The gods and goddesses of Slavic mythology - Did you know about the legends of this region?

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Slavic people and language -

Slavic people are members of the most numerous ethnic and linguistic body of peoples in Europe. Slavic languages belong to the Indo-European family.

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Slavic people and language -

Slavs are subdivided into East Slavs (mostly Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians), West Slavs (mostly Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, and Wends, or Sorbs), and South Slavs (mostly Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Slovenes, Macedonians, and Montenegrins). Bulgarians are of mixed origin, though they speak a Slavic language and are frequently designated as South Slavs.

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Slavic deities -

While they might not have had an organized set of gods like the Greeks, Romans, or Scandinavians, in ancient times the Slavs had their own deities.

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Slavic deities -

Whether these gods were worshipped in the vast expanse of Slavic Europe (from the Baltic to the Black Sea), or whether they varied depending on locale or tribe, is another matter.

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Perun -

Perun is the highest god in Slavic mythology. He is the God of the Heavens, of lightening and thunder. He is worshipped as Perkunas in neighboring Baltic mythology.

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Perun -

As a god of Thunder, he can be compared to Zeus from ancient Greek mythology or Thor from Norse legend. He shows up most frequently in East Slavic sources.

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Perun -

The name Perun itself can be translated to 'he who strikes.' In the Polish language, the name of this ancient god survives as the word piorun which means "thunder." He is associated with the oak tree.

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Veles -

Perhaps the second most important god of the region is Veles (or Velos), who is referred to as the God of cattle in the old Ruthenian chronicle. As cattle were a symbol of prosperity, this would also make him a god of wealth.

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Veles -

Sometimes seen as the mythical antagonist of Perun, he is also linked to magic, poetry, oaths, the underworld, and the dead. Veles shares similarities with Odin and Loki from Norse tradition, and Hermes from Greek mythos. He is associated with the willow tree.

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Sventovit -

Also called Svetovid and Svantovit, he was worshipped in Arcona on the island of Rügen (Rugia). He had four heads and four necks, and is believed to have similar functions to Veles.

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Sventovit -

A big feast was held once a year, after the harvest, to honor Sventovit. Animals were sacrificed before the event, and the following day the success of the next harvest was predicted, based on the amount of alcohol remaining in the horn of Sventovit's statue from pouring the night before.

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Svarog -

Svarog was the Slavic god of fire and blacksmithing. However, he is only mentioned in one source, which is problematic in its interpretation. 

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Svarog -

In that source, he is presented as the Slavic equivalent of the Greek Hephaestus. After Christianization, the word "Svarog" was preserved in vocabulary, e.g. the Svaroh mountains in Czech Republic.

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Svarozhits -

Svarozhits is the son of Svarog, and most likely identical to the god Radegast (or Radogost). He is interpreted as the god of fire.

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Svarozhits -

Svarozhits first appears in a text concerning worship by the Polabian Slavs. A boar that emerges from the lake near Radogoszcz in one 11th-century Chronicle may also be related to Svarozhits. In certain European cultures, the boar is often associated with fire and the sun.

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Dazhbog -

Another son of Svarog, Dazhbog was likely a solar deity and cultural hero. In surviving literature, it appears Dazhbog was one of the few gods worshipped by most Slavic tribes.

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Dazhbog -

In some texts there is debate about whether Svarozhits and solar Dazhbog were the same deity. Some also believe Dazhbog to be identical with another East Slavic god who also possibly had solar attributes, named Khors.

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Rod -

In Eastern and Southern Slavic traditions, Rod is the god of ancestry, family, fate, and is also known as Sud - "the Judge." He was replaced in importance by Perun or Svarog in the ninth or tenth century.

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Yarovit -

Yarovit (or Yerovit, Iarovit, Ierovit) is a Polabian god of war. He has been identified with the Roman Mars. His cult's main temple is believed to have been located in Vologošč, where legend had it there was a golden shield belonging to him.

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Lada -

Lada is alleged to be the Slavic goddess of love, beauty, and harmony. She is associated with the spring and summer seasons of the year. She is linked to the Norse goddess Freyja or the Greek Aphrodite.

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Mokosh -

Mokosh is linked to the cult of the Great Mother. She is the protector of women's work and destiny. She might have Finno-Urgic origins.

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Mokosh -

Mokosh watches over spinning and weaving, and she protects women in childbirth. She is the Mother Goddess in Slavic myth.

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Zorya -

Zorya (or Zarya, Zara, Zorza, Zirnytsia, Zaranitsa, Zoryushka, etc.) is a feminine personification of dawn, and possibly a goddess. 

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Zorya -

She can appear as a single figure called "The Red Maiden," or as two or three sisters at once. She lives overseas on the Island of Buyan, where she opens the door to the sun each morning.

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Zhiva -

Zhiva (or Živa, Ziva) is a mother goddess, associated with fertility and nature. She symbolizes vitality and purity, and guides souls to the otherworldly realms.

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Zhiva -

Lakes, rivers, and springs are believed to be her sacred domains. It's claimed people would gather at waters associated Zhiva, to drink from them so they could connect to her life-giving energy.

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Lesser gods and goddesses -

Apart from what are believed to be the main gods and goddesses, there was an array of lesser deities, demons, and house spirits.

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Cult venues -

Little is known about the rituals and cult venues in Slavic religions, however, it's likely they were held in open air. There are wood carvings to the deities still standing today.

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Surviving folklore tales -

Many ancient pagan tales continue to be told centuries after Christianization, preserving some of the basic tenets of Slavic mythology. 

Sources: (Culture.pl) (Britannica) (Russian Life magazine) (CultureFrontier) (History Cooperative) (Old World Gods)

See also: The gods, goddesses, and legendary heroes of Celtic folklore

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