By Changer-the-Elder, posted May 18, 2014 10:39 AM Professional recluse
Veles (also known as Volos), the Slavic god of time (as in, the passing time of life thing), harvest (not the crops, but rather the act of harvesting… yes, our gods are all about nuanced vocabulary) and cattle (among tons of other, minor things) and keeper of the underworld and the great oak tree at the roots of which the dead reside. Depicted as the ultimate herd-keeper and the raw force of life, not exactly responsible for giving and taking, but instead protecting and debt collecting.
Occassionally depicted as a serpent, or at least having some serpentine attributes.
Later painted evil due to christianisation (because Catholic Church needed everything to be good vs. evil and the gods of the dead ended up with the short end of the stick in most old religions).
Even though… technically speaking, this is not entirely Veles. Ahem… tee hee hee. shuts himself up