Slavic neopaganism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Slavic Neo-Pagans, Heathens or Reconstructionists are religious groups or individuals who consider themselves to be the legitimate continuation of pre-Christian Slavic religion. Many such groups do not use the term “Neo-Pagan” for themselves, and generally prefer to use terms cognate to “Slavism” (Russian - Slavianstvo) or “Native Faith” (Russian - Rodna Vera, Ukrainian – Ridna Vira, Polish - Rodzima Wiara).
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[edit] The rebirth of Pre-Christian Slavic Religion
The pre-Christian religions of the Slavic peoples probably died out slowly in the countryside after the official adoption of Christianity (Moravia in 863, Poland in 966, Russia in 988). Those Pagan religious practices that were not adopted into Christian folk practice were probably stamped out by the 15th century. Some modern Slavic Neo-Paganisms, however, make use of recent (19th century) folk practices that may be altered survivals of the earlier religion.
In the 19th century, many Slavic nations experienced a Romantic fascination with an idealised Slavic Arcadia that was believed to exist before Christianity arrived. This Arcadia combined such notions as the noble savage and Johann Gottfried Herder’s national spirit. In the absence of extensive written or archaeological evidence for the destroyed Slavic religion, these artistic visions were important in rebuilding interest in the lost Slavic heritage after the unmitigated condemnation of medieval Chrisitian writers. Zorian Dołęga-Chodakowski’s 1818 pamphlet “O Sławiańszczyżnie przed chrześcijaństwem” (About the Slavs Before Christianity) would later prove to be an influential proto-Neo-Pagan manifesto with its depiction of “two cultures” in the Slavic lands; one was the original pure Slavic culture of the peasants, the other was the imported foreign culture of the nobility. Unlike earlier authors, Dołęga-Chodakowski identified Christianity as a negative influence on national character.
In addition to new artistic representations, the 19th century was a period which rediscovered many authentic fragments of Slavic religion, such as the publication of the Tale of Igor’s Campaign (1800) and the excavation of the Zbruch idol (1848). It was also rife with fakes, such as the Prillwitz idols (1795) and the Mikorzyn stones (1855) which muddied the waters of discovery.
As in other European countries, many Slavic nations developed autochthonic religious Neo-Paganisms in the first half of the 20th century (Poland by 1921, Ukraine by 1934, compare with neighbours Germany by 1925 and Latvia by 1926). The German and Polish groups were often already referred to as “Neo-Pagan” in press articles before the Second World War.
[edit] Common Themes in Current Groups
Most, but not all, Slavic Neo-Paganisms place a heavy emphasis on some form of Nationalism as part of their ideology. In some cases, this may be limited to a commitment to preserve national tradition and folklore; in other cases, it may include chauvinism towards other ethnic groups. Victor Shnirelman has claimed that ethnic nationalism, xenophobia, racism and Anti-Semitism are core values of all Russian Neo-Pagan groups. It is the right-wing associations of certain groups that has most interested the popular press, which may cause some distortion of the popular image of Slavic Neo-Paganism.
Ecology and respect for nature is another shared theme. Piotr Wiench, who has done the most extensive cross-border study of Slavic Neo-Paganisms so far, has claimed that nationalism is less important than ecology to most groups. Many groups use extensive symbolism drawn from the natural world (trees, lightning, sun, moon) and many hold their religious ceremonies outdoors in sparsely populated areas.
Most Slavic Neo-Paganisms draw their material from some combination of written medieval chronicles, archaeological evidence, 19th century folklore, artistic invention and direct divine revelation. Many Slavic Neo-Paganisms in Russia and Ukraine use the controversial Book of Veles as a sacred text. This work is often considered by scholars to be a 20th century forgery and does not enjoy widespread popularity in Neo-Pagan groups in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
[edit] Czech Republic
Neo-Pagan groups in the Czech Republic include Společenství Rodná Víra (the Association of Native Faith) based in Prague.
[edit] Poland
The most influential Polish Neo-Pagan ideologue, Jan Stachniuk (1905-1963) founded the magazine "Zadruga" (named after the Balkan tribal unit) in 1937. The magazine and its associated group embraced members of a wide variety of viewpoints, ranging from secularly humanistic to religiously Neo-Pagan stances. Continuing on from Dołęga-Chodakowski, Stachniuk’s own work concentrated on the destructive role of Roman Catholicism on Polish society, adding elements borrowed from Max Weber and Georges Sorel. It is possible that Stachniuk was influenced by Mussolini’s brand of fascism and Jakub Wilhelm Hauer’s 1933 “Deutsche Glaubensbewegung” (German Faith Movement) which Zadruga somewhat resembled. However, there is no evidence for the later communist propaganda that Stachniuk was sympathetic to Hitler or Nazism. Stachniuk fought against the Nazi occupation during the Warsaw Uprising but after the war, following a brief period of toleration, he was jailed by the Communist authorities, ending the first period of Zadruga activity.
The continuing legacy of Zadruga in Poland may be seen the Wrocław-based publishing house "Toporzel" (which has reissued Stachniuk’s works and those of his disciple Antoni Wacyk). Zadruga has also inspired the registered religious organisation Zreszenie Rodzimej Wiary (ZRW, the "Association of Indigenous Faith") whose founder Dr. Stanisław Potrzebowski wrote an influential book on pre-war Zadruga. Another active group which owes a heavy ideological debt to Stachniuk is the periodical “Trygław” (first published in 1997) and its associated study group “Niklot” (founded in 1998).
A smaller number of Polish Neo-Pagan groups, such as the Rodzima Kościół Polski (the Native Polish Church) represent a tradition that goes back to Władysław Kołodziej’s 1921 Święte Koło Czcicieli Światowida (Holy Circle of Worshipper of Światowid). The Native Polish Church, along with a third Neo-Pagan organisation, Polski Kościół Słowiański (the Polish Slavic Church) were registered with the Polish authorities in 1995. Most Neo-Pagan groups in Poland, however, are small and informal and do not belong to one of the officially-registered religious organisations.
[edit] Russia
Neo-Pagan groups in the Russian Federation include the Slavic Communities Union based in Kaluga.
[edit] Slovakia
Neo-Pagan groups in Slovakia include Diva based in Trnava.
[edit] Ukraine
One of the most influential Ukrainian Neo-Pagan ideologues was Volodymyr Shaian (1908-1974). In 1934, Shaian, a specialist in Sanskrit at Lviv University, claimed to have a religious experience while observing a folk ritual in the Carpathian mountains. His brand of Neo-Paganism emphasised the shared roots of Indo-European culture. He was involved in a short-lived Neo-Pagan movement in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, before emigrating to London at the end of the Second World War. After the war, he was an outspoken supporter of the authenticity of the Book of Veles and his own 900-page magnum opus on Slavic religion, Vira Predkiv Nashih (The Faith of Our Ancestors), was published posthumously by his supporters in Hamilton, Canada in 1987.
The largest group that currently continues Shaian’s legacy is the Obiednannia Ridnoviriv Ukrayiny (the Native Faith Association of Ukraine), founded in 1998 by Halyna Lozko, a University lecturer in Kiev. This group is a federation of previously existing smaller groups, including Lozko’s own Pravoslavia, founded in 1993. (The name Pravoslavia is a sort of pun which means both “speaks the truth” and Orthodoxy in the Ukrainian language.) The federation has chapters in Kiev, Kharkiv, Odessa, Boryspil, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Lviv and Yuzhnoukrainsk. "Pravoslavia" publishes a glossy magazine named "Svaroh” after the Slavic deity.
Lev Sylenko (1921- ) was a disciple of Shayan’s before breaking with him in the 1960s and developing an alternative reconstruction of Ukrainian pre-Christian religion. Sylenko’s vision is a monotheism that worships the god Dazhboh. Sylenko founded his RUNVira group in 1966 in Chicago, and only opened their first temple in the mother country of Ukraine after the [history of the Soviet Union (1985-1991)|breakup] of the Soviet Union in 1991. The current headquarters of RUNVira is in Spring, Glen New York, USA. His 1,400-page Maha Vira was published in 1979. Smaller groups have broken off from RUNVira and mix Sylenko’s teachings with other sources.
[edit] References
- Hauer, Wilhelm Jakob, Heim, K. & Adam, K. (1937). Germany’s New Religion. New York NY: Abingdon Press
- Ivakhiv, Adrian (2005). “In Search of Deeper Identities Neopaganism and ‘Native Faith’ in Contemporary Ukraine”, Nova Religio, March 2005
- Okraska, Remigiusz (2001). W kręgu Odyna i Trygława. (In the Circle of Odin and Trygław) Biała Podlaska: Rekonkwista
- Potrzebowski, Stanisław (1982) Zadruga. Eine völkische Bewegung in Polen, Bonn: Institut für Angewandte Sozialgeschichte
- Shnirelman, Victor (2002). “‘Christians Go Home!’: A Revival of Neo-Paganism Between the Baltic Sea and Transcaucasia (An Overview)” in Journal of Contemporary Religion, Vol. 17, No.2
- Simpson, Scott (2000). Native Faith: Polish Neo-Paganism At the Brink of the 21st Century, ISBN 83-88508-07-5
- Wiench, Piotr (1997). “Neo-Paganism in Central Eastern European Countries” in New Religious Phenomena in Central and Eastern Europe, ISBN 83-85527-56-7
