Slavic Mythology · deity

Cherd (Chert)

Cherd
also: Chert · Chert the Underworld · Cherd
deitythe underworldthe realm of the dead (Nav/Cherd)the 'devil' (a Christianization of the underworld-god)reconstructed

The god of the underworld, the realm of the dead (Nav/Cherd); in folk (post-Christian) belief the 'Chert' (the devil) is a Christianization of the underworld-god. His pre-Christian status is debated.

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The account

Who they are

'Cherd' (Chert) is the reconstructed god of the underworld, the realm of the dead (Nav/Cherd) [S6]S6 · Modern comparative reconstruction (e.g., Ivanov & Toporov, 'Theses on Slavic Mythology')1970s-2000sacademic. In folk (post-Christian) belief, the 'Chert' (the devil) is often seen as a Christianization of the pre-Christian underworld-god [S6]S6 · Modern comparative reconstruction (e.g., Ivanov & Toporov, 'Theses on Slavic Mythology')1970s-2000sacademic. The 'Cherd'/'Chert' is the lord of the underworld, the realm of the dead [S6]S6 · Modern comparative reconstruction (e.g., Ivanov & Toporov, 'Theses on Slavic Mythology')1970s-2000sacademic. His pre-Christian status is debated: the 'Chert' is more clearly a folk/Christian figure than a formal pre-Christian deity [S6]S6 · Modern comparative reconstruction (e.g., Ivanov & Toporov, 'Theses on Slavic Mythology')1970s-2000sacademic. We present Cherd as the reconstructed underworld-god, noting that his pre-Christian identity is uncertain [S6]S6 · Modern comparative reconstruction (e.g., Ivanov & Toporov, 'Theses on Slavic Mythology')1970s-2000sacademic.
Worth knowing
  • The reconstructed god of the underworld, the realm of the dead [S6]S6 · Modern comparative reconstruction (e.g., Ivanov & Toporov, 'Theses on Slavic Mythology')1970s-2000sacademic.
  • The 'Chert' (the devil) is a Christianization of the underworld-god [S6]S6 · Modern comparative reconstruction (e.g., Ivanov & Toporov, 'Theses on Slavic Mythology')1970s-2000sacademic.
Uncertainties & variants
  • Cherd's pre-Christian status is debated; the 'Chert' is more clearly a folk/Christian figure [S6]S6 · Modern comparative reconstruction (e.g., Ivanov & Toporov, 'Theses on Slavic Mythology')1970s-2000sacademic.
  • Do not confuse the pre-Christian underworld-god with the Christian 'devil' — they are distinct, though the folk tradition merged them [S6]S6 · Modern comparative reconstruction (e.g., Ivanov & Toporov, 'Theses on Slavic Mythology')1970s-2000sacademic.
Relationships (2)

Connections

Alliances & rule

ASSOCIATED_WITHVeles — Veles (the underworld-god) is associated with Cherd (the lord of the underworld).[S6]
ALLY_OFMorana (Marena) — (Reconstructed) Morana (death) is associated with Cherd (the underworld).[S6]
Local graph

Their corner of the divine world

View
hierarchical — generations top → bottom, partners side by side
Overlays
FocusCherd (Chert)Slavic
SLAVIC · 13fragmentary record — no firm parentage♥Cherd (Chert)DazhbogJarilo (Kupala)KhorsLadaMokoshMorana (Marena)Nebo (the Sky-Fa…PerunStribogSvarog (Svarozhich)Zorya (the Morning …Veles
zoom 1.93× · medium
  • parentage
  • marriage ♥

far = primordials · medium = all · close = detail — scroll/pan, click a deity to focus

Myths featuring Cherd (Chert)

1 story

The Slavic Cosmology (the three-layered world)

The Slavic cosmos is three-layered: the Sky (Nebo) above, the Earth (Zemlya) in the middle, and the Underworld (Nav/Cherd) below. A world-axis (the world-tree, the 'axis mundi') connects the three layers. The Sky is the realm of Nebo and Perun; the Earth is the realm of the human world and the earth-gods; the Underworld is the realm of the dead (Nav/Cherd) and Veles [S4]S4 · Vsevolod Miller, 'Slavic God-Concepts' (Slavjanskije bozhestvennye predstavl'enija)1860 (19th c. ethnographic)academic[S5]S5 · 19th-20th c. Slavic ethnographic collections (Volkov, Ivanov, etc.)19th-20th c.academic[S6]S6 · Modern comparative reconstruction (e.g., Ivanov & Toporov, 'Theses on Slavic Mythology')1970s-2000sacademic.

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