RUSSIAN GODS
Dimension of Origin: Other-world (not to be confused
with the Celtic Otherworld of the Tuatha
de Danaan) ==History== The Dievans or Gods of Russia are a race of superhumanly powerful humanoid
beings who were once worshipped by the ancient Slavic tribes of Eastern Europe
from about 500 BC to 1000 AD when Christianity was first introduced. They have very few worshippers today,
and very little is known about their history today. Rod and Erce sired several children, many of whom with names that are still
unknown. Lacking a truly defined pantheon, their worship was scattered
throughout Eastern Europe and Western Asia, reaching lands already dominated by
the rival Olympian,
Norse
and Celtic gods.
Most of their worshippers were located on the shore of the Baltic Sea in the area of modern
Latvia and Lithuania, but their worshippers didn't keep records on their gods
and what little we know about them has been passed down orally. It is known that
Svarog, the son of Rod and Erce, was often at war with Zaltys, the serpent-god,
eventually over-powering him and exiling him to the underworld. Afterward,
Svarog became ruler of the Baltic Gods. It is known that the Latvians and
Lithuanians integrated several foreign gods into their pantheon, such as Dyaus,
the Vedic god of rain, and father of the thunder-god, Indra.
In Lithuania, Dyaus was known as Dievs, and Svarog assimilated his worship into
his own to become a god of sky. The Baltic gods became known as Dievans as a
result. Eventually, Svarog meanwhile became so powerful that he decided
to live through his sons and shared
his power among his them, Among them, Perun and Svantovit became so powerful
that they were able to eclipse all and their brothers and gain control of their shares for themselves.
Perun briefly overthrew Svarog as Ruler of the Russian gods, but Svarog later
regained his throne, imprisoning Perun within a mystical amulet that was later
lost on Earth. On Earth, worship of the Dievans spread through the
Slavic tribes of Eastern Europe and reached its zenith in Ancient Russia,
founded by Viking invaders who integrated characteristics of their native Asgardian
gods. The Ancient Russians revered Perun as their patron god, but they also
rejected several of the more older Baltic gods. However, in 980 AD, worship of the Russian gods fell into decline under Vladimir the
Great in favor of Christianity. Hundreds of oak statues and symbols of pagan
beliefs were either destroyed or dumped unto the Dnieper River as a result. The few Slavic
gods still living on Earth retreated to the extra-dimensional realm of Svarga,
created by Svarog. Around
1000 AD, Svarog was approached by Odin,
Chieftain of the Asgardian gods, to meet with the rulers of the other gods once
worshipped on Earth to discuss the threat of the Third Host of the Celestials.
The Celestials had threatened to seal off the portals of each of their godly
realms unless they promised to stop interfering in mortal affairs. Both Svarog
and Odin swore to this pledge, and Svarog made a vow to Odin to
donate the necessary life energies to the Asgardians slain during the Fourth
Host of the Celestials. When Thor
came to Svarga to petition a portion of the required life energies as part of
this vow, Svarog saw that a debt had been paid to his realm and offered Thor
the necessary energies to restore the slain Asgardian gods to life. Svarog
also made a subsequent visit to Asgard to meet with the other godheads over
threat of Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet. In
modern Russian folklore, the last existing trace of the Slavic gods on Earth,
Svarga became known as Other-World. Recently, a Soviet official named Valeri Sovloyev
discovered the amulet containing Perun. When he released Perun, the thunder-god's
essence took control of his body as an agent of the Supreme Soviets, a group of costumed
adventurers under the employ of the Russian Government. Except
for very rare appearances, unlike the Olympians
and the Asgardians, the Russian
Gods have had very little contact with humans, apart from Perun and the Supreme
Soviets. Five Russian mutants, known as Soyuz, have since appeared using names
of the Russian gods as their public costumed identities.
Relations with Other
Pantheons: The relations of the Russian gods to the other European gods
prior to the formation of the Council
Elite is somewhat vague. The Vikings who invaded Russia definitely based
their worship of Perun on Thor
and worship of Triglav was almost entirely merged with Tiermes
(Tyr). Relations between the Asgardians
and Dievans are tenuous at best. Along those lines, some Finnish
gods are sometimes mistaken as Slavic in origin and vice versa. Following
the Sarmatian invasions of Persia, Eastern influences from Iran changed how
certain gods were worshipped as well, establishing patterns of "good"
vs. "evil." The Dievans are therefore possibly aware of the Yazatas
of Persia and the Devas
or Gods of India. The Gods
of Olympus as well might have tensions with the Dievans following regions of
Illyria (Yugoslavia) and Dacia (Romania) being acquired by Slavic influences
from the North. (Some Illyrian gods may actually be surviving Roman gods.) The
Slavic gods have worshippers as far east as Siberia, sharing boundaries and
regions with modern-day worshippers of the Anunnaki
and the Xian
or Gods of China.
==Characteristics==
Body Type: Humanoid
==Powers==
Avg. Strength Level: All
Dievans are superhumanly strong with the average male being able to lift
(press) about 30 tons under optimal conditions and the average female being able
to lift (press) about 25 tons under optimal conditions. ==Miscellaneous==
Type of Government: Monarchy ==Trivia== ==References== ==External Links== Last Updated: 10/25/2013
Habitat: Temperate
Gravity: Earth-like
Atmosphere: Earth-like
Population: 500-750 range
Other Associated Dimensions: Other-world is a blanket term for all the
worlds of the Slavic gods including but not limited to Bouyun, land of the
majestic city Iriys, where the gods dwell, and Vela, the region of the
underworld set aside for the shades (spirits) of their worshippers. Bouyun is
described as a land of great bliss with a river flowing out of a great rocky
edifice. The waters of this river are said to have healing properties. The river
flows under the earth to the land of the dead. Other-world, sometimes known as
Svarga, after the god Svarog, is also home to a number of divinities such as
faeries, elves, dwarves and demonic-type beings dominated by Chert, the god of
misfortune. Several other beings related the Dievans, such as the domovoi and
the leshii.
actually preside on Earth in specialized roles to human beings like elves and
faeries.
The Dievans dwell in the realm known as Svarga, or as it is known in Russian
folklore, Otherworld,
a small "pocket" dimension adjacent to Earth, consisting of the land of
Bouyun and possibly a number of other worlds; an interdimensional
nexus between Earth and Bouyun allegedly exists somewhere on Earth, possibly on
Mount Ceahlau in Romania or near Bald Mountain (modern Mount Triglaf) near Kiev. The Dievans'
human worshippers in the Baltic area called these gods by different
names than those by which the gods were known in ancient Russia: for example,
the Slavs called the king of the gods Svarog, whereas the Baltic tribes called him
Dievs, from where they derive their name. The Russian gods no longer have or actively seek worshippers on Earth. However,
certain Russian gods, such as Perun
and Saule, still take active
interest in the welfare of humanity, and still visit Earth incognito while in
mortal form. Perun has since become a member of the Supreme Soviets.
The precise origin of the Russian gods, like that of all of Earth's pantheons of gods, is shrouded in
legend. The earliest Russian gods were Rod and Erce, the primeval ancestors of
the Slavic gods. It is believed that Erce was actually Gaea, the
primordial earth-mother who had survived the destruction of the Elder Gods of
Earth by infusing her life into the life-giving essence of the Earth. Many of
the Elder Gods had degenerated into demonic status and were destroyed by Atum or
had fled Earth for other planes of existence. Atum had been born from Gaea by
mating with the sentient biosphere of the Earth known as the Demiurge. Atum
later departed the earth after shedding the excess demonic energies of the Elder
Gods he had slain; some of these energies becoming demonic beings like Mephisto,
Satannish and possibly Surtur, enemy of the Asgardian
gods.
Avg. Height: 6' 5"
Eyes: Two
Hair: Normal
Skin: Normal
Limbs: Two
Fingers: Five with opposable thumb
Toes: Five
Special Adaptations: The
Dievans or Russian gods are exceptionally long-lived, but they are not immortal
like the Olympian gods; they age very slowly upon reaching adulthood, but they
are not invulnerable to death. They are physically more durable than human
beings; their skin, bone and tissue being three times more durable and dense
than similar tissue in human beings.
Known Powers: The Dievans possess superhuman strength, stamina
Known Abilities: The Dievans have several traits in common with the
Asgardian gods as far as honor and skills in war. They are exceptional warriors
more inclined to use magic than to violence.
Level Of Technology: Magic
Cultural Traits: The Russian Gods were worshipped as gods in Ancient
Russia and along the Baltic Sea into Poland and parts of Germany as well as far
south as the shore of the Black Sea and into Eastern Siberia. They are still
honored in parts of modern Asia, providing the basis of their modern folklore:
the legend of Baba Yaga inspiring the story of
"Hansel and Gretel."
Names of Representatives:
Austrine,
Bangputys,
Brekstine,
Chert/Chernobog,
Chors/Dazhbog,
Indraja,
Junda,
Kalvis,
Kupala, Lada,
Marzana,
Mati, Meness,
Milda,
Perchta,
Perun,
Pikuolis,
Protrimpas,
Saule,
Selijna,
Svantovit,
Svarovic,
Svarog,
Triglav,
Ursula,
Vaivora,
Vakarine,
Veles, Yarilo/Byelbog,
Zleja, et al.