical deity of light and goodness, the opposite of the first.
Hierarchy of the divine, with the two categories proceeding from the supreme God, as illustrated by Georg F. Creuzer and Franz J. Mone.[19]
}} 		Baltic Slavs
By Maxim Sukharev
Rod—Rozanica –Rodzanica[10]
–Rodzhanitsa, Rojanitsa[10]
–Rozhdenica[10]
–Rodjenica (Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian)({{{1}}}, {{{2}}})
–Razivia, Raziwia[22]
–Rodiva, Rodiwa[22]
–Deva, Dewa, Dzewa[22]
–Baba[23]
–Krasopani[22]
–Udelnica (north Russian)[24] 		Literally "God and the Goddess", it is a conceptualisation of the supreme polarity as male–female, formed by the masculine form plus the feminine form of the root *rod; it implies the union of the supreme God with matter to shape reality. The feminine form is frequently spelled plural, interpreting Rozanica as the collective representation of the three goddesses of fate. Rozanica is an ancient mother goddess,[citation needed] and her name literally means the "Generatrix" or "Genitrix".({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) In kinships, while Rod represents the forefathers from the male side, Rozanica represents the ancestresses from the female side. Through the history of the Slavs, the latter gradually became more prominent than the former, because of the importance of the mother to the newborn child.[25]

She is also called Deva, meaning the "Young Lady" or simply "Goddess", regarded as the singular goddess of whom all lesser goddesses are manifestations;[26] Baba, meaning the "Old Lady", "Crone", "Hag";[23] and Krasopani, meaning the "Beautiful Lady". She has been compared to the Greek Aphrodite and the Indic Lakshmi,[22] but especially to the Roman Juno, female consort of the supreme God, whom collectively represented the Junones, the Norse Disir, the spirits of female lineages who determined fate.[25] The north Russian name Udelnica means "Bestower" (of fate).[24] The ancient Slavs offered bread, cheese and honey to Rod–Rozanica.[25]

East Slavs, Russes
Rodzanice.jpg
Sud—Sudenica –Sudenitsa[10]
–Sudica[24]
–Sudjenica (Serbo-Croatian)[24]
–Sojenica, Sujenica (Slovenian)[24]
–Sudzhenica (Bulgarian)[24]
–Sudicka (Bohemian)[24]
–Naruchnica (Bulgarian)[24]
–Orisnica, Urisnica, Uresica (Bulgarian)[24] 		Sud literally means "Judge"; God interpreted as the interweaving of fate. Sudenica, literally meaning "She who Judges", is his female counterpart manifesting as the three goddesses (Sudenicy) who determine the fate of men at their birth. They are often presented as Sud's three daughters.[10] The Bulgarian name Orisnica and its variants come from the Greek word ὁρῐ́ζων, horízōn, meaning "determining". Sudenicy are sometimes represented as good-natured old women,[citation needed] and other times as beautiful young women with sparkling eyes, clad in white garments,[citation needed] with their heads covered in white cloths, adorned with gold and silver jewels and precious stones,[citation needed] and holding burning candles in their hands.[citation needed] In other traditions they are planly attired, with only a wreath of flowers around their heads.[citation needed][24] South Slavs -
Vid–Vida ①
–Wid
–Vit, Wit
–Sutvid[27]
②
–Wida
–Vita, Wita 		The supreme polarity as male–female is documented among South Slavs also as Vid–Vida.[27] The root *vid or *vit refers to "sight", "vision".[28] Vid, as highlighted by the name variant Sutvid, may be identified as Svetovid.[27] Like Rodiva, also her manifestation Vida has been compared to the Latin Juno.[29] Vida is identified as the celestial and rainy aspect of the great goddess, contrasted with the terrestrial and dry Zhiva (cf. herebelow).[30] She is entitled "Empress of Heaven", associated with the theme of the tree of light.[31] South Slavs, Serbs/Croats -
Zhibog—Zhiva ①
–Zibog
–Siebog[10]
–Sibog, Shibog
–Jibog, Gibog
②
–Ziva[10]
–Ziwa, Zhiwa[10]
–Sieva, Sieba (Germanised Wendish)[20]
–Siva, Shiva[10]
–Siwa, Shiwa[10]
–Jiva, Giva[10]
–Zivena, Zhivena[10]
–Ziwena[32]
–Zywie (Polish)[33]
–Sisja[34] 		Conceptualisation of the supreme polarity as life. Zhibog literally means "Life God", "Life Giver", while Zhiva means "She who Lives". They are conceived as either siblings or spouses, and gods of love, fertility and marriage[citation needed]. Zhibog is represented with a cat head.[citation needed][21] Zhiva has been compared to the ancient Roman Bona Dea, Ceres and Ops.[28] She is the opposite facet of Morana, the goddess of death (cf. "great goddesses" hereinbelow).[10] She has been studied as the terrestrial and dry aspect of the great goddess, contrasted with the celestial and rainy Vida.[30] East Slavs, Russes
Siwa (Kaisarov).png

Threefold–fourfold divinity and fire-god

Concept Name variations Polarity Description / Various hypotheses Main attestations Modern image and alleged symbol[lower-greek 1]
Triglav –Triglov, Triglaf[10]
–Triglau[10]
–Tryglav, Tryglaw
–Tribog[35]
–Trojan[36] 		M Triglav literally means "Three-Headed". The concept represents three gods who personify the three worlds (Prav-Yav-Nav), or Heaven, earth and the underworld,[37] and sovereignty over the three elements of air, water and soil.[10] Triglav is often represented riding a black horse.[38] As the union of the three dimensions of reality represented as a mountain or tree, Triglav was defined as summus deus ("summing god") by Ebbo. Triglav has also been defined as a conceptualisation of the axis mundi.[39] Adam of Bremen described the Triglav of Wolin as Neptunus triplicis naturae (i.e. "Neptune of the three natures/generations") attesting the colours that were associated to the three worlds: white for Heaven, green for earth and black for the underworld.[40] Triglav also represents the union of the three dimensions of time: past, present and future as a whole.[41]
 Baltic Slavs
Trygław Wolin 1.jpg
Svarog –Swarog
–Jarog, Rarog[42]
–Tvarog[43]
–Svarogu (Old East Slavic)[44]
–Shafarjk[45]
–Schwayxtix, Swayxtix (Germanised Wendish)({{{1}}}, {{{2}}})
–Swetich[45]
–Swieticz[45]
–Zwaigzdze[45] 		M Svarog literally means "Heaven" (cf. Indic Svarga), husband of Lada, father of Dazhbog, Perun, Maria Ognjana and Svarozhich.[10] He is compared to the Greco-Roman Saturn–Chronos, the time god.[37] Scholars also consider him cognate with the Iranian Verethragna or Varhran, the Indic Indra Vṛtrahan, the Armenian Vahagn.[42] He is associated with military, smithery, and with fire (Ognebog), both that of the household and that of the sun (Xors Dazhbog).[43] The Indo-European root of the name is *swer ("to speak"), related to *wer ("to close", "defend", "protect"). Jarog or Rarog is a falcon owned by Svarog who is a Falconer. Rarog applied to a bird god of later folk religion. Indeed, Svarog and his Indo-Iranian cognates are considered able to manifest as wind, birds or other animals, and have the role of the dragon-slayer in mythology[citation needed].[42] He is the power which makes bright and virile. In some traditions Svetovid, Gerovit[citation needed], Porevit and Rugievit are considered his four manifestations.[citation needed][43] East Slavs, Russes Script error: No such module "Image array".[citation needed]
Svarog by Dominika Makota.jpg
[citation needed]
RAROG.jpg
Perun –Parun[10]
–Perún (Slovak)[10]
–Porun[46]
–Piorun (Polish)[10]
–Peraun (Czech)[10]
–Parom (Slovak, Moravian)[46]
–Perusan (Bulgarian)[46]
–Prone, Prohn, Pyron, Perone (Pomeranian)[46]
–Peryn, Perin (Novgorodian)[47]
–Prono[48]
–Percunust (Germanised Wendish)[20] 		M Perun literally means "Thunder" but also "Oak", and he is the son of Svarog, worshipped as the god of war. He is related to the Germanic Thor and other Indo-European thunder gods.[10] In Christianised folk religion he is equated with Saint Elias.[49] He is the opposite polarity of Veles, the male god of the earth. In some traditions, he has a mother, Percunatele (a goddess inherited from Baltic traditions)[citation needed], and a sister Ognyena ("She of the Fire").[50] Perun is the personification of the active, masculine force of nature, and all the bright gods are regarded as his aspects, or different phases during the year. His name, which comes from the Indo-European root *per or *perkw ("to strike", "splinter"), signifies both the splintering thunder and the splintered tree (especially the oak; the Latin name of this tree, quercus, comes from the same root), regarded as symbols of the irradiation of the force.[51] This root also gave rise to the Vedic Parjanya, the Baltic Perkunas, the Albanian Perëndi (now denoting "God" and "sky"), the Norse Fjörgynn and the Greek Keraunós ("thunderbolt", rhymic form of *Peraunós, used as an epithet of Zeus).[52]

 - Script error: No such module "Image array".[citation needed]
Перун.1998г.смеш.,тех.,бум.40,5х27,5.jpg

Script error: No such module "Image array".[citation needed][citation needed]
Supposed amulet
Svetovid –Svetovit, Swantewit, Swetowit({{{1}}}, {{{2}}})
–Swatowit[10]
–Sventovit[44]
–Svantovit, Swantowit({{{1}}}, {{{2}}})
–Svantevit[44]
–Sviatovit, Swiatowit({{{1}}}, {{{2}}})
–Swiantowid[44]
–Swetobog, Swentobog, Swatobog[55]
–Wit, With, Wet[56] 		M–F Four-headed god of war, light and power. A major temple dedicated to him was located at Cape Arkona. Svetovid and its variants literally mean "Lord of Power" or "Lord of Holiness" (the root *svet defining the "miraculous and beneficial power", or holy power).({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) Father of Svarog, often represented riding his white horse named "JARY".[38] Baltic Slavs
SlavicSolarSymbol.svg
[citation needed]
Glogow Swiatowid 2005 1.JPG
–Ognebog
–Svarozhich 		①
–Ogne, Ogni
–Ognevik
②
–Svarogitch, Svarojitch[10]
–Svarazhich[57]
–Svarozhyn (Kashubian)[58]
–Tvarozhich[58] 		M Ognebog literally means "Fire God", and is the Slavic equivalent of the Indic Agni,[59] personification of the both the celestial and terrestrial fire, and of the sacrificial flame, considered as the energy proceeding from Svarog and connecting back to him.[60] He is often equated with Simargl. Svarozhich, literally meaning "Son of Heaven" (Svarog), is always identified as the god of fire, and was the tutelary deity of the Baltic Slavs.[10] It may be an epithet of the various heavenly gods, among whom Perun, Svetovid or Xors Dazhbog, or be Svarog himself.[58] -
Et baal.jpg

Sun-god and moon-god

Both the sun god and the moon god, Dazhbog and Jutrobog, are often qualified as "Xors"[lower-greek 4], a title which finds many equivalents in Indo-Iranian (cf. Persian xursid, xorshid) and means "radiant", referring to the radiance of solar and lunar light.({{{1}}}, {{{2}}})[63] Its etymology probably goes back to the Indo-European root *ghers, and Indo-Aryan *hrs, *ar, *r, comprising the semantic field of "to move rightly", "upwardly", and "to praise".[64] Male solar deities are generally assumed to be descended from the Zoroastrian Hvare-khshaeta on the basis of etymology,[37] though this has been contested.[65] Conversely, the sun is usually depicted as female in Slavic folklore (cf. Baltic Saulė).[66]

Concept Name variations Polarity Description / Various hypotheses Main attestations Modern image and alleged symbol[lower-greek 1]
Xors Dazhbog –Dazhdbog[10]
–Dadzbog (Polish)[60]
–Dajbog, Dojbog (Serbo-Croatian)[67]
–Dambog[10]
–Dabog, Daba (Serbo-Croatian)[60]
–Dazibogu (Old East Slavic)[37] 		M Dazhbog is the sun god, son of Svarog, winner of darkness, warranter of justice and wellbeing. Mathieu-Colas interprets Dazhbog as meaning "Wealth Giver" (cf. dati, "giving").[10] He changes from a young man to an old man as he travels through the sky; he has two daughters accompanying him, the two Zvezda ("Morning Star" and "Evening Star"), and has a brother, the bald moon god (Jutrobog).[37] East Slavs, Russes Script error: No such module "Image array".[citation needed]
Дажбог.1998г.смеш.тех., бум.40,5х28.jpg
Xors Jutrobog ①
–Jutrebog[68]
–Juthrbog[10]
–Yutrobog
–Jutrenka, Gitrenka[69]
–Jutrovit, Jutrowit[70]
②
–Mesyats[1]
–Myesyats[10]
–Messiatz[10] 		M Jutrobog is the moon god,[10] but also the moon light at daybreak, whence the meaning of his name, "Morning God" or "Morning Giver". The town of Jüterbog, in Brandenburg, is possibly named after him.[71] The theonym may refer to Yarilo as the good of the moon. The name Mesyats literally means "Moon". The moon god was particularly important to the Slavs, regarded as the dispenser of abundance and health, worshipped through round dances, and in some traditions considered the progenitor of mankind. The belief in the moon god was still very much alive in the nineteenth century, and peasants in the Ukrainian Carpathians openly affirm that the moon is their god.[1] West Slavs, Wends Xors by Andrey Shishkin.jpg

Goddesses

Basic information from Mathieu-Colas 2017.[10] Further information is appropriately referenced.

Great goddesses

Concept Name variations Description / Various hypotheses Main attestations Modern image and alleged symbol[lower-greek 1]
–Devana
–Ciza
–Zizilia 		①
–Dewana, Diewana[10]
–Diewen[72]
–Debena[10]
–Diiwica, Dilwica (Serbo-Croatian, Polish)[10]
–Dziewanna, Dziewonna (Polish)[10]
–Dziewica[72]
–Dziewitza, Dziwitza[72]
–Dziewina[72]
–Dewin, Dewina[72]
–Devoina[72]
–Zewena[72]
–Ziewonia[72]
②
–Cisa[32]
–Cica, Cyca[32]
–Sisa, Ziza[32]
–Zeiz (German)[73]
③
–Didilia, Didilla (South Slavic)[10]
–Dzidziela, Dziedzilia, Zizilia (Polish)({{{1}}}, {{{2}}})
–Zyzlila[72]
–Dzydzilelya, Dzidzilelya (Polish)[10] 		Goddess of hunting and of the forests. Her name is etymologically related to the Roman Diana, and she is also functionally correlated with the Greek Artemis.({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) Another name of Devana is Ciza, whose etymology is traced to the Slavic root *cic or *cec, meaning the mother's breast.[32] Under the name variations Dzydzilelya, Zizilia or Didilia, she is known as the goddess of love and wedding, fertility and infancy among West Slavs; this name is explained as meaning "she who pampers babies" (cf. dziecilela), and with these functions she is compared to the Roman Venus or Lucina.[10] Devana has been regarded as a manifestation of the great goddess Rodiva–Deva, especially in her terrestrial fertile aspect, and as such compared to the Germanic Nerthus.[74] West Slavs, Czechs/Slovaks
Devana by Andy Paciorek.jpg
–Perperuna
–Dodola 		①
–Preperuna, Peperuna[75]
–Preperuda, Peperuda, Pepereda[75]
–Preperuga, Peperuga[75]
–Peperunga, Pemperuga[75]
–Peperouna (Greek)[75]
–Perperona (Albanian)[75]
–Pirpiruna (Aromanian)[75]
–Perperusha, Preperushe[76]
–Prepelice[76]
–Prporusha (Dalmatian)[77]
②
–Doda[10]
–Dudola, Dudula (Serbo-Croatian)[75]
–Didjulja, Didjul, Djudjul (Bulgarian)[75] 		Goddess of rain, wife of Perun[citation needed], in this function also identified as Dodol, the god of the air.[10] According to Vyacheslav Ivanov and Vladimir Toporov, Dodola is a southern equivalent of the West Slavic Zizilia,[78] as evidenced by some Bulgarian variations of her name (cf. Didjulja).[75] The name Perperuna is the feminine form of Perun with a reduplicated root *per, while Dodola means "rumbling", "thundering a bit".[79] The root of the name relates her to the Norse goddess Fjörgyn. Her rituals, still practised among South Slavs in modernity, show similarities with the Vedic hymns to Parjanya.[80] South Slavs, Serbs

West Slavs, Poles
Taniec Perperuny.jpg
Kupala
Kupalo
Ivan Kupala 		–Kupalnica, Kupalnitsa[10]
–Kupalo (masculine)[10]
–Solntse({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) 		God representing the mighty sun of summer solstice, but also goddess of joy and water. He is celebrated on Kupala Night with rituals of purification through water and fire. He is seldom represented as male, and the name Kupala or Kupalo is etymologically related to the verb kupati, "to wet". Solntse (simply "Sun", but often translated Phoebus) is another name of the goddess of the fully bright sun. The cult of Kupala was Christianised as that of John the Baptist.[10] later
folklore
Sun-in-the-sky-2.jpg
Lada –Lado, Ladon (masculine)[10] Polyfunctional great goddess of the earth, harmony and joy, symbolising youth, spring, beauty, fertility and love. Mother of twins (named either Dido and Dada or Lel and Polel) and mother or wife of Lado (Mathieu-Colas says that among Slavs there is evidence that Lado is the same as Lada conceived as male; he is represented as a phallic god).[10] She is the female counterpart of Svarog.[37] According to scholars, among whom Boris Rybakov, Lada is cognate with the Greek Leda, the Greco-Roman Leto–Latona, and is possibly the same as Rod's supreme counterpart Rodzanica.[17] Lel and Polel are related to Leda's twin sons Castor and Pollux.[81] Slavs–Balts
Серия Древо жизни. Держательница кольца (Лада).1998г.29,6х20,2.jpg
Marzanna –Mara
–Morana, Marena, Morena[10]
–Marowit, Merovit[70]
–Maslenitsa
–Marzyana (Polish)
–Baba Yaga 		Rural goddess who grows sprouts, but at the same time goddess of winter and death. Her opposite is Zivena (i.e. Zhiva).[10] Marovit is another name of Marzanna or her male counterpart, symbolising the dying sun; the root *mar means "weakness", "ruin" and "death".[70] Baba Yaga is also the goddess of death, both young and old, associated both with birds and snakes. According to Leeming, who takes Marija Gimbutas as source, she is clearly cognate with the Indic Kali as the deathly aspect of the great goddess of Old Europe.[37] West Slavs, Poles
Letohrádek Kinských - Musaion 712.jpg
–Mokosh
–Mat Syra Zemlya 		①
–Makosh[10]
–Mokosi[10]
–Mokosha, Mokysha, Mokusha[10]
②
–Mata Syra Zjemlja[37]
–Mati Syra Zemlya
–Mat Zemlya
–Zeme
–Matka[37] 		Mother goddess personifying the wet earth, associated with female works (notably weaving) and harvest.[10] She is also the goddess of grain, the "Grain Mother". Her name literally means "Wetness", "Moist", and she is also known by the title Mat Syra Zemlya ("Damp Mother Earth") or Matka.[37] In association with Perun she becomes dry and fiery, Ognyena, personifying the woman in her higher and faithful aspect; whereas in association with Veles she becomes dry and frozen, an aspect of Zhiva personifying the woman in her lower and unfaithful aspect.[82] With Christianisation she was transformed into the Black Madonna, very popular in Poland, and in Saint Paraskevi.({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) Her Indo-Iranian equivalent is Aredvi Sura Anahita.[7] East Slavs, Russes Script error: No such module "Image array".[citation needed]
Supposed depiction

Other goddesses

Concept Name variations Description / Various hypotheses Main attestations Modern image and alleged symbol[lower-greek 1]
Chislobog –Zislobog, Ziselbog (Germanised Wendish)({{{1}}}, {{{2}}})
–Kricco (Wendish)[83] 		Literally "Number Giver". She is the goddess of time calculation, of the lunar month and of the moon's influences. Represented as a youthful female with a crescent moon on her forehead. Kricco is her Wendish name and she was also worshipped as the protectress of the crops.({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) -
Chislobog by Andrey Shishkin.jpg
Karna - Goddess of the funerals, personifying tears. She is compared to the Indic Karna.[10] -
Allismicro crystalized sad tear drop 2.jpeg
Kostroma - Goddess of spring and fertility.[10] She is the female counterpart of Kostromo, and she is connected with grain. Her celebration falls on 29 June, the Christian Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, during which a village maiden representing the deity would be ritually bathed in a stream and then worshipped for an evening of feasting and dancing. The divine twins Kostroma and Kostromo are one aspect of a fourfold fertility deity, whose other aspects are Lada–Lado, Yarila–Yarilo, and Kupala–Kupalo.[84] East Slavs, Russes
Funeral of Kostroma.jpg
Lelia - Goddess of spring and mercy, daughter of Lada.[10] According to Boris Rybakov, Lelia is the closest equivalent of the Greek Artemis, being associated with the Ursa Major constellation.[17] -
Big Dipper over Sandvik - natural.jpg
Matergabia –Matergabiae[10] Matergabia literally means "Fire Mother". She is the goddess of the hearth, comparable to the Roman Vesta. Her Baltic cognate is Gabija.[10] Slavs–Balts
Open fire in hearth grate at The Black Horse Inn, Nuthurst, West Sussex.jpg
Ognyena –Ognjena (Marija)[50]
–Onennaya (Mariya) (Russian)[85]
–Marija Ognjenica[86]
–Marija Glavnjenica[86]
–Ognevikha 		Ognyena literally means "She of the Fire", "Fiery", and is the goddess of the celestial fire, sister of Perun. She is another personification of the great goddess of the earth (Mokosh) when she is dried up, and thus elevated, by celestial fieriness.[50] She is frequently named Ognyena Maria ("Fiery Mary") in the South Slavic tradition, since, in Christianised folk religion, Ognyena has been syncretised with the figures of both Margaret the Virgin and the Virgin Mary, regarded as the sisters of Saint Elias. She is celebrated on 30 July (Julian 17 July).[85] South Slavs
RozetaSolarSymbol.svg
[citation needed]
Икона Богородицы «Огневидная колесница Слова» .jpg
Ozwiena - Goddess of the echo,[10] and generally of voice and oral communication. - -
Baba Slata –Zlata Baba[10]
–Slotaia Baba
–Zolotaya Baba, Zolotaja Baba[10]
–Zolstoia Baba[10]
–Baba Zlatna[87]
–Baba Korizma[28]
–Baba Gvozdenzuba[31] 		Her name literally means "Golden Old Lady". She is worshipped among Finno-Ugric populations along the Ob River, but also among Slavs.[10] She has two other aspects, Baba Korizma ("Lent Old Lady") and Baba Gvozdenzuba ("Iron-Toothed Old Lady"). She has been compared to the Greek Hecate.[28] Finno-Ugrics

Slavs
Slotaia baba (Kaisarov).png
Uroda - Goddess of ploughed land, of agriculture.[10] West Slavs, Slovaks
Plough-land near village Krutaya (brown and green).jpg
Bevo -Bevana
-Bevona [50] 		Goddess of knowledge, mastery, personifying exploration and earth. She is often described as young, green and cheerful creature with black eyes, resembling Roman mountain nymph Maia[17]. South Slavs
Hermes and Maia, detail from an Attic red-figure amphora (c. 500 BC)
Ursula –Ursala[10]
–Orsel[10]
–Horsel[10]
–Urschel (German)[10] 		Goddess of the moon associated with the Ursa Minor constellation. She is compared to the German goddess Urschel and the Greek Artemis.[10] -
North Star - invitation background.png
Veliona –Velonia[10]
–Vielona, Vielonia[10]
–Veliuona[10]
–Velu Mate[10]
–Velnias (Lithuanian)[10]
–Velns (Latvian)[10] 		Goddess of death, warden of the souls of the ancestors. Though the name is feminine, the polarity of the god/dess is not sure. Among the Balts, Velnias or Velns is male, but there is also a Velu Mate ("Mother of the Souls").[10] Her name shares the same root of Veles, *wel.[88] Slavs–Balts
Crane ombre lumiere (2209679799) (4).jpg
Vesna - Goddess of spring.[10] South Slavs
Весна-Красна.jpg

Other gods and goddesses

Basic information from Mathieu-Colas 2017.[10] Further information is appropriately referenced.

Other important male gods

Concept Name variations Description / Various hypotheses Main attestations Modern image and alleged symbol[lower-greek 1]
Chur - God of boundaries and of the delimitation of properties.[10][unreliable source?] He is comparable to the Roman Terminus. -
Border Poland (Leknica) Germany (Bad Muskau).jpg
Dogoda - God of the west wind.[10] - -
Erisvorsh –Erishvorsh, Erivorsh[10]
–Varpulis, Warpulis[10] 		God of the storm, wind and thunder. He is an aspect, name, or associate of Perun.[10] -
Lightning in Volgograd 002.jpg
Flins –Flyns
–Flyntz[21] 		fictional
(supposedly
West Slavs, Wends)
Flyns.JPG
Ipabog - Ipabog is the god of hunting.[10] The name may mean "Movement Giver", as its root may be related to the Wendish hybawy and hyban, which mean the idea and action of movement, linked with the Gothic yppa, "to uppen", "heighten". The god was conceived as in constant motion, and he was represented as clothed, with deer horns on his head.[89] fictitious
Rothirsch, Cervus elaphus 02.JPG
Koliada –Kolyada, Koljada[10]
–Koleda[10]
–Ovsen[10]
–Tausen 		God representing the young, winter sun returning after solstice.[10] The name is related to kolo ("wheel", "cycle"), and indirectly to Greek kalanda, later Latinised as calendae.[90] Slavs–Balts
BrockenSnowedTreesInSun.jpg
Kresnik –Krsnik[10]
–Skrstnik[91]
–Vesnik[91]
–Kurent[91] 		God of fire and of the sun.[10] He is a young, solar warrior hero and a benevolent god of fertility, but also a god of rebirth who "waits ... in a mountain cavern for the hour of his awakening and return to true life".[91] South Slavs, Slovenes
20150307 m9.2 flare.jpeg
Morskoy Tsar –Morskoi[10]
–Morskoy Czar[10]
–Czar Morskoy[10] 		He is the god of the sea. His name literally means "Emperor (cf. Latin Caesar) of the Sea", and he is compared to the Greco-Roman Poseidon–Neptune.[10] East Slavs, Russes
Bistrushkin diplom morskoi tsar.jpg
Nemiza –Nemisa, Nemisia[92]
–Nimizia[92] 		God who cuts the thread of life, sometimes represented as a male with four beams around his head, one wing, and on his chest a dove with outstretched wings, and sometimes represented as a naked female with an eagle by her side gazing up to her. Nemiza was regarded both as a calamity for bringing death, and as a beneficial figure for introducing the soul to a new life.[21] West Slavs, Wends
–Ny
–Peklabog 		①
–Nija, Nyja[10]
②
–Pekla[93]
–Pek(Ukrainian)
–Pekelnybog (Prussian)[93]
–Pekollo, Pekollos, Pikollos[93]
–Peklos, Poklos[93]
–Peklo, Pieklo (Bohemian)[93]
–Pekelle[93]
–Pikiello[93]
–Patello, Patelo, Patala[93]
–Peklenc
–Pekelnik
–Pekelnipan
–Lokton 		Ny is the god of the underworld who acts as psychopomp, that is to say the guide of the souls into the underworld.[10] He is associated with subterranean fire and water, snakes and earthquakes. Peklabog or Pekelnybog is another name of the god of the underworld, and he has been compared to the Indic Shiva.[93] Etymologically, the word peklo means "pitch", and after Christianisation, its meaning became that of "hell", often personified as the Devil, and pekelnik any being of hell. (cf. Finnic Perkele). West Slavs, Poles, Ukrainians
Nyja.jpg
Porevit –Porewit, Porevith[10]
–Porovit, Puruvit[10]
–Porenut[10]
–Proven, Prove (Germanisation)({{{1}}}, {{{2}}})
–Turupit, Tarapita[44] 		Porevit is depicted with five faces, one of which is on his chest,[10] but also with a shield and a lance.[54] A cult centre of Porevit was at Garz, in Rügen.[10] The name means "Lord of Power", with the root *per defining the masculine power of generation. He is an aspect or other name of Perun, as also highlighted by some sources which link the name to the Finnic Tharapita.({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) Germanised as Proven or Prove he is attested as the tutelary deity of Oldenburg,[10] and this name is considered a corruption of Prone.[46] When regarded as an aspect of Svetovid, he represents south and summer.[44] West Slavs

Baltic Slavs

Porewit (Montfaucon 1722).jpg
Posvist –Poswist, Poshvist[10]
–Pogvist, Pohvist[10]
–Pozvizd 		God of the wind, otherwise called "Russian Star". His name literally means "Whistler" or "Blower".[10] East Slavs, Russes
Celiński Świst and Poświst 01.jpg
Pripegala –Prepeluga[76] Mathieu-Colas identifies this deity as cognate with the Greco-Roman Priapus.[10] According to other scholarly studies it is a name corruption, made by the Archbishop of Magdeburg, of Prepeluga, another name of Perperuna Dodola.[76] Baltic Slavs -
–Radegast
–Potrembog 		①
–Radigast, Redigast[10]
–Radigost[10]
–Radegaste[10]
–Radhost[10]
②
–Potrebbog[94]
–Potrimbo, Potrembo[94]
–Potrimpo, Potrimpos[94] 		God of honour, strength and hospitality. He was the tutelary deity of the Redarians.[10] He has been studied as the Slavic equivalent of the Indic Vishnu. The deity is associated with the snake, and the root of Potrembog, another name of Radegast, may be the same of potrebny, "needing".[94] Traditional iconography shows him with a double face, that of a man on one side and that of a lion on the other side, with a swan on his head and a bull head on his chest; otherwise, he is represented as a naked man, with a bird with outstretched wings on his head, a shield with a bull head before his chest, and a halberd in his right hand.[54] West Slavs

Baltic Slavs

Perun (Pustevny - Czech Republic) 18.jpg
–Rugievit
–Karevit 		①
–Rugiewit[10]
–Rujevit[10]
–Rugiwit[10]
–Ruevit[10]
–Riuvit[10]
–Rinvit[10]
②
–Karewit[10] 		Warrior god and tutelary deity of Rügen. Mathieu-Colas explains his name as "Lord of Rugia";[10] other scholars explain it, instead, as "Roaring/Howling Lord" (cf. Old East Slavic rjuti, "to roar", "howl").[95] Like Porevit, he had a cult centre in Garz. Another name or aspect of Rugievit is Karevit (probably "Lord of Charenza").[10] Rugievit himself is perhaps an aspect of Svetovid, representing east and autumn. He is represented with seven heads.[44] West Slavs

Baltic Slavs

Rujewit - jesien - wyczerpanie.jpg
–Simargl
–Pereplut 		–Semargl[10]
–Simarg[10]
–Simarigl[10]
–Simariglu (Old East Slavic)[37]
–Sinnargual[10]
–Simnarguel[10] 		Chimerical or draconian figure compared to the Persian Simurgh.[7] He is frequently associated with Pereplut,[10] an East Slavic name variation of Perperuna Dodola,[79] which would make him the same as Perun. He may be a god of fortune and drinking, abundance and vegetation, or more commonly a tutelary deity of sailors.[10] East Slavs, Russes
Simargl-2.jpg
Stribog –Strybog[10]
–Strzybog (Polish)
–Stribogu (Old East Slavic)[37] 		Stribog literally means "Wealth Spreader", and he is the god of winds and storms. He is often coupled with Dazhbog, the "Wealth Giver". Stri is the imperative mood of the Slavic root *sterti, from the Indo-European root *ster, which means "to stretch", "spread", "widen", "scatter" (cf. Latin sternō).({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) East Slavs, Russes
Stribog by Dušan Božić.jpg
–Veles –Veless, Weless[10]
–Voloss, Woloss[10]
–Woles[96]
–Wlacie[96]
–Wel[96]
–Walgino (Polish)[10]
–Skotibog, Skotybog[97]
–Zembog[10] 		Veles is the chthonic god of cattle—whence his other name, Skotibog, which literally means "Cattle Giver"[97]—, but also master of the forest and of wild animals, and god of commerce.[98] He is also the god of poetic inspiration and sight, as highlighted by his name which comes from the Indo-European root *wel, which implies sight and magical ability.[88] The Book of Veles is dedicated to him. Walgino is the name of the cattle god in Polish tradition,[10] though Weles is more common nowadays. Also known as the "Horned God", Veles is a male god of the earth, incarnating the "Black God" of dual theology. As such he is the opposite of the heavenly manifestations of the "White God" (Svarog and his sons, but especially Perun).[37] An alternative name of Veles that was used by Baltic Slavs is Tjarnaglofi ("Black Head", identifying him as Chernobog).({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) The name Zembog literally means "Earth Giver"[10] and may refer to Veles. He is compared to the Indic Varuna, the Celtic Esus and the Norse Ullr amongst others.[99] East Slavs, Russes
Symbol of Veles.svg
[citation needed]
Veles Panteon.jpg
–Yarilo
–Gerovit 		①
–Yarylo
–Jarilo, Jarylo, Jaryla[10]
②
–Gerowit[10]
–Gierovit[100]
–Yarovit
–Jarovit, Jarowit({{{1}}}, {{{2}}})
–Jerowit, Dzarowit[37]
–Harovit, Harowit[101]
–Herovit[95]
–Harevit[100] 		God of spring, sexuality and fertility,[10] and also of peace.[69] His original name was Gerovit or Jarovit, which literally mean "Strong/Wroth Lord" (from the root *ger or *jar, "strong" or "wrathful")[10] or "Bright Lord" (cf. Russian jaryj, "bright"), while Yarilo is a modern Russian popular variation.[102] He is also regarded as a warrior god and was the tutelary deity of Wolgast.[10] As an aspect of Svetovid he represents west and spring, and has been compared to the Greek god of Eastern origin Adonis–Dionysus both representing youth, death and resurrection.[37] Kostrubonko is another East Slavic god, or another name of Yarilo, with the same functions of spring and fertility, death and resurrection.[10] Under the name Myesyats ("Moon"), Yarilo is identified as the moon god. -
Donetsk step 04 kudlaenko.jpg

Other twosomes and threesomes

Concept Name variations Polarity Description / Various hypotheses Main attestations Image
Dido–Dida –Lado–Lada[10] M–F Divine twins, just siblings or even spouses, sons either of Lado and Lada, or just of Lada, or rather identical with Lado and Lada themselves. Dido is attested in some traditions as the husband of goddess Lada.({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) Slavs–Balts -
Dolya–Nedolya –Dola–Nedola[10] F Goddess of fate, personification of the fate bestowed upon a man at birth. She is described as a plainly dressed woman able to turn herself into various shapes.[103] When she is positive she is named Dolya, when negative she turns into Nedolya.[10] The good Dolya protects her favourite day and night, serving him faithfully from birth to death; she takes care of his health and wealth, protects his offspring and makes his properties blossom. The evil Nedolya, also called Likho in later folklore, neglects the man to whom she is assigned, and thinks only for herself. It is considered impossible to get rid of Dolya, either in her good or evil aspect.[104] East Slavs, Russes
Licho.jpg
Srecha–Nesrecha –Sretcha–Nesretcha[10] F She is a South Slavic concept similar to the East Slavic Dolya–Nedolya.[10] The relation between Srecha and Dolya has been described as the same between the Latin concepts of fors and fortuna, or sors and fatum. Unlike Dolya, a man may get rid of Srecha. She is represented as a beautiful woman spinning a golden thread, bestowing welfare upon the man to whom she is assigned. As misfortune, Nedolya, she is depicted as an old woman with bloodshot eyes.[105] South Slavs -
Zorya –Zoria[10]
–Zaria, Zarya[10]
–Zora[10]
–Zroya[10]
–Zimtserla[10] 		F Zorya is the goddess of beauty,[106] virgin associated with war and with Perun.[10] Her name literally means "Light" or "Aurora", and she manifests as three goddesses, described as daughters of Dazhbog and sisters of Zvezda, with whom they are often conflated:[10]
  • Zorya Utrennyaya ("Morning Light"), often conflated with Zvezda Dennitsa;
  • Zorya Vechernyaya ("Evening Light"),
  • Zorya Polunochnaya ("Midnight Light").
 -
Virmalised 18.03.15 (4).jpg
Zvezda –Zwezda (Polish)[10] F Zvezda literally means "Star", and refers to the planet Venus. It is the name of two sister goddesses, often conflated with Zoria, who represent the two phases of the planet Venus:[10] fictitious
Vénus par Hubble.jpg

Tutelary deities of specific places, things and crafts

In Slavic religion, everything has a spirit or soul, including houses, lakes, mountains, forests, animals and men. These spirits are generally called by various terms, including for instance zduh or zduhacz ("spirit") by the Serbs, or sjen or sjenovik ("shadow") by the Montenegrins. These spirits are considered able to leave the body during the sleep, wandering about the world, the skies and the underworld.[107]

Deities of waters, woods and fields

Basic information from Mathieu-Colas 2017.[10] Further information is appropriately referenced.

Concept Name variations Polarity Description / Various hypotheses Main attestations Image
Bereginia –Beregynia, Berehynia (Ukrainian)[10]
–Przeginia (Polish)[49] 		F East Slavs, Russes
Statue of Berehynia.jpg
Vodianoy –Vodianoi, Vodianoj[10]
–Vodnik (Bohemian)[108]
–Vodeni Mozh (Slovenian)[108]
–Bagiennik
–Bolotnik 		M Vodianoy is a tutelary deity, or are tutelary deities, of waters (cf. voda, "water").[10] He is represented as an old man with a high cap of reeds on his head and a belt of rushes around his waist. To ingratiate themselves with him, Slavic fishermen sacrificed butter in water while millers sacrificed sows.[109] -
Bělohrad Pardoubek socha 2014 10.jpg
–Boginka
 –Bogunka (Polish)[10]
–Russalka[10]
–Navia, Nawia
–Navje, Mavje (Slovenian)[110]
–Navi, Navjaci (Bulgarian)[110]
–Nejka, Majka, Mavka (Ukrainian)[110]
–Nemodlika (Bohemian, Moravian)[10]
–Latawci (Polish)[111]
–Vila, Wila[112]
–Samodiva, Samovila, Vila, Iuda (Bulgarian)[112][113] 		F Boginka literally means "Little Goddess". Always described as plural, boginky ("little goddesses"), they are tutelary deities of waters.[10] They are distinguished into various categories, under different names, and they may be either white (beneficent) or black (maleficent).[114]

The root *nav which is present in some name variants, for instance Navia and Mavka, means "dead", as these little goddesses are conceived as the spirits of dead children or young women. They are represented as half-naked beautiful girls with long hair, but in the South Slavic tradition also as birds who soar in the depths of the skies. They live in waters, woods and steppes, and they giggle, sing, play music and clap their hands. They are so beautiful that they bewitch young men and might bring them to death by drawing them into deep water. They have been compared to the Greek Nymphs.[115]

Samodiva/Samovila are a type of woodland spirits known to Bulgaria, of which samodiva is the more commonly used, while samovila is more specific to Western Bulgaria. The words diva has the meanings of "wild", "rage", "rave", "divinity" whereas vila means "spun" or "spinning" (such as tornado or a hailstorm spinning). The "samo-" prefix means "self-". Iuda/Iuda-Samodiva generally refers to an evil spirit (or to Judas if used as a given name). These samodivas/samovilas are said to share a strong resemblance to Roman Nymphs (as well as to a lesser extent to fairies, elves and other similar spirits). They are described as playful woodland humanoid beings clad in white and wearing wreaths that can be beneficent or maleficent to men and women alike, depending on how they perceive being treated. They are sometimes young and beautiful, other times old and revolting. They are said to be found in woods, mountains, near fairy rings, near water sources where they bathe (especially near dictamnus albus [citation needed]) or in contrast dwelling in graveyards, dangerous places and to build invisible cities below the clouds when they are associated with malice. They can sometimes be attributed to: have wings, transform in various animals such as wolves, send ravens/crows as messengers[citation needed], ride white-gray deer or bears, shoot arrows. The cult of the Vila was still practiced among South Slavs in the early twentieth century, with various offerings. [116] [113]

-
Water-nymph.jpg
–Leshy
–Borewit 		①
–Leshak[117]
–Leshuk (Belarussian)[10]
–Leszy, Lesny (Polish)
–Lesnoy, Lesnoi, Lesnoj[117]
–Lesovoy, Lesovoi, Lesovoj[117]
–Lesovik[118]
②
–Barowit[119]
–Borovoy, Borovoi, Borovoj[120]
–Borovik[120]
–Boruta[119] 		M Leshy is the tutelary deity of forests, with a wife (Leshachikha) and children (leshonky). Another name of the god is Borewit or Boruta, coming from the Slavic root *bor which denotes dark woods. Due to the similarity of the name with Porewit, a relation between the two has been hypothesised.[119] He is represented as an old man with long hair and beard, with flashing green eyes.[118] To secure his protection, people who lived near woods sacrificed cows and salted bread to him.[121] He may manifest in the form of animals, such as bears, wolves and hares.[118] Other names include Berstuk and Zuttibur (also rendered Swiatibor[73]) among the Wends, Modeina and Silinietz among the Poles, and Sicksa.[10] Cf. the Greek Pan. -
Leshy (1906).jpg
Moroz ①
–Morozko[122]
②
–Zyuzya (Belarussian)[123]
–Studenez[122]
–Treskunez[122]
③
–Korochun[124] 		Moroz is the deity of the cold (cf. moroz, "frost").[123] He is the brother of Perun and Chernobog.[125]

In the Kalevala of the Finnish mythology is also a "Frost" named figure (Pakkanen), a son of Louhi.

The word Korochun comes from Proto-Slavic *korčunŭ ("step forward")[126] or kračati ("make steps").[127]

-
Дед Мороз.jpg
–Polevoy
–Poludnica 		①
–Polevoi, Polevoj[10]
–Polevik[10]
–Belun (Belarusian)[128]
–Datan[10]
–Lawkapatim[10]
–Laukosargan (Prussian)[10]
–Tawals[10]
②
–Poludnitsa, Poludnitza[10]
–Polednica[129]
–Poludniowka, Przypoludnika (Polish)[129] 		M–F Tutelary deity of fields (cf. pole, "field"). Among Poles, the god of the fields is also known by the names Datan, Lawkapatim, or Tawals. Poludnica is his female form; her name is etymologically related to poluden or polden, not only related to fields but also, literally, "midday". She is represented either as an airy, white woman or as an old woman with horse hoofs and a sharp sickle in her hand.[129] The name Lawkapatim reflects the Prussian Laukosargas.[10] -
Starichok-polevichok by Konenkov (1910, Tretyakov gallery) 02 by shakko.JPG

Deities of settings and crafts

Concept Name variations Polarity Description / Various hypotheses Main attestations Modern image and alleged symbol[lower-greek 1]
–Domovoy
–Domania 		①
–Domovoi, Domovoj[10]
–Domovik (Ukrainian)[130]
–Did, Didko, Diduch (Ukrainian)[130]
–Ded, Dedushka[131]
–Dedek (Czech)[130]
–Djadek (Silesian)[130]
–Shetek, Shotek (Bohemian)[130]
–Skritek[130]
–Shkrat, Shkratec (Slovenian)[132]
–Shkrata, Shkriatek (Slovak)[132]
–Skrzatek, Skrzat, Skrzot (Polish)[132]
–Chozyain, Chozyainushko (Russian)[133]
–Stopan (Bulgarian)[133]
–Domovnichek, Hospodarichek (Bohemian)[133]
②
–Domovikha[10]
–Kikimora[10]
–Marukha[10]
–Volossatka[10] 		M–F Domovoy is the household god, warden of the hearth. The Indo-European root *dom is shared by many words in the semantic field of "abode", "domain" (cf. Latin domus, "house").[10] Domania is sometimes present as his female counterpart,[10] but he is most often a single god.[134] According to the Russian folklorist E. G. Kagarov, Domovoy is a conceptualisation of the supreme Rod itself as the singular kin and its possessions.[81] Domovoy are deified fountainhead ancestors, and all other household deities with specific functions are their extensions.[135] Domovoy may manifest in the form of animals, such as cats, dogs or bears, but also as the master of the house or a departed ancestor of the given kin.[136] In some traditions they are symbolised as snakes.[133] They have been compared to the Roman Di Penates, the genii of the family, and they were worshipped by the Slavs as statuettes which were placed in niches near the house's door, and later above the ovens.[130]

Other household gods are ① Dvorovoy (tutelary deity of courtyards[10]), ② Bannik ("Bath Spirit", tutelary deity of the sauna who corresponds to the Komi Pyvsiansa[10]) and ③ Ovinnik ("Threshing Barn Spirit"),[137] ④ Prigirstitis (known for his fine hearing), and the goddess ⑤ Krimba among Bohemians. Another household deity is the lizard-shaped Giwoitis.[10]

-
Silesian Domovoy statuette (1).jpg
Dugnay –Dugnai[10] F Tutelary deity of bread and bakery.[10] Slavs–Balts
Russian bread and salt.jpg
Julius - M Tutelary deity of Wolin.[10] He is the deified Julius Caesar, who was worshipped as the supposed founding ancestor of the city. The name of the city in medieval Latin texts is Iulin, allegedly a derivative of Julius. In Wolin there was a wooden pillar with an old lance hewn into it; the lance allegedly belonged to Julius Caesar. According to Dynda, this Julius' pillar was another representation of the axis mundi, of the Triglav.[138] Baltic Slavs
Portrait of Julius Caesar (color).jpg
Krugis –Krukis[10]
–Kriukis[10] 		M Tutelary deity of blacksmithery (and pets).[10] Slavs–Balts
Плахов Кузница 1845.jpg
Pizamar - M Tutelary deity of Asund, in Rügen.[10] Baltic Slavs -
Podaga - M Tutelary deity of hunting and fishing. Attested as the tutelary deity of Plön.[10] According to some scholars, the name Podaga might have originated as a distortion by metathesis of the name Dazhbog, Dabog, in Helmold's chronicles.[67] Baltic Slavs -

Deities of animals and plants

Concept Name variations Polarity Description / Various hypotheses Main attestations Image
Kirnis - M Tutelary deity of cherries.[10] Slavs–Balts
Cherries (3098512076).jpg
–Kremara
–Darinka 		- M–F Kremara is the tutelary god of pigs.[10] Under the name Priparchis, he is identified as a tutelary deity specifically of young, suckling pigs.[10] Darinka is instead an aspect of the great goddess associated with pigs, seen as a symbol of the earth's abundance. She is attested in folk traditions of Vojvodina and has been compared to the Roman Bona Dea and Ceres, themselves connected with holy swines.[139] West Slavs, Poles

South Slavs, Serbs
Chvatěruby, černé selátko.jpg
Kurwaichin - M Tutelary deity of lambs.[10] West Slavs, Poles
Sheep, Stodmarsh 6.jpg
Pesseias - M Tutelary deity of pets.[10] -
Lucky Shih Tzu (Perro león).JPG
Ratainitsa –Ratainicza[10]
–Ratainycia (Lithuanian)[10] 		M Tutelary deity of horses.[10] West Slavs, Poles
Ancient horse head.jpg
Zosim - M Tutelary deity of bees.[10] -
P1060502 - Flickr - gailhampshire.jpg

Germanic deities and others

The Wends, including those who dwelt in modern-day northern and eastern Germany and were later Germanised, or other never-Germanised West Slavs, also worshipped deities adopted from Germanic religion, as documented by Bernhard Severin Ingemann. However, Germanic gods never rose to prominence over Slavic ones in Wendish religion.[20]

Concept Name variations Polarity Description / Various hypotheses Origin Modern image and alleged symbol[lower-greek 1]
Woda({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) –Vohda[140] M Woda (the Germanic Wotan-Odin) was worshipped as a god of war and leadership, in relation to the Slavic verb *voditi, "to lead". He was also associated with rune wisdom and with Vid (Svetovid), as the supreme God, the "moving force behind all things";[31] runes were called vitha by the West Slavs, which is a genetive of *vid or *vit meaning "image" or "side", "facet" (referring to the multifaceted essence of the supreme God).[140] Germanic
Georg von Rosen - Oden som vandringsman, 1886 (Odin, the Wanderer).jpg
Balduri[20] - M - Germanic
Balder.jpg
–Hela[20]
–Mita[141] 		–Myda[21] F Hela, the death goddess, is represented with a lion head with an outstretched tongue[citation needed]. As Myda, an aspect or another name of hers, she is represented as a crouching dog.[21] Germanic
Hel by Karl Ehrenberg page 233.jpg
Morok - M Morok, literally "Darkness" in Russian, is a concept that has been deified in modern Slavic Native Faith (Rodnovery)[citation needed]. He is the god of lie and a deceit, ignorance and errors. At the same time, he is a keeper of ways to the truth, hiding such ways to those who pursue truth for vanity and selfishness. He has a twin brother, Moroz ("Frost"), and they switch into one another at will. 21st-century Rodnovery

Gallery

  • Romantic (fictitious) illustrations of Slavic deities, in "Historia Lusatica", Acta Eruditorum, Calendis Aprilis 1715.

  • Romantic (fictitious) illustrations of Slavo-Saxon deities, in Saxonia Museum für saechsische Vaterlandskunde, 1834.

See also

  • Hindu deities
  • Rigvedic deities
  • Slavic paganism
  • Slavic Native Faith

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Absence of these symbols in Historical Slavic religion: Шнирельман В. А. Арийский миф в современном мире. Новое литературное обозрение, 2015. Библиотека журнала «Неприкосновенный запас»; Some of the latter are found, for instance, in: Kushnir, Dimitry (2014). Slavic Light Symbols. The Slavic Way. 5. ISBN 9781505805963. 
  2. ↑ Deivos, cognate with the Proto-Indo-European *Dyeus, is the most ancient name of the Slavic supreme god of heaven (cf. Sanskrit Deva, Latin Deus, Old High German Ziu and Lithuanian Dievas).({{{1}}}, {{{2}}}) This name was abandoned when Slavic religion, in line with Proto-Indo-Iranian religion, shifted the meaning of the Indo-European descriptor of heavenly deities (Avestan daeva, Old Church Slavonic div, both going back to Proto-Indo-European *deiwos, "celestial") to the designation of evil entities, and in parallel began to describe gods by the term for both "wealth" and its "givers" (Avestan baga, Old Church Slavonic bog). At first it was replaced with the term for "clouds", cf. Old Church Slavonic Nebo.[8]
  3. ↑ Boris Rybakov identifies all wheel, whirl and spiral symbols as representing Rod in its many forms, including the "six-petaled rose" and the "thunder mark" (gromovoi znak),[17] the latter most often associated to Perun. The contemporary design of the symbol called kolovrat, the eight-spoked wheel used as the collective symbol of Rodnovery, was already present in woodcuts produced in the 1920s by the Polish artist Stanisław Jakubowski under the name słoneczko ("little sun").[18]
  4. ↑ Also spelled Hors,[61] Chors, Chers, Churs, Chros,[62] and Kh- variants, and Xursu (in Old East Slavic)[37]

References

Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Gasparini 2013.
  2. ↑ Rudy 1985, p. 5.
  3. ↑ Rudy 1985, pp. 5, 14–15.
  4. ↑ Ivakhiv 2005, p. 214.
  5. ↑ Rudy 1985, pp. 17–18.
  6. ↑ Rudy 1985, pp. 24–25.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Rudy 1985, p. 9.
  8. ↑ Rudy 1985, pp. 4–5, 14–15.
  9. ↑ Rudy 1985, p. 31.
  10. ↑ 10.000 10.001 10.002 10.003 10.004 10.005 10.006 10.007 10.008 10.009 10.010 10.011 10.012 10.013 10.014 10.015 10.016 10.017 10.018 10.019 10.020 10.021 10.022 10.023 10.024 10.025 10.026 10.027 10.028 10.029 10.030 10.031 10.032 10.033 10.034 10.035 10.036 10.037 10.038 10.039 10.040 10.041 10.042 10.043 10.044 10.045 10.046 10.047 10.048 10.049 10.050 10.051 10.052 10.053 10.054 10.055 10.056 10.057 10.058 10.059 10.060 10.061 10.062 10.063 10.064 10.065 10.066 10.067 10.068 10.069 10.070 10.071 10.072 10.073 10.074 10.075 10.076 10.077 10.078 10.079 10.080 10.081 10.082 10.083 10.084 10.085 10.086 10.087 10.088 10.089 10.090 10.091 10.092 10.093 10.094 10.095 10.096 10.097 10.098 10.099 10.100 10.101 10.102 10.103 10.104 10.105 10.106 10.107 10.108 10.109 10.110 10.111 10.112 10.113 10.114 10.115 10.116 10.117 10.118 10.119 10.120 10.121 10.122 10.123 10.124 10.125 10.126 10.127 10.128 10.129 10.130 10.131 10.132 10.133 10.134 10.135 10.136 10.137 10.138 10.139 10.140 10.141 10.142 10.143 10.144 10.145 10.146 10.147 10.148 10.149 10.150 10.151 10.152 10.153 10.154 10.155 10.156 10.157 10.158 10.159 10.160 10.161 10.162 10.163 10.164 10.165 10.166 10.167 10.168 10.169 10.170 10.171 10.172 10.173 10.174 10.175 10.176 10.177 10.178 10.179 10.180 10.181 10.182 10.183 10.184 10.185 10.186 10.187 10.188 10.189 10.190 10.191 10.192 10.193 10.194 10.195 10.196 10.197 10.198 10.199 10.200 10.201 10.202 10.203 10.204 10.205 10.206 10.207 10.208 10.209 Mathieu-Colas 2017.
  11. ↑ Hanuš 1842, p. 116; "...Krodo, dem Slawen-Gotte, dem grossen Gotte...", trans.: "...Krodo, the God of the Slavs, the great God...".
  12. ↑ Hanuš 1842, p. 116.
  13. ↑ Ivanits 1989, pp. 14–17.
  14. ↑ Rudy 1985, pp. 14–15.
  15. ↑ Hanuš 1842, pp. 115–116.
  16. ↑ Pietzsch, Edward, ed (1935). Museum für sächsische vaterlandskunde. 1–5. p. 66. https://books.google.com/books?id=cwAiAQAAMAAJ. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Ivanits 1989, p. 17.
  18. ↑ Stanisław Jakubowski (1923). Prasłowiańskie motywy architektoniczne. Dębniki, Kraków: Orbis.  Illustrations of Jakubowski's artworks .
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Creuzer & Mone 1822, p. 197.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 Ingemann 1824.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 Heck 1852, p. 291.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 Hanuš 1842, p. 135.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Marjanić 2003, pp. 193, 197–199.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5 24.6 24.7 24.8 24.9 Máchal 1918, p. 250.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Máchal 1918, p. 249.
  26. ↑ Hanuš 1842, pp. 135, 280.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Marjanić 2003, p. 181.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 Marjanić 2003, p. 193.
  29. ↑ Marjanić 2003, p. 186.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Marjanić 2003, pp. 181, 189–190.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Marjanić 2003, p. 194.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 Hanuš 1842, p. 279.
  33. ↑ Máchal 1918, p. 355, note 44.
  34. ↑ Marjanić 2003, p. 182.
  35. ↑ Máchal 1918, pp. 287 ff.
  36. ↑ Trkanjec 2013, p. 17.
  37. ↑ 37.00 37.01 37.02 37.03 37.04 37.05 37.06 37.07 37.08 37.09 37.10 37.11 37.12 37.13 37.14 37.15 Leeming 2005, p. 360.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Dynda 2014, p. 59.
  39. ↑ Dynda 2014, p. 64.
  40. ↑ Dynda 2014, p. 63.
  41. ↑ Dynda 2014, p. 74.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 Rudy 1985, pp. 27–29.
  43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 Rudy 1985, pp. 7–8.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 44.4 44.5 44.6 Leeming 2005, p. 359.
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 45.3 Hanuš 1842, p. 160.
  46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 46.2 46.3 46.4 Rudy 1985, p. 17.
  47. ↑ Rudy 1985, p. 19.
  48. ↑ Hanuš 1842, p. 99.
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 Rudy 1985, p. 6.
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 50.2 50.3 Marjanić 2003, p. 190.
  51. ↑ Rudy 1985, pp. 17–21.
  52. ↑ Rudy 1985, pp. 5–6.
  53. ↑ Hanuš 1842, pp. 219 ff.
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 54.2 Heck 1852, p. 290.
  55. ↑ Hanuš 1842, pp. 171, 180.
  56. ↑ Hanuš 1842, p. 171.
  57. ↑ Máchal 1918, p. 286.
  58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 58.2 Rudy 1985, p. 7.
  59. ↑ Khmara, Anatoly Vladimirovich (2008). "Образование: гуманитарные дисциплины, творчество и созидание". Образование через всю жизнь: непрерывное образование в интересах устойчивого развития (Education Throughout Life: Continuing Education for Sustainable Development). p. 68. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/obrazovanie-gumanitarnye-distsipliny-tvorchestvo-i-sozidanie. 
  60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 60.2 Rudy 1985, p. 29.
  61. ↑ Borissoff 2014, p. 9, note 1.
  62. ↑ Máchal 1918, pp. 296 ff.
  63. ↑ Grzegorzewic, Ziemisław (2016) (in pl). O Bogach i ludziach. Praktyka i teoria Rodzimowierstwa Słowiańskiego. Olsztyn: Stowarzyszenie "Kołomir". p. 78. ISBN 9788394018085. 
  64. ↑ Borissoff 2014, p. 23, 29.
  65. ↑ Borissoff 2014, pp. 11–12.
  66. ↑ Robbins Dexter, Miriam Robbins (1984). "Proto-Indo-European Sun Maidens and Gods of the Moon". Mankind Quarterly 25 (1–2): pp. 137–144. 
  67. ↑ 67.0 67.1 Rudy 1985, p. 30.
  68. ↑ Hanuš 1842, pp. 177–180.
  69. ↑ 69.0 69.1 Hanuš 1842, p. 177.
  70. ↑ 70.0 70.1 70.2 Hanuš 1842, p. 180.
  71. ↑ Buttmann, Alexander (1856). Die deutschen Ortsnamen: mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der ursprünglich wendischen in der Mittelmark und Niederlausitz. F. Dümmler. p. 168. 
  72. ↑ 72.0 72.1 72.2 72.3 72.4 72.5 72.6 72.7 72.8 Hanuš 1842, p. 280.
  73. ↑ 73.0 73.1 Wagener 1842, p. 626.
  74. ↑ Hanuš 1842, pp. 279–281.
  75. ↑ 75.0 75.1 75.2 75.3 75.4 75.5 75.6 75.7 75.8 75.9 Rudy 1985, p. 22.
  76. ↑ 76.0 76.1 76.2 76.3 Rudy 1985, p. 24.
  77. ↑ Rudy 1985, p. 23.
  78. ↑ Ivanov, Vyacheslav; Toporov, Vladimir (1994). "Славянская мифология". Российская энциклопедия (Russian Encyclopedia). 
  79. ↑ 79.0 79.1 Rudy 1985, pp. 23–24.
  80. ↑ Rudy 1985, pp. 21–22.
  81. ↑ 81.0 81.1 Ivanits 1989, p. 14.
  82. ↑ Marjanić 2003, pp. 190–191.
  83. ↑ Kanngiesser 1824, p. 202.
  84. ↑ Dixon-Kennedy 1998, p. 156.
  85. ↑ 85.0 85.1 Zhuravylov 2005, p. 239.
  86. ↑ 86.0 86.1 Zhuravylov 2005, p. 240.
  87. ↑ Marjanić 2003, p. 193, note 27.
  88. ↑ 88.0 88.1 Rudy 1985, p. 25.
  89. ↑ Kanngiesser 1824, p. 205.
  90. ↑ Hubbs 1993, p. 64.
  91. ↑ 91.0 91.1 91.2 91.3 Borissoff 2014, p. 25.
  92. ↑ 92.0 92.1 Hanuš 1842, p. 275.
  93. ↑ 93.0 93.1 93.2 93.3 93.4 93.5 93.6 93.7 93.8 Hanuš 1842, pp. 218–219.
  94. ↑ 94.0 94.1 94.2 94.3 Hanuš 1842, pp. 216–218.
  95. ↑ 95.0 95.1 Rudy 1985, p. 18.
  96. ↑ 96.0 96.1 96.2 Hanuš 1842, pp. 368–369.
  97. ↑ 97.0 97.1 Rudy 1985, pp. 34–35.
  98. ↑ Ivanits 1989, pp. 13, 17.
  99. ↑ Rudy 1985, pp. 42–45.
  100. ↑ 100.0 100.1 Hanuš 1842, p. 172.
  101. ↑ Hanuš 1842, p. 176.
  102. ↑ Rudy 1985, pp. 7, 18.
  103. ↑ Máchal 1918, p. 251.
  104. ↑ Máchal 1918, pp. 251–252.
  105. ↑ Máchal 1918, p. 252.
  106. ↑ Husain 2003, p. 170.
  107. ↑ Máchal 1918, pp. 227–228.
  108. ↑ 108.0 108.1 Máchal 1918, p. 270.
  109. ↑ Máchal 1918, pp. 270–271.
  110. ↑ 110.0 110.1 110.2 Máchal 1918, p. 253.
  111. ↑ Máchal 1918, p. 254.
  112. ↑ 112.0 112.1 Máchal 1918, p. 256.
  113. ↑ 113.0 113.1 Arnaudov 1968.
  114. ↑ Máchal 1918, p. 259.
  115. ↑ Máchal 1918, pp. 253–255.
  116. ↑ Máchal 1918, pp. 256–259.
  117. ↑ 117.0 117.1 117.2 Dal 1863, p. 2652.
  118. ↑ 118.0 118.1 118.2 Máchal 1918, p. 261.
  119. ↑ 119.0 119.1 119.2 Hanuš 1842, pp. 172–173.
  120. ↑ 120.0 120.1 Cherepanova 1983, p. 30.
  121. ↑ Máchal 1918, p. 262.
  122. ↑ 122.0 122.1 122.2 Мадлевская Е. Л. (2000). Образ Деда Мороза и современные представления о нём (Живая старина ed.). М.: Гос. республиканский центр русского фольклора. pp. 37–39. 
  123. ↑ 123.0 123.1 Афанасьев — Народные русские сказки А. Н. Афанасьева. В 3-х тт. — Т. 1. — Москва, 1984. — С. 117.
  124. ↑ "Кем был Дед Мороз раньше, и почему встреча с ним могла закончиться смертью". 2017-12-26. https://kulturologia.ru/blogs/261217/37177/. 
  125. ↑ {{Спасылка|аўтар = Глебік Н.Е.|прозьвішча = |імя = |аўтарlink = |cуаўтары = |дата публікацыі = |url = http://5ka.su/ref/history/0_object84598.html|загаловак = Рэферат па гісторыі Беларусі на тэму: «Рэлігія ўсходніх славян. Увядзенне хрысціянства»|фармат = |назва праекту = |выдавец = 5ka.su|дата = 27 сьнежня 2009 |мова = |камэнтар =}}
  126. ↑ Max Vasmer, Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language, Корочун.
  127. ↑ Romanian Etymological Dictionary, Crăciun
  128. ↑ Máchal 1918, p. 269.
  129. ↑ 129.0 129.1 129.2 Máchal 1918, p. 267.
  130. ↑ 130.0 130.1 130.2 130.3 130.4 130.5 130.6 Máchal 1918, p. 244.
  131. ↑ Máchal 1918, p. 240.
  132. ↑ 132.0 132.1 132.2 Máchal 1918, p. 245.
  133. ↑ 133.0 133.1 133.2 133.3 Máchal 1918, p. 246.
  134. ↑ Máchal 1918, p. 241.
  135. ↑ Ivanits 1989, p. 61.
  136. ↑ Máchal 1918, pp. 240–241.
  137. ↑ Ivanits 1989, p. 58.
  138. ↑ Dynda 2014, p. 61.
  139. ↑ Marjanić 2003, p. 192.
  140. ↑ 140.0 140.1 Hanuš 1842, p. 381.
  141. ↑ Hanuš 1842, p. 182.

Sources




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