[194], Although their understanding of the past is typically rooted in spiritual conviction rather than in arguments that would be acceptable within the academia, in which their historiosophy is often regarded as pseudohistorical, many Rodnovers seek to promote their beliefs about the past among academics. [199] One of the native faith leaders, Dobrovolsky (Dobroslav), like Hitler, was proud of his lack of higher education and believed that "education cripples a person. Sources that Rodnovers rely upon include valued scholars like Vladimir Dal and Boris Rybakov. Wojdart From shop Wojdart. [129] Schnirelmann observed that Rodnovers' calls for social justice tend to apply only to their own ethnic community. No need to register, buy now! [290] From 1985 onwards, Pamyat became affiliated with Orthodox Christianity and the Rodnover component eventually left the movement. Adherents of Rodnovery usually meet in groups in order to perform religious ceremonies. [213], Christians have also been responsible for opposition to Slavic Native Faith, for instance through the establishment of social media groups against the movement. [186] In Russia there was a shared belief among the intellectual circles that Slavic paganism had survived within the "folk Orthodoxy" of the common people (which was regarded as a dvoeverie, a "double faith"), and the Old Believers' movements. [345] Marlne Laruelle found that there are Rodnover movements which draw inspiration from Indo-Iranian sources, historical Vedism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism; Rodnover movements inspired to the Theosophy of Helena Blavatsky, the Fourth Way of George Gurdjieff and Peter Uspensky, and Roerichism (Nicholas Roerich); Rodnover movements inspired to East Asian religions with their practices of energetic healing and martial arts; Rodnover movements (often the most political ones) inspired to German Ariosophy and the Traditionalist School (studying thinkers such as Ren Gunon and Julius Evola);[346] Rodnover movements centred on the Russian folk cult of the Mother Earth;[221] and Rodnover movements drawing examples from Siberian shamanism. The symbols in this category predominantly originate from the pre-Christian period and are related to the gods (bogs) of the Pagan Slavic mythology. [14] The ethnonym "Slavs" (Polish: Sowianie, South Slavic: Sloveni, Russian: Slavyane), derives from the Proto-Slavic root *slovo, "word", and means "those who speak the same words", and according to Rodnovers it has the religious connotation of "praising one's gods". [249], According to Rodover cosmology: the top of the staff of the volkhv represents the overworld, Prav, and is either carved as an anthropomorphic face representing the patron deity of the volkhv, or as the symbol of Rod, and is associated with Rod itself, the "God of the gods", representing the unity of the generated gods in the universal Rod, or with his visible manifestation, Svarog; the middle part of the staff represents Yav and Perun, and is carved with the symbols of the powers that the volkhv "commands" in the real world; the bottom of the staff represents Nav and Veles, and is burnt in fire to symbolise the infernal forces of the underworld. [71] When using English language terms to describe their religion, some Rodnovers favour "Heathen", in part due to a perceived affinity with the contemporary Germanic Heathens who also commonly use that term. It connects the feminine energy to the lunar cycle, the menstrual periods, and brings to women health, fertility and protection from conspicuous eyes and evil spirits. [310] In 2002, groups of Rodnovers that did not share the extreme right-wing views dominant within some of the largest organisations at the time, promulgated the "Bittsa Appeal", which among other things condemned extreme nationalism and was the foundation charter of another umbrella organisation, the Circle of Pagan Tradition headquartered in Moscow. [430] The worship of Svyatogor is central to the religion of many Belarusian Rodnovers.[211]. [61] From Ukraine, the term began to spread throughout other Slavic countries. "[199], Victor Bezverkhy (Ostromysl) in 1998 predicted the death of the "civilization of loan interest and slavery" in 2003. It guards the living from destruction, and from the degradation of the soul and spirit. In all traditions, circles can be made of with lighted candles, drawing circles in the soil, or with natural objects and tools. It is Bog Hors who ensures that the harvest is plentiful and the cattle are healthy. [78] It was adopted among Rodnovers in the 1990swhen it appeared in such forms as the Russian Neoyazychestvo and the Polish Neopogastwobut had been eclipsed by "Slavic Native Faith" in the 2000s. [397] The movement abhors moral decay, while emphasising discipline and conservative values, and even though Belov's early works do not have a radical right-wing posture, many adherents espouse such position. [65] For instance, one of the earliest branches of Rodnovery is known as "Peterburgian Vedism". 4000+ Symbols - PDF - Ready to print. [426] It is popular among some intellectuals of the pro-Russian cultural factions (for instance, Uladzimir Sacevi),[427] that is to say those who consider the Belarusians as a branch of the Russians, while other Rodnovers are pan-Slavist, considering the Belarusians a branch of the Slavs on par with the Russians. ecology). [9], The earliest known usage of this term was by the Ukrainian emigree Lev Sylenko, who in 1964 established a mimeographed publication in Canada that was titled Ridna Vira ("Native Faith"). [18], Schnirelmann has stated that Rodnovery does not actually constitute the "restoration of any pre-Christian religion as such". [211] In 2015, the movement was observed to be small but well connected with romantic intellectuals and nationalist political circles,[425] and with the debate about the ethnic identity of the Belarusians. Svarog, in the Slavic mythology, was the god of fire, sun and heaven (heaven being the world of the gods and dead souls). As the personification of wind, Stribog was often symbolically invited inside the home, or to meals, due to wind being associated with the distribution of wealth or riches. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft: Slavic Magic from the Witch of the Woods at the best online prices at eBay! Following the end of the war and the incorporation of Poland under the Stalinist regime, both Stachniuk and Koodziej were arrested, preventing the establishment of a Slavic Native Faith community. Such idea that Russians may derive, at least in part, from Scythians is popular in many Rodnover circles. [215], The Rodnover priesthood is characterised by a number of attributes, sacred objects which mark their role. [66] They explain that "Vedism" derives from the word "to know" and implies that rather than dogmatically believing (verit), Vedists "know" or "see" (vedat) spiritual truths. Gods may be subject to functional changes among modern Rodnovers; for instance, the traditional god of livestock and poetry Veles is called upon as the god of literature and communication. [300] The collapse of the Soviet Union and its official policy of state atheism resulted in a resurgence of open religious adherence across the region. [191], Rodnovery has a "cyclical-linear model of time", in which the cyclical and the linear morphologies do not exclude each other, but complement each other and stimulate eschatological sentiments. Vladimir Bonch-Bruyevich was assigned by the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party the task of studying folk religious movements, and in 19081910 a faction of the Bolsheviks, represented by Anatoly Lunacharsky, Alexander Bogdanov, Maxim Gorky, and Vladimir Bazarov, formulated the "God-Building" movement (Bogostroitelstvo), whose aim was to create a new religion for the proletariat through a synthesis of socialism with folk religion. [135] Aitamurto and Gaidukov noted that it would be "difficult to imagine that any Rodnover community would accept members who are openly homosexual". [209] The folklorist Mariya Lesiv observed Rodnovers marching in Kiev in 2006 chanting "Out with Jehovah! [222] Ceremonial accuracy is often considered essential for the efficacy of a ritual, but at the same time Rodnover rituals have been regarded as flexible frameworks, wherein there is room for elaboration and experimentation. [368] Orantism is a movement centred around the cult of Berehynia, linked to Ukrainian national identity, non-violence and resistance to global assimilation. [273], In Poland, Jan Stachniuk (19051963) established the Zadruga magazine in 1937, which gave rise to the movement of Zadrugism. [317] Two groups were founded in those years, the National Front of the Castists (Nrodn Front Castist, where "Castists" was created as a neologism from Latin castus, meaning "pure"[318]) and the Radho group, founded by the Naples-born anthropologist and professor of Slavic languages Giuseppe Maiello (whose Slavic name is Dervan) among the students of the Faculty of Philosophy of Charles University in Prague. [189] The northern homeland was the Hyperborea, and it was the terrestrial reflection of the north celestial pole, the world of the gods; the North Pole is held to be the point of grounding of the spiritual flow of good forces coming from the north celestial pole, while the South Pole is held to be the lowest point of materialisation where evil forces originate. He is a god of thunder, lightning, and war, and is often associated with the oak tree. sunwise, rightwise) in those rituals dedicated to the gods of Prav (overworld), or counterclockwise (protivosolon, i.e. [100], In Ukraine, there has been a debate as to whether the religion should be monotheistic or polytheistic. [322], Rodnovery spread to the countries of former Yugoslavia in the early twenty-first century. Discover our NEW Books collection - [392] The locution "Slavic hill" refers to the kurgan, warrior mound burials of the PonticCaspian steppe. [340] There are often tensions between nondenominational Rodnovers and followers of well-defined doctrines; it is the case of the doctrine of Ynglism, which is not recognised as true Slavic Native Faith by the major Rodnover organisations of Russia,[342] and of Yagnovery, Ladovery and Sylenkoism, which some Rodnovers opine not to be classifiable as branches of Slavic Native Faith. [264] Similarly, the Polish philosopher Bronisaw Trentowski (18081869) saw the historical religion of the Slavs as a true path to understanding the divine creator, arguing that Christianity failed to do so. [115] The United States-based Native Ukrainian National Faith established itself in Ukraine soon after independence, with the first congregation in Ukraine gaining official recognition in Kiev in 1991. TScottFitzgerald 1 yr. ago. Throughout the 1970s, the nationalist dissident movement split into two branches, an Orthodox Christian one and another one that developed National Bolshevism, which eventually continued to harbour Pagan traditionalists. It originated in the early twentieth century and experienced a revival after the collapse of the Soviet Union, relying upon the Russian philosophical tradition, especially that represented by Vladimir Vernadsky and Pavel Florensky. The crow, eagle, etc. [223] The Anastasians also celebrate the Day of the Earth on July 23 with characteristic rituals prescribed in their movement's books. For instance, the Association of Sons and Daughters of Ukraine of the Native Ukrainian National Faith (OSIDU RUNVira), one of the churches of Ukrainian Sylenkoism, holds a weekly "Holy Hour of Self-Reflection", in which practitioners read from Sylenko's Maha Vira, sermons are given, the ancestors are commemorated, and prayers and hymns are given, and the meeting ends with the singing of the national anthem of Ukraine. [17] This is often right-wing ethnic nationalism. [110] Sylenko characterised Dazhbog as "light, endlessness, gravitation, eternity, movement, action, the energy of unconscious and conscious being". [176], Some Rodnovers interpret the veche in ethnic terms, thus as a form of "ethnic democracy", in the wake of similar concepts found in the French Nouvelle Droite. Vladimir Avdeyev (later the creator of the doctrine of "racology" which espoused the superiority of the "Nordic race" over others; a member of Alexander Belov's "Moscow Slavic Pagan Community") wrote in the book "Overcoming Christianity" (1994) about the inferiority of the era of Pisces, associated with the domination of monotheistic religions, and future blessed cosmic age of Aquarius, designed to return humanity to the original primordial prosperity. [437] In Poland, the Slavic Native Faith outnumbers other Pagan religions, although both are represented in the Pagan Federation International's Polish branch. [266] This organisation was a government-recognised entity until 2010, when it was unregistered and became an informal association due to disagreements between the Castists and other subgroups about whether Slavic religion was Indo-European hierarchic worship (supported by the Castists), Neolithic mother goddess worship, or neither. Short version: the Kolovrat, as a modification of the swastika does have some evidence of use going back into ancient & medieval times. [55] The suffix "-ism" is usually avoided in favour of others that describe the religion as if it were a practice or craft (which is the meaning of the Ukrainian and Russian suffix -stvo, thus translatable with the English suffix "-ery, -ry"). Other Slavic kingdoms took more liberties with color choices. . [295] In the early 1980s, the Pamyat movement was established by figures active at the Metropolitan Moscow Palace of Culture, whom similarly looked with fondness on ancient Aryan culture. [137] There is an academic consensus that the Proto-Slavic language developed from about the second half of the first millennium BCE in an area of Central and Eastern Europe bordered by the Dnieper basin to the east, the Vistula basin to the west, the Carpathian Mountains to the south and the forests beyond the Pripet basin to the north. [130] Many Rodnovers espouse socio-political views akin to those of the French Nouvelle Droite,[145] and many of them in Russia have come close to the ideas of Eurasianism. [151] Some blame many of the world's problems on the mixing of ethnic groups,[152] and emphasise the idea of ethnic purity,[153] promoting ideas of racial segregation,[154] and demanding the legal prohibition of mixed-race marriages. [256] The same Kupala Night is a reappropriation, being the day of the year when Christian churches set the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. [435] Simpson observed that in the country, Rodnovers were "still relatively young",[436] and saw an overlap with the community of historical re-enactors. [70] Men are seen as innately disposed towards "public" life and abstract thought, while women are seen as better realising themselves in the "private" administration of the family and the resources of the house. [437] They also observed that males constituted the majority of the community. Therefore, socio-political views can vary greatly from one group to another, from one adherent to another, ranging from extreme pacifism to militarism, from apoliticism and anarchism to left-wing and to right-wing positions. [126] In this way they argue that Russian Orthodoxy is distinct from other forms of Christianity,[106] and seek to portray it as the "younger brother" of Slavic Native Faith. [26] Other leaders who emerged in this period were Aleksandr Asov, author of numerous books on Rodnover philosophy which have sold millions of copies, Aleksandr Belov, founder of the Slavic-Hill military type of Rodnovery integrating Rodnover philosophy and martial arts, and Viktor Kandyba, founder of Kandybaism. [91] Rod is also "Time" (Kolo), scanned by the cycle of the Sun, ad reflected in the turning of the hours, the days, the months, the seasons, and the year. [132], Ideas and practices perceived as coming from Western liberal societywhich Rodnovers perceive as degenerateare denounced as threats to Slavic culture; for instance, alcohol and drug consumption, various sexual behaviours and miscegenation are commonly rejected by Rodnovers, while they emphasise healthy family life in harmonious environments. [253] The movement also involved a significant number of people who had a background in the Soviet or Russian Army,[409] or in policing and security. [256] The calendar of some Sylenkoite organisations includes holidays that have been de-Christianised, such as a "Christmas of Dazhboh's Light" and an "Easter of the Eternal Resurrection". [245], Rodnovery is headed by a priestly class distinguishable into the orders of volkhv (translatable as "wiseman", "wizard", i.e. [175] Western liberal ideas of freedom and democracy are traditionally perceived by Russian eyes as "outer" freedom, contrasting with Slavic "inner" freedom of the mind; in Rodnovers' view, Western liberal democracy is "destined to execute the primitive desires of the masses or to work as a tool in the hands of a ruthless elite", being therefore a mean-spirited "rule of demons". [374] In his writings, Megre identifies the ideal society which the Anastasians aim at establishing, based on its spiritual ideas, as an ancient Slavic and Russian "Vedism" and "Paganism", and many of his teachings are identical to those of other movements of Rodnovery. [428] There are groups which focus on the traditions of the Kriviches, an early East Slavic tribe, and mix Slavic and Baltic practices. ", " '', " ( )", " : XXI ", " : ", "Neo-paganism and Ethnic Nationalism in Eastern Europe", "Ancestral Wisdom and Ethnic Nationalism: A View from Eastern Europe", "Strategies for Constructing Religious Practice in Polish Rodzimowierstwo", " : Merjamaa ", N.N. [139] Aitamurto observed that the different wings of the Rodnover movement "attract different kinds of people approaching the religion from quite diverging points of departure". [414] Rodnovery is also spread through a variety of newspapers and journals. [76] According to Demetria K. Green of the Johns Hopkins University, Rodnovery is strictly intertwined with the development of East Slavic languages, and especially of Russian language, which preserved embedded in themselves ideas and terminology of ancient Slavic religion over the centuries facilitating its revival in the modern era. Her main themes are weather, winter, spring, protection, death, rebirth, the cycle of changes, and growth. [102] The Russian volkhv Velimir (Nikolay Speransky), emphasises a dualistic eternal struggle between white gods and black gods, elder forces of creation and younger forces of destruction; the former collectively represented by Belobog and the latter by Chernobog, also symbolising the spiritual and the material. The word Koliada is derived from the Slavic word for wheel or cycle. [73], In Slavic languages the closest equivalent of "paganism" is poganstvo (taking for instance Russian; it itself deriving from Latin paganus), although Rodnovers widely reject this term due to its derogatory connotations. The Triquetra is a popular witchcraft symbol for those who walk a Celtic path and represents the power of land, sea and sky. The religion is patriarchal, and attitudes towards sex and gender are generally conservative. Air. From one witch to another. [222], Rodnovery generally emphasises a healthy lifestyle of the individual, to be extended as a healthy lifestyle of the nation; restriction of food intake, avoidance of certain foods, and sport activities, timed to significant events or holidays, have acquired a ritual character for many Rodnover groups. [64] Many Rodnovers have adopted terms that are already used to refer to other religions, namely "Vedism", referring to the historical Vedic religion and the ancient Iranian religion, and "Orthodoxy", commonly associated to Orthodox Christianity. [77], By the mid-1930s, the term "Neopagan" had been applied to the Polish Zadrugist movement. Sep 8, 2018 - Explore Kelli Andrews's board "Slavic mythology & symbolism" on Pinterest. The Lunica is a symbol worn by Slavic and Viking women. [119], Rodnovers express their anti-Christian views in various ways. [92] Many Rodnovers believe in casteism, the idea that people are born to fulfill a precise role and business in society; the Hindu varna system with its three castes priests, warriors and peasants-merchants is taken as a model, although in Rodnovery it is conceived as an open system rather than a hereditary one. Often represented as a female deity, she represents joy, water and the midday sun. He is the guardian and protector of the Isle of Rgen in the Baltic Sea. [23], In developing Slavic Native Faith, practitioners draw upon the primary sources about the historical religion of Slavic peoples, as well as elements drawn from later Slavic folklore, official and popular Christian belief and from non-Slavic societies. The sacrificial ground is usually in the northern part of the square, so that during the sacrificial ceremonies both the priests and the laymen look towards the divine North Pole; otherwise, in the cases of those communities who give more importance to the cycle of the Sun, it is located in the eastern part of the square. Following the Second World War and the establishment of communist states throughout the Eastern Bloc, new variants of Rodnovery were established by Slavic emigrants who lived in Western countries, later, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union, they were introduced into Central and Eastern European countries. [205] As an alternative to the "mono-ideologies" and the world of "unipolarity" that they created, Rodnovers suggest their idea of "multipolarism". [355] An organised attempt at a renewal of the Scythian religion by the Cossacks started in the 1980s building upon the folk religion of the Ossetians, who are the modern descendants of the Scythians. Animals always played a important role among Slavic people. [232] The rival and near homonymous Association of Sons and Daughters of the Native Ukrainian National Faith (OSID RUNVira), also conducts weekly services, but incorporates a wider selection of sourcessuch as readings from the pan-Rodnover Book of Veles or the poetry of Taras Shevchenkointo the proceedings, and its liturgy is characterised by a more colourful ritual action. [206], Christianity is denounced as an anthropocentric theology which distorts the role of mankind in the cosmos by claiming that God could have been incarnated as a single historical entity (Jesus), at the same time creating hierarchical and centralised powers that throughout history defended the rich, legitimised slave mentality,[207] and promoted humile behaviour, antithetical to the Rodnover ethical emphasis on courage and fighting spirit,[208] and to the theological emphasis on the ontological freedom of living beings. The cult of a Meryan mother goddess is being built upon the festival of the female saint Paraskevi of Iconium, on November 10. In 2012, in Russia, representatives of the Union of Slavic Native Belief Communities, the Circle of Pagan Tradition and the Circle of Veles, signed an "Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Priests" that defined the criteria for the ordination of those wishing to become Slavic priests. Rod is the original, supreme Slavic deity, who created the world and all that exists within it. [59] It has deep senses related to its Slavic etymology, that would be lost through translation, which express the central concepts of the Slavic Native Faith. [38], According to Ivakhiv, despite the intense efforts of Christian authorities, the Christianisation of the Slavs, and especially of Russians, was very slow and resulted in a "thorough synthesis of Pagan and Christian elements", reflected for instance in the refashioning of gods as Christian saints (Perun as Saint Elias, Veles as Saint Blasius and Yarilo as Saint George) and in the overlapping of Christian festivals on Pagan ones. [274] the term Zadruga refers to a South Slavic tribal unit. [186] It is probable that the Book of Veles was a literary composition produced by Mirolyubov himself. Polish demonology Water nymphs source: liveinternet.ru. [128] A form of organisation of Rodnover communities consists in the establishment of places for commonunal living, such as fortresses (kremlin) or citadels (gorodok), in which temples are surrounded by buildings for various social uses. The Slavic Kremlin Vitaly Sundakov is one of such centres, located in the Podolsky District of Moscow Oblast. One of the founders of the Russian Rodnoverie, Aleksey Dobrovolsky (Dobroslav), denounced the "Judeo-Christian obscurantism" that allegedly led the world to an ecological catastrophe. [418], In the global Ukrainian diaspora, there has been a "great decline" in the numbers practising the Native Ukrainian National Faith branch of Rodnovery. Dodola is the Slavic Goddess of rain, sometimes thought to be the goddess of the air, also. In some versions of the mythology, Svarog is the creator of many of the other gods, and a slayer of dragons. The future, in his opinion, belongs to the Eurasian association of peoples, based on the common "Aryan doctrine". [211] Simpson noted that in Poland, several Rodnovers launched a poster campaign against Valentine's Day, which they regarded as not being an authentically Polish celebration. [92], The root *rod is attested in sources about pre-Christian religion referring to divinity and ancestrality. Slavic Pagan symbols - Slav myth - home decor - Occult wallart - download png print Wojdart. [411], Marlne Laruelle similarly noted that Rodnovery in Russia has spread mostly among the young people and the cultivated middle classes, that portion of Russian society interested in the post-Soviet revival of faith but turned off by Orthodox Christianity, "which is very institutionalized" and "out of tune with the modern world", and "is not appealing [to these people] because it expects its faithful to comply with normative beliefs without room for interpretation". Yes, it's a Slavic symbol. [79] They regard themselves as restoring the original belief system rather than creating something new. Yarilo, in the Slavic mythology, is the god of springtime, fertility, sexuality and peace. In general, the strengthening of the "Aryan" ideas among the Russians remains little studied and little realized. [390], Slavic-Hill Rodnovery (Russian: - ) is one of the earliest branches of the Slavic Native Faith that emerged in Russia in the 1980s, and one of the largest in terms of number of practitioners, counted in the many tens of thousands. [431] Some Bulgarian Rodnovers identify themselves as the descendants of the Turkic Bulgars and therefore lean towards the Central Asian shamanic type of Rodnovery, influenced by the ancient Turko-Mongolian religion; they are incorporated as the Tangra Warriors Movement (Bulgarian: " "). [266] Another precursor in Poland was Jan Sas Zubrzycki (18601935), who elaborated the doctrine of "God-Knowing" (Bogoznawstwo). They may even view their upholding of social traditionalism as a counterculture in itself, standing in the face of modernism and globalism. Finally, the Trojan symbol may be said to connote the three dimensions of time: past, present and future. Between life, death and rebirth. [80] Others embrace the term as a means of emphasising what they regard as the reformed nature of the religion; the Polish Rodnover Maciej Czarnowski for instance encouraged the term because it distinguished his practices from those of the pre-Christian societies, which he regarded as being hindered by superstition and unnecessary practices like animal sacrifice. [90] Peterburgian Vedists call this concept "One God" ( , Yediny Bog) or "All God" (, Vsebog). [200], Many Rodnovers consciously and actively reject Christianity and the Abrahamic monotheisms,[201] regarded as destructive forces which erode organic communities,[16] with Christianity being perceived as a foreign entity within Slavic culture.