DAZHBOG
Real Name
: Khors Dazhdbog ("Khors the Giving God")Occupation: Warrior, God of lightning
Legal Status: Citizen of Other-World
Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of Dazhbog except as a mythological character.
Other Aliases: Hors, Chors, Dazbog (alternate spellings)
Place of Birth: Belya Tserhov (now part of the Ukraine in the U.S.S.R.)
Marital Status: (Zlatogorka) Widowed, (Marzana) Divorced, (Zhiva) Married
Known Relatives: Perun (father), Ros (mother), Bielbog (half-brother), Vaivora, Austrine, Zemyna, Selijna, Indraja, Zleka, Nijole (foster sisters), Zlatogorka (first wife, deceased), Marzana (former wife), Zhiva (wife), Yarilo (son), Zemyna (daughter-in-law), Bogumir (grandson, possibly deceased), Meness, Stribog, Svantovit, Svarovic, Kalvis, Keliukis, Mikelis, Polel (uncles), Dazhbog I (uncle, deceased), Dnepr (maternal grandfather), Svarog (paternal grandfather), Lada (paternal grandmother), Zaltys (grand-uncle), Pikuolis, Patrimpas (possible grand-uncles), Rod (great-grandfather), Gaea (great-grandmother, alias Erce)
Group Affiliations: Gods of Russia
Base of Operations: The Land Of Eternal Summer within Other-World
First Appearance: (behind the scenes) Thor #300, (recent) Thor & Hercules Mythological Encyclopedia
History: Khors Dazhdbhog is the son of Perun, the Russian god of thunder and war, and Ros, a water-goddess near the Rus River in the Ukraine. Perun was a member of the Dievans, an extra-dimensional race of beings who had been worshipped as gods by the ancient Baltic and Slavic tribes of Eastern Europe. According to some myths, Dazhbog is called the son of Svarog, the Chieftain of the Slavic Gods, and father of Perun, but whether this is accurate or if there was an earlier Dazhbog is unrevealed. When Svarog became ruler of heaven, he had departed portions of his power among his sons, but Dazhbog was overwhelmed by his brother, Svantovit, who claimed his power as his own. Dazhbog was reportedly slain by Koshchei, the god of death, during a war with the Slavic Gods.
According to myths, Perun was traveling on Earth when he encountered Ros not far from the Dneiper River controlled by her father, Dnepr, a river-god. (Whether Dnepr was a Russian god or one of the sons of Oceanus and Tethys of the Gods of Olympus is unrevealed.) Perun was attracted to Ros and used mystical means to cross the river and spend the night with her. Several years later, Perun recalled Ros's hospitality and tried to revisit her, but he was held back by Dazhbog wielding a cudgel as a weapon. The two fought with Dazhbog overwhelming Perun and defeating him. Ros eventually revealed to Perun that Dazhbog was his son. Realizing that only his son could have defeated him in combat, Perun took Dazhbog back to Iriys, the city of the gods within the realm of Other-World.
Dazhbog became the god of lightning among the tribes of Lithuania and Latvian and possibly took over the worship of the earlier Dazhbog. The Ancient Slavs carried his worship throughout Eastern Europe, and Dazhbog became a hero protecting the Earth from monsters and demons from Vela, ruled by Vij, the god of the underworld. While traveling on Earth, Dazhbog encountered Zlatogorka, the daughter of Vij, and they became lovers. She eventually challenged him to marry her, and Dazhbog took her as his wife.
While they were traveling, Dazhbog discovered a deserted tomb and Zlatogorka dared him to lay down in it to compare it in size. After Dazhbog proved too tall for it, she took her turn and tried it on herself, and the enchantments on it caused it it to seal itself around her. Unable to escape, Zlatogorka instructed Dazhbog to return her weapons to her father. Vij accused Dazhbog of killing his daughter, and the two gods fought with no clear winner in their quarrels. Eventually, the spirit of Zlatogorka appeared to Vij to dissuade the hostilities, and Vij awarded Dazhbog with his forgiveness.
In Other-World, Dazhbog was among the Slavic Gods who failed to attend a feast at the hall of Marzana, the goddess of magic. Fearful of her magic, Perun had instructed Dazhbog not to attend the party, but Dazhbog ignored his wishes and visited Marzana. When Dazhbog refused her hospitality, she transformed him into an ox and hid him on Earth. When Perun found him, Marzana only promised to transform him back of Dazhbog became her husband. Relenting, Dazhbog took her as his wife.
Eventually, Koshchei, the god of death, became jealous of Dazhbog and abducted Marzana while evil spirits known as the Dasun invaded Earth. Dazhbog fought the Dasun for three days and three nights as Koshchei visited Marzana and convinced her that since Dazhbog was only half-immortal that he would be a better husband for her. Convinced, Marzana departed Earth as a bird and followed Koshchei to Vela. When Dazhbog noticed her missing, he invaded the underworld to free her, but pretending to be held captive, she offered him food and drink which weakened him and she took him captive. Marzana asked Koshchei to kill Dazhbog, but since Dazhbog was friends of Vij, Koshchei's father, he refused her request.
Dazhbog eventually escaped the underworld when his horse came looking for him, but he returned two more times trying to rescue Marzana who drugged him two more times and asked Vij two more times to kill him. On the third attempt, Marzana nailed Dazhbog to the Caucasus Mountains to die a slow death. By now, Zhiva, the goddess of life, noticed Dazhbog's delayed absence from Other-World and turned herself into a bird to search for him. When she discovered his suffering, she fell in love with him and asked Dazhbog to reject Marzana, now a goddess of death, and take her as his wife. He agreed, and Dazhbog was returned by Zhiva to Other-World where he healed from his injuries.
Dazhbog and Zhiva eventually sired a son named Bogumir, who became ancestor of the divine kings of the Slavic people. However, despite Zhiva's protests, Dazhbog held a great enmity for Koshchei and Marzana, and wished to slay them to protect his son from death. As the god of death, Koshchei was reported to be immortal, and Dazhbog inquired of Lada, his grandmother, and the Sudaje, the Russian goddesses of fate, on how to slay Koshchei. The only object that could kill Koshchei was concealed in an egg hidden within layers of other objects. When Dazhbog returned to the underworld with the egg, Marzana once again tried to drug him by offering him food and drink, but Zhiva appeared as a dove and spilled the wine to protect him. By now, Rod, father of the Slavic Gods, appeared from the heavens and circumvented Dazhog's will, revealing that the egg contained fire left over from the creation of the world that would destroy all the gods. Dazhbog surrendered the egg to Rod who hid it again, and Dazhbog and Zhiva returned to Other-World.
Around 1000 AD, Svarog met with the chieftains of the other pantheons of Earth and made a pact with the Celestials, a cosmic extraterrestrial race who had influenced the evolution of mortal man on Earth, and made a pledge along with the other godheads not to interfere with the plans the Celestials had for humanity. Svarog also made a pledge to Odin to help defend Earth should the Celestials ever proved to be a threat, and after the Asgardians lost their lives in battle with the Celestials, Dazhbog was present on Other-World when Thor arrived for the necessary life-energies to restore the Asgardians to life. Since then, Dazhbog has not trafficked Earth as often as he had in ancient Russia, but in the absence of Perun, he still defends Other-World and the Earth from otherworldly menaces.
Height: 6' 5"
Weight: 625 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde, partially White
Strength Level: Dazhbog possesses Class 100 level superhuman strength, enabling him to lift (press) well over 100 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Dazhbog possesses the conventional physical attributes of the Slavic gods. Like all Slavic Gods, he is extremely long-lived, but he is not immortal like the Gods of Olympus. He has aged at an extremely slow rate since reaching adulthood, using mystical means to maintain his youth and vigor, and cannot die by any conventional means. He is immune to all Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If he were somehow wounded, his godly life force would enable him to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of his bodily molecules to cause her a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for a god of significant power, such as Svarog or for a number of Slavic gods of equal power working together to revive him.
Dazhbog has greater superhuman strength, stamina, endurance and reflexes over the majority of the Slavic gods, placing him on par with Perun and Svarog. His Dievan metabolism provides him with far greater than human endurance in all physical activities. He can perform strenuous acts of physical activity for extended periods of time without tiring before fatigue results. (Dievan flesh and bone is about three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the superhuman strength and weight of the Olympian Gods.)
Dazhbog also has the ability to tap into and manipulate elemental energies allowing him to conjure and throw bolts of lightning on a level close to Perun or Zeus. He can create bolts powerful enough to shatter objects on impact and to knock other gods such as Vij off their feet. It is unrevealed if he can control the other elements of storm, such as rain or wind. He also has exceptional senses and can detect other living things, discerning whether they are mortal or immortal.
Abilities: Dazhbog is an exceptional warrior and hunter.
Weapons: Dazhbog carries a bow and arrow, a dagger and a sword at times.
Transportation/Pets: Dazhbog rides a large horse much larger than normal terrestrial horses on Earth. Its tail and mane are said to be long enough for Dazhbog to climb them from out of the underworld. It is unrevealed if this is a normal horse given great size and intelligence or a horse native to Otherworld.
Comments: Dazhbog has only marginally appeared in a bio for the Russian gods in the Marvel Universe; he has yet to appear in DC Comics.
In Russian myth, Ros is the eponymous mother-goddess of the Russian race.
Clarifications: Dazhbog is possibly not to be confused with:
Last updated: 05/20/13