File:Symbol_of_Veles.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Key facts
- Abode
- Nav , Slavic afterlife
- Weapon
- spear
- Animals
- wolf , bear , snake , owl
- Symbol
- willow
- Festivals
- The Festival of Veles
- Christian
- Saint Blaise , Saint Nicholas
- Greek
- Hades , Hermes
- Hindu
- Varuna
- Indo european
- *Welnos
- Norse
- Odin , Loki
- Slavic
- Triglav , Chernobog , Chernoglav (possibly)
- Prussian
- Peckols
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Veles by Andrey Shishkin.jpg
Show 1 more fact
- Commons category
- Veles (god)
Sources (3)
via Wikidata · CC0
~33 min read
Article
Modern symbol of Veles, used by Rodnovers The modern statue of Veles on Velíz mountain, Czech Republic
Veles, also known as Volos, is a chthonic god of the underworld, described in contemporary sources as a cattle god (skotij bogъ), but according to various hypotheses, he had a much broader sphere of influence. His function as protector of cattle may be connected to both wealth and rule of the underworld, which was imagined as a pasture where human souls grazed. Through comparative methods, he can be interpreted as a deity of magic, knowledge, divination, and poetry. As the guardian of the boundary between the world of the living and the dead, he was also a god of the wilderness, hunting and animals. He was also a guarantor of oaths, punishing their violation by "turning them yellow", most likely a metaphor for a form of jaundice.