Veles, also known Volos, was the Slavic god of the Underworld, who also the main opponent to Perun, the Slavic chief god of the sky.
Overview[]
Veles was the Slavic god of the Underworld, which was called Nav, and he also presided over waters, trickery, cattle, bears, wolves, music, and magic. He was also seen as a god of agriculture.
Battle with Perun[]
Veles is famous for being the rival of Perun, the Slavic chief god of the skies, and often tried to overthrow the other god. He would climb up the Dlavic World Tree to the Heavens and battle Perun, which caused catastrophes such as droughts in the realm of the humans. Despite Veles' fury, he would always be defeated by Perun and be cast back down into the Underworld.
Trivia[]
- Perun's and Veles' battle can bee seen as part of the Chaoskampf, a recurring motive across world-mythologies, where a God of the Sky battles a serpent-like monster. Notable examples of the Chaoskampf include: God vs Leviathan, Zeus vs Typhon, Thor vs Jordmungandr, Indra vs Vritra and Susanoo vs Orochi.
- He shared many similarities with countless other deities being from polytheistic mythologies, such as Loki, Typhon and Hades.
- Much like the Greek god Hades, Veles is a more complex deity, being not pure evil, but opposing the principal god of Slavic mythology.
