God of fertility

The God of fertility associated with Navya (the lower world) was Veles (Volos, Vlas). The name Veles goes back to the ancient root “vel” with the meaning “dead”. But since the world of the dead was associated with the idea of magic power, the owner of which subdues people, the same root means power and is found in the words “power”, “command”, “possess”, “great”. Descent into the other world brings the hero omniscience, special wisdom, often associated with poetic features, so Veles is simultaneously the God of wisdom and poetry (the prophetic singer Boyan in” the Word about Igor’s regiment “is called the grandson of “Veles’s grandson”). Continue reading →