PERUN
Real
Name:
Piorun (original spelling)
Occupation:
God of storm and thunder, Special Agent for the U. S. S. R.
Legal
Status:
Exiled citizen of Celestial Svarga with a provisional dual Russian citizenship
Identity:
The general public is unaware of the existence of Perun except as a mythological character.
Other
Aliases:
Pyerun (alternate spelling), Perkuns, Perkunas (Latvian names), Porevit,
Porenutius (Slavic names), Dragoni (Albanian name),
Place
of Birth:
Unknown
Marital
Status:
Separated
Known
Relatives:
Svarog (father); Lada (mother); Potrimpo, Pikuolis, Myesyats, Zaltys (possible uncles);
Myesyata, Zemun (possible aunts), Kalvis, Tiermes,
Stribog, Svarozvich (brothers); Milda, Sroya (sisters); Ursula, Marvana, Laima,
Zhiva (possible sisters), Saule (wife);
Meness (brother-in-law); Dazhbog (son by Ros), Yarilo (son by Diva), Austrine, Breksta, Indraja, Selijna,
Zleja, Vaiva, Junda, Mati (daughters by Saule); Di'i (former father-in-law); Rod (grandfather, alias
Praamzius); Gaea
(grandmother, alias Erce Sweigsdunka)
Group
Affiliation:
Gods of Russia, The Supreme Soviets, People's Protectorate
Base of Operations: Soviet Supreme HQ in Moscow, U. S. S. R., formerly Celestial Svarga
First
Appearance:
Captain America I #352
History:
Perun is the son of Svaros, chieftain of an extra-dimensional race of beings
known as the Dievans, who were worshipped as gods by the ancient Slavic races of
Eastern Europe, and his wife, Lada, a goddess of fertility. Perun was worshipped
as the god of thunder through the ancient kingdoms of Lithuania and Latvia, his
worship carried by the ancient Slavic races into Ancient Dacia (modern Romania).
Perun was one of ten sons of Svarog, but when Svarog decided to depart Earth, he
left portions of his power among his sons, but Perun and Svantovit,
the war-god, learned how to influence and dominate their siblings into gaining
the favors of their father, but not before turning on each other. As a result,
Perun and Svantovit seem to have more powers individually than the rest of their siblings
together.
Perun
took the sun-goddess, Saule as his wife by force, but it was not a happy
marriage for her. Saule had been married to Meness, the god of the moon, but he
cheated on her with Austrine, daughter of Perun. Saule meanwhile allowed herself
to be taken as a wife by Perun, who dispatched Meness from Earth so that either
only one of them could be on Earth at a time. Perun, however, left Saule alone for long periods as he fought enemies of the
Slavic Gods and served as his father's liaison on Earth. Perun prevented the
goddess Jurate, also known as Amberella, from marrying a mortal she had fallen
in love with while she was already promised to marry Potrimpo, the water-god, a
brother of Svaros. Perun, however, seduced Ros, the river-goddess, who later
became the namesake for modern Russia. Ros gave birth to his son, Chors, who
became the god, Dazhbog, god of lightning, who soon overwhelmed Perun as his
father had overwhelmed Svaros.
Perun was often at odds with Veles, the forest-god, who either was or later
replaced Patollo (Pikuolis), the god of the dead. Veles was often confused with
Chert, the god of evil, by the ancient Slavs on Earth. Perun hated Veles for
abducting his son, Yarilo, and raising him as his own. (Some sources claim
Yarilo is the brother rather than the son of Perun.) Chert was also known as
Chernobog in Ancient Russia. Chert had abducted Saule at her wedding to Perun,
and Perun fought Chert to rescue her, leading to their years of enmity between
them.
The
Slavic people who worshipped Perun and the Dievan Gods, however, were often
overshadowed by the Asgardian Gods of the Norse and Vikings who invaded Eastern
Europe. Perun was equated with Thor, the thunder-god of the Norse tribes of
earth, but their relationship has never been more than an intense rivalry
antagonized by competition to decide who is the greater thunder god.
Animosity between the Dievans and the Asgardians lasted for several years until
the Third Host of the Celestials when Svarog met with Odin, Ruler of the Gods of
Asgard, and the other rulers of the gods of earth to discuss the threat of the
Celestials to Earth. The Slavic Gods were adapted into Russian culture founded
by Scandinavian invaders, but worship of the Slavic Gods, however, ended in 980
AD when Vladimir the Great, Ruler of Russia, became indoctrinated into the
Christian Church. Hundreds of oak statues and amulets sacred to Perun were
dumped into the Dneiper River as Christianity replaced the pagan rites of the
Slavic Gods. Afterwards, Svarog relocated the Dievans to another plane of existence separate
from earth although some of the Slavic gods possibly slayed on earth posing as
mortal beings.
Under
unrevealed circumstances, Perun’s physical aspects and essence were bound to
one of his sacred amulets lost in the Dneiper. The full circumstances and
motivations of his being bound to the amulet are unrevealed, but at one point,
Perun reportedly became so powerful that he eclipsed Svarog and his worshippers
merged their attributes. Perun was mystically bound to an amulet as a result
that was later lost on Earth. In recent
years, Valeri Sovloyev, an agent of the modern Soviet Government, discovered the
ancient amulet and realized that by wearing it that he was allowed him to
channel Perun through his body on to Earth with his own strength of will and
determination just barely curtailing Perun’s personality and power. Controlled
by this link, Perun was enlisted by the Soviet Government to serve as their
version of Thor in a group of costumed adventurers known as the Supreme Soviets,
a Russian version of the group known as the Avengers in the United States of
which Thor was a member. As a member of the Supreme Soviets, Perun impersonated
Thor in a mission to confront the Russian mutants Darkstar,
Vanguard and Ursa Major who had defected to America in a mission. When Darkstar,
Vanguard and Ursa Major, refused to return to their own country, Perun and
Supreme Soviets beat them so profoundly that they left them in a coma.. When Captain America of the
Avengers came to Russia to investigate Soviet connections to the attack, he
encountered a creature created out of the dreams of the comatose three heroes.
Perun and his teammates confronted by the beast conjured by the dreams of Darkstar,
Vanguard and Ursa Major and were absorbed by the beast, only to be rescued by Captain America
appealing to the astral forms of the slain heroes.
Darkstar,
Vanguard and Ursa Major finally returned to Russia and joined the Supreme Soviets, which was now called
the People's Protectorate. Perun and his teammates eventually joined up with the
Avengers and Alpha Flight from Canada to recapture a sub stolen by terrorists.
Perun also eventually encountered and fought the Hulk in an effort to recover a
Soviet agent named Igor Drenkov.
Later
called the People's Protectorate, Perun and his teammates encountered the super
human villain Unicorn, but his axe became destroyed in battle and he inherited
Vanguard's hammer and sickle more designed for channeling his power of storm. He
also fought alongside a group of heroes from Earth who battled the Star-Blasters,
which involved the struggle for a power-source called the Starbrand. Perun
remains a staunch member of the Russian Super-Soldiers, but the circumstances of
his responsibility to the team and consequences of the restraints to his power
have yet to be revealed.
Height: 6’ 7”
Weight: 655 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
Strength Level:
Perun possesses Class 100 level strength enabling him to lift (press) well over
100 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Perun possesses the conventional physical attributes of the Gods of Russia. Like all Dievans, he is extremely long-lived, but he is not immortal like the Olympian gods. He has not aged since reaching adulthood and cannot die by any conventional means. He is immune to all Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If he were somehow wounded, his godly life force would enable him to recover with superhuman speed. It would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of his bodily molecules to cause him a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for a god of significant power, such as Perun or Protrimpas or for a number of Dievans gods of equal power working together to revive him. Perun also possesses superhuman strength and his Dievan metabolism provides him with far greater than human endurance in all physical activities. (Dievan flesh and bone is about three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the superhuman strength and weight of the Russian Gods.)
Perun
has greater physical powers than any other Russian God except perhaps for Svaros,
Potrimpo or Pikuolis. He has superhuman strength, endurance, stamina and
vitality. Virtually inexhaustible, he can perform tirelessly for long periods of
time.
Perun
can also command and channel lightning on the level of Thor
and direct it
through his weapons. He can discharge lightning bolts with precise direction,
create thunderstorms and fly through the air by controlling the wind. The full
extent of his power is unknown, but he is possibly just as powerful as Thor or
the Native American thunder-god Hino.
Weaponry:
In ancient times, Perun carried a hammer and sickle, but during his time as a
Russian agent, he used a double-bladed axe. After it’s destruction, he was
given Vanguard’s hammer and sickle, which has been electronically to augment
energies charged through it.
Pets/Transportation: In ancient times, Perun rode in a chariot that could be pulled through the sky by a team of black and white horses. In some myths, he is pulled by two enchanted goats through the heavens, much like Thor of the Asgardian gods.
Limitations: According to myth, Perun can be fended off by wood originating from oak trees. He does not become powerless in its presence, but it is so sacred to him that he will not harm a person wearing a portion of oak upon their person. In ancient times, mortals could survive storms by hiding in the hollow of oak trees.
Comments: This bio involves Perun as he has been seen in the Marvel Universe; he has not been seen in DC Comics.
In Baltic myth, Perun was originally a sky god similar to Zeus, but the invading
Vikings who founded Russia converted him into a thunder-god similar to their own
Thor.
In
Thor I #301, Gaea admitted to being the Mother Earth of the Norse (Jord),
Germans (Nertha), Mexican (Coatlique), Hindu (Aditi), Oceanic (Rangi) and
Clarifications:
Perun is not to be confused with:
Last
updated:
11/09/06