#as slavs we were next.

[cappucosmic]

https://www.thepalestineacademy.com/

https://www.tumblr.com/mauesartetc/760247867108720640/palestine-fundraisers-with-easily-achievable-goals?source=share

https://www.tumblr.com/mauesartetc/758800771241459712/palestine-campaigns-with-under-a-thousand?source=share

May Palestine's tears bury you,

And may its laughter bury the memory of you.

[scivors]

Andre Nikto head canons

We have little information about Niko but here's what I've gathered..

((Also I'd like to kindly add, hi, hello, my name is Mika and I am a Bosnian. The chances of me adding some accurate slav head canons are always high but never low!!🙏🏻 ALSO IM TERRIBLY OBSESSED WITH NIKTO SO IF ENJOY THIS AND YOU WANT DATING NIKTO HEAD CANONS PLEASE LET ME KNOWWW))

Genuine head canons:

Andre Nikto (Никто) is a (scary) Russian military man, roughly 193/194 centimetres (when you compare him to Simon's height) He suffers with acute dissociative disorder (better said DID) yet is still serving the military cause of how he preforms during battle.., so the military still views him as a ideal soldier for combat despite his disorder..

No hate but from what I've seen in some art works claiming it's his "face reveal" you people have to understand that under his mask, his face is disfigured.. so, no he won't be an attractive super model under that mask of his..

I don't think you people are aware how badass Nikto is as a character, almost SIMILAR as Ghost who's in the military for the same reason as everybody else, to risk their life.

Although judging by Nikto's voice lines, he doesn't care who he's killing..if it were up to him, if his teammates serve him zero purpose he'd care less if they die..(after all, you're just a target..) but being a professional, he can't allow that to happen to his teammates

If you look up closely, Nikto wears a military uniform that is different from everyone else with MP-0 written on it. Now if you don't know, MP stands for Military Police (enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state.) and zero next to it meaning "nothing" and this is important which is what Nikto refers himself as..

Yeah so about that..

I have a theory about Nikto's nickname

After being captured and brutally tortured with whatever sick tendency mister Z had in store for him. It was Mister Z that couldn't really get much Information about Andre.

They would start torturing him while repeating to Andre that he's nothing, he's no one, what he is is nothing but what he is is everything. Those words play in the back of his head and they never seen to go away.

(This is extremely relevant cause Mister Z tried to get to know a bit of Andre by looking through some research come to find his citizenship and language are censored making him a nobody. Keep in mind, if he found any information about Andre viewing from personal life etc. it will be used as blackmail..)

After recovering his scars and taken to therapy after 7 years he was diagnosed with DID

NOW moving on to the DID part

(What I said about the fact that people overlook Nikto's disorder, I mean it..

Some don't really write about his disorder which is fine but when someone does it gets messy. )

Alters aren't easy to deal with, it's actually gonna haunt you till the day that you die cause there's no cure for it. And in Nikto's case it's from PTSD and Nikto is very aware of his alters..

Let me tell you how Nikto's disorder affects him. Switching can be consensual, forced or triggered, Nikto values silence as much as the next person cause he's dealing with much inside his head already. The kind of guy that would "watch TV" while dissociating with a 100 yard glare with very slow blinking and a slight headache..

There are times where his personalities would correct him when hes referring to himself (example: I'm up..(his personality correctes him) WE'RE up..)

"He made us do this" (and other voice lines I can't recall..)

Maybe cut bits of an apple with a knife and eat it while watching TV..

He has medication prescribed for him but he didn't wanna depend on medications cause they're just drugs..they're nothing to him but just drugs..

He has dissociative amnesia too, sometimes he would wander around confused maybe even annoyed. The amnesia appears to be caused by traumatic or stressful experiences endured or witnessed..Although the forgotten information may be inaccessible to consciousness, it sometimes continues to influence behavior

Like I said he likes quiet people, someone who doesn't waste their air on small talk..

Example; don't really talk to him about the weather, unless you have something interesting to say but if the conversation is gonna go nowhere , don't talk..he finds that a waste of time

People assume just because he's Russian that he likes vodka, he doesn't like vodka...-He doesn't like any alcoholic beverage cause it makes his problems a lot worse,...maybe If you were lending him some as an offering, he'll take it but he has SOME self control, he's okay with coffee, though..

It's relevant cause he stays awake at late hours since he finds it difficult to sleep, he'll stay up late with no music, nothing, just a silent room. It doesn't matter if he tries the military tactic where you just close your eyes and turn off your thoughts, it's very different when you have voices screaming inside your head...

Despite everything he's still intelligent, so being smart + strength + sharp reflexes and you got yourself a criminal

Death doesn't phase him, but to him death is like sleeping, he's not scared of death considering that he's been through hell those past few months.

He likes the simple things, don't complicate anything..because he's quick with catching an attitude..be blunt and forward and stumble over your words..

Nikto shows confidence in the battlefield,just like König, except he has a high rush of adrenaline and will laugh at the enemies death.

Fun fact: in this one comic Price calls Nikto "psycho"

And it's without a doubt that he is one.., a sadistic, sociopathic, psychopath

After splitting, his alters can and will get more aggressive and do more harm and damage to others cause they're doing the most at protecting the host.. (depending on the alter, some wanna protect him while some wanna hurt him)

Oh by the way about the intelligence part, I mean he has a good good memory with remembering faces..

He doesn't like people looking at him funny, he'll get angry really fast and annoyed at the same time.., he won't show hesitation when it comes to approaching you and asking you what are you looking at (it's like trying to avoid eye contact with a homeless man Infront of a store, that's how scared you would be)

He's slow with jokes or any form of humor that you throw at him??? You'll be excited to tell him a joke, and when you do he just looks at you and tells you never to do that again..,or just straight up tell you he doesn't get it...??? and probably trying to explain it either he gets it or not he'll still tell you that it's not funny

He doesn't argue, or he does? Arguing with him will costs you avoiding getting objects thrown at you so you can get out of his sight..tragic, now you have a teammate that hates your guts and won't apologize for it.

[moonlit-imagines]

Headcanons for being Thor’s child and longing for a Midgardian

Thor Odinson x child!reader

warnings:

a/n:

prompt: anon 🧀: “hi!!! Can I reqs a thor odinson x daughter reader where reader is secretly crushing on a Midgardian girl. and you know how loki can basically read minds he figures it out eventually and everyday her and uncle loki sneak to Midgard to see this girl behind thors back, but funny thing is she's never had a crush before and this one being on a Midgardian girl she's like super confused. and one day thor catches them and she has to explain how she feels abt this girl to him and he's like "....welp i love a Midgardian woman too!" And she's like super relieved and thor goes and meets her(crush) and he's super sweet to her Then thor and uncle loki help her confess to this girl and one day y/n goes to her and just tells her how she feels and by this point they are like best friends so she's super nervous but the girl likes her too and she goes back home and screams to uncle loki abt how amazing she is and what had happened while loki is just laughing at her inexperience with partners.”

you were quite the rebel, you thought

asgardian royalty with a terrible secret: you’d fallen for a midgardian

and just how were you supposed to make that work, it was laughable

heimdall always made sure to cover for you when you made your “trips”

“be sure to be back by supper, y/n. you know how your father gets” -heimdall

“yes, yes, ‘we must feast, my child!’” -you mocked

“you’d be surprised at how much you and him have in common, young one” -heimdall

“he is my father, after all. i’d hope to be like him, although i fear i’m already quite more brave and strong than he could ever hope to be” -you snarked

“be gone, thorson/dottir, before you make me chuckle” -heimdall

lol ur lil human partner made u chuckle for sure theyre so fragile

oh, and they didn’t exactly know what you were…as in a nordic “god” from the realm of asgard visiting midgard against your better judgement

“your accent is so cute, what is it exactly?” -s/o

“uh, brit—austr—slav—it’s um, well i just grew up around, you know, that area with a bunch of different accents. bit of mutt.” -you

“oh, so like, you’re from new england?” -s/o

“there’s a new england? what was wrong with the old one?” -you

yeah you were not so good at hiding that you clearly weren’t from around there

but you were learning. slowly

meanwhile on asgard

“y/n, you have a strange look upon your face” -loki “might i acquaint it to…love?”

your eyes went wide and loki gave a mischievous smile that would normal shake you a bit, but this love kept you fearless

“oh, dont you give me that look, uncle. are you mad?” -you “ah, what am i saying? ‘course you are”

“oh do i have a look? no, this is just my normal face” -loki, sarcastically

“see, that i’d believe. except you’re truly a menace when someone is happy” -loki

“not to you, oh never!” -loki “so tell me more?”

you rolled your eyes and left it to the imagination, as you weren’t quite ready to let any details go yet

and even thor was starting to get suspicious

“my child, you speak of this love yet i have not seen them! and why do i hear this from loki, am i not your father?” -thor

“yes, you are, but it’s not a big deal. let’s not get lost in the details. just young fascination, might be gone by tomorrow” -you, desperately trying to throw off the trail

he gasps

“you are lying to your own father!” -thor

“am not” -you

“our lineage does not simply become fascinated one day and bored the next, who is this person you do not wish for me to know of?” -thor

you both stare at each other

your lips curl up a bit

his do, as well

“are they of another realm?” -thor

“how did you know?!” -you

“because mine is too!” -thor

“you lie to me?!” -you

“i just forgot to mention it” -thor

“convenient!” -you

“midgardian?” -thor

“…you’re good” -you

“like father, like child” -thor

taglist: @alwaysananglophile // @locke-writes // @sweetheartlizzie07 // @queen-destenie // @johnmurphyisqueer // @captainshazamerica // @ravenmoore14 // @canarypoint // @procrastinatingsapphictrash // @swanimagines // @randomfandomimagine // @petersgroupie // @summersimmerus // @scarthefangirl // @bad4amficideas // @sheridans-dynamos // @simsrecs // @prettysbliss // @skdkdkckfk // @simp-legend // @wild-rose-35 // @nekoannie-chan // @evilcr0ne // @v0idl1nq // @ruvaakke // @thedarkqueenofavalon // @amirahiddleston // @beth-gallagher22 // @brutal-out-here // @rqmanoff // @elenavampire21 // @mymelodymia // @pheonixfire777 // @deanzboyfriend //

[diana5nizza]

TRADITIONS OF THE VELESIAN NIGHT AMONG THE SLAVS

We must remember that this is, first of all, a family holiday

The spirits of the ancestors return to their descendants to teach them lessons and bless the whole family. Before dark, a Fire was lit, jumping through which, as well as walking barefoot on hot coals, was a rite of purification and liberation from evil forces.

At night, at this time, a plate with treats for the souls of the dead is put out on the street. A candle is placed on the windowsill, it points (like a beacon) the way to souls who are ready to come to you and help. Apples, pumpkins, zucchini, and autumn flowers are placed on the Altar of the holiday. They remember their departed relatives, friends, and relatives, but without regret.

The days of commemoration of the ancestors were revered by the Slavs

Before the celebration, they cleaned the house, washed in the bath, where they left a bucket of clean water and a new broom for the souls of their ancestors. A festive table was set, where the owner of the house said a special word before the meal ("Grandfathers come, drink with us, eat ..."), and invited all the ancestors to dinner. All the doors in the house were opened so that the ancestors could come in and sit down at the table. Before starting the next dish, part of it was put on a special plate for perfumes.

The solemn memorial dinner lasted for quite a long time, everyone remembered the best in their deceased relatives, those deeds that more than one generation of this family can be proud of. During the festive dinner, it was allowed to talk only about the ancestors – their lives, individual cases and character traits, their words and instructions, wise advice and good deeds were recalled.

This conversation began with a story about the oldest and most famous ancestor, and ended with a memory of those who died very recently.

At the end of the celebration, the host saw off the Grandfathers with the words: "Goodbye Grandfathers, go... take troubles and illnesses with you, wait for us for a long time..."

[alatismeni-theitsa]

Γεια Θείτσα!! Ευχαριστώ για blog σου! It’s kind of sad but many of my older family members are very disrespectful toward Roma people. Like they constantly throw around slurs (I understand now that G***s’y is a slur for aroma people) with the intention of insulting someone, and when we visit family in Greece, they constantly tell me to watch out for them because “they steal things.”I’m sorry if this is an uncomfortable topic or if there’s unrest/controversy around anti-Roma sentiment in Greece. I’m very out of the loop on Greek politics, so feel free to not answer this if you don’t want to. Anyways, my question is: how prevalent would you say, from your experience, is anti-Roma sentiment in Greece? Also, sorry if you’ve already answered this question, feel free to refer me to a tag or another post if that’s the case!

Hello! This is controversial for Tumblr (not for Greek residents, they know what's up) but if we stopped talking about every controversial issue then we wouldn't improve shit, would we?

I want to be 100% realistic here, so I will explain stuff as directly as possible. I'd like you to understand the reason behind the bigotry, and I want you to understand the situation beyond "oooo g*ies steaal". You can't argue for a situation you don't know and the other side (your older relatives) will dismiss your arguments because they will know you don't know.

Naturally, I will mention some negative things some Roma do. It might be convenient for us to remain cuddled and ignore reality while living a more privileged life but this actually won't push us or anyone else to resolve these social issues. Besides, all the things I will mention are things that many Roma speak about, too, because they are aware that what other Roma do affects their own future as well.

Also this is about Roma in Greece and the specific situation in Greece. I ask for people from other countries to not make assumptions on this post about the country if they cannot back them up with experience or local knowledge.

When one speaks about issues in the Roma community it's important how and why they do it. If they do it to insinuate that all Roma people are bad and that they steal, then yes it's an issue. There's also the informative approach, which I will take. I have lived next to and near Roma families, as have some of my friends, and on the street, I had various interactions with them. I have seen firsthand the positive stuff and the issues, and almost everything I will mention here is what I've seen with my own eyes.

To be clear, this blog supports the Roma struggle and the Roma Uprising as the call of "Opre Roma!" describes it. The Roma (or Tsiganoi, as they most often call themselves in Greece) should have the right to education and social acceptance without needing to leave their culture behind. I have the tags #Roma and #Romani if you want to take a look at related posts.

By the way, "Tsiganos/-a" (Τσιγγάνος / -να) is also acceptable for the Roma in 2024 from this year's articles I've read and the Roma videos I've watched. Roma from other countries don't like this word too much, and I get why (it is because the Roma come from the "Untouchable" Caste of North India which is a history of bigotry in itself, and Tsiganos comes from the Greek for "Untouchable"). But each country and Roma community is different. It's not a slur afaik. But if you meet one, it is best to ask them what they'd like to be called because the landscape can shift.

To get the negative stuff out of the way, and then there will be good stuff.

First of all, some context. Traditionally Roma in Greece were involved in various trades but they always lived in their own community in the outskirts of some Greek villages. Of course, people of the same nationality, like the Greeks and the Slavs and the Hebrews and the Turks, usually lived in their own sub-area of a village. But the Roma were a bit more isolated.

The history of isolation goes centuries back because there was a constant self-sustained loop of the Roma being very Roma community-oriented and the outside world seeing them as foreigners. However, in older times, the Roma earned a living by doing all types of hard work more or less in sync with other nationalities and also collecting scrap. The bigotry was there but - at least from what I read - not in an intense way. It was more like "This is a Greek, this is an Albanian".

Unfortunately, in the modern age, most types of jobs they did became obsolete and poverty hit their communities. The old ostracization made it very difficult for them to sustain an income in the new era. In cases of such great poverty, it was sometimes considered acceptable to take from balamoi/gadje/"white people", precisely because of this imbalance of resources and the inherent cruelty of the balamoi towards them. (I mean, who wouldn't do anything to feed their own children?) Some of those attitudes have stuck until our days. Acquiring resources is very important for numerous Roma nowadays and sometimes these resources are not always taken legally.

So, yes, there are Roma in Greece who steal things. Yes, there are Roma parents use their babies and kids on the street to earn money (the babies are used for pity points while the mothers beg, the kids usually beg for money. (Once my aunt saw a baby that didn't look... alive on a Roma woman's bosom). This shows the desperate measures some Roma will resort to acquiring resources (sometimes it's not about survival, just acquisition) but it's also very systematic and it's considered like an "occupation" that brings resources.

Yes, there are a few Roma settlements like ghettos where the police are afraid to go, and there are drug networks and gangs. Yes, a friend had his bicycle stolen by Roma and he saw Roma frequently take the flowers he left on his uncle's grave. Yes, in Athens and Thessaloniki there are Roma markets with goods of... unspecified origin that I have strolled by. These goods were sold all together, and a stand could have album photos of non-Roma families, one pair of wedding crowns (stefana), and other unrelated objects found inside a house and unfortunately, they didn't look like they were taken from the trash. But since people throw all sorts of things away one could speculate that a good amount of those items were just taken off the trash - I, at least, hope so.

I cannot speak to how many Roma are involved in questionable acts but it is a noticeable amount that exists close to them. I suppose it was worse in the old times, or at least the prejudice against Roma was more intense back then and that's why your family believes that it's better to guard yourself in case you meet a Roma on the streets of Greece who wants to sell you something. But I have the sense they do it out of the "stranger danger" mindset (because Roma communities are separated from the rest) and because they learned to hate this group of people with a dangerous intensity.

All people are innocent until proven otherwise and I know for sure that your family cannot prove this unfair generalization about all Roma. They cannot even prove it for the Roma who approach them on the street. Many Roma in Greece "don't look" Roma (aka they don't dress like, or don't braid their hair the Roma way, similar to the traditional NW Indian ways). So Greeks don't "clock" them, and that's why they cannot claim they have a good idea of Roma demographics.

Besides, the biggest Thieves of this country are our politicians, our mafia bosses, our powerful businessmen. They steal millions each year and most of them are Greek. If I started counting the times Greeks have stolen stuff (big and small) we would be here for the next 100 years.

There are various programs for helping Roma families by the Greek state and some private organizations but I feel like the anti-Romani sentiment in Greece is still strong. As you can imagine, the negative sightings a Greek resident can have from Roma on the street can cause many prejudices to build. But of course, there are always two sides.

An ostracised community has various problems and these problems make the others ostracise them even more. Many Roma have found themselves in this unfortunate situation. Greeks rarely give Roma chances so they can improve their social and financial standing. Not to mention, due to all that exterior distrust, some Roma communities remain in their shell and can get defensive toward outsiders - because nobody else will defend them. But this defending behaviour can go out of hand and hurt other citizens (with bullets) who start to see the Roma community even less favourably.

But as I said this super defensive behaviour and pack mentality exists because the state - and the police - won't protect the Roma. Instead, many times they enact extreme violence against them, and then some Roma groups answer with more criminal behaviour. Today it's a chicken and egg situation in terms of who dislikes who, although it is clear that the persecuted side is the Roma people.

One recent example of anti-Roma sentiment is when a 16-year-old Roma stole a car and the police thought it good to shoot him in the head - which killed him. Is a bullet to the head - murder - a proper "punishment" for a teen stealing a car?? And, of course, the policemen were punished very lightly for killing a person, a teen! Roma lives are not seen as important as the rest by the Greek society, the media, the police. But Roma lives are often the most vulnerable on the streets.

I focused on the negative stuff so far to explain the situation but I don't want to end this post without positive examples for a people who have struggled so much.

Roma people work very hard and they will do their very best with the hand they've been dealt in life. They do difficult and low-paying jobs which often have the most risk. They are the powerhouse behind festivals and folk entertainment (e.g. panygyria). They will work the fields and they will gather (and at times sell) crops. If they are not particularly skilled in a trade, they will do simpler things like selling balloons and flowers on the street or offering fortune-telling services.

I admire the zeal with which many Roma want to improve their situation. The struggles might hit them hard but they never give up. Contrary to the gloomy image presented before, many Roma live in peaceful and happy settlements, they have a decent fortune and big houses where they host dancing parties and enjoy family moments with their kids. Their festivities are grand and their music - which often has lyrics that reflect their generational struggles - is sent from the heavens. (Greeks love it and they have incorporated musical elements of it in their own folk music)

Their language is ancient with great significance and very interesting variations even within the Greek borders. Apart from being resilient, they can also be very open, sharing their customs and language online for all to learn - from TikTok to the stage of the Stavros Niarhos foundation. They are very aware of the biases against them and as always they face difficulties with their head high and a healthy dose of humor. A Roma man joked the other day on TikTok "Why does a Tsiganos cry when they watch the Titanic? Because he sees all this metal wasted!" (Many Roma gather and sell scrap metal for a living)

Okay, I think that's it!

I am sorry but I don't want to shy away from the crimes and the difficulties like the Americans who only know how to say "Greece has an anti-Romani sentiment problem", as if the issue can be resolved with good wishes and stardust and doesn't have a complex past and present - which they don't care to learn. They only know how to parrot stuff from textbooks and they couldn't start a normal conversation with a Roma in a million years.

Oh, and if I see ONE disingenuous fuck say stuff like "You say that some Roma steal so you enhance the anti-Roma sentiments" I'm gonna block this shit. Congrats, you earned your White Knight online badge of the day but the problem still exists and ofc you are not going to do anything about it. Greek Roma themselves try to tackle thievery and begging practices (which is the reason why many Roma kids don't attend school) and corruption and abuse within their own communities but I am expected to conceal this when online, and pretend that all is rainbows and roses?

[gemsofgreece]

https://twitter.com/appistol/status/1646394569188057088?t=0pVekS37_e6l0owpf4xPwA&s=19

New Hollywood drama regarding Greeks, this time Netflix made a Cleopatra documentary with her as a black woman, completely erasing her Greek heritage (no hate on the actress! Only the people in power who made those decisions).

Now many are rightfully angry that they keep doing this but unfortunately some will claim the "haters" are racists, and others from Skopje jumped to the opportunity to claim the Macedonian heritage of Cleopatra confusing history even more xd.

Also I don't know if it's true that the current CEO of Netflix is half Greek, but if yes then they either don't care or didn't pay attention to this.

Netflix USA: Look, Greece and Egypt, I made a show about Cleopatra!!!

Egypt: No thanks.

Netflix USA: WTF why?!????????!

Greece: It’s inaccurate representation Netflix, that’s why.

Netflix USA: Oh you started your racist shit again and now you are corrupting Egypt too? Can’t she pass for an Egyptian?

Egypt: Hardly. Basically not.

Netflix USA: What - anyway who cares, she was Greek, and we all know Greeks are simultaneously evil white colonists and subsaharan repressed slaves depending on the project.

Greece: What on earth are you talk-

NM: SHE WAS WHAT

Greece: Oh shit

NM: SHE WAS MACEDONIAN, NETFLIX!!!!!!!!!!!!

Greece: This literally means she was Greek

NM: NO IT DOESN’T!!!! SHE WAS MACEDONIAN

Greece: So you mean she was a Slav?

NM: No… she was just Macedonian! Just Ancient Macedonian!!!!!

Greece: What are some characteristics of Just Ancient Macedonians?

NM: They were……… indiscernible from the Greeks but definitely not Greeks

Greece: This is getting more pathetic by the minute

NM: NO YOU ARE JUST ENVIOUS OF OUR GLORIOUS HISTORY DON’T LISTEN TO HER NETFLIX SHE WAS MACEDONIAN

Netflix USA: Great!!! So what do you think of our show, North Macedonia? Do you like our Cleopatra?

NM: Errr no

Netflix USA: Why not?

NM: Look, Just Ancient Macedonians were white and gorgeous. And lowlife Greeks only wished to look like them.

Greece: This is the millionth time you violate the Prespa agreement, by the way.

Netflix USA: Okay, fine, I hope you both will enjoy my next show coming after Cleopatra.

Greece + NM: Cool, what is it gonna be?

Netflix USA: A HISTORICAL SHOW ABOUT THE BALKAN WARS WHERE EVERYONE IS ZAMBIAN

[herzogindariya]

Vlastimirović; The Ruler of Peace

Vlast - "Rule", Mir - "Peace". Or was it "World"? Slavic languages can be slightly confusing, in some it means peace and in some it means the world. For such a small realm the idea of being the rulers of a world in eternal peace sounds laughable. Who is the man who claim this name?

A temperate, calm and chasted man. Not one the christians would call a pagan, were it not for the many names for his gods. As the whole world was caught up in the passion of Christ, the Vlastimirovići remained steadfast in their old beliefs. As Serbian peoples are known to be staunchly traditionalist, or stubborn if you ask anyone else, they have refused all missionaries from their surrounding realm

But some have accepted christ, albeit even then they have proven to be stubborn. In the depths of the Dinaric alps - the south slavs; Serbs, Bosnians and even some Croatians have join together in communion in their own church.

If you were to ask them who they are - they'd say they're christians, if you were to ask them who they believe in- they'd say god, and if you were to ask them who they'd rather be ruled by, the emperor of the west or the east - they'd say they rather be left alone. "What a stubborn people!" you might be thinking.

Maybe this is why this odd cult appealed to me? It turned out rather converninet to be ambivilent instead of sticking to dying rituals of a confusing faith. We are christians, aren't we? What more could you want from us?

Well... Being a christian vassal to a pagan liege is a precarious position. But, with a right hand by my side, I feel I can face what's to come

next chapter ->

[zarya-zaryanitsa]

are you familiar with the topic this reddit post is talking about?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Rodnovery/comments/15i4uyl/questionhow_did_pagan_slavs_interact_with_other/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

I actually replied to a related ask recently (regarding whether one can worship Slavic gods alongside gods from other pantheons) however I did so in Polish so for simplicity’s sake I’m gonna just translate that for you and add some more sources at the end:

To the best of my knowledge, they don't mind. I don't think I've come across a case of their opposition to such practices, either in my personal experience or from other pagans I've talked to about it. There are also some sources that suggest that this type of practice could also have taken place among the pagan Slavs. As I mentioned in the answer to another question, the Slavs were fairly open to other peoples. Moreover, as Roman Zaroff points out in one of his articles, the Slavs treated the gods of other peoples as real as their own.

Moreover, the concept of monotheism was alien and strange to the pagan Polabians. A single god jealously demanding exclusive devotion and worship was conceptually unpalatable in the world of a multiplicity of gods and spirits characterized by general religious tolerance. A world, where gods of other people, although not their own and not worshipped were as real as their own deities. The Polabian Slavs did not comprehend why exclusiveness was demanded and after a forceful conversion, as evidence from Szczecin shows, they worshipped old gods alongside the Christian God. The Polabians did not negate the existence of the Christian god but simply added yet another deity to their old pantheon, albeit strange and alien. It is worth noting that a similar attitude was observed among Scandinavians. During the raid on Courland, Swedish warriors consulted through divination various gods of their own to gain their divine support for the campaign. Apparently the outcomes of these divinations were interpreted as unfavourable. On someone’s suggestion they performed one more rite for a Christian God. This time the outcome was favourable and they succeeded in their enterprise. This account clearly shows that for non-Christian Swedes the Christian God was yet another deity that existed and although not their own, it was as real for them as Odin or Thor.

- Perception of Christianity by the Pagan Polabian Slavs, Roman Zaroff

If the Slavs from Szczecin could worship the Christian god next to their own gods it seems to me quite likely that in other places a similar fate befell other deities of nearby peoples - religious syncretism is a very common phenomenon where two cultures meet, especially friendly ones.

As Zaroff recalls, the particular aversion to Christians, which resulted in the ban on the open practice of Christianity in Wolin, was probably not universal and originated from the ongoing open conflict with the Christian neighbors, striving for the complete eradication of the tribal culture and religion of the Polabian Slavs (which they generally succeeded in doing).

The influence of neighboring peoples is visible in many places in the known folklore and obviously must have influenced the beliefs of the pre-Christian Slavs as well. In their book Slavic Gods and Heroes, Uchitel and Kalik put forward a rather controversial theory that all the gods we consider Slavic were in some form borrowed from other peoples, and the Slavs originally worshiped the cult of ancestors, in particular the founding heroes of various tribes and related totemic animals. I personally do not fully agree with this hypothesis, but I think that some of the examples they present may be true. Much ink has been spilled over the possible borrowing of Khors from northern Iranian tribes, and the Simargl seems to be related to similar mythological creatures from other cultures. Slovenian Kurent may be related to the cult of Cybele, etc.

Back to the present me, if you want to read some interesting theories on the influences the neighboring peoples had on pre-Christian Slavic religion as well as later syncretism you I recommend the following pieces:

Organized pagan cult in Kievan Rus’. The Invention of Foreign Elite or Evolution of Local Tradition? by Roman Zaroff - more information on the possible origins and influences on the Kievan pantheon, great source lots of info packed into 30 pages,

Non-Iranian origin of the Eastern-Slavonic god Xŭrsŭ/Xors by Constantine Borissoff touches on some popular theories regarding who the fuck actually was Khors and what’s his deal as well as offers a counter-theory,

Supernatural Beings from Slovenian Myth and Folktales by Monika Kropej - longer text, lots of great info on Kurent, Mokoš and many others

My amateur translation of fragments from the works of Polish Slavists Aleksander Gieysztor and Andrzej Szyjewski touching again on Mokosh

Saint Perun and Saint Volos by James Joshua Pennington - a few words on gods influencing Saints, a interesting form of religious syncretism,

Russian Folk Belief by Linda Ivanits - a lot more words on gods influencing Siants

Slavic Gods and Heroes by Alexander Uchitel and Judith Kalik - already explained what this one is about.

TLDR: It would be silly and unrealistic to think our neighbors had no influence on us our customs and beliefs. They do now and it wasn’t any different in the past.

[unhonestlymirror]

The scale of russian misinformation is so huge that I've even seen Lithuanians using "Illya Muromets" as a derogatory insult because that legendary warrior is considered to be russian... but Illya is Ukrainian, actually!😭 His real name was Illya Murovets but russia stole it and renamed after the russian city "Murom" which isn't even close to Kyiv, but it sounds so similar to "Murovets", no one would care enough to notice!

The same happens among Ukrainians. I've seen plenty of times how Ukrainians use "gusli" to make fun of russians... but it's not actually an instrument of a russian origin! It's Finno-Baltic, Lithuanians use "Baltijos psalteriumas" as a common term for all these sort of musical instruments because it has a lot of names: Kokles in Latvian, kūkles in Latgalian, Kandla in Livonian (Livs), Kanklės in Lithuanian, Kanele in Estonian, Kantele in Finnish/Karelian Finnish and Kusli in Volga Finnish!

N.B. If it was in the 6th century A.D., it's highly unlikely those people were "Baltic Slavs": here is the original text (allegedly, because it is translated from Greek to russian, and we all know how russians love misleading people):

"They replied that they were Slavs by tribe and lived at the end of the Western Ocean (Baltic sea); that the Khagan had sent ambassadors as far as the local [tribes] to gather military forces, and had tempted the elders with rich gifts. But they, having accepted the gifts, refused him an alliance, assuring him that the length of the journey was an obstacle for them, and sent them, captured [by the emperor], to the Khagan with apologies: after all, the journey takes fifteen months. But the Khagan, forgetting the law [protecting] ambassadors, began to create obstacles for their return. They, having heard that the tribe of the Romans, if one may say so, is very famous for its wealth and philanthropy, went to Thrace, deceiving [the Khagan] at an opportune moment. And they carry citharas, they say, because they are not trained to carry weapons on their bodies; for their country does not know iron, which makes their life peaceful and unperturbed; they play the lyre, not familiar with the singing of trumpets. For those who have never heard of war, it's naturally, as they said, to engage in simple musical exercises. Autocrat, [hearing] all that was said, admired their race and, having honored the barbarians themselves who came to him with hospitality and marveling at the size of their bodies and the enormity of their body parts, he transported them to Heraclia."

Either the author confused something because there could be only Baltic tribes living next to the Baltic sea in the 6th century (Western Europe could never care less about whatever the hell happens in Eastern Europe, even nowadays, with all the Internet sources, they dare to call us "Slavic" and "post-soviet"🙄) or those were ancient Belaruthians (Gudija) who are technically Baltic Slavs who had more or less nice relations with their neighbours, or... russia just made it up, and there was no "slavs" mentioned at all. In any case, the full description really suits Baltic tribes (and even reminds me of Lāčplēsis a bit).

In russia (since it was born somewhen between Ivan the Terrible and Peter the First times) this instrument which is now called "gusli", came through Baltics then Finnish tribes. In Baltic tribes, psalteriumai have a sacral meaning, people there have a lot of festivals with kankliai, and they don't associate this musical instrument with russia... so I don't think Ukrainians should, too.

We should fight back russia not because for its clothes or music, but for their awe in killing and raping people en masse. We should also educate ourselves better about our neighbours.

[sunset-synthetica]

you see we Czechs are like the Germans and the French because we are the Cool Europeans and not the Dirty Slavs (ew) so get your facts straight. Btw we have literally suffered more than anyone else because we're part of Eastern Eur- I mean we are right next to Eastern Europe, and also we are a racial minority because we are Slavs and were prosecuted for that some time back. But do remember that we are not Slavs nor Eastern European.

[feedee8888]

Who are the Europeans?

115.000 - 10.730 (?9.700?) BC large parts of Europe were ice deserts and tundra (no forests or any special fauna) -> A few Neanderthals lived on the edge of the wasteland.

And then the warm period -> over a few millennia came grasses, bushes, the first trees -> huge beech forests and hunters and gatherers (new humans) from Africa via the Levant. From Spain/Greece to Scotland/Scandinavia and Russia. [Animism and Shamanism]

From 9000 BC, farming cultures slowly migrated from southern Anatolia/northern Mesopotamia via Greece -> Balkans and the southern Mediterranean. Around 4000 BC, almost all of Europe belonged to the farming culture. Except Lapland and other remote places. There were fertility cults everywhere!

From around 2000 BC (no one knows for sure), Caucasian warriors, perhaps also settlers from the Ural region or perhaps from the Siberian "advanced culture", moved to Europe and subjugated the peoples. They formed the basis of the Indo-European languages ​​-> ancient peoples such as the ancient Greeks, the Latins, Celts, Germanic peoples and Slavs emerged from the conquerors. War cults emerged everywhere. Whether Celtic, Germanic, Slavic, Greco-Roman, all the important gods were suddenly warriors. In a few regions, farmers were able to resist. One of the most famous peoples are the Basques (do not speak any Indo-European language) / one is not so sure about the Baltic peoples (genetically proven in the blood - a lot from hunter-gatherer and farming cultures).

Hardly any region on earth has experienced as much war and upheaval in the last 10 thousand years as Europe -> We have the direct heritage of hunters/gatherers, farmers and brave warriors with a touch of Neanderthals.

And the sword of Darmocles always hovers over us. For around 30 million years (with the glaciation of Antarctica) the earth has been in the ice age, which consists of warm and cold periods. The climate has been going crazy for around 5 million years. At least 7 cold periods have been proven in Northern Europe. The duration of the cold periods tends to become longer and longer and the warm periods become shorter and shorter. Our current warm period (Holocene) is already around 2 thousand years longer than the one before it (Eam warm period). Whatever triggers a cold period, should it happen, most of Europe will be uninhabitable for at least 100-150 thousand years. From a European perspective, warming may not be so bad. Over 100 years ago, when we were very close to the climate activists' wet dream in terms of global average temperature. There were several years without summer harvests in the 19th century. The years were too cold. These were years with large waves of emigration. Incidentally, according to drilling data (sediment and ice), the last warm period (Eam) was much warmer than the Holocene. Not to mention the global average temperatures of the Tertiary, back before Antarctica was an ice pole. If the outer astronomical constellations are responsible for the last 5 million years, the bad news is: our solar system will continue to "travel" through the problematic region for the next million years.

[rz-rosszogg]

Today we will discuss an important issue, of how societies organise themselves.

And that is done by something called Socioeconomic systems.

Looking back historically at the societies of the world, from conception until now, the Socio-economic arrangement has always determined welfare and survival of all societies. These systems also brought hope and direction to people.

So, from the birth of society, as soon as the first crops of sustainable life were discovered in the lands of the Eastern Mediterranean, and a few hundred years later were planted in the rich black soils of South Eastern Europe...to begin with in the huge lower Danube valley of Dobrodja (in today's Bulgarian lands), agriculture was born on a massive social scale. Hunting and gathering was largely abondoned, as ineffective to sustain a society that wanted a better life, than living in caves, in fear of all around.

So, Civilization was born, some argue 20 to 30,000 years ago, by the birth and development of agriculture. The world never looked back. And Eastern Europe became the most powerful centre of culture and development...number of Empires were born, in that rich black soil by of Bulgaria. For example, the Goths, the Slavs, the Celts, were all born as initial communities in that lower Danube land of Bulgaria. Of course from there, they spread all over Europe, Asia and North Africa. So, that was the second stage of known world historical systems. The first stage was individual survival against nature lasting perhaps 10,000 years, the second stage was the birth of agriculture and hence communal living in cooperation..and then, came the 3rd stage of the Socio-economic systems on Earth, called Feudalism. A system of communal cooperation based on slavery, where a single family can rule over a whole mass of people, working together, organised and more efficient than ever before. But under strict rule of an overseer, who also was a slave, totally commited to the ruling family. That stage lasted over a thousand years...and then Capitalism was born, in the 17th century, in Holland. Quickly spreading to Spain, Portugal, Britain, France.. all of Europe.

In Capitalism, it's no longer a human agency that rules, but the interest of the Capital...where the money went, the ruling power went with it. Europeans realised that if they had better weapons, they can enslave all others to work for them. But things turned out more complex than that. People in Asia, Africa, and elsewhere rebelled, didn't have money worshipped as a god...and didn't work as prescribed by European overlords. So, Capitalism came back home to Europe, putting the local European populations in factories and dirty living conditions. And these were the seeds, which gave birth to the next system, a transitional system called Socialism, on the way to build the future, all progressive and freedom based Socioeconomic system called Communism...where for the first time there would be no bosses, No Class Systems, but real social equality, prosperity, justice, etc.

Of course, the ruling class of Capital has fought hard, to keep it's rule...but eventually now, we see Socialist policies all over the world, what once were hard core Capitalist societies.

Socioeconomic changes happen when the previous system becomes inefficient, ineffective to deliver a better life for all.

Usually it takes between 700 to 1,000 years for a new Socioeconomic system to evolve.

But eventually the new better systems do evolve, and improve with living experience.

In the meantime, if we don't murder everyone, we can start building the future world for our grandchildren.

Pity that Socialism was tricked in Eastern Europe and Russia. But it is good experience, from which we learnt much for the next time, a forward looking modern nation starts to build Communism. Guess China, Vietnam, Russia and many others, are already doing it.

In Communism, if my neighbour is struggling, so am I. Let Peace and Love rain tears of joy over everyone on Earth.

Presently, the Palestinian people need All the tears of the world, to feed their soul, and propel their bravery.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Tjeerd Royaards, NRC Handelsblad  :: [Scott Horton]

* * * *

The confluence of neo-Nazi ideology and anti-LGBTQ legislation.

         I have written frequently and at length about the need to fight anti-LGBTQ legislation. Opposing such legislation is the right thing to do from a moral and human decency perspective but it is also necessary to prevent the spread of vile ideas that harken back to the tactics of the Nazis. The “purification” programs of the Nazis began with discrimination against disabled children and gay men. Once normalized in those niches, the pursuit of an “Aryan race” soon turned to the persecution of Jews, Slavs, Roma, Blacks, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and others.

         A wave of anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ legislation is sweeping through red states. The latest bills seek to ban adults from obtaining gender-affirming medical treatment. See Austin-American Statesman, Texas Senate advances more gender-affirming care restrictions. Candidly, the restrictions have been proliferating so quickly it has been difficult to keep up with the developments.

         The second reason for standing against discrimination directed at transgender and LGBTQ people is to prevent the spread of the underlying animus to other groups. Rachel Maddow highlighted the connection between anti-transgender legislation and the neo-Nazi movement in her Monday program. See Rachel Maddow Blog, Anti-trans neo-Nazis find common cause with state Republicans. I urge you to watch Rachel Maddow’s report if you have not seen it.

         As Maddow notes, when neo-Nazis show up in support of GOP-proposed legislation to discriminate against transgender people, that should give Republicans pause. It does not. Republicans are comfortable proposing legislation against transgender and LGBTQ people that is adopted and amplified by neo-Nazis.

         I recognize that not everyone is personally comfortable taking a stand on transgender and LGBTQ issues. Society and cultural norms are decidedly different today than they were fifty years ago, and that difference might be jarring to some. But this issue will affect your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren—as well as your family, friends, and co-workers. And it will not merely be those of future generations who are transgender or LGBTQ who are threatened. As with the Nazis, once it is acceptable to discriminate against smaller groups, other groups are next. We can’t let that happen. Speak out now to condemn the growing movement in red states to stigmatize and punish transgender and LGBTQ people.

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[scaredshadowsswap]

My friends and I were sitting in math class, and we realized while discussing it during class that, out of 13 students, we have 7 different varients of Slav? I’m Polish, and then we have Russian twins, a Croatian, two Ukrainians, A Slovakian, a Slovenian, and a Czech?

And then we wasted the whole class period talking to each other about our parents’ weird habits? And like, this sounds fine if we lived in a Slavic country, but this is Chicago. Polish is the only one I truly expect to see, so all of us having this discussion and having so many people was odd.

So…now we have to collect them all and form a youtube channel. I also have to bring in donuts next thursday for tłusty czwartek, which I was hoping not to because donuts are sold in 12s and there are 13 of us plus the teacher.

[troybeecham]

Today the Church remembers Epictetus and Astion, Martyrs.

Orate pro nobis.

The monastic martyrs Epictetus and Astion lived in Bithynia on the southwest coast of the Black Sea during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian (284-305 AD). From his youth, Saint Epictetus had dedicated his life to God, and studied to acquire knowledge of the Gospel. He entered a monastery, and later was found worthy to be ordained to the holy priesthood. Proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, the saint converted many people to Christianity. God granted Epictetus the gift of wonderworking, and he healed many people troubled by unclean spirits, or afflicted with other maladies.

One day while out for a stroll, the illustrious youth Astion met Saint Epictetus. During a long conversation Saint Epictetus enlightened Astion, sowing the seed of God’s Word in the young man’s soul. He spoke to him about the only true God, about the great value of the immortal human soul, and about fleeting worldly pleasures.

Astion came to believe in Christ and was baptized. Soon after this, he also became a monk. Since Christians were being persecuted in Bithynia, he asked Saint Epictetus if they might travel together to some distant land where they could dedicate their lives completely to God. Boarding a ship, Saints Epictetus and Astion journeyed to Scythia and settled among the pagan Slavs near the Roman outpost of Halmyris in the province of Histria south of the mouth of the Danube. The city was the site of a military fort and a base for the Roman fleet which patrolled the Danube and the Black Sea.

When they arrived at Halmyris in 273 AD, Saint Epictetus was forty-seven years old, and Saint Astion was only eighteen. During the next seventeen years, the saints spent their lives in prayer and fasting, and performed many miracles.

The God-pleasing lives of the monks could not remain hidden from others for very long. People afflicted by various illnesses or oppressed by evil spirits came to the saints seeking relief. Even pagans asked the holy ascetics for help, and after being healed of their afflictions, they embraced Christianity.

Saint Epictetus once healed a fifteen-year-old deaf and dumb boy by praying and breathing on him three times. More than a thousand people became Christians after witnessing this miracle. Saint Astion once cured a man whose legs and toes were crushed when he fell from a building.

Latronianus, the military commander of the district, arrived in Halmyris in 290 AD on an official visit of inspection. The pagan priests wasted no time in complaining to him about Saints Epictetus and Astion. They denounced the two men from Bithynia, accusing them of converting people to Christianity through sorcery, and persuading them not to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods.

The saints were arrested and interrogated by Latronianus, who tried to find out their names and where they were from. Their only reply was, “We are Christians.” Latronianus had them tortured in an effort to make them abandon their Christian beliefs.

After thirty days in prison without food and water, the holy martyrs Epictetus and Astion were once again brought before Latronianus. They remained steadfast and ready to endure even more suffering for Christ. The commander declared that Epictetus and Astion were traitors, and ordered them to be beheaded on July 8, 290 AD. At first, they were buried in an unknown spot. Later, their holy relics were transferred into the basilica built in the fourth century by Saint Constantine the Great at Halmyris.

Archaeologists discovered the holy relics of Saints Epictetus and Astion at Halmyris in 2001. The bones were scattered about in two rooms of a burial crypt, indicating that the tomb had been vandalized, perhaps in the sixth century. Scientific tests on the bones revealed that one of the men was approximately sixty-four years old, and the other about thirty-five. This is consistent with the ages of the two saints as given in the written accounts of their martyrdom. The bones also indicate that the two had been beheaded.

The holy relics of Saints Epictetus and Astion were reburied in 2001 by Archbishop Theodosius of Tomis (Romania).

Almighty God, who gave to your servants Epictetus and Astion boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

[mishkakagehishka]

u-uh... ~♣️

Omg... Perkūnić in my inbox .... ♡

You’re my: family at this point. Hugs you hugs you hugs you hu

How I met you: I believe I first interacted with you through a fandom-related post, but I can't remember how we got talking... it's been a bit now, hasn't it? I just know I'm thankful for it :>

Why I follow you: for one we're friends♡ for another, I love seeing you on the dash, your takes are massive-brained, you always bring the best posts on the dash, and I enjoy seeing you post about everything, even about things I might not understand. Your art is also so pretty ♡♡ the🥺 fairytale book style....♡

Your blog is: well-organised and gorgeous, I love the layout, the green you chose for the background is such a good shade, and just in general! Good blog!!

Your URL is: baltoslav💪 every time I remenber that post you made about "balt-to-slav sex" i still think it was so funny

Your icon is: your icons are always very pretty and fitting your theme, I like the current one, too♡ the fabric looks so soft

A random fact I know about you: you do art commissions!!!!!!!!! So cool for that, and also so right for it, I hope you get good money and fun work from it♡

General opinion: cannot be put to words. I do think of you not just as a friend, but as family almost, your pain is my pain, and your joy is my joy, and I only want happiness and success for you and your loved ones🥺 I want to make it come across, how much you mean to me, but it's hard to put into words, really. You're like a part of me now.

A random thought I have: we need to see eachother irl, if I can't make you tea and gossip with you and write while you draw, what's the point. Though we were so right for that screensharing session, we need to do that again. And watch biology videos together again. I just need to actually physically sit next to you and do activities!!!!!