Image: Wikimedia Commons

Veles

Slavic god of earth, waters and the underworld

Entitywater deity nature deity Slavic deityQ824249

Also known as Volos

Instance of: water deity
, nature deity
, Slavic deity
Part of: Belarusian mythology

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Veles, also known as Volos, is a chthonic god of the underworld in Slavic mythology, described in contemporary sources as a cattle god, but according to various hypotheses, he had a much broader sphere of influence. His function as protector of cattle may be connected to both wealth and rule of the underworld, which was imagined as a pasture where human souls grazed. Through comparative methods, he can be interpreted as a deity of magic, knowledge, divination, and poetry. As the guardian of the boundary between the world of the living and the dead, he was also a god of the wilderness, hunting and animals. He was also a guarantor of oaths, punishing their violation by "turning them yellow", most likely a metaphor for a form of jaundice.

Overview

All data

23 statements · 22% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Worshipped by: Slavic mythology
Sex or gender: male
1
Sources
1.Stated in Czech National Authority DatabaseRetrieved 2025-08-29
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Said to be the same as: Velnias
Flins
Different from: Veles
Enemy: Perun
Field of work: Slavic mythology
1
Sources
1.Stated in Czech National Authority DatabaseRetrieved 2023-10-18
View statement on Wikidata ↗
Slavic religion
1
Sources
1.Stated in Czech National Authority DatabaseRetrieved 2023-10-18
View statement on Wikidata ↗

On other databases

11 identifiers linking Veles across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

22%

externally sourced

Source last edited August 13, 2026. AIDb refreshes this page daily.

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AIDb. (2026). Veles (Q824249). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/veles-Q824249