Slavic God Perun

cults3d

Perun is Lord of lightning and thunder. Perun is the god of justice, war, weapons, thunder, and lightning (Thunderbolt). Depicted as a sacred tree, usually, an oak, whose branches and bark represent the living world of the heavens and mortals, heaven and earth, and its roots the underworld, the world of the dead. Perun was the ruler of the world of the living, heaven, and earth, often symbolized by an eagle that sat on the highest branch and watched the whole world. The ancient Slavs believed that thunder occurs when the violent Perun flies out of his courts in a chariot. He was believed to appear in spring to bring rain, make the earth fertile, drive away clouds and bring sunlight. Perun's magical weapons are arrows (lightning). He carries a powerful ax, and sometimes a hammer. He throws an ax at evil people and spirits, which always returns to his hand. He was depicted as a rough man with a copper beard. Animal sacrifices were offered to him, most often it was a rooster, but goats, bears, and even bulls were also offered, which were slaughtered and offered on festive days. When the animal was sacrificed, the believers were supposed to eat the animal, because it was imbued with mana or divine power, and in this way, the whole group would be ritually strengthened. We also find his name in the name iris (iris), sometimes also called bogisha ("god's plant"), which was believed to grow in the place where Perun was struck by lightning.