Veles— Slavic God"Lord of the Underworld"

The Horned God

Veles is the great god of the world below—lord of the underworld, master of cattle, keeper of wealth, and patron of magic. Where Perun rules the bright sky above, Veles coils in the dark waters beneath the roots of the world tree. He is depicted as a great serpent, a dragon, or a horned figure covered in fur, with the primal power of the earth and its treasures.

Lord of Cattle and Wealth

In the agricultural world of the ancient Slavs, cattle meant wealth. Veles, as god of cattle, became god of prosperity, commerce, and abundance. Merchants swore oaths by him; farmers prayed for his blessing on their herds. The very word for "wealth" in some Slavic languages echoes his name. He rules over all that grows and multiplies.

The Trickster God

Veles is a shape-shifter and trickster, master of deception and cunning. He steals Perun's cattle (or wife, or the life-giving waters) and flees through the cosmos, hiding in trees, houses, and finally in the waters below. Unlike Loki, Veles is not malicious—his thefts provoke the storms that bring rain, completing a cycle the world needs to survive.

Lord of the Dead

Veles rules Nav, the realm of the dead beneath the roots of the world tree. Souls must cross a river to reach his kingdom, where they dwell among the roots in neither punishment nor reward. He guides the dead and holds the secrets of ancestors. Musicians and poets—those who travel between worlds through their art—are under his special protection.

The Eternal Adversary

Veles is Perun's opposite and eternal enemy, yet the cosmos needs them both. Their conflict creates the seasons: when Perun strikes Veles down, the rains come; when Veles rises again, winter follows. Neither can permanently defeat the other. They are the fundamental duality of existence—sky and earth, order and chaos, life and death, forever locked in necessary conflict.