Also called Volos, Weles, Vlas (in folk Christian form).
Their story
The Primary Chronicle calls Volos the god of cattle and says the Rus swore oaths by him alongside Perun. In the medieval Tale of Igor's Campaign, the singer Boyan is called the grandson of Veles, linking him with poetry. Folk custom of leaving the last ears of grain as Veles' beard survived into the modern era.
Their day
Saturday. In modern practice, some choose Saturday, the day Slavic folk custom set aside for remembering the dead, which suits his underworld role.
Best times to give to them
- the winter festival around Koliada
- the feast of St Blaise (Vlasiy) in February
- harvest, when the last sheaf was left for him
- Saturdays
What they like being given
- beer or mead, or honey water
- bread and grain
- milk and cheese
- the last few stalks of the harvest
- coins
How to honour them
- Leave the last stalks of your garden uncut for him, as farmers once did.
- Keep a small bear or horned figure on your altar.
- Play music or tell tales in his name.
- Remember your ancestors at a meal and set out a portion for them.
How they can help you
- prosperity and money
- care of animals and pets
- magic and hidden knowledge
- music and poetry
- connection with the ancestors
Symbols
- the bear
- the serpent
- horned cattle
- willow and water
- a wolf pelt
Very little is recorded directly; much of the picture of Veles, including his rivalry with Perun, is reconstructed from folklore and comparison.
Festivals
- Dziady Several times a year in different regions; the main autumn Dziady is usually around 1 to 2 November, or on a Saturday in late October or early November