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, Kievan Rus' in 988).[citation needed] Those Pagan religious practices that were not adopted into Christian folk practice were probably stamped out by the 15th century;[citation needed] however, some modern Rodnovers make use of 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, which 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 Christian writers. Zorian Dołęga-Chodakowski's 1818 pamphlet "O Sławiańszczyżnie przed chrześcijaństwem" (About the Slavs before Christianity) would later prove to be an influential proto-Neopagan 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).
As in other European countries, many Slavic nations developed autochthonic Rodnover traditions 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 Neopagan in press articles before World War II.
Czech Republic
Rodnover groups in the Czech Republic include Společenství Rodná Víra (the Association of Native Faith) based in Prague.
POLAND
The most influential Polish Rodnover 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 Rodnover 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. However, there is no evidence for the later communist propaganda that Stachniuk was sympathetic to Hitler orNazism. 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 in 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 Zrzeszenie 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).
Other Polish Rodnover groups, such as the Rodzimy 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 Rodnover organisation, Polski Kościół Słowiański (the Polish Slavic Church) were registered with the Polish authorities in 1995. Most Rodnover groups in Poland, however, are small and informal and do not belong to one of the officially-registered religious organisations.[6]
An "Association for Tradition and Culture 'Niklot'" (Stowarzyszenie na rzecz Tradycji i Kultury Niklot) was founded in Warsaw in 1997, led byfar right politician Tomasz Szczepanski. Niklot promotes an ideology of ethnic nationalism inspired by Jan Stachniuk and Friedrich Nietzsche.
RUSIA
Rodnover groups in the Russian Federation include the Slavic Communities Union based inKaluga. The largest cult is that of the great god Rod. Lesser deities include Perun andDazhbog. Russian centers of Rodnovery are situated also in Dolgoprudny, Pskov and other cities. Moscow has several pagan temples.
Slovakia
The largest pagan group in Slovakia is Krug Peruna (http://www.krugperuna.org); it actively organizes different ceremonies throughout the country. Moreover, it has members not only inBratislava (its headquarters) but also in other cities such as Martin and Košice.
Another smaller group is Paromova Dúbrava, which draws together pagans from Bratislava and nearby vicinities. The most recent group is Rodolesie from Veľký Krtíš.
The new Rodnover page is Geryon, situated in Bratislava (http://geryon.org). The Geryon communicate with the other Rodnover sites or groups. The centrum of this guild is in Bratislava, but the members are over both the Slovak and Czech Republics.
Miroslav Švický (also known as ŽiariSlav) published on the subject what was quite well recognized by Slovak etnologic academia, most notably the book Návrat Slovenov. He with group of people around him named Rodný kruh (http://www.ved.sk/) fosters unorthodox approach to neopaganism under Slovak name vedomectvo. They focus on comprehending underlying wisdom of pagan traditions that survived in Slovakia to this day, instead of exactly reproducing rituals as they are described in historical literature (often fragmentary and written by foreigners). The aim is finding way how to restore harmony with nature by preserving old rituals,crafts and music as well as creating new ones in the same spirit, named novodrevo, novodrevná hudba. Švický is frontman of musical group Bytosti (http://bytosti.sk), that plays such music.
Ukraine
Further information: Berehynia
One of the most influential Ukrainian Rodnover ideologues was Volodymyr Shaian (1908–1974). In 1934, Shaian, a specialist in Sanskrit atLviv University, claimed to have a religious experience while observing a folk ritual in the Carpathian mountains. His brand of Rodnovery emphasised the shared roots of Indo-European culture. He was involved in a short-lived Rodnover 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 theBook 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, Ontario, Canada in 1987.
The largest group that currently continues Shaian’s legacy is the Obiednannia Ridnoviriv Ukrayiny (Об`єднання Рідновірів України "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 andYuzhnoukrainsk. "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, USA, and only opened their first temple in the mother country of Ukraine after the 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.
Other Slavic countries
Much smaller groups also exist in other Slavic countries, such as Croatian bands Slavogorje or Kult Perunov, or in Republic of Macedonia(where folk-pagan metal bands are becoming increasingly popular in the underground music scene 1 2). However, this scene is still overshadowed by the more popular Scandinavian Viking folk metal scene, pioneered by such acts as Korpiklaani, Ensiferum, and Tyr.
No comments:
Post a Comment