Why Vladimir betrayed the Gods?
A matter of ego
It’s well known that the (in)famous Vladimir was the first christian ruler on the lands of Rus (modern Ukraine). This is not entirely correct since his grandmother Helga was both a prolific ruler and an open christian. Still the bastard was the first to go down in history as a christian king. He was also the first of not fully Germanic Rurikids. Still, he was loved and received his share of power, but wanted more likely as a result of an inferiority complex which also showed itself when he raped princess Ragnhild.
A matter of ego
It’s well known that the (in)famous Vladimir was the first christian ruler on the lands of Rus (modern Ukraine). This is not entirely correct since his grandmother Helga was both a prolific ruler and an open christian. Still the bastard was the first to go down in history as a christian king. He was also the first of not fully Germanic Rurikids. Still, he was loved and received his share of power, but wanted more likely as a result of an inferiority complex which also showed itself when he raped princess Ragnhild.
After the murder of his brothers Vladimir got the throne and with it seemingly the desired power. Yet he wanted to be greater than Sviatoslav, but lacked the strength to conquer like his father did. So Vladimir chose to suck up to Byzantium and convert. The deal must have seemed like an absolute win to both sides. Byzantium was a crumbling empire and wanted an infusion of strong barbaric blood to save them just like Rome did (ironically doomed itself). Meanwhile Vladimir could use the prestige of aligning with a proper empire to legitimize his own.
Despite introducing the Byzantine law code and desecrating the idols of Perun, Dazbog, Stribog and a few other deities in Kyiv Vladimir’s approach to christianization wasn’t as zealous as it may seem after reading a history textbook. He ignored many things new religion commanded and did’t even bother growing a beard instead opting to keep traditional Slavic style of long mustache with a clean-shaven chin as you can see on his coins.
Even though one can argue that Vladimir wasn’t an ideal christian history books depict him as, what remains undisputed is his role in spreading the disease of judeo-christianity in Europe. Or rather among European royalty as the reform failed to change the belief and practices of the common people. The latter stayed pretty much Pagan. This fact is confirmed by years of priests lamenting the sad state of religious affairs as well as ethnographic data showing, to put it mildly, less than stellar understanding of core christian principles among the folk. You can read my old translations if you want to know more on the topic.
Vladimir in bylinas
While many are eager to see bylina poems as Pagan, and there is some truth to that since it’s folklore i.e. peoples’ perspective, I can’t say that christianity can be omitted from the the ones where it is featured.
The ruler of bylinas is always Vladimir, the first christian lord. What is ignored is that in most poems he is in not depicted as a noble, charismatic, king Arthur type. Quite the opposite. Poetic Vladimir is a schemer whose attitude ends up compromising the nation when invaders attack and all heroes are in jail and going to help the one who imprisoned them. Yet Vladimir needs them to save the day since he’s not a warrior himself. Again, compare to Arthur who treats his knights as equals and is in power by merit.
While many are eager to see bylina poems as Pagan, and there is some truth to that since it’s folklore i.e. peoples’ perspective, I can’t say that christianity can be omitted from the the ones where it is featured.
The ruler of bylinas is always Vladimir, the first christian lord. What is ignored is that in most poems he is in not depicted as a noble, charismatic, king Arthur type. Quite the opposite. Poetic Vladimir is a schemer whose attitude ends up compromising the nation when invaders attack and all heroes are in jail and going to help the one who imprisoned them. Yet Vladimir needs them to save the day since he’s not a warrior himself. Again, compare to Arthur who treats his knights as equals and is in power by merit.
Is there something Varg’s wife doesn’t see as a placenta metaphor?
(Spoiler: there isn’t)
(Spoiler: there isn’t)
Not pointing fingers but there’s plenty of influential talking heads professing (with varying levels of sincerity) what they call Pagan worldview. But on closer inspection almost all of them are not religious at all. What YouTube pundits promote is a bizarre mix of new-age esoterica and Pagan esthetics with occasional far-right whistleblowing. The result of this is a rather sad state modern Paganism is in, being far from a proper return to Ancestral spirituality. When a person such as yours truly tries to oppose this regrettable status quo the results are, alas, not as trendsetting as we’d like them to be. As much as we try to wrest the narrative away from the shills, the task may seem impossible at the moment. Beside effort alone, it requires connections and technical skills which a normal person simply does not possess. But, it’s still imperative to try. As over-dramatic as it may sound, our future is at stake. So, if you can, join the fight, either by sharing our content or creating your own.
Recently a relative tried to convince me to use the work here as a source of revenue. While not opposed to the idea of monetizing one’s content it’s not for me. Free money is tempting, but I was not raised to rely on others when it comes to income. Since young age I had a family to feed (my mother and sister) and never got to experience the (relatively) carefree life of a single adult, despite being one. Maybe if my channel becomes a part of a bigger whole e.g. a research organization like Norroena Society I’d be willing to ask for financial support, but for now, simple shares and likes are enough.
Scottish fairy tale illustrations by Nika Goltz