Slovenian Pantheon

The Slovenian pantheon presented here is based on the work The Golden Flower, Slovenian Mythology, (Zlati cvet, slovensko bajeslovje) by Dr. Jožko Šavli. His mythological study is founded on the premise that the Slovenian people inhabited their present territory long before the great wave of migration of Slavic tribes from the East in the 6th century AD. According to this hypothesis Slovenians are descendants of the proto-Slavic people Veneti or Vendi, who began to arrive in northern Europe about 1,300 BC and spread throughout the central Europe and as far south as the Italian peninsula and the Dalmatian coast.

The Venetic theory represents a new, fresh perspective on the history of the Slovenian people in the work Veneti, Our Early Ancestors, by Šavli, Tomažič and Bor. While it runs counter to the prevailing view of early history, it has become established as a controversial yet popular alternative theory of Slovenian history. It is supported by significant indicators, numerous toponyms in the areas of Venetic settlement, early chronicles, and it is interesting to note that the appellation Slavs and Veneti or Vendi has been used alternatively for the Slavic peoples of central Europe in early historical records. The Venetic theory of Slovenian history sets the direction, terms and framework for Šavli’s scholarship. While Slovenian folk traditions and beliefs were often either overlooked or misinterpreted by mythologists investigating the myths and tales of the area, Šavli’s focus is primarily on the Slovenian territory and its cultural heritage, while exhibiting exceptional erudition of the mythological field.

The foundation of the book The Golden Flower is an extensive knowledge of world mythologies, archaeological records of the Roman pantheon in Noricum and surrounding areas, and the rich heritage of Slovenian traditions, folk beliefs, customs and tales. Particularly productive is the tracing of pre-Christian elements in the religious customs and festivities, that have survived into the present. Another significant contemporary source of the Slavic pagan gods are the chronicles recording the beliefs, deities and temples of the Pomeranians and Polabians - the Baltic Slavs, still pagan in the 12th century. The most invaluable source for Šavli’s monumental and daring mythology is the great four-volume work The Festive Year of the Slovenians (Praznično leto Slovencev), by Niko Kuret, the great pioneer of Slovenian ethnology and folklore, first published in 1971.

In over 400 pages of his book The Golden Flower Jožko Šavli draws together, compares and interprets a great body of evidence, exhibiting a quality essential when delving into the remote past, “imagination, creativity and engagement” (Mary Fulbrook, Historical Theory).