Jumou is the highest heavenly being of Veps folk religion, his name recorded in every dialect area (southern Veps juma, northern d'umal, middle jumou and g'umou) and descended from the common Finnic word for god and sky. He was held to be in charge of the weather: thunder was called g'umalanguru, 'god's thunder', and a thunderstorm g'umalansä, 'god's weather', while the rainbow likewise bore his name. A recorded cosmological belief credits him with carving golden nails into the sky to make the stars. With Christianization his thunderer's functions were largely transferred to the prophet Elijah (St. Ilya), whose feast remained a major weather-marking day in the Veps calendar.