Mythologis
Slavic Mythology: The Complete Guide to Perun, Veles, Mokosh, and the Sacred Stories of Pre-Christian Russia and the Balkans

Slavic Mythology

Slavic Mythology: The Complete Guide to Perun, Veles, Mokosh, and the Sacred Stories of Pre-Christian Russia and the Balkans

Thunder Gods, Serpent Lords, and the Witch in the Chicken-Leg Hut

The mythology of the Slavs before Cyril and Methodius: Perun's thunder against Veles' serpent coils, Mokosh's weaving, Baba Yaga's mortar flight, and the four-faced idols that stood in sacred groves.

150 pagesPDFEnglishMythologis Library

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Inside this book

What you will read

  • 11 chapters, primary sources
  • Instant PDF download
  • Original ink illustrations
  • Inline citations to original texts
  • Designed for print quality
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  1. 01The World Tree and the Three Realms
  2. 02Perun the Thunderer: Supreme God of Sky and War
  3. 03Veles the Serpent: Cattle, Underworld, and Magic
  4. 04Svarog, Dazhbog, and the Gods of Fire and Sun
  5. 05Mokosh the Weaver and the Goddesses of Earth
  6. 06Baba Yaga, Koschei, and the Spirits of Death
  7. 07Rusalki, Domovoy, and the Spirits of Water and House
  8. 08The Sacred Groves and the Four-Faced Idols
  9. 09Heroes, Bogatyrs, and the Epic of Prince Igor
  10. 10The Baptism of Rus' and the Fall of the Idols
  11. 11What the Folktales Remembered

About this book

About this Slavic mythology guide

The thunder god and the serpent lord, the witch's mortar and the four-faced idol: Slavic mythology before the cross.

Before the baptism of Rus', before the Cyrillic alphabet, the Slavs worshipped Perun the Thunderer and Veles the Cattle Lord in groves marked by stone idols. This book reconstructs the pre-Christian religion of Russia, Poland, and the Balkans from the Primary Chronicle, the Book of Veles fragments, archaeological finds like the Zbruch Idol, and the folktales that preserved what the church could not erase.

You will meet Perun hurling his axe from the sky, Veles coiling in the roots of the World Tree, Svarog forging the sun, Dazhbog riding his chariot, Mokosh spinning fate at her loom. You will enter Baba Yaga's hut on chicken legs, hear the Rusalki singing in the rivers, and learn why Koschei the Deathless hid his soul in a needle inside an egg inside a duck. Each chapter cites the chronicle entries, the ethnographic collections of Afanasyev, and the surviving ritual songs.

Eleven chapters trace the cosmology, the gods, the spirits of house and forest, the hero tales, and the survival of pagan practice under Christian rule. Inline citations guide you to the original sources so you can read the chronicles and folktales yourself.

What you will discover inside

  • Why Perun and Veles fought across the three worlds of the cosmic tree
  • How Mokosh the Earth Mother became the only pagan goddess in Russian churches
  • What the Zbruch Idol's four faces reveal about Slavic cosmology
  • The true nature of Baba Yaga: witch, death goddess, or forest guardian
  • How Koschei the Deathless hid his soul and why heroes had to find it
  • What survived in Russian folktales after a thousand years of Christianity

Slavic mythology book at a glance

TraditionSlavic mythology
Chapters11 chapters
Length150 pages
SourcesDrawn from the primary sources, cited inline
Reading levelBeginner-friendly. Every name and place is explained from scratch
FormatPrint-quality PDF
DeliveryPDF within 24 hours

Formats and editions

EditionWhat you getPrice
Instant PDFPrint-quality download, readable on any device. PDF within 24 hours.$7.99
PaperbackA paperback edition is on the way. Sign up on this page to hear when it lands on Amazon.Coming soon

About the author

Guillaume Henry, founder of Mythologis

Guillaume Henry

Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Mythologis

Guillaume Henry founded Mythologis to make the world's mythologies readable without losing what makes them strange. Every Mythologis book draws on the primary sources first, cross-references multiple translations, and avoids inventing details that aren't in the originals.

More about the author

Keep exploring Slavic mythology

Prefer to read before you buy? These free, fully sourced guides cover the same gods, myths and sources you will meet in the book.

Read the complete Slavic mythology guide

Questions about the Slavic mythology book

When will I receive my PDF?

Within 24 hours of purchase. Your download link arrives in your inbox automatically.

Is this book based on primary sources?

Yes. The book cites the Primary Chronicle (Nestor's account of the baptism of Rus' and the destruction of Perun's idol), the fragmentary Book of Veles, archaeological reports on the Zbruch Idol and other stone pillars, and the folktale collections of Alexander Afanasyev. References to standard English translations are provided so you can read the chronicles and tales yourself.

How long is the book?

Eleven chapters, around 150 pages. Designed to be read in evenings or in one long sitting.

Is this book for beginners or specialists?

Beginners welcome. The book explains every name, place, and concept from scratch. Specialists will find the source citations and translation notes useful for further reading.

Will there be a paperback on Amazon?

The PDF is available immediately. A KDP paperback edition follows shortly after.

Why is there so little written evidence for Slavic mythology compared to Norse or Greek?

The Christianization of the Slavs was thorough and early: Prince Vladimir destroyed the Perun idol in Kiev in 988 CE, and the church suppressed pagan texts. What survives comes from hostile Christian chronicles, archaeological finds like the Zbruch Idol, and the folktales that peasants told for a thousand years. This book reconstructs the religion from all three sources.

What formats is this book available in?

Every title is available as an instant PDF, downloaded the moment you buy it: the link appears on the confirmation page and lands in your inbox. Selected titles also have a paperback edition on Amazon. Where the paperback is not out yet, you can sign up to be notified the day it does.

What is the return policy?

The PDF is delivered instantly by Mythologis. If a download ever fails or a file looks wrong, get in touch and we will make it right. Paperbacks bought on Amazon are handled under Amazon's own returns and refund policy.

Can I order from outside the United States?

Yes. The PDF is a digital download, so it works instantly anywhere in the world, with nothing to ship. Where a paperback edition exists, it is sold across Amazon's international marketplaces, with shipping rates and delivery times depending on your country.

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