Old Slavic mythology

OLD SLAVIC MYTHOLOGY

by Lucija Kovač

Little is known about old Slavic mythology, but it is not studied in such detail for a very justified reason. There are not many historical sources written about it, since the Slavs did not have a letter before baptism. So, much of Slavic mythology has been transmitted from generation to generation. In the 12th century, we have records describing Slavic beliefs before baptism, and there are references to Perun, Veles, Dažbog, Stribog, Svarog, Svantevid and many other gods that were important in the Old Slavic belief. Perun was the main god of lightning and he ruled the whole world, while Veles was the underground god, who ruled the kingdom of the dead. In ancient Slavic mythology, not only gods existed. Our ancestors also believed in fantastic creatures such as werewolves, vampires and fairies. Aside from them, there is a whole list of some you have never heard of. For example, "Sea People" were creatures emerging from the sea with light stone. Whoever manages to steal the stone will be happy forever. Among them is the well-known Babaroga, a black old woman, who they associate with a witch. There are also various “house” spirits, such as the evil Kikimora spirit and the good house spirit Domovoj.