[115] In Poland, Rodnovery also influenced various forms of folk and popular music. [435] Simpson observed that in the country, Rodnovers were "still relatively young",[436] and saw an overlap with the community of historical re-enactors. As with the sun in the sky, he is symbolic of the triumph of light over darkness. 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. Slavic Traditions & Mythology. They recover the pre-Christian social institution of the veche (assembly), which they also see as reflecting the concept of sobornost formulated in twentieth-century Russian philosophy. [76] Thus, Czech Rodnover groups have coined Jazynictv and Slovak Rodnovers have coined Jazynctvo. Other Slavic kingdoms took more liberties with color choices. Festivals celebrated in spring include the Day of Yarilo and the Krasnaya Gorka (literally "Red Hill", celebrated between April 30May 1), the latter dedicated to ancestor worship; while in autumn Rodnovers celebrate the Day of Marzanna and that of Mokosh (November 10). [405] The 2012 Sreda Arena Atlas complement to the 2010 census of Russia, found 1.7 million people (1.2% of the total population of the country) identifying themselves as "Pagans" or followers of "traditional religions, worship of gods and ancestors". [281] This text was brought to the public by the Russian Yury Petrovich Mirolyubov (18921970), who claimed that it had been discovered by a friend of his, Fodor Arturovich Isenbek, while serving as a White Army officer during the Russian Civil War. [14] Laruelle has emphasised that Rodnovery "cannot necessarily be defined as a religion in the strict sense"; some adherents prefer to define it as a "spirituality" (dukhovnost), "wisdom" (mudrost), or a "philosophy" or "worldview" (mirovozzrenie). Local Rodnover groups usually call themselves obshchina (the term for traditional peasant communities), while skhod, sobor and mir are used for informal meetings or to refer to traditional Russian ideas of commonality. [186] In Russia there was a shared belief among the intellectual circles that Slavic paganism had survived within the "folk Orthodoxy" of the common people (which was regarded as a dvoeverie, a "double faith"), and the Old Believers' movements. [272] In 1944, he fled the Soviet government and travelled to refugee camps in Germany and Austria. [92] The BelobogChernobog duality is also represented on the human plane as the PerunVeles duality, where the former is the principle of martiality and the latter is the principle of mystical philosophy. Animals always played a important role among Slavic people. Slavic Spells The folklore of ancient Slavs contains a rich treasury of spells, including spells for domestic prosperity, wisdom, and knowledge. Among the most common myths is that of Belovodye (the esoteric kingdom of "White Waters"), deriving from eighteenth-century Old Believers' culture. [42], In Ukraine, the first practitioners of Slavic Native Faith appeared in the 1930s. Kupalo is the Slavic god of the summer solstice. In the Slavic mythology, Veles (or Bog Veles) is the guardian of the Heavenly Gates, which separate the spiritual world from the physical world. [137] There is an academic consensus that the Proto-Slavic language developed from about the second half of the first millennium BCE in an area of Central and Eastern Europe bordered by the Dnieper basin to the east, the Vistula basin to the west, the Carpathian Mountains to the south and the forests beyond the Pripet basin to the north. [359] Makeyev himself, in a 2007 publication entitled "Assianism and world culture" (Assianstvo i mirovaya kul'tura), presented the religion as a worldwide spiritual heritage. Sep 8, 2018 - Explore Kelli Andrews's board "Slavic mythology & symbolism" on Pinterest. [299] Ivanovite teachings are incorporated by Peterburgian Vedism. Having colored animals on colored backgrounds that wouldn't have been "ok" by the Western rules. [197] In turn, Rodnovers have accused academics of being part of a conspiracy to conceal the truth about history. Air is associated with communication, wisdom or the power of the mind. Their settlements are known as "kinship homesteads" ( , rodovoye pomest'ye), and are usually grouped in broader "ancestral villages" ( , rodovoye poseleniye),[373] where an extended faily, a kin, may conduct a harmonious autonomous life in at least one hectare of land of their property. the kolovrat is one of the most respected and most powerful protective pagan symbols and is a symbol of the god, svarog. [251], The common Rodnover ritual calendar is based on the Slavic folk tradition, whose crucial events are the four solstices and equinoxes set in the four phases of the year. [292] The first manifesto of Russian Rodnovery is considered to be the letter "Critical remarks by a Russian man" (Kriticheskie zametki russkogo cheloveka) published on such journal, anonymously in 1973, by Valery Yemelianov (19291999), who was then close to Khrushchev. [283], One of the disciples of Volodymyr Shaian was Lev Sylenko (19212008). 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. Zhiva (or iva) is the goddess of life in the Slavic mythology. The statue remained in place for some time until being removed by the authorities in 2007 when a decision was made to construct a church nearby. [245], Rodnovery is headed by a priestly class distinguishable into the orders of volkhv (translatable as "wiseman", "wizard", i.e. [59] Rod is conceived as the absolute, primordial God, supreme ancestor of the universe, that begets all things,[59] and at the same time as the kin, the lineage of generation which is the ancestral bond to the supreme source. Slavic Pagan Design. [249], According to Rodover cosmology: the top of the staff of the volkhv represents the overworld, Prav, and is either carved as an anthropomorphic face representing the patron deity of the volkhv, or as the symbol of Rod, and is associated with Rod itself, the "God of the gods", representing the unity of the generated gods in the universal Rod, or with his visible manifestation, Svarog; the middle part of the staff represents Yav and Perun, and is carved with the symbols of the powers that the volkhv "commands" in the real world; the bottom of the staff represents Nav and Veles, and is burnt in fire to symbolise the infernal forces of the underworld. [100], In Ukraine, there has been a debate as to whether the religion should be monotheistic or polytheistic. [422] Alternately, the Ukrainian organisation Ancestral Fire of the Native Orthodox Faith has expanded in both Moldova and Germany. Another term for a community, though not frequently used, is artel. [307] Many people became unemployed, and many turned to the past, nourishing the study of ethnic roots. Scandinavian Symbols And Culture Black Color Set Solid Style Image. Ivakhiv classifies Roerichians and others movements of Theosophical imprint, such as the Ukrainian Spiritual Republic founded by Oles Berdnyk, together within the broader "Vedic" movement. Tropa Troyanova does not identify itself as a "religion", but rather as a "traditional worldview". In 2014, the Russian government officially registered the Union of Slavic Native Belief Communities as an interregional public organisation for the promotion of Slavic culture. [90] Peterburgian Vedists call this concept "One God" ( , Yediny Bog) or "All God" (, Vsebog). [183] Rodnover personalities and groups played a prominent role in the 2002 establishment of Ongal, a Bulgarian far-right umbrella organisation. [438], The scholar Anna-Marie Dostlov documented in 2013 that the entire Pagan community in the Czech Republic, including Slavic Rodnovers as well as other Pagan religions, was small. [38] In his view, the Ukrainians were the superior manifestation of the European peoples,[99] and Kiev the oldest city of the white race. [238] Veche is used as the name of some Rodnover overarching organisations, as well as international councils. [299] Schnirelmann reported in 2008 that Ivanovism was estimated to have "a few dozen thousand followers". Rodnover organisations often characterise themselves as ethnic religions, emphasising their belief that the religion is bound to Slavic ethnicity. Kupala night is still celebrated in many Northern European countries on the summer solstice, as the Pagan Slavic tradition was assimilated into early Christian rituals. 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. [315] Another Polish Rodnover group under the leadership of Lech Emfazy Stefaski registered by the state in 1995 is the Native Polish Church (Rodzimy Koci Polski), which represents a tradition that goes back to Wadysaw Koodziej's Holy Circle of the Worshippers of Svetovid. [353], Scythian Assianism (Russian: ) is essentially a type of Scythian Rodnovery which emulates the Ossetian Folk Religion. He is representative of the destructive, masculine force of nature. [240], Rituals and religious meetings are often performed in rural settings, forests and clearings. In the modern day, some ancient Slavic rituals persist in Eastern and Northern Europe. [125] Rodnovers are concerned with the oversaturation of cities and the devastation of the countryside, and they aim at re-establishing harmony between the two environments. [71] When using English language terms to describe their religion, some Rodnovers favour "Heathen", in part due to a perceived affinity with the contemporary Germanic Heathens who also commonly use that term. [176], Some Rodnovers interpret the veche in ethnic terms, thus as a form of "ethnic democracy", in the wake of similar concepts found in the French Nouvelle Droite. [119] Christianity is also considered as a system that destroys morality by casting human responsibility away from the present world and into a transcendent future,[121] its theology also enforcing a separation of the supreme God from the world. Paperback - April 17, 2021. [128] Laruelle similarly found an emphasis on patriarchy, heterosexuality, traditional family, fidelity and procreation. [300] The collapse of the Soviet Union and its official policy of state atheism resulted in a resurgence of open religious adherence across the region. Blacksmith Viking Epic Legendary Impression. It is from this connection that new souls emerge. [211] Simpson noted that in Poland, several Rodnovers launched a poster campaign against Valentine's Day, which they regarded as not being an authentically Polish celebration. [84] Similarly to the ancient Slavic religion, a common theological stance among Rodnovers is that of monism, by which the many different gods (polytheism) are seen as manifestations of the single, universal impersonal Godgenerally identified by the concept of Rod,[86] also known as Sud ("Judge") and Prabog ("Pre-God", "First God") among South Slavs. [113] Lesiv reported about a Sylenkoite follower who said that "we cannot believe in various forest, field and water spirits today. [266] Another precursor in Poland was Jan Sas Zubrzycki (18601935), who elaborated the doctrine of "God-Knowing" (Bogoznawstwo). [263] Therefore, he became a precursor of the return to Slavic religion in Poland and all Slavic countries. He is a symbol of protection for sailors. Semargl represents good fortune, drinking, and abundance. [408] Physicists were particularly well represented; in this Aitamurto drew comparisons to the high number of computer professionals who were present in the Pagan communities of Western countries. Laruelle has thus defined Rodnovery as an "open-source religion", that is to say a religion which "emphasizes individual participation and doctrinal evolution, and calls for the personal creation of religious belief systems". [126] In this way they argue that Russian Orthodoxy is distinct from other forms of Christianity,[106] and seek to portray it as the "younger brother" of Slavic Native Faith. According to his followers, he acquired such knowledge through the "breath of his ancestors" being united with them "by divine holiness". Today, the swastika is officially used by Baltic neo-pagan organizations such as Romuva and Dievturiba. [14] Some practitioners regard "ethnic religion" as a term synonymous with "Native Faith", but others perceive a distinction between the two terms. [55] The term derives from the Proto-Slavic roots *rod, which means anything "indigenous", "ancestral" and "native", also "genus", "generation", "kin", "race" (e.g. He is the guardian of good weather. Ynglists organise yearly gatherings (veche) in summer. Neo-Paganism and the Aryan Myth in Contemporary Russia", "Russo-centrism as an ideological project of Belarusian identity", "Glory to Dazhboh (Sun-god) or to All Native Gods? [299], After Mikhail Gorbachev's Soviet government introduced the policy of perestroika in the 1980s, Slavic Native Faith groups established themselves in Ukraine. In all traditions, circles can be made of with lighted candles, drawing circles in the soil, or with natural objects and tools. Common Wiccan symbols in use in the religion today include: Moon symbols The Horned God The Trinity Knot The Witch's Charm The Ankh The Elven Star The Pentagram Each of these symbols has. Nemiza brought unhappiness with death, but also ended suffering, ushering souls from one life into the next. The symbol of Rod is a circle containing a rose with six petals reaching out towards the edges. [345] Marlne Laruelle found that there are Rodnover movements which draw inspiration from Indo-Iranian sources, historical Vedism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Zoroastrianism; Rodnover movements inspired to the Theosophy of Helena Blavatsky, the Fourth Way of George Gurdjieff and Peter Uspensky, and Roerichism (Nicholas Roerich); Rodnover movements inspired to East Asian religions with their practices of energetic healing and martial arts; Rodnover movements (often the most political ones) inspired to German Ariosophy and the Traditionalist School (studying thinkers such as Ren Gunon and Julius Evola);[346] Rodnover movements centred on the Russian folk cult of the Mother Earth;[221] and Rodnover movements drawing examples from Siberian shamanism. 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. Ivanov, who declared himself a Zoroastrian and subscribed to "Arism" or "Slavism", published a fervently anti-Christian pamphlet entitled "The Christian Plague" (Khristianskaya chuma). [148] Aitamurto suggested that Russian Rodnovers' conceptions of nationalism encompass three main themes: that "the Russian or Slavic people are a distinct group", that they "haveor their heritage hassome superior qualities", and that "this unique heritage or the existence of this ethnic group is now threatened, and, therefore, it is of vital importance to fight for it". [269] He turned to recorded Ukrainian folklore to find what he regarded as the survivals of the ancient Slavic religion. [375], Roerichism (Russian: , ) and Ivanovism () are spiritual movements linked with Russian cosmism, a holistic philosophy emphasising the centrality of the human being within a living environment, in turn related to the God-Building movement. [317] Two groups were founded in those years, the National Front of the Castists (Nrodn Front Castist, where "Castists" was created as a neologism from Latin castus, meaning "pure"[318]) and the Radho group, founded by the Naples-born anthropologist and professor of Slavic languages Giuseppe Maiello (whose Slavic name is Dervan) among the students of the Faculty of Philosophy of Charles University in Prague. Rodnovers often glorify Slavic history, criticising the impact of Christianity on Slavic countries and arguing that these nations will play a central role in the world's future. [274] the term Zadruga refers to a South Slavic tribal unit. [9], According to Schnirelmann, it was the Soviet Union's official scientific atheism, which severely weakened the infrastructure of universalist religions, combined with anti-Westernism and the research of intellectuals into an ancient "Vedic" religion of Russia, that paved the way for the rise of Rodnovery and other modern Paganisms in Eastern Europe. [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. [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. 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. [165] Schnirelmann similarly noted that there is a loose boundary between the explicitly politicised and less politicised wings of the Russian movement,[144] and that ethnic nationalist and racist views were present even in those Rodnovers who did not identify with precise political ideologies. The religion is patriarchal, and attitudes towards sex and gender are generally conservative. He is a god of thunder, lightning, and war, and is often associated with the oak tree. Slavs belong to the group of Indo-European peoples, also called Aryan peoples (do not confuse this term with the term 'Aryan race'). Rodnovery has developed distinctive strains of political and identitary philosophy. [119] Although some Rodnovers aspire to paradise, they argue that retribution is not deferred to a transcendent future but realised in the here and now; since gods manifest themselves as the natural phenomena, and in people as lineage descendants, Rodnovers believe that actions and their outcomes unfold and are to be dealt with in the present world. [56] The term has different histories and associations in each of the Slavic languages in which it appears. [273], In Poland, Jan Stachniuk (19051963) established the Zadruga magazine in 1937, which gave rise to the movement of Zadrugism. [166] For many others, rituals may include magical practices and are meant at the creation of shared meanings and new community ties. "Rodnovery" is a widely accepted self-descriptor within the community, although there are Rodnover organisations which further characterise the religion as Vedism, Orthodoxy, and Old Belief. [418], Ivakhiv noted that Rodnovery remains "a relatively small niche in Ukrainian religious culture",[419] and that it faces a mixed reception in the country. She was also exquisitely honored through numerous rituals and ceremonies. [327] These groups have strong political motivations, being extremely nationalistic, anti-Western, and anti-Semitic. [173], The socio-political system proposed by Rodnovers is based on their interpretation of the ancient Slavic community model of the veche (popular assembly), similar to the ancient Germanic "thing" and ancient Greek democracy. [379], Authentism (Russian: ), incorporated as the Tezaurus Spiritual Union ( ""), is a Rodnover spiritual philosophy and psychological order created by the psychologist Sergey Petrovich Semenov in 1984, in Saint Petersburg. 024-657-834 (CC0), Pixabay. [329] The Internet helped the spread of Rodnovery and a uniformisation of ritual practices across the various groups. [97], When emphasising this monism, Rodnovers may define themselves as rodnianin, "believers in God" (or "in nativity", "in genuinity"). [87] In the Russian and Ukrainian centres of Rodnover theology, the concept of Rod has been emphasised as particularly important. The Ossetians endonymously call the religion Watsdin (Ossetian Cyrillic: , literally "True Faith"), and practice it in large numbers. [258] Rodnover rituals and festivals often include martial arts displays; these sometimes symbolise seasonal change, such as the victory of spring over winter, or can be regarded as manifestations of bravery, strength, and honesty. [244] Gaidukov documented that in the 2000s Rodnovers erected a statue of Perun in a park near Kupchino in Saint Petersburg, although they did not obtain official permission first. [175] Western liberal ideas of freedom and democracy are traditionally perceived by Russian eyes as "outer" freedom, contrasting with Slavic "inner" freedom of the mind; in Rodnovers' view, Western liberal democracy is "destined to execute the primitive desires of the masses or to work as a tool in the hands of a ruthless elite", being therefore a mean-spirited "rule of demons". [266] In 1995, one of the future founders of the organisation, Radek Mikula (Ratko), had established contacts with Vadim Kazakov, leader of the Russian Union of Slavic Native Belief Communities; the relationship continued in the 2000s and led to Rodn Vra becoming an official subgroup of the Russian organisation until 2002,[320] while it nurtured ties with Polish and Slovak Rodnovers too. In Slavic pagan beliefs, souls are separate from the body and dwelt on earth for forty days after someone died. Reportedly, one of the greatest symbols of Slavic nationality was the symbol of the deity Rod who was considered a patron of all the Slavic people. [30] Other Rodnovers are conscious that the movement represents a synthesis of different sources, that what is known about ancient Slavic religion is very fragmented, and therefore the reconstruction requires innovation. [213], Christians have also been responsible for opposition to Slavic Native Faith, for instance through the establishment of social media groups against the movement. From demons of an old and scary looking witches, banes, night demons . Perun - The Slavic god of thunder and war Probably the most famous Slavic deity, Perun is the chief deity in most Slavic pantheons. His unit had a shrine to the god Svetovid in their secret forest base and held group rites in which they toasted a wooden image of the deity with mead. Many Rodnovers regard their religion as a faithful continuation of the ancient beliefs that survived as a folk religion or a conscious "double belief" following the Christianisation of the Slavs in the Middle Ages. [24], Espousing a holistic worldview that does not create a dichotomy between mind and body, many Rodnover groups employ physical techniques, or martial arts, as means for cleaning, strengthening and elevating the mind. They are those responsible for holding rites for worshipping the gods and leading communities and religious festivals. Viking Weapon Design Elements For Heraldic Logo. [323] The group is associated with the movement of Praskozorje. [334], The early 2010s saw a strengthening of relations between Rodnover groups. She is the Slavic god of female endeavours, such as spinning, weaving, and shearing. It is also a popular feminist symbol. [358], There are various Watsdin organisations in North OssetiaAlania affiliated with Scythian Assianism, including the Atst organisation led by Daurbek Makeyev. [21] Simpson has noted, speaking of the specific context of Poland, that unlike historical Slavic beliefs, which were integral to the everyday fabric of their society, modern Slavic Native Faith believers have to develop new forms of social organisation which set them apart from established society. Animals such as wolves, bears, hares or foxes thanks to the wide area of distribution firmly entrenched themselves in various legends, stories, mythology and art of Slavic people. 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? The study of this syncretic popular religion and philosophy was the foremost interest for late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Russian intellectuals: early revolutionaries (Alexander Herzen, Nikolay Ogarev, Mikhail Bakunin), Narodniks (Populists), and early Bolsheviks were inspired by the radical forms of society practised within folk religious communities, which in many ways were precursors to socialism. Miklukho-Maklai Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, "rda Rodzimej Wiary wtki aryjskie i zadrune w doktrynie zwizku wyznaniowego Rodzima Wiara", "Shaman, Schismatic, Necromancer: Religious Libertarians in Russia", " . . ", " ", " ' ' ", "Qualification of Slavic Rodnovery in scientific literatureneopaganism or ethnic religion", Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans, Castro culture/Proto Gallaecian-Lusitanian, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Slavic_Native_Faith&oldid=1141331410, Articles containing Belarusian-language text, Articles containing Bulgarian-language text, Articles containing Bosnian-language text, Articles containing Macedonian-language text, Articles containing Croatian-language text, Articles containing Russian-language text, Articles containing Slovene-language text, Articles containing Serbian-language text, Articles containing Ukrainian-language text, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Serbo-Croatian-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 14:39. [126] However, there have been difficulties with Rodnover involvement in the wider environmentalist movement because of many environmentalists' unease with the racial and anti-Christian themes that are prominent in the religion. The hammer-and-knife attack would leave . [352], Various organisations have been established in the late 2000s and 2010s, including Merjamaa and Merya Mir ( , "Merya World"). Svarog is the creator of the other gods, associated with smithery. [117] Rodnover ethics consist in following Prav, that is "seeking, finding and following the natural laws", which results in strengthening and being aware of the principle of retribution (actionreaction; or karma). [351], Meryan Rodnovery is a movement present in the Russian regions of Ivanovo, Kostroma, Moscow, Vladimir, Vologda, Tver, and Yaroslavl. [290], Russian Rodnovery originated in the Soviet dissidents' circles of the 1970s,[291] as intellectuals became concerned for the eradication of traditional Russian culture and identity. Russians in Estonia have established their own religious organisation, the Fellowship of the Russian People's Faith in Estonia registered in Tartu in 2010. A new Pagan belief system, Rodnovery, has arisen in recent years, claiming to be a continuation of the ancient Slavic beliefs that Christianity replaced in the middle ages. [170] Some of them merge Rodnover themes with others adopted from Germanic Heathenry and from Russian Orthodox Christianity. He does represent both Nordic gods Thor and Odin although a direct connection hasn't been drawn yet. [22] During the war, Stefan Potrzuski led a unit in the Peasant Battalion which battled the Nazi occupation of Poland. Finally, the Trojan symbol may be said to connote the three dimensions of time: past, present and future. Truth is sometimes personified as a god, Prov, who is the guardian of the law, lawfulness and righteousness. I want to invite you on a small journey into Slavic mythology and Polish witchcraft. [109] Conversely, Sylenko's Native Ukrainian National Faith (RUNVira; also called "Sylenkoism") regards itself as monotheistic and focuses its worship upon a single God whom the movement identifies with the name Dazhbog, regarded as the life-giving energy of the cosmos. [366], Yagnovery (Ukrainian: ), Ladovery (), and Orantism () are other branches of Rodnovery that have their focus in Ukraine. In the Slavic mythology, Viy (or Bog Viy) is the guardian of the Heavenly Border, which separates the Light Halls the spiritual world inhabited by the gods and dead souls from the Dark Halls populated by demons and evil spirits. [340] There are often tensions between nondenominational Rodnovers and followers of well-defined doctrines; it is the case of the doctrine of Ynglism, which is not recognised as true Slavic Native Faith by the major Rodnover organisations of Russia,[342] and of Yagnovery, Ladovery and Sylenkoism, which some Rodnovers opine not to be classifiable as branches of Slavic Native Faith.