How Ukrainian pagans live. Russian and Ukrainian neo-paganism - paganism - general information

Unfortunately, the truth is that nation-building is beneficial for legitimizing nationalist myths. And given that the early pre-Christian stages of history are most suitable for building a free national state, since the ancestors were free people who ruled their destiny and successfully conquered nature, defeating their enemies, it is no wonder to proclaim the concept of "identity".

But what if the available historical sources do not in any way allow painting such a rosy picture of the golden age, because in ancient times there was colonial rule, and foreign oppression, and slavish dependence?

This is where the time for fakes comes in.

So, runes that have little in common with Slavic paganism are presented as primordially Slavic runes, although even the name itself does not go back to the Slavic language, but was the writing of the ancient Germans. The term "runes" has a connection with the ancient Germanic root run ("secret"). In total, about 5000 runic inscriptions have been found in the world, most of which were found in Sweden.

In addition, the alphabet of the ancient Türks of a similar angular shape, as in medieval Europe, was called runes.

And, given the fact that there are many Turkic words in the Ukrainian language (about 4000), such as "tavern, kavun, bazaar, kazan, maidan, chumak, yar", which many Ukrainian inhabitants still consider to be primordially Ukrainian, it is not difficult to guess that that the runes do not have Slavic (Ukrainian) roots, contrary to the opinion of the adherents of national myths.

Among other things, today in the arena of patriotic ideas about the nation and the justification of the name "Ukraine", as the self-name of the tribe ukrov, one sees a close specter of neo-pagan nationalism.

Unfortunately, this is not a new attempt to present the story of the origin of the Slavic peoples, a servant of some ancient civilization. In this case, the founders of this civilization are, according to the opinion, "brilliant new historians" - ukry.

The defenders of this theory do not hide the following features:

"Ukry is a specific group of people, an ancient caste, the intellectual elite of the ancient society, bearers of high spiritual knowledge. These are people who are gifted by nature, people of ancient Vedic knowledge, people with extremely developed own energy (bioenergy), who are able to influence the people around them and the world. They are carriers of a very ancient worldview, which they carried for thousands of years (!) In the vast expanses of Eurasia.

In different eras, in different places, in Persia, Babylonia, Sumeria, Egypt, the Roman Empire, among the ancient Slavs, they were called in different ways: sages, prophets, Sons of God, fathers, elders, magi-ukrami, prophets, messiahs. It is the Slavic Magi who are those mysterious Ukrainians, people with an extremely ancient and extremely spiritual (Aryan) history.

So, I agree with the above data

• - Ukry is a caste.
• - Ukry are people of Vedic knowledge.
• - Ukry are wise men, prophets, "Sons of God", wise men and, finally, the messiah.
• - Ukry are people with an extraordinary Aryan history.

In general, the pagan foundations of Vedic culture are unambiguously promoted here. And neo-pagans only rub their hands, looking at how modern Ukrainian historians, most of whom call themselves Christians, vying with each other to give a reason for neo-paganism, to rule the ball in the minds of Ukrainians who do not really delve into the historical legitimacy of Christian, not pagan history.

After all, the same historian Arkas, wrote that the most developed of all Slavic

tribes was the tribe of the Polyans, which, according to the historian, had the closest cooperation with the Greeks.

Further, Arkas, continues to develop the idea that it was the glades that stood at the origins of the spread of the Christian faith in Russia, because they (glade - ed.) More than other Slavs of Ancient Russia came into contact with the Greek world, which, as you know, had deep roots of the Christian faith, thanks to the sermons of ap. Paul. In addition, thanks to this contact with the Greeks, the ancient predecessors of the Ukrainians received from Greek sources for themselves various names for the Ukrainian people and Ukrainian cities, some of which are still mentioned by modern Ukrainians. One of these names given to the glades, in the VIII century. AD, has come down to our times under the word "Rus".

From this it follows that the Christianization of Rus was necessary, like air for our ancestors, because, closely contacting the Greek culture, they not only called their territories with ancient Greek names, but also absorbed the spiritual and educational culture of the worldview, under the influence of the Christian faith. She, earlier, having penetrated into Greece, thanks to the sermons of the ap. Paul and his associates, this belief was able to modify the idea of \u200b\u200bthe meaning of being in Greek civilization. Centuries passed and already Ancient Russia faced a choice: to remain pagan or to accept Christianity.

The new religion, firstly, made it possible to put an end to the primordial relations, because of which the people were in deep chaos, in religious life. Paganism in its worldview system could not rise to a monistic view of the world. This implies the lack of positive results in the desire to place a single supreme deity, above the host of pagan gods, as the absolute root cause of being. Not only the ancestors of the ancient Slavs faced this problem. It was survived by the ancient Greeks and Romans, ancient Germans and Scandinavians.

Another key factor in the need to choose faith was the eternal fear of nature. Paganism developed in man a belief in a deity who was responsible for certain forces of nature. Therefore, man could not free himself from the fear of nature. The inability of a pagan to understand the surrounding nature gave rise to fantastic ideas in which earthly forces received the form of unearthly ones, in spite of the knowledge of objective being.

So, the pantheism of pagan ideology was the first, still very naive natural philosophy of the ancient Slavs. Each mythological character personified a certain force of nature: Dazhbog - the sky, Khors - the sun, Perun - lightning, Stribog - wind, Svarog - fire, etc. Ancient Slavic cosmogony sought to clarify the basic forces of nature, well known to our ancestors thanks to their labor and life activities ...

Christian monotheism for the first time gave our ancestors the idea of \u200b\u200ba monistic universe, bound by a single root cause. Paganism oppressed the human soul, fostered fear of the forces of nature. Christianity, however, gave a person freedom from this fear, contrary to the opinion of modern neo-pagans, who assert that the Christianization of Russia is the slavery of the Russian people. However, the prominent Soviet scientist D. Likhachev testified:

"The fear of the elemental forces of nature, typical of paganism, has largely passed. There is a realization that nature is friendly to man, that it serves him."

Alas, "academicians" like Levashov and Chudinov, when they develop the ideas of neo-paganism, are generally not based on scientific research methods, but pass off their fantasies as scientific. Using the mentality of people with skillful eloquence, they do a lion's favor to those connoisseurs of antiquity who are looking for something sensational, which causes a lot of confusion in their minds and, what is most sad, hatred of Christianity.

Thus, the ideologists of modern neo-paganism are trying to introduce their faith, which has no future for life at its core. And they use, for this purpose, the same means as Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormons, and evolutionists, and atheists: they penetrate the worldview of people, misleading them with a small fraction of truth and a huge bowl of lies. In this way, they contribute to religious strife on the basis of national interests. And religion and politics have always been close to each other. So you are not surprised why some especially gifted patriots, instead of eternal truth, at all costs try to captivate masses of people with their ideology, so that later these same people can be made slaves of their plans and goals.

Repeated demolitions of the memorial cross in the center of Mariupol, which for some mysterious reason regularly occur before the processions of the Azov regiment in this city ... Desecration of symbols related to Christianity - like.

Such incidents have been happening more and more often lately. Actually, there were many cases of religious vandalism in Ukraine until 2014, it is enough to recall the actions of Femen with the sawing down of the cross and the dismantling of pagans and Cossacks in Zaporozhye. Meanwhile, the present and symbols of Christianity occur simultaneously with the activation of national radicals and often with their own submission.

In their ranks, neo-paganism is spreading more and more - the worship of ancient Slavic and ancient Germanic gods. In what form it proceeds, "Strana" understood.

Congregation of the White Hort - regiment "Azov"

“This cursed cross on Freedom Square (in Mariupol - ed.) Is being broken by our guys from the civilian corps. to obscure the minds of Ukrainians - Slavs. There is no particular difference - it is Moscow patriarchy, or Kiev. Anyway, with the help of priests, Ukrainians are imposed a line of behavior pleasing to Russia, "- my old friend Yuri from the Azov regiment told by phone (name has been changed - Auth.).

We met him near Mariupol. Then the reason for the conversation was a massive silver medallion with a kolovrat around the neck of a volunteer sitting on a bench near the headquarters. In the center of the trinket stood out a swastika, "twisted" in the same direction as the state symbol of the Third Reich. Noticing my glance at the medallion, the soldier, who introduced himself as a "volunteer from Nikolaev", with an obvious challenge explained, they say, the swastika is "not what you thought, but the symbol of the native faith - the Sun."

"The swastika is a Kolovrat, a symbol of eternal life. Well, yes, it was also used in Germany. So what? It does not change anything. Among our boys (fighters of" Azov "- ed.), Most of all" relatives "are originally Slavic faith, “Rod” is called. There are still many “scandics.” These guys believe in Valhalla, Odin and Thor. But there is no big difference between us - “relatives” and “scandics.” In fact, this is one and the same religion. Even the names of the gods are similar "- said Yuri from Nikolaev.

According to the fighter, he enrolled in the Azov battalion in 2014, together with several brothers-in-arms from the Nikolaev community of the Slavic faith, White Hort.

“The question of which unit to fight in did not arise - our ancestral faith was positively treated in“ Azov. ”Therefore, they signed up there. From the first days of being in the battalion, it became clear to us that this unit is almost 90 percent brothers in faith. And the commanders, even before the battle, always said that the fallen would go to Valhalla "- the volunteer explained in parting.

It is interesting that the pagan organization "White Hort", in general, does not hide the fact that since the beginning of 2014 it has been "feeding" many fighters of the Azov regiment - information about the connections of the pagan community with this unit has repeatedly appeared on the community's website.

On May 12, 2015, the "priest" Velesen - Lubomyr held a "military" pagan rite for the "Azovites". This information was first published on the White Hort website, and then, for some reason, was erased. And in the summer of 2016, a sanctuary with a wooden "idol" - the pagan god of war Perun, was erected at the base of the regiment in Mariupol. It is noteworthy that on the official website of the Azov regiment, the construction of the Perun sanctuary is presented as a tribute to the historical traditions of the Ukrainians.

Meanwhile, adherents of paganism from the Azov regiment deny their involvement in hooligan actions at the monument to Vladimir the Great in Kiev. “My friends in Kiev said that the monument to Vladimir was doused with paint by members of some native-faith community from Kiev, allegedly from the“ Great Fire. ” they were not involved in this action, "Yuri says.

White hammer in the glow of the "Great Fire"

According to Maxim Yarich, a former member of the "Rodnover" community "Great Fire", over the past several years pagans have been in a state of enmity with the "official" state religion - Orthodoxy.

“The sanctuaries of the pagan faith in Kiev are constantly being destroyed by religious Orthodox fanatics - the sculptures of Perun and other gods are splashed with paint, set on fire and covered up with obscene abuse. many of our community activists left for the "White Hammer", our leaders decided that it was time to stop taking a passive position - it was time to "kick the priests in the teeth".

The fact is that activists from the Great Fire community became the backbone of the White Hammer. Most of the Hammer activists are pagan. Although the "White Hammer" was originally created as a national-patriotic organization and pursued political goals, the hostile attitude towards Christianity is a trademark of almost all Molotovites.

Members of "White Hammer" are sure that apart from the war in the east, in Ukraine there is an invisible war between Christianity and the native faith - paganism. The monument to Vladimir was filled with paint out of revenge - the fact is that their sacred temple on Lysaya Gora in Kiev, the day before, someone once again disfigured. Also, a week before these events, the former coordinator of the Great Fire, an activist of the White Hammer Horse, Dmitry Karpenko, was beaten by unknown persons. This was perceived as hostile actions by religious Christian fanatics, "said a former member of the Great Fire community.

In turn, our police sources indirectly confirm that the monument to Vladimir the Great was doused with paint by members of one of the Kiev radical nationalist organizations.

"There is operational information that the hooligan action at the monument to Vladimir the Great is the work of pagan radicals. One of the versions is that it was done by the White Hammer activists. The case is under the control of the minister, now we are checking the information," said one of the officers of the National Police ...

By the way, the radical nationalist organization "White Hammer" during the Maidan was part of the "Right Sector". However, in March 2014, the "White Hammer" was expelled from the PS, and the founder of the organization, Vladislav Goranin, nicknamed Goran, left with some of the organization's activists in the Aydar battalion, but did not fight in its composition for long and left the unit, according to Goran himself. because of disagreement with the crime situation in the battalion. After leaving "Aydar" Goran joined the OUN battalion in Peski.

Interestingly, the full nickname of the White Hammer leader Vladislav Goranin is Goran Volchich.

"Actually, this is not a call sign, but a second pagan name that was given to Slava in the community when he was consecrated to his native faith," Maksim Yarich specified.

Members of the White Hammer organization were also at the origins of the creation of the 8th separate company of the "Right Sector" with the telling name "Aratta". Actually, this word is found in cuneiform tablets of the ancient Sumerians.

According to an ancient legend, this is the name of a certain northern country, rich in precious metals and skilled artisans. In the 20th century, the mention of a mythical northern country was interpreted by several scientists as evidence of the existence of a certain ancestral home of the Slavs - proto-Ukrainian - Trypillians. A volunteer with the call sign Elephant, who fought in Pravo Sektor, claims that the company was founded by neo-pagans.

"Aratta was originally created by the Rodnovers - they were the backbone of the company. Of course, after a while the pagans became much less - after all, the volunteers came to fight not for paganism, but for Ukraine. Now from the former" pagan "unit, only one name remains - many different people - representatives of different religions ", - told us the volunteer Elephant.

Now the White Hammer organization maintains close ties with its founders from the pagan community "Great Fire". On his page "VKontakte" there is an offer to join like-minded people - "kshatriya" - fighters and ideologists of paganism are especially appreciated.

In particular, on October 10, 2016, an entry appeared on this page: "In connection with the expansion of the White Hammer movement, we announce the searches:
... 3. Ideologists (vectors - anthropology, Pan-Slavism, National Assembly, Ukrainian nationalism, (neo) paganism, social struggle), 4. A caste of warriors (there are ambitions and plans, you know how to play with friends, you are looking for like-minded people, you want to get new skills) ".

This announcement testifies that the main ideas of the organization are the ideas of Ukrainian nationalism, National Socialism (the ideology of the Hitlerite party, the abbreviation of the National Assembly means exactly this - Ed.), As well as paganism. By the way, "to swing" in this quote from "White Hammer" means - to fight. The fact is that in the field of neo-paganism in Ukraine for a couple of decades, numerous coaches-swindlers have been working, who supposedly revive the "secret" martial arts of "proto-Ukrainians".

Friends of the "White Hammer" from "Black Arrow" and "Monolith"

Quite recently, a regiment of Ukrainian radical nationalist organizations has arrived - new youth organizations "Black Arrow" and "Monolith" have appeared. One of their first actions was a joint march with members of C-14 and the Azov Group of Companies in a demonstration on October 14, 2016 in Kiev.

Both organizations are friendly to the "White Hammer" and carry out joint actions under the general leadership of Goran Volchich.

"Black Arrow" and "Monolith" were created for the use of force against those whom the leadership of these organizations consider "separatists", "traitors", corrupt officials or "Kremlin spies". The Black Arrow leadership aims to radically influence the authorities and distance itself from any political parties, attracting young people who are unhappy with the political situation in Ukraine. There is information that activists from Black Arrow and White Hammer are involved in hostile actions against the Orthodox Church (MP), "our source in the National Police of Ukraine claims.

Whether this is really so, it is still impossible to say for sure. None of the listed organizations have ever taken responsibility for vandalism of religious symbols and monuments.

However, it is obvious that the radical Ukrainian nationalists have adopted the ideas of paganism. It is likely that sooner or later another player may intervene in the religious strife of the Ukrainian Orthodox over the issues of autocephaly and ties with Moscow - pagans, backed up by the fists and Kalashnikov rifles of radical nationalists. And most likely, this new force will be hostile to any Orthodox confessions - only because the apologists of neo-paganism are confident in their right to "primordiality" and "birthright".

All Slavs have always considered Rod to be the Creator of the Universe as the God of Gods. According to the ideas of our ancestors, he lives in Svarga - the highest sky, rides on the clouds, gives life to people, animals, birds, gives rain to the crops of rye, gives a person Fate. Rod - one of the gods, which remained in the memory of the people longer. His statues, hidden in thickets and high mountains from Christian fanatics, were revered by a few faithful pagans until the 19th century.

The female deities of Rozhanitsi are engaged in childbirth and have a mysterious connection with the stars. The human soul was presented as a spark of heavenly fire - a star that God lights up at the birth of a child and extinguishes when a person dies. The Magi (pagan priests) compiled books by which one could learn about their fate. "

Generic and Childbirth. as to the native Gods, only bloodless sacrifices were made in the form of products that nature itself gave: from plants and from animals. And le were sacrifices in the form of bread, cheese, honey, porridge (corner). Before eating the ritual dish - the corner, on Christmas Day, the father throws the first spoon up into the holy corner - Pokut or under the ceiling. This custom still exists in Ukraine today. Its origin, however, is deeply archaic and means precisely the bringing of the ate j you to Rod and Rozhantsyam. which in ancient times was performed by Volkhov or a priest. The father of the family is identified with the minister of the cult.

Holidays in honor of Rod and women in labor were celebrated even in early Christian churches, where people brought sacrificial dishes. Yes. in St. Sophia of Kiev * in the first years of its existence, pagans gathered to celebrate their ancient holidays. And Iiznishhe clergy strictly forbade these services.

The oldest images of Rod and Rozhanitsy are found by archaeologists - these are small sculptures that. probably every family had. They are also preserved on embroidered towels. These are broadly the motives of the Tree of Life (Trees of the Family), stylized images of the Great Goddess and the like. Some ethnographic materials have been preserved as far back as the 20th century. the image of a genealogical tree on the doors of houses: the names of men are written on the leaves of this tree, and the names of women are written on flowers. If a person died, a cross was painted at her name, and when a child was born, a new twig with a leaf or flower was drawn. Later, the idea of \u200b\u200bRod was transferred to the domestic Brownie, who, according to popular beliefs, lives by the hearth and<его охранником.

The cult of the Rod developed, probably during the patriarchy (Bronze Age), while Rozhanitsi. arising in matriarchy, have already embodied in the images of Lada and her daughter Lelia. Therefore, it is logical to assume that Rozhanitsi - the Goddess of fertility - arose in our Ancestors earlier than the male deity of the Family.

Rozhanitsy were portrayed as a pair of twins, I think a sign of high fertility and holiness. People now consider twins to be sacred, or at least mysterious signs of the Gods. Rozhanitsi (mother Dala and daughter Lelya) were popularly identified with the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Genus is the spiritual energy of the Ancestors. It unites all generations: deceased Ancestors. their living descendants and future, e unborn, branches of clans, that is, the strengthening core of the people (nation) - the connection of the past, present and future, the spokesman for the history of their ethnic group, which forms its future.

The birth is celebrated on the second day of the winter solstice (this falls on December 22-23). On this day, the dead are also commemorated and older relatives and "parents" (father and mother, that is, those who gave birth) are honored. The Magi carry out the "nativity", which means to broadcast the future generations through the stars - "genealogy". In our ancient Ancestors reading "Born is a book in which the Good and Evil days and times indicated and their influence on the fate of newborn babies", that is, according to ancient "magic" books, foreshadowed the child's fate. Such predictions were also called "Chotis Star". "zvizdologie", or "zvizdozakopis". Christians fought for a long time and unsuccessfully with faith in Roda and Rozhanits. So, in the Book of Helms of 1284, Rule No. 61 from the 6th Ecumenical Council was introduced, which prescribes severe punishment for those "who are like who receive believers in the genealogy, rickshaws in Rozhaitsyu" Here, the word gets meaning "fate, fate, blind chance." "When I come across a lot of names derived from the name of Rod: Rodak. Rodan, Rodik, Rodko, Rodimir, Rod-Slav, Rodobog - the so-called children born on the Feast of Rod

The continuation of the Family is the main purpose of man on Earth. There were special prayers for the prolongation of the Family. To do this, they turned to Dazhdbog (ideal, spiritual principle) and to Veles (material, bodily). Yasna is also associated with the Rod - the Goddess of female fertility, identical to Rozhanitsi. She, like Rock Streech, spins the thread of new life. Svarog was also asked to extend the Family. which with the primary source of all that exists: "At first Svarog's Ancestors prayed, where the Roda Birth was a source, interrogated and then there was no crumbling of our bread" (Velesova Kniga, board 15-L). Christian "Instructions" against paganism also inform about the ritual of offering bread as a sacrifice to the Family and Rozhantsyam: "loaves pray to them," "they put a meal" by the water, on rivers, at the sources. Slavic Rozha-111111 and are close to the Greek Artemis - the patroness of childbirth and women in labor. The she-bear who accompanies Artyom on my way. obviously identified with the constellation Ursa Major. She was also known among the Western Slavs. On the eleventh mountain of Slezha, in Poland, there is still a stone statue of the Bear with a sacred layer on the chest, which dates back to the 7th-4th centuries. BC h. Ancestral Deities, as a rule, live longer in crushed people. A clan identical to God the Father - Svarog, which protects our Ukrainian people.

Different groups of "Rodnovers" have different rituals. Sometimes they fight among themselves.

Recently, Ukrainians celebrated the holiday of Ivan the Baptist, but people often call him Ivan Kupala. Despite the fact that most of the citizens of our country profess Christianity, elements of paganism are not alien to us. So, on the night of Kupala, they still choose their betrothed, they are looking for a fern flower, which supposedly brings unreal wealth (if, of course, you find such a phenomenon of nature), they swim until the morning, pour water over Ivanov and jump over the fire to cleanse themselves and fasten them forever your love, "hardening" it with fire. And although the Orthodox Church does not recognize this holiday, many Ukrainians continue to honor the traditions of their ancestors.

By the way, some of the pagans celebrate Ivan Kupala not on the night of July 7, but on the summer solstice, June 22. Today paganism not only has not disappeared, but even revived. Organizations and communities have emerged in different parts of the country that are restoring traditions that existed before the advent of Christianity. Modern pagans are also called "Rodnovers" or "neo-pagans". Their exact number is difficult to determine. According to experts, "neo-paganism" is difficult to describe and systematize: adherents of new trends and communities cannot always agree among themselves on common rules and even fight.

Money for idols and the struggle for influence

"Neopaganism", or "Rodnoverstvo", has grown in independent Ukraine. According to Dmitry Bazik, PhD in Philosophy, an employee of the Religious Studies Department of the Institute of Philosophy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Dmytro Bazik, native belief was not passed down from generation to generation, its reappearance became possible only thanks to the efforts of people who are fond of folklore and ethnography. "These people were interested in ethnography, everyday life. They conducted ethnographic research and decided to revive the old faith. And the current rituals have been restored on the basis of books and descriptions, and not inherited from their ancestors," explains Bazik. Therefore, each rite has its own author.

Since the Rodnover movement is not homogeneous, there is an uncommon opposition within it. According to the expert, there are several groups of influence, each of which defends its own approaches, rituals and traditions, and thus tries to attract new members to its community or lure existing "native believers" from other communities. After all, the more popular a community is, the more influence and weight it has in the region. This means he can collect more donations and sell more iconic items.

BUSINESS. Pagan idols and amulets (mostly made of wood or grass) are sold by craftsmen at various ethnographic festivals. Their price starts from 20 UAH and can go up to 2 thousand hryvnia for large statues made of valuable wood species. There are also specialty shops and shops that sell such items.

The fact that some make money on paganism is recognized by the native believers themselves. "Today's world is globalizing, and such a phenomenon as a religious business appears. We founded this community, people began to come to us. They decided that it was possible to make money on this. They gained experience from us, watched how we do it, and then left and founded something new, but with a commercial bias ", - told" Segodnya "the founder of the" Union of Rodnovers of Ukraine "Galina Lozko.

The fire wheel and the magic of herbs

Pagan communities exist in almost all major cities of Ukraine. Only in the "Union of Rodnovers of Ukraine" there are 27 organizations. According to the rough estimates of the religious scholar Dmitry Bazik, there are 5-10 thousand people throughout Ukraine. According to him, modern pagans can be divided into two groups, and their traditions in the celebration of Ivan Kupala are slightly different.

The first group is "intellectuals". "They are restoring folk rituals from historical sources," Bazik explains. Representatives of this trend are distinguished by a special commitment to the national idea. "I really like to be in nature, and pagan rituals (prayers to the Sun and rain, communication with trees) are closer to me than the Christian canon," said "Today" ritual (a person who conducts pagan rituals) Voleub from Odessa. According to him, "the Kupaila holiday is one of the most important of the year. Therefore, we celebrate it on a grand scale." "We are gathering in the evening (pagans celebrate this holiday on the night of June 22, the summer solstice. - Auth.) By the water. First, the ceremonial conducts a ceremony: he says that the sun has reached its dome, which means that the Kupaila holiday has come - this is when the sun (Yarilo ) enters into active force and fills the earth with the power of nature.We make Morena (a symbol of winter): we set fire to a large wheel and roll it into the water.Then the girls let wreaths in the water and divine their fate.There must be bonfires on Kupala - a symbol of the sun and purification. Around them they dance, sing, lead round dances. First, the guys jump over the fire themselves, as they are more courageous, they must experience the fire themselves, and only then - together with the girls. The bravest ones walk on hot coals ", - says" Today "Rodnover Oleg Anisimov from Vinnitsa. According to him, the pagans do not have one common conspiracy on this holiday: "Glory to the native gods!" - this is what they say during all the holidays and ceremonies. They believe in a fern flower and are also looking for it - like everyone who wants to get rich quickly.

The second group of pagans are the so-called Vedists. "They associate themselves with the ancient Indian tradition. They have a passion for esotericism, and they practice a kind of yoga -" yagu ". They believe in magic and witchcraft, that is, there are already the beginnings of occultism," says Bazik. The Vedists on Ivan Kupala, in addition to performing rituals, collect herbs: it is believed that water and plants on this night have special properties. They believe that with the help of these herbs you can cause or stop a thunderstorm (Vedists believe that they can influence the weather).

***

• The pagan roots of European sectarianism - Natalia Mikhailova
• "Vedas of the Slavs" and "Veles's Book" - Lev Klein
• Academician Rybakov and the party line - Lev Klein
• What scientists think about the "Veles book" - Vitaly Pitanov
• The answer to the neo-pagan (native) - Andrey Kochergin
• Neopagans. We put dots over the "i" - Kirill Petrov
• Neo-pagan myths about Christianity. Analysis of the main anti-Christian provisions of the doctrines of neo-pagan groups - Priest Alexei Ostaev, Gennady Shimanov
• Overview of neopaganism (thesis) - Dmitry Adonyev
• The sect of the sorcerer Vladimir Bogomil the Second Golyak "Skhoron the hedgehog sloven" - Vladimir Povarov
• With fire and sword? Exposing the myths about the "mass atrocities" of Christians during the baptism of the Slavic tribes of Russia - enJINRer
• Neopaganism and nationalism (Eastern European area) - Victor Shnirelman
• Rodnoverie as a path to the adoption of Islam - Konstantin Krylov

***

"We are living in the year 7521"

Pagans live according to their own calendar: it is called "Kolo Svarozhie" and is built on the basis of the interaction of the forces of nature. Each 12-month year is followed by one 13-month year. According to "Kol Svarog" now the pagans have 7521: it began on March 13, 2013 and will end on March 12, 2014. They count the years from the creation of the world, like the Jews. There are 4 main holidays: winter (Kolyada holiday) and summer solstice (Kupala holiday) (December 22 and June 22, respectively), autumn (Autumn holiday) and spring equinox (Easter) (March 21 and September 22). The main god in the pagan rite is Svarog. "He is all-embracing: he is the grandfather of God, the ancestor of all gods, and he is in charge of the calendar," the pagans explain. In addition, there are many other gods, such as Veles (god of prosperity), Light scientist (god of the sky), Perun (god of thunder), etc.

Pagans often take ancient names and nicknames. Priest Peaceful, Ritual Zoreslav, Volkhvinya Vista - these are names associated with the "specialization" of people in the faith. Priest, priestess is the professional name for the ministers of a pagan cult, Ritual is a performer of spiritual rites. Magus is a spiritual guide who can explain the calendar. “The Ukrainians had their own names - Ognedar, Promenea, Vedoslav. Later they began to call us the names of Christian saints,” Volkhvinya Zoreslav said to Segodnya.

Demons or a crisis of faith?

Galina Lozko, or Volkhvinya Zoreslava, founded the "Union of Rodnovers of Ukraine".

Why did some people decide to return to paganism?

Now there is a crisis of world religions. People are looking for what was truly ours? And they begin to restore the ancient Ukrainian traditions. This movement covers not only Ukraine, but also European countries. The revival of the "native faith" began in 1934, but the Soviet regime did not allow the movement to develop. The revival began in 1993, when the first pagan community was founded in Kiev.

What is the difference between paganism and Christianity?

He has no impatience for other creeds. In the "native faith" the world is multifaceted, it can be called by different names - hence the concept of polytheism. The feminine and masculine forces of nature are displayed in different names. A warrior who goes into battle prays to Perun as the defender of military service. The woman who gives birth prays to the goddess Lada as the patroness of love. On the summer solstice, the greatest holiday is Ivana Kupala, the holiday of water. And July 20 is the holiday of Perun. By the way, it was at this time that a thundering force was activated: electricity was lost, thunder and lightning thundered, it was raining.

Archimandrite Longin, Ukrainian Orthodox Church:

How does the church feel about paganism? And what is its main difference from Christianity?

Christianity confesses God who created the world. And paganism invents gods and creates idols by itself. Paganism is diverse, but if you compare it with the Christian faith, then it is at a very primitive spiritual and moral level.

Why do people come to paganism?

The spiritual world of paganism is occultism, which is characterized by the desire to master some mysterious forces of nature, the world of spirits, and control them to achieve a variety of earthly goals: health, power, wealth, fame, and the satisfaction of passions. The simple mechanics of paganism: he uttered a spell, it worked, performed the rite and wait for the result - they attract many people. But from the point of view of the Orthodox faith, pagan superstitions "work" with the help of demonic forces.

Victoria Rosendaal

Slavic neo-paganism is so striking in its hatred of Russian Orthodox culture, Russian history, modern science, and often just common sense, that an ordinary person refuses to believe in the domestic origin of this quasi-religion. Thus, various theories of the origin of "Rodnoverie" appear, fueled by completely real facts. It is known, for example, that the very first neo-pagan "wise men" and "prophets" (the Ukrainians V. Shayan and L. Silenko) began their preaching of Slavic neopaganism not in the original Slavic lands, but in Great Britain, Canada and the USA.

In turn, some "Slavic priests" (A. Khinevich, N. Levashov) of the late twentieth century began neo-pagan preaching in Russia only after returning from the USA and Israel. Some conclude from this that "Rodnoverie" is a project of the Western special services. Others believe that "Rodnoverie" is a Jewish project of the Israeli special services.

Considering that a number of neo-pagan "wise men" have a non-Slavic appearance and do not hesitate to borrow from Kabbalah and Judaism for their pseudo-religion, this idea seems quite convincing. Nevertheless, taking into account all the facts available today, we have to admit that "Rodnoverie" nevertheless appeared in Russia. However, not in ancient Russia, as the neo-pagans themselves naively believe! "Rodnoverie" did not come from the depths of centuries, it has a definite and fresh registration: XX century, USSR. How was the atheistic state able to give birth to a new religion? Let's leave this general theoretical question to sociologists and other scientists, and we ourselves will only dwell on specific points.

Formation of Soviet power and the first outburst of interest in "Rodnoverie"

The soil for the emergence of Slavic neo-paganism is found in late pre-revolutionary Russia - the works of I. Stravinsky, K. Roerich, A. Blok. However, this ground became firm only with the beginning of the process of radical de-Christianization and the Red Terror launched by the revolution. The first attempt to revive the "Old Slavic faith" took place in 1918. It belonged to the bloody executioner of the Russian and Polish peoples, the commander of the Red Army Mikhail Tukhachevsky, who was obsessed with the idea of \u200b\u200bdestroying Christianity and restoring Slavic paganism. Here is one of his expressive statements on this matter:

Latin-Greek culture is not for us. I consider the Renaissance, along with Christianity, one of the misfortunes of mankind. Harmony and measure - that is what must be destroyed first of all. We will sweep away the ashes of European civilization that has powdered Russia, we will shake it like a dusty rug, and then we will shake the whole world. I hate Saint Vladimir for the fact that he baptized Russia and betrayed it to Western civilization. It was necessary to keep our crude paganism, our barbarism intact. But both will come back. I have no doubt about that.

A French officer, a friend of Tukhachevsky's in captivity, recalls:

“Once, I found Mikhail Tukhachevsky, who was very keen on designing a terrible idol from colored cardboard. Burning eyes crawling out of their sockets, a bizarre and terrible nose. The mouth gaped with a black hole. A semblance of a miter was held glued to the head with huge ears. Hands gripped a ball or a bomb, I don't know exactly what. The swollen legs disappeared into the red plinth ...

Tukhachevsky explained:

This is Perun. A powerful person. This is the god of war and death.

And Mikhail knelt down before him with comic seriousness.

I burst out laughing.

Don't laugh, ”he said, getting up from his knees. - I told you that the Slavs need a new religion. They are given Marxism, but there is too much modernism and civilization in this theology. You can brighten up this side of Marxism by simultaneously returning to our Slavic gods, whom Christianity has deprived of their properties and their strength, but which they will acquire again. There is Dazh-god - the god of the Sun, Stribog - the god of the Wind, Veles - the god of arts and poetry, finally, Perun - the god of thunder and lightning. After some deliberation, I settled on Perun, since Marxism, having won in Russia, will unleash merciless wars between people. I will honor Perun every day. "

Immediately after the October revolution, Tukhachevsky sent a note to the Council of People's Commissars with a proposal to declare paganism the state religion of the RSFSR. Perhaps it was a joke, but the bloody murderer hated Christianity quite seriously, and the proposal itself in the Small Council of People's Commissars was put on the agenda for discussion.

The founder of the Ukrainian "Rodnoverie" Volodymyr Shayan, during the formation of the OUN, popular among the patriotic youth of Western Ukraine, was a loyal member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Western Ukraine (Communist Party of Western Ukraine) and closely collaborated with the journal of proletarian writers "Okna" (1927-1932). For his communist convictions in 1930, Shayan even went to the bunk. He abandoned communist ideology in 1934, due to the fall of the authority of the Soviets in Western Ukraine. In the same year, Shayan received a "mystical revelation" on the Carpathian mountain Grekhit about the need to revive the "old Ukrainian faith", after which he became interested in Theosophy and Freemasonry.

Another Ukrainian neopaganist, Lev Silenko ("prophet" Orligor), worked as a correspondent for the newspaper of the Stalin metallurgical plant in his youth. It is interesting that in 1940 he did not join the ranks of the UPA, but voluntarily went to the Soviet Red Army, where he became a lieutenant-political instructor. After being recruited by Hitler's counterintelligence, Silenko helped identify the Ukrainian underground, controlled the OUN-M group in Kiev and the editorial office of the New Ukrainian Slovo newspaper, merging the Abwehr with all Ukrainians suspected of disloyalty to the Nazi government. Perhaps that is why the “great prophet” dared to visit his homeland only 17 years after its independence, but nevertheless decided to die in Canada.

Not only neo-pagan emigrants were closely associated with the Soviet regime. The "Autochthonous Magi" were also faithful sons of the USSR, as we will see below.

The pagan renaissance of Khrushchev's times

With the era of Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev, who fiercely hated Christianity and promised the whole world to show “the last priest of the USSR,” a kind of neo-pagan renaissance begins. In order to finally oust "religious prejudices" and poisonous "rudiments" of Christianity from the life of Soviet citizens, since the second half of the 1950s, party workers have begun to revive certain pagan customs under the guise of "socialist rituals." Since Christianity was considered a pernicious superstition to be destroyed, the construction of "socialist rites" took place on the basis of popular holidays and pre-Christian beliefs.

"Jubilation in honor of nature, in honor of the solstice" seemed to the Soviet officials ideologically less dangerous than worship of Jesus Christ and veneration of the Mother of God. Some Soviet specialists even called for the reconstruction of images of pagan gods (Yarila, Lada, etc.), interpreting them as some kind of "artistic images." At the same time, the very concept of "religion" they consciously identified only with world religions, presenting the matter in such a way that the goal of the new campaign is to restore the distinctive features of the folk culture, which for centuries has been persecuted by the church. In many republics in various structures of power from Councils of Ministers to village councils, including collective and state farms, Councils were created to promote and introduce new "socialist rites". So, thanks to the activities of Soviet "state preachers", the holidays "Seeing Off Winter" and "Russian Birch" entered the everyday life of Soviet people, the holiday "Kupala" was revived.

The role of Soviet propaganda in the "revival of Rodnoverie" is recognized by the neo-pagan ideologists themselves. Here is what "sorcerer" Yggeld writes about this:

“The inevitable culmination in the return of the pagan Tradition is the Olympic Games. I remember them very well, carried out in Moscow in 1980 with all the pagan splendor and antique ins and outs, they left an indelible impression on contemporaries with a sense of joy. Divine fire, lit by tradition in Hellas from the rays of Helios, descended from the Upper World, was carried through the cities and roads of our Fatherland. "

"Magus" Ogneyar complements his colleague:

“If we look at the coat of arms of the Soviet Union, this is a purely pagan coat of arms, it contains a huge amount of pagan symbols, the sickle is the symbol of Mother Earth, the hammer is the symbol of Father Svarog, their connection is a sacred marriage, the sun illuminates the earth, Veles is symbolized by sheaves, a red ribbon with inscriptions in national languages \u200b\u200bthat we are united in the Russian, Soviet people. There are a lot of pagan symbols there. "

Khrushchev's propaganda of the pagan heritage did not remain unanswered, especially since the very nature of the atheistic lifestyle in the USSR contributed to the flourishing of pagan and occult sentiments. The imposition of pagan rituals at the official level under the flag of the struggle against the church in the USSR gave rise to the first Soviet ideologists of Slavic neo-paganism.

One of them was a specialist in Semitic languages \u200b\u200band a teacher of the Higher Party School under the Central Committee of the CPSU Valery Emelyanov. Since 1970, he began to spread his ideas as a lecturer at the Lenin District Committee of the CPSU in Moscow. Emelyanov promoted the concept of a universal world conspiracy of Jews against pagans, allegedly conceived 3000 years ago by Tsar Solomon in order to by 2000 AD. e. take over the whole world. The neo-pagan preacher called for an end to Orthodoxy as a "waiting room for Jewish slavery" and a return to the ancient cult of Slavic gods. Yemelyanov's ideas were included in the "golden fund" of native faith thought: hatred of Jews, mystical horror of the world conspiracy of the Zionists, deadly hatred of Christianity and a call for the return of "native faith" while remaining faithful to the ideals of communism.

In 1978-1979, Yemelyanov wrote and distributed in samizdat the book "Desionization", in which he outlined his concept of world history as the eternal struggle of Jews and their "Masonic agents" against pagans. In Moscow, the book was distributed in the form of copies, illustrated with photographs of paintings by the neo-pagan artist Konstantin Vasiliev (“Ilya Muromets fighting the Christian plague,” etc.). Thanks to Yemelyanov's extensive connections through the KGB among radical Islamists, the book was also translated into Arabic and published in Syria. However, in a revealing frenzy, Yemelyanov stumbled: he sent about 100 copies of the book to members of the Politburo, marshals and other leaders of the USSR, after which he was expelled from the CPSU. Out of despair, Yemelyanov killed his wife, dismembered the corpse with an ax into small pieces and took the remains to the city dump for incineration. On April 10, 1980, Yemelyanov was arrested and during the investigation announced that his wife was killed by the Zionists. The prosecutor demanded capital punishment, but the court found Yemelyanov insane and placed him in the Leningrad mental hospital for 6 years.

Another neo-pagan ideologue who blamed the “Jewish Christians” for the destruction of the “great pre-Christian cultural heritage” was Aleksey Dobrovolsky (“sorcerer” Dobroslav). Patriarch of Russian neopaganism Dobrovolsky was a member of the Komsomol in his youth, but in 1957 he left there with the beginning of de-Stalinization in protest against the "disregard for the memory of the Leader" (Stalin). After being released from a psychiatric hospital in 1961, in order to obtain a Moscow residence permit, Dobroslav agreed to cooperate with the KGB, as he later justified himself, “out of stupidity, because of his youth, he thought to outwit the Chekists”. Despite his sympathies for National Socialism, Dobroslav, shortly before his death, began to directly call himself “anarcho-communist” and “people's socialist”, and his son Sergei Dobrovolsky (“sorcerer” Ratislav / Rodostav) in 2011 ran for the Legislative Assembly on the lists of the Communist parties of the Russian Federation. Dobroslav believed that the ancient Slavic communal system and communism are one and the same:

“The eternal government of the people, the self-organization of the working people and the fair distribution of life's benefits - this is precisely what alone deserves the right to be called SOVIET POWER AND SOCIALISM ... The Socialist Revolution, in which the October 1917 coup was nothing more than an integral part, did not happen by accident EXACTLY in Russia. The attempt to build socialism by Russia, the first of all the countries in the world, was a natural continuation of the communal tradition of the development of Russia as an original cultural and historical whole ... When Orthodox idiots reduce the Great Russian Revolution (meaning the October Revolution - author's note) to a conspiracy of Marxist-Trotskyists- Zhidomasonov-Zionis tov-Satanists, they completely discard the entire history of our Motherland. The power of the Soviets (veche self-government) and socialist (communal) management are ... the centuries-old aspirations of the Russian People ... The idea of \u200b\u200bbuilding a socialist society was for the people a RELIGIOUS IDEA, the embodiment of their eternal dream of the REGION OF TRUTH ON EARTH. For a Russian person, the slogan "For the power of the Soviets!" was not just a call: he was an EVERYTHING, LANGUAGE SYMBOL OF FAITH, for which they went into battle and gave their lives. "

Big start of the project "Slavic Rodnoverie" under Andropov

Many Slavic neo-pagans are convinced that "Rodnoverie" literally came from the forests, where wise gray-haired Magi for centuries hid Vedic knowledge, now available to everyone thanks to YouTube, and the myth about "Magi from Lubyanka" was invented by vile detractors. To some extent, the neopaganists are right if we recall that the Lubyanka was of secondary importance in relation to the First Main Directorate (PGU) of the KGB of the USSR, which since the 1970s was located in the forest (behind the Moscow ring road from the Yasenevo district). Since 1967, the KGB was headed by Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov, and from 1982 to 1984 he headed the entire country. It was during this period of his reign that the large-scale start of the "Rodnoverie" took place.

The prehistory of this start, however, lies in the emergence of interest in the hated "Rodnovers" Orthodoxy. An older reader will probably remember how, in the early 1980s, despite the state monopoly in the field of religion, some "Orthodox fermentation" began in the minds of first the Soviet intelligentsia, and then the people in general. “Near-Orthodox dissidence” came into vogue: going to the Easter Vigil service and suddenly becoming an attribute of the advanced interior of the old grandmother's icons, the fashion for ancestors-nobles, monarchism and White Guards. This spontaneous popular fashion did not come from the heights of the church hierarchy, but “from below”. It intensified more and more as the date of the Millennium of the Baptism of Rus approached, taking on threatening proportions for Soviet ideology.

Very soon the wise men from the Bitsev forest, who carefully preserved the secret "Vedic knowledge", drew attention to the spontaneous process, clearly imagining its depth and consequences. I remember Poland, a socialist state in which Catholicism had already de-facto triumphed over Marxist ideology. In addition, it was clear what an excellent reason for accusing the communist regime in the USSR of infringing on the religious rights of citizens from the West would be the upcoming celebration of the Millennium of the Baptism of Rus. The “foresters” also knew that preparations for this date were under way in Poland and the Vatican, that gift Bibles, Orthodox icons and religious literature were being printed for Soviet believers in huge editions; they also knew that the ROCOR was conducting the same active preparations for the anniversary, where literally at every parish missionary groups were created and spiritual literature was actively collected to be sent to the USSR. To ignore this problem meant to jeopardize the entire Soviet system. Putting the brakes on the jubilee events and firmly blocking the avalanche of "anti-Soviet" literature for Soviet believers that would pour in from abroad would mean causing a huge international scandal and a commodity boycott of the Soviet Union, addicted to oil and gas needles and dependent on Canadian wheat.

An ingenious solution to the problem was found easily. It turned out that the majority of those intellectuals who decorated their homes with ancient icons were not deeply religious people, and perceived their "Orthodoxy" mainly as part of their "Russianness". The main emphasis was placed on this: it was enough to replace "Orthodoxy" with "Rodnoverie". Fortunately, since the 1950s, Soviet propagandists have deliberately developed in Soviet society an attitude towards pagan beliefs and rituals not as religion, but as “Russianness” - an invaluable cultural heritage directly related to ethnic identity.

The party leadership began to inflate such views with renewed vigor on the eve of the approaching millennium anniversary of the adoption of Christianity in Russia. In order to divert people's attention from this date and at the same time justify the inviolability of the post-war territorial borders of the USSR with an appeal to ancient times, the Soviet leadership initiated a wide celebration of the 1500th anniversary of Kiev in 1982. And three years later, based on the novel of the famous anti-Semitic writer V. N. Ivanov, the film "Primordial Rus", saturated with anti-Christian motives, was urgently staged.

The Soviet press was filled with the works of Valery Skurlatov and Vladimir Shcherbakov, in which the Slavs were identified with the Indo-Iranians, all the Proto-Indo-Europeans in general, and even the Etruscans, and also a breathtaking picture of their movements throughout the Eurasian steppe belt with adjacent lands was drawn. These authors laid the foundation for neo-pagan folk history - it was not difficult for them to find traces of the ancient Slavs in Asia Minor and Transcaucasia, declare the Slavs the founders of Tbilisi, or connect with Urartu. The ancient movements and exploits of the blond blue-eyed Aryan Slavs sharply attracted the attention of a number of science fiction writers (L. Zhukova 1982, Yu. Nikitin 1985).

Ukrainian authors did not lag behind, writing about the connections of the Slavs with the Etruscans (G. Marchenko 1982, A. Znoiko 1984) and about the high Slavic learning in the era of paganism (I. Belokon, 1982). The myth about ancient pagan writings, allegedly preserved by the "Old Believers" up to the present day, is also introduced into Soviet fiction (S. Alekseev 1986, Yu. Sergeev 1987). Simultaneously with the revival of the "truth" about the pre-Christian past of the Slavs in fiction, the motive for accusing the Christian religion of encroaching on the "Russian soul", in the destruction of irreplaceable pagan spiritual values \u200b\u200bin order to enslave the "Russians" (A. Serba 1982, Yu. Sergeev 1987, G. Vasilenko 1988, V. Richka 1988).

The lack of direct performers of the "Slavic Rodnoverie" program was not felt - there were many volunteer assistants of the "forest department", primarily from among all sorts of dissidents - "informers". From their midst, as well as from among the engineering and technical intelligentsia, the first "Slavic Magi" emerged: A. Dobrovolsky, N. Speransky, G. Yakutovsky, A. Ryadinsky, K. Begtin and others.

The first neo-pagan circles appeared under the guise of educational, health-improving and political movements. In 1986, the Leningrad "Society of the Magi" was officially registered, whose members were students of the teacher of Marxism-Leninism Viktor Bezverkhoy ("Magus" Ostromysl) from among the cadets of military and police schools. The openly racist propaganda was warned by the KGB, and the society was formally disbanded, although in fact it continued its activities until 1990, when it was transformed into a neo-pagan community called the Union of Wends.

Being admirers of the ideas of Hitler and Himmler, the "Wends", like Dobroslav, did not disdain warm relations with the Leningrad Regional Committee of the Communist Party. After the collapse of the USSR, this community became the cradle for the neo-pagan sect "Skhoron the hedgehog sloven" headed by the kindergarten assistant Vladimir Golyakov ("high priest of all Slavs" Bohumil II), who in August 2003 was caught by journalists in collaboration with the "special guardians of the sovereign" ( so Bogumil calls the workers of the organization-successor to the KGB). It is noteworthy that the main "capital sanctuary of Perun" of the Bohumil sect is located in the very Bitsevsky forest, where the "Rodnoverie" came from.

Abandoned child of the Soviet era

After 1988, the Rodnoverie project, having achieved its goal only partially, lost its relevance. Despite this, the "Magi of the first generation" continued their work. In 1989, together with members of the "Slavic-Goritsky Wrestling Club" Alexander Belov ("sorcerer" Selidor) Valery Yemelyanov created the "Moscow Slavic Pagan Community" (MSNO). In the same year, the INNO held the first in the USSR open pagan "service" in the vicinity of the Gorky railway, which included the ceremony of "Christening". A few years later, on the basis of the ISNF, neo-pagan organizations known today will emerge - the SSO SRV ("sorcerer" Vadim Kazakov), the community "Triglav" ("sorcerer" Bogumil Murin), etc.

By the time of the collapse of the USSR, "Rodnoverie" had completely gone into the open. In the wake of the rampant occultism, "wise men", "vedamans", "wizards" fell from a horn of plenty. Many began their careers as psychic guest performers, such as Alexander Khinevich ("Slavic priest" Pater Diy), who created the Jiva-Temple of Inglia sect in 1990, or Nikolai Levashov. In the same 1990, Aleksey Trekhlebov (“Vedaman” Vedagor) appeared, who received an order from his teacher in the Buddhist monastery of Tyangboche to “direct his activities towards the spiritual revival of Russia”.

In the same year, Ilya Cherkasov ("sorcerer" Veleslav) sewed himself a "Slavic shirt" from sacking, stopped eating meat, cut hair and went into "spiritual quest". A graduate of the University of Marxism-Leninism Vladimir Istarkhov (real name Ivanov or Goodman), author of the book "Strike of the Russian Gods", the appearance of which in the late 1990s caused a new wave of popularity of neo-paganism, also began his active "educational" activity.

This is how the modern quasi-religion called "Rodnoverie" arose. Its founders were not the anonymous sorcerers of the 10th century, but the homo sovieticus of the 20th century. The planting of pagan rituals under the flag of the "fight against priests" at the official level began under Khrushchev, preparing a good ground for a powerful start of the "Slavic Rodnoverie" project under Andropov. In general, the period of the emergence of Slavic neo-paganism coincides with the era of the formation and domination of Soviet ideology ...