The truth is that we know very little about Slavic paganism because the ancient Slavs left no written records of their own religion. What we think we know is reconstructed from fragments of archaeology, comparison with other Indo-European religions, and Slavic folk stories and songs. So, while years of research and much ink has been spilled to develop the following information, it must be taken with a grain of salt. But this is what we know about the Slavic god of chaos and the underworld, Veles.
Veles and the Slavic World Tree
Veles, also known as Volos, was portrayed as a great dragon living among the roots of the Slavic world tree, which is comparable to the Norse world tree Yggdrasil. This also suggests that Veles is related to the Norse dragon Nidhogg, which lives among the roots of Yggdrasil and gnaws on its roots, causing pain to the backbone of the universe. Nidhogg is also the enemy of the eagle that lives at the very top of the tree in the heavens. In Slavic mythology, the god of thunder and ruler of heaven Perun is sometimes described as an eagle at the top of the world tree, and Perun and Veles are ancient enemies.
Perun is a god of sky and thunder while while Veles is the god of water and earth. While they are opposing forces, they should not be contrasted as good and evil, but rather the necessary balance in nature.
While Veles is described as a dragon, in Slavic myth this is a chimeric creature that is part snake and park bear and is associated with the protection of livestock. Veles was always associated with livestock. According to the Primary Chronicle of the Kievan Rus, the earliest surviving source for pagan Slavic religion dating to sometime between 850 and 1110, Veles was the god of cattle and peasants and punished oathbreakers with disease.
High and Low Places
According to historical records, in the 10th century, the Kievan Rus King Vladimir I of Kiev dedicated seven statues of the pagan gods in his city. While six of the statues, including one of Perun, sat on the hill near his castle, the statue of Veles was separate, down in the lower city marketplace.
This indicates several things. First, while both Perun and Veles were venerated, they were not venerated alongside one another. Second, while Perun was associated with the sky, heaven, and high places, Veles was associated with low places. He was also associated with the “common man”.
Weather Conflict Between Perun and Veles
The main reconstructed myth about Veles is the story of his ongoing conflict with Perun. According to this story, Veles lives among the roots of the world tree, but will often ascend the tree to steal things from Perun, of different occasions his wife, son, and cattle. As he climbs the world tree, he brings imbalance into the world.
Perun must defeat Veles to retrieve what the serpent has taken and drive Veles back underground. He does this with his thunderbolts. When Veles is ritually killed, his body turns into water that is released as rain, and what he has stolen from Perun is also restored. Veles then returns to the roots of the world tree to reform himself and try again.
This myth is meant to explain the changing of the seasons in the Slavic world, which is a cyclical event that happens each year.
God of the Underworld
The roots of the world tree are also believed to be the location of the underworld, which Veles rules. The underworld is not a dreadful place, but is described as a green and wet world of grassy plains where it is eternally spring and where Veles’ flock dwells.
In another reconstructed myth, Veles hears a widow mourning and goes to her, inviting her to join his flock. Perun assumes that Veles is up to no good and tries to drive him off with thunderstorms. Veles retaliates with flocks of birds, frogs, and trees. Not listening to the pleas of the widow who wishes to be released from her loneliness, Perun kills all of these things. They then form a great island, which becomes a gateway between the world of the living and the dead.
The Slavs believed that Veles could send the dead as messengers back to the world of the living when the veil between the worlds was at its weakest, which was the cold and dark winter months. This is captured in the festival Koleda, which can happen any time between Christmas and February. Shamanic performers known as Koledari don woolen clothes, representing Veles’ herd, and wear grotesque masks to represent the dead. They wander from town to town and house to house making a great deal of noise. The heads of households have to give them gifts to appease Veles and ensure good luck.
God of Magic
Veles also seems to have been considered a good of magic in the Slavic world. Volhov, a word derived from the name of Veles, meant sorcerer. In the 12th-century Russian epic The Tale of Igr’s Campaign, a wizard is specifically referred to as the grandson of Veles. This perhaps suggests that Veles was associated with chaos and the unexplained, while Perun was linked with ideas of order.
Leave a Reply