Among the literary sources on the pre-Christian religion and mythology of the Slavs, the Western, German-Danish, and Latin texts, while predominantly highly fragmented and biased, distinguish themselves when compared to the Arab and Old Rus' sources by their relative scrupulousness and less obvious agendas. Even in the backdrop of the other Western sources, accounts of Saxo Grammaticus are especially characterized by the detailed and rigorous descriptions and the minimal use of ideologically motivated narrative instruments. Unfortunately, the English translation of book XIV, Gesta Danorum, written by Erik Christiansen, is highly difficult to access. As well, Oliver Elton's translation of certain parts related to the topic fragments, included in his edition of books I-IX, lacks a desired level of accuracy in the details of the cult description. The following translation, with all its imperfections, is intended to make Saxo Grammaticus' texts more accessible for a wider circle of readers, both specialists and not; present frequently overlooked fragments; and correct some of the errors, traditionally creeping from one of the Saxo's account overview to another. The Latin original accompanies the translation, and an attempt was made to preserve the original structure of the text in English translation as much as possible without impeding its semantics and the ease of understanding. Another goal of this translation is to give a second possible reading to vague fragments, comparing to existing translations, without penalizing the accuracy.

This book offers a radical reinterpretation of the Slavic pagan religion made on the basis of a thorough re-examination of all reliable sources. What did Slavic pagan religion have in common with the Afro-American cult of voodoo? Why were no Slavic gods mentioned before the mid-tenth century, and why were there no Slavic gods at all between the Dnieper and the Order? Why were Slavic foundation legends similar to the totemic myths of the nomadic peoples of the Eurasian Steppe, and who were Slavic Remus and Romulus? What were the Indo-European roots of Slavic hippomantic rituals, and where was the Eastern Slavic dragon Zmey Gorynych born? Answers to these and many other provocative questions can be found in this book.

In Sources of Slavic Pre-Christian Religion Juan Antonio Álvarez-Pedrosa presents all known medieval texts that provide us with information about the religion practiced by the Slavs before their Christianization.

Slavic Mythology is a comprehensive study on myths, folklore and legends of the Slavic people settled in Eastern and Central Europe with a meticulous approach to the spirits and ghouls found in Slavic mythical beliefs. Thorough and comprehensive research covers various aspects of the theme, from stories of spirits of the dead, through folk tales of gods and beings of the households, forests and water, to legends of Slavic gods. The study comprehends the mythology of Slavic people of the Elbe river and the Russians, with a glance at the Baltic mythology.

Slavic Myths & Legends is a comprehensive study on myths, folklore and legends of the Slavic people settled in Eastern and Central Europe with a meticulous approach to the spirits and ghouls found in Slavic mythical beliefs. Thorough and comprehensive research covers various aspects of the theme, from stories of spirits of the dead, through folk tales of gods and beings of the households, forests and water, to legends of Slavic gods. The study comprehends the mythology of Slavic people of the Elbe river and the Russians, with a glance at the Baltic mythology.