Yoffe (Slavic librarian, George Washington U.) and Krafczik (Russian, U. of Wyoming) reconstruct and argue for the usefulness of the presentation of the Slavic pantheon of gods by the 19th-century folklorist Aleksandr Afanas'ev. A short history of Christianity in the Slavic world is followed by a description of Perun, his origins, equivalents in other cultures, his role in Slavic mythology, and place in Russian literature and folklore. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)