Veles (god)

Veles,^[a] also known as Volos, is a major god of earth, waters, livestock, and the underworld in Slavic paganism. His mythology and powers are similar, though not identical, to those of (among other deities) Odin, Loki and Hermes.

According to reconstruction by some researchers, he is the opponent of the supreme thunder god Perun.^{[2]: 211–214} As such he probably has been imagined as a dragon, which in the belief of the pagan Slavs is a chimeric being resembling a cross between a bear and a snake that devours livestock.^{[2]: 141 [3]: 87, 88} His tree is the willow, while that of Perun is the oak.^{[citation needed]} No direct accounts survive, but reconstructionists speculate that he may directly continue aspects of the

Presumably it is not possible to conclusively determine a definite etymology for the name of the god Veles, though there are several Proto-Indo-European roots that are all closely related to the nature of Veles and his domains.

One possibility is that the name derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *wel-, meaning wool.^[7] This seems plausible, since in Slavic cosmology Veles in serpentine form is lying in a nest of black wool in the roots of the Tree of the World^{[2]: 136, 154} and Veles is the shepherd of the dead. Volos is also the Russian and Ukrainian word for "hair" and Veles is hairy in his beastly form (bear, wolf).

The Proto-Indo-European root *welg- also means 'humid, wet'. Nothing is more connected with Veles than humidity and wetness. His domain is down, 'у воду пот корч пот колоду' ("in the water, below the tree stump and the log").

There is also the Indo-European word *woltus meaning 'meadow' which is derived from the same root. Accordingly, Veles is the shepherd of the dead who was imagined to browse the deceased on green lush meadows in the underworld.^{[2]: 171 [8]}

The name is also related to Slavic terminology for oxen, for which the South Slavs, Russians, and Poles use "вол/vol/wół".^{[citation needed]} Volos can also be a derivation from the same root by Eastern Slavic phonetic laws, now considered the most probable explanation for this phonetic form.^[2]: 171

Veles is presumed to be or to represent the same figure as Vala, the enemy of the Vedic thunder god Indra. Other scholarship suggests a closer connection to characters of Baltic mythology, such as Velnias, Velns (Latvian) or Vėlinas (Lithuanian),^[9][10] a devil-like entity and enemy of the Baltic thunder-god Perkūnas (cf. Slavic Perun).^{[citation needed]} Scholar Marija Gimbutas cited "related" etymons: Lithuanian veles 'shades of the dead' and Latvian Vels 'god of the underworld', which seem to indicate Veles's connection to the underworld.^[11] An ancient Russian word, Vlasezhelische, probably refers to the place where Veles dwells, "the underground kingdom or an entrance to it".^[12]

Enemy of Perun and storm myth

The Russian

The reason for the enmity between the two gods is Veles's theft of Perun's son, wife, or, usually, cattle. It is also an act of challenge: Veles, in the form of a huge serpent, slithers from the caves of the underworld and coils up the Slavic world tree towards Perun's heavenly domain. Perun retaliates and attacks Veles with his lightning bolts. Veles flees, hiding or transforming himself into trees, animals or people. In the end, he is killed by Perun and in this ritual death, whatever Veles stole is released from his battered body in the form of rain falling from the skies. This "storm myth", or "divine battle", as it is generally called by scholars today, explained to ancient Slavs the changing of seasons through the year. The dry periods were interpreted as the chaotic results of Veles' thievery. Storms and lightning were seen as divine battles. The ensuing rain was the triumph of Perun over Veles and the re-establishment of world order. On a deeper level, as has been said above, Perun's place is up, high and dry and Veles' down, low and wet. By climbing up into the sphere of Perun, Veles disrupts the equilibrium of the world and needs to be put in his place. Perun achieves this in a fierce battle, smiting his adversary with lightning and driving him back down into his proper place, the watery realm lying beneath the roots of the cosmic tree (axis mundi). Order thus restored, the two gods cease hostilities until the next time that Veles tries to crawl up into Perun's realm.

The myth was cyclical, repeating itself each year. The death of Veles was never permanent; he would reform himself as a serpent who would shed its old skin and would be reborn in a new body. Although in this particular myth he plays a negative role as bringer of chaos, Veles was not seen as an evil god by ancient Slavs. In fact, in many of the Russian folk tales, Veles, appearing under the Christian guise of

The Ivanov/Toporov conception of "the key myth" of Slavic mythology has been criticized by several authors, including Leo Klejn^[13] and Igor M. Diakonoff.^[14] Many, including Klejn, pointed out that Ivanov and Toporov often tended toward unjustified generalizations and considered many of their arguments "far-fetched". Supporters of the theory, on the other hand, include Boris Uspensky, T. Sudnik and T. Tsivyan, and others.

God of magic and musicians

According to Ivanov and Toporov, Veles' portrayal as having a penchant for mischief is evident both from his role in the storm myth and in carnival customs of Koledari shamans. In his role as a

Veles Bastion on Brabant Island, Antarctica is named after the deity.^[16]

See also

• Volosovo, a town in Leningrad Oblast, Russia
• Chaoskampf
  , the battle between Indo-European thunder gods and their chaotic serpentine opponents
• Golosov Ravine—ancient Veles shrine in Moscow, Russia
• Jormungandr
  , the world-serpent of Norse mythology
• Typhon, primordial serpent of Greco-Roman mythology
• Velež Mountain in Herzegovina
• Vritra, brother of Vala in Hindu myth and enemy of Indra; he steals Usas, the rivers/waters, and cattle, which Indra must free
• Veles, North Macedonia, a town in North Macedonia
• Velestovo, Montenegro, a village in Montenegro
• Velestovo, Ohrid, a village in North Macedonia
• Volosko, a village in Croatia

Notes