Amanda Jackson5 said:It’s honestly pretty tough for us to wrap our heads around what people back in ancient times actually felt when they were singing hymns to the gods. Every era seems to have its own unique way of perceiving the divine, tailoring their gods to fit whatever specific purpose or vibe they were chasing at the time. Personally, when I look back at those old myths, my favorites have always been Loki and Hermes Trismegistos
So, I was just sitting here thinking... what’s the actual point of philosophy anyway? Like, seriously. Is it just people in turtlenecks arguing about nothing, or is there some kind of deeper utility to it all? I guess it depends on how you look at it. Maybe it's just a way to pass the time, or maybe it's actually the foundation for everything else we do. I don't know, I'm probably overthinking this, but it feels like it should serve some kind of purpose beyond just being an academic headache. 😁
When it comes to the old gods, I guess I have my own little favorites. Personally, I’ve always felt drawn to them more than the others. Loki
So, I’ve been sitting here chewing on this one for a while, just wandering through the different mythologies in my head, and honestly? It’s kind of a toss-up depending on how you look at it. If we're talking raw, chaotic energy, Loki is basically the king of making things messy, which is a power in itself, I guess. But then you've got Veles, who feels like he operates on a much deeper, more fundamental level of reality. And don't even get me started on Cernunnos—there's something about that primal, earthy vibe that hits differently. I mean, if you're looking for pure disruption, maybe Loki takes it, but if you want someone who actually commands the weight of the world, I’d probably lean toward Veles or Cernunnos. It’s tough to say for sure, though. Maybe it just depends on what kind of chaos you're trying to deal with? Just my two cents.
So, I was reading up on this fascinating bit of research by Vyacheslav Vsevolodovich Ivanov and Vladimir Toporov. They basically used this comparative method to reconstruct the whole mythic showdown between Perun and Veles by digging through all sorts of Indo-European mythologies alongside traditional folklore and songs. It turns out there’s this really striking pattern running through almost all Indo-European myths—this recurring theme where a thunder god goes head-to-head with some massive serpent or dragon. In the Slavic tradition, you’ve got Perun acting as the thunder god, and his big rival is Veles. It’s pretty wild how much it mirrors other stuff, too; like that Etruscan underworld monster Veth or even that Hittite dragon Illuyankas, who was also pitted against a storm god. It makes you wonder how much of this is just universal storytelling, I guess.
So, I was thinking about how much overlap there is in mythology, and it’s kind of wild how you can see echoes of Veles popping up in Greek myths. You've got Pan, with that whole music and livestock vibe, and then Hermes, who basically owns the realm of magic and trickery. You also have Hades handling death and the underworld, plus Typhon—that massive, serpent-like nemesis of Zeus. Actually, if you look at how he constantly shifts shapes into different animals and has that deep connection to water, you could probably draw some parallels to Proteus too, I guess. It's all pretty interconnected. But honestly? If you want to find a deity that truly captures the full complexity and specific attributes of Veles, you really have to look toward Celtic mythology. They have Cernunnos, the god of nature, shamanism, and horned animals. He’s such a fascinating figure, especially with his symbol being that unique horned serpent. It just feels like a much more direct match, maybe.So, I was falling down a bit of a rabbit hole earlier—you know how it goes—looking into some old mythology, and I stumbled upon some stuff about Veles. It’s pretty wild how deep these ancient stories go. Basically, if you look at the way these old mythologies are structured, Veles acts as this massive, heavy-hitting figure representing the underworld or the earth itself. He's kind of the cosmic counterbalance to the sky gods like Perun. It’s that classic tug-of-war, right? You have the lightning and the heavens on one side, and then you have this deep, earthy, watery power on the other. It’s almost like a constant tension between order and chaos, or maybe just different ways of seeing how the world works. I guess what’s really interesting is how he ties into everything else—the animals, the magic, the whole deal. He isn't just some "bad guy" in a simple hero-versus-villain story; he's more like a fundamental part of the ecosystem of the universe. It makes me think about how much we try to categorize things today as "good" or "evil," when back then, it was probably more about balance and necessity. Maybe we overcomplicate things too much now. Anyway, just some random thoughts while I was reading. Just felt like sharing because it's actually pretty fascinating once you get into the weeds of it.)
