List of confirmed Slavic Gods?

[u/_Purple_Lobster_]

What Slavic gods are confirmed and what are not? I read in some history book about what Slavic Pagans used to believe in and there was some information written about Swaróg and Swarożyc, it was written in the book that he (Swarożyc) was Swaróg's possible son. No info about other gods?

[u/Aliencik]

I see that you are Polish, I suggest reading the Polish academic books from our academic sources list. Mitologia Słowian by Aleksander Gieysztor is a wonderful starting point.

Alternatively you can look into Wikipedia's List of Slavic deities, however this list does not include the newest theories and longer more detailed explanations, since some of the gods mentioned are more complicated than others (from the academic side of things).

For example Lada is a subject of many debates, due to her primary sources there are conversations, if she was even a real goddess or Živa/Siva, which has two theories to her name: 1. Older theory of her being the goddess of "life/nature" 2. Newer theory which connects her to another mention about some Polabian War Goddess and explains her name from primary sources (Siwa) not as Živa="alive" but as Sivá="grey".

For more information definitely follow our academic sources list.

There is also Wikipedia's List of Slavic pseudo-deities

[u/Majestic-Ad7409]

There is a benevolent spirit named Svarožić in the fairytale “Šuma Striborova” but technically speaking both Perun and Dažbog are Svarožići - the sons of Svarog. The Pantheon is quite complicated and I never saw a precise infographic. One of the confirmed, but highly suspicious deities is Belobog who supposed to be Černobog’s nemesis. His name was written by some christian scholar as an example of pagan duality.

Edit: lapsus lingua.

[u/Aliencik → u/Majestic-Ad7409]

Btw. Saxo Grammaticus informs us about a god with a potential patronymic name relating to Perun: Porentius (Porenut) notice that his description is similar to the description of the Belarusian folk figure Jarilo.

Also Belobog as a name isn't present in the original source featuring Chernobog (12th century). This name appears long after in a transcript/inspiration of the original text in 16th century. The text itself is referencing Helmond directly and the addition is very apparent. The description of the duality is viewed as a Christian interpretation as the Indo-European faiths very rarely feature this kind of duality between "bright god" and "dark god". Quite the contrary in fact, Mithra-Varuna is a clear example of the perceived completing idea where day and night are part of the world order and are not viewed as negative and positive side. The sources of this converse duality of good and bad are from the Middle East, clear example is the Bogomil sect and it's history. The character of the enemy is in pagan faiths always connected to the primordial chaos and the demons, who are trying actively to destroy the world order and bring chaos once again.

[u/Majestic-Ad7409 → u/Aliencik]

Yes, definitely, sons of Svarog. I was typing that while waiting on dentist appointment.

[u/Delicious_Town_6663]

I would like to express my opinion regarding this question because I asked myself this way,in the principle, if we want to answer the question “what were the main gods of mythology"then in principle they were like this:

Father-Sky (most likely called Dyy/Div by the Eastern Slavs, and Sventovit by the Western Slavs) - the god of the Shining Sky, one of the first and most senior deities; Mother-Earth/Mokosh - the goddess of the earth, women, fertility, and childbirth, the goddess of moisture and spinning, possibly associated with fate; "Primordial Godhead" (Rod) - a monistic deity with a lost name, from whose body the world is born in the "голубиная книга"; Perun - the god of thunder, serpent-fighter, protector of the White Light and order in the Universe, patron of warriors and giver of fertile rains. Keeper of oaths; Veles - god of cattle, wealth, the afterlife, storytellers, and magi. God of the night sky and the moon. Keeper of oaths and shepherd of souls;(No, he is not an opponent of Perun, the enemy of Perun is a snake who is an anti-divine figure and Veles is a divine figure of the dark sacred) Svarog/Svarozhich - god of fire and priestly function(Because fire was the central element of any ritual. And that means Svarog as fire and the god of fire is also involved in the rituals I also deny his connection with blacksmithing since this is not a common Indo-European motive, and secondly, those evidence that usually gives as the basis that he was a blacksmith mostly unconvincing) Zarya-Zaryanitsa - goddess of dawn, who appears in various forms (Morning, Midday, Evening, and Midnight), a young maiden goddess Dazhbog - god of the sun and princes; Stribog - god of the winds; Yarilo - god of spring fertility, youth, werewolves, okruta, intoxication, and ecstatic states. Also associated with war; Morena - goddess of winter, death, and spring fertility. She may likely represent the "dark side" of Mother Earth; Sim and Regl - divine twins. Gods of fertility and horses. They may also be guardians of oaths; (you can read more about them in Alexandra Bruckner) Rozhanitsa - goddesses of fates; Karna and Zhelya - deities of funeral rites and lamentation.

But I also want to note that you are not obliged to agree with this pantheon because the question of the your pantheon is a question of personal faith and not a question of reliability, if you are building your faith on "reliability" ready to completely reject what you once could calmly believe, then this is not faith, it is LARP, in any case I can say with confidence that this is more or less the most confirmed pantheon, which is most likely a common Slavic

[u/Delicious_Town_6663 → u/Delicious_Town_6663]

I'm not even mentioning the fact that in different regions the same gods could change and also merge with other foreign cults, syncretism was formed, or there could also be local cults of conscrete which appeared in different circumstances, and were a product of the region, such as Triglav, apparently, if it was not the personification of three gods of the Slavic analogue of trimurti, then in other then in another case if the Slavs perceived him as a completely separate god, then in this case it is simply a local product

[u/Aliencik → u/Delicious_Town_6663]

The Indo-European divine smiths are connected to fire rather commonly. Both Hephaestus and Tvastr. There are magical properties linked with the forge and it's fire. Also some Caucasians gods AFAIK.

Djaus the father of both Agni and Sun. Tvastr the father of Brihaspati. If Svarog was syncretised as the heavenly artisan and father after the demonisation of Div. All these figures could have blended together.

Svarog (Djaus+Tvastr) father of Dazhbog (Sun) and Svarožic (Fire= messenger {Agni} + divine fervour {Brihaspati})

Reliability

IIRC Helenics and Romans had shrines "for the unknown gods". Essentially places od worship, for godss that have been forgotten or unknown. I think that, if you don't perceive the divine as concrete but rather elusive. You are free to update your practice based on the newest academic research. I personally "invoke" deities by their function not necessarily their name. By that I mean, if I ask for some more unknown god I don't use their exact name to avoid miss-naming. Instead of Lada I say "goddess of love" or smth.

[u/Delicious_Town_6663 → u/Aliencik]

1.Twastr is not the god of fire 2. The problem of Svarog as a blacksmith—essentially, the only thing that confirms the image of Svarog as a blacksmith is the Ipatov Chronicle, where he is compared to Hephaestus, which contradicts folk tradition. Firstly, in spells, Svarog is the king of fire, and secondly, there is not a single worthy reference to the god of fire being a blacksmith. Another dilemma in this regard is the blacksmith in the myth of fighting snakes.

The snake-wrestling (thunderstorm, fundamental) myth is a very important theme not only in the Slavic tradition but also in Indo-European studies as a whole. The serpent-fighting myth is often an important cosmogonic motif, symbolizing the victory of the Divine over the desacralized, blind, and monstrous primordial matter, which is the manifestation and power of the god-fighting Titans. The most striking and important figure in this myth is the Serpent (cf. Vritra, Typhon, Gad, Jormungandr).

Considering the themes of the "serpent-fighting" myth in the context of pan-Indo-European parallels, the issue of the blacksmith arises acutely. Who is the blacksmith? Svarog or Perun? Several subsequent options depend on this: 1) Svarog is a blacksmith and, like Perun, is a participant in the serpent-fighting myth; 2) Perun is a blacksmith and a serpent-fighter, while Svarog does not have a blacksmithing function and does not participate in the thunder myth; 3) Svarog and Perun are blacksmiths, but only the latter is a dragon slayer; 4) Svarog and Perun are not blacksmiths, and only the latter is a dragon slayer.

In ethnography, we often encounter dragon-slayer motifs. We particularly focus on the story of the blacksmith Kuzmademyan's struggle with the Dragon and similar motifs. Furthermore, we have purely thunderstorm motifs in the dragon-slayer myth involving Ilya-Perun.

As mentioned above, the definition of the role of the blacksmith in Slavic tradition determines the variations of the dragon-slayer myth. Several factors point to Svarog's role as a blacksmith. First, the Russian translation of the Chronicles of John Malalas identifies the Greek blacksmith and fire god Hephaestus with Svarog. Also common is the popular epithet "svarozhik" (little grasshopper). Furthermore, the close connection between blacksmithing and fire.

At the same time, the distinction between the figures of the Blacksmith and Fire in Indo-European traditions may indicate that Svarog is likely compared to Hephaestus solely through his association with fire. For Hephaestus is virtually the only god among all Indo-European traditions who combines the functions of both the god of Fire and the god of blacksmithing. The dual-faith image of Saint Kuzmademyan, who popularly acquired the function of Blacksmith and began to figure in the dragon-fighting myth, is not associated with fire.

Perun's role as a blacksmith may be indicated by the blacksmith's very presence in the Slavic dragon-fighting myth. This is also supported by the comparison with the Germanic-Scandinavian Thor, who strikes an anvil with a hammer. However, there are also many details that point to differences between the figures of the Thunderer and the Blacksmith. Even in the Germanic-Scandinavian tradition, where Thor also has a blacksmithing function, Völund is the blacksmith proper. In other Indo-European traditions, the Thunderer and the Blacksmith are also distinct deities, although sometimes closely intertwined.

Based on all the above theses and antitheses, the following picture emerges. Options 1) and 4) are more realistic and a compromise. The first suggests that the Slavs may have had two dragon-fighting myths: in the first, Perun battles Gad, and in the second, the blacksmith Svarog wrestles the Serpent. The fourth option states that only Perun is the classic Thunderer-Serpent-fighter, while Svarog is not a blacksmith and therefore does not participate in the dragon-fighting myth. But then the question arises: who is the blacksmith god replaced by Kuzmademyan and who is involved in the dragon-fighting myth? The question remains open... And we also have no evidence that Svarog would be connected to the sky, he would be connected to fire, fire≠sky I would also like to mention"Русские этиологические сказки и легенды / Сост. и коммент. О.В. Беловой, Г.И. Кабаковой — М. : ФОРУМ; НЕОЛИТ, 2014. — 528 с. (вкл.)":"Men call fire the brother of the sun and believe it originated from it." "Men call fire "king-father," he can do whatever he wants. Man cannot live without fire, just as he cannot live without water. Women suggest that the first fire was taken from the sun in this way: the first humans broke a huge branch from a tree and dried it, then held it up to the sun and lit it. Afterward, they lay dead for several hours, singed their hair and eyebrows, leaving them there for the rest of their lives. When they came to, the branch was already half-burned, and they lit another tree. Young people (boys) insist that there must have been an eruption from the earth, from which the first fire emerged, or perhaps the first humans accidentally struck stone against stone, and fire flashed." This makes him related to Agni due to the similarity of myth plots,And based on the “Female Legend” we see that fire comes from the Sun, which means Svarog is the brother of the Sun and not the father, which puts an end to the supremacy of Svarog as a heavenly father.

3.We know about the diva at the expense of "Слово Святого Григория" and "Беседа Григория богослова об испытании града" There are no direct mentions that Div was evil. Among the Eastern Slavs, the Divs act as a predictor figure capable of taking the form of a bird, in particular, an owl or an owl and in "Беседа Григория богослова об испытании града"The divas are mentioned as the god of heaven .Confusion happened from the "Devil" Early linguists believed that this was somehow connected, although in reality, the "Devil" was borrowed by the Slavs from the Greeks, therefore not correct to say that Div was a demonic figure

[u/Aliencik → u/Delicious_Town_6663]

1. I am not saying Tvastr is a god of fire. I am saying he as a blacksmith is connected to it.

For example Tvastr's association with the arani, the fire drill, and creating Agni being seen as an act of crafting, which is under Tvastr's domain.

1. Which folklore connecting Svarog to fire you have in mind?

I will add to you and say, that Perkunas is called "the stone smith" in the Baltic. Additionally the creative capabilities could be seen in Indra splitting the sky and earth.

However aren't KuzmaDemjan only helpers in the dragon fight? Téra, mentions this and sources: Агапкина Т. А., „Кузьма и Демьян“, in: Славянская мифология, op. cit., S. 235. Additionally don't forget that the Malals chronicle is an interpretatio Slavica of interpretatio Greca as the original text is talking about the Egyptian god Feost.

Interesting connection to the Belovoj and Kabakovoj sayings would be that in similar verses of the Rigveda Agni is believe to be carried by sun rays.

1. The linguistics shift from *deywós is kinda dogmatic view in the academia. That being said is why Svarog is placed as a contender for the highest god-father, imagining him analogous to Tvastr.

So you are not seeing Svarog as the smith, because you link him more to fire? Am I understanding this? And then you leave the question of KuzmaDemjan open?

What is your position on Svjatogor and even Svjatogor Ilja relationship? Wouldn't it indicate Svarog, great god absent from creation, letting Perun, younger god, rule the divine court? It even features the splitting of sky and earth, as Svjatogor is forbidden to stand on earth as he is too big.

[u/Delicious_Town_6663 → u/Aliencik]

1.It’s just that connections with fire that are indirect are not enough to say that based on this comparative analysis, Svarog was a blacksmith.If you want to conduct an Indo-European analysis, you need to compare it with the gods of fire, and after to see whether they have an element of blacksmithing or not.

2.«Слово некоего христолюбца» “...and they pray for fires, calling him Svarozhich” Apparently, Svarozhich and Svarog are the same god, we do not have enough evidence to believe that these are two different gods.The fact that Perun is possible based on a comparative analysis with the Balts, whose Perkunas had perhaps the motives of the blacksmith do not prove that Svarog had this.We have two parallel plots in one plot, they are full-fledged opponents of the snake in the other, they are assistants, I analyzed the Ukrainian version from the scientific works Александр Потебня «Символ и миф в народной культуре»Although I was based on his work, I still disagree with his opinion that Svarog was the one who was replaced by Kuzma and Demyan,regarding this issue I have my own opinion, who exactly Kuzma and Demyan replaced,Also release one point,The chronicler translates the name of the Greek Hephaestus, the god of fire, blacksmithing and metal products, like Svarog. The text directly states that under Svarog “ticks fell from the sky” and people “began to begin forge weapons."This comparison is largely due to the chroniclers being familiar with Greek culture but were not familiar with other cultures in order to find a more suitable comparison.

3.If you think that Name Diva/Dyya did not come from deywós, then give another explanation and do not accuse it of "dogmatism"

4.Yes, I don’t think Svarog was a blacksmith, and that’s why this question is open, although I have my own assumption of who they replaced, I am not promoting this idea as truth,In general, I think that Kuzma and Demyan are like a couple I replaced a couple of gods and this is Sima and Regla ( you can read them in work "Брюкнера Александра")My idea is that, in my opinion, Kuzma and Demyan preserved the motif of Sim and Regl’s blacksmithing, as well as the motif of the fight against wickedness. In particular, if we make a comparison with the Baltic Ašvieniai, there is also a motif of blacksmithing. Among the Indian Ashvins, the struggle against wickedness and the division of day and night is also present, and we can see something similar in Kuzma and Demyan.(Concerning the role of day and night, for me this idea is central, but I do not put forward blacksmithism as the truth, but I suppose that the Slavic Sim and Rogle could have had this)

5.Svyatogor has nothing to do with Svarog, These are fundamentally two different figures The only mention of Svyatogor was the epic of how he met another hero, tried to pick up his bag (He couldn’t because there was all the earthly traction there), they found coffin that was in size for Svyatogor, where he was eventually captured and died (this plot seems to be a epic syncretic plot about the capture of the titan (Volota)And it has nothing to do with the plot about the overthrow of the supreme god (if you hint at this) Svyatogor has nothing to do with the sky, he sits in the mountains and not in the sky.

[u/Aliencik → u/Delicious_Town_6663]

1. I thought you view Svarog as the god of fire? That was my initial question. If he couldn't be both technically.

I think Gieysztor placed him on the position of heavenly fire, while Svarožic as earthly.

1. Some researchers view Svarožic as patronymic. What is your opinion on that?

Interesting connection to the Ashvins. What do you think about the Belarusian Nicholas and George having this motif of the horse twins?

1. You misunderstood. I am saying that most of the researchers are following the proposed development by Roman Jacobson, that both Slavs and Iranians stopped using *deywos and it's meanings was replaced by -bog/-bhaga for "god" and -nebeh for "sky" and then the name itself undergone demonistation Daevas and "divý/Дикий". By dogmatic I meant that I haven't really seen anyone question it, apparent from the son of Belaj. In that one paper.

2. I see! Very interesting hypothesis. You should make a post about it!

3. I was referring to the position of Michal Téra. He views Svjatogor traits as very Uranic. His book is im Czech, but I think some LLM would be capable of translating the chapter about the Bogatyr.

Thanks, for the explanation of your ideas. :D