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What are Poland's pagan roots?
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What are Poland's pagan roots?



jasinskiThreads: 15
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Joined: Nov 19, 09 ♂ 		 Jan 30, 10, 08:47    #1
pre 966 of course
SildarThreads: -
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Joined: Sep 20, 09 ♂ 		 Jan 30, 10, 10:51    #2
Slavic Mitology
swiatowid
PolishNutjobThreads: 1
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Joined: Mar 9, 08 ♂ 		Edited by: PolishNutjob  Jan 30, 10, 12:54    #3
That's easy ...

http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/False%20Religions/Roman%20Catholicism/c atholicism_christian_or_pagan.htm
jonniThreads: 26
Posts: 4,189
Joined: Nov 27, 07 ♂ 		 Jan 30, 10, 13:14    #4
PolishNutjob

And look at this nonsense, from the same site:

http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/End%20of%20the%20World/seat_666.htm
jasinskiThreads: 15
Posts: 94
Joined: Nov 19, 09 ♂ 		 Feb 6, 10, 04:18    #5
who is thi jesus. it sounds middle eastern. iam talking northern europe.
childwithinThreads: 15
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Joined: Nov 18, 08 ♂ 		 Feb 6, 10, 05:09    #6
http://www.kresy.co.uk/pol_paganizm.html
i don't think there's much of it going on in poland
jasinskiThreads: 15
Posts: 94
Joined: Nov 19, 09 ♂ 		Edited by: jasinski  Feb 6, 10, 05:24    #7
what? there wasnt much paganism going on in poland? is that what youre saying? excuse me if i chuckle. maybe people with knowledge of history and not christians should answer this one for me. that would be greatly appreciated. thanks. lets think perun and veles. by the way iam just joking around, but i would like a serious answer.
childwithinThreads: 15
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Joined: Nov 18, 08 ♂ 		 Feb 6, 10, 05:32    #8
what i meant was there is not going much right now, but you probably have noticed
jasinskiThreads: 15
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Joined: Nov 19, 09 ♂ 		Edited by: jasinski  Feb 6, 10, 05:39    #9
oh yeah not much of it going around these days. what i meant was: i was joking about sounding conceited, but i would like a serious answer concerning the polanie and their pagan religion. i mean what was their religion.
Des EssientesThreads: 11
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Joined: Feb 6, 10 Pictures: 4 ♂ 		 Feb 6, 10, 21:27    #10
Unfortunately as the Poles had no writing while pagan, and thus we know very little about the peculiarities of their faith. We do know the names of several gods and goddesses but, as Georges Dumezil wrote on this topic, a list of names is not a mythology. The so called "Book of Veles" has been exposed as a fraud.
That being said the familial resemblance of the various Indo-European cultures is apparent in their mythologies as well. By examining less obscured branches of paganism one can make assumptions about Poland's. Dumezil inferred that the Slavs resembled the Germans having a mercurial god head their pantheon. This would be Svarog who thus corresponds to the Nordic Odin, and the Aryan Varuna. Etymology shows clearly that the name Svarog is of Iranian origin, and so the Sarmatian ancestory that Poles claim may be in fact be the case.
Poland's former partner Lithuania being the last country in Europe to abandon paganism has much more known about its indigenous faith, snake worship and all!
marqozThreads: -
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Joined: Feb 4, 10 ♂ 		Edited by: marqoz  Feb 11, 10, 19:49    #11
The Polish pagan roots are Indoeuropean ones.

There are a few traces of it in documents from X-XIII century left by monks or priests trying to convert folk and expel any superstitions, old wives' tales or pagan rites.

Unfortunately they were too much erudite. They knew Roman and Greek gods, goddesses and daemons. And they used to use their knowledge while describing awful pagan activities. As an effect there is a big mishmash of Slavic, Greek and Roman entities. Many researchers fought to resolve this puzzle. Some of them adding even more confusion by adding some Baltic and Germanic parallels.

There were many potential mythological figures identified http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Slavic_deities but they are from different areas and times.
jasinskiThreads: 15
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Joined: Nov 19, 09 ♂ 		 Mar 7, 10, 04:48    #12
okay thanks des essienties.
jasinskiThreads: 15
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Joined: Nov 19, 09 ♂ 		 Mar 21, 10, 10:06    #13
thanks too marqoz.
AnndYThreads: -
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Joined: Mar 21, 10 ♂ 		 Mar 21, 10, 12:20    #14
Perun its Thor..

Argier - Ariel - Anioł - Angel..

Odyn - its Kupidyn!! - the night 23-24.06 noc świetojańska, Sobota (so-bo-ta;yes-becose-there; scha-bat) - Saturday (hi' Sit-at-Ur)

Swaróg - its in nordic Gaarm.. lord of underworld.

Russ-iał-ka = Walkirie.
Russ (that's "we") aił (płowił - lets say "looks 4 us") ka (ona- "she") <-> We (we) - ki (took) - r - ie (in the hell ;) )

There are lovely majestic legends written by Jan Kochanowski (1530-84) and others.. just look for them.
schmerica  Feb 22, 11, 06:06    #15
Merged thread:
Slavic Vernal Equinox, pagan and modern customs??

Can anyone tell me anything about the Vernal Equinox celebrations that happen in Poland, modern or pagan? I am doing a research paper and need some more info. I have found out about Maslenica, but have read that is an Eastern(?) custom.

Marzana
Polish death- and winter- goddess; equivalent to the Russian Marena. Her name seems derived from Slavic words for 'to freeze, frozen'. She appeared dressed in white, a color of winter but also death in eastern Europe. Her effigy, including her broom, was carried through the village and thrown away on the outskirts or ritually drowned as a purificaiton rite either to welcome spring or after a death. The meaning of the Polish month of Marzec (March) is 'to freeze'.

Slavic cultures believe that Death has no power over the living during Ostara. Slavic Ostara rituals include symbolically throwing Death into a river to drown. After this ritual drowning, Slavs pass red-dyed eggs among celebrants during their procession to the Ostara ritual feast.

This is some other information I have found but am wondering how accurate it relates to actual customs/traditions.
Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!
DaisyThreads: 16
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Joined: Apr 28, 07 Pictures: 2 ♀ 		Edited by: Daisy  Feb 22, 11, 07:52    #16
Being a lazy bugger I found this

Eostre

Eostre is another name for the Spring Equinox, when day and night are of equal length. It falls on or around March 21st. Other names include Ostara and Eostar.

In Old England, the Anglo-Saxon name for April was "Eostremonath". Eostre was possibly a Goddess of the Dawn as the word "Eostre" is related to "East". As the Sun risies is the East each day and this is a time of growing light, this is very fitting. The Anglo-Saxon year consisted of two seasons - Summer and Winter. Winter began at Samhain and Summer began at Eostre.

The Easter bunny

The Easter bunny of today has his origins in Old England. As a highly fertile animal, the Hare was an obvious choice for symbolizing Eostre with its theme of re-birth and ancient folklore associates the Hare with laying eggs.

Hot cross buns

Hot cross buns were originally eaten by the Anglo-Saxons in honour of their Goddess, Eostre. It is thought that the bun represented the Moon and the cross represented the Moon's quarters. To Christians the cross came to symbolise the crucifixion cross.


Easter eggs

The egg is an ancient symbol of Eostre and represents re-birth. The tradition of decorating and giving eggs at Eostre is very old and in some areas people still take part in egg hunts and rolling eggs down a hill to celebrate.

Read more: http://www.spiritofold.co.uk/magick/wheel/eostre.htm#ixzz1EfSoypVh

To add to this, I was always told that Eostre had a hare and that her hare could lay eggs, she is always shown with a hare and a basket of eggs



*that picture would make a lovely avatar*
JozefKPilsudskiThreads: 3
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Joined: Jun 24, 11 Pictures: 1 ♂ 		 Jul 22, 11, 21:22    #17
Merged: Paganism in Poland?

We all know that the majority of Poles become Christian in 966, but I was wondering lately if some Poles remained Pagan afterwards.

If you know of any Polish pagans that kept their beliefs I'd be very interested and if there were still pagans living in Poland I would like to know for how long for as well.

Thanks,
Jozef
pawianThreads: 79
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Joined: May 30, 08 Pictures: 1 ♂ 		 Jul 22, 11, 21:26    #18
If you know of any Polish pagans that kept their beliefs I'd be very interested and if there were still pagans living in Poland I would like to know for how long for as well.


Many of them occupy themselves with posting in this forum.
JozefKPilsudskiThreads: 3
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Joined: Jun 24, 11 Pictures: 1 ♂ 		 Jul 22, 11, 21:28    #19
Good, because I'd liek to know some information.
Des EssientesThreads: 11
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Joined: Feb 6, 10 Pictures: 4 ♂ 		 Jul 22, 11, 22:00    #20
We all know that the majority of Poles become Christian in 966, but I was wondering lately if some Poles remained Pagan afterwards.

The word "pagan" comes to us from the word "paganos" which meant "countryside" and this is because when the Roman Empire converted to Christianity it took much longer for the people in its rural areas to abandon practicing the rites of the old faith and one can safely assume this was also the case in the nascent Poland's remote areas as well. Neighboring Lithuania provides an even more recent example. Despite officially converting in 1386 rustic Lithuanians were still engaging in pre-Christian shamanic practices such as sacrificing one of their eyes to attain inner vision as late as the early 20th Century according to the Lithuanian-American archaeologist Marija Gimbutas.
pawianThreads: 79
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Joined: May 30, 08 Pictures: 1 ♂ 		Edited by: pawian  Jul 22, 11, 22:11    #21
Good, because I'd liek to know some information.
You should start with this thread then:
What is polands pagan roots?

followed by this:
http://info-poland.buffalo.edu/web/pop_people/pagans/link.shtml
JonnyMThreads: 15
Posts: 3,797
Joined: Mar 9, 11 Gold Member MEMBER ♂ 		 Jul 22, 11, 22:21    #22
I was wondering lately if some Poles remained Pagan afterwards

Some traditions remained, especially in the Kurpie region and parts of Podlasie. But very discreetly. Some customs like casting wreaths into water on the solstice and throwing water at young women on Easter Monday to make them fertile are common throughout Poland today.

If you want to know about the neo-pagan scene, you could check out taraka.pl - it's largely about shamanic paths, but with some useful contacts for neo-paganism. Most of the users of that site speak some (or even a lot of) English.

The word "pagan" comes to us from the word "paganos" which meant "countryside" and this is because when the Roman Empire converted to Christianity it took much longer for the people in its rural areas to abandon practicing the rites of the old faith

Yeah, we know. So does the dictionary.
nottThreads: 6
Posts: 1,271
Joined: Jun 2, 10 ♂ 		 Jul 22, 11, 22:33    #23
JozefKPilsudski: We all know that the majority of Poles become Christian in 966,


a minority, Mieszko and his court. The rest followed rather reluctantly, with the missionary methods including breaking out teeth of those who didn't see the light.

JozefKPilsudski: but I was wondering lately if some Poles remained Pagan afterwards.


There was a big pagan uprising as late as in the 13th century.
NathanThreads: 33
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Joined: Feb 13, 09 ♂ 		 Jul 22, 11, 22:44    #24
pre 966 of course

Something changed?
pawianThreads: 79
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Joined: May 30, 08 Pictures: 1 ♂ 		 Jul 22, 11, 23:28    #25
nott -
There was a big pagan uprising as late as in the 13th century.


Actually, in 1037. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagan_reaction_in_Poland

But Polish version is much more informative:
http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reakcja_poga%C5%84ska
nottThreads: 6
Posts: 1,271
Joined: Jun 2, 10 ♂ 		 Jul 23, 11, 02:27    #26
pawian: Actually, in 1037

Wiki is a gang of ignorants just showing off anonymously, and everybody knows it.

Having said that, I must reluctantly admit that this time you might be somewhere close to the actual truth. Somehow I managed to move Masław two centuries into his future.
ShAlEyNsTfOhThreads: 8
Posts: 227
Joined: Feb 5, 11 Pictures: 4 ♂ 		Edited by: Moderator  Jul 23, 11, 09:17    #27
DOWN WITH CHRISTIANITY!!!!!!!

bring back our beloved Slavic Deities!!!!! <3

Bailobog - The white God of the waxing year; Guardian of the summer. Bailobog would defeat his brother in battle every Koliada to take his rightful place as the ruler of the waxing year. At Kupalo, Czarnobog would defeat Bailobog in battle to assume his position of ruler of the waning half of the year. Bailobog is said only to appear by day to assist travelers to find their way out of dark forests or reapers in the fields.


http://lilithgate.atspace.org/articles/pantheon.html

Please read rules #11 and 12
JozefKPilsudskiThreads: 3
Posts: 16
Joined: Jun 24, 11 Pictures: 1 ♂ 		 Jul 23, 11, 21:23    #28
Thanks for all the replys, I think I'm going to do more research on this.
hythornThreads: 5
Posts: 840
Joined: Feb 21, 08 ♂ 		 Sep 30, 11, 05:53    #29
The means of pagan worship and even the types of gods can vary within a country.
Just because people in the North worship an oak tree, it does not mean that the people in the South do

there was no universal pagan church with a pagan archbishop at its head
so it is by and large irrelevent how pagans in the UK worshipped
and the reason that we know so much about UK pagans is that the Romans wrote about
them before slaughtering them

Although the Lithuanians were still pagan in the 15th century this does not mean that Polish pagans
worshipped the same gods

The greatest influence that paganism has on Poland today, is that cremation is still unpopular
Lech2  Dec 20, 11, 20:09    #30
Polish gods and goddesses (pictures) - bogowiepolscy.net/galeria.html

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