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73-535: The Peryn peninsula is at the confluence of Lake Ilmen and the River Volhov , 6 km (3.7 mi) south of the city of Veliky Novgorod . In the Dark Ages , the city was developed not far from Peryn, at Ruerikovo Gorodische also known as Holmgård , but its business and social activities were later moved to form today's city centre. The area south of Novgorod, including Peryn, is therefore considered part of

146-514: A Christianization , people reconcile the mental conflict in their minds after changing their religion, substituting heathen gods with Christian saints , making it easier for them to virtually adhere to the old cult, traditions, symbolism and values without betraying the Christian religion . In the case of Novgorod, the imago of Perun was substituted with the figures of God the Father and Elias

219-444: A burial mound , not a shrine. They have not submitted any crucial counterarguments, though; they rather suggest an alternative version to interpret the findings. Nevertheless, graves discovered by Sedov within the construction are from later periods, Sedov took part in the excavation himself, his results are fully consistent with all the ancient written sources and appear to be justified. He asserts in his survey: “undoubtedly, these are

292-675: A character who had been overthrown by the Christian religion; the one defeated in the name of the God and displaced in the underworld , who is opposed to the God, ruling his own (pagan) world . Thus, the image of Perun in Novgorod is a complicated social phenomenon. In 1951 an archaeological expedition under the direction of Valentin Sedov revealed the remains of a pagan temple complex. According to

365-777: A hill of St. Elias the Thunderer. Also, in Bosnia and Herzegovina , a part of Sarajevo is called Velešići and a mountain Velež near Mostar, Herzegovina. Other examples are Veles in Western Serbia, Velesnica on the Danube and Velestovo in Montenegro and also the township of Velestino (Βελεστίνο, today Φέρες), apparently bearing testimony to a Slavic layer in the settlement of Thessaly. Another debatable if not improbable example

438-563: A large number of Slavic folk stories and songs. A unifying characteristic of all Indo-European mythologies is a story about a battle between a god of thunder and a huge serpent or a dragon . In the Slavic version of the myth, Perun is a god of thunder while Veles acts as a dragon who opposes him, consistent with the Vala etymology; he is also similar to the Etruscan underworld monster Vetha and to

511-481: A negative role as bringer of chaos, Veles was not seen as an evil god by ancient Slavs. In fact, in many of the Russian folk tales, Veles, appearing under the Christian guise of St. Nicholas , saves the poor farmer and his cattle from the furious and destructive St. Elias the Thunderer, who represents Perun. The duality and conflict of Perun and Veles does not represent the dualistic clash of good and evil; rather, it

584-602: A peninsula when floods arrive in the spring. Novgorod was a centre of Slavic paganism in the Dark Ages. Accordingly, the Peryn island appears to have played a role similar to that of the Vatican Hill in the sense of its functions in the medieval Novgorod and its later history. The name "Peryn" is related to the Slavic god Perun , whose shrine was there in the 10th century. The results of archaeological excavations under

657-417: A protector of cattle, he became associated with Saint Blaise , popularly known among various Slavic nations as St. Vlaho, St. Blaz, or St. Vlasiy (Armenian: Սուրբ Վլասի; germ: Blasius; fr: Blaise; sp: San Blas; port: São Brás; it: San Biagio; Croat: sv. Blaž; eng: Blase; Greek: Άγιος Βλάσιος). In Yaroslavl , for example, the first church built on the site of Veles's pagan shrine was dedicated to St Blaise, for

730-645: A result, he was removed from Saint Petersburg and sent to Novgorod in 1821. In 1822 he was appointed head of the Yuriev Monastery . He was no longer considered an oppositionist when the new emperor , a deeply religious person, came to the throne in 1825. He undertook extensive repairs of the Yuriev Monastery and on Peryn Islet, relying on financial support from Duchess Anna Orlova-Chesmenskaya, his rich god daughter. At first, Photios asked that Peryn Islet should be returned to Yuriev Monastery . After this had been agreed in 1824, he arranged for major repairs to

803-469: A sharp internal edge, and a flat external edge. The ditch has eight bulges with the radius of 7 m (23 ft). The bulges are aligned to the points of the compass . The circle's centre has a hole of 65 cm (26 in) in width. Sedov in his survey suggests that the shrine's shape reflects the symbols of Perun. The excavations disproved the opinion that the Peryn Chapel was erected right on

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876-553: A smaller size to the sides of the main shrine. Sedov asserts the constructions to be arranged there "not later than in the 9th century "., meaning that the main shrine seems to replace some more ancient ones. Russian historian Rybakov in his survey presumes a more ancient cult existed in Peryn before the cult of Perun. Sedov found other constructions of later periods around the shrine, including graves and dugouts. There are other interpretations of Sedov's findings. Russian historians Vladimir Konetsky and Lev Klein argue that Sedov had found

949-431: Is known about the cult of Perun, and suggests that the bulges in the ditch were for ritual bonfires. The eastern bulge is remarkable with an especially large heap of charcoal, indicating that an eternal flame might have been located there. The remaining pyres are likely to have been in use from time to time (probably for ceremonies). The samples of charcoal analyzed were from oak wood, Perun’s tree. The excavations showed that

1022-564: Is lying in a nest of black wool in the roots of the Tree of the World and Veles is the shepherd of the dead. Volos is also the Russian and Ukrainian word for "hair" and Veles is hairy in his beastly form (bear, wolf). However, since the early 20th century, since the advent of Proto-Indo-European laryngeal theory, the 'wool' word has been reconstructed as *h 2 wĺ̥h 1 neh 2 . The Proto-Indo-European root *welg- also means 'humid, wet'. Nothing

1095-521: Is more connected with Veles than humidity and wetness. His domain is down, 'у воду пот корч пот колоду' ("in the water, below the tree stump and the log"). However, this etymology can be discounted as there is no velar in Veles. There is also the Indo-European word *woltus meaning 'meadow' which is derived from the same root. Accordingly, Veles is the shepherd of the dead who was imagined to browse

1168-402: Is the opponent of the supreme thunder god Perun . As such he probably has been imagined as a dragon , which in the belief of the pagan Slavs is a chimeric being resembling a cross between a bear and a snake that devours livestock. His tree is the willow, while that of Perun is the oak. No direct accounts survive, but reconstructionists speculate that he may directly continue aspects of

1241-441: Is the opposition of the natural principles of earth and water (Veles) against heaven/sky and fire (Perun). The Ivanov/Toporov conception of "the key myth" of Slavic mythology has been criticized by several authors, including Leo Klejn and Igor M. Diakonoff . Many, including Klejn, pointed out that Ivanov and Toporov often tended toward unjustified generalizations and considered many of their arguments "far-fetched". Supporters of

1314-507: Is the town of Volosko in Croatia , situated on the seashore under the peak of Mount Učka , nicknamed Perun. Among Western Slavs , the name can be principally found in 15th and 16th century Czech records, where it means either dragon or devil . Presumably it is not possible to conclusively determine a definite etymology for the name of the god Veles, though there are several Proto-Indo-European roots that are all closely related to

1387-532: The Church of Boris and Gleb , and Nikon the Metropolitan burned them down in 1652, stopping “ that devilish trizna [after the deity]”. The tradition is described by Sigismund von Herberstein , who visited Novogorod in 1517 and 1526. " Even now it happens from time to time on certain days of the year, that this voice of Perun [a special Novgorodian name for battle-cry] may be heard, and on these occasions

1460-551: The Early Modern Russian text) To sustain and support the monastery after it had been ravaged in 1611 - 1617, it was merged with the Yuriev Monastery (the main monastery of Novgorod ). According to one source, this occurred in 1634, according to another, in 1671. After the secularization undertaken by Catherine the Great in 1764 , the monastery was abolished, its assets were transferred to Yuriev Monastery , and all

1533-506: The Proto-Indo-European pantheon with the original deity Welnos . Veles is one of few Slavic gods for which evidence of offerings can be found in all Slavic nations . The Primary Chronicle , a historical record of the early Kievan Rus , is the earliest and most important record, mentioning a god named Volos several times. Here, Volos is mentioned as god of cattle and peasants, who will punish oath-breakers with diseases,

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1606-471: The historic surroundings of Veliky Novgorod . Historically, Peryn was an islet formed by the River Volkhov and two small rivers called Rakomka and Prost . It could only be reached by boat. The conditions changed significantly after a dam was constructed in the 1960s to provide access for vehicles. After the 1960s Peryn looked like a peninsula but now it looks more like a hill which only becomes

1679-619: The old religion along with the cult of Perun were not easy to oust from the social mind of the city. It was displaced at the level of social underself, rising in Novgorodian fables, sagas, oral tales and traditions. One of the legends, about the mace of Perun , is fixed in the Novgorod Fourth Chronicle . [During the process of the ravaging, the idol of] " Perun was possessed by a demon, who started to scream: “O woe! O me! I am in malicious hands!”. And he [the idol]

1752-399: The 12th century Ruthenian epic The Tale of Igor's Campaign , the character of Boyan the wizard is called Veles' grandson. Veles was also believed to be protector of travelling musicians. For instance, in some wedding ceremonies of northern Croatia (which continued up to the 20th century), the music would not start playing unless the bridegroom, when making a toast, spilled some of the wine on

1825-570: The Novgorodians so that they would not be left to the followers of Dmitry Donskoy, the great duke of Moscovy who acted against Novgorod in 1386. The wooden Church of the Trinity was the second church to be built on Peryn Islet. It was accompanied by a wooden refectory built in 1528. All the wooden buildings were destroyed during the Swedish occupation of Novgorod in 1611 – 1617 : the monastery

1898-508: The Peryn Chapel: the walls were repaired thoroughly inside and out; the church’s interior was redecorated; an outbuilding was built up from the west side of the church; the floor and the dome were replaced. The church was sanctified once again in 1828. The monastery was extended in the 1830s and in the beginning of the 1940s: the red-bricked cells for the monks were erected along with two small buildings for an abbot and an archimandrite in

1971-513: The Prophet . In the first case it is plays the role of Perun with the head of a pantheon; in the second, Elias the Prophet carries the attributes of Perun: he moves across the sky on a chariot, thundering and flashing (lightning) like Perun. Simultaneously, as explicitly shows The Saga of Sloven and Rus (1634) cited above, the imago of Perun incorporates the peculiarities of the Devil , embodying

2044-470: The Russian writer Pavel Yakushkin , when he was near Novgorod , wrote down an oral legend about Perun the serpent and Peryn, told to him by a Novgorodian fisherman. In fact, the oral legend is cognate with the plot of the Saga of Sloven and Rus . Even at the turn of the 20th century there was a tradition to drop a coin in the river Volhov while passing Peryn by boat. " ...The elder son of Sloven called Volhv

2117-695: The Varangians to the Greeks . The city of Veliky Novgorod , which is a major trade center of the route, lies six kilometres (3.7 mi) below the lake's sole outflow, via the Volkhov River . According to Max Vasmer 's Etymological Dictionary , the name of the lake originates from Finnic Ilmajärvi , which means "air lake". Thanks to Novgorodian colonisation, many lakes in Russia have names deriving from Lake Ilmen. Yuri Otkupshchikov has argued that

2190-526: The ancient language, Old East Slavic ] thunder is called “Perun”. He, the damned wizard, erected a small burg for the sake of midnight dreamings and devilish assemblies in a certain place called Peryn [in the original variant - Perynia] , where an idol of Perun stood [before] . And they gossip about the wizard ignorantly: " [He] was appointed to [the pantheon of] gods, embodying the Vicious ". We venture to take our true Christian word to announce about

2263-476: The bonfires and the ditch were buried when the shrine was ravaged in ancient times. The hole in the centre of the circle is interpreted by Sedov as a groove for the wooden idol. He found pieces of putrefied wood inside the hole and argues in his report: the data from the Novgorod First Chronicle are confirmed, and the idol was hacked down during the process of destruction, leaving the base of

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2336-637: The buildings except the Church of the Nativity were disassembled. The monastery was revived in the 18th century thanks to Anna Orlova-Chesmenskaya and Photios the Archimandrite . Photios the Archimandrite, when he was a hieromonk in Saint Petersburg , dismissed the popular idea of the times emphasizing direct communication between a man and the God outside the influence of the church. As

2409-481: The citizen suddenly run together and lash each other with ropes, and such a tumult arises therefrom, that all the effort of the governor can scarcely assuage it. " Novgorodian society has carefully guarded its memories of Perun and Peryn throughout the centuries. The Saga of Sloven and Rus , created in 1634, contains one more legend on the matter; the excerpt from the Saga below also describes certain Slavic heathen traditions and rituals. Two centuries later, in 1859,

2482-404: The damned wizard and the demon: he was overthrown and drowned in the river Volhov, and by devilish tricks his corpse was belched ashore against his burg on [the bank of] the river Volhov still called Peryn. And he was buried at that place by heretics with a loud death wail and a great pagan trizna , and they made a large mound on his grave according to the pagan custom. And on the third day of

2555-465: The deceased on green lush meadows in the underworld. The name is also related to Slavic terminology for oxen, for which the South Slavs, Russians, and Poles use "вол/vol/wół". Volos can also be a derivation from the same root by Eastern Slavic phonetic laws, now considered the most probable explanation for this phonetic form. Veles is presumed to be or to represent the same figure as Vala ,

2628-501: The dragon Illuyankas , enemy of the storm god of Hittite mythology. The reason for the enmity between the two gods is Veles's theft of Perun's son, wife, or, usually, cattle. It is also an act of challenge: Veles, in the form of a huge serpent, slithers from the caves of the underworld and coils up the Slavic world tree towards Perun's heavenly domain. Perun retaliates and attacks Veles with his lightning bolts. Veles flees, hiding or transforming himself into trees, animals or people. In

2701-452: The end, he is killed by Perun and in this ritual death, whatever Veles stole is released from his battered body in the form of rain falling from the skies. This "storm myth", or "divine battle", as it is generally called by scholars today, explained to ancient Slavs the changing of seasons through the year. The dry periods were interpreted as the chaotic results of Veles' thievery. Storms and lightning were seen as divine battles. The ensuing rain

2774-511: The enemy of the Vedic thunder god Indra . Other scholarship suggests a closer connection to characters of Baltic mythology , such as Velnias , Velns ( Latvian ) or Vėlinas ( Lithuanian ), a devil-like entity and enemy of the Baltic thunder-god Perkūnas (cf. Slavic Perun ). Scholar Marija Gimbutas cited "related" etymons: Lithuanian veles 'shades of the dead' and Latvian Vels 'god of

2847-827: The four main ones being the Msta , the Pola , the Lovat , and the Shelon . It is drained through a single outlet, the Volkhov , into Lake Ladoga , and subsequently via the Neva into the Gulf of Finland . The source of the Volkhov is marked by the Peryn Chapel built in the 1220s. The basin of Lake Ilmen contains vast areas in Novgorod, Pskov , and Tver Oblasts of Russia, as well as minor areas in

2920-466: The ground, preferably over the roots of the nearest tree. The symbolism of this is clear, even though forgotten long ago by those still performing it: the musicians will not sing until a toast is made to their patron deity. After the advent of Christianity, Veles was split into several different characters. As a god of the underworld and dragons, he became identified with the Devil . His more benevolent sides were transformed to several Christian saints. As

2993-410: The guidance of Valentin Sedov described in his survey of Peryn, suggest that Peryn was a sacred place from ancient times. It is likely that the area has seen several pagan shrines, replacing one with another over time. The best known is the heathen shrine, established there in 980. Early Slavs used to set up anthropomorphic statues of wood, picturing their gods to serve the cult, and in 980 in Peryn it

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3066-439: The house of Dobrynya , who was appointed to Christianize Novgorod, and beat up his wife. However, Dobrynya with the help of Putyata the warlord stifled the riot and completed his Christianization by force. Subsequently, the Peryn shrine, being the main spiritual complex in the second most important city in the Russian state , was ravaged and destroyed. No doubt, the process of ravaging was ritualized in Peryn, demonstrating that

3139-436: The idol inside the hole. Sedov in his survey draws a more complete and detailed picture of the destruction. Based on the results of the excavations he claims: while one group of people was engaged in chopping the wooden idol down, another was covering the bonfires with soil and destroying the altar . Then they all together buried the ditch. In 1952 Sedov continued the excavations and discovered two circle-shaped constructions of

3212-475: The idol of Perun, and ordered it to be dragged into Volhov , tying [it] with ropes, dragging [it] on dirt, beating [it] with sticks, and [Joachim the Korsunian] ordered everyone not to accept it [the idol] anywhere [i.e. not to pull it ashore]. A settler of the valley of Pitba [a river] went to the river in the early morning, preparing to go to the city to sell pottery; [the idol of] Perun hit

3285-1071: The idol stood, and the monastery holds the name of the idol and is called the Perunic monastery. The deity looks like a man with a lightning- or ray-shaped flint in his hand. Day and night they kept an eternal flame burning with oak firewood as a sign of worship to the deity. And if the priest of the cult allowed the fire to go out accidentally, he was put to death. " ____________________ " Новгородцы, когда были еще язычниками, имели идола, называвшегося Перуном. т. е. богом огня, ибо русские огонь называют "перун". И на том месте, где стоял этот их идол, построен монастырь, удержавший имя идола и названный Перунским монастырем. Божество это имело вид человека с кремнем в руке, похожим на громовую стрелу (молнию) или луч. В знак поклонения этому божеству содержали неугасимый ни днем, ни ночью огонь, раскладываемый из дубового леса. И если служитель при этом огне по нерадению допускал огню потухнуть, то наказывался смертью " (Modern Russian translation) As paganism implies many deities, Perun

3358-527: The mace of Perun, thrown down on the Great Bridge, was seminal and linked with the Novgorodian tradition of arranging wrestling matches between the citizens of different districts of the medieval city. The significant attribute of the wrestling battles were maces (a symbol of Perun): a sidenote in the Book of Royal Degrees tells us that the maces with tin pips for use in the wrestling matches were kept inside

3431-560: The nature of Veles and his domains. Further complicating matters is the presence of Lithuanian vėlės , which Fraenkel claims is unrelated to the Slavic term. Moreover, it remains to be determined what the original shape of the lemma was in early Slavic, which obfuscates its history and linguistic relationships. One possibility is that the name derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *wel- , meaning wool. This seems plausible, since in Slavic cosmology Veles in serpentine form

3504-509: The new religion had overthrown its predecessor. According to the chronicle, it happened this way in Peryn: " In the year 6497 [989] Vladimir was baptized, and all Russian land [as well] . And [they] appointed a metropolitan [to serve] in Kiev, and an archbishop – in Novgorod. <…> And the archbishop Ioakim Korsunianin came over to Novgorod, and destroyed the altars, chopped down

3577-580: The north of Vitebsk Region in Belarus . The water level is regulated by the Volkhov hydroelectric plant situated downstream the Volkhov River. Water temperature in July is 19-20 °C. The bathing season is about 90 days. Lake Ilmen is navigable. Shipping lines are Veliky Novgorod – Staraya Russa and Veliky Novgorod – Shimsk . There is a fishery in the lake. The lake area

3650-438: The opposite of Perun who is described as a ruling god of war who punishes by death in battle. In the later half of the 10th century, Veles or Volos was one of seven gods whose statues Vladimir I of Kiev had erected in his city. It is very interesting that Veles' statue apparently did not stand next to others, on the hill where the prince's castle was, but lower in the city, in the marketplace. Not only does this indicate that Veles

3723-478: The outer world. The monks had many prescriptions, one of them being that women were only allowed to visit the monastery once a year on September 8, the day of the Nativity of Our Lady. Lake Ilmen Lake Ilmen ( Russian : И́льмень , IPA: [ˈilʲmʲɪnʲ] ) is a large lake in Novgorod Oblast , Russia . A historically important lake, it formed a vital part of the medieval trade route from

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3796-487: The presence of the name "Ilmen" in Southern Russia cannot be explained by Novgorodian colonisation alone, and proposed a Slavic etymology instead. The average surface area of the lake is 982 square kilometres (379 sq mi) (it may vary between 733 square kilometres (283 sq mi) and 2,090 square kilometres (810 sq mi) depending on water level). The lake is fed by 52 inflowing rivers,

3869-492: The remains of the Perun’s shrine” . On the other hand, the debates are about whether Sedov discovered the very shrine, but the fact that a shrine to Perun was located in Peryn is widely accepted and causes no doubt. The monastery was probably founded in Peryn soon after the pagan shrine was destroyed, when a wooden church was reportedly erected there. The remains of the church were presumably discovered by Vasili Sedov while excavating

3942-475: The report by Sedov, the shrine was located in the centre of Peryn Islet, on the historical top of the Peryn Hill. The remains were preserved quite well, though some parts were spoiled significantly by diggings many centuries ago. The shrine is circular-shaped with a diameter of 21 m (69 ft), encompassing a shallow ditch a metre in depth. The construction is of regular (geometrical) forms. The ditch has

4015-418: The same architectural style. The monastery was provided with two utility buildings and surrounded by a brick wall; the complex was completed with a bell tower housing six bells. The buildings (apart from the bell tower and the fence) still form part of the monastery complex today. Finally, Photios succeeded in giving the monastery the status of skete in 1828 - a monastery with severe regulations, isolated from

4088-870: The shore, and [the man] pushed away the idol with a stick, saying: “You say, Perun, you had enough to eat and drink, so get away now”, and the vicious floated away " ____________________ " В лѣта шесть тысящь четырѣста деветьдесятъ седмаго. Крѣстися Володимеръ и вся земля Руская. И поставиша в Киеве митрополита, а Новугороду архиепископа… И приидѣ Новугороду Акимъ архиепископъ Коръсунянинъ, и требища раздруши, и Перуна посече, и повеле волочи Волховомъ, поверзавше оужи, волочаху по калу, бьюще жезьлиемъ; и заповѣда никомуже нигдѣже не приати. Идѣ пидьблянинъ рано на реку, хотя горонци вести в городъ; оли Перунъ приплы ко берви, и отрину и шесътомъ: «ты, рече, Перушиче, досыть еси пилъ и ѣлъ, а нынѣ поплови прочь»; и плы съ свѣта окошное " ( Old East Slavic language , Old Novgorod dialect , adopted writing) The Christianization and ravaging of

4161-527: The shrines was a great tragedy for the people. They wept and cried out for mercy with their gods, and Dobrynya reportedly mocked them in response: "What, madmen? Are you mourning those who are not able to protect themselves [on their own] ? What benefits do you expect from them?" . Some people, who did not will to betray their deities , started to pretend they have already been baptized. In response, Dobrynya ordered to check crosses and “ not to believe and to baptize ” those who wear no cross. Whatever it was,

4234-581: The site of the pagan shrine according to the Old Russian tradition of erecting churches on the places of pagan shrines. The results of Sedov are consistent with those of Artemi Artsihovsky , who was looking for the remains of the shrine in the chapel's basement two years earlier (in 1948), and had not found them. The excavations confirmed the chronicle data that bonfires had burnt around the idol. Heaps of charcoal and/or evidence of fire were revealed in every bulge. Sedov in his survey ties that fact with what

4307-494: The small northern shrine in 1952. The wooden church had approximately the same dimensions as the present church of stone. It had reportedly been preserved well for about 200 years, until it was replaced with the Peryn Chapel which existed until contemporary times. Nevertheless, the first chronicled reference to the monastery was not made until 1386. The chronicle tells us that the monastery was one of 24 cloisters burned down by

4380-520: The theory, on the other hand, include Boris Uspensky , T. Sudnik and T. Tsivyan, and others. According to Ivanov and Toporov, Veles' portrayal as having a penchant for mischief is evident both from his role in the storm myth and in carnival customs of Koledari shamans. In his role as a trickster god, he is in some ways similar to both Greek Hermes and Scandinavian Loki . He was connected with magic. The word volhov , obviously derived from his name, in some Slavic languages still means sorcerer while in

4453-1617: The trizna the ground slumped in, absorbing the crocodile’s odious body, and the grave fell down into the depths of hell, and still the hole has reportedly not been filled. " ____________________ " Больший же сын оного князя Словена Волхв бесоугодник и чародей и лют в людех тогда бысть, и бесовскими ухищреньми мечты творя многи, и преобразуяся во образ лютаго зверя коркодила, и залегаше в той реце Волхове путь водный, и не поклоняющих же ся ему овых пожираше, овых же испроверзая и утопляя. Сего же ради людие, тогда невегласи, сущим богом окаяннаго того нарицая и Грома его, или Перуна, рекоша, руским бо языком гром перун именуется. Постави же он, окаянный чародей, нощных ради мечтаний и собирания бесовскаго градок мал на месте некоем, зовомо Перыня, иде же и кумир Перунов стояше. И баснословят о сем волхве невегласи, глаголюще: "В боги сел, окаяннаго претворяюще". Наше же християнское истинное слово с неложным испытанием многоиспытне извести о сем окаяннем чародеи и Волхове, яко зле разбиен бысть и удавлен от бесов в реце Волхове и мечтаньми бесовскими окаянное тело несено бысть вверх по оной реце Волхову и извержено на брег противу волховнаго его градка, иде же ныне зовется Перыня. И со многим плачем тут от неверных погребен бысть окаянный с великою тризною поганскою, и могилу ссыпаша над ним велми высоку, яко же обычай есть поганым. И по трех убо днех окаяннаго того тризнища проседеся земля и пожре мерзкое тело коркодилово, и могила его просыпася с ним купно во дно адово, иже и доныне, яко ж поведают, знак ямы тоя не наполнися " ( Early Modern Russian ) As frequently occurs after

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4526-411: The underworld', which seem to indicate Veles's connection to the underworld. An ancient Russian word, Vlasezhelische , probably refers to the place where Veles dwells, "the underground kingdom or an entrance to it". The Russian philologists Vyacheslav Ivanov and Vladimir Toporov reconstructed the mythical battle of Perun and Veles through comparative study of various Indo-European mythologies and

4599-431: The watery realm lying beneath the roots of the cosmic tree ( axis mundi ). Order thus restored, the two gods cease hostilities until the next time that Veles tries to crawl up into Perun's realm. The myth was cyclical, repeating itself each year. The death of Veles was never permanent; he would reform himself as a serpent who would shed its old skin and would be reborn in a new body. Although in this particular myth he plays

4672-470: The well-known deities, Perun was the head of a pantheon. He was a thunder god too, who overthrew his enemy Veles down under the roots of the World Oak . Adam Olearius , who visited Peryn in 1654, describes the cult of Perun in Peryn as follows: " Novgorodians, when they were pagans, had an idol called Perun, i.e. the god of fire, as Russians call fire “Perun”. A monastery is erected now in the place where

4745-423: Was a devil worshipper and a wizard, and was ferocious towards people. He [used to] achieve many dreams by means of devilish tricks and turn himself into a ferocious beast, a crocodile, lying down deeply in the river Volhov on a waterway, devouring some who did not worship him, and lacerating and drowning others. For that sake, people called him the real god of the thunder, or Perun, as in Russian [the author means

4818-885: Was carried out this way: " In the year 6488 [980] <...> Vladimir appointed his uncle Dobrynya to rule in Novgorod . And Dobrynya came over in Novgorod. [And he] set up an idol of Perun above the Volkhov River [i.e. on a high bank] , and Novgorodians offer him [Perun] sacrifices as to a deity " ____________________ " В лѣто ҂s҃.у҃.п҃и [6488 (980)] <…> Володимиръ же посади Добрьиню оуӕ своєго в Новѣгородѣ . И пришєд Добрынѧ Новугороду. Постави Пєруна кумиръ надъ рѣкою Волховомъ , и жрѧхуть єму людє Новгородьстии акы Бу҃ " ( Old East Slavic language ) The Perun cult can be considered an aspect of Slavic mythology combining Greek and Scandinavian mythology with authentic Slavic features. Parallels can therefore be seen between Perun, Jupiter , Zeus , and Thor . Like

4891-532: Was connected with commerce, but it also shows that worship of Perun and Veles had to be kept separate: while it was proper for Perun's shrines to be built high, on the top of the hill, Veles' place was down, in the lowlands. A similar pattern can be observed among the South Slavs . Here the name of Veles appears only in toponyms , the best-known of which is the city of Veles in Macedonia , over which looms

4964-632: Was indifferent towards their religion, until Vladimir the Great was baptized in 988. By contrast to the folk cults of Volos and Jesus , the cult of Perun was probably seen as the royal (official) cult, arranged on Peryn Island close to the royal residence on the Holmgård Hill . When the Russian state was Christianized in 989 , the heathen religion was subjected to persecution. The citizens of Novgorod first tried to protect their deities, reportedly saying: "We would rather die than allow our gods to be outraged" . The Novgorodians ravaged and plundered

5037-468: Was not the only god in the heathen pantheon of Novgorod. Volos , whose shrine was presumably located on the site of the Church of St. Vlasi , was another deity worshipped in the city. But it seems that his cult was not favoured by Vladimir the Great , who excluded Volos from his pagan pantheon. The first Christians erected the Church of the Transfiguration in Novgorod, but the government in Kiev

5110-760: Was ravaged. The Novgorod inventory for 1617 reported: " The Perynsky monastery of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The church in the monastery of the Nativity of Our Lady has been ravaged. There are no cells or fence near the monastery. The elder Maxim is the only monk in the monastery. All his assets of the God's mercy [i.e. funded with donations] are a crucifix and five books. " ____________________ " Пречистыя Богородицы Перынский монастырь. Храм в монастыре Рождество Богородицы разорен. Келей и ограды около монастыря нет. В монастыре старец один Максим. Церковной монастырской казны Божия милосердия у него крест благословящий да пять книг... " ( modern Russian adaptation of

5183-593: Was the location of an important battle during World War II , the Demyansk Pocket . [REDACTED] Media related to Ilmen Lake at Wikimedia Commons Veles (god) Veles , also known as Volos , is a major god of earth, waters, livestock, and the underworld in Slavic paganism . His mythology and powers are similar, though not identical, to those of (among other deities) Odin , Loki and Hermes . According to reconstruction by some researchers, he

5256-428: Was the triumph of Perun over Veles and the re-establishment of world order. On a deeper level, as has been said above, Perun's place is up, high and dry and Veles' down, low and wet. By climbing up into the sphere of Perun, Veles disrupts the equilibrium of the world and needs to be put in his place. Perun achieves this in a fierce battle, smiting his adversary with lightning and driving him back down into his proper place,

5329-784: Was thrown into Volhov . He [the idol] swam over [the pillars of] the Great Bridge, throwing a mace down on the bridge and saying: “Let Novgorodian children remember me with that”. Now crazy people fight themselves with maces, entertaining demons. And everyone was ordered not to accept him [i.e. not to pull the idol ashore]" ____________________ " Вшелъ бѣаше бѣсъ въ Перуна и нача кричати: «О горѣ! Охъ мнѣ! Достахся немилостивымъ симъ рукамъ». И вринуша его въ Волховъ. Онъ же поплове сквозѣ Велии мостъ, верже палицю свою на мостъ и рече: «На семъ мя поминаютъ Новгородьскыя дѣти». Еюже нынѣ безумнiи убивающиеся утѣху творять бѣсом. И заповѣда нiкомуже нигдѣже не переяти его " ( Old East Slavic language , Old Novgorod dialect , adopted writing) The legend about

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