DEITIES

HIGHEST GOD OF THE PANTHEON

• God of sky, thunder, lightning, storms, rain, law, war, fertility and oak trees.

• Overseer of right and order.

GOD WHO GAVE LIFE TO THE EARTH

• God of sun, rain and the underworld.

• "The giving god".

• One of Svarog's sons.

GOD OF CELESTIAL FIRE

• God of celestial fire, blacksmithing and spirits.

• Also known as Rod or Usud.

• It is thought he created the world in his dreams, and if he wakes the world will be destroyed.

THE BLACK GOD

• Often linked to darkness and death.

• Portrayed as a demon or monster with a grotesque and frightening appearance.

THE WHITE GOD

• God of light and sun.

• Counterpart of Czernobog.

• Represents light, goodness, well-being and happiness.

GOD OF THE UNDERWORLD

• God of earth, waters, fields, pastures, forests, agriculture and the underworld.

• He is said to punish oath-breakers with diseases.

• Veles is a serpent or dragon lying in a nest of black wool or on a black fleece beneath the World Tree.

GOD OF FERTILITY

• God of fertility, spring, and war.

• Son of Perun, stolen by Veles and raised in the underworld.

GODDESS OF WINTER

• Goddess of death, winter, harvest, witchcraft and rebirth of nature.

• The drowning (or burning) of her effigy is a celebration of the end of winter and the coming of spring.

• The daughter of Perun and Mokosz, and was once a nature goddess before the betrayal of her husband and twin, Jarilo.

GODDESS OF SPRING

• Goddess of youth, fertility and springtime.

• Was said to always be accompanied by Jarilo and Stribog.

GODDESS OF SUMMER

• Goddess of summer, youth and beauty.

• It is possible she is not even a goddess, but a sentiment sung of at Slavic weddings.

• Often called upon in weddings to bless the newlywed couple.

GREAT MOTHER AND PROTECTOR OF WOMEN

• Goddess and protector of the home, fertility and fate.

• Mother of twins Jarilo and Marzanna.

• Her consorts are Perun and Veles, and she could also be interpreted as a polymorph of Veles.

GOD OF WINDS

• God of the winds, sky and air.

• It is thought he is the grandfather of the winds of the eight directions.

• He can control the the lightning, hurricanes and storms over every sea and ocean on earth.

GOD OF WAR

• God of war, fertility and abundance.

• A world-seer and guardian of the world.

• He is known to be eight metres high and has four heads, consisting of Perun, Lada, Mokosz and Svarog.

GOD OF HOSPITALITY

• God of hospitality, fertility and crops, also associated with the sun and war.

• According to historical descriptions, it is not clear whether he was a God or whether Radegast was a city of Pagan Slavs.

THE GUARDIAN GODDESSES

• Two Goddesses known as "The Auroras", representing the morning star and the evening star.

• They guard Simargl, the doomsday hound, to prevent him from breaking his chain, devouring the Ursa Minor constellation, and ending the universe.

• Servants or daughters of Dazbog.

GODDESS OF THE HUNT

• Goddess of nature, wild, forests and the hunt.

• Daughter of Perun and Dodola, a maiden Goddess and a fierce warrior.

• She is usually accompanied by wolves and wields a bow and arrow.

GOD OF THE WINTER SUN

• He is thought to represent the old sun dying on the winter solstice, and thus being resurrected as the new sun.

• He moves across the sky during the day and underground during the night.

GOD OF FIRE

• God of fire, storms and the summer solstice.

• He is thought to be the same deity as Svarozic, son of Svarog.

• Described as having golden hair and golden hands. Known as a mythical king with strong magic, whilst still being a farmer.

THE DIVINE TWINS

• Sons of Lada.

• It is thought Lel is the God of passion, but not much is known about Polel, and the Polish twins in general.

• Lel is portrayed as a golden-haired winged cherub.

GOD OF ROMANTIC HAPPINESS

• Male counterpart of Lada, and her twin. Together, they form one aspect of a multiple deity, related to the sun, water and grain.

• It is not certain whether Lada and Lado are deities, or refrains in poetry or songs.

DEITY OF THE UNDERWORLD

• Deity of unknown gender and unknown functions.

• The name stems from the Old Polish word "nyć" meaning "to fade, to disappear".

LORD OF THE GODS

• Equivalent of Zeus.

• Replaced Deiwos as God of the sky, until his cult lost importance, and he himself was replaced with either Svarog, Perun or Svetovid.

GOD OF PHYSICAL FIRE

• A mythical creature/deity, often depicted as a gryphon.

• He is chained to the star Polaris in the constellation Ursa Minor, and guarded by the Zorya.

• Husband of Kupalnitsa, and father of Kupalo and Kostroma.

THREE-HEADED WARRIOR GOD

• A representation of Svarog, Perun and either Dazbog, Svetovid or Veles, and thus his heads are believed to represent the sky, the earth, and the underworld.

• He is either depicted as having three goat heads or as being a three-headed man with blinfolds of gold over his eyes.

GODDESS OF LIFE

• Goddess of life and fertility.

• Not much is known about Ziva, but it is thought she is possibly the sister of Vesna, Marzanna and Lada.

GODDESS OF THE NIGHT

• Wife of Simargl.

• Mother of Kostroma and Kupalo.

GODDESS OF FERTILITY

• Twin of Kupalo, born on the summer solstice.

• The rites of Semik were devoted to her, and her rituals were thought to improve soil fertility.

GOD OF THE SUMMER SOLSTICE

• He represents joy, midsummer, peace and magic. Together with his sister they represent fertility.

• The Kupalo festival marks the end of the summer solstice and the beginning of harvest.