Neopaganism in Central-Eastern Europe

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Neopaganism in Central-Eastern Europe

Belarus Estonia Latvia Lithuania Poland Former Prussia Ukraine Among the various pagan groups in Central-Eastern Europe the pagans in the Baltic countries - Lithuania and Latvia - seem to be most active and best organized. One should take into account that the Baltic countries have been christianized relatively late in comparison with other European countries. The direct inspiration for the modern attempts to revive Lithuanian paganism was the tradition of the Baltic holiday of summer solstice, when people put wreaths on their heads or float them on the rivers. The initiator of Lithuanian paganism in the modern era was Wilhelm Storosta, called Vydunas, born in 1868 Lithuanian mysticism, playwright and philosopher. He was the first to celebrate the Holiday of the Dew at the end of the 19th century. Vydunas, which means "he who sees clearly" tried to synthesize theosophy with the Lithuanian pantheist tradition. In the twenties the celebrations of this holiday were continued by Vydunas' followers and the popularity of the festivities grew. This has been interrupted by the Soviet invasion of Lithuania. After a long break there were certain signs of revival of this tradition in the sixties. The feast has been celebrated then in the city of Kernave. Some Lithuanians prefer to celebrate the feast in the territory of former pagan Prussians when visiting a former Prussian pagan sanctuary in Kaliningrad region, a Russian enclave on the Baltic coast. The Prussian term for sanctuary, "Romove" is present in various contexts referring to the pagan past. The Lithuanian association for preservation of the indigenous culture which has been created in 1967 was called "Ramuva". Yet the association has been dissolved in 1971 because of accusations of growing religious involvement of the group. In 1988 r. Ramuva resumed its activity as the "Association for Lithuanian Ethnic Culture". It has its groups in five Lithuanian cities. The organization has a good relationship with Lithuanian environmentalists and sometimes the membership in both movements overlaps. One of the stated Romuva goals is restoration of respect towards nature and establishment of unity of man with nature.

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Ramuva includes also a youth organization and a religious association called Romuva. Its main fields of activity consist of education conceived as reconstruction and popularization of the Lithuanian folklore, and ritual activity consisting of celebration of old Lithuanian holidays and organization of yearly summer camps. Ramuva is lead by Jonas Trinkunas, a former scientific worker at the Lithuanian Academy of Arts and Sciences, later the director of Division of Ethnic Culture of the Ministry of Culture and Education of the Lithuanian Republic. Trinkunas participated in Romuva activity as early as in 1967. Romuva members use to organize summer camps, where pagans from other countries are also present. The camp in 1995 in Dievieniskes gathered over 70 participants. A remarkable trait of Ramuva is their collaboration with the Vilnius Carl Gustav Jung Club. This gives them certain self-consciousness and make it easier to understand indigenous myths within the framework of a global culture. The Lithuanian pagans admire also the works of their compatriot, Maria Gimbutas, who was an outstanding migr anthropologist and researcher of the pagan past of mankind. An important role in preserving Baltic traditions has been played by Lithuanian and Latvian migrs, who issued periodicals about the Baltic paganism like "Romuva/USA" and "The Sacred Serpent" But now, after the collapse of the Soviet rule, the center of pagan activity moved again to the Baltics. A pagan magazine "Romuva" appears in Vilnius, thus creating a center of Lithuanian pagan movement. The co-publishers of the magazine are Association "Ramuva", Vydunas Association and Prussa Club. The Prussa Club has been created in 1990 and unites people from Lithuania, Latvia, Germany and Poland. The Club tries to revive the heritage of ancient Prussians, an extinct Lettic people whose name has been later taken by their German conquerors. Revival of old celebrations and rituals are among the stated goals of the association. The Prussa club collaborates with the German Tolkemita association, founded in 1980, that tries to restore the elements of the extinct Prussian culture. The interest in Prussian pagan heritage spreads in Lithuania. In 1984 r. a linguist from Kaunas in Lithuania Letas Palmaitis and the outstanding Russian specialist in the ancient Baltic culture, professor Wladimir Toporow, have published an article about the possibility to revive the dead Prussian language. Toporow is known for his labored multi-volume dictionary of the Prussian language, which has been appearing since 1975. Palmaitis actively popularizes culture of the ancient Prussia. An interest in Prussia manifests itself in Latvia as well, where a group "Rasa", or Dew, was created in 1988. Its creator, young musicologist Valdis Muktupavels, defines the goals of the group as follows: popularization of Prussian language and culture, preservation of the Latvian cultural heritage and inclusion thereof into the contemporary cultural life. "Rasa" is also a musical group. They play traditional Baltic musical instruments. By means of comparative research on the Lithuanian territory adjacent to former Prussia they try to discern musical patterns that may stem from the extinct Prussian folklore. They sing also Lithuanian folk songs translated by themselves into the dead Prussian language, as well as Latvian folk songs related to Prussia. Thus they try to

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become a modern incarnation of legendary Prussian shamans and singers, the Vaidelotes, whose name stems from the Prussian language. The search for Prussian legacy is underway in Poland as well. One of the remnants of the Prussian culture has been discovered by a Polish archeologist Marek Jagodziski, who in 1982 has found relicts of Truso, a Prussian village described in the Wulfstam's chronicle 1100 years ago. Jagodziski and the Art Gallery "El" in Elblag are going to reconstruct the village in its original shape. The interest in pagan Prussians manifests itself in the Kaliningrad (Koenigsberg, Krlewiec) region of Russia as well. The Russian inhabitants of this enclave created on the former Prussian territory in 1945 are searching for their identity. Some are attracted by the legacy of the German inhabitants of this land, yet some of them are more interested in the ancient Prussian culture. An example of the latter attitude is Vadim Chrappa, who leads a group of people interested in ancient Prussian traditions. He is an author of a project of Center for Study on Ancient Prussia, which would be located in Kaliningrad. In Latvia the pagan traditions are being recalled by the pagan religious association called "Dievturi". Dievturi means in Latvian "those who hold by God". The movement of Dievturi arose in Latvia in the twenties, and the founder of it was Ernest Brastins, who tried to revive Latvian paganism. Brastins attempt to restore paganism was based on Latvian dainas, ancient Latvian songs imbued with pagan religiosity and symbols that describe in detail pagan beliefs and customs. It were the dainas where the descriptions of pagan rituals of solstice and equinox has been preserved until present. After the conqest of the Baltic countries by the USSR Dievturi have been acknowledged as dangerous enemies of the Soviet rule and persecuted. They were perceived by the Soviet rulers as Latvian chauvinists, inherently inimical to the ideas of communism and internationalism. Ernest Brastins has been executed in Astrakhan in the forties, some of Dievturi went to exile. Those who settled in the USA have registered their denomination and continued their activity. One of them is Janis Tupesis, professor at Wisconsin Uniwersity, who came back to Latvia and was elected to the Parliament as a representative of the Peasant Party and later he became the Latvian ombudsman. Dievturi are closely connected to the Latvian independence movement. Olgerts Auns, who coordinates the activity of Dievturi, for many years was a lecturer at a clandestine school of Latvian history and later he was one of the initiators of Latvian folklore festivals, that in the late USSR became huge manifestations of national feelings. The riddles of the pagan past arise interest among Latvian readers and many books are being published on this subject. The popularity of this topic can be seen as the influence of the Latvian national epos "Lacplesis" ("Bear Killer"). Lacplesis, a hero of supernatural strength, able to tear a bear to pieces, fights a battle against forces of evil and Christian invaders of the country. A pagan group in Estonia has been created by the students of the University of Tartu, who formed the Heritage Protection Club Tolet The group performs rituals led by a shaman, trying to revive Ugro-Finish shamanistic tradition. They publish journal "Hiis" ("Sacred wood"). In Belarus the pagan movement is represented by Center of Ethnocosmology "Krywya" in Minsk. Krywiches is a name of a tribe once populating the territory of contemporary northern Belarus. The choice of this name is a result of research of some Belarus archeologists who contend that the contemporary

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inhabitants of the country don't stem from Slavs, but from the Baltic peoples influenced by Slavs. In support of this thesis many evidence can be found. The group is inspired by research conducted by archeology professor from Minsk, Georgiy Shtykhav. The Center has created a company, "Werewolf", to cover its expenditures, like 1994 huge international conference on paganism and to finance publishing a journal on ethnology and archeology "Krywya". In Ukraine the founder of paganism in the modern era was Volodimir Shayan, born in Lvov in 1908. He studied philosophy and Sanskrit. In 1934 he experienced a religious illumination on the mount Grekhit in Carpathian mountains. After the World War II Shayan settled in the United Kingdom, where he worked on his ideas. He died in 1974 in London. His influence can be found in the contemporary neo-pagan groups in Ukraine. The strongest pagan organization is the Union of Ukrainian Indigenous Faithful. It unites pagan groups in Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa, Borispol, Chernigov, Mikolaev, Lvov and Yuzhnoukrainsk. The Kiev Group of Ukrainian Pagans "Pravoslav'ya" publishes a magazine called "Svarog" (a name of Slav god). In June 1995 during the summer solstice a conference "Indigenous faith: sources, currents, tendencies" has been held in Kiev, where representatives of various neo-pagan groups have been present. Like in the Baltic countries, the interest in the pagan past manifested itself in Poland in the inter-war period. Pagan traditions became inspiration for art. A forerunner of this artistic stream was Marian Wawrzeniecki, author of numerous graphics devoted to paganism. The most creative artist interested in paganism was Stanislaw Szukalski, son of a blacksmith and migr from the town of Warta, born in 1893. Grown up in the USA he was sent by his father to study art in Cracow, Poland. His unique and imaginative style has drew much from pagan and folk tradition. He created a circle of his disciples, known as "Tribe of Haughty Heart", which issued a magazine called "Krak" (a name of legendary Polish count, founder of Krakw - Cracow). Just before the outbreak of the WW II Szukalski went back to the USA and he lived there until his death in 1987. His ashes has been placed, according to his will, at the feet of one of the sculptures on the Easter Island. Similar interests can be found in paintings and graphics of Zofia Stryjeska. Looking for inspiration in the Polish folklore she tried to portray Slavic deities and depict traditional festivities.

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The interest in paganism was not limited to the artistic circles. It began to manifest itself in the form of a social movement. The leader of this movement was Jan Stachniuk, born 1905 in Kowel. After completing his university studies in economy he began to publish books presenting his views on paganism. In 1937 he founded a pagan magazine "Zadruga". An interesting trait of Stachniuk's thought is sacralisation of intellectual creativity and the cult of a cosmic energy, which manifests itself in strong will. According to Stachniuk, one cannot obtain prosperity by prayer and the success depends on one's own efforts and active, creative attitude towards one's life. It resembles in some way a protestant ethos. In Poland there are still living collaborators of Stachniuk from the pre-war time. A group of former members of "Zadruga" lives now in Wroclaw and publishes a series of books on paganism in their own publishing house "Toporzel". One of members of this group is Antoni Wacyk. In his book on Polish philosophy he underscores the personal dimension of the religious experience, which should preclude any forms of demonstrativness or any mediating role of professional priests between people and the sacred. A pagan religion, according to him, should concentrate on a mystical experience. Wacyk urges also for revision of the national history, pointing out that historians tend to glorify losers. A neopagan group influenced by "Zadruga", "Association of Indigenous Faith", has been founded in Wroclaw by a right-wing pagan Jerzy Potrzebowski. The legacy of "Zadruga" can be also found in the journal "Zywiol" appearing in Warsaw. Its editor, Andrzej Wylotek, belongs to the nationalist brand of paganism, claims to be close to the ideas of the French New Right with Alain de Benoist and is active on the political scene as a member of a nationalist party "Social-National Union". The interest in paganism can be also found among people interested in other spiritual traditions. In 1991 Jacek Dobrowolski, culturologist, co-creator of the first Buddhist community in Poland, has published a poem "Rarg" ("The Saker"). The poem refers to the affinity of the Polish paganism with ancient Indo-Iranian beliefs and the main theme of it is the cult of Jaryla, a dionisian deity of eastern and southern Slavs. Dobrowolski is also a keen analyst of the Polish Catholicism. In the exuberant cult of the Holy Virgin Dobrowolski sees a remnant of a pagan, matriarch past. He remarks as well, that the Polish culture lacks the archetype of a strong, paternalistic archetype. This is where Dobrowolski traces back the origins of admiration for the losers in the Polish tradition. An interesting phenomenon in some of the pagan movements in Central-Eastern Europe are their close links with the environmental movements. This is not only the regional occurrence. It can be attributed to the popularity of so-called Gaia hypothesis, a theory of an American chemist, James Lovelock, popularized in 1979. The essence of this theory is the idea that the whole Earth is a giant living organism, which is instrumental for creating optimum conditions for continuity of life on the planet. The ideas of Lovelock strongly influenced environmental movements: the perception of the Earth as the living organism results in the attitude of stewardship towards nature, being close to the ancient, pagan perception of the world or more modern pantheist ideas. It was the triumph of Christianity that, with the exception of St. Francis tradition, brought about a desacralization of the nature. There are more examples of overlapping of environmental and pagan movements. A "Mystery Play of Summer Solstice" has been organized by the Inter-University Environmental Association in

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Arturwek near Ldz last year. In collaboration with Museum of Archeology and Ethnography a scientific seminar on paganism has been conducted. The event gathered about 500 hundred participants. A growing popularity enjoys "Workshop for all beings", a group of environmentalists from southern Poland who practice neopagan rituals in the natural setting. A similar group, consisting of students of anthropology exists in Pozna. They issue a magazine called "Jantar". The members claim to experience very intense religious feelings during their rituals, when they dance in masks with drums beating in forests near Pozna.

The rapid emergence of neo-pagan groups in Central and Eastern Europe seems to be a fruitful object of study; it took place in a region where national tensions burst out after the fall of communism with extreme intensity, following a long period of the artificial freeze. Throughout the article a collective term "neopagan" has been used, but this does not imply the purely religious meaning of this word. For the purpose of this study a broader definition can be proposed: neo-paganism was understood as a movement inspired by nature-based spirituality, stressing the need of return to ethnic or tribal identity, to the pre-Christian roots, to the old customs and indigenous values. Such groups emerge throughout Central-Eastern Europe with a growing dynamic. What is the reason of independent and paralell rise of neo-paganism? It seems that it is neither a fad nor merely a reflection of Western neo-pagan ideas. For the majority of people interested in neo-paganism the Western neo-paganism is rather unknown, and pagans in the region are much less interested in magick that the Western pagans. It seems that the answer to the question about the origin of this phenomenon lays in the quest for national identity. The reference to tradition may imply some danger when combined with radical nationalism. The political abuse of the concept of ethnicity and tradition led to incredible horrors during the Nazi era. Are Central-Eastern European pagans immune to this danger? The majority of pagans in the region, with the above mentioned exceptions, is not politically active. As for their political views, they are either moderate right, centrist, or - particularly those ecologically oriented - moderate left. None of the above organizations can characterized as extremist. The above presented picture of the pagan movements in the Central-Eastern Europe shows one of the directions of quest of identity in the region, an attempt to find a key to a new situation, to trace back the roots and explore tradition. These attempts are in no way an escape from reality or sectarian activity. Just on the contrary, they try to exploit tradition in order to create a new response to the contemporary challenges.

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After the fall of the communism, when the isolation from the Western world has been broken a question arose, whether the societies of Central-Eastern Europe will subordinate to the Western standards or whether they will assimilate them to their own traditions. The search for pagan roots is one of the attempts to answer this question.

The previous versions of this paper has been published in "Spoleczenstwo otwarte" 4/1995 and delivered at the 5th World Congress of Central and Eastern European Studies in Warsaw, 1995 and at the conference "New Religious Phenomena in Central and Eastern Europe after the Fall of Communism", Cracow 1995 - the founding conference of International Study of Religion in Eastern and Central Europe Association.

Piotr Wiench Please mail me and share your comments! You may also visit the page on ancient spiritual tradition of mutual help.

Note: this page is a mirror maintained by bratwurst@vinland.org. The original document is at http://www.ifispan.waw.pl/research/paganism/pagancee.htm

http://www.vinland.org/heathen/pagancee/

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