God of fertility - Perun, Velez or Mokosh?

From time immemorial people believed in something. Without finding an explanation for much around us, our ancestors used to believe that these phenomena are governed by higher forces. Thus there was a huge number of gods. In the territory of Ancient Rus it was believed that every element, every work that a person does, is governed by his own god. So, the god of the summer sun, nature is Dazhdbog, the goddess of water - Dana, Dodola or Perunitsa - ruled thunderstorms and lightning, being simultaneously the wife of Perun, the fertility god - Mokosh, etc.

Every craft, every time of the year and natural strength, every animal and plant had its god. This was the basis of the pagan culture of people. The gods were offered sacrifices, they were beguiled, they were prayed for, asking for protection, patronage and help.

So, to obtain a good harvest, Slavs sang odes to the wife of Veles - Mokoshi for high fertility. Along with her, people worshiped the Rozhanitsa - goddesses, who patronized all living things, including women's fertility. Mokosh - the god of fertility among the Slavs, or rather, the goddess, is found in ancient annals, but the information presented there is not always clear, and often quite contradictory. Mokosh was sometimes identified with the Mother of the damp earth. A tall, stately woman with a large head and incredibly long arms is the image of a goddess on ancient embroideries, Slavic towels and handicrafts.

The supreme god Perun was also revered among the ancient Slavs as the god of fertility. This supreme deity, the son of Svarog, he was the patron of all life: only he was able to send out the life-giving drops of rain, giving the desiccated earth the long-awaited moisture. It was Perun who could punish people by drought and crop failure. Therefore, the Slavs firmly believed that only this god of fertility, lightning and rain can give them wealth. People also believed that Perun is able to drive out the evil demons who attacked a man with his golden lightning and protect him from magic spells.

Almost on the same level as Perun or a step below it, the god Veles, the husband of Mokosha, stood. He was considered an intercessor and guard of hunters, cattlemen, and later wealth. Veles was identified with the lower world - Navey. Considering the patron of the dead world, Velez was considered ancestor and as the god of fertility. It was believed that the souls of the deceased can ask Veles about a good harvest, so at that time on the field always left a tape of uncleared cereals - a gift to God to cajole him. Not for nothing that many of the images where Mokosh stretches his hands to the ground are interpreted as her request to her husband for a good harvest. This god was revered not only by the Slavs: the Lithuanians even celebrated once the day of the memory of the deceased, which was called "Velesovo time". He is still revered in India, calling Shiva.

This cradle of civilization, like Egypt, also has its god of fertility. Indeed, it is not without reason that the Egyptians were considered one of the best farmers in the world, adapting even the most infertile soils to the plantations. A huge role in obtaining a harvest for the people of this country is played by the Nile. But the main god of fertility in Egypt is Min. He was also considered the patron of male power, portraying with an unnaturally large reproductive organ.