Slavic pseudo- deities (pseudo-

god In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

s, pseudo-

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...

es) are Slavic deities that exist in popular or even

scientific literature : ''For a broader class of literature, see Academic publishing.'' Scientific literature comprises scholarly publications that report original empirical and theoretical work in the natural and social sciences. Within an academic field, sci ...

, but their historicity is not recognized by the vast majority of scholars, i.e., that the deity in question was not actually an object of worship among pagan Slavs. The pseudo-deities of the Slavs, like those of other ethnic groups, were created as a result of mistakes (e.g., by understanding the given name as a theonym, unfamiliarity with the

Slavic languages The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavs, Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic language, Proto ...

, misunderstanding of pagan ritual, or uncritical use of sources), as a result of the creation and falsification of Slavic Romantics, or even as a result of falsification for political motives. The reason for the last two may be that, unlike, for example,

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities of ...

, the sources on Slavic mythology are severely limited. The first Slavic pseudo-deities began to appear as early as the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, mainly in Latin Christian texts, as a result of mistakes. Slavic pseudo-deities on a large scale began to appear from the 18th and especially the 19th century. In 1768, a popular forgery of the time appeared, the so-called Prillwitz idols, depicting alleged Slavic deities decorated with alleged Slavic

runes Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were used to write various Germanic languages (with some exceptions) before they adopted the Latin alphabet, and for specialised ...

. Based on this forgery, many deities were created by Andreas Masch and later by . In the 19th century, the Czech

Ignác Jan Hanuš Ignác Jan Hanuš or, in German, Ignaz Johann Hanusch (28 October 1812, Prague – 19 May 1869, Prague) was a Czech philosopher and librarian. Life and work He studied at the grammar school in Staré Město, where one of his teachers was Jose ...

was a popular fantasist, particularly his two works: ''Die Wissenschaft des slavischen Mythus'', and ''Bájeslovný kalendář slovanský'', and Russian , who was rather uncritical in treating sources in his ''Bozhestva drevnikh slavyan'' ("Deities of the Ancient Slavs"). In addition to the above-mentioned authors, every Slavic country had its more or less popular forgers. Contemporary falsification of the Slavic pantheon is continued by in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

(e.g. ''Stworze i zdusze, czyli starosłowiańskie boginki i demony. Leksykon'', or ''Mitologia słowiańska: Księga tura''), and in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

by Alexander Asov (''Kniga Kolyady'').

Popular pseudo-deities

Dzidzilela Dzidzilela, Dzidzileyla, Dzidzilelya pl, Dzidzilela, pl, Dzidzilejla, label=none, pl, Dzidzilelja, label=none is an alleged Polish goddess. First mentioned by Jan Długosz as the Polish equivalent of the Roman goddess Venus, goddess of marriage. ...

– according to

Jan Długosz Jan Długosz (; 1 December 1415 – 19 May 1480), also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first histor ...

, the Polish equivalent of

Venera The Venera (, , which means "Venus" in Russian) program was the name given to a series of space probes developed by the Soviet Union between 1961 and 1984 to gather information about the planet Venus. Ten probes successfully landed on the s ...

, goddess of love, weddings and fertility. * – pseudo-deity of time and/or numbers invented in the 1900s, mentioned in the ''

Book of Veles The Book of Veles (also: Veles Book, Vles book, ''Vles kniga'', Vlesbook, Isenbeck's Planks, , , , , , ) is a literary forgery purporting to be a text of ancient Slavic religion and history supposedly written on wooden planks. It contains rel ...

'' * Vesna – alleged goddess of spring *Jutrobog, Jutrnyboh – a supposed god worshipped in

Lusatia Lusatia (german: Lausitz, pl, Łużyce, hsb, Łužica, dsb, Łužyca, cs, Lužice, la, Lusatia, rarely also referred to as Sorbia) is a historical region in Central Europe, split between Germany and Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr ...

. His name consists of the word ''jutry'', ''jutrny'' "morning" and the word ''bog'' "god" and means "Morning God, Aurora". The town of

Jüterbog Jüterbog () is a historic town in north-eastern Germany, in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg. It is on the Nuthe river at the northern slope of the Fläming hill range, about southwest of Berlin. History The Slavic settlement of '' ...

is supposed to be named after him, although it is also possible that the last syllable is not ''bog'' but ''bok'' "side", and the name of the city can be translated as "side facing the morning (

east East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

)". * Kyi – alleged Polish god of blacksmithing who appears in the ''sermons of Gniezno''. * Kupala – a deity created by medieval chroniclers based on the name of the

Kupala Night Kupala Night ( be, Купалле, pl, Noc Kupały, russian: Иван-Купала, uk, Івана Купала, Купайла), also called Ivanа Kupala, is a traditional Slavic holiday that was originally celebrated on the shortest night of ...

holiday *

Koliada Koliada or koleda ( Cyrillic: коляда, коледа, колада, коледе) is the traditional Slavic name for the period from Christmas to Epiphany or, more generally, to Slavic Christmas-related rituals, some dating to pre-Christia ...

– personification of the New Year cycle and a figure in folk rituals mistakenly interpreted by

Alexander Afanasyev Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev (Afanasief, Afanasiev or Afanas'ev, russian: link=no, Александр Николаевич Афанасьев) ( — ) was a Russian Slavist and ethnographer who published nearly 600 Russian fairy and folk ta ...

as a goddess * Lada – alleged Polish deity first mentioned by Jan Długosz as a god of war, equivalent to

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmos ...

, then by Maciej Miechowita recognized as the Polish equivalent of Leda. * – the goddess of love, a word found in Russian folk songs *

Yesha Yesha ( he, יש"ע) is a Hebrew acronym for " Judea, Samaria, Gaza" (, "Yehuda Shomron 'Azza") – a geographical area, roughly corresponding to the West Bank and Gaza Strip combined. ''Yesha'' is one of a number of terms used to describe the a ...

– the chief god of Poles according to

, the equivalent of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousandt ...

; nowadays the authenticity of the god is rejected * – hypothetical water goddess proposed by

Nikolay Kostomarov Mykola Ivanovych Kostomarov or Nikolai Ivanovich Kostomarov (russian: Никола́й Ива́нович Костома́ров, ; uk, Микола Іванович Костомаров, ; May 16, 1817, vil. Yurasovka, Voronezh Governorate, R ...

, rejected by modern scholarship * , Pozvizd – a wind deity mentioned by

Maciej Miechowita Maciej Miechowita (also known as ''Maciej z Miechowa, Maciej of Miechów, Maciej Karpiga, Matthias de Miechow''; 1457 – 8 September 1523) was a Polish renaissance scholar, professor of Jagiellonian University, historian, chronicler, geogra ...

, and Pohvist, mentioned by

Marcin Kromer Marcin Kromer (Latin: ''Martinus Cromerus''; 11 November 1512 – 23 March 1589) was Prince-Bishop of Warmia (Ermland), a Polish cartographer, diplomat and historian in the Kingdom of Poland and later in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He wa ...

as a god of inclement weather, in reality probably spirits or demons * Flins – alleged deity of death worshipped by the remnants of the

Sorbs Sorbs ( hsb, Serbja, dsb, Serby, german: Sorben; also known as Lusatians, Lusatian Serbs and Wends) are a indigenous West Slavic ethnic group predominantly inhabiting the parts of Lusatia located in the German states of Saxony and Bran ...

, mentioned in the ''Saxon Chronicle'' * Krodo – originally a pseudo-chief-deity of the

Saxons The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country ( Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the No ...

in later centuries ascribed to the Slavs * – a figure from South Slavic mythology borrowed by East Slavic writers and later recognized as a deity * – a 19th-century

n pseudo-god of borders, equivalent to the Roman Terminus

West Slavs

Polabian Slavs

* Goderac () –

Arnold of Lübeck Arnold of Lübeck (died 1211–1214) was a Benedictine abbot, a chronicler, the author of the '' Chronica Slavorum'' and advocate of the papal cause in the Hohenstaufen conflict. He was a monk at St. Ägidien monastery in Braunschweig, then from 1 ...

, in ''Chronica Slavorum'' (his sequel to

Helmold Helmold of Bosau (ca. 1120 – after 1177) was a Saxon historian of the 12th century and a priest at Bosau near Plön. He was a friend of the two bishops of Oldenburg in Holstein, Vicelinus (died 1154) and Gerold (died 1163), who did much to ...

's ''Chronicle''; V, 24), wrote that Bernon (died 1190 or 1191), bishop of

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgian Low German: ''Swerin''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the capital and second-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern as well as of the region of Mecklenburg, after Rostock. ...

, destroyed the pagan cult, and in place of the deity Goderac ordered St. Godehard, bishop of

Hildesheim Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the ...

, to be worshipped, taking advantage of the similarity of names. The deification was the result of a mistake – the name Goderac appears as early as 1171 in

Henry the Lion Henry the Lion (german: Heinrich der Löwe; 1129/1131 – 6 August 1195) was a member of the Welf dynasty who ruled as the duke of Saxony and Bavaria from 1142 and 1156, respectively, until 1180. Henry was one of the most powerful German pr ...

, who granted the bishopric of Schwerin "the village of St. Godehard, which was once called Goderac," and the name itself is probably derived from a personal name, perhaps that of the village owner. * Julius Caesar – According to ''Life of Saint Otto'', Julius' spear was venerated in

Wolin Wolin (; formerly german: Wollin ) is the name both of a Polish island in the Baltic Sea, just off the Polish coast, and a town on that island. Administratively, the island belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. Wolin is separated from th ...

, which was also called Julin (Iulin) after Julius Caesar. According to the authors, it was supposed to be in a wooden column and slightly rusty. The Julius theme was later developed by

Wincenty Kadlubek Wincenty is a given name. Notable people with the name include: *Ryszard Wincenty Berwiński (1817–1879), Polish poet * Wincenty Budzyński (1815–1866), Polish politician agent and Polish–French chess master *Wincenty de Lesseur (born 1745), ...

in his account of the battle of the

Lechites Lechites (, german: Lechiten), also known as the Lechitic tribes (, german: Lechitische Stämme), is a name given to certain West Slavs, West Slavic tribes who inhabited modern-day Poland and eastern Germany, and were speakers of the Lechitic lang ...

led by Leszko III against Julius. * Suentebueck – The 15th-century ''Passion of the Martyrs of Ebstorf'' speaks of Slavs who abandoned Christianity after the death of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...

, who were said to have erected statues of Suentebueck, Vitelubbe, and Radegast that had been toppled earlier. Strzelczyk interprets the name as ''svęty byk'' "sacred bull", or less likely ''Svęty Vit'' "

Saint Vitus Vitus (), whose name is sometimes rendered Guy or Guido, was a Christian martyr from Sicily. His surviving hagiography is pure legend. The dates of his actual life are unknown.Basil Watkins, ''The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical D ...

" (

Svetovit Svetovit, Sventovit, Svantovit is the god of abundance and war, and the chief god of the Slavic tribe of the Rani, and later of all the Polabian Slavs. His organized cult was located on the island of Rügen, at Cape Arkona, where his main temple ...

?). * Vittelube – A deity also mentioned in the ''Passion''. Probably recognized by the author as the name of a deity because of the occurrence of the local name Vietlübbe next to the local name Radegast, both in the district of

Gadebusch Gadebusch () is a town in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the district of Nordwestmecklenburg. Halfway between Lübeck, Schwerin and Wismar, it is part of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. The town is known for two notable monuments: the '' ...

. * Svitibor, Zuttibor - a deity mentioned by Abraham Frentzel. Christian Knauthe translated the name as "Holy Forest". * Puscetus - a deity mentioned by Abraham Frentzel. According to Christian Knauthe, the name sounded like the Slavic word ''bosowske'' "

elderberry ''Sambucus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Adoxaceae. The various species are commonly called elder or elderberry. The genus was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified as Adoxaceae due ...

", "Deus Sambuceus like", and meant "one who lives under the Sambuceus tree". * Ciza - goddess of maternal feeding according to Christian Knauthe. Her name was supposed to be derived from the Slavic word ''zyz'' (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

''cyc'') "breast". Sondershäuser Püstrich

* Püsterich – In the middle of the 16th century, a bronze figure (57 cm.) of a pot-bellied man with one arm raised to his forehead, the rest of the limbs missing, was found at

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

in the Kyffhäuser mountains (

Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and lar ...

). There are two holes in the head, the head and torso is hollow inside. There were different interpretations of this figurine: Abraham Frentzel (1791) recognized Püsterich as a deity of Slavs from Thuringia linking him with the Polish word ''bystry'' "smart, bright, shrewd", others regarded him as a god of fire, or a god of both Slavs and

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

. The figurine was used as a toy, it acted as a kind of steam boiler, heated water poured out through holes in the head.

Prillwitz idols

Many of the deities were created by

Andreas Gottlieb Masch Andreas Gottlieb Masch (5 December 1724 – 26 October 1807) was a German Lutheran theologian and scholar. He acted as superintendent for Mecklenburg-Strelitz The Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a duchy in northern Germany consisting ...

(1771), a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

theologian who studied the so-called Prillwitz idols, taking them to be authentic Slavic statues, but which are now recognized as 17th century

forgeries Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally refers to the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud anyone (other than themself). Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be forbi ...

. The drawings for his book were made by Daniel Woge, a German painter and illustrator. Masch's information was further repeated by Martin Friedrich Arendt (1820), a German botanist and antiquarian, and

Bernhard Severin Ingemann Bernhard Severin Ingemann (28 May 1789 – 24 February 1862) was a Danish novelist and poet. Biography Ingemann was born in Torkilstrup, on the island of Falster, Denmark. The son of a vicar, he was left fatherless in his youth. While a stu ...

(1824), a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

writer. Andreas Gottlieb Masch: * Sieba * Zibog, Siebog * Nemisa * Podba * Percunust * Schwaixtix * Zislbog, Zislbocg * Zirnitra, Zir *

Wodan Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victory, ...

Baldur Baldr (also Balder, Baldur) is a god in Germanic mythology. In Norse mythology, Baldr (Old Norse: ) is a son of the god Odin and the goddess Frigg, and has numerous brothers, such as Thor and Váli. In wider Germanic mythology, the god was kn ...

i * Ipabog, Ipabocg * Misizla * Plusso * Zois Martin Friedrich Arendt: * Tara(n) * Othin * Gestrab * Raziva * Tsibaz *

Hela HeLa (; also Hela or hela) is an immortalized cell line used in scientific research. It is the oldest and most commonly used human cell line. The line is derived from cervical cancer cells taken on February 8, 1951, named after Henrietta ...

* Kricco * Opora * Karevit * Hirovit * Marovit * Gilbog * Juthrbog * Urii * Pya * Mita * Sicksa * Berstuk * Gudii

Czechs

Václav Hájek, a Czech chronicler who is accused of making up many events in his work, lists the deities in his ''Chronicle'': Klimba, Krasatina, Krosina. Hájek gained imitators after his death: Pavel Stránský, Jan Jiří Středovský, Juraj Papánek, who added the following deities by themselves: Chasoň, Ladoň, Zeloň, Živěna, Nočena, Krasopaní, Hladolet. Priest

Antonín Liška Antonín Liška (17 September 1924, Bohumilice – 15 October 2003, České Budějovice) was a Czech Catholic clergyman. From 1991 to 2002 he was the bishop of České Budějovice A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a ...

, one of the translators of

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the '' Iliad'' and the '' Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of ...

into Czech, also made up deities. He replaced Greek theonyms with similar Czech ones or just transferred them into Czech. He gave up to three versions of the same invented Czech name, writing them in brackets or footnotes: * Bělobohyň (

Leucothea In Greek mythology, Leucothea (; grc-gre, Λευκοθέα, Leukothéa, white goddess), sometimes also called Leucothoe ( grc-gre, Λευκοθόη, Leukothóē), was one of the aspects under which an ancient sea goddess was recognized, in this ...

) * Boležal ( Megapenthes) * Bořivoj (

Rhexenor In Greek mythology, Rhexenor ( grc, Ῥηξήνωρ means "breaking armed ranks") may refer to the following figures: * Rhexenor, a Phaeacian prince as son of King Nausithous and the brother of Alcinous who married his daughter Arete. Apollo kill ...

) * Buraš ( Boreas) * Děvany (

nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...

) * Dáloboj (

Telemachus Telemachus ( ; grc, Τηλέμαχος, Tēlemakhos, lit=far-fighter), in Greek mythology, is the son of Odysseus and Penelope, who is a central character in Homer's ''Odyssey''. When Telemachus reached manhood, he visited Pylos and Sparta in ...

) * Hněvoň, Hněvoš, Hněvsa (

Odysseus Odysseus ( ; grc-gre, Ὀδυσσεύς, Ὀδυσεύς, OdysseúsOdyseús, ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; lat, UlyssesUlixes), is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the ''Odyssey''. Odys ...

) * Hrozivec, Protiva, Lidosvit (

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, ...

) * Chasoň, Jason, Slunce Hyperionovec (

Helios In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Helios (; grc, , , Sun; Homeric Greek: ) is the deity, god and personification of the Sun (Solar deity). His name is also Latinized as Helius, and he is often given the epithets Hyper ...

) * Jarec, Jaroš, Jařec (

Ares Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war ...

) * Kolohledi (

Cyclopes In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...

) * Lada, Pěnonorka (

Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion (emotion), passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman god ...

) * Lichoplesy, Ochechule (

Sirens Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisco ...

) * Meneslav (

Menelaus In Greek mythology, Menelaus (; grc-gre, Μενέλαος , 'wrath of the people', ) was a king of Mycenaean (pre-Dorian) Sparta. According to the ''Iliad'', Menelaus was a central figure in the Trojan War, leading the Spartan contingent of t ...

) * Milostenky (

Charites In Greek mythology, the Charites ( ), singular ''Charis'', or Graces, were three or more goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, goodwill, and fertility. Hesiod names three – Aglaea ("Shining"), Euphrosyne ("Joy"), and Thalia ...

) * Nevid (

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

) * Netřena (

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

) * Peroun (

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=genitive Boeotian Aeolic and Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=genitive el, Δίας, ''Días'' () is the sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion, ...

) * Pršenky (

Pleiades The Pleiades (), also known as The Seven Sisters, Messier 45 and other names by different cultures, is an asterism and an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars in the north-west of the constellation Taurus. At a distance ...

) * Pyripalič (

Phlegethon In Greek mythology, the river Phlegethon ( Φλεγέθων, English translation: "flaming") or Pyriphlegethon (Πυριφλεγέθων, English translation: "fire-flaming") was one of the five rivers in the infernal regions of the underworld, ...

) * Radhost Zevs ( Xenia) * Skuhravec (

Cocytus Cocytus or Kokytos ( grc, Κωκυτός, literally "lamentation") is the river of wailing in the underworld in Greek mythology. Cocytus flows into the river Acheron, on the other side of which lies Hades, the underworld, the mythological abod ...

) * Sudičky (

Keres In Greek mythology, the Keres (; Ancient Greek: Κῆρες), singular Ker (; Κήρ), were female death-spirits. They were the goddesses who personified violent death and who were drawn to bloody deaths on battlefields. Although they were pre ...

) * Světloň ("sunny horse") * Svrchovanec (

Hyperion Hyperion may refer to: Greek mythology * Hyperion (Titan), one of the twelve Titans * ''Hyperion'', a byname of the Sun, Helios * Hyperion of Troy or Yperion, son of King Priam Science * Hyperion (moon), a moon of the planet Saturn * ''Hyp ...

) * Uměná, Umka (

Muse In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...

) * Ukryta ( Calypso) * Vodan, Vodeň, Vodín (

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...

) * Vodanky víly (

Naiad In Greek mythology, the naiads (; grc-gre, ναϊάδες, naïádes) are a type of female spirit, or nymph, presiding over fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of fresh water. They are distinct from river gods, who ...

) * Vzteklice ( Erinyes) * Žalotok (

Acheron The Acheron (; grc, Ἀχέρων ''Acheron'' or Ἀχερούσιος ''Acherousios''; ell, Αχέροντας ''Acherontas'') is a river located in the Epirus region of northwest Greece. It is long, and its drainage area is . Its source is ...

) * Žehlan (

Hephaestus Hephaestus (; eight spellings; grc-gre, Ἥφαιστος, Hḗphaistos) is the Greek god of blacksmiths, metalworking, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metallurgy, fire (compare, however, with Hestia), and volcanoes.Walter ...

) * Živena ( Demeter) Another forgery is the glosses added to ''

Mater Verborum Title page of «Mater Verborum» Mater Verborum (or Glosa Salomonis) is a medieval encyclopedical dictionary written in Latin language around 1240. The document is especially renowned for more than 1000 comments written in it in the medieval Cze ...

'', a Czech-Latin dictionary, added by

Václav Hanka Václav Hanka (also written as ''Wenceslaus Hanka'') (10 June 1791 – 12 January 1861) was a Czech philologist. Biography Hanka was born at Hořiněves near Hradec Králové. He was sent in 1807 to school at Hradec Králové, to escape the ...

, containing deities invented by him: * Sytiwrat (

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second-largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant with an average radius of about nine and a half times that of Earth. It has only one-eighth the average density of Earth; ...

) * Hladolet (Saturn) * Kirt (Saturn) * Kralomocz (

) * Smrtonoss (

) * Chtytel (

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

) * Dobropan ( Mercury) * Porvata (

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Persephone ( ; gr, Περσεφόνη, Persephónē), also called Kore or Cora ( ; gr, Κόρη, Kórē, the maiden), is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the underworld afte ...

) * Příje (Venus) * Letnicě (

Latona In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Leto (; grc-gre, Λητώ , ''Lētṓ'', or , ''Lātṓ'' in Doric Greek) is a goddess and the mother of Apollo, the god of music, and Artemis, the goddess of the hunt.Hesiod, ''Theogony'404–409/ref ...

) * Chliba ( Salacia) * Jasni (

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic language, Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician language, Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major ancient Egyptian deities, goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughou ...

) * Svoba (

Libertas Libertas (Latin for 'liberty' or 'freedom', ) is the Roman goddess and personification of liberty. She became a politicised figure in the Late Republic, featured on coins supporting the populares faction, and later those of the assassins of ...

) * Zcuor or Ztuor (

Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He ...

) * Jarobud (

Demetrius Demetrius is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning “Demetris” - "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, Dimitri, Dimitrie, Dimitar, Du ...

) * Stracchus Hanka also mentions gods from other sources, e.g. Belebog,

Perun In Slavic mythology, Perun ( Cyrillic: Перýн) is the highest god of the pantheon and the god of sky, thunder, lightning, storms, rain, law, war, fertility and oak trees. His other attributes were fire, mountains, wind, iris, eagle, ...

, Živa,

Triglav Triglav (; german: Terglau; it, Tricorno), with an elevation of , is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak of the Julian Alps. The mountain is the pre-eminent symbol of the Slovene nation. It is the centrepiece of Triglav Nat ...

, Veles, Lada,

Devana Devana ( pl, Dziewanna , la, Dzewana), Zevana ( pl, Ziewanna), less often Zievonya ( pl, Ziewonja, Zewonia) is the goddess of wild nature, forests, hunting and the moon worshiped by the Western Slavs. In the sources, she was first mentioned in th ...

, and

Morana Morana may refer to: * Moraña, a municipality in Galicia, Spain * Morana Dam, an earthfill dam on Morana river near Patan, Satara district in the state of Maharashtra in India * Marzanna, Slavic goddess of death * ''Morana'' (film), a 1994 Slove ...

. In addition, he mentions many demons, including vesna.

East Slavs

Book of Veles

The ''

'' is a 20th century forgery that has gained particular popularity among

Ukrainians Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Or ...

. It lists, in addition to authentic gods, the following pseudo-gods: * Vyšenʹ (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: Вышень) * Lelja (Леля) * Letnica (Летница) * Kolendo (Колендо) * Krʹšenʹ (Крьшень) * Deržatelʹ (Держатель) * Snvʹіj (Снвьій) * Belojare (Белояре) * Lado (Ладо) * Kupalo (Купало) * Senic (Сениц) * Žitnec (Житнец) * Veniŝč (Венищ) * Zernic (Зерниц) * Ovsenic (Овсениц) * Prosicʹ (Просиць) * Studecʹ (Студець) * Ledic (Ледиц) * Ljutecʹ (Лютець) * Ptiščec (Птищец) * Zverenc (Зверенц) * Milic (Милиц) * Dozdec (Доздец) * Plodec (Плодец) * Jagodnec (Ягоднец) * Pščelic (Пщелиц) * Rostic (Ростиц) * Klenčič (Кленчич) * Zzerenč (Ззеренч) * Vetricʹ (Ветриць) * Slomicʹ (Сломиць) * Gribicʹ (Грибиць) * Loviščʹ (Ловищь) * Besedicʹ (Беседиць) * Snezicʹ (Снезиць) * Stranicʹ (Страниць) * Sventicʹ (Свентиць) * Radnicʹ (Радниць) * Sveticʹ (Светиць) * Korovicʹ (Коровиць) * Krasicʹ (Красиць) * Travicʹ (Травиць) * Steblicʹ (Стеблиць) * Rodicʹ (Родиць) * Maslecʹ (Маслець) * Živicʹ (Живиць) * Vedicʹ (Ведиць) * Listvicʹ (Листвиць) * Kveticʹ (Кветиць) * Vodišč (Водищ) * Zvezdicʹ (Звездиць) * Gromič (Громич) * Semišč (Семищ) * Lipecʹ (Липець) * Rembicʹ (Рембиць) * Brezičʹ (Брезичь) * Zelenicʹ (Зелениць) * Goricʹ (Гориць) * Stradicʹ (Страдиць) * Spasicʹ (Спасиць) * Listeverzicʹ (Листеверзиць) * Mʹjuslicʹ (Мьюслиць) * Gosticʹ (Гостиць) * Raticʹ (Ратиць) * Stranicʹ (Страниць) * Čurncʹ (Чурнць) * Rodicʹ (Родиць) * Ognebog Semerogelʹ (Огнебог Семерогель) * Čislobog (Числобог) * Kvasur (Квасур)

Others

* Uslad (Услад) – a deity mistakenly created by

Siegmund von Herberstein Sigmund or Siegmund may refer to: People * Sigmund (given name), list of people with the name Sigmund * Sigmund Freud, a pioneer of psychoanalysis Arts and entertainment *'' Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, American 1970s TV series ;Fictional chat ...

, then repeated by Stryjkowski, who took a fragment of '' Primary Chronicle'', ''us zlat'' ("golden moustache" – about the statue of

), as theonym, and compared it to

Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid (Latin Cupīdō , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus and the god of war Mars. He is also known in L ...

. * Zimtserla (Зимцерла) – goddess who first appears in the Russian translation (1722) of '' Kingdom of the Slavs'', by the

Croatian Croatian may refer to: * Croatia *Croatian language *Croatian people *Croatians (demonym) See also * * * Croatan (disambiguation) * Croatia (disambiguation) * Croatoan (disambiguation) * Hrvatski (disambiguation) * Hrvatsko (disambiguation) * S ...

writer

Mauro Orbini Mavro Orbini (1563–1614) was a Ragusan chronicler, notable for his work '' The Realm of the Slavs'' (1601) which influenced Slavic ideology and historiography in the later centuries. Life Orbini was born in Ragusa (now Dubrovnik), the capital ...

. The translator incorrectly transferred the theonym '' Semargl'', written by Orbini as ''Simaergla'', by writing the letter ''a'' as ''s'' and removing the letter ''g'', probably due to

euphony Phonaesthetics (also spelled phonesthetics in North America) is the study of beauty and pleasantness associated with the sounds of certain words or parts of words. The term was first used in this sense, perhaps by during the mid-20th century an ...

, and thus ''Simserla'' was created. The goddess is then mentioned by Mikhail Popov in his mythological dictionary; according to him, the corrupted name may have been derived from the words зима, ''zima'' ("winter"), and the verb стерть, ''stiertʹ'' ("to wipe off"), and would be a goddess of flowers, similar to

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

. Zimtserla later appears in many Russian texts. She was erroneously believed to be the ''Aurora'' of the "Slavonians" and a "Queen of Flowers" or goddess of spring, akin to Roman Flora.

South Slavs

One of the major forgeries from the

South Slavs South Slavs are Slavic peoples who speak South Slavic languages and inhabit a contiguous region of Southeast Europe comprising the eastern Alps and the Balkan Peninsula. Geographically separated from the West Slavs and East Slavs by Austria, ...

is the Serbian Песме и обичаи укупног народа српског (1869; "Songs and customs of the all Serbian peoples") by Miloš Milojević: * Kupalo () * Koledo () * Koled () * Živboža () * Živanija () * Svaroga () * Prprьruša () * Pravid () * Svevid () * Ljelj () * Ljelja () * Poljelj () * Poljelja () * Lada () * Branjanj () * Živ () * Davor () * Gostoslav () * Vodan () * Vodana () * Moran () * Morica () * Pra Pra Bog () * Preslav () * Višnji () * Ježdraksin () * Belgostić () * Tug () * Pravd () * Crnobar () * Vihor () * Kračun () * Praovil () * Belbožić () The second important forgery is '' Veda Slovena'' (1874) by

Stefan Verković Stefan may refer to: * Stefan (given name) * Stefan (surname) * Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname * Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname * Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...

: * Kuledo () * Kuleda () * Ognen () * Vishnu () * Vodin () * Surva () * Rosna () * Žijne () * Surica () * Iognica () * Masina () * Rue () * Vitna () * Igne () * Jognica () * Dʺžna () * Dia () * Jara () * Druida ()

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Slavic mythology * Slavic pseudo-deities