Slavic pseudo-

deities A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

(pseudo- gods, 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, 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 group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

s, were created as a result of mistakes (e.g., by understanding the

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a fa ...

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 Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic, spoken during the Ear ...

, 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 Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

, 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 a ...

, 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 Prillwitz idols is a large number of bronze figurines and bronze relief plates allegedly found in late 17th century. The first publication about them, in 1768, further claimed that the figurines found by the village of Prillwitz (now part of Hohenz ...

, depicting alleged Slavic deities decorated with alleged Slavic

runes Runes are the letter (alphabet), 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, a ...

. 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. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

(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 List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

Alexander Asov Alexander Igorevich Asov ( rus, Александр Игоревич Асов, ; born 29 June 1964), alias Bus Kresen (Бус Кресень, ), is an author of books in Russian pseudohistory (called "фолк-хистори" ("folk-history") in R ...

(''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, the Polish equivalent of Venera, goddess of love, weddings and fertility. * – pseudo-deity of time and/or numbers invented in the 1900s, mentioned in the '' Book of Veles'' * 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 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)". * 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 holiday * Koliada – personification of the New Year cycle and a figure in folk rituals mistakenly interpreted by Alexander Afanasyev 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 (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

, then by Maciej Miechowita recognized as the Polish equivalent of

Leda Leda may refer to: Mythology * Leda (mythology), queen of Sparta and mother of Helen of Troy in Greek mythology Places * Leda, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia * Leda makeshift settlement, Bangladesh, a refugee camp ...

. * – 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 ...

– the chief god of

Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...

according to Jan Długosz, 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 letter ...

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, 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 ...

; nowadays the authenticity of the god is rejected * – hypothetical water goddess proposed by Nikolay Kostomarov, 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, geograp ...

, 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, mentioned in the ''Saxon Chronicle'' *

Krodo Krodo according to the 1492 ''Saxon Chronicle'' incunable, probably written by the Brunswick goldsmith Conrad Bothe (c. 1475 – c. 1501) and printed in the studio of Peter Schöffer at Mainz, was a Germanic god of the Saxons. He is suppo ...

– 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 Nor ...

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 117 ...

, in ''Chronica Slavorum'' (his sequel to Helmold's ''Chronicle''; V, 24), wrote that Bernon (died 1190 or 1191), bishop of

Schwerin Schwerin (; Mecklenburgisch dialect, Mecklenburgian Low German: ''Swerin''; Latin: ''Suerina'', ''Suerinum'') is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Germany, second-largest city of the northeastern States of Germany, German ...

, destroyed the pagan cult, and in place of the deity Goderac ordered

St. Godehard Gotthard (or Godehard) (960 – 5 May 1038 AD; la, Gotthardus, Godehardus), also known as ''Gothard'' or ''Godehard the Bishop'', was a German bishop venerated as a saint. Life Gotthard was born in 960 near Niederalteich, Niederaltaich in the ...

, 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 Lei ...

, 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 p ...

, 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 Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

– 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 the ...

, 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 in his account of the battle of the Lechites led by

Leszko III Leszko III (or Leszek, Lestek, Lesco) was a legendary ruler of Poland, firstly mentioned by Wincenty Kadłubek. Alleged son of Leszko II, father of Popiel I and grandfather of Popiel II. Hypothesis If we would like today to again review the ...

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 Holy ...

, who were said to have erected statues of Suentebueck, Vitelubbe, and

Radegast Radegast () is a small town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the smallest town in Saxony-Anhalt and is located about 13 km south of the district capital of Köthen. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of th ...

that had been toppled earlier. Strzelczyk interprets the name as ''svęty byk'' "sacred bull", or less likely ''Svęty Vit'' " Saint Vitus" ( Svetovit?). * 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 ''Stad ...

. * 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", "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 larg ...

). 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 Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. ...

, heated water poured out through holes in the head.

Prillwitz idols

Many of the deities were created by Andreas Gottlieb Masch (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

, 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 forbidd ...

. The drawings for his book were made by

Daniel Woge Daniel Woge (1717-1797) was a German draughtsman and painter. Life He was born in Berlin and trained under Antoine Pesne before being summoned to Neustrelitz by Adolphus Frederick IV, Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Adolphus Frederick IV to be his c ...

, a German painter and illustrator. Masch's information was further repeated by

Martin Friedrich Arendt Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

(1820), a German botanist and antiquarian, and Bernhard Severin Ingemann (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 * Balduri * Ipabog, Ipabocg * Misizla * Plusso * Zois Martin Friedrich Arendt: * Tara(n) * Othin * Gestrab * Raziva * Tsibaz * Hela * 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 České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in th ...

, 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 the ...

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 In Greek mythology, Megapenthes (; Ancient Greek: Μεγαπένθης ''Megapénthēs'' means "great sorrow") is a name that refers to two characters: * Megapenthes, a son of Proetus. * Megapenthes, a son of Menelaus.Pausanias, 3.19.9 Notes ...

) * 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 kil ...

) * 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 se ...

) * 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''. Odysse ...

) * 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, whic ...

) * 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 b ...

) * Kolohledi ( Cyclopes) * Lada, Pěnonorka (

Aphrodite Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...

) * Lichoplesy, Ochechule ( Sirens) * 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 th ...

) * Milostenky ( Charites) * 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 case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

) * 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 of ...

) * Pyripalič ( Phlegethon) * 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 abo ...

) * Sudičky ( Keres) * Světloň ("sunny horse") * Svrchovanec ( Hyperion) * 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 The Erinyes ( ; sing. Erinys ; grc, Ἐρινύες, pl. of ), also known as the Furies, and the Eumenides, were female chthonic deities of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes ...

) * Žalotok ( Acheron) * Žehlan ( Hephaestus) * Živena (

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...

) 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 Czech ...

'', 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; h ...

) * 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 fa ...

) * Dobropan (

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

) * 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 after ...

) * 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 In ancient Roman mythology, Salacia ( , ) was the female divinity of the sea, worshipped as the goddess of salt water who presided over the depths of the ocean. Neptune was her consort. That Salacia was the consort of Neptune is implied by Va ...

) * Jasni (

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...

) * 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 Jul ...

) * 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 was ...

) * Jarobud ( Demetrius) * Stracchus Hanka also mentions gods from other sources, e.g. Belebog, Perun, Živa, Svetovit,

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 Natio ...

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

East Slavs

Book of Veles

The '' Book of Veles'' is a 20th century forgery that has gained particular popularity among

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

. It lists, in addition to authentic gods, the following pseudo-gods: * Vyšenʹ ( Russian: 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, then repeated by Stryjkowski, who took a fragment of ''

Primary Chronicle The ''Tale of Bygone Years'' ( orv, Повѣсть времѧньныхъ лѣтъ, translit=Pověstĭ vremęnĭnyxŭ lětŭ; ; ; ; ), often known in English as the ''Rus' Primary Chronicle'', the ''Russian Primary Chronicle'', or simply the ...

'', ''us zlat'' ("golden moustache" – about the statue of Perun), as theonym, and compared it to

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

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

Kingdom of the Slavs ''The Kingdom of the Slavs'' ( it, Il Regno de gli Slavi) is a book by Mavro Orbini published in the Italian city of Pesaro in 1601. The book provided a history of the Slavic peoples. The historical context of the work is the Long Turkish War ...

'', by the Croatian writer Mauro Orbini. The translator incorrectly transferred the theonym ''

Semargl Simargl (also Sěmargl, Semargl) or Sěm and Rgel is an East Slavic god or gods, mentioned in two sources. The origin and etymology of this/these figure(s) is the subject of considerable debate. The dominant view is to interpret Simargl as a singl ...

'', written by Orbini as ''Simaergla'', by writing the letter ''a'' as ''s'' and removing the letter ''g'', probably due to euphony, 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. 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, Hu ...

is the

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also

* * * Old Serbian (disambiguat ...

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 ''Veda Slovena'' (Веда Словена in Modern Bulgarian, originally written as Веда Словенахъ) is an ethnographic collection of folk songs and legends of the Muslim Bulgarians; the subtitle of the book indicated that they wer ...

'' (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 Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slavi ...