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Abstract

Content

Introduction

1. Theme urgency

Modern society and the existing social and cultural situation create for modern man such problems, that he must find alternative ways of how to slove them. It concerns religious sphere of life too, because with help of it modern man seeks to find adequate responses for challenges and problems, which modernity sets. Phenomenon of ancient Slavic pagan ideas rebirth (neopaganism) is the one way to overcome the challenges in the framework of religion. Growing popularity and increasing the number of it's followers, make it a current topic of research.

2. Goal and tasks of the research

The object of research is Slavic neopaganism like the result of ancient Slavic religious beliefs transformation.

The subject is understanding of Slavic neopaganism in frames of comparative analysis of Old Slavic pagan and neo‐pagan beliefs.

The purpose of research is to explore modification changes Old Slavic pagan beliefs in neo‐paganism.

According to purpose, work objectives are determined:

  1. to explain the terms paganism and neopaganism ;
  2. to consider the evolution of Slavic paganism: the period befor the Christianization of Kievan Rus', Vladimir's reform, dual‐faith practice;
  3. to explore the causes and the history of Slavic neopahanism, it's place in social consciousness;
  4. to make a comparative analysis of ancient Slavic's religious beliefs in modern Slavic neopaganism.

The practical significance of this research is ability to trace the phased transformation of Slavik paganism up to the present and in the frames of comparative analysis identify the main distinguishing features between modern Slavik neopaganist's beliefs and religious beliefs of ancient Slavik.

3. Researches overview

Slavic paganism – ancient Slavic’s religious beliefs – has undergone many changes and transformations while existing: Prince Vladimire’s attempt the reformations of the Slavic religious beliefs, or the emergence of dual faith as a way of existence of Slavic paganism after the Christianization of Rus, for example.

The Slavic paganism continues to exist nowadays, appearing in form of rites and traditions, the meaning of wich stays often not clear to the followers. But, displayed in spiritual and public sphere, it has a reasonable basis for preservation and revival. And for today the most important manifestation of pagan beliefs appears phenomenon of neopaganism.

Paganism – archaic type of worldview with mythological expression; religion of polytheism, that was previous to theism [12].

Neopaganism is wide modern religious movement, diverse on it’s structure, based on the revival and reconstruction of ancient religious beliefs.

Slavic neopaganism formed under the influence a number of reasons, including aspiration to get away from the communistic and orthodox ideological dogmatism, attempts to solve arising cultural, environmental, ideological problems, which are related to negative tendencies of society development.

Changing the political course of Soviet Union in 1980s predetermined appearance and rapid development of interest to national roots and history, what can be considered the first impulse of neopaganism development.

After state disintegrating in 1990s Neopaganism begins to develop on the territory of post‐Soviet space like a reaction to the crisis of values and ideology. It was the one way to found new foundation for culture and national selfconsciousness.

Neopaganism basically originates in cities and frequently is an artificial product of the urban intelligentsia activities. The urban intelligentsia aspired to revive the national spirituality and save people from the concrete jungle. Opposing the contemporary mass culture, neopaganism nevertheless is itself a product of this culture. It is another way for modern person response to challenges of surrounding validity and it also fits a number of other contemporary subcultures.

Images are taken from the Vkontakte's Community of environmental consciousness, Krina

Figure 1 – Images are taken from the Vkontakte's Community of environmental consciousness Krina.
( animation: 5 frames, 3 cycles of repetition, 141 kilobytes)

Current knowledge about the Slavic culture and religion is quite meager, so, trying to compensate for existing gaps, neopaganism representatives are building their doctrines on the basis of archeology, ethnography, turning to Edam, and the ancient Vedic and antique tradition, folklore, chronicles, mystical and religious teachings, using the labors of Rybakov, and other researchers [4].

Particular sacred text in the Slavic neopaganism considered The book of Veles, Slavic Vedas, The Book of Kolyada etc. However, necessary to notice that the authenticity of these sources causes doubts for most scientists.

The book of Veles is the text recopied by writer Yuriy P. Mirolyubov from wooden planks, founded in 1919 during the Civil War in Russia and afterwards transported in Brussels by White Guard colonel Fedor Izenbek. According to the evidence of Yuriy P. Mirolyubov it was fastened together lacquered wooden planks with scratched on them, similar to the runes, inscriptions. The content of The book of Veles contains prayers, legends and stories about ancient Slavic history in the period from about the 7th century BC. e. to the 9th century AD. e.

Photo of the plank number 16, The book of Veles

Figure 2 – Photo of the plank number 16, The book of Veles

Publication of The book of Vales by A. I. Asov in 1992 had a decisive influence on the formation of neopagan worldview, becoming a kind of Bible of the Slavic neopaganism. Quotes from Veles book are used in the neopagan culture practise as prayer and ritual phrases.

The system of rituals in neo‐paganism is characterized by the fact that the process of its formation is not terminated. Basically, the system is the annual celebratory cycle or rituals associated with the human life cycle [14].

But the most common and frequent rites are Religious disaffiliation and Naming ceremony. The meaning of the Religious disaffiliation rite is to break the link with the Christian God and let a person adress to the pagan gods.

It may be noted that the neopagan ideological orientation is opposed to the Christian doctrine principles. In the Religious disaffiliation rite can be detested some elements, reflecting a negative attitude towards Christianity, even desire to humiliate it. Such tendencies were completely unusual for ancient polytheistic religion, which emphasizes inconsistency of modern neopagan’s mental aspirations to such type of spirituality, that they seek to revive [14].

Conclusion

To summarize, it is necessary to point out that neopaganism, as a product of the urban intelligentsia activities, has often rather ideological nature. It revives pagan beliefs in the context of social and cultural problems, and often is not the way to satisfaction religious needs.

Thus, we can say that the Slavic neopagan movement reflects contemporary reality and is a form of society's response to the socio‐cultural problems of our time as part of post‐modernism. Neopaganism, reviving religious ideas of ancient Slavic, reconstructs mostly external shell of Slavic paganism and does not recover mental, spiritual component of archaic cults.

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