He was associated with thunder, lightning, storms, fire, mountains, fertility, law, war and weapons. Mokosh is associated with destiny and fate, particularly the destiny of women. There, he established the Order of the Knights of the Solar God (Orden Lytsariv Boha Sontsia), a religio-political group that he hoped would affiliate itself to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army during the Second World War. [283], One of the disciples of Volodymyr Shaian was Lev Sylenko (19212008). [74] Indeed, many Slavic languages have two terms that are conventionally rendered as "pagan" in Western languages: the aforementioned pogan and yazychnik. [184], Many within the movement regard the Book of Veles as a holy text,[185] and as a genuine historical document. Witchcraft Symbols: 20+ Symbols Including the - Otherworldly Oracle [138], Laruelle observed that Rodnovery is in principle a decentralised movement, with hundreds of groups coexisting without submission to a central authority. [79] However, the prefix "neo-" within "Neopaganism" is a divisive issue among Rodnovers. Crossroads - [305] A second group, the Association of Sons and Daughters of Ukraine of the Native Ukrainian National Faith (OSIDU RUNVira), maintained links with Sylenko himself, whom it regards as a prophet. The return to reflections on the "Aryan" theme takes many forms. The name Radegast translates approximately to dear guest or welcomed guest. He is associated with many animals, particularly birds and snakes. [182] Similarly, the scholar Vladimir Dulov noted that Bulgarian Rodnovers tended to have "fantastic" views of history. The Trojan symbol also represents the three elements: air, water and earth. 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. The swastika, which is found on Slavic and Baltic patterns (on embroidery and ornaments of weapons and armor), is a traditional Slavic symbol [1] [unreliable source?] The Spell of Domovoi [84] Similarly to the ancient Slavic religion, a common theological stance among Rodnovers is that of monism, by which the many different gods (polytheism) are seen as manifestations of the single, universal impersonal Godgenerally identified by the concept of Rod,[86] also known as Sud ("Judge") and Prabog ("Pre-God", "First God") among South Slavs. [223] Ritual practice makes use of mythology, symbolism, codified chants and gestures. The Bazhovites retain most of the Roerichian practices, and worship, as their major deities, the Mistress of the Copper Mountain and the Great Snake. 5 out of 5 stars (1) $ 5.58. [309], Since the 1990s, Russian Rodnovery has expanded and diversified. Many Rodnover groups organise formal ceremonies of renunciation of Christianity (raskrestitsia, literally "de-Christianisation"), and initiation into Rodnovery with the adoption of a Slavic name. Is the Kolovrat really an ancient pagan Slavic symbol? 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. It is represented by organisations such as the Centre of EthnocosmologyKriya (Belarusian: "") by Syargei Sanko and the Tver Ethnocultural AssociationTverzha (Russian: "") founded in 2010. It is protective and some use it as a symbol of the goddess. Also worshipped were primary gods, associated with the sun, moon, skies, heaven and the underworld. [344], Many of these movements share the assumption to represent expressions of "Vedism". [218] The Orthodox Christian Old Believers, a movement that split out from the Russian Orthodox Church during the reform of Patriarch Nikon of Moscow in the seventeenth century, is seen by Rodnovers in a more positive light than the mainstream Russian Orthodox Church, as Old Believers are considered to have elements similar to those of the Slavic Native Faith.[219]. [75] Yazychnik has been adopted especially among Rodnovers speaking West Slavic languages, where it has not any connotations related to "paganism". [192] Such morphology of time is otherwise describable as "spiral". [423], Rodnover groups are also active in Belarus,[424] though the movement emerged in the country only in the 1990s, much later than in Russia and Ukraine. [146] A number of youth subcultures have been identified as introducing people to Rodnovery, among them heavy metal, historical re-enactment, and the admirers of J. R. R. He does represent both Nordic gods Thor and Odin although a direct connection hasn't been drawn yet. Slavic mythology has its roots in the human Neolithic Period, when various tribes of Slavic people, geographically designated as North, South, East, and West, worshiped pagan deities according to . [79] Many Rodnovers straightforwardly reject the designator "paganism", whether "neo-", "modern", "contemporary" or without prefixes and further qualificators, asserting that these are "poorly defined" concepts whose use by scholars leads to a situation in which Rodnovery is lumped together with "all kinds of cults and religions" which have nothing to do with it. In Belarus and the neighbouring regions of Russia there are groups taking inspiration from the Kriviches, of one of the tribal unions of the early East Slavs, mixing Slavic and Baltic traditions. [363] Sylenko was originally a disciple of Volodymyr Shaian, but by the 1970s the two had taken different paths, as Sylenko had begun to elaborate his own reformed systematic doctrine, codified in the holy book titled Maha Vira ("Great Faith"). [415] A number of popular celebrities, including the singer Maria Arkhipova, the professional boxer Aleksandr Povetkin,[215] and the comedian Mikhail Nikolayevich Zadornov (19482017),[416] have publicly embraced Rodnovery. The ideas of these Rodnover political groups span from extreme right-wing nationalism and racism, to Stalinism, seen by some of them as the most successful political expression of Paganism. Slavic Paganism - Etsy Slavic and Baltic Pagan CoA's | Paradox Interactive Forums He is associated with the oak tree, and is a god of war; in some respects, he's a lot like the Norse and Germanic Thor and Odin combined. The Slavic Native Faith, commonly known as Rodnoverie[] and sometimes as Slavic Neopaganism,[] is a modern Pagan religion. 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. This was changed with the promulgation of a law "on freedom of conscience and religious organisation", backed by three deputies professing Rodnovery, whose members organised the pro-Russian Svarozhich Battalion (of the Vostok Brigade) and the Rusich Company. [271] The use of the term "Vedism" to refer to Slavic religion goes back to Yury Mirolyubov, the writer or discoverer of the Book of Veles. The symbol Chur represents the god of boundaries and property, and the delineation between that which belongs to one person, and that which belongs to another. [22] During the war, Stefan Potrzuski led a unit in the Peasant Battalion which battled the Nazi occupation of Poland. [418], In the global Ukrainian diaspora, there has been a "great decline" in the numbers practising the Native Ukrainian National Faith branch of Rodnovery. [266] In 1995, one of the future founders of the organisation, Radek Mikula (Ratko), had established contacts with Vadim Kazakov, leader of the Russian Union of Slavic Native Belief Communities; the relationship continued in the 2000s and led to Rodn Vra becoming an official subgroup of the Russian organisation until 2002,[320] while it nurtured ties with Polish and Slovak Rodnovers too. [42] Since the collapse of the Soviet Union there has been a new wave of scholarly debate on the subject within Russia itself. [284] He subsequently left Europe and moved first to Canada and then the United States. In this article he divides scholars between those who say that Russian Orthodoxy adapted to entrenched indigenous faith, continuing the Soviet idea of an "undefeated paganism", and those who say that Russian Orthodoxy is an out-and-out syncretic religion. She is the Slavic god of female endeavours, such as spinning, weaving, and shearing. [99], Sylenko proclaimed himself a prophet, bringing to the Slavs a new understanding of God that, according to him, corresponds to their own and original understanding of God. [308] In this context, the growth of Rodnovery can be seen as part of the nationalistic drive to regain national pride. Polish demonology Water nymphs source: liveinternet.ru. Active religious practitioners who were devoted to establishing the Slavic Native Faith appeared in Poland and Ukraine during the 1930s and 1940s, while the Soviet Union under the leadership of Joseph Stalin promoted research into the ancient Slavic religion. It is from this connection that new souls emerge. In the 1960s, the renewal of militant atheism under Nikita Khrushchev also presupposed a recovering of pre-Christian and pre-Islamic traditions. Russian rodnaya or rodnoy); and *vera, which means "faith", "religion". [233] The structure of these Syenkoite rites is modelled on those of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft: Slavic Magic from the Witch of the Woods | Books & Magazines, Books | eBay! [60] In 1996, the non-compound form was adopted by a Polish group, the Association of Native Faith (Zrzeszenie Rodzimej Wiary) and in 1997 by the Russian Union of Slavic Native Belief Communities ( ) led by Vadim Kazakov,[62] while the portmanteau Rodnoverie was widely popularised in Russia by volkhv Veleslav (Ilya G. Cherkasov) by 1999. [7] The interplay with the gods and the cycle of nature which they represent is displayed through large-scale ceremonies which Aitamurto defines as "aesthetically lavish", vectors of a great deal of creativity. These ceremonies typically entail the invocation of gods, the offering of sacrifices and the pouring of libations, dances and communal meals. [193] The Rodnover movement claims to represent the return to a "Golden Age", while the modern world is seen as having entered a stage of meaninglessness and collapse; Rodnovery heralds the re-establishment of the cosmic order, which cyclically dies but then revives in its original form, either by returning to the lifestyle and life-meaning attitudes of the ancestors (retro-utopia), or by radically restructuring the existing world order on the principles of a renewed primordial tradition (archeofuturism). [284] Sylenkoism was influenced by deism and Theosophy. [304] There had been schisms in the international organisation of Native Ukrainian National Faith. Such idea that Russians may derive, at least in part, from Scythians is popular in many Rodnover circles. Add to Favorites 31 Slavic Beings of Myth & Magic, an Illustrated Folklore Book by Alex Kujawa - Slavic mythology and folklore, now in COLOR! [350] Yet, they espouse Russian nationalism, ancestrality and ecology, and oppose Christianity (but not folk Orthodoxy, which is regarded as a continuation of Russian indigenous religion) and the Western "technocratic civilisation". [167], The scholar Dmitry V. Shlyapentokh noted that it is the Russian right-wing in general to have identified itself with Paganism, due to the peculiar political climate of benevolence and cooperation with Jews and Muslims of the contemporary Russian government and Orthodox Church. He is a god of thunder, lightning, and war, and is often associated with the oak tree. Vasilyev's art is widely celebrated within the Rodnover community. [447] In Lithuania there are also homesteads of the Anastasian movement. [61], The appropriate name of the religion is an acute topic of discussion among believers. [94] Cosmologically speaking, Rod is conceived as the spring of universal emanation, which articulates in a cosmic hierarchy of gods; Rod expresses itself as Prav (literally "Right" or "Order"; cf. [125] Rodnovers are concerned with the oversaturation of cities and the devastation of the countryside, and they aim at re-establishing harmony between the two environments. He represents virility. [299], After Mikhail Gorbachev's Soviet government introduced the policy of perestroika in the 1980s, Slavic Native Faith groups established themselves in Ukraine. History . He represents the changing of the seasons and the Koliada festival is held after the winter solstice. Polytheism is accepted for its ability to "account for the complexity of the world with its multiple good and evil forces", and particularly emphasised is the popular Russian belief in the great goddess of the Earth (Mokosh or Mat Syra Zemlya). [302] The first Rodnover website on the Russian Internet (so-called Runet)was created by a Moscow-based believer in 1996. The physical symbols that represented this deity were dolls made of natural materials such as wood (or straws) as well as water in the form of ice and snow. [348], Koliada Viatichey (Russian: ) is a Rodnover faction that emerged in 1998 through the union of the group named "Viatiches", inspired to the homonymous early East Slavic tribe of the Viatiches, which comprised well-educated Moscow intellectuals and was founded by Nikolay Speransky (volkhv Velimir) in 1995, and the community named "Koliada". [132] Many leaders of early post-Soviet Rodnovery were intellectuals who were already Rodnovers in the late Soviet times; for instance, Grigory Yakutovsky (volkhv Vseslav Svyatozar), Alexey Dobrovolsky (volkhv Dobroslav) and Viktor Bezverkhy. Scandinavian Symbols And Culture Black Color Set Solid Style Image. In the Slavic mythology, Viy (or Bog Viy) is the guardian of the Heavenly Border, which separates the Light Halls the spiritual world inhabited by the gods and dead souls from the Dark Halls populated by demons and evil spirits. [253] Shizhenskii and Aitamurto described one Kupala festival, held over the course of three days outside Maloyaroslavets in Russia; at this event, weddings, purification rituals, and name-giving ceremonies took place, accompanied by musical performances, martial arts, and folkloric plays, while a market sold traditional handicrafts. The Slavs, who were their creators, are an ethnic group that has existed in Europe since at least the time of the Romans. Witchcraft and Magic in Russian and Ukrainian Lands before 1900 [92], The root *rod is attested in sources about pre-Christian religion referring to divinity and ancestrality. [48] As such, it represents wholeness, the ultimate source of renewal, the cosmic order and the four directions. [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. [2] The movement has its headquarters in eastern Ukraine,[377] the region of origin of Ivanov himself, and it is widespread in Russia. [401] Veleslav's left-hand path has been criticised by other Rodnover groups and leaders including Speransky and Irina Volkova (Krada Veles). It is present in Russia and Ukraine, especially, but not exclusively, among Cossacks who claim a Scythian identity to distinguish themselves from Slavs. Ancient Slavs lived in tribal societies, presided over by tribal chieftains, and practiced a multi-theistic form of Paganism. [190] Temple buildings (, khram) may be present. Check out our slavic pagan symbols selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our figurines shops. [299], Anastasianism (Russian: , , ) or the Ringing Cedars ( ) is a spiritual movement that overlaps with Rodnovery. The Triskele is an ancient Celtic symbol used in modern witchcraft and neo-paganism. [331] From the mid-2000s, Rodnovers made increasing use of social media to communicate with other members of their community. But there's little reason to believe it is a universal Slavic symbol, or that it was particular to Slavic Pagans. [35] The notion that modern Rodnovery is closely tied to the historical Slavic religion is a very strong one among practitioners. She is the goddess of death, rebirth, rural places and young plants. [149] According to them, the Slavs are the directest descendants of an ancient Aryan race, whom they equate with the Proto-Indo-Europeans. It is a symbol, also, of protection. [337], In August 2015, during the 3rd Polish Nationwide Rodnover Congress, the Rodnover Confederation (Konfederacja Rodzimowiercza) was formally established. [197] In turn, Rodnovers have accused academics of being part of a conspiracy to conceal the truth about history. Slavic Pagan Symbols - Etsy ecology). Russian folklore has its roots in the Slavic pagan traditions. [448], In Australia there is Southern Cross Rodnovery, a Rodnover organisation that caters to Australians of Slavic ethnicity. "[199] An example is Yuri Sergeev's adventure novel "Stanovoi Ridge" (1987), whose protagonist in the 1920s in the Yakut taiga discovers elderly "Old Believers" who store knowledge of "the wonderful beauty of religion, which they defiled and killed", and a secret library with texts, citing the Book of Veles. Vladimir Istarkhov, in the book "The Strike of the Russian Gods", predicts that in the era of Aquarius there will be a revival of the pagan gods, and the "Aryan power" will triumph over the "Jewish devil. Prestige is not limited to male priests; a priestess, Halyna Lozko from Ukraine, is an acknowledged authority within the Rodnover movement,[128] and the settlement of Pravovedi in Kolomna is governed by a priestess. [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. [5] The movement has no overarching structure,[6] or accepted religious authority,[7] and contains much diversity in terms of belief and practice. [96], The founder Aleksandr Belov (Selidor) was originally a Karate master, and in the 1970s and 1980s he began researching and reviving ancient Slavic martial techniques mixing them with elements of English catch wrestling and other styles, codifying the practice in the book Slavic-Hill Wrestling and popularising it by founding, in 1986, the group of the Descendants of Svarog (-, Svarozhychey-Tryverov), which in 1989 took part in the creation of the Moscow Slavic Pagan Community; in 1995 Belov left the group and the following year he established the Russian Federation of Slavic-Hill Wrestling, which was officially registered by the state in 2015 as the Association of Slavic-Hill Wrestling Fighters ( - ). [117] An example of ancestor worship is the ritual of "Veneration of Ancient Russian Knights" practised by the Russian Rodnover organisation Svarozhichi, centred in Yekaterinburg and widespread in the Ural region, on May 9, in honour of the victory of Svyatoslav I of Kiev against the Khazars. The religion is patriarchal, and attitudes towards sex and gender are generally conservative. [383] They believe that "Yngling", a name that identifies the earliest royal kins of Scandinavia, means "offspring of Yngly", and that the historical Ynglings migrated to Scandinavia from the region of Omsk, which they claim was a spiritual centre of the early Indo-Europeans. Many Rodnovers regard their religion as a faithful continuation of the ancient beliefs that survived as a folk religion or a conscious "double belief" following the Christianisation of the Slavs in the Middle Ages. [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. It was in Chicago that he established the earliest groups of the Native Ukrainian National Faith (Sylenkoism) in 1966. [186] In following decades the work would have caused a sensation,[282] with many emigrees regarding it as a genuine tenth-century text. [269] Particularly interested in the idea about an ancient Aryan race that were popular at the time,[272] he subsequently began promoting what he called a "pan-Aryan renaissance". and is used in modern neo-paganism (see " In modern countries "). [1] The portmanteau Ridnovir began to be used by Ukrainians to refer to the broader movement (not restricted to Sylenkoism) by at least 1995,[60] popularised by Volodymyr Shaian. [301] In 2003, the First Forum of Rodnovers was held in Ukraine, resulting in two public proclamations: the first urged the country's government to protect what the Rodnovers regarded as sacred sites and objects, and the second called on the government not to go ahead with the proposed privatisation of agricultural land. [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. [186] Another supporter of the book was the Ukrainian entomologist Sergey Paramonov (also known as Sergey Lesnoy; 18981968);[9] he was the one who in 1957 coined the name Book of Veles for the Isenbek text and also named velesovitsa the writing system in which it was allegedly written. [81], Prior to their Christianisation, the Slavic peoples were polytheists, worshipping multiple deities who were regarded as the emanations of a supreme God. They hold that the Saga ob Ynglingakh, their Russian version of the Germanic Ynglinga saga (itself composed by Snorri Sturluson on the basis of an older Ynglingatal), proves their ideas about the origins of the Ynglings in Omsk, and that the Germanic Eddas are ultimately a more recent, western European and Latinised version of their own sacred books, the Slavo-Aryan Vedas. [418], Ivakhiv noted that Rodnovery remains "a relatively small niche in Ukrainian religious culture",[419] and that it faces a mixed reception in the country. [111] A Sylenkoite centre, the Temple of Mother Ukraine, was established in Spring Glen, New York. Volkhvs are the higher rank of the sacerdotal hierarchy, while zhrets are of a lower authority. [215], Rodnovery has a significant role in the War in Donbass, with many Rodnovers joining pro-Russian armed forces in Donetsk and Lugansk. Svarog, in the Slavic mythology, was the god of fire, sun and heaven (heaven being the world of the gods and dead souls). Others have been assimilated by Christian teaching and aligned with new beliefs. [321] Conflicts emerged around the interpretation of ancient Slavic religion: The Kin of Yarovit focused on Indo-European religion and its social trifunctionalism, the Kin of Mokosh focused on Neolithic Europe's mother goddess worship, while groups which emerged later, such as the "Kin of Veles", had no focus. Among the most common myths is that of Belovodye (the esoteric kingdom of "White Waters"), deriving from eighteenth-century Old Believers' culture. [316], Modern Rodnovery in the Czech Republic emerged in 19951996. Her symbol, or star, serves as protection against negative energy or dark forces. The aim of the Authentist philosophical practice is to reveal one's own true spiritual essence, which is identical with God, Rodwhich is viewed as the complementary unity of Belobog/Sventovid and Chernobog/Velesand therefore the unity of mankind and God, which characterises Russia's special mission opposed to Western individualism. Animals such as wolves, bears, hares or foxes thanks to the wide area of distribution firmly entrenched themselves in various legends, stories, mythology and art of Slavic people. Meryan Rodnovers also rely upon the uninterrupted traditions of the Mari Native Faith; on 27 September 2015, they organised a joint Mari-Merya prayer in the Moscow region. [180] Many Rodnovers magnify the ancient Slavs by according to them great cultural achievements. According to his followers, he acquired such knowledge through the "breath of his ancestors" being united with them "by divine holiness". [410] A high proportion were also involved in specialist professions such as engineering, academia, or information technology, and the majority lived in cities. "Slavic Traditions & Mythology" is the fourth book by Stefan Cvetkovi which sums up his research in the field of Slavic mythology. [99] This theological explanation is called "manifestationism" by some contemporary Rodnovers and implies the idea of a spiritmatter continuum; the different gods, who proceed from the supreme God, generate differing categories of things not as their external creations (as objects), but embodying themselves as these entities. [351], Meryan Rodnovery is a movement present in the Russian regions of Ivanovo, Kostroma, Moscow, Vladimir, Vologda, Tver, and Yaroslavl. [215], The Rodnover priesthood is characterised by a number of attributes, sacred objects which mark their role. [370] These books teach what the scholar Rasa Pranskeviit has defined as a "cosmological pantheism",[371] in which nature is the manifested "thought of God" and human intelligence has the power to commune with him and to actively participate to the creation of the world. [37] Practitioners often legitimise the incorporation of elements from folk culture into Slavic Native Faith through the argument that Slavic folk practices have long reflected the so-called "double belief" (dvoeverie), a conscious preservation of pre-Christian beliefs and practices alongside Christianity. [61] From Ukraine, the term began to spread throughout other Slavic countries. [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. Slavic Spells The folklore of ancient Slavs contains a rich treasury of spells, including spells for domestic prosperity, wisdom, and knowledge. He is a source of wealth, sometimes translated as wealth-giver, and represents justice and well-being. [295] The Pamyat movement attracted personalities interested in Vedism and welcomed the ideas developed among Russian emigrees, also organising a conference on the Book of Veles led by Valery Skurlatov (b. [130] Other Rodnovers are openly anti-Semite,[156] a category which for them means not only anti-Jewish but more broadly anti-Asian, anti-Christian and anti-Islamic, and anti-Byzantinist sentiment,[157] and espouse conspiracy theories claiming that Jews and Asians control the economic and political elite.