Search

Reading Icelandic Sagas against a medieval legal background in a First-Year Writing Seminar is a useful way to teach students the bones of academic argument. When the classroom is transformed into a courtroom through re-enactments of the legal struggles at the Althing, all students participate, and some exploratory students sign up for English and creative writing.

The renowned American missionary Frank Joseph Rawlinson came to China with the purpose of preaching to the heathens in China and bringing salvation to them. However, during his stay in China, he gradually changed his fixed black-and-white religious mindset, and eventually was filled with admiration for Chinese civilization. The conqueror's mentality disappeared, and his superiority as a westerner was replaced by a fervent "Chinese heart". Rawlinson's views on China were closely related to his religious views. He gradually abandoned his traditional evangelical beliefs and advocated liberal theology and social gospel. Rawlinson's attitude towards Chinese religions and Chinese culture are the fundamental aspects of his views on China. From "conquering paganism" to "promoting dialogue between religions", from "demonizing China" to "advocating Chinese culture", Rawlinson got rid of the deep-rooted prejudice against China and developed a strong sense of belonging and also value identification in Chinese culture. Rawlinson's views on China underwent a dynamic progressive transformation from prejudice to acceptance to praise, and the change was in close relation to multiple factors, for instance, his personal experiences, theological views, social background, and the international situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented article is dedicated to such an element of funeral rites of various Turkic cultures as the accompanying burial of a horse and the use of horses in the funeral rites of nomadic and settled peoples of Central Asia. According to the author's hypothesis, based on source study and his own research, the presence of a horse in funeral rites is one of the ethnocultural markers uniting Turkic cultures, starting from the ancient Turkic time and ending in the late Middle Ages. Thus, the purpose of the article is to investigate the transformation of the Turkic funeral rite in the Middle Ages in order to substantiate the ritual of horse burial as a common cultural marker of the Turkic peoples. The research results propose a comprehensive periodisation of this phenomenon, critically analysing the unique attributes of each period. The materials under study span several cultures from the Middle Ages to the New Age. Each period is scrutinized to elucidate its features and peculiarities that shaped its evolution and exerted influence on the subsequent progression of traditions. The research underscores the key determinants driving the trajectory of these traditions within specific historical epochs for each of the investigated peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study argues that the bond between 'secularization' and 'de-legitimation' is not only borne out in debates over grand historical narratives relating to the status of modernity, as argued by Hans Blumenberg, but in debates over the appraisal of specific modern philosophical programs as well. It does this by examining how the category of 'secularization' is used to delegitimize Martin Heidegger's thought, from both theological and secular perspectives, by two of his former students, Hans Jonas and Karl Löwith. By analysing their interpretation of Heidegger and their understanding of secularization, legitimacy, and the philosophy-theology relationship, this study sheds light on the intellectual projects of these three thinkers – master and two students – and demonstrates the application of secularization as a hermeneutical category of de-legitimization on the basis of 'insufficiency' – either insufficiently secular or insufficiently religious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his many homilies, Gregory of Nyssa contrasts Christian belief to earlier forms of belief that were still very present in the Roman empire during the fourth century, namely the classical polytheistic faith and Judaism, with the explicit intention of showing its superiority over them. Even though Gregory is clearly against any belief that is not Christian orthodoxy, he presents these other beliefs from two different perspectives: at times, he presents them as the enemies of Christianity, showing clearly how they seek to harm the true faith; at other times, he also seeks to show how, in a way, they are of benefit to Christianity because their very presence and the behaviour of their followers help to show how much the Christian way of life outshines any other. This discussion on other faiths in relation to Christian belief is present in many contexts; however, attacks on paganism are more evident in the sermons in honour of martyrs, while invectives addressed to Jews are present mainly in his sermons on biblical books. In this paper, an attempt will be made to present in detail what Gregory has to say about these other faiths and their relation to Christianity (desired and factual), concluding with how his attitude towards other faiths can be classified and described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the names of Lithuanian stones regarded as sacred and the legends associated with them. Researchers estimate that there are approximately 500 such stones in Lithuania. Popular beliefs link many of these stones with pagan deities and Christian saints, attributing to them the abilities to move, speak, teach, heal, advise, lend money, and even form families and have children. Evidence of stone worship during pagan times is reflected in their names, which often reference both chthonic figures and Christian saints, and may also be associated with the names of animals and people. The article systematically analyses these cases, considering legends about the stones’ origins, relevant historical evidence, and archaeological and folklore data. Lithuanian legends regarding the naming of stones suggest that those now bearing Christian names may have originally had pagan ones. The “baptism” of some stones by bestowing Christian names upon them not only alters some of their properties but is also believed to stop their growth and movement. The analysis leads to the conclusion that the mythological perception of stones has evolved over time. Historical data indicate that in pagan antiquity, stones were identified with deities, serving simultaneously as altars and idols. With the advent of Christianity, the focus shifted, and stones that were once venerated began to be associated with figures from lower mythology, such as the devil, witches, and Laumės (woodland spirits). Folklore traditions classify stones as “otherworldly” objects, emphasizing their connection with the chthonic realm, the world of the dead, and the “unclean”.

Copyright of Cahiers d'Études Africaines is the property of Editions EHESS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Humanitas: International Journal of Social Sciences / Uluslararasi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi is the property of Humanitas: International Journal of Social Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The concern of this paper is to provide a number of 'seeds' for a reclaiming of art in education by placing emphasis upon art's pedagogy or art's education. The notion of reclaiming does not infer a return to a utopian past or to a halcyon future, but it invokes a reaffirmation of the adventure of events of art practice that can take us beyond ourselves towards new creative assemblages and possibilities for becoming‐with. Such reclaiming requires a culture of trust, care and response‐ability. In relation to art's pedagogy the paper calls for opening up what is formally recognised as 'practice' in art education to a sensing towards what might be obscured by such recognition and in doing so reshape our ideas and modes of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fate of art's education looks like a cynical and rather hopeless process. Those who belong to the field pledged their loyalty to the discipline by dint of how they regard art as being inherently pedagogical – what is here called art's education. Decades of engagement in art's education leaves one travelling over spaces that present themselves as widening chasms between art's education (the pedagogical inherence of art) and art education (art's location within the structures of schooled education). Chasms aside, new borders and unnecessary walls keep being erected just as new territories and jurisdictions are continuously declared. Those of us who have always regarded themselves as migrants within the field would be forgiven to pine with nostalgia for when, not so long ago, art and education moved and roamed with pride and autonomy. Maybe it is this nostalgia which keeps us hoping, while knowing very well that often we tend to idealise the very 'past' in which we take false solace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the article is to study Prudentius’ Psychomachia in the context of the religious and socio-political atmosphere of the Roman Empire at the end of the 4th and beginning of the 5th centuries A.D. After the adoption of laws against pagans by Emperor Theodosius I in the early 390s, Christianity supposedly finally defeated the old cults. But in reality, Christians felt the need to continue the struggle for the consciousness of pagans and their superficial co-religionists. Another problem was the heresies - the teachings of Arius, Photinus, and Priscillian, which undermined the unity of the Christian community from within. Psychomachia is the first Latin allegorical poem about the battle of virtues and vices in the human soul. Seven duels take place between them in an unspecified place outside of space and time. The description of their appearance and the speeches they constantly make help to give a better understanding of the characters. The purpose of the writing was the glorification of Christian morality and worldview, and the polemical struggle against paganism and heresies. Although the form of the poem is innovative, the style of Psychomachia is largely based on the second half of Virgil’s Aeneid, which is full of battle scenes. Prudentius does not ignore Roman literature and history but tries to fit it into the Christian tradition. At the same time, the aesthetics of the work are absolutely Christian. There are many allusions to the biblical tradition in Psychomachia. Like any good literary work, poem has several layers. The first one presents a description of the struggle of virtues and vices in the human soul. The second one gives a picture of the establishment of Christianity in the fight against paganism and heresies. The third layer shows the eschatological struggle between good and evil. The combination of a unique genre, classical tradition and Christian content makes Psychomachia a unique monument of the age of transition from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, which helps to better understand the essence of this age and this transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The translations of the Divine Liturgy into the languages of the indigenous peoples of the Russian Empire were created by Russian missionaries, primarily in the nineteenth century. Their objective was to prevent a mass exodus from Orthodoxy to Islam or paganism and offer the local population a more comprehensive understanding of Christianity. The article expounds on this phenomenon within the context of the ongoing debate regarding the translation of the liturgy into Russian and other languages. The article encompass the translation of sacred texts into the Komi language by St. Stephen of Perm and addresses the circumstances in the early nineteenth century when emperors issued decrees mandating the translation of the liturgy. A pivotal moment emerged with the missionary principles of the orientalist N. I. Ilminsky in Kazan, advocating for the translation of texts into the vernacular. Ilminsky proposed using solely the Cyrillic alphabet and resorting to borrowings from Church Slavonic when necessary. Slavicism within Christian terminology has been researched in liturgical texts in Abkhazian, Altaic, Buryat, Chuvash, Yakut, Karelian, Komi, Mari, Tatar, and Udmurt. The article also discusses the translation into Komi, highlighting the rivalries among translators in that context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the materials of the most unusual of the burial grounds of the Golden Horde Azak. It is located on the eastern border of the city's residential area and is part of the chain of the outer arc of necropolises that girdles it and emerged during the reign of Uzbek Khan. The burial ground is located on both sides of the headwaters of the Kirsanova Balka. 154 burials were investigated on 8 excavations. The burials are very shallow. The grave pits do not form rows, but are grouped in clusters. They include burials very different in rite and often cover each other. All possible variants of inhumation are found. The corpse position is equally variable – from stretched out on the back to severely bent over. Grave goods were found in 24% of the burials. Earrings, beads, rings, knuckle-bone, mirrors and their fragments, knives, fire lighter, scissors and ram's bones were found. Such elements of the ritual as the use of fire, copper ongons, ceramics, and fragmentation of mirrors were established. Some of the burials can be classified as Muslim. They do not form individual areas and are not the latest. Coins found in the burials and on the territory of the burial ground allow dating the necropolis to the first half of the XIV century. Only for some burials it is possible to determine the ethnic and cultural affiliation. The burial ground has no analogies among non-Muslim necropolises of large Golden Horde cities of the XIV century.

The article deals with the burials at the Taldy-1 burial ground (Republic of Kazakhstan). They belong to the early and classical Middle Ages. Despite the low information content of the early medieval burials, they are of interest at the regional, central Kazakhstan level. The burials considered expand the factual base that is currently insufficient. The burial rite is clearly presented in building No 58. Here, the burial of a child was investigated. It was accompanied by the cattle skeleton. The skeleton position bears a resemblance the posture of a horse in the studied burials of the Turkic culture. The burial of the classical Middle Ages is dated to the XIII century by the radiocarbon method. It was a non-inventory burial of a girl aged 12–13 years. The burial was arranged in a pit. A graphic reconstruction of the appearance was carried out on the skull. The peculiarities of the burial rites allow the researchers to raise the issue of identifying syncretic Muslim-pagan assemblages and the spread of Islam in Central Kazakhstan. Analyzing the materials of the region, it is possible to establish the duration of the process of ritual transformation, which lasted for at least two centuries.

Paganism, despite growing as a religious affiliation over recent decades, has rarely been the subject of study within higher education. Due to the general lack of cohesive organizations, a persistent social stigma, and a number of ill‐defined identity labels, they have proven difficult to study even within the general population. This chapter will provide a descriptive snapshot of the population of Pagan college students in the United States and offer guidance for higher education practitioners working with this often‐invisible religious demographic group on their campuses. Practical Takeaways: Pagans remain a small population, which can be an isolating experience for students, particularly given their tendency for solitary practice. Even for Pagan students who want to practice in a community, their small numbers—as well as their social stigma—can make organization difficult. For these and other reasons, social isolation is a pressing concern for Pagan students.Demographically, Pagan students appear to identify as LGB and with gender identities outside of the binary norm at higher rates than the general population of college students. Expressions of these identities may be sources of tension with other religious groups on campus, as well as with individual student peers. Campus professionals should note this tendency when considering the power dynamics at play in their campus spaces.Spiritual customs for Pagans are often personal, personalized, and frequently private. The holidays, practices, and symbols may be strange or even alarming to outsider peers and campus professionals, so it is not unusual for Pagans to conceal them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper engages in a comparative analysis of two prominent figures from the 2d century CE—Lucian of Samosata and Justin the Martyr. Lucian, the epideictic orator and social commentator, reintroduces the Olympians while rethinking paganism and engaging with Justin and the Apologists. Conversely, Justin, embodying the Christian pepaideumenos, places the new religion at the literary forefront and questions the stereotype of Christian simplicity. The paper argues that, in the context of reformative, paideutic Imperial culture, Lucian and Justin challenge the literary and religious status quo and engage the readers in a reconsideration of Christianity through the lens of the Second Sophistic and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the rise of neopagan fascist political theologies in Europe in the 1930s, the young Emmanuel Levinas developed a novel conception of the theopolitical role of Judaism. The existing scholarly consensus maintains that (1) Levinas responded to the rise of pagan Hitlerism by opposing it to a Jewish conception of transcendence and (2) this putative contrast involved a critique of Heidegger's thought, which Levinas identified with pagan Hitlerism. By focusing on under-examined occasional pieces Levinas wrote in the 1930s, I offer a significantly revised understanding of Levinas's position in the 1930s. The argument shows how Levinas describes Judaism as a way of 'being riveted' that does not resort to transcendence, as does the Greco-Christian West, but rather affirms the immanence of existence while breaking with its disposition to paganism. This places Levinas's conception of Judaism on the same plane as paganism and within the terms of Heidegger's philosophy. From this perspective, a new way of understanding Levinas's theopolitical view of Judaism as "the anti-paganism par excellence" takes shape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social media app TikTok was launched in the US in 2017 with a very specific purpose: sharing 15-s clips of singing and dancing to popular songs. Seven years and several billion downloads later, it is now the go-to app for Gen Z Internet users and much better known for its ultra-personalized algorithm, AI-driven filters, and network of thriving subcultures. Among them, a growing community of magical and spiritual practitioners, frequently collectivized as Witchtok, who use the app not only share their craft and create community but consider the technology itself a powerful partner with which to conduct readings, channel deities, connect to a collective conscious, and transcend the communicative boundaries between the human and spirit realms—a practice that can be understood as algorithmic divination. In analyzing contemporary witchcraft on TikTok and contextualizing it within the larger history of technospirituality, this paper aims to explore algorithmic divination as an increasingly popular and powerful practice of technomancy open to practitioners of diverse creed and belief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay I explain that the Christian doctrine of the Trinity was first developed as a response to Jewish claims of Christian apostasy and polytheism. At the beginning of Christianity, most of its converts were observant Jews. The Jewish authorities took steps to reclaim their lost sheep and to stem the flow of departures. Their primary intellectual ammunition in that effort was the claim that the Christians were polytheists, because they claimed to believe in two Gods–the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The Christians' apostasy was manifest by simple referring to the Mosaic commandment that righteous Israel should have only one God. This Jewish accusation of polytheism also neatly answered the inflammatory Christian charge that the Jews had crucified God and raised significant doubt about their claims of a special resurrection. The doctrine of the Trinity answered all those criticisms. God and Jesus Christ together were the one true God. But the nature of that oneness took some time to work out, and it is within a process of contending with pagan philosophical arguments and intra-Christian heretical positions, that a Christian doctrine of the Trinity begins to congeal. The work of Ante-Nicene Fathers—Justin Martyr, Theophilus of Antioch, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, Novatian, and others—whose voices we allow to be heard below—contain a trajectory of ideas that explain how the tri-unity is expressed in the momentous Creeds of Nicaea (AD 325) and Constantinople (381). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents and comments on two topics, in which Pencho Slaveykov is present – in the presentation of Bulgarian literature in the monthly Nord und Süd of 1911 and in the thematization of the problem of paganism in various French and German language publications of 1914. In the former case, Slaveykov is the creator and dominant representative of Bulgarian literature, while in the latter, he is included in the broad circles of European aesthetic pursuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The famous controversy between Marsilio Ficino and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola is known to regard the proper use of Platonism in humanist and Christian context. With special attention to Pico's Commentary on a Canzone, the point of disagreement with Ficino, which is not at all obvious, is examined through a close reading. The result is that Pico sees the temptation of a pantheistic and anthropocentric understanding of the relationship between the human realm and God. Whereas Ficino engaged in making pagan philosophy amenable to Christian theology, Pico was concerned with upholding the otherness of the divine. For the humanist agenda, Ficino made plausible that the human world is divinized, while Pico called for the ascent to God. In Pico's view the Neoplatonists secularized the divine, as was evident in Ficino's philosophical theology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Augustine's position on civic spectacles should be evaluated in connection with his fears about a resurgence of paganism in late Roman North Africa. Notwithstanding contemporary claims that those fears were cover for early fifth-century prelatical efforts to manage commercial and political culture, evidence suggests that paganism in North Africa survived and was seductive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a popular belief that in the early days of World War II, a coven of witches gathered in the New Forest in southern England to conduct a ritual designed to repel the threat of a German invasion. Cecil Williamson and Gerald Gardner, both of whom have demonstrated a willingness to fabricate or manipulate incidents or historical elements in their efforts to promote witchcraft, made the first public reference to the ritual in 1952. This article examines the evidence for the ritual within the context of modern Pagan Witchcraft and World War II and analyzes the evolution of the narrative from its first public appearance to the present day. The source material reviewed is primarily newspapers, magazines, and books, published during the period 1952 to 2022. The analysis of these sources provides a well-documented account of the development of the story and invites speculation about whether a witchcraft ritual at Lammas 1940 genuinely took place, or if it was simply an imaginative creation that gained traction during the years following the War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four Icelandic narrative texts with historical and thematic ties to the conversion of Norway and the Faroe Islands to Christianity are examined from the vantage-point of converts' prior statements of their belief only in their own might and main. Disillusionment with the 'old gods' is the common reason given for such professed self-reliance, which does not, however, exclude opportunistic assistance from magical objects. Conversion to the Christian religion by an authority figure is largely transactional in nature, with only low-key emotional engagement. The objective of these texts, written some century and a half after their events, is the full discrediting of heathendom and promotion of skepticism of advantage in the existential void of individuality. Life as a Christian appears unchanged for the saga principals and, in a tacit recall of archaic belief, the soul's redemption does not seems to cancel out the body's destiny. The clerical authors of sagas of Icelanders occupied an exposed position comparable to the men of might and main, in that they had to negotiate an accommodation between heathen story-telling matter and its conventions, and a Christian world view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the mythological concept of Slavic paganism developed by Alexander Afanas'ev in his three-volume study Poetic Views of the Slavs on Nature: An Attempt at a Comparative Study of Slavic Traditions and Beliefs in Connection with the Mythical Tales of Other Related Peoples (1865–1869). In this book, Afanas'ev established numerous parallels between the pagan myths of the Slavs and other Indo-European peoples and reconstructed mythological images of the world tree, the tree of life, and the world egg. He also reconstructed myths about the sacred marriage between heaven and earth; the creation of the world from the body of the first man and the creation of man from the natural elements; the dying and resurrected god of vegetation and fertility; and the duel between the god of thunderstorms and his earthly adversary; as well as dualistic myths about the struggle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness and about the creation of the earth. Afanas'ev also explored enduring metaphorical pairs such as death–dream, battle–wedding feast, thunderstorm–battle, and so on. Depending on the readers' points of view, they can appreciate the book as a grandiose compendium of folklore and historical-ethnographic materials; as a scholarly work devoted to Slavic mythology; as a symbolarium of folk culture; and as a beautiful fairy tale about the pagan past. Although Afanas'ev's book has all the attributes of a scholarly publication, it can also be read as a work of fiction in which the author does not so much analyze mythology as he tries to present the point of view of a primitive poet–artist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the ritual of drowning Marzanna/drowning death (topienie Marzanny/§mierci) and identifies factors responsible for changes in it and for its exceptional vitality. Four historical phases are described: a) the late Middle Ages, when it was seen as a remainder of the religion Of pagan Slavs: b) the turn of the twentieth century, when it functioned in folk culture as a kind of magical purifying and vegetative practice: c) the second half Of the hventieth century, when it was introduced to schools as a sort of educational play; and d) the beginning of the twenty-, first century, when it has undergone revitalization in the religious practices of contemporary paganism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Byzantine author Agathias (sixth century CE) states that the Alamanni are not yet Christians but venerate nature instead. In scholarship, this passage is used as evidence of 'nature worship' in the late paganism of this Germanic tribe. However, in-depth analysis suggests a more nuanced picture. On the one hand, nature worship is a classical topos for the religion of barbaric peoples. On the other hand, archaeological and other textual sources give the impression that the Alamanni of Agathias' day may already have been partially Christianized and might, in fact, have been in a phase of syncretism leaning toward Christianity rather than being 'staunchly heathen', as they are often portrayed. Agathias' claim of a pagan Alamannic nature worship therefore should be seen as a stereotypical projection by this Byzantine author rather than a reflection of genuine Alamannic religious attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article I re-examine the well-known distinction between rootedness and uprootedness that Emmanuel Levinas draws in his short text "Heidegger, Gagarin and Us" (1961). This distinction addresses the relation between men and place either as an attachment to place (paganism, Heidegger) or as a freedom with regard to place (Judaism, Gagarin). I question this opposition from a contemporary perspective in environmental philosophy, namely from the growing awareness of the interconnectedness between place and Earth. I contend that this new perspective changes the understanding of dwelling today because of Earth's exteriority with regard to place. I argue that this exteriority is neither infinite nor a totality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1219, northern Estonia unwittingly became the site of an extraordinary social experiment. Thanks to a victorious battle fought on 15 June 1219 by Danish King Valdemar II during the Crusades near the future city of Reval against pagan inhabitants, an immediate Christianization campaign ensued, beginning with the recording of all existing settlements. Granting of the first vassal fiefs was initiated, which can be determined according to an annex to the so-called Liber Census Daniae from around 1241. Royal North-Estonian vassals had formed a corporation called "universitas vasallorum per Estoniam constituta" in 1259, which constituted the power elite in the Duchy of Estonia after the sale of Estonia to the Teutonic Order in 1346. Estonian vassal fiefs were recognized by the Teutonic Knights as hereditary in 1397, yet vassals of the Livonian bishops received similar privileges only over 100 years later. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Filosofía UCSC is the property of Francisco Novoa-Rojas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Studia Mythologica Slavica is the property of Scientific Research Centre of Slovenian Academy of Sciences & Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

All authors dealing with the ruling institution in early medieval Bulgaria start from the fact that the power of the Bulgarian ruler was hereditary, passed down within the family and the principle of majority was valid - the first-born son of the ruler had the right to inherit the throne, at least as long as this was objectively possible. Regarding the dynastic principle, most examples from our early medieval history indicate that it was followed. As for the primogeniture, however, as a right of succession to the throne, in our history until the conversion we have mostly exceptions to it. The aim of the present work is, by tracking the exceptions to the rule of succession - peculiar crises of power, to look for their common and different features, as well as similarity in the reasons that gave rise to them. Although in some of the cases the information about the kinship ties and relationships in the Bulgarian ruling family from this period is extremely scarce and/or divergent in order to contribute to the drawing of definite conclusions, they are included here because of the existing discussion on them in the Bulgarian and foreign historiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

November 12, 2023 marked the 80th anniversary of the birth of Professor Rasho Rashev, Doctor of Historical Sciences. His overall contribution to Bulgarian Humanities is too great for us to describe in detail, therefore in this article we have tried to present his most significant achievements in the study of the medieval culture of pagan Bulgaria. Our comments cover a total of 116 scientific publications directly related to the topic (6 of which are monographs), written by Rasho Rashev during his nearly 40- year career as an internationally recognized medieval scholar. The purpose of the present work is to give a proper assessment of Rasho Rashev's work, the essence of which is the monograph of fundamental importance for Bulgarian medieval studies entitled "Bulgarian pagan VII - IX century culture." This 600-page volume, containing nearly 100 photographs and 145 graphic maps, drawings and paintings, printed once in 2008 and a second time in 2011, has not been reviewed, either positively or negatively. Therefore, without pretending to be comprehensive, our study tries to outline his main contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than a hundred years of fighting between the Teutonic Order and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania have left us with a considerable amount of narrative sources that allow researchers today to imagine the language of the Christians who fought against the pagans, and to understand their beliefs and propaganda measures. One little-studied question in this regard is how the Christian narrative tradition of the 14th century portrayed miracles and divine intervention during the struggle between the Teutonic Order and Lithuania. To address this question, the author of the article focuses on the chronicles of the Teutonic Order, which represented the idea of the Crusade to the Lithuanian lands, and therefore showed a strong need to emphasise the religious aspect of the whole military conflict. At the same time, however, she also draws on other surviving documents for comparison, including Lithuanian and Ruthenian narrative sources. The author argues that the accounts of miracles and divine intervention in sources from the Teutonic Order were influenced by the nature of the Order as a religious military corporation and the chroniclers’ need to explain the campaigns to Lithuania as a holy war. It was this need that led them to place a great emphasis on the depiction of divine intervention in the campaigns of the crusaders to help them.

The article uses Svidrigailov’s image to consider the correlation of pagan and Christian themes as dominant in the religious and philosophical understanding of Dostoevsky. The basis of this approach lies in Dostoevsky’s works and letters, where an interest in various philosophical trends that often stood apart from the official teaching of the Orthodox Church can be found: a fact that allows us to talk about religious syncretism in Dostoevsky’s work. One of the most vivid and convincing examples of religious syncretism, implying a layering of mystical and pagan images, intersecting with Christian themes, is the character of Svidrigailov. The article focuses on the concept of eternity presented by Svidrigailov, who, along with Raskolnikov, concurs to the formation of the philosophical and religious level in the novel Crime and Punishment. The article emphasizes that the concept of eternity is the center of Svidrigailov’s metaphysic, figuratively symbolizing his vision of an existence connected with the boundary “now,” related to present time. It is traced the possible temporal-spatial, cosmological, and (anti)theological origins of Svidrigailov’s eternity, expressed in the image of the “bathhouse with spiders,” and its correlations with the second coming of Christ in Marmeladov’s confession and the New Jerusalem mentioned by Raskolnikov. The author points out the mythological saturation, as well as the otherworldly “coloring” of Svidrigailov’s image when related to other characters of the novel. Svidrigailov evokes a special sense of “otherness” and “incongruity” with the surrounding world, according to which a background of visions and hallucinations, rumors and dark backstories, impulsive actions are layered on his concept of eternity and extremely ambiguous future plans.

This article traces differences and similarities in the ritual sweat bath usage through a comparative perspective that includes contemporary practice in Poland and the central and the north American traditions that inform it. I argue that there exist continuity and consistency of representations related to sweat bathing across time and space, which can be identified by the metaphors designating certain elements of the ritual. The bathhouse from a cross-cultural perspective can be considered a sacred and liminal space, a gateway that enables the transcending of ordinary space–time dimension and interaction with primordial creation–destruction forces. Fertility appears as only one aspect of these ambivalent forces. It manifests itself in the main metaphors of the Mother Earth’s womb and death–rebirth process in ritual’s contemporary descriptions in Poland. The similarities in the way the sweat bath experience is conceptualised reveal the influence of particulr elements of the ritual that induce specific bodily sensations, intrinsically related to the human organism conditions.

The history and culture of the holy sites in the Volga-Ural region remains an underdeveloped topic in ethnological science. The introduction of new written sources into scientific circulation and a secondary analysis of the works of Russian and foreign researchers can help in solving this problem. The article aims to systematise and analyse information about the cult of saints and pilgrimage traditions among the peoples of the Volga-Ural region in the pre-Soviet period. The belonging of holy sites to certain peoples has become the main principle of the distribution of information. Its use showed the need to single out a separate group of data that reveals the syncretism of holy sites among the Volga-Ural peoples. The collected corpus of materials made it possible to identify the main places of worship in the region, pilgrimage traditions, the attitude of national and religious elites towards sacred objects, and the nature of public discussions. The authors believe that when studying the cult of saints, it is important to take into account the essence of "holiness" and the ideas about it among individual peoples, the system of its maintenance – oral and written heritage, ritual and ceremonial culture. The nature of the worship of holy sites in the context of intercultural contacts in the Volga-Ural region is of great importance.

In his many homilies, Gregory of Nyssa contrasts Christian belief to earlier forms of belief that were still very present in the Roman empire during the fourth century, namely the classical polytheistic faith and Judaism, with the explicit intention of showing its superiority over them. Even though Gregory is clearly against any belief that is not Christian orthodoxy, he presents these other beliefs from two different perspectives: at times, he presents them as the enemies of Christianity, showing clearly how they seek to harm the true faith; at other times, he also seeks to show how, in a way, they are of benefit to Christianity because their very presence and the behaviour of their followers help to show how much the Christian way of life outshines any other. This discussion on other faiths in relation to Christian belief is present in many contexts; however, attacks on paganism are more evident in the sermons in honour of martyrs, while invectives addressed to Jews are present mainly in his sermons on biblical books. In this paper, an attempt will be made to present in detail what Gregory has to say about these other faiths and their relation to Christianity (desired and factual), concluding with how his attitude towards other faiths can be classified and described.

The Balts’ Road tourism route in Latvia and Lithuania is an interesting example of how religious tourism may be packaged within a framework of cultural heritage tourism. The Balts’ Road offers travellers insight into the medieval Baltic world before the coming of Christianity. In this context, pre-Christian religious beliefs and practices constitute but one dimension of the historical tableau that the tourism route is intended to conjure. This article examines the manner in which the pre-Christian Baltic religion is represented on the Balts’ Road, displaying a certain ambivalence that seems related to the past religious history and current religious power relations in the region.

Pagan revivalism is a growing trend in the contemporary religious landscape. Is it possible to be a neopagan without disregarding the demands of reason? While outright belief in the old gods seems out of the question, I argue that polytheism represents a live epistemic possibility, and that non-doxastic paganism is therefore a viable option. However, the rational, non-doxastic neopagan should only commit to general polytheism, rather than a detailed, specific pagan pantheon (such as the Greek or Old Norse). I also suggest that the ancient pagan conception of the divine as radically immanent must be rejected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]