Jerzy Przybył Południce (Celestial Beings – Polednica)

Copyright © by Czesław Białczyński   

Copyright translated© by Katarzyna Goliszek                                                                                              

http://www.najmici.net/stworza/index.htm (This page no longer exists)

The Old Slavic Myth of the creation of the world – a version from ”Slavic Celestial Beings (Stworze) and Demons (Zdusze)”

Czesław Białczyński

Webmaster Iwona Szymańska

Stanisław Szukalski (Stach from Warta) Ancestors

• ·     About the great pitcher of Zerywani.
• ·     About the birth of Skies and Earlier Celestial Beings
• ·     About the transormation of Earlier Celestial Beings into Celestial Beings and the birth of Demons.
• ·     Description of Celestial Beings
• ·     Older ones – the Kings of Celestial Beings, and Boginiaki – the offspring of Celestial Beings
• ·     Description of Demons
• ·     Closed circle

Many typically Polish names have not been translated into English as they do not have an equivalent in this language at all. Please, note that in Polish such endings as: ‚a’, ‚e’, ‚i’, ‚y’, ‚ie’ are plural forms, for example, Przestworza, Przedstworza, Milicze, Milcze, Zerywani, Boginiaki, Saszory, Bardzowie, etc.
 

About the great pitcher of Zerywani
Long – three or perhaps four thousand years ago – the tribe of Zerywani began to build the mysterious Great Pitcher. The Pitcher was, indeed, of a huge size and was not an ordinary pitcher, but the true copy of the Gold Pitcher thrown down by Gods from Heaven along with three other attributes of divine power: Perun’s Gold Axe, Prowe’s Gold Shackle and Rgieł’s Gold Lister. All these holy objects were a gift for the tribe consisting of numerous Zerywani kin. Only man who deserved to become a king was allowed to pick the object up from the ground. People feared to touch the shining gifts. Pirst – the son of old Kołb and wise Bauba turned out to be the only brave man. As a result, Pirst became the first king of Zerywani, the founder of the Pierwopalcowie (Pirsztukowie) who reigned long and happily.
After them, reigned Kuksowie who were then followed by Milicze (Milcze). Among them one – Mrukrza’s brother was cursed; his name was Zeł. He stole the heavenly Gold Pitcher and after being expelled he escaped to a desert with a group of warriors and women. Gods sparked off a dreadful tempest and lost nearly all the exiles while the Pitcher was covered with sand in the desert and although many wytędzowie made efforts to find it, none of them succeeded in doing so. 

(wytędzowie (those who knew how to struggle with the indefatigable and how to defeat the undefeatable)

 Mrukrza who was in power at that time, gathered chiefs of kin and they decided to reconstruct the divine gift. The reconstruction took many years. Many generations had passed till the whole Pitcher was ready. To make the Pitcher, a lot of kinds of clay from all the corners of the earth as well as many kinds of water from various rivers and seas were used . The whole Pitcher was covered by hundreds of pictures, convex sculptures and was decorated with ornaments, engravings and secret signs were written on it.

 Finally, the Pitcher was painted with the finest paints of the world so that it shone like Denga-Tęcza (Tęcza – Rainbow), the Mistress of Diverse Colours. At last, for forty days and forty nights it was fire kilned and a ritual feast and ritual dance were all around. When the Pitcher dried up, it was fully filled with holy mead taken from even the farthest parts of Koliba (Zerywani’s Land). Then, a magnificent holiday began. The huge Pitcher looking like a mountain was surrounded by a circle. People were singing and dancing continuously for the whole month (from full Moon to full Moon), eating meat of White and Black Bulls and drinking mead from the holy Pitcher.

 After that, the Pitcher was available for everyone for a certain time. Everyone could come whenever they wanted to admire the pictures, read meanings out of the signs and ornaments, think over the meaning of the scenes, touch every convexity, saturate the eyes with colours. But the Pitcher was soon covered with large banners onto the canvas of which the holy signs and pictures from the faces of the Pitcher were moved. Although nobody was able to snatch such an enormous vessel, or even move it, the Carers of the Pitcher feared that a spell could be put on it or that a shame could be the result of a hostile glance, or that someone evil or envious could damage the faces of the Pitcher and its drawings (like Zeł once did).

People soon started to plead with Gods and make sacrifices at the foot of the Pitcher, especially that the fire in which the vessel was kilned was never put out and it became the holy Fire of the Tribe. From then on, special people, the most venerable members of Zerywani’s kin, watched so that the fire burned forever, and in case they neglected it, they could face infamous death. It was those people who became priests (wołchwowie, zinisowie – magicians, żercy – priests, wróżowie – fortune tellers). They knew everything about the holy Fire and the Great Pitcher, they were also entrusted with making sacrifices on the Stone formed out of hardened remnants of the clay so that they were surely performed appropiately and so that Gods liked them. The priests explained the pictures and signs of the holy Banners, read omens out of fractures of the Pitcher and prophesied from the taste of the mead inside of it.

Being afraid of any damage that might happen to the Pitcher, Fire and Stone, the priests ordered to build a huge shrine which was to protect the place against evil eyes, burning sun rays, cold winter and heavy storms. Then, the temple was surrounded by a fence of a triangular shape. Three gates were built in the fence for priests, magicians and fortune tellers whilst all other people were forbidden to enter the place. Soon after that the fence was hidden behind an embankment. The embankment was surrounded by a palisade. The palisade was surrounded by a sacred grove, and the whole place was given a great honour and was highly worshipped. 

Sacrifices and prayers at the Pitcher appeared to have been exceedingly effective. Well, the Pitcher was given such honour that only the priest who was purified by fast, fire and water was allowed to go inside the temple, having kept his breath so as no to sully the divine surroundings. The priest did not dare glance at the Pitcher itself, either. He was just permitted to scoop the mead from it and look at the banners.
At that time rituals were moved to the nearest clearing. A mount – bugryszcze was heaped where a post (called kumir) – a sculpture symbolising God was piled, the sacrificial stone was brought and a place for the fire was chosen.
Every time they kindled fire they took it from the fire in the temple and the priest also brought  prophetic mead in a decorative horn from there. Only the insiders deliberated on the shapes and engravings on the Pitcher.
Slowly, people forgot about the sophisticated meanings of the drawings. The very existence of the Pitcher was gradually becoming a legend.

 Centuries went by, the Zerywani tribe expanded and divided. Turbulent times came, wars, storms, famine, plagues and tempests sent down from Heaven. Internal quarrels started. One of subsequent wars brought on a real calamity – it was the War for Taja (Taja – Mystery). Local settlements and villages were burned down, the temple was demolished, and the Pitcher was broken by the enemies. It was the fight between two Zerywani’s kings from whom Bireło of Bardzowie kin brought on Gods’ anger on everyone. There was a lack of wild game in local forests, arable fields ceased to give crop, rivers stopped giving fish. Diseases multiplied and death decimated Zerywani. Then the steppe took fire which went from the ends of the earth echoed by the sound of a horrible earthquake, and next rainstorm flooded the area as high as the tops of the mountains. The Zerywani spread from Koliba into all the sides of the world. The survivors of the enormous disaster gave rise to all the peoples of the earth. One of the tribes that went to the sunset stopped in Legiel Territory, in a mighty flood water in a large river, at the foot of the rounded hill. They were given the name Plemię (Tribe) and were led by Bełt of the Bardzowie Kin and Sława (also known as Swawa) of the Stawana (also known as Słowana) Kin. After Bełt’s and Sława’s death Eight Tribes migrated into four sides of the world, and each of them took some pieces of the crock that were left after the Great Pitcher.
What is the Pitcher that is being written about here? It is nothing but the Old Slavic Mythology, the heavenly message from the Gods-Forces of Nature telling about the shape of the world, about the place of people, about their roots, i.e. about prehistoric events of their ancestors, about necessary rituals and about the shared tradition from the time of the Great Indo-European Community, and then about the Balto-Slavic Community, about the forefathers’ ancient homeland – Koliba and about the other homeland – Lęgiela.
When peoples ceased their migrations to the east, west, north and south, each of them built their own Pitcher in their place and stuck the kept crocks from the past and fragments of beliefs into it. The local varieties of the ancient Pitcher had a different ornamentation from it. They had dissimilar colours and were of a different build of their local origin, drawings of symbols and details of the pictures that were made after mixing with foreign cultures. Despite this, they really resembled their protptype in general. Although some people called Czarnogłów as Trzygłów, some as Tiarnoglof, some as Tiernoglav, some others as Triglaw, Turupit, Trojan, Zcernoboh, Czarnobóg, or Czernec, they all saw the same character under the new name. It also relates to mythical legends and characters of other great gods of the old tribe of Zerywani, for example, Białoboga (Bielboga, Bela, Bel, Biła, Belbug, Belbuż, Belbuk, Bellona, Biały Bóg, Bełbóg, Biełozórz) or Borowił (Borowy, Borowit, Puruvit, Puszaitis, Borivit, Borzywit, Berut, Boruta), or Perun (Peryn, Periń, Porun, Piren, Piarun, Perkyn, Parom, Perkun, Perkunas, Pierun, Piorun, Parcknus, Parkuns). In those times when writing was not used, insiders were passed messages on to by word of mouth, from generation to generation. For a certain period of time, the Balto-Slavic peoples lived peacefully in the very heart of Europe, at a dense forest, marsh and high mountains. As everything changes, that state of affairs could not last endlessly. Successive migrations, clashes, fights, raids and calamities made our ancestors stand eye to eye with the New Times, New Era and New Faith. It was then that the Pitcher was broken again and it seemed broken for good. Its remnants were destroyed by fire, fragments were strewn to the four winds, the memory of it was forbidden under the punishment of the heaviest condemnation, the priests of the old worship were expelled or slain. The Eternal Fire was covered up by forgotten ashes. The remnants of the left pieces of crock were buried under the earth in the ruins of temples overgrown by weed or wild forest. It happened one thousand years ago. From that time, successive rulers basing their governments on the new faith devoted a lot of energy to eradicate the ancient Gods and rituals accompanying their cults. People strongly get attached to tradition. Therefore, contrary to the rulers’ wishes, or the wishes of the learned men, the cult was being continued in the lowest and reduced  form. Well, finally, it needed to be included in the content of new rites. The ancient holy places had to be made as new shrines. Stones from old worship buildings were used to build new temples for the new pitcher.  Paradoxically, thanks to that many old beliefs have survived just having changed with new ceremonies under changed names and characters. The necessity of concessions made by the new religion is one of the strongest proofs of the deep rootedness of the ancient mythology, rituals and people’s everyday customs which come from it. In spite of that, the lasting for centuries process of erasing, layering and blending of traditions, eradication with fire, sword, curse or mild persuasion, the lack of mythological messages and rules of the ancient cult, quick collapse and doing away with the closed caste of priests privy to higher arcana made the memory of the shape of the Pitcher, details of its basreliefs, engravings, pictures and colours disappear almost completely. There was nobody at all to describe its entirety, though the sprawled and fragmented knowledge of various pieces of the old vessel have survived in some corners of Slavic countries. That was a typical situation of all the post Roman Europe and it lasted as long as up to the16th century, till Renaissance, and in some places even longer. The Mythology of Northern Germanic peoples would have had the same fate as that of the Balto-Slavic pitcher but it survived only owing to keeping the recoords of Edda in isolated from the Continent Iceland.

Telling that the Mythology of Southern Germanic peoples (German people) was restored almost from the very beginning in the

18th century is close to the truth. The Mythology of Celts survived in the corners of Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The Continent definitely did not promote maintaining the old tradition, nor did it favour to accept the traces of the ancient culture. For example, for many centuries the Mythology and knowledge of The Hellenes and the Romans were being destroyed. It was as late as in the 19th century that Romanticism with strong national trends in art and the birth of modern science made the situation change slowly.

Following poets and writers ethnographers, historians, archaeologists and, at last, linguists joined the search for the past. Fortunately, the fragments of the myths, names of ancient deities, and particularly of the lowest gods and godesses, close to an average person, have survived in various isolated isles of Slavdom among peasants most attached to Nature. Throughout the 150 years several fragments of the Pitcher have been unearthed from the ashes of oblivion. Scattered throughout Europe pieces of legends, travellers’ hints, ancient historians’ records and linguistic data were carefully collected and recorded. Science has been attempting to interpret sculptures, figures, stone circles, remnants of temples, tombs, local names, decorations and treasures, old fortifications and names of Gods. Science has been working according to its laws and though it has greatly contributed to reconstructing the past, the rule stating that anything that is not independently confirmed twice can not be recognised as a scientific fact. Additionally, Occam’s Razor principle does not let science make another strong step if it deals with such ambiguous and uncertain material, if it is concerned with such distant epoques which have such scarce data. From the point of view of science anything concerning the case of the Pitcher is not and will not be certain. One thing is certain: Slavic Mythology existed so the time has come to try to reconstruct the appearance of the ancient Slavic Pitcher. Luckily, literature does not recognise the necessity of double confirmations. Neither does it fear the risk of making uncertain hypotheses. Surely, as much as it is possible, we try to keep to the noble scientific principles. However, we can rarely pinpoint the actual tiny piece of the Pitcher on a map with a 100% guarantee of accuracy – like in the case of Światowit (Svetovid), Swarog (Svarog), Dażbog (Dazhbog), Mokosz (Mokos) or Chors and also a couple of great deities and plenty of small ones. We are arranging this riddle like a great prehistoric puzzle which has lost colours in some places and where a drawing has been effaced, and some fragments are completely missing. It is impossible to rebuild the Pitcher in its original shape as it was in the past. It is worth, however, imagining it in the closest way as if it could be today if it had not been broken.

All the sources and archaeological, ethnographic, religious, historical, historiographic, anthropological and onomastic materials available to the author were included in the reconstruction process. Additionally, there were also included simulation, comparative linguistics, etymology, analysis of ancient chronicles, records, communications, and analysis of contemporary works on mythology of Slavs, Balts and Germanic peoples, as well as comparatively of other peoples (both ancient and present cultures, so called primitive). Moreover, available myths, legends (also heraldic), stories, fairy tales and fables, as well as folk verbal tradition (e.g. Moszyński’s, Kolberg’s, etc.) were analysed.
Any existing pieces were carefully collected and then a new Pitcher was made of fitting, consistent fragments with the use of the maximum of material. Empty spots were filled with imagination, of necessity, gaps in the drawing of colour were supplemented with a fresh line and covered with fresh paint, outlined and unfinished engravings were developed. Yet, it was not happening at random but on the basis of logic imposed by bits and fragments of the Old Pitcher existing around the empty place. The work is so immense, and the very process of reconstruction is so much complicated that mistakes were not avoided in it for sure. However, as Chinese wise men say: You will not go the way unless you put your first step on it. The world is not ending yet, mistakes can be eliminated in the future. Well, it is important to start with something. The instinct of unraveling the puzzle of one’s own origin, finding the roots of one’s own kin (nation) is one of the fundamental aspirations and desires of each person. Preserving the identity at the time of great cultural pressures will have perhaps an underlying meaning for the following generations. Identity is, first and foremost, historial awareness. History begins with prehistory which is the domain of the myth. Mythology is the main root of the tree the stem of which is History, while the upper branches of the tree are the Contemporary awareness. What fruits of the future can the tree give if its roots have been cut off? The volume which we are giving You is the first part of a bigger wholeness and is about the most completely preserved in the tradition material on the lowest heveanly beings, Celestial Beings, i.e. Stworze, as well as Demons and Semi Dv b   emons, i.e. Zdusze. Not only is it a full lexicon, but it is a kind of encyclopeadia of beliefs which makes up an introduction to the Great Mythology of Slavs. Before we go on to discuss the features and characteristics of the numerable group of deities and demons, we must introduce You to two synthetic myths (the development of them will be in the successive volumes of the Old Slavic Library) explaining the lineage and location of the low heavenly beings in the Circle of other beings, both Gods and People.

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About the birth of the Skies and Early Celestial Beings.

When the God of Gods – Światowit (Svetovid) modelled the Third of the First Things – Sphere, he threw it down into the Abyss. The Gods of Działowie, called Kaukowie or Alkowie – Czarnogłów and Białoboga – desired to have it at once. In its brief flight, the thing flashed with its genuine beauty and one of them had always craved to rule over what the other owned and not to share their reign with anybody. The Sphere fell down onto the very bottom of the Abyss. Czarnogłów had to dive to reach it. Otherwise, the Sphere would have been possessed by Białoboga who had her power over the Abyss. He had dived three times before he finally got the Sphere-Being out onto the surface. Yet, Białoboga did not intend to resign her new purchase and she clung to the sparkling Sphere by all forces. A fight started.
Kaukowie fought bitterly calling Ażdahy for help. The Ażdahy were Dragons and Żmije-Żnuje (Żmije – Vipers) given to them for service. They were tugging the Sphere up and down, and were tugging it from enernity to infinity. Soon, also Stronporowie – the Gods of Sides and Seasons (Sides – Strony, Seasons – Pory) called Kirowie joined the fight with their helpmates żar-ptaki Swiatłogońce (żar-ptaki – fiery birds, Światłogońce – Light Chasers). During the struggle the Sphere was stretched to the east and west, from the north to the south, from dawn to dusk, from spring to autumn, from summer to winter, from midnight to midday. Kirowie, Kaukowie, Ażdahy and Birds Chasing the Light were pulling the Sphere so strongly in all the seasons, sides and sections that it suddenly burst and fell apart. It broke into a Block (Bryła) and Slosh (Bryja) (Gruda – Lump and Glina – Clay) and from its interior gushed Svetovid’s mass – Poświatło-Kir  (Afterlight-Kir) with a lot of sparks. The Afterlight escaped into depth. The Block and Slosh fell apart from each other, in different directions and then Kaukowie were not able to keep everything in their hands. Because none of them were going to retreat, they had to multiply. The Kaukowie concluded a short truce, at the time of which they conceived and gave birth to their forty children – One Headed. They were twice by eight Elements (Żywioły) and twice by the dozen of Powers (Moce). Half of One Headed Gods took after their Premival Mother (Pramać)-Białoboga, whereas the other half took after their Premival Father (Praociec)-Czarnogłów. Elements and Powers rushed with their parents to Earth that arose from Bryja, to the Afterlife World-Wela which arose from the Block and to the the Sky which arose from joining the previous Heaven with the After Light-Kir into uniformity like a mirror. The battle for world domination flared up with a new force.

The Gods of Power (Wielkomoce – Great Powers), Przeplątowie (their name comes from the words ‚intertwining’, ‚twisting’) and Mokosze rushed toward the Earth and Wela that were fleeing to Pierwnica. The Przeplątowie caught them into their nets and then with Mokosze they joined them together with a pall, veil and tale woven into a uniform matter of the universe so they stopped moving away from each other. Dażbogowie (the Elements of the Light and Heaven) and Weselowie (the Powers of the Afterlife World), and Ładowie (the Powers of  the Order of Things) compiled heavenly layers in a due order, from the Most Distant Heaven through the Deep and High Heaven – all of which they joined with rainbow bridges from the Afterlight. Dażbogowie also stretched the Vault of Heaven forged by Swarogowie / Svarogs over the Earth making the Low Heaven of it.
Simowie covered the Earth with lands, Strzybogowie (Stribogs) surrounded it with air.  During the fight, Białoboga banged on Czarnogłów’s back and he spat out lumps hidden under the tongue which made mountain ranges of hard rock on Earth. Sporowie made breeding in the marsh, Wiłowie planted the forests and let wild game into it. Then Perun cut open Siemia’s stomach and Wodowie got out onto the surface flooding everything so that only few mountains stood out above the Place that is in front of the Sea.
A similar battle was fought about Wela. Białoboga stained Wela’s edges with slosh, much of which she hid under her nails. Czarnogłów beat her on her fingers to make her release the verge of the Afterlife World upon which the slosh squirted out of the nails of Pramać (Premieval Mother) onto the very middle. The Wodowie did not get so simply out of the trap of the hard rocks on Wela and as a consequence of that one land was formed there – a cocentric island (of Białoboża’s slosh) called Niwa. A tens of kilometres deep ravin called Nawia surrounded Niwa. The River of Rivers – Pętlica (Loop) flowed down onto the bottom of Nawia from the hills of Niwa. Not until some time had passed did Gods inhabit Niwa, while Naw (ia) was destined for the dead, but it was much later.
The same horrifying battle was fought for rulling Heaven. The Svarogs burned enemies with a fire, The Morowie sowed pestilence and destruction, The Peruns pierced enemies with spears-lightnings, they cut them with swords of thunderclaps, split thunders with axes. Stribogs dispersed legions of Wodowie fighting against them by blowing with a frightful, hot gale.
Nevertheless, that bloody skirmish in which One Headed Wielkobogowie (Great Gods) fought with each other and then alternately joined to give birth to their offspring Małobogowie (Little Gods) who would have tipped the scales of victory to them, did not bring an outcome.

As a matter of fact, Kaukowie and their Ażdahy weakened and soon Kirowie and Światłogońce moved away to a plateau called Równia Welańska (The Plane of Wela) where they settled but disengaged from the further fight, yet none of the Powers nor any of the Elements were able to rule the world on their own.

The next truce was concluded as all felt exhausted by the fight. The Gods of the Elements and the Gods of the Powers, now gathered in nine parties, sat on the Plane, at nine fires, debating what to do further and plotting plans against each other. They decided that it was necessary to make Monsters using the immortal matter which Svetovid had left in different forms all over the world before he went to live in Kłódź that he rebuilt for himself and where he isolated from others, he closed himself in it. Well, it was done.

Nine Monsters Were Made and they were to help the Elements and the Powers to resolve the fight. However, the One Headed oversetimated their capabilities. The Monsters got out of their control and began a distructive fight among one another. Three of them ran the Fight for the Earth, three ran the Fight for Wela, and the three other ran the Fight for Heaven. The world was turned into ruins and beautiful creations of Gods changed into ash. The Earth was ruined, Wela changed into a battlefield as well, and the Sky hardly kept together. The Gods were constantly suffering losses.
Boruta lost his eye and became lame forever, Czsnota nearly scattered into pieces, out of Chors’s forty children only two survived, Svarog’s nine sons were gorged, one of the Monsters also ate out Chorsina’s left side, Prawic lost one arm. The Vault of the lower Sky above the Earth stuck to a tree protruding from the top of the Triglav’s Mountain, called Ósica. The other skies stuck to Przypór Pierwni (the Farthest Sky), Gwóźdź Głębi (Deep Sky) and Stóżar Niebieski (High Sky).

 The Monsters also devoured rainbow bridges, threw mountain ranges at one another, drank out seas, broke stars. When they started to break the next Trees of the World and the Sky broke which brought a full risk of collapse, and the One Headed trembling with fear crouched in the Lęgowisko (Belly) of Triglav’s promontory resembling vermin rather than powerful rulers, Svetovid, for the first time from the beginning of creation of the world, left Kłódź so as to save his work from downfall. Luckily, the One Headed could not make the Monsters immortal, though it had been their intention. Svetovid did not give them either heads or faces so he did not give them proper creative powers. Thanks to that, though eternal the Monsters were mortal and they could be killed, their bodies could be torn off, and other eternal creatures could be made out of their bodies. Svetovid held up the whole Sky on his shoulders and wrung the Monsters’ heads after which he ordered the One Headed to lacerate the remnants of the Monsters into many pieces. Little Gods and forty One Headed Great Gods and their forty eight children eagerly rushed to that work trying to erase their guilts. They terribly feared the wrath of the God of Gods keeping in mind what he did to his first-born sons Znicze (Torches).
Przypór, Gwózd, Stóżar and Ósica were four pieces of the former Pillar of the World – Svetovid had broken it once. The fragment of the Pillar was found in the body of one of the Monsters – Światogór the giant called Podbój (Conquest).  Therefore the God of Gods stuck Podbój’s skeleton into Wela’s Plane, thanks to which high mountains arose there and the top called wierch Weli (Wela’s Top), and the new Tree of the World grew out of the head of the Monster – Wierzcha, also called Wierszba (Willow) or Wiecha (Perch). It had three boughs but four tops and now the Whole Sky leaned on them. The tree was covered with silver leaves, blossomed out with white flowers and gave out gold fruit (The Lusatians see an Apple Oak in Wierszba and Gold Apples in its fruit, the Polans see the Willow and regard its fruit as Gold Pears, the Mazowie see a Triple Oak-Sycamore-Aspen and consider its fruit Gold Acorns, the Croats talk about a Triple fir, and others about a Triple pine or about a Triple Mullberry).

The One Headed got together in couples and tore the Monsters into Eighty and Eight parts. Each couple made a different family of Przedstworze (Early Celestial Beings) out of their parts made up of four or five Little Gods or Little Godesses. Early Celestial Beings became abortifacient children of the couples because they were not conceived during an intercourse and they were not immortal. Born in this way Early Celestial Beings became servants of Gods and their assistants in the work of earth, Heaven and Wela. They were called Early Celestial Beings for a few reasons: firstly, they started to exist during the Battle for the Skies (the Sky, Wela and Earth) and secondly they stared to exist in the skies, and thirdly they were changed from the bodies of the Monsters, fourthly they were created with the arms of the One Headed. Looking like that, they lived till the next war – the War for the Circle. It was then that they were increased in number by a hundred times. That job, done also by the One Headed, gave them present sizes and made their number rise a hundred times and though they shortened, their strength seriously rose too. From that moment they started to be called Stworze (Celestial Beings). It was then that the Celestial Beings took the shape and sizes that they have had till today. 

When Early Celestial Beings started to exist from the Monsters Svetovid settled a new order: he divided Niwas between the gods and gave them the kinds of mystery so that they marked their things and possessions with them. He forbade quarrels, established the sovereignty of Perun over the Elements and Prowe over the Powers and ordered to settle the the Skies after the damage that had touched them. In that way, in their present form, the Skies were born as well as Early Celestial Beings conceived out of the Monsters which later transformed into Celestial Beingse. Svetovid appeased by the arranged order closed himself into Kłódź again. However, his commands were ignored then and the war broke out one more time.

About the transformation of Early Celestial Beings (Przedstworza)

into Celestial Beings (Stworze) and the birth of Demons and Semi

Demons (Zdusze). 

After the war for the Sphere came a very short period of peace. For a liitle while it seemed that Svetovid could rest in Kłódź with no fear for his whole creation. It was at that time of God rest that people came into being from a Bunch (Wiecheć) (a bunch of Willow twigs tied up in a rod which the God of Gods used for scouring, rubbing and exercising in bath). People were born out of the breeding of Kaukowie who snatched the Bunch thrown away by Svetovid. First, having beaten each other as usual, they broke the twigs into sticks, and then they came to agreement and together they planted the sticks in a field of the Wela Plane. Czarnogłów and Białoboga were watering their cropping all the night of Wela and in the morning they picked what grew. In the beginning, they wanted to make people their assistants but it turned out that at a moment of the First Parents’ inattention the envious God of Pestilence and Plague – Mor sneaked to the field before dawn and watered the cropping with Black Water (the Water of death) from his Black spring. As mortals, People could not stay at Wela and they were thrust down onto the Earth, to Koliba. Well, Koliba was the first homeland of the Tribe finally called Zerywani (the word Zerywani comes from the word ‚zrywać’ which means ‚pick’) as they were picked  from the Willow by the God of Gods after which they were picked again by Kaukowie from the divine field on the Plane, then they were thrust from Wela which made them leave the place of their birth and at last they also abandoned Koliba, driven away by Gods when they opposed their soverignity with pride and unleashed the War for Taja. 
Straight after the birth of People and their fall from Wela serious arguments arose among Gods. The quarrels were about possession of different things.
The ordered arranged by Svetovid was broken. His recommendations were frenziedly neglected. The next war broke out – the War For the Circle which was even worse than the previous War For the Sphere.
The first battle was fought at the Great Fire in the ravin of the Plane where the Gods gathered the next morning after Svetovid’s leaving. The Great Fire having been called the Fire of Fires so far, was burnt by Svetovid himself in the Plane when he established a new order and assigned mysteries to the Gods. Then all those who gathered sat around the fire at a radndom order. Now that the God of Gods was not with them, they did not manage to agree as to the sequence. The Gods of the Elements thought that the place by the very fire was for them, in the highest Circle. The Gods of the Great Powers disagreed with that and an argument about importance, superiority and similar issues started. Meanwhile the Little Elements occupied the Second Circle on the sly. They did so to be close to their parents. In this way, the Powers were pushed in the Third and Fourth Circle, far from the Fire. Weles and Nyja, the most unrelenting in this quarrel, tore the ring of the unified Gods Of the Elements and moved through towards the fire trampling some others. They Pulled Mor and Marzanna behind them (the Powers of Destruction, Plague, Senility and Oblivion), Podag with Pogoda (the Deities of Pathway, Journey, Agreement, Weather and Peace-Reconciliation) as well as Roda with Rodżana (the Gods of Birth, Thought, Truth and Family). Then the Elements managed to associate again and four families of the gods of Power were cut off from the rest. The quarrel changed into blows provoked by Weles and Roda. During the struggle, Rodżana was pushed by Swara and fell into fire and at the same moment her skin, except for the feet and her left breast, blackened. From then on she became a Black Skin Godess. Her children, Zaródź and Rada-Rodzica rushed to help mother and the other Gods of Power followed them. The Fight for the Place did not bring resolution and the Gods trampled the Fire of Fires which nearly extinguished by their actions. All the One Headed took part in the Fight for the Circle – Kirowie, Kaukowie and all their assistants: Ażdahy, Light Chasers and Early Celestial Beings. At the end, because of the lack of warriors, quite new beings among dead people were made – the people originating from the spirits of the dead were called Zdusze (Spirits, Souls). After the first battle came others: For Months, For Colours, For Names, For Power (the power of ruling people), For Multiplication and For Measurement.

The second battle, For Months, was begun by Welesowie as well. First, the One Headed took by force the reign over the months from the Gods of Sides and Seasons. It happened by persuasion of Sporowie (the Deities of Luck and Wealth) who said that Kirowie were too busy with the seasons of the year, the sides of the world and generally time measures which made them totally neglect the months and therefore they did not bring a proper benefit.  Peruns, Svarogs and Wodowie were easily persuaded. Strzybogowie did not mind what would happen to the Thirteen Brothers-Months. Simowie, in fact Siem were afraid that Kuakowie would support Kirowie. Only Dażbóg strongly opposed the action as he feared that misfortune would result from that. He was said to be a coward, but having taken into consideration Siemia’s stipulations, it was decided to reconcile with the Powers and attack together. It was necessary to give something to the Gods of Powers for their support. Well, it was agreed that the Powers would rule 5 of the months. Perun headed with such a mission for the Fire of Powers. Rod strongly opposed the shared action and set as an example his black skinned sister-spouse Rożdana so fataly injured in the previous struggle.  Kupała and Weles usually held a different opinion in every matter and their unanimous vote outweighed. Their solidary support was recognised as a good sign.  Additionally, besides the five months, Perun promised Great Gods of Powers also a place in the second Circle around the Fire. An attack came at dawn and after a long, exhausting fight Kirowie were deprived of the control over the months. Straight after the victory, when it came to sharing the spoils Perun completely left out Weles, and Nyja outraged by this fact cut his chest with her scythe. Divine blood spurted, a fuss started and a new battle broke out, this time among the victors. The Kirowie once again attempted to take back their rule but Czarnogłów and Białoboga did not back them up. Thus, the months were left to the One Headed, Peron had one more scar and commotion was growing in the world. Now the Months of the Elements went first and after them the months caught by the Powers during the fight. Additionally, their sequence did not suit the cropping seasons, grain germination, harvest or rest settled by Kirowie.

The third battle started and it was For Colours. The fight concerned mainly thr Kaukowie, Czarnogłów and Białoboga who ruled two among significant colours and it also concerned the Kirowie. There were lots of colours, but only seven of them were meaningful: whitle, black, blue, red, yellow, gold and silver. The Kaukowie owned white and black. The Kirowie were in the possession of gold, silver, red and blue. Only Dażbóg wielded the significant yellow colour. After various deceits and changeable fate of the struggles it did not come to settling a reasonable order even at that time, and chaos was enlarged. As a result of the fight, the Kaukowie did not completely lose their rule over black and white, but from that moment also Weles took black colour and Stribog and Dażbóg white. The Elements took out silver and gold colours from the Kirowie and then they shared the colours between each other making other colours that they captured during the fight take on more glow, and they became bright and shining. Kirowie managed to keep blue and red colours as well as get Dażbog’s yellow colour and possess green for their rule which had previously belonged to Wiłowie. Makosz stole half of yellow colour from Kirowie. Kupała took half of red colour from Kirowie as well. Then, Przepląt stole a nearly empty box of yellow colour from Makosze and his wife Plątwa got from Kupała almost the same empty box in which there had been red ointment before. Hence, a totally new colour intertwining-orange was created. Consequently, confusion appeared in the matter of colours. It was hard to cope with the confusion later on and its effects have been visible till today. No sooner had the Fight for the Colours ended than the next quarrel began which led to a Fight For Names (i.e. Titles) being, in fact, the fight for the borders of  Niwas and competences among the One Headed. The Rodowie regarded themselves as the Masters of Birth and the whole realm as their exclusive property. Kupałowie advocated, however, that blastema comes from love for lust and that the result of birth of a new person or a new idea is a new love or next passions. The Rodowie did not want to give even a piece of their realm of good will so the Kupałowie took it away from them by force. All of a sudden, far more similar quarrels emegrged. Pogoda (Weather) decided to take away the rule over Good Air and Gusts from Stribogs. Śląkwa not being able to accept the loss of the Clouds stolen from her by trick, attacked Perperuna. Morowie fell out with Welesowie for ruling of the Disaster, the Afterlife World, Death and Oblivion. Chorsowie, Przeplątowie, Rodowie and Ładowie tried to rule the realms of Knowledge, Order, Mystery, Faith and Reason. Dziewanna decided to snatch the Land of Hunt from Łada-Łagoda. Also quarrels within families began. Soon, it came to a common fight which led the world to the verge of breakdown by mixing of the god’s competences.

Zofia Stryjeńska – Perun

The fith fight came. It was For the Power of Possession of People.  Here, all the elements integrated against the Gods of Powers attempting to push them away from ruling over people. The commotion reached the zenith and nobody was able to gain predominance over others. It was so helpless that the only thing which could have come about would have been children going against their parents in an attempt of killing them, or expel them from their homes and realms.
After the fifth fight came the sixth one and the worst happened. The Little Elements and The little Powers went together against all the Great Gods fighting for Multiplication which they were turn down. No children were born from their bodily relations. They had children with Dragons and Vipers, with Light Chasers and Little Godesses as well as Little Gods, but they all as merely God’s assistants gave birth to chimeras or weaklings. Minor Gods also had children with People, but despite they were kings, fortune tellers and wytędzowie, as mortals they were not allowed to sit with the Gods in the Circle at the Plane. That was the will of the God of Gods, but Minor Gods driven by anger and envy attacked their parents.