Perun

**Perun** (Russian, Ukrainian: Перун) is the Slavic god of thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, law, justice, war, peace (especially as a result of justice and honesty), and fertility.

## History

Perun rules as the king of the gods alongside his wife Mokosh. His kingdom, the living world, was constantly attacked by Veles, the god of the underworld, so he pursued Veles and cast lightning bolts to defeat him.

## Appearance

Perun is commonly depicted as a bearded man wearing fine robes or shining armour.

## Personality

Perun is noble, just, and courageous.

Although he is the god of warriors, he is more like the god of order and justice. Just as he is pleased by fighting and strength, Perun is also glad when people fairly resolve a dispute.

## Relationships

In some accounts, Svarog is his father.

His wife is Mokosh, queen of the earth.

His enemy is Veles, the god of the underworld: for this reason, idols of Perun and Veles must not be placed next to each other.

He and Mokosh have nine sons in most accounts, although Jarilo is sometimes considered the tenth and last. Veles abducted him and raised him in his lush realm in the underworld, but Jarilo escaped, angering the God of the Depths.

## Worship

As the God of Law, Perun was invoked by ancient Slavic people to bear witness to oaths and vows. Him also being invoked to seal treaties and agreements also made him a god of peace and justice, especially when enforced and kept in his name. He was also invoked and worshipped with sacrificing animals (such as horses) before wars.

The festival of Perunitsa is his holy day.

## In the Rabydosverse

"*O Perun, Lord of Heaven and Earth,*

*Slayer of the Zmei and other vile horrors within and without,*

*Hear our cry and petition!*

*We offer ourselves to You as Your loyal and eager subjects.*

*No longer do we pledge ourselves as part of the Vozonid emperors,*

*Nor do we ever call the wicked Darroskei our 'brothers'.*

*We ask for Your guidance, so we may repair what we ruined.*

*That we can truly lift the curse of our own wickedness,*

*And open ourselves to the eternal bliss of the sky and sea.*

*Hail to You, Lord Perun! Lord of the Raging Storms and the Eternal Sky!*

- A prayer dating back to the Bujanid Empire. It later became the first national anthem of Bujan, when it was the Bujanid Empire.

Perun is the national god of Nevkreno and Pogimmel.

Although he is not as popular as Svetovid or Jarilo in Bujan, he and Mokosh are worshipped in national ceremonies.

### Bujan, the Blessed Court of Lord Perun

Centuries since the founding of Bujan, the Darroskei sought to wage war on the young kingdom, cursing the Bujanski Slavs for rejecting their "brotherhood". To mock the Darroskei for using Perun to justify their militarism, the Bujanski Slavs focused on another aspect of the Lord of Heaven.

Perun is the King of the Gods, and the ruler of the sky, therefore the Bujanski would rather follow Perun by being like the sky that carries his presence: endless, free, and just, without needing coercion or dominance to live. Therefore, according to that interpretation, the Darroskei were no longer fit to be in Perun's presence for misusing his authority to dominate creation. For unleashing injustice and suffering, they became traitors against Perun, doomed to a great curse!

Perun's association with heaven, justice, freedom, and peace also led to the Bujanski adopting blue as their traditional and national colour. In the War of Bujanski Independence, the revolutionaries wore orange and blue, representing tradition, faith, and freedom. Eventually, a light blue flag became the current flag of independent Bujan, based on the earlier banner of a Wonao king. The Bujanski surely believe that their freedom was already written in Heaven, as Lord Perun's will, enacted upon the world.

In Bujan, the festival of Perunitsa is known locally as Perendan, celebrated with wrestling matches. Anyone involved in fighting, order, and justice (including oaths and peace treaties) is involved in his sacred domain.

He is also worshipped by Arnadjanai for being the god of warriors and combat, and also by a growing number of Ontemazei men to strengthen themselves under his guidance.

He and Mokosh represent understanding and resolution of every conflict and situation. They are invoked in court cases, dilemmas, and punishment of bad people.

They are also believed to punish people who have committed evil, especially if their actions lead to much ruin. It is not necessarily with something dramatic like thunderbolts or floods, but the two Gods of Justice are believed to even orchestrate every event that will lead to the fruit of one's actions.

No one except them, and Whoever Who is higher, will know the true nature of whatever that goes on, until it is too late.

### Planetniki

In some Slavic myths, the planetniki are spirits who control the wind, rain, and storms on behalf of their lord, Perun. They, along with the rati ("heavenly soldiers"), are among the heavenly armies of the Thunder God.

The planetniki became popular in Bujan because of their association with rainbows, syncretising them with the Wonao concept of *antæsad*, or the "rainbow war", a sort of crusade to repel invaders or stop a threat. Therefore, Bujanski and later peoples who became members of *antæsad* crusades liked to incorporate imagery of the planetniki, as living servants and warriors of Heaven,

Likewise, the Porasonids also venerated the planetniki as living saints. Due to their colourful skin and hair, they sometimes like to picture themselves as "rainbow monsters" under the command of the Gods: the gift of Jarilo to enlighten and support the world, and the sword of Perun against all who threaten it. They continued to do so even after most Porasonids became Hindu, incorporating asura imagery alongside that of the planetniki in the most beautiful depictions possible.

### Divine servants

Aside from the planetniki, Lord Perun is also served by countless divine beings:

* ratii - a race of lesser gods who serve as his warriors, equivalent to angels. Their name was from an old Slavic word that means "an army".
* the Twelve Months - twelve officials who record every deed by every soul and individual on the month when they take place, and share the results to Perun at the end of the month. Perun and Mokosh reward or punish everyone's deeds.
* star spirits - also similar to the ratii, they are spirits of stars who are clothed in shining armour. They protect the good and punish the wicked.
* jauporosson - heavenly spirits in the form of gryphons, among the warriors of Perun in Heaven. They represent conscience or divine advice that guide the righteous.

### Reconciliation

The Bujanski obsession with justice and accountability led to the popularity of Perun and Mokosh in the modern era, especially after centuries of oppression under the Wannaenids and Terrans.

They co-opted terms like "confess", "repent", and "penance" in their attempts to make people reconcile, especially to prevent deadly vendettas such as during the death gangs' reign over central Bujan.

So when they told people to confess, they wanted them to apologise to the people they hurt. They also assured that they did not need to go to Perun's temples to confess their sins before Him, or pray to Perun directly or swear in His name. Simply by apologising to their victims, Perun and Mokosh were already listening to their remorse. The Gods were more pleased when a conflict was prevented, and a misunderstanding put down, so people were able to work together.

### Invocation of Justice

In Bujan, even a simple hexagon is often used as a symbol of Perun, derived from an ancient symbol used by His worshippers. The Bujanski also tend to call Him as "Heaven" or "Justice".

The usage of hexagons became more popular during the revolution and against the July massacres, a call to the Lord of Heaven to help His children stop evil from destroying them and their world, His precious creations.

### Names

* Grōmoveržets - He Who Casts Thunder, the Executor of Judgment
* Heavenly Father
* Lord of the Universe
* Great Judge
* The Endless Sky
* The Blue Sky
* The Endless Blue Sky
* Lord of Justice
* You Who Are Everywhere
* Almighty Perun

## Trivia

* His symbol is a hexagon with six lines inside, and sometimes with six dots along the outer sides of the hexagon.
* His weapon is an axe, along with arrows and a hammer.
* Eight or nine are his sacred numbers.
* Thursday is his sacred day.
* The płanetniki are weather or sky spirits, being raised from sudden deaths, self-destruction, or simply taken to Heaven by a rainbow. In Slavic mythology, these spirits are also associated with Perun.
* The Bujanski veneration of Perun may also be influenced by Chinese religion (as in "Heaven") and Tengriism (Perun being associated with the endless blue sky).
* Statues of Perun in the Vozonid style resemble monuments of the Roman god Jupiter. He stands, or sits on a throne, holding an axe, a sceptre, lightning bolts, or a book (representing law and justice).

## See also

* Odin, his Norse counterpart
* Perkunas, Thor, Tarhunz, other thunder gods