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The Slavic myths
Slavic cultures are far-ranging, comprising of East Slavs (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus), West Slavs (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland) and South Slavs (the countries of former Yugoslavia plus Bulgaria), yet they are connected by tales of adventure and magic with deep roots in a common lore. In this collection of Slavic myths for an international readership, Noah Charney and Svetlana Slapsak expertly weave together a retelling of the ancient stories with nuanced analysis that illuminates their place at the heart of Slavic tradition.
Book
The making of the slavs : history and archaeology of the Lower Danube Region, ca. 500-700
This book offers an alternative approach to the problem of Slavic ethnicity in south-eastern Europe between c. 500 and c. 700, from the perspective of current anthropological theories. The conceptual emphasis here is on the relation between material culture and ethnicity. The author demonstrates that the history of the Sclavenes and the Antes begins only at around 500 AD. He also points to the significance of the archaeological evidence, which suggests that specific artefacts may have been used as identity markers. This evidence also indicates the role of local leaders in building group boundaries and in leading successful raids across the Danube. Because of these military and political developments, Byzantine authors began employing names such as Sclavines and Antes in order to make sense of the process of group identification that was taking place north of the Danube frontier. Slavic ethnicity is therefore shown to be a Byzantine invention.
eBook
Slav outposts in Central European history : the Wends, Sorbs and Kashubs
\"While many think of European history in terms of the major states that today make up the map of Europe, this approach tends to overlook submerged nations like the Wends, the westernmost Slavs who once inhabited the lands which later became East Germany and Western Poland. This book examines the decline and gradual erosion of the Wends from the time when they occupied all the land between the River Elbe and the River Vistula around 800 AD to the present, where they still survive in tiny enclaves south of Berlin (the Wends and Sorbs) and west of Danzig (the Kashubs). Slav Outposts in Central European History--which also includes numerous images and maps--puts the story of the Wends, the Sorbs and the Kashubs in a wider European context in order to further sophisticate our understanding of how ethnic groups, societies, confessions and states have flourished or floundered in the region. It is an important book for all students and scholars of central European history and the history of European peoples and states more generally\"--From publisher's website.
Book
The kings of the Slavs : the image of a ruler in the Latin text of the Chronicle of the priest of Duklja
The Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja is a mysterious narrative source covering the Slavic presence on the Adriatic coast and its hinterland. This study offers a new interpretation of the text, based on the recognition of the figures of model rulers.
eBook
Afanas’ev’s IPoetic Views of the Slavs’ on Nature/I and Its Role in Understanding Paganism and Mythology
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.
Journal Article
Slavs and Tatars : mirrors for princes
The form of political writing often called 'advice literature,' shared by Christian and Muslim cultures alike, 'mirrors for princes' attempted to elevate statecraft (dawla) to the same level as faith/religion (din) during the Middle Ages. These guides for future rulers--Machiavelli's 'The Prince' being a widely known example--addressed the delicate balance between seclusion and society, spirit and state, echoes of which we continue to find in the US, Europe, and the Middle East several centuries later. Today we suffer from the very opposite: there is no shortage of political commentary, but a notable lack of intelligent, eloquent discourse on the role of faith and the immaterial as a valuable agent in society or public life. This publication brings together the writing of preeminent scholars and commentators using the genre of medieval advice literature as a starting point to discuss fate and fortune versus governance, advice for female nobility, and an Indian television drama as a form of translation of statecraft. The illustrated essays are accompanied by an interview with Slavs and Tatars.
Book
Ľudovít Štúr’s book Slavdom and the world of the future: A new perspective
The author examines Ľudovít Štúr’s controversial book Slavdom and the world of the future (1867) from a new perspective. He formulates two hypotheses regarding the intentions that led Štúr to write this work. According to the first hypothesis, Štúr’s book was about a pragmatic political calculation on how to secure the future of the Slavs, including the Slovaks, in the new political order of Europe after the revolutions of 1848–1849, namely under Russian domination. Within the second hypothesis, the author examines to what extent Štúr’s book can be read as a dystopia of the future of the Slavs under Russian domination. In conclusion, the author states that the second hypothesis seems more likely in the contemporary geopolitical context (Crimean War) in which Štúr’s book was written.
Journal Article
Gamayun tales. 2, The water spirit
\"We rejoin our friend the merchant as he returns home from his adventure with the King of Birds. When curiosity gets the best of him and he opens his new mysterious golden chest, the merchang unwittingly condemns his newborn son to a life under the sea. His son grows up to be adventurous and strong, and when he goes to the sea to serve the Water Spirit, he befriends Tyna, the Water Spirit's daughter, who promises to help him. Will Tyna save the merchant's son from her vengeful father?\" --Provided by publisher.
Book
The Slavic religion in the light of 11th- and 12th-century German chronicles (Thietmar of Merseburg, Adam of Bremen, Helmold of Bosau) : studies on the Christian Interpretation of Pre-Christian cults and beliefs in the Middle Ages
In this volume, Stanisław Rosik focuses on the meaning and significance of Old Slavic religion as presented in three German chronicles (those of Thietmar, Adam of Bremen, Helmold) from the 11th and 12th century.
eBook