The term was first employed by Yury Petrovich Mirolyubovthe writer or discoverer of the Book of Velesin the mid-twentieth century, and later adopted by the founder of Peterburgian Vedism, Viktor Bezverkhy. He is a god of thunder, lightning, and war, and is often associated with the oak tree. [216] Some Russian Rodnovers have attempted themselves to improve relations with the Orthodox Church, arguing that Russian Orthodoxy had adopted many elements of historical Slavic belief and rites,[217] though for some by corrupting their original meaning. Yarilo, in the Slavic mythology, is the god of springtime, fertility, sexuality and peace. [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. [181] Aitamurto observed that early Russian Rodnovery was characterised by "imaginative and exaggerated" narratives about history. [61] By the early 2000s, the term was widespread across Slavic countries. [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". [79] They regard themselves as restoring the original belief system rather than creating something new. In 1999, the communities of Moscow and Obninsk left it as they refuted nationalism, and established another umbrella organisation, the Circle of Veles led by Ilya Cherkasov (volkhv Veleslav), which is one of the largest and administers communities also located in the territory of Ukraine. [358], There are various Watsdin organisations in North OssetiaAlania affiliated with Scythian Assianism, including the Atst organisation led by Daurbek Makeyev. [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. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft: Slavic Magic from the Witch of the Woods at the best online prices at eBay! [78] It was adopted among Rodnovers in the 1990swhen it appeared in such forms as the Russian Neoyazychestvo and the Polish Neopogastwobut had been eclipsed by "Slavic Native Faith" in the 2000s. Semargl represents good fortune, drinking, and abundance. [277] He was nevertheless labelled a neopoganin ("Neopagan") by the Polish popular press, a term that he embraced as a self-descriptor in later life. Nevertheless, Laruelle says that the most politicised right-wing groups are the most popularly known, since they are more vocal in spreading their ideas through the media, organise anti-Christian campaigns, and even engage in violent actions. Myths and symbols are considered to emerge from the subconscious of humanity, and to be imaginified sacred knowledge which has to be deciphered and reinterpreted since the true meaning is not always apparent. [441] While the contemporary association is completely adogmatic and apolitical,[442] and refuses to "introduce a solid religious or organisational order" because of the past internal conflicts,[443] between 2000 and 2010 it had a complex structure,[442] and redacted a Code of Native Faith defining a precise doctrine for Czech Rodnovery (which firmly rejected the Book of Veles). Kupalo Kupalo is the Slavic god of the summer solstice. [238] Veche is used as the name of some Rodnover overarching organisations, as well as international councils. This is a concept that was especially popular among nineteenth-century ethnographers who were influenced by Romanticism and retains widespread popularity across Eastern Europe, but has come under criticism in more recent times. [43] Slavic Native Faith adherents, as far as they are concerned, believe that they can take traditional folk culture, remove the obviously Christian elements, and be left with something that authentically reflects the historical beliefs of the Slavic peoples. [24] Among these foreign influences have been beliefs and practices drawn from Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Germanic Heathenry,[25] Siberian shamanism,[26] as well as ideas drawn from various forms of esotericism. [301] Many individuals arrived at Rodnovery after exploring a range of different alternative spiritualities, with Asian religious influences being particularly apparent within Rodnovery at that time. Years later, the protagonist guards the secret of the library from a Moscow scientist who burns old books. The Trojan symbol also represents the three elements: air, water and earth. [70] Men are seen as innately disposed towards "public" life and abstract thought, while women are seen as better realising themselves in the "private" administration of the family and the resources of the house. [182] Similarly, the scholar Vladimir Dulov noted that Bulgarian Rodnovers tended to have "fantastic" views of history. [196] In various Slavic countries, many archaeologists and historians have been hesitant about giving credence to Rodnover interpretations of history. [189] The northern homeland was the Hyperborea, and it was the terrestrial reflection of the north celestial pole, the world of the gods; the North Pole is held to be the point of grounding of the spiritual flow of good forces coming from the north celestial pole, while the South Pole is held to be the lowest point of materialisation where evil forces originate. As of 2013, Rodnover groups in Bulgaria were described as having few members and little influence. The wheel equally symbolizes the power of life and knowledge. [106] Some Rodnover groups espouse the idea that specific Slavic populations are the offspring of different gods; for instance, groups relying upon the tenth-century manuscript The Lay of Igor's Host may affirm the idea that Russians are the grandchildren of Dazhbog (the "Giving God", "Day God"). Viy watches over the Slavs, and makes note of their good and bad deeds. [290] Vedism was also explicitly espoused within more official Soviet circles; Apollon Kuzmin (19282004), leader of the neo-Slavophile historiography, did so in his 1988 book "The Fall of Perun" (Padenie Peruna), in which he supported indigenous Slavic religion while criticising Christianity as the cause of the Mongol yoke (which led to the incorporation of Kievan Rus' in the Golden Horde from 1237 to 1480). [142] They conceive ethnicity and culture as territorial, moulded by the surrounding natural environment (cf. [285] In 1979 he published the Maha Vira ("Great Faith"), a book which he claimed chronicled the ancient history of the Ukrainian people. [73], In Slavic languages the closest equivalent of "paganism" is poganstvo (taking for instance Russian; it itself deriving from Latin paganus), although Rodnovers widely reject this term due to its derogatory connotations. [368] Orantism is a movement centred around the cult of Berehynia, linked to Ukrainian national identity, non-violence and resistance to global assimilation. [13] The usage of this term suggests that the religion is restricted to a particular ethnic group. In doing so, pre-Christian belief systems underwent a rehabilitation. [250] The wood of which the saff is made is chosen according to the patron deity of the priest: beech and maple are associated to Svarog and Dazhbog, oak to Perun, conifers and hazel to Veles, birch and rowan are associated to the goddesses (Mokosh, Lada, Lelya). He is representative of the destructive, masculine force of nature. [252], Usually, the organisation of festivals involves three layers of society: there is a patronising "core" of practitioners, who are often professionally affirmed people, usually belonging to the intellectual class; then there is the population of committed adherents; and then there is a loose "periphery" constituted by sympathisers, generally relatives and friends of the committed followers. pertaining "to the gens", "to the kin"), which in turn it itself renders in Slavic translations of the Bible. [100] In the wake of this theology, it is common among Slavic Native Faith practitioners to say that "we are not God's slaves, but God's sons",[101] many of them emphasising the ontological freedom of the different subsequent emanations so that the world is viewed as a "dialectical manifestation" of the single transcendental beginning and continuous co-creation of the diversified gods and the entities which they generate. [15] After the Soviet Union, the pursuit of Rodnovery matured into the spiritual cultivation of organic folk communities (ethnoi) in the face of what Rodnovers consider the alien cosmopolitan forces which drive global assimilation (what they call "mono-ideologies"), chiefly represented by the Abrahamic religions. Russian rodnaya or rodnoy); and *vera, which means "faith", "religion". [104], Pantheons of deities are not unified among practitioners of Slavic Native Faith. [128] A form of organisation of Rodnover communities consists in the establishment of places for commonunal living, such as fortresses (kremlin) or citadels (gorodok), in which temples are surrounded by buildings for various social uses. However, there are more closed groups that require more stringent commitment from their adherents, and emphasise esoteric teachings and practices, including complex initiation rituals, reference to systems similar to Jewish Kabbalah, prayer and magic. [223] Slavic Native Faith has been described as following "the cycles of nature",[85] of the seasons of the year. [215], Rodnovery has a significant role in the War in Donbass, with many Rodnovers joining pro-Russian armed forces in Donetsk and Lugansk. [87] In the Russian and Ukrainian centres of Rodnover theology, the concept of Rod has been emphasised as particularly important. 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. These festivals all were associated with symbols of pagan . [319] The two groups, respectively renamed "Kin of Yarovit" and "Kin of Mokosh", merged in 2000 to form the Commonwealth of Native Faith (Spoleenstv Rodn Vra). [115] The United States-based Native Ukrainian National Faith established itself in Ukraine soon after independence, with the first congregation in Ukraine gaining official recognition in Kiev in 1991. 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. The movement also rejects extreme right-wing and anti-Semitic ideas. From one witch to another. [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. [92], The root *rod is attested in sources about pre-Christian religion referring to divinity and ancestrality. For those who do wrong, Viy punishes them with nightmares and terrible visions. [284] Sylenko presented himself as a prophet of Dazhbog who had been sent to the Ukrainian people. [297] In 1986, Viktor Bezverkhy (19302000) established the Saint Petersburg-based Society of the Mages (Obshchestvo Volkhvov), an explicitly white supremacist and anti-Semitic organisation; it was followed by the Union of the Veneds, founded in 1990. [10] In 2005, Ivakhiv noted that there were likely between 5000 and 10,000 practitioners in Ukraine. sunwise, rightwise) in those rituals dedicated to the gods of Prav (overworld), or counterclockwise (protivosolon, i.e. [139] Rodnovers started to establish numerous organised groups by the mid of the decade; in 1994 the Moscow Slavic Community was the first Rodnover group to be registered by the government. His name, sometimes styled as Jarilo, comes from the Russian for bright or bright lord. Yarilo represents youth and rebirth. [149] There are Rodnovers with extreme right-wing nationalist views,[150] including those who are Neo-Nazi and openly inspired by Nazi Germany. [429] The largest organisations are the Commonwealth of Rodoviches, which represents Rodnovers fully aligned with Slavic traditions,[215] and the groups Radzimas and Centre of EthnocosmologyKriya, which represents Krivich Rodnovery. [228], Rituals take place at consecrated places and generally include the lighting of fire (vozzhiganie ognia), invocation of gods, the singing of hymns, sacrifices (prinesenie treby) and the pouring of libations, circle-dances (khorovod or simply kolo, "circle"), and usually a communal meal at the end. Morok, which translates literally as darkness in modern Russian, is the Slavic god of ignorance, error, deceit and lies. There are, otherwise, Rodnover groups that intertwine with forms of religion and spirituality which are not immediately related to the Slavic Native Faith (this is the case of Ivanovism, Roerichism and Anastasianism). [197] In turn, Rodnovers have accused academics of being part of a conspiracy to conceal the truth about history. [94] The Union of Slavic Native Faith Communities founded and led by Vadim Kazakov recognises a pantheon of over thirty deities emanated by the supreme Rod; these include attested deities from Slavic pre-Christian and folk traditions, Slavicised Hindu deities (such as Vyshen, i.e. LADA Lada is the goddess of summer, love and beauty and even fertility. [401] Veleslav's left-hand path has been criticised by other Rodnover groups and leaders including Speransky and Irina Volkova (Krada Veles). [182], In the 1970s, explicitly religious Rodnover groups had still to operate in secret, although a few small groups were known to exist in Moscow and Leningrad (Saint Petersburg), closely linked to the nationalist intellectual circles. The symbol of Rod is a circle containing a rose with six petals reaching out towards the edges. [283], One of the disciples of Volodymyr Shaian was Lev Sylenko (19212008). [121] In other words, fleeing from the commitment towards the forces at play in the present context is the same as a denial of the gods; it disrupts morality, impairing the individual, society and the world itself. The original meaning of Dazhbog would thus, according to Dubenskij, Ognovskij and Niederle, be "giving god", "god-giver, "god-donor".. Morphologically this word is an old compound, that is particularly interesting because it retains the old . [139] Aitamurto observed that the different wings of the Rodnover movement "attract different kinds of people approaching the religion from quite diverging points of departure". Indra), Iranian deities (such as Simargl and Khors), deities from the Book of Veles (such as Pchelich) and figures from Slavic folk tales such as the wizard Koschei. In Yakutovsky's Rodnovery, male gods are secondary in importance compared to goddesses, and he claims that this was typical of ancient Slavic religion, which according to him was matriarchal. [382] According to the movement, which presents itself as the true, orthodox, olden religion of the Russians, the Slavs and the white Europeans,[382] Yngly is the fiery order of reality through which the supreme Godcalled by the name "Ramha" in Ynglist theologyongoingly generates the universe. [332], Russian Rodnovery also attracted the attention of Russian academics, many of whom focused on the political dimensions of the movement, thus neglecting other aspects of the community. [447] In Lithuania there are also homesteads of the Anastasian movement. are often symbols used in folklore, and Slavic folklore is no different. [264] Similarly, the Polish philosopher Bronisaw Trentowski (18081869) saw the historical religion of the Slavs as a true path to understanding the divine creator, arguing that Christianity failed to do so. [253] The movement also involved a significant number of people who had a background in the Soviet or Russian Army,[409] or in policing and security. [200], Many Rodnovers consciously and actively reject Christianity and the Abrahamic monotheisms,[201] regarded as destructive forces which erode organic communities,[16] with Christianity being perceived as a foreign entity within Slavic culture. In one gruesome instance near the Ukrainian border in 1997, a man and his nephew attacked a woman who they claimed used black magic to cast a spell on them. [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. ecology). [313] The 1940s Zadrugist movement inspired the establishment in 1996 of the Association of Native Faith (Zrzeszenie Rodzimej Wiary; now simply called Rodzima Wiara, "Native Faith"),[314] whose founder Stanisaw Potrzebowski wrote his doctoral thesis on the pre-war Zadrugism in German. [395] The theology of Slavic-Hill Rodnovery is pantheistic and polytheistic, and the movement's military orientation is reflected in its pantheon, which gives prominence to military deities headed by Perun, identified as the ruler of the universe. [312], In Poland, the Wrocaw-based publishing house Toporze reissued Stachniuk's works and those of his disciple Antoni Wacyk. The Way of Great Perfection is actually conceptualised as an overcoming of both the right-hand and the left-hand paths. [333] This attitude generated some mutual hostility between academics and practitioners of Rodnovery, rendering subsequent scholarly fieldwork more difficult. [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. Nevertheless, according to Aitamurto, on the basis of the amount of literature that Ynglists publish and the presence of their representatives at various Rodnover conferences, is clear that Ynglism has a "substantial number of followers". Her symbol, or star, serves as protection against negative energy or dark forces. It is represented by organisations such as the Centre of EthnocosmologyKriya (Belarusian: "") by Syargei Sanko and the Tver Ethnocultural AssociationTverzha (Russian: "") founded in 2010. 25.03.2010", " ( )", "Paganos de Rodnovery tambin participan en el conflicto ucraniano", "Locked up in the Donbas A look at the mass arrests and torture of civilians in Donetsk and Lugansk", "Some in Donbas who want to create a new 'Russian world' are reaching back to pre-Christian times", "Sprawozdanie z III Oglnopolskiego Zjazdu Rodzimowiercw", " : ", All-Russia Population Census 2010 ( 2010), " : ", "Eestis registreeritud usulised hendused", "Vernacular Beliefs and Official Traditional Religion", " ' ', " '': ' ', " ", "The Three-Headed One at the Crossroad: A Comparative Study of the Slavic God Triglav", "Scythian Neo-Paganism in the Caucasus: The Ossetian Uatsdin as a 'Nature Religion', "Olav's Rose, Perun's Mark, Taranis's Wheel", " ' ' ( )", "Saving the Native Faith: Religious Nationalism in Slavic Neo-paganism (Ancient Russian Yngling Church of Orthodox Old Believers-Ynglings and Svarozhichi)", " ", " Ultima Frontiera : ", Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, "In Search of Deeper Identities: Neopaganism and 'Native Faith' in Contemporary Ukraine", " - ' ' ", " ", "A Preliminary Quantitative Study of the Mysticism and Religious Maturity of Contemporary Slavic Neopagans in Poland", " ", " ", " : ", "Alternative Identity, Alternative Religion? [299], After Mikhail Gorbachev's Soviet government introduced the policy of perestroika in the 1980s, Slavic Native Faith groups established themselves in Ukraine. The Triskele is an ancient Celtic symbol used in modern witchcraft and neo-paganism. Yakutovsky is critical of the Soviet type of communism, and rather proposes "social communism" as the ideal form of government. [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.