God Veles: The King of Winter
King of the Cold Days. Veles is the horned god of the underworld, guardian of souls, god of magic, wisdom, protector of craftsmen and artists, and the god of wealth. Veles brings wisdom but punishes with illness. He can take the form of a dragon, snake, bull, or wolf.
According to ancient beliefs, our cosmos consists of the World Tree, where the canopy represents the sky and the roots represent the underworld, ruled by Veles.
In spring and winter, we encounter Veles as the Lord of the Wolves. We also see him as an old man leading the "Wild Hunt" (Divja Jaga) or "Pehtra Baba." During the "Wolf Nights" (volčje noči — the period from Christmas to January 6th), darkness prevails, and the new sun, "Svarožič," is still fragile. This evoked fear and uncertainty in people, who defended themselves against evil spirits through beliefs in various beings like "Pehtra Baba" – the Mistress of the Forest.
The mysterious time around the winter solstice is also called "Wolf Nights." The main themes of the celebrations during this time were the struggle of humans against darkness and cold, the veneration of life, and protection from evil forces and beings visiting the earth during these nights. During this period, the god Veles held the greatest power – leading the pack as the Lord of the Wolves.
January 5th, when the Wolf Nights end, is Pehtra’s Night or the Day of Innocent Children. Pehtra is a mysterious mythical being who is said to lead a vast multitude of children's souls across the sky during the Wolf Nights. She was also known as the "Golden Woman" (Zlata žena), queen of the White Women (Žalik žene). On this night, Pehtra Baba visited children and brought them gifts. At midnight, she stepped onto the threshold with one foot outside and the other inside the house. She spun a miraculous thread that pregnant women wore around their waists, which was hung on stables to protect animals, and given to travelers for safe passage. Legend says the year will be lucky if hens come to the house on this day.
