Perun

Perun is the highest, most dominant god in Slavic mythology. Occupying a space akin to Zeus in Greek mythology, Perun is the god of the storms, thunder and lightning with many other attributes as well. Perun is considered a fearsome figure in terms of power, but like Zeus is also fatherly and is the head of the pantheon of gods in the mythology of the Slavs.

Although Perun is the equivalent of Odin in Norse mythology, his appearance is more akin to Thor instead. Boasting a long, copper beard, Perun is a very muscular, rugged man who rides a chariot pulled by a goat buck and carries either a large axe or hammer depending upon the mythological stories that are told. Like the hammer of Thor, Perun’s axe is used to smite the evil and returns to his hand after being thrown.
Essentially, Perun is not only the god of thunder and lighting, he is also the patron of soldiers and noble warriors, the ruling god and keeper of the law and the standard of male power and dominance as well. Perun occupies a familiar place in mythology as a powerful, temperamental god whose actions were based in part on his temper.

As with much of mythology in all cultures, the stories of Perun were meant at least in part to help explain the world in which the Slavs lived. Earthquakes, violent storms and other unpredictable acts of nature were often attributed to Perun and his fiery temper. As leader of the gods, Perun was the most visible example of how their power influenced the world in which the Slavs lived.

The Family of Perun
Perun is the son of Svarog and Lada whose birth was heralded with a might earthquake. Perun is also the most famous of the Svarozhich brothers who rule the heavens. But Perun is also the most powerful and most temperamental of them all which may be why he was chosen to be the leader of the gods in Slavic mythology.

Even as a baby, Perun demonstrated both his power and his temper in stories where he overcame great challenges being taken to the underworld where he slept as his family searched for many years. Perun became a man during his slumber and when finally arisen tremors accompanied his steps. Perun fought the beasts of the underworld and overcame many challenges which led him back to his heavenly home.
There, Perun met the daughter of the sky god, Dyje and moon goddess Divii and married her after overcoming numerous challenges as well. Perun began his reign as the head of the pantheon of the gods, overcoming even more challenges while maintaining his rule.

The Origins of Perun in Slavic Mythology
The myths of the Slavs go back thousands of years, but unlike the Greeks their stories were not written down until roughly the 6th century AD. As these myths and stories were gathered, Perun was the most prominent of the Slavic gods. A Byzantine historian Procopius was the first to record the triumphs of Perun as his exploits were mostly known by Slavs who lived in the eastern sections of Europe. Interestingly enough, Slavs who lived in the western areas of Europe did not mention Perun directly by name, but there are plenty of references that indicate Perun was well known in their mythology as well.

By 980, Prince Vladimir the Great erected five statues of pagan gods as his palace in Kiev with Perun being the most prominent among them. From there, the mythology of Perun became more well known as stories developed over the centuries when Slavs began coalescing their power in Russia and Eastern Europe. From there, the stories of Perun as well as statues began appearing across Eastern Europe and Russia which lasted unabated for a short time until the arrival of the Christian faith.

The Worship of Perun
For Slavs, Perun was certainly a powerful god that invoked many statues honoring his name. In fact, idols made of oak trees or stone were quite common in pre-Christian Slavic culture in the image of Perun. The oak seems to have been the most prominent form in which images of Perun was carved. In fact, many Slav villages would carve an image of Perun into the most prominent oak tree that was nearby where festivals were often held.

Many shrines still exist today located in the foothills, tops of mountains or in sacred groves of ancient oak trees. Wherever there was a general place to worship, images of Perun could be found. Quite often, sacrifices of animals were held as well in offerings to Perun. In fact, in addition to the oak tree, the day of Thursday and the metal tin were also associated with Perun as well.

The Rise of Christianity
Like all myths generated by the Greeks, Slavs, Romans and those living in Europe, the arrival of Christianity dampened the worship of these pagan gods over time. As part of the process, the Eastern Orthodox Church actually incorporated elements of Perun into a new Christian saint, Elijah the Thunderer who was a combination of Perun and Elijah, the prophet in the Old Testament. Elijah the Thunderer is described as riding a flaming chariot through heaven which is a close approximation of the old Slavic myth.

For Slavs in the western part of Europe, St. Michael the Archangel acted as a suitable replacement for Perun as a commander of heavenly armies that conquered and vanquished the Devil. By incorporating some of the Slavic mythology particularly that of Perun, both of the large Christian churches managed to bring in the Slavs to their faith.

It can even be argued that the Christian God himself bears somewhat of a resemblance to Perun in terms of the characteristics that are bestowed upon him although such connections are somewhat tenuous and may be more coincidental in nature.

Today, the rich, Slavic mythology that describes Perun and the Slav gods consists of rich, fertile stories of great struggle and ultimate triumph similar in fashion to the Norse and Greek gods as well.

Information came from the site http://meettheslavs.com/perun-slavic-god/

Beltane

Yes, it is that time for another holiday. I am so excited to share information about this Pagan holiday with you - even though it's not as great as Samhain! I happen to be very new to this holiday as well, so I decided to show an article that was written by Rowan Moonstone that helps to explain this fire holiday further. Enjoy!

Beltane: Its History and Modern Celebration in Wicca in America

by Rowan Moonstone

The celebration of May 1st, or Beltane as it is known in Wicca Circles, is one of the most important festivals of our religious year. I will attempt here to answer some of the most often asked questions about this holiday. An extensive bibliography follows the article so that the interested reader can do further research.

1. Where does the festival of Beltane originate?
   Beltane, as practiced by modern day Witches and Pagans, has its origins among the Celtic peoples of Western Europe and the British Isles, particularly Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
2. What does the word Beltane mean?
   Dr. Proinsias MacCana defines the word as follows: "... the Irish name for May Day is Beltane, of which the second element, 'tene', is the word for fire, and the first, 'bel', probably means 'shining or brilliant'."¹ The festival was known by other names in other Celtic countries. Beltaine in Ireland, Bealtunn in Scotland, Shenn do Boaldyn on the Isle of Mann and Galan Mae in Wales.²
3. What was the significance of this holiday to the ancients?
   To the ancient Celts, it symbolized the coming of spring. It was the time of year when the crops began to sprout, the animals bore their young and the people could begin to get out of the houses where they had been cooped up during the long dark cold winter months. Keep in mind that the people in those days had no electric lights or heat and that the Celtic countries are at a much more northerly latitude than many of us are used to. At that latitude, spring comes much later and winter lasts much longer than in most of the US. The coming of fair weather and longer daylight hours would be most welcome after a long cold and dark winter.
4. How did the ancient Celts celebrate this festival?
   The most ancient way of observing this day is with fire. Beltane, along with Samhain (Nov. 1), Imbolc (Feb. 1), and Lughnassadh (Aug. 1), was one of the four great "fire festivals" which marked the turning points of the Celtic year. The most ancient records tell us that the people would extinguish all the hearth fires in the country and then relight them from the "need fires" lit by the druids (who used friction as a means of ignition). In many areas, the cattle were driven between two great bonfires to protect them from disease during the coming year. It is my personal belief, although I have no documentation to back up the assumption, that certain herbs would have been burnt in the fires, thus producing smoke which would help destroy parasites which might make cattle and other livestock ill.
5. In what other ways was this festival celebrated?
   One of the most beautiful customs associated with this festival was "bringing in the May." The young people of the villages and towns would go out into the fields and forests at Midnight on April 30th and gather flowers with which to bedeck themselves, their families and their homes. They would process back into the villages, stopping at each home to leave flowers and to receive the best of food and drink that the home had to offer. This custom is somewhat similar to "trick or treat" at Samhain and was very significant to the ancients. John Williamson, in his study "The Oak King, the Holly King and the Unicorn" writes: "These revelers were messengers of the renewal of vegetation, and they assumed the right to punish the niggardly, because avarice (as opposed to generosity) was dangerous to the community's hope for the abundance of nature. At an important time like the coming of summer, food, the substance of life, must be ritually circulated generously within the community in order that the cosmic circuit of life's substance may be kept in motion (trees, flocks, harvests, etc.)."³ These revelers would bless the fields and flocks of those who were generous and wish ill harvests on those who withheld their bounty.
6. What about maypoles?
   The maypole was an adjunct to the festival of bringing in the May. It is a phallic symbol, and as such represented fertility to the participants in the festival. In olden days, the revelers who went into the woods would cut a tree and bring it into town, decking it with flowers and greenery and dance around it clockwise (also called deosil, meaning "sun-wise", the direction of the sun's apparent travel across the face of the Earth) to bring fertility and good luck. The ribbons which we associate with the maypole today were a later addition.
7. Why was fertility important?
   The people who originated this custom lived in close connection with the land. If the flocks and fields were fertile, they were ableto eat; if there was famine or drought, they went hungry. It is hard for us today to relate to this concept, but to the ancients, it was literally a life and death matter. The Celts were a very close tribal people, and fertility of their women literally meant continuity of the tribe.
8. How is the maypole connected with fertility?
   Many scholars see the maypole as a phallic symbol. In this aspect, it is a very powerful symbol of the fertility of nature and spring.
9. How did these ancient customs come down to us?
   When Christianity came to the British Isles, many of the ancient holy sites were taken over by the new religion and converted to Christian sites. Many of the old Gods and Goddesses became Christian saints, and many of the customs were appropriated. Charles Squire says," An ingenious theory was invented after the introduction of Christianity, with the purpose of allowing such ancient rites to continue with a changed meaning. The passing of persons and cattle through flame or smoke was explained as a practice which interposed a magic protection between them and the powers of evil."⁴ This is precisely what the original festival was intended to do; only the definition of "evil" had changed. These old customs continued to be practiced in many areas for centuries. "In Scotland in 1282, John, the priest in Iverkething, led the young girls of his parish in a phallic dance of decidedly obscene character during Easter week. For this, penance was laid upon him, but his punishment was not severe, and he was allowed to retain his benefice."⁵
10. Were sacrifices practiced during this festival?
    Scholars are divided in their opinions of this. There is no surviving account of sacrifices in the legends and mythology which have come down to us. As these were originally set down on paper by Christian monks, one would think that if such a thing had been regularly practiced, the good brothers would most certainly have recorded it, if for no other reason than to make the pagans look more depraved. There are, however, some surviving folk customs which point to a person representing the gloom and ill fortune of winter being ostracized and forced to jump through the fires. Some scholars see this as a survival of ancient human sacrificial practices. The notion that animals were sacrificed during this time doesn't make sense from a practical standpoint. The animals which had been retained a breeding stock through the winter would either be lean and hungry from winter feed, or would be mothers nursing young, which could not be spared.
11. How do modern day pagans observe this day?
    Modern day pagan observances of Beltane include the maypole dances, bringing in the May, and jumping the cauldron for fertility. Many couples wishing to conceive children will jump the cauldron together at this time. Fertility of imagination and other varieties of fertility are invoked along with sexual fertility. In Wiccan and other Pagan circles, this is a joyous day, full of laughter and good times.
12. What about Walpurgisnacht? Is this the same thing as Beltane?
    Walpurgisnacht comes from an Eastern European background, and has little in common with the Celtic practices. I have not studied the folklore from that region and do not consider myself qualified to write about it. As the vast majority of Wiccan traditions today stem from Celtic roots, I have confined myself to research in those areas.

This article can be found at http://www.sacred-texts.com/bos/bos032.htm

Beltane, also spelled Beltine, Irish Beltaine or Belltaine, also known as Cétamain,  festival held on the first day of May in Ireland and Scotland, celebrating the beginning of summer and open pasturing. Beltane is first mentioned in a glossary attributed to Cormac, bishop of Cashel and king of Munster, who was killed in 908. Cormac describes how cattle were driven between two bonfires on Beltane as a magical means of protecting them from disease before they were led into summer pastures—a custom still observed in Ireland in the 19th century. Other festivities included Maypole dances and cutting of green boughs and flowers.

In early Irish lore a number of significant events took place on Beltane, which long remained the focus of folk traditions and tales in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. As did other pre-Christian Celtic peoples, the Irish divided the year into two main seasons. Winter and the beginning of the year fell on November 1 (Irish: Samain) and midyear and summer on May 1 (Irish: Beltaine). These two junctures were thought to be critical periods when the bounds between the human and supernatural worlds were temporarily erased; on May Eve witches and fairies roamed freely, and measures had to be taken against their enchantments.

Cormac derives the word Beltaine from the name of a god Bel, or Bil, and the Old Irish word tene, “fire.” Despite linguistic difficulties, a number of 20th-century scholars have maintained modified versions of this etymology, linking the first element of the word with the Gaulish god Belenos (Irish: Belenus).

The information above can be found from this site http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/60147/Beltane

Gods of the Weather/The Sky

Sorry it's been so long! So much has been going on, I will tell you that! Anyway, my main job for all of you these next few months is to introduce you to as many Gods and Goddesses as I can. Why? Because it will help to expand yourself to who your Patron and Matron is, as well as being able to pray to certain Gods in certain situations. This will also help you to open up to different cultures and their Gods as well!

Have you ever just wished you could pray to someone for rain? Have you discovered to which God/Goddess to whom you feel a connection to? Well, take a look at the list below and see who of this list would make the perfect God to take a place at your altar.

Achuhucanac: African Guanche rain god. 

Aeolus: Greek god -- ruler (or king) of all the winds. Since the winds were conceived of as horse-shaped spirits, Aeolus was tilted Hippotades, "the reiner of horses," from the Greek hippos ("horse") and taden ("reined in tightly").

Aide: Basque goddess of the air.

Aether: Primeval Greek god of the bright, glowing upper air of heaven (or light).

Ambisagrus: Celtic god of weather (equivalent to Jupiter).

Amun: Egyptian god of creation and the wind.

Apeliotes: Greek god of the east wind.

Astraios: Greek god of the wind and stars.

Aten: Egyptian sun god.

Aura: Green Titan goddess of the breeze and the fresh, cool air of the early morning.

Aurae: Greek nymphs of the breezes.

Aurora: Roman goddess of the dawn.

Barsamin: Armenian god of weather.

Binbeal: Australian god of rainbows.

Boreas: Greek god of the north wind called the cold breath of winter.

Caelus: Roman god of the sky (although the Romans preferred the Greek name Uranus)

Caillech Bheur: Scottish and Irish goddess of weather, earth, sky, seasons, moon and sun.

Cally Berry: Irish Celtic god of weather.

Chaos: Primeval Greek god of the air (literally the gap between heaven and earth). Chaos was the first of the primeval gods to emerge at the creation of the universe.

Denka: African Dinka god of sky, rain, and fertility

Enlil: Sumerian god of air and storms (means "lord of the wind").

Eos: Greek goddess of the dawn.

Erebos: Greek god of the south-east wind.

Favonius: Roman god of the west wind (although the Romans often used the Greek Zephr in poetry).

Fulgora: Roman goddess of lightning.

Freyer: Norse god of weather.

Gaoh: Iroquois master of the winds.

Harpyiai: Greek Daimons of whirlwinds and storm gusts.

Hekatonkheires: Three hundred-armed, fifty-headed giants gods of violent storms which they released from the gates of Tartarus.

Helios: Greek Titan god of the sun. Brother of Eos.

Hemera: The primeval Greek goddess of the day, born of Chaos and Erebos, who scattered the mists of her sister Nyx in the early morning.

Dies: Roman goddess of the day.

Heng: Huron spirit of thunder.

Hera: Greek goddess of the air.

Herse: Greek goddess of the morning dew

Hesperides: The goddess of the sunsets.

Hino: Iroquois sky god of the spirit of thunder.

Horae: Greek goddesses of the seasons usually named Eunomia, Eirene, and Dike.

Horagalles: Sami paraphrase of Thora Galles or Thoragalles and is another name for the Norse god of thunder (Thor).

Horus: African god of the sky.

Hotoru: Pawnee wind god.

Isaywa: African god of rain, storms, thunder, and lightning.

Iris: Greek and Roman goddess of the rainbow.

Juno: Roman goddess of the air.

Jupiter: Roman god of clouds, rain, thunder and lightning; ruler of gods.

Kaikias: The Greek god of the north-east wind.

Khakaba: African god of rain, storms, and lightning.

Lei Shen: Chinese god of thunder also called Lei Gong or Lei Kung.

Leucetios: Celtic god of thunder and storms.

Lips: The Greek god of the south-west wind.

Lugh: Celtic sun god.

Mungo: African god of rain.

Negafook: Inuit god of weather systems

Nenaunir: African evil god of storms

Nephelai: Greek cloud nymphs

Notos: Greek god of the south wind known as the god of summer rain storms.

Nun: African god of water and chaos. 

Nut: Egyptian goddess of the sky who covers the Earth.

Nyx: The primeval Greek goddess of the night born of Chaos and Erebos.

Perkele: Finnish supreme god of thunder -- originally referred to as Ukko 

Perun: Slavic god of thunder and lightning. He carries a mightly axe.

Poseidon: Greek god of earthquakes, storms, and the sea.

Ra: African sun god.

Rock-Sens: African god of rain, thunder, and lightning.

Saranyu: Hindu goddess of the dawn and the clouds

Sekhmet: Egyptian sun goddess

Shango: African Yoruba god of thunder, storms, war (carries a double-headed axe much like Thor).

Shu: Egptian god of the wind and air.

Skadi: Norse goddess of winter and hunting.

Skiron: Greed god of the north-west wind.

Sol: Roman god of the sun also called Phoebus.

Stribog: Slavic god and spirit of the winds, sky and air.

Summanus: Roman god of nocturnal thunderstorms.

Tawhiri: Maori (ancient New Zealand) god of weather including thunder, lightning, wind, clouds, and storms.

Tefnut: Egyptian goddess of moisture.

Teshub: Hurrian (ancient near east) god of sky and storm.

Theia: Greek Titan goddess of the shining light of the clear blue sky.

Thor: Norse god of sky and thunder.

Uenuku: Maori god of rainbows.

Ukko: Finnish god of sky, weather, and crops. Finnish work for thunderstorm (ukkonen) is derived from his name. Ukko's weapon was a hammer by which he struck lightning.

Uku: Estonian equivalent of Finnish Ukko.

Uranus: Primeval Greek god of the sky (or the solid dome of heaven).

Utixo: African god of rain, storms, and thunder.

Utu: Sumerian sun god.

Varuna: Hindu god of the sky.

Wele: African sky god of rain, storms, and lightning.

Yu-Huang-Shang-Ti: Chinese god of the sky.

Zephyrus: Greek god of the wind wind known as the god of spring breezes.

Zeus: Greek god of clouds, rain, thunder and lightning; ruler of gods.

The information above comes from the site http://weathersleuth.com/WxDeities.html