Of the tattoos inspired by Slavic mythology, two gods have the strongest support in historical sources: Perun and Veles, named in 10th-century treaties recorded in the Primary Chronicle. The leshy and the noonwraith are equally popular motifs, but belong to a different category — they are spirits from folk tales, documented only in the 19th and 20th centuries, not figures from an official pantheon. The so-called Slavic runes and the kolovrat are more complicated: both are sold today as “Old Slavic,” even though the first has no attestation in any source, while the second has a very different, much more recent history than its appearance suggests. This article separates these layers so that your choice of design — and where you test it — is based on what is actually known, rather than on an aesthetic that pretends to be ancient.
- Perun (god of thunder) and Veles (god of cattle and the underworld) are the only Slavic gods named in 10th-century written sources.
- The leshy and the noonwraith are folk spirits described only in folklore records from the 19th and 20th centuries, and have no established graphic symbol like Perun does.
- “Slavic runes” sold online are not an ancient script — pre-Christian Slavs had no alphabet of their own, and the best-known source for these runes, the Book of Veles, is considered a 20th-century forgery.
- The six-petaled “sign of Perun” (hexafoil), carved into the beams of houses for protection from lightning, is a different symbol from the swastika-shaped kolovrat, which has a more recent and much more disputed history.
What we really know about the Slavic gods: Perun and Veles
Before we turn to motifs whose authenticity is sometimes disputed, it is worth establishing what the surviving sources actually say about the Slavic gods, because there are surprisingly few of them.
Perun – god of thunder, the oak, and oaths
Perun was the Slavic god of the sky and thunder, associated with war, the oak, and the axe. His name appears not in a legend, but in diplomatic documents: the peace treaties of 907 and 971, recorded in the Primary Chronicle, in which the Rus princes swore oaths to Perun (source: Perun – Wikipedia). This is a rare case in which a Slavic deity can be linked to a specific, dated written mention, rather than only to a reconstruction based on folklore.
Veles – protector of cattle and the underworld
Veles appears in the same treaties as Perun as the protector of cattle, the underworld, and magic; according to tradition, those who broke their oaths faced jaundice as his punishment (source: Veles (god) – Wikipedia). For years, the theory that Perun and Veles fought a mythical battle was popular and repeated in many general works on Slavic mythology. Modern research does not support it: there is no direct evidence of such a conflict, and the serpent identified with Veles is also a reconstruction, not something recorded in a source (source: ibid.).
The leshy and the noonwraith: spirits from folk tales, not gods
These two figures appear in searches almost as often as Perun, but belong to a completely different category, and it is worth understanding the distinction before choosing a symbol for them.
The leshy: guardian of the forest, not a member of an official pantheon
The leshy is a shape-shifting forest spirit, known mainly from records of folk beliefs and fairy tales written down in the 19th and 20th centuries, not from ancient religious texts. It can take the form of an old man, an animal, or even a whirlwind, making it difficult to assign it a single, fixed graphic attribute (source: Leshy – Wikipedia). Since we are talking about a character from stories passed down orally, rather than a figure from a political treaty, every leshy tattoo is by definition an artistic interpretation, not a reproduction of a historical sign.
The noonwraith: a warning about the heat, not a curse
The noonwraith, the “noon demon,” embodies the danger of working in the fields during the hottest part of the day. It appears under different names in many Slavic languages — Polednice in Czech, Poluznica in Slovak — showing that it is a shared cautionary motif, not a local legend from a single region (source: Poludnitsa – Wikipedia). Like the leshy, the noonwraith has no established graphic symbol comparable to the sign of Perun, so a design depicting it always illustrates a story rather than reproducing a specific, documented emblem. If legendary creatures and mythological heroes appeal to you more than local folk spirits, you can find a broader overview of these motifs in our guide to fantasy and mythology tattoos.
Slavic runes: popular online, but historically undocumented
Search for “Slavic runes,” and you will see dozens of alphabets sold as the ancient script of the Slavs. The problem is that pre-Christian Slavs left behind no documented writing system. The first Slavic alphabets, Glagolitic and later Cyrillic, were created only in 855 by Cyril and Methodius for a Christian mission, not to record native beliefs (source: Slavic paganism – Wikipedia).
Where the “Book of Veles” came from
The most frequently cited source for “Slavic runes” is the Book of Veles, a text presented as an ancient chronicle written in an unknown alphabet. Linguists, including Andrey Zaliznyak and Oleg Tvorogov, identified it as a 20th-century forgery: the text’s grammar and vocabulary are internally inconsistent and do not correspond to any real stage in the development of the Slavic languages (source: Book of Veles – Wikipedia). Despite this finding, the book is now treated as a sacred text by some contemporary Rodnovers, and is also sometimes used by nationalist movements as supposed evidence of the greatness of ancient Slavic civilization (source: ibid.).
What this means when choosing a design
This does not mean that rune-style designs are automatically a bad choice. It only means it is worth knowing why you are choosing one: for the aesthetic alone, or for supposed historical authenticity. The Runic Compass from our collection describes itself as an illustration inspired by Norse mythology, not Slavic mythology, which is an honest example of this distinction.
The sign of Perun and the kolovrat: two similar symbols, two different contexts
The six-petaled motif known as a hexafoil, and ethnographically as the “sign of Perun” or thunder sign, was carved into the ceiling beams of cottages in parts of Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, and northern Russia as folk protection against lightning strikes. This particular shape is not a form of swastika (source: Hexafoil – Wikipedia). The kolovrat used in contemporary Slavic Rodnovery is a different matter: it is a swastika-shaped solar wheel, so close to the classic swastika that the encyclopedia entry describing it links directly to the article on the swastika, which also discusses its modern appropriation by nationalist and far-right movements (source: Kolovrat (symbol) – Wikipedia). Historians such as Viktor Shnirelman describe Rodnovery itself as a tradition largely rebuilt in the 20th century, rather than an unbroken continuation of ancient beliefs (source: Slavic neopaganism – Wikipedia). For someone choosing a design based on its geometric shape, the difference between the hexafoil and the kolovrat is therefore more than an aesthetic curiosity — you can find out more about the geometry of these motifs in our article on geometric tattoos.
How to test a design before deciding on a permanent tattoo
A temporary or semi-permanent tattoo lets you assess the size, placement, and how a particular symbol looks on your skin before deciding on something permanent. However, it does not show how much it will hurt, how long it will take to heal, or exactly how a permanent tattoo of the same motif will age — these are entirely different things that no temporary design can replicate.
Large or small placement
Larger areas, such as the forearm or chest, give a thunder sign or lightning motif room to keep its details legible both up close and from a distance. Smaller placements, such as the wrist or ankle, work better for simpler, linear designs that do not need to fit many details into a small area. If you want to see more designs in a similar style before choosing a specific motif and placement, browse the symbol tattoo collection.
Check what the design is actually based on
Before choosing a specific design, it is worth checking whether it is described as a reproduction of a documented Slavic symbol, or instead as a style inspired by runes or Norse aesthetics, as with the Runic Compass described above. Clear labeling of what a design is based on prevents disappointment later if historical authenticity really matters to you. Our guide to choosing your first tattoo covers general principles for choosing a design and placement for a first tattoo, regardless of style.
Slavic symbolism is just one way to draw on heritage when choosing a design. If you are more interested in Polish history than mythology, it is also worth reading our article about the Hussar wings motif or our piece on patriotic tattoos, where we discuss other symbols associated with Polish heritage. Whichever direction you choose, it is worth treating Perun, Veles, the leshy, and the noonwraith with the same respect as any living cultural heritage: not as decoration stripped of context, but as a story you wear consciously.
