There are theories galore about this
obscure deity. Volos "the cattle god" is mentioned as a witness in 10th century
treaties concluded between Rus and Byzantium, The form "Veles" appears somewhat
later, in "Igor's Campaign", for example. In Czech sources from 15th/16th c.
"veles" is just a euphemism for "the devil", as in the exclamation "k
velesu" '(go) to the devil'. The sources say next to nothing about the god
himself and his attributes. The only thing that seems certain is his association
with cattle (more conjecturally also with poetic inspiration). The connection
proposed by some scholars with the Slavic word for "ox", *wolU- (a *u-stem), is
difficult to test, as the "ox" word itself is of uncertain origin. It seems to
me Veles/Volos may plausibly be related to *volja 'will' *velEti 'to order'
and of course to PIE *welh1- (Latin velo, English will, etc.).
Piotr
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, November 21, 2000 3:50 AM
Subject: [tied] Velesu/Volosu
What's the etymology of Slav god Velesu/Volosu? Any
link with Vo"lsi and Vo"lsung?
Joao SL
Rio