Slavic Gods

There is only fragmentary and scattered information about the myths and legends of the Slavs, and it is not possible to trace the history of their religion or to reconstruct the whole Slavic pantheon. Nevertheless, there were certain common beliefs among most pre-Christian Slavs. It is generally thought that the earliest Slavic religious beliefs were based on the principle that the whole natural world is inhabited and directed by spirits or mysterious forces. Later, particularly in areas where the Slavs had a more organized cultural life and were integrated with foreign peoples, the spiritual beliefs became less rustic, and the vague spirits of nature were anthropomorphized into divinities with special powers and functions.

The supreme god of the East and South Slavs was Perun, god of lightning and thunder. Because he controlled the elements of nature, his aid and protection were strongly evoked at seed time and harvest. Until the end of the 10th century an idol of Perun existed in Kiev. Svarog, a god known to most Slavic peoples, was regarded as the father of the chief deities. Among his sons were Dazhbog, god of the sun, and Svarazic, god of fire. Two important gods of Slavic religion were Byelobog (or Byelun) the White God and Chernobog the Black God. These two, who represented the opposing forces of good and evil reflected the Slavic belief in the dualistic nature of the universe. Various myths and ritualistic data however reveal the cults of many other gods and lesser divinities including the worship of earth goddesses.

 

Some Slavic Gods;

Rod - The birth-giver, creator of all existent. Supreme god, according to some theories

Dažbog - Sun god, possibly a culture hero and a source of wealth and power

Jarilo - God of vegetation, fertility and spring; also associated with war and harvest

Morana - Goddess of harvest, witchcraft, winter and death

Perun - God of thunder and lightning

Živa - Goddess of love and fertility

Svarog - God of fire, sometimes described as a smith god

Svetovid - God of war, fertility and abundance

Triglav - Three-headed god

Veles - God of earth, waters, and the underworld

Zaria - Goddess of beauty

The Zorya - Three (or two) guardian goddesses that represent the morning, evening and midnight stars

 Other godsBelobog - The White God; speculated to be a god of light and sun

Berstuk - Evil Wendish god of the forest

Chernobog - The Black God; speculated to be the opposite number of Belobog

Dodola - Goddess of rain, sometimes believed to be the wife of Perun

Dogoda - Polish spirit of the west wind, associated with love and gentleness

Dziewona - Virgin goddess of the hunt; equivalent of the Roman goddess Diana, or Greek goddess Artemis

Dzydzilelya - Polish goddess of love, marriage, sexuality and fertility

Flins - Wendish god of death

Hors - God of the winter sun, healing, survival, and the triumph of health over illness

Ipabog - God of the hunt

Juthrbog - Wendish moon god

Karewit - Wendish protector of the town of Charenza

Krsnik - Fire god

Kupalo - God of fertility

Koliada - Goddess of the sky, responsible for the sunrise

Lada - Fakeloric goddess of harmony, merriment, youth, love and beauty, constructed by scholars during the Renaissance

Marowit - Wendish god of nightmares

Marzyana - Polish goddess of the grain

Matka Gabia - Polish goddess of the home and hearth

Mokosh - Goddess connected with female activities such as shearing, spinning and weaving

Myesyats - God of the moon

Oynyena Maria - Polish fire goddess who assists Perun

Oźwiena - Goddess of echo, gossip, fame and glory

Peklenc - God of the underground and a divine judge

Percunatel - Polish goddess, purported to be Perun's mother

Pereplut - Goddess of drink and changing fortunes

Podaga - Wendish god of weather, fishing, hunting and farming

Porewit - God of the woods, who protected lost voyagers and punished those who mistreated the forest

Radegast - Possibly a god of hospitality, fertility and crops

Rugiewit - Local personification of Perun, worshipped by members of the Rani in Charenza

Siebog - God of love and marriage; consort of Živa

Siliniez - Polish woodland god for whom moss was sacred

Stribog - God and spirit of the winds, sky and air

Sudice - The Fates of Polish mythology, who meted out fortune, destiny, judgement and in some cases, fatality, when a child was born

Sudz - Polish god of destiny and glory

Tawals - Blessing-bringing god of the meadows and fields

Varpulis - God of storm winds and companion of Perun

Zeme - Goddess of the earth

Zirnitra - Dragon god of sorcery

Zislbog - Wendish moon goddess; also known as Kricco, goddess of the seed

Złota Baba - Polish goddess known as the "Golden Woman"

Żywie - Goddess of health and healing

Ala - Demons of bad weather

Baba Yaga - A witch-like character who eats small children and lives in a house which stands on chicken feet

Bagiennik - Water demons who lived in lakes and rivers

Bannik - A bathhouse spirit with the ability to predict the future

Bies - An evil spirit

Blud - An evil spirit who causes disorientation

Boginki - Polish spirits who were said to steal babies and replace them with Odmience

Dola - Protective spirits who embody human fate

Domovoi - Household spirits

Drekavac - A creature believed to come from the soul of a dead unbaptised child

German - A male spirit associated with rain and hail

Karzełek - Mine-dwelling beings that protect miners

Kikimora - Female household spirit, sometimes said to be married to the Domovoi

Koschei - An evil being who cannot be killed because his soul is hidden separate from his body

Leshy - Woodland spirits who protect wild animals and forests

Likho - A one-eyed embodiment of evil fate and misfortune

Polevik - Field spirits who appear either at noon or at sunset

Polunocnica - "Lady Midnight", a demoness said to frighten children at night

Pscipolnitsa - "Lady Midday"; a noon demon who roamed the fields and struck down workers with heatstroke

Raróg - Creature who turns himself into a whirlwind

Rusalka - Often-malevolent female ghosts, water nymphs, succubi or mermaid-like demons that dwelled in waterways

Shishiga - Female creature who harasses people and brings misfortune to drunkards

Skrzak - A flying imp

Stuhać - A demonic, mountain-dwelling creature

Topielec - Malevolent spirits of human souls that died drowing

Vampir - A revenant that feeds on the blood of the living

Vila - Fairy-like spirits

Vodyanoy - A male water spirit

Zduhać - A man with extraordinary supernatural abilities

 CreaturesAlkonost - A legendary bird with the head and chest of a woman

Bukavac - A six-legged monster with gnarled horns who lived in lakes and attacked during the night

Cikavac - A winged animal that would fulfill its owner's wishes and enable its owner to understand the animal language

Firebird - A magical glowing bird which is both a blessing and bringer of doom to its captor

Gamayun - A prophetic bird with the head of a woman

Psoglav - A demonic creature described as having a human body with horse legs, and dog's head with iron teeth and a single eye on the forehead

Simargl - The father of Skif, founder of Scythia; often portrayed as a large dog with wings

Sirin - A creature with the head and chest of a woman and the body of a bird

Zmey - A dragon-like creature

 

 

Pantheons Index