Perun

Perun's arch-enemy is Veles, the chthonic god of the underworld, cattle, magic, and water, and their cosmic struggle is the central myth of Slavic religion. Perun pursues Veles across the sky and earth, hurling lightning bolts at him, while Veles transforms into animals or hides in trees and water—a narrative that mirrors the Indo-European myth of a storm god battling a serpent.

Perun is widely recognized by scholars as a cognate of Thor in Norse mythology, Indra in Vedic mythology, and Perkūnas in Baltic mythology—all descendants of a proto-Indo-European thunder-and-oak god. Like Thor, Perun wields a hammer or axe, rides in a chariot, and is the chief guardian of the sky and the warrior class.

Primary chroniclers like the Kievan Primary Chronicle describe Prince Vladimir erecting a statue of Perun in Kiev around 980 CE before his Christian conversion led him to destroy it. Hilltops named for Perun exist across the Balkans and Eastern Europe, and open-air oak-grove sanctuaries have been identified at sites such as Peryn near Novgorod.

Perun's primary sacred plant is the oak tree, under which outdoor shrines were commonly built, and his sacred animals include the eagle and the bull. His characteristic weapon is an axe, hammer, or occasionally a bow, and lightning-struck trees or stones called 'Perun's stones' were historically venerated as his mark.