As someone who has Slavic heritage i am both happy and sad that the folklore isn't as popular as Norse and Celtic. Its like a little hidden gem of knowledge 😊
Me too,that is so true. But there is a TV series in the making "Slavs" something like "vikings" but about us :D Maybe people will pay some attention if the see that. :D
Great vid. Fun fact, MANY of Weles' attributes are the same as the Germanic/Norse Odin. Odin has bear connotations, turns into a snake in one story, travels with a staff, looks like an old man, also both Weles and Odin have at least some blindness, use spears, are magicians, use trickery, are considered wise, have a similar relationship to the dead. Perun and Thor more obviously share a common origin, but what's interesting is both pantheons have stories of enmity between Weles/Odin and Perun/Thor, even though the Icelandic version of Norse mythology (the one we have left today) evolved to a father-son relationship between them. In Norse stories, they often have battles of wits and cunning which usually ends in some kind of draw or with Odin on top.
Veles would be more similar to Loki, because in some Slavic lore Veles is often regarded as a trickster god, while a counterpart for Odin would be Svarog
As a slav I am interested in my ancestors and veles caught my eye today even tho I knew about him for some time I really kinda got interested in him recently
Thank you for providing this very useful resource on Veles! Just to comment on death/underworld/afterlife deities in other pantheons, it isn’t really that unusual for them to have positive attributes. Hades, whom you mention, is portrayed as relatively benevolent compared to most of the other Olympians in the original Greek mythology, even though modern portrayals like Disney’s Hercules and Clash of the Titans often misrepresent him as a Satan-like figure. Yama, the Lord of Death in the Vedic, Hindu, and Buddhist religions, is generally considered a righteous and enlightened being, and even the god of morality under the name Dharmaraj or “Law King.” Osiris played a very similar role to the ancient Egyptians, being a fair judge of the dead and peaceful ruler over the afterlife. Santa Muerte, the folk Catholic form of the Aztec death goddess Mictecacihuatl, is venerated by millions of devotees as their main deity or patron saint. It sounds as though Veles is actually quite consistent with other portrayals of mostly-benevolent deities of death and the underworld across different cultures.
Volos, the God of all beneath the heavens. The Waters, Earth, Underworld, Creativity, Wisdom, dragons/serpents, Wealth (Livestock), and magic. Chief God Perún’s opposition. As you said they work as power checks to each other. Initially they were not good and bad but when Slava ordered adhérence to Christianity all ties to paganism were burned, or absorbed into Christianity, Volos being split between legends of Saint Blaise and Saint Nicholas. Post Christian Volos is considered the representative of Satan. If you’re interested I’m compiling sources myself to try and create a Slavic version of the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda. I don’t know if you’re mostly just using English sources but you won’t get very far unless you dive into the resources actually in Slavic languages. Additionally it’s important to note a lot of information is found under different names such as Volos and Chernobog or Perún Belobog, and Triglav
Pls.like someone who is slav, and spent alot of years studying own heritage, i would be honored to see your writing...all best to your work and tnx to gods to finally someone showed real interest in our mythology...slava
Yes! There will be at least one series as well as side novellas in the world. Book 1, A Dagger in the Winds, is in the middle of the editing process and will be released sometime next year.
I like the way you pronounced his name, I’m trying to convince my Husband with using Veles as our first borns name! And he like Va-les more then Ve-les
In Montenegro we still use Vala / Val / Veles in our talk. For example when we give oath ... some would say ... I will do that so God help me... But also in Montenegro people say. "vala" I will do that (so god help me I will do that or so god be my witness I will do that) .... but if you ask someone what "vala" means or why is used none will know :D
From the God Veles the word "vol" came from. That means an ox on English. Interesting fact lol. At least i thing it`s a fact :D Btw there is a Slovakian i think TV series it`s called "Slavs" something like "Vikings". I can`t wait it is still in the making. There should be a popular series about the Slavs,i mean we deserve it :D
From my studies, Marzanna/Morana and Chernobog/Czarnobóg are considered gods of death in the negative sense. Slavic mythology has some differentiations between good/natural death and bad/unnatural death. The two gods I mentioned are associated with the latter. Weles/Veles could be more considered attached with natural death, as souls going to Nav/Nawia in the afterlife is the natural order. It's a much less negative context than many death gods, and though Weles does have some negative connections, he was not usually considered an evil god until Christianity showed up.
He's the original "werewolf" of European mythology, right? I mean there's a reason we associate werewolves with Eastern Europe even though there are plenty of stories about them in Germany, France, and even Ireland.
Regional differences plus a lack of writing pre-christianity. Weles/Velesbis traditionally considered the god of the underworld, though Marzanna is the goddess of death. Sometimes Dadzbog, god of sun, is also god of the underworld for certain south Slavic regions.
There's more cattle now than probably most if not all of history. Weles is also the god of lowlands, commerce (as agriculture was the majority of commerce and still is in many Slavic nations), and rivers. I'm not a pagan, but all the elements Weles represents still exist.
My friend, first try to go from the beginging...ROD created the world, ZEMLA, he had 2 sons, Bjelbog and Černibog, you will find the answer there, which son who is. SLAVA
I'm still confused as to what constitutes "Slavic." I'm of both Polish and Slovenian descent which I think both are considered Slavic traditions? If you could recommend one resource for learning about Slavic deities, what would it be?
Slavic is like "Germanic" for example. Many nations fall under its umbrella. West Slavs: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia. East Slavs: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine. South Slavs: Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Montenegro. There's not many great sources, but a very approachable source is Lamus Dworski's pages. He has a lot of links too: lamusdworski.wordpress.com/polish-paganism-resources/
Please (if you are not Zaharustrian or in the Abrahamic, maybe som other religions) kindly let go of the concept of duality. Perun and Veles more take "shifts" during the wheel of the year in protecting the people. Admitted, Veles is a bit shady but to come through taff times like the winter you need a trickster good on you side. When times become better then go back to the noble good like Perun.
Veles is not among 10 most important Serbian-Slavic gods. First there is CREATOR -THE SUPREME GOD that is manifested as TRINITY of 3 SUPREME GODS: 1.SVAROG, 2.SVETOVID/VID, 3.TRIGLAV. than there is Svarog wife goddess VIDA and Svarog sons VARUN (greek copy Uranus)& DAŽBOG. Svarog created goddess NOČ(Night)(greek copy Nyx) for his son VARUN and they had a son KRAT (greek copy Kratus/Chronos). KRAT & Goddess RASSA/REASA/REJA (greek copy Rhea) had a daughter DEVANA/DIVIA (greek copy Demetra) and a son the god DIV (greek copy Divus/Tsivus/Tzeus/Zeus). VARUN and GAJA are parents of RASSA/REASA/REJA. God DIV and goddess LETO had a son SERBON/POLON (greek copy Apolon/Apollo) & daughter goddess SERBONA. God DIV and EVROPA (greek copy Europa) had a son SARPEDON. God DIV and goddess DEVANA had a daughter goddess KORA/KORANA. Greek copy of DEVANA & KORA is Hera. God DIV and goddess GAJA (greek copy Gea) had a son ZAGREJ/BAK/BIK(Bull)(greek copy Zagreus/Dionis-Dionisis-Dionisius(Div iz Niša/god Div from town Niš-Nissius). And than comes god PERUN and VELES and Peruns son ARION/AREJ/JARILO (greek copy Ares).
Rod the creator is often worshipped as the supreme but had notably fewer worshippers than Perun and Veles/Volos Triglav is commonly represented as the combined three- Perun, Veles/Volos, and either Svarog or Svetovid Triglav himself is not a standalone deity Most of these are fusing Greek mythology and are just blatantly incorrect. Rod is the father of Perun and Volos. He created matter and Perun and Volos used it to form the world. Devana is the daughter of Perun and wife of Volos. Perun and Volos are the chief gods over Yavia and Pravia. Slavic mythology is a duality that centres around them
@@geodrewbilee Perun's father is Svarog and his father is Rod. Triglav is not a god the word Triglav means Trinity of God's. The God Tojan/Trajan is most often confused with Triglav. The Trinity of Gods of world Yav or Triglav of Yav is Svarog-Perun-Svetovid. Svarog is represented with white color, Perun with blue color and Svetovid with red color, and that is why all slavic nations have a flag with white, blue & red colors.
As someone who has Slavic heritage i am both happy and sad that the folklore isn't as popular as Norse and Celtic. Its like a little hidden gem of knowledge 😊
Me too,that is so true. But there is a TV series in the making "Slavs" something like "vikings" but about us :D Maybe people will pay some attention if the see that. :D
1 dislike is from Perun 😆
Nice to see that you are a DCFC fan.
@@albedz7759 I'm originally from near Detroit, so I loved watching DCFC grow from amateur to pro over the years.
Great vid. Fun fact, MANY of Weles' attributes are the same as the Germanic/Norse Odin. Odin has bear connotations, turns into a snake in one story, travels with a staff, looks like an old man, also both Weles and Odin have at least some blindness, use spears, are magicians, use trickery, are considered wise, have a similar relationship to the dead.
Perun and Thor more obviously share a common origin, but what's interesting is both pantheons have stories of enmity between Weles/Odin and Perun/Thor, even though the Icelandic version of Norse mythology (the one we have left today) evolved to a father-son relationship between them. In Norse stories, they often have battles of wits and cunning which usually ends in some kind of draw or with Odin on top.
I love the overlaps and comparisons between mythologies. Each has their own flavor why being similar.
Veles would be more similar to Loki, because in some Slavic lore Veles is often regarded as a trickster god, while a counterpart for Odin would be Svarog
As a slav I am interested in my ancestors and veles caught my eye today even tho I knew about him for some time I really kinda got interested in him recently
in Macedonia we have city name VELES :D
Thank you for providing this very useful resource on Veles! Just to comment on death/underworld/afterlife deities in other pantheons, it isn’t really that unusual for them to have positive attributes. Hades, whom you mention, is portrayed as relatively benevolent compared to most of the other Olympians in the original Greek mythology, even though modern portrayals like Disney’s Hercules and Clash of the Titans often misrepresent him as a Satan-like figure. Yama, the Lord of Death in the Vedic, Hindu, and Buddhist religions, is generally considered a righteous and enlightened being, and even the god of morality under the name Dharmaraj or “Law King.” Osiris played a very similar role to the ancient Egyptians, being a fair judge of the dead and peaceful ruler over the afterlife. Santa Muerte, the folk Catholic form of the Aztec death goddess Mictecacihuatl, is venerated by millions of devotees as their main deity or patron saint. It sounds as though Veles is actually quite consistent with other portrayals of mostly-benevolent deities of death and the underworld across different cultures.
Volos, the God of all beneath the heavens. The Waters, Earth, Underworld, Creativity, Wisdom, dragons/serpents, Wealth (Livestock), and magic. Chief God Perún’s opposition. As you said they work as power checks to each other. Initially they were not good and bad but when Slava ordered adhérence to Christianity all ties to paganism were burned, or absorbed into Christianity, Volos being split between legends of Saint Blaise and Saint Nicholas. Post Christian Volos is considered the representative of Satan.
If you’re interested I’m compiling sources myself to try and create a Slavic version of the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda. I don’t know if you’re mostly just using English sources but you won’t get very far unless you dive into the resources actually in Slavic languages. Additionally it’s important to note a lot of information is found under different names such as Volos and Chernobog or Perún Belobog, and Triglav
Pls.like someone who is slav, and spent alot of years studying own heritage, i would be honored to see your writing...all best to your work and tnx to gods to finally someone showed real interest in our mythology...slava
If you'd like to be among the first to read my books, you can apply to be an advance reader here: forms.gle/ruGKyXvfRRcoj2Th9
Wait, whaaat? you are writing fantasy books about slavic mythology? That's awesome 👏
Yes! There will be at least one series as well as side novellas in the world. Book 1, A Dagger in the Winds, is in the middle of the editing process and will be released sometime next year.
@@brendannobleauthor3251 is it out yet??? I would love to check it out
@@zannahpierce7016 It is! books2read.com/adaggerinthewinds
There is a town in Macedonia called Veles. (Right in the centre of Macedonia)
Cool because I also planned to write a story featuring a bit of Slavic mythology and I referenced Veles in the name of one of my character
Who else is here from Macedonia or the Balkans.
Awesome vid.
I like the way you pronounced his name, I’m trying to convince my Husband with using Veles as our first borns name! And he like Va-les more then Ve-les
I definitely want to read your books!
So glad to hear! Book 1 is currently free in eBook form and is also available in Paperback and Hardcover: www.books2read.com/adaggerinthewinds
In Montenegro we still use Vala / Val / Veles in our talk. For example when we give oath ... some would say ... I will do that so God help me... But also in Montenegro people say. "vala" I will do that (so god help me I will do that or so god be my witness I will do that) .... but if you ask someone what "vala" means or why is used none will know :D
I loved your video, and I am interested in buying your books
I hope they work whit him and that Veles has good intentions.
Is it true that Veles is also associated with music and musicians?
From the God Veles the word "vol" came from. That means an ox on English.
Interesting fact lol. At least i thing it`s a fact :D Btw there is a Slovakian i think TV series it`s called "Slavs" something like "Vikings". I can`t wait it is still in the making. There should be a popular series about the Slavs,i mean we deserve it :D
Could he technically be referred to as the god of the afterlife or “death” as he oversees a realm you can enter from post death “the underworld” ?
From my studies, Marzanna/Morana and Chernobog/Czarnobóg are considered gods of death in the negative sense. Slavic mythology has some differentiations between good/natural death and bad/unnatural death. The two gods I mentioned are associated with the latter. Weles/Veles could be more considered attached with natural death, as souls going to Nav/Nawia in the afterlife is the natural order. It's a much less negative context than many death gods, and though Weles does have some negative connections, he was not usually considered an evil god until Christianity showed up.
I'm interested
I just looking for a book called book of veles is about mythology
He's the original "werewolf" of European mythology, right? I mean there's a reason we associate werewolves with Eastern Europe even though there are plenty of stories about them in Germany, France, and even Ireland.
Yes
I s not Veles a shape-shifter???
Slavic mythology is confusing, it seems that there are several described as God of the underworld
Regional differences plus a lack of writing pre-christianity. Weles/Velesbis traditionally considered the god of the underworld, though Marzanna is the goddess of death. Sometimes Dadzbog, god of sun, is also god of the underworld for certain south Slavic regions.
@@brendannobleauthor3251 morana is goddess of winter, cold and she brings deaths to old and weak ones- she is loved deeply and respected...
The thing I dislike is how they get outdated. Like do we need a god of cattle? Lol what would a modern take on him be??
There's more cattle now than probably most if not all of history. Weles is also the god of lowlands, commerce (as agriculture was the majority of commerce and still is in many Slavic nations), and rivers. I'm not a pagan, but all the elements Weles represents still exist.
My friend, first try to go from the beginging...ROD created the world, ZEMLA, he had 2 sons, Bjelbog and Černibog, you will find the answer there, which son who is. SLAVA
There are many regional variations of these myths.
Hold up, Hades is only considered evil in the Disney film, which isn't exactly mythically accurate...
I'm still confused as to what constitutes "Slavic." I'm of both Polish and Slovenian descent which I think both are considered Slavic traditions? If you could recommend one resource for learning about Slavic deities, what would it be?
Slavic is like "Germanic" for example. Many nations fall under its umbrella.
West Slavs: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia.
East Slavs: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine.
South Slavs: Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Montenegro.
There's not many great sources, but a very approachable source is Lamus Dworski's pages. He has a lot of links too: lamusdworski.wordpress.com/polish-paganism-resources/
I'm def down.
Please (if you are not Zaharustrian or in the Abrahamic, maybe som other religions) kindly let go of the concept of duality.
Perun and Veles more take "shifts" during the wheel of the year in protecting the people.
Admitted, Veles is a bit shady but to come through taff times like the winter you need a trickster good on you side. When times become better then go back to the noble good like Perun.
Veles is not among 10 most important Serbian-Slavic gods.
First there is CREATOR -THE SUPREME GOD that is manifested as TRINITY of 3 SUPREME GODS: 1.SVAROG, 2.SVETOVID/VID, 3.TRIGLAV. than there is Svarog wife goddess VIDA and Svarog sons VARUN (greek copy Uranus)& DAŽBOG. Svarog created goddess NOČ(Night)(greek copy Nyx) for his son VARUN and they had a son KRAT (greek copy Kratus/Chronos). KRAT & Goddess RASSA/REASA/REJA (greek copy Rhea) had a daughter DEVANA/DIVIA (greek copy Demetra) and a son the god DIV (greek copy Divus/Tsivus/Tzeus/Zeus). VARUN and GAJA are parents of RASSA/REASA/REJA. God DIV and goddess LETO had a son SERBON/POLON (greek copy Apolon/Apollo) & daughter goddess SERBONA.
God DIV and EVROPA (greek copy Europa) had a son SARPEDON.
God DIV and goddess DEVANA had a daughter goddess KORA/KORANA. Greek copy of DEVANA & KORA is Hera. God DIV and goddess GAJA (greek copy Gea) had a son ZAGREJ/BAK/BIK(Bull)(greek copy Zagreus/Dionis-Dionisis-Dionisius(Div iz Niša/god Div from town Niš-Nissius).
And than comes god PERUN and VELES and Peruns son ARION/AREJ/JARILO (greek copy Ares).
Rod the creator is often worshipped as the supreme but had notably fewer worshippers than Perun and Veles/Volos
Triglav is commonly represented as the combined three- Perun, Veles/Volos, and either Svarog or Svetovid
Triglav himself is not a standalone deity
Most of these are fusing Greek mythology and are just blatantly incorrect.
Rod is the father of Perun and Volos. He created matter and Perun and Volos used it to form the world.
Devana is the daughter of Perun and wife of Volos. Perun and Volos are the chief gods over Yavia and Pravia. Slavic mythology is a duality that centres around them
@@geodrewbilee Perun's father is Svarog and his father is Rod.
Triglav is not a god the word Triglav means Trinity of God's. The God Tojan/Trajan is most often confused with Triglav. The Trinity of Gods of world Yav or Triglav of Yav is Svarog-Perun-Svetovid. Svarog is represented with white color, Perun with blue color and Svetovid with red color, and that is why all slavic nations have a flag with white, blue & red colors.
stop larping