Category Archives: Slavic Spirits (series)

Devana, Goddess of the Wilderness

May 25, 2024Journal, Slavic Spirits (series)E.S.O. Martin

She Who Runs With Wolves

Devana, Slavic goddess of the hunt, of forests, of wild animals

Known as the goddess of the hunt, forests, and wild animals, Devana is often depicted as the Slavic counterpart to the Roman Diana or the Greek Artemis. Her domain is the untamed wilderness, where she reigns with agility and grace, her presence echoing through the rustling leaves and the quiet steps of forest creatures.

The Essence of Devana

Devana, Slavic goddess of the wilderness

Devana is portrayed as a fierce warrior and protector, her figure often accompanied by the symbols of her reign—the bow and arrow and wolves—emblematic of her role as a huntress. Her connection to the forest is not just one of dominion but also of guardianship. She is the spirit of the wild, nurturing the flora and fauna that thrive under her watchful eyes. Her followers, ancient Slavs who depended on the woods for survival, revered her, seeking her blessings for successful hunts and protection from the perils of the wilderness.

The Dziewonie: Devana’s Handmaidens

Accompanying Devana are the Dziewonie, forest nymphs who serve as her handmaidens. These ethereal beings share Devana’s deep connection with the natural world. The Dziewonie often resided deep in forest glens, looking after bison, aurochs, and deer.

The Dziewonie also play a critical role in maintaining the balance between human agricultural pursuits and the wilds of the forest. They were keenly aware of the diseases that can afflict livestock, often acting as intermediaries to prevent such ailments from spreading to the forest animals. This protective role makes them vital in Slavic myths, embodying the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature.

Devana: Our Lady of Thunder Candle

Devana’s tales often depict her roaming the dense forests on moonlit nights, her path illuminated by the glow of her torch, symbolizing enlightenment and the eternal hunt. She embodies the primal and untamed aspects of nature, reminding us of the wild’s raw beauty and its unforgiving, cyclic nature.

In some interpretations, the Slavic Goddess Devana became known as Our Lady of Thunder Candle. Her glowing torch became a powerful candle whose light could protect people from wolves, from lightning strikes, and could ward off storms. The melted wax from these candles was said to tell the future.

On February 2nd, people would attend church and take these blessed candles home with them. These blessed candles were also brought out and lit when a person was sick or on their deathbed, so that it’s light could help guide a person through their current darkness into the light.

Devana and Marzanna

Devana, goddess of the forest, and Marzanna, goddess of magic.

Devana and Marzanna were two independent goddesses in Slavic mythology, who were sometimes mistaken for each other because they both are often depicted with the moon.

Devana was seen as the untamable wild woman, concerned with nature, with healthy forests, and with the hunt. Marzanna was a goddess of winter, magic, and witchcraft. Both were powerful figures that inspired fear and awe.

How The Independent Devana Came to Marry Veles

One of the stories of Devana was that she was so powerful and fiercely independent that she attempted become the supreme goddess of the World Tree and all existence. Devana and Perun, god of the overworld, had an epic battle, and Perun chased her all throughout the heavens and the earth. Devana was a shape-changer. In their battle, she transformed into a lioness, a wolf, a hawk, a fish. At last, Perun’s eagle caught Devana.

In hopes of punishing both Devana and Veles (Perun’s other nemesis), Perun forced them to marry each other, thinking the two of them would make each other miserable for all eternity.

Devana and Veles fell in love over their mutual concern for forests and animals

The last laugh was on Perun, however. Veles wooed Devana by transforming into a basil flower, and with the fact that he did not seek to squash her independence. The two of them also held a mutual interest in the health of forests, livestock, and wild animals. Veles made Devana his queen of the land of Nawia, and the two of them had an amiable partnership.l.

Cultural Significance

Today, Devana’s legacy lives on as a symbol of environmental conservation and natural balance. She inspires a reverence for the natural world, urging modern societies to remember the ancient wisdom that speaks of harmony with nature.

In an age where the wilderness continually recedes before the march of civilization, remembering and revering these deities can remind us of the crucial balance between human needs and the health of our planet.

Devana, with her indomitable spirit and her commitment to the wild, invites us to explore, respect, and protect the natural world, ensuring that the forests she loves so dearly continue to thrive and enchant for generations to come.

If you would like to learn more about Slavic mythology, consider signing up for my Reader’s Club. Reader’s Club members will be notified whenever there is a new entry in my Slavic Spirits series, and will also receive monthly-ish emails with book reviews, updates on my works in progress, and other fun stuff.

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UPDATE — This blog post includes text and images generated with the assistance of OpenAI’s models. I provided detailed prompts, curated the outputs, and made edits, but the majority of the content was created with AI assistance. This disclosure aligns with my commitment to transparency under the EU AI Act. Disclosure added on November 18, 2024 to align with transparency requirements under the EU AI Act.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Portions of this content were generated using OpenAI’s models, with significant curation, editing, and creative input by E. S. O. Martin. AI-generated portions may not be subject to copyright under current laws.

Veles: Shapeshifter God of Earth, Magic, and the Underworld

May 18, 2024Journal, Slavic Spirits (series)E.S.O. Martin

Veles: The Enigmatic Shapeshifter of Slavic Mythology

Veles, sitting on his throne at the roots of the World Tree

In the shadowy depths of Slavic lore, Veles emerges as a figure shrouded in mystery and magic. If Perun was the god of the sky, then Veles was the god of everything underneath it.

Veles was the protector of creatures of the earth, of water, of the forests, of livestock, and of wealth.

Where Perun’s favorite tree was the hard and steadfast oak, Veles’s favorite tree was the bendable willow.

Veles’s favorite animals were the wolf, the bear, the snake, the owl, and the dragon.

Every year, Slavic people celebrate Veles during midwinter, between February 11th and February 24th. The Festival of Veles corresponds to the “Day of Saint Blaise,” who was the protector of cattle. After Christianization, worship of Veles transformed into worship for Saint Blaise.” In honor of Veles, people might pray for good health, and bless candles apples in hopes that they would protect them from diseases. Some of these blessed apples would also be fed to cattle, in order to protect the animals throughout the remainder of winter.

Trickster and Shapeshifter

Veles’s most striking ability was his shapeshifting prowess. Legends tell of his transformation into a myriad of forms — from the magestic dragon, coiled in a nest of wool at the roots of the World Tree, into a bear, or a snake, or even a person. The capacity to change form speaks to Veles’s mastery over the natural world and of magic.

Much like Hermes and Loki (of the Greek and Norse mythologies), Veles is a trickster. His tales often involve cunning schemes and clever escapes (particularly after having pulled some prank on Perun). Many of Veles’s transformations seem to show that he has a sense of humor (for example, changing into a pair of underwear hanging on a clothesline in order to hide from Perun after having stolen Perun’s thunderbolt).

This aspect of his character highlights the complexity of Veles’s nature, combining cunning with deceit, creation with destruction.

The Woolen Dragon

Veles, god of the underworld, and Zmej, his dragon

The imagery of Veles as a dragon lying in a nest of wool is rich with symbolism. Wool, a crucial resource, represented wealth, warmth, and protection—particularly in an ancient Slavic society that had to withstand dark, cold winters. Veles’s association with it underlines his role as a guardian of prosperity and comfort, even in the darkest recesses of the underworld.

Alternatively, Veles is sometimes portrayed as having a pet dragon. This dragon, Zmej, was sometimes tasked with sitting on one of the roots of the World Tree and guarding the entrance to Nawia, the Slavic afterlife.

Veles’s connection to the dragon might also be related to his affinity to transform into a snake. Snakes are creatures of transformations in general. They shed their skins, they on the ground but can climb trees, and when the land is warm the reemerge from their winter hibernation.

God of Music and Magic

Veles and Zmej, during their Hair Band phase

As the god of magicians and magic, Veles holds sway over the mystical forces that permeate the Slavic world. His connection to the arcane arts places him as a patron deity for those who seek to move emotions, bring wonder, or see beyond the veil.

God of the Underworld

Veles’s narratives encapsulate the essence of nature’s dualities — life and death, growth and decay, order and chaos.

While one aspect of him presides over the waters, the forests, and the fertile earth, he is also seen as having another solemn role: as the guardian of the underworld.

It is said that Veles is the supreme god over the land of Nav, which was a kind of upside down world that lay beneath the roots of the World Tree.

Some Slavs believed that you could enter Nawia through portals deep beneath the water, which was why people would sometimes pray to Veles to protect the souls of those who had died by drowning.

Nawia was portrayed as a vast green pasture, surrounded by water. This was a paradise where souls would go to rest and recuperate before choosing to be reborn to Earth, or to ascend to Prawia, the land of gods and unborn souls, before being reborn into Yawia, the land of the living.

Veles and Devana, goddess of the wilds

In many stories, Veles and Perun are portrayed as rivals in their mutual courtship of Mokosh, the goddess of the earth and the harvest. Veles and Perun also had a joint-custody arrangement in parenting Mokosh’s twin children, Jarilo and Marzanna.

But in some stories, Veles is the husband of Devana, the goddess of the hunt, the forest, and the wilds. Devana was a fiercely independent goddess, but Veles successfully wooed her by turning into a basil flower. The couple bonded over their mutual love of the forest and the wild.

Discovering the Many Faces of Veles

Veles is a complicated god who invites us to see beyond strict binaries of good and evil. He is a protector and a trickster who seems to delight in crossing boundaries.

If you would like more information on Slavic lore, please consider signing up for my Reader’s Club to get book reviews, updates on my works-in-progress, and monthly-ish notifications whenever I have a new entry in my Slavic Spirits series.

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Perun: God of Thunder and the Overworld

April 27, 2024Journal, Slavic Spirits (series)E.S.O. Martin

One God to Rule Them All?

In Slavic mythology, there are a variety of gods who are often defined as the “supreme god” in an attempt to shoehorn Slavic polytheism into the Christian monotheistic hierarchy. Each of the slavic tribal lands had their own favorite supreme God—from Perun, to Triglav, to Rod, to Svarog.

One of the favorite Supreme Gods was Perun, God of Thunder.

Perun, Slavic god of thunder, war, and the sky

Perun: God of Thunder and War

Perun was the god of thunder, of the sky, and of the overworld. He was a towering figure, embodying the roaring power of thunder and the fierce flash of lightning.

Perun was also the god of warriors and of war. He is often depicted wearing armor and preparing to go to war. Warriors would pray to him for protection.

Perun’s presence is felt in the rumbling of storm clouds and the strike of lightning that splits the sky.

Guardian of Order and Justice

One of Perun’s jobs was to maintain order in the cosmos, wielding authority over the earth, sky, and rain.

In the Creation by Diving myth, Veles needed Perun’s help to create land because Perun had the ability to bring order and structure to chaos.

Symbolism and Worship

The oak tree, revered for its strength and endurance, is sacred to Perun, symbolizing his connection to the World Tree and to the natural world.

While the Slavs did not necessarily build temples, they would gather beneath the canopy of ancient oaks, where they sought favor with the ancestors and with the gods through offerings, song, and rituals.

Perun’s weapon, the mighty ax or hammer, symbolized his warrior aspect, and his ability to bring justice and order to those beneath him, striking down chaos and evil with the force of thunderbolts.

Perun is also symbolized by the element of fire, which often accompanies lightning and thunder. He also favored the iris flower.

Perun’s favorite animal was the eagle, and he would often take this form as he flew through the clouds. It was also said that he had a giant eagle as his familiar.

Perun is often depicted as an eagle, perched in the crown of the world tree.

The Eternal Conflict

Perun is often depicted in a perpetual struggle against Veles, god of the underworld, waters, and trickery. The conflict represents the enternal battle between sky and earth, order and chaos, mirroring the natural cycle of storms that nourish the earth and then recede.

In artistic depictions of this conflict, Perun often takes the form of a giant eagle, while Veles takes the form of a dragon, or giant serpent. In this way, this is conflict is the Slavic equivalent of the the Christian struggle of St. George and the dragon.

Perun’s Family

In the beginning of the creation story, Perun is depicted as having been one of the consorts of the earth goddess Mokosh, who gave birth to two children, Jarilo and Marzanna. The Great Battle was sparked by Perun’s jealousy over realizing Mokosh had also been seeing Veles (Perun’s chief enemy) as her other consort.

Despite this, Perun claimed both Jarilo and Marzanna as his own children, and he made them welcome in the overworld. Jarilo, he treated as his golden child. Marzanna, as a beloved daughter.

Perun’s wife was the warrior rain goddess Dodola. She was sometimes called Perperuna or Perunitsa or Perunka, signifying her relationship with Perun. Theirs was a much more harmonious partnership than the one between Perun and Mokosh had been. Slavic peoples would sing songs and do rain dances to honor and worship both Dodola and Perun in hopes that they would bring rain to their crops during times of drought.

Unlike the gods of the Greek and Egyptian pantheon, who are all blood relatives to each other, the other main gods and goddesses in the Slavic pantheon all emerged at different times from the chaos of the cosmic egg, to represent different ideas or aspects of the natural world.

Svarog emerged to represent fire. Rod emerged to represent family relations. Veles emerged to represent water and the underworld. Mokosh emerged to represent the Earth.

Some of the gods had offspring of their own, but the main Slavic gods are not blood kin to each other the way the Greek and Egyptian gods were.

Perun in the Modern World

Although the ancient Slavic religions have long since blended into other traditions and beliefs, the figure of Perun continues to inspire cultural and literary works, symbolizing the enduring power of nature an the human spirit’s quest for justice and order.

Perun’s tales are but one chapter in the rich tapestry of Slavic mythology. To delve deeper into these ancient stories and explore the legends of gods, heroes, and mythical creatures, please consider joining my free Reader’s Club. Enter your email, and you will receive monthly updates on my writing progress, book reviews, and new entries in my “Slavid Spirits” series. New Reader’s Club members will also receive a free short story as a thank you gift.

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The Tragedy of Jarilo and Marzanna: A Tale of Seasons and Sacrifice

April 13, 2024Journal, Slavic Spirits (series)E.S.O. Martin

One of the most important seasonal myths in Slavic lore is of the tragic love story of Jarilo and Marzanna, twins who were separated at birth, who later fell in love and married, and then were separated by death. The story of Jarilo and Marzanna stands as a poignant narrative that explores themes of love, betrayal, and the cyclical nature of life and death. This story, deeply rooted in the cultural and agricultural practices of the Slavic peoples, not only explains the turning of the seasons but also delves into the complexities of human emotions and cosmic balance.

Divine Origins and Celestial Upbringing

The goddess Mokosh with her twins, Jarilo and Marzanna. To broke peace, Jarilo and Marzanna were separated and each raised by the other’s father.

Jarilo and Marzanna, the twin children of the earth goddess Mokosh, were born under unique circumstances. Their conception was the result of Mokosh’s union with two powerful deities: Perun, the god of the sky, and Veles, the god of the underworld. This dual paternity led to a celestial conflict when Perun discovered the twins, prompting a fierce battle against Veles, symbolized by a tumultuous storm of lightning and thunder.

To restore peace, Mokosh intervened, proposing a solution where each god would raise the other’s child. Veles took Jarilo to Nawia, the land at the roots of the World Tree, fostering him with love and affection. Conversely, Perun raised Marzanna in Prawia, at the crown of the World Tree, with fairness but reserved warmth due to her constant reminder of Veles.

Spring: A Fateful Meeting and a Love Born

Jarilo, god of spring, summer, agriculture, and war. He is often pictured riding a white horse.

Separated since birth and raised apart, the twins met for the first time in Yawia, the land of the living, as young deities appointed to perform their divine duties. Unaware of their sibling connection, they fell deeply in love. Their union symbolized the perfect harmony between action, represented by Jarilo, and intuition, embodied by Marzanna. Their passionate relationship celebrated during the spring equinox and culminated in marriage on Kupala Night, the summer solstice.

Summer: Kupala Night and the Rites of Marriage

Jarilo and Marzanna marry on Kupula night, the summer solstice

Kupala Night was a significant event for the Slavs, a time when communal festivities allowed young couples to engage in courtship rituals, including communal bathing and jumping over bonfires. It was a night when arrangements could be set aside, and love could dictate one’s choice in partnership. Jarilo and Marzanna’s wedding was a grand celebration of their love, intertwining their destinies with the agricultural cycle of the community.

Autumnal: Tragedy Strikes with the Harvest

The tale takes a somber turn with the arrival of autumn. Marzanna, discovering Jarilo’s infidelity, was overcome with rage and sorrow. In her anguish, she killed Jarilo with a scythe, his blood nourishing the fields and marking the beginning of the harvest. This act, while violent, was deeply symbolic, representing the necessary sacrifice for life to continue, ensuring that the community would have food to sustain them through the winter.

Winter: Marzanna’s Transformation and the Season of Darkness

Marzanna, goddess of winter, illness, death, witchcraft

The death of Jarilo plunged the world into darkness and cold, reflecting Marzanna’s grief and transformation into a formidable goddess of winter, blight, and illness. She roamed the snowy landscapes, a figure of sorrow and vengeance, feared for her powers over death and the supernatural.

Rebirth and the Cycle Continues

Straw effigy for the Drowning of the Marzanna, signaling the end of winter

Each spring, a ceremony known as the Drowning of Marzanna took place. Villagers would create an effigy of Marzanna, parading it through the streets to absorb the winter’s hardships, then burn and drown it in a river, symbolically sending Marzanna back to Nawia. This ritual paved the way for the rebirth of both Jarilo and Marzanna, allowing the cycle of seasons, love, and life to begin anew.

Marzanna, traveling through the river to the land of Naw, to be reborn in the spring to begin the cycle anew

Enduring Legacy

The tragedy of Jarilo and Marzanna resonates beyond its mythological origins, reflecting the Slavic understanding of the natural world’s rhythms and the human condition’s emotional depths. It teaches lessons about the balance of life and death, the power of love and loss, and the eternal hope of renewal—themes that continue to inspire and resonate through generations.

If you would like to learn more about Slavic folklore, check out the rest of my “Slavic Spirits” blog series. If you like what you see, you might also enjoy signing up for my free Reader’s Club. Club members get monthly emails with updates on my works in progress, book reviews, and exclusive content.

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Mokosh and the Great Storm

March 2, 2024Journal, Polish, Slavic Spirits (series)E.S.O. Martin

Mokosh: The Slavic Goddess of Earth, Fertility, and Women’s Destinies

In the rich tapestry of Slavic mythology, Mokosh stands out as one of the most revered goddesses. She is seen as the divine mother, the Earth Goddess, the goddess of weaving, agriculture, and the home.

In a culture that was often patriarchal, Mokosh was the goddess who looked out for women, their destinies, their health, their desires, their work, their sexuality, and their offspring.

Mokosh is often depicted as a powerful female figure, embodying both the sensual and maternal aspects of the harvest. She was a provider, a nurturer, and a protector.

She is closely associated with the earth’s fertility, ensuring the abundance of crops and the well-being of the community.

Symbols and Worship

Representations of Mokosh often includes symbols of fertility and femininity, such as sheaves of wheat, spinning wheels, and water. These symbols reflect her importance in an agrarian society, where the cycle of sowing, growing, and harvesting was central to survival and prosperity.

Her favorite tree was the Linden tree. Her favorite animals were the sheep and the spider.

The worship of Mokosh persisted even as Slavic societies transitioned from paganism to Christianity, with many of her attributes and symbols being absorbed into veneration of the Virgin Mary.

Mokosh: Goddess of Sensuality

Mokosh’s presence in Slavic mythology is marked by her deep connections to the natural world and the cycles of life.

She is often portrayed as having a complex relationship with both Perun, god of the sky, and Veles, god of the underworld, as both gods sought to win her affections.

Perun brought Mokosh wheat and flowers, fragrant from the warmth of the sun. With Perun, Mokosh delighted in the light, the rain, and the wind. He promised protection and strength.

Veles brought snakes and worms to help Mokosh keep the soil healthy, so that it could become more fertile. With Veles, Mokosh enjoyed the water, the moist earth, and the decomposition that returned nutrients to the soil. He promised dreams, darkness, rest, magic, and mystery.

When Mokosh became pregnant, each suitor was overjoyed, thinking he had been chosen as Mokosh’s favorite and that she would choose him as her husband.

The Great Storm: The Epic Rivalry Between Perun and Veles

Mokosh gave birth to twins, one with the golden hair of Perun, and one with the black hair of Veles. Not only had Mokosh refused to choose between the gods, she had taken them both as her consorts.

Mokosh and her twin children: Jarillo (spring/summer) and Marzanna (autumn/winter)

Perun’s jealousy flared. Thunderstorms gathered and lightning struck the earth. Perun turned into a giant eagle and challenged Veles to an epic battle over Mokosh’s affections, and the right to raise her children. Perun attacked Veles, determined to banish him from Yawia, the land of the living, once and for all.

Yet Veles, ever the shape-shifter, evaded Perun’s wrath. Veles changed his form into a tree, into a human, into a serpent, into a bull. He hid in the shadows, and he hid amongst the sheep and the trees. And finally, when Perun found him, Veles took the form of a dragon and fought back.

The world shook as the two divine suitors battled for Mokosh and for dominance over the earth—for, indeed, their rivalry predated Mokosh.

The Great Storm: The Battle Between Perun and Veles

Mokosh’s Choice

To prevent the world from being torn apart, Mokosh intervened. In her heart, Mokosh harbored love for both gods, for each represented vital aspects of the world she cherished.

Mokosh bade Perun and Veles to look at the world and at all the destruction they had caused to her lands in their jealous rage. They saw crops that had been charred and flattened. They saw people and animals, cowering in the fields and forests. They saw deserts, which had been deprived of Veles’s waters and nutrients.

Mokosh knew that a healthy landscape needed the attentions of both the sky and the land and waters, and there needed to be balance. A world with only sky and fire could not sustain life.

To ensure peace, Mokosh proposed that Perun and Veles each take the other’s child to foster and raise as their own. The golden-haired boy, Jarilo, was given to Veles to raise as his son. The dark-haired girl, Marzanna, was given to Perun to raise as his daughter.

Mokosh, in the overworld during the summer

In this way, Mokosh negotiated peace between the sky and the land below.

Mokosh’s story is just one of many in the captivating world of Slavic mythology. To delve deeper into these ancient tales and explore the legends of gods, heroes, and mythical beings, join our Reader’s Club newsletter. Receive updates on new entries in the “Slavic Spirits” series and immerse yourself in the enchanting narratives that have shaped centuries of Slavic culture.

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Creation by Diving – How the Gods of the Overworld and Underworld Created Land in the Space Between

February 24, 2024Journal, Polish, Slavic Spirits (series)E.S.O. Martin

In the Beginning, There Was Only Sky and Water

The Cosmic Egg had cracked open, but this brand new universe was very simple. World only consisted of opposites.

Light and dark.

Up and down.

Sky and Water.

In this realm, the gods began to form from the raw essences of life. It first there were only two gods: Perun and Veles.

Perun, God of the Sky

Perun is a pivotal diety in Slavic mythology, often associated with thunder, lightning, storms, rain, law, war, fertility, and oak trees.

Regarded as the chief god by many Slavic tribes, Perun’s imagery frequently includes weapons like axes or hammers. He is sometimes pictured riding a chariot, or taking the form of an eagle. He embodies the might of the heavens and is revered as a powerful protector and warrior. But he is also seen as fiery, quick-tempered, and rigid.

But when this story begins and the universe was new, the mighty god Perun did not have much to rule over. In the beginning, he found himself floating on a boat in a vast ocean, staring up at the empty sky. Sometimes, to alleviate his boredom, he would take the form of an eagle and soar over the waters.

But everywhere he flew, there was only sky and water, and nowhere to land except for his scanty little boat.

Veles, God of the Waters

Veles, god water and the underworld, walking along the ocean floor.

Veles is the Slavic god of the underworld. He is the god of earth, water, forests, the underworld, music, magic, trickery, cattle, livestock, and wealth. And, yes, he is also the god of the afterlife.

Known for his shapeshifting abilities, Veles can transform into various forms, including a mighty dragon or serpent, animals (particularly cattle or sheep), and even as trees, showcasing his mastery over magic and his role as a protector of livestock. His favorite tree was the willow.

Veles was also known as being a bit of a trickster, similar to Hermes and Loki. In Slavic mythology, he often used his his cunning to prod Perun and evade his wrath.

When the world was new, Veles’s domain was everything below the water. He watched over the chaos and wildness of all the creatures of the sea. The fish and crustaceans and sea serpents, and all the wild and magical monsters that later humans would draw in unexplored corners of the map.

And yet, when Veles looked upward toward the surface of the water, into Perun’s domain where he saw a vast expanse of nothingness, he saw potential for so much more.

The Genesis of Land

Veles swam up to the surface and approached Perun, floating in his boat.

“The world yearn for complexity,” Veles said. He proposed the creation of land, as an in-between space above the waters and beneath the sky, upon which life could grow. “But I can’t create this land myself. I will need you help.”

Perun, too, longed for more, and so he agreed to work with Veles in creating this new plane.

Veles dove down into the waters, down to the deepest, darkest depths of the sea. When he reached the bottom, he scooped a handful of sand into his mouth, and swam back up to the surface.

Up at the surface, he spit the sand into Perun’s hand, and Perun scattered the sand across the surface of the sea.

Where the sand hit the water, land formed.

How the Land Grew

The first patch of land was very small. Barely big enough for the two gods to stand on, side by side.

They began to argue over who would be in control of this land. Soon, the gods were pushing and shoving each other, fighting for more room. Veles pushed Perun. Perun shoved Veles back.

Veles tried to toss Perun down into the water, but everywhere Perun stepped, the land extended beneath him. He was the god of the over-world and could not be drowned. Perun changed into a bird and tried to carry Veles up into the sky so that he could drop him. But Veles was the god of the underworld and could not be lifted without his consent. Everywhere he stepped, the land extended beneath him, because he, too, had had a hand in its creation.

After age of fighting, the two gods paused for breath. When they looked around, they saw that the land had extended around them as far as the eye could see. They realized that there was now plenty of land for the both of them to share.

And in the place where the first land had been created, there grew an immense oak tree that extended up to the heavens and down into the soil. This was the tree of life, the world tree.

The two gods agreed to make a temporary peace.

Perun created an eagle, which flew him up to the very top of the world tree, a place he called Prawia, which was a place of gods and spirits yet to be born.

Perun, flying to the top of the World Tree on his white eagle.

Veles created a dragon-serpent called Zmej, and the two of them burrowed down to the upside-down world among the roots of the world tree, where Veles made himself a throne of gold, and Zmey curled among the tree roots in a nest of wool. In this place, they created a paradise of the souls of the dead.

Veles, in his underworld kingdom with his dragon Zmey.

Each god had retreated to their own kingdoms, one above and one below.

Life Hatched From a Firebird’s Egg

Perun, up in the sky, looked dow at the barren landscape and felt profound sadness at its emptiness. From his height, Perun could see the vast complexities of life in the oceans and in the soil—in Veles’s domain—and felt envy. He would not be outdone by Veles. He wished for the same richness of life to exist on the surface of the earth.

Up in the land of Prawia, Perun met with the other gods to seek their council.

It was believed that Perun’s parents were Svarog and Łada, who were believed to be the first two gods to have formed from the cosmic egg. Svarog was the god of fire and blacksmithing. Łada was the goddess of love, marriage, beauty, and joy.

Svarog, god of fire. Łada, goddess of love.

And Rod, god of newborn souls, of family, kinship, and birth. He was a gardener, tending the upper branches of the World Tree, where new souls were born.

With their help, Perun, conjured a golden bird that glowed so brightly it looked as if it had been made from fire. Indeed, it was made of fire. This magical bird has often been imagined as the first firebird, the phoenix, a creature with the ability to create itself anew from the ashes of its former self.

Firebird/Phoenix brought the golden egg to start life on earth, Yawia, the land of the living.

Perun, Łada, Svarog, and Rod sent the bird down to the barren landscape. The rooster laid an egg, which cracked on the dry landscape. The egg whites oozed over the surface of the shell, and wherever it touched the land, a river sprang up from the soil, bringing fresh water all across the land. From the golden yellow yolk of the egg, all other forms of life emerged. Vast, golden fields of wheat and grass spread across the land. Animals emerged to eat the wheat. Humans emerged to tend the wheat and the animals.

And from the yoke, a new god emerged. The goddess Mokosh, diety of the earth and the fields, of fertility, fecundity, spinning, and everything having to do with women and childbirth.

She was beautiful and and so enchanting that both Perun and Veles fell in love.

But that’s another story for another day.

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