Slavic Saturday returns after my vacation last weekend, and to make up for the gap, we’re jumping into one of the most important figures in Slavic myth. While Perun rules the skies, the mountains, and Prawia, Weles (or Veles in English) reigns over the underworld of Nawia, the lowlands, and the rivers.
(June 2021 Updated) Note: If you enjoy Slavic mythology, check out A Dagger in the Winds, the first book in my Slavic fantasy series called The Frostmarked Chronicles. You can also join my monthly newsletter for updates and free novellas (such as the prequel, The Rider in the Night) set in the world of the series.
The first thought when anyone thinks of a god of the underworld is usually Hades from Greek mythology or the Christian Devil, both dark and menacing figures. But Weles took a different role for the Slavs. Like much in Slavic myth, he is nuanced and cannot be considered evil (despite being a trickster). The underworld of Nawia is considered almost a paradise, one that Weles oversees, and lowland farmers were known to worship him even above Perun out of both respect and fear.
Pictured often as an elderly man with a gray beard and hair, Weles takes on the traits of animals that are often used to represent him. He has the furs of a bear and the horns of cattle, and he is a shape-shifter, like most gods and creatures in Slavic myth. In addition to changing into those animals, he is also known to take the form of a serpent. This is often why a snake is pictured at the base of the World Tree, opposed to Perun’s eagle.
This opposition to Perun forms a major basis of not only Weles’s character but also Slavic mythology as a whole. Cycles and competing forces of nature, not necessarily good or ill, are key themes in Slavic myth, and the war between these two gods is no different.
Because there are so few primary sources on Slavic mythology, there are a diverse number of claims why this war began. Some claim it is because Weles stole Perun’s cattle or perhaps his wife. The most convincing, though, aligns with the story of Perun’s son, Jaryło. In this myth, Weles kidnapped Jaryło when he was a baby and raised him as his own, but when he did so, Perun declared war against his rival and never relented. Whatever the true story, Slavs would say that lightning strikes were Perun’s attacks against Weles, where he would be hiding in the ground or behind rocks.
This trickster or mischievous personality is only part of Weles. While it could be enough to claim he isn’t “good,” the god has many positive roles. He encourages agriculture, uses his rivers to guide wandering souls to Nawia, protects nature, and provides wisdom and guidance to his shamans. Like the bear, he is powerful and wise, but he also has the fangs and trickery of the snake. This dualistic nature within his own character is fascinating. It means that though he fights with Perun, it is far more likely stories would have Marzanna, Czarnobóg (Chernobog, debatable god), a dragon, or a demon as the antagonist.
Some stories also claim that Weles is married to Mokosz (Mokosh) or Dziewanna (Devana). The story of the latter is fascinating, as Dziewanna was the goddess of the wilds and hunt who rebelled against Perun and was forced to marry Weles as punishment. Independent and free, she despised Weles as first, but when he turned himself into a basil flower, it calmed her. While the two aren’t in love, they are considered a force to be reckoned with, controlling both the lowlands and wild forests between them.
In A Dagger in the Winds and the following books, Weles will play a distant but ever-increasing role. Like many gods in Slavic myth he often acts as a distant giant, but he has plans in the work. His true intentions are unknown, though, and it will be up to Wacław and Otylia, our protagonists, to decide whether he is ally or foe.
That’s all for this week’s Slavic Saturday. Be sure to keep a lookout for more posts next week, and if you haven’t seen the full series of posts, be sure to check them out.
*As always just a quick disclaimer. Slavic mythology is broad and not written in many if any primary sources, so there’s a variety of interpretations. The interpretations I’m using here are from the sources I’ve found to be reliable and as well as some creative freedom for my book series.