The Stories and myths are a common theme for the EUROPE 2022 postage stamps issued by all PostEurope members. The god Perun and the goddess Morana were chosen as the motives for the publication of the Hrvatska pošta d.o.o. Mostar (Croatian Post Ltd. Mostar).
The Slavic people worshiped various deities, and research has led to the fact that the god of thunder and lightning, Perun, is considered the supreme god of the Slavic pantheon. He rules the living world by dwelling in a fort on the highest branch of the tree of life. His wife is the goddess of fertility and protector of women, Mokosh. She is the mother of the wet Earth and the bright Sun.
Perun is depicted as a rough red-haired man, symbolized by an eagle sitting on an oak branch watching the world. The water god of the underworld, Veles, is his enemy who lives at the root of the tree of life and is symbolized by the serpent.
The most significant myth of Slavic mythology is the struggle between Perun and Veles who steals the Sun – Mokosh and takes her to the underworld, where she spends half a year. Perun pursues Veles with his lightning and thunder and expels him to the underground to bring back Mokosh and restore order. The myth was repeated every year in a circular cycle following the movement of the Sun and the seasons.
(Željka Šaravanja)
