Paganism II: The White Hammer in the Glow of the Great Fire
Translation and commentary on two 2016 Ukrainian investigations into paganism and neo-nazi groups. Sumerians. White Hammer. Proto-Ukrainian Tripillians. 'The swastika is symbol of eternal life'
Check out this recent article of mine on paganist Perun worship among Ukrainian rightwingers. And this older article of mine on leftwing-fascist evolutions which also touches on it. I wrote this article a while back about the neo-nazi organization C-14, which is also mentioned in the following. And check out this series of mine about Right Sector.
What’s the significance of paganism among the Ukrainian and Russian far-right? Well, apart from the usual Nietzschean rejection of all (liberal or communist) modes of modernity as irredeemably Christian, moralistic, and fit only for slaves, there’s a more potent geopolitical reason. Neo-Pagans hate the idea of the Russian state, considering it to be intrinsically Christian, collectivist, and whatever else. They support all kinds of separatist movements, such even for the Volga region and Siberia.
Neo-nazis and obscure pagans are embraced by NATO in its war for Europe and Democracy, which even the western press has been forced to comment upon given the story of ‘White Rex Kapustin’, and his motley crew of anti-Putler freedom fighters. It isn’t coincidental that pro-western liberal opposition leader Navalny went on the ethnonationalist ‘Russian March’ alongside various other lovers of ‘Ancient Slavic Symbolism’ (ahem).
The Russian nationalists that the west likes hate non-whites so much that they want to reduce Russia in size by getting rid of the Caucasus region (Chechnya and Dagestan for instance) and probably other muslim areas like Tatarstan. In practice, that would lead to endless civil war and ethnic cleansings, a sort of Eurasian Somalia (another successful case where the west destroyed a strong nationalist state and sponsored tribal wars).
No surprise that they worship Ancient Feudal Rus, along with various fantasies of millenia-old ‘Trypillian’ and ‘Hyperborean’ long-lost slavo-Aryan Atlantists. They would love to ply their trade as ideologicized warlords over a piece of the neo-feudal rubble. Back to 8th century Rus, with each city-state and its warrior elite for itself.
The original of the following article, written by Aleksandr Sybyrtsev for the Ukrainian oppositional publication strana.ua, can be read here.
National radicals under the banner of Odin and Perun
Neo-paganism is rapidly spreading among nationalist organizations in Ukraine and has already become the dominant ideology in many of them.
Repeated dismantling of the memorial cross in the center of Mariupol, which mysteriously occurs regularly before the marches of the "Azov" regiment in this city... Desecration of symbols related to Christianity, such as the recent paint vandalism of the monument to Vladimir the Great in Kyiv.
Such incidents have been occurring more frequently lately. In fact, there were many cases of religious vandalism in Ukraine even before 2014, such as the Femen actions involving the cutting down of a cross and conflicts between pagans and Cossacks in Zaporizhia. Meanwhile, the current acts of hooliganism against monuments and symbols of Christianity often coincide with the activities of national radicals and are frequently instigated by them.
Neopaganism is spreading within their ranks - the worship of ancient Slavic and ancient Germanic gods. The nature of this phenomenon was investigated by "Strana".
The Flock of the White Hort - the "Azov" regiment
"This cursed cross in Freedom Square (in Mariupol – ed.) is being broken by our guys from the civilian corps [of Azov]. If the priests set it up again, it will be cut down again. It is a symbol hostile to Ukraine. The Christian faith was imposed on Ukrainians from outside. Now Christianity is being used by the Kremlin to cloud the minds of Ukrainians – Slavs. It doesn’t matter much whether it’s the Moscow or Kyiv Patriarchate. Through priests, Ukrainians are being imposed with behavior that suits Russia," my long-time acquaintance Yuriy from the "Azov" regiment (name changed – Author) told me on the phone.
We met near Mariupol. The reason for our conversation was a massive silver medallion with a kolovrat around the neck of a volunteer sitting on a bench near the headquarters. The swastika was prominently featured in the center of the trinket, twisted in the same direction as the state symbol of the Third Reich. Noticing my gaze at the medallion, the fighter, who introduced himself as "a volunteer from Mykolaiv," defiantly explained that the swastika was "not what you thought, but a symbol of our native faith – the Sun."
"The swastika is a kolovrat, a symbol of eternal life. Yes, it was also used in Germany. So what? It changes nothing. Among our guys (fighters of "Azov" – ed.), there are more 'Rodichi' – it's an ancient Slavic faith called 'Rod' [Rod is the root for family, tribe in slavic language - EIU]. There are also many 'Scandis'. These guys believe in Valhalla, Odin, and Thor. But there is no big difference between us 'Rodichi' and 'Scandis' – it’s essentially the same religion. Even the names of the gods are similar," Yuriy from Mykolaiv explained.
According to the fighter, he joined the "Azov" battalion in 2014 along with several comrades from the Mykolaiv community of the Slavic faith "White Hort".
"There was no question of which unit to fight in – our ancestral faith was positively received in 'Azov'. That’s why we signed up there. From the first days in the battalion, it became clear to us that this unit consisted almost entirely of brothers in faith. And the commanders even said before the battle that the fallen would go to Valhalla," the volunteer explained before parting.
Interestingly, the pagan organization "White Hort" does not hide that it has been "ministering" to many fighters of the "Azov" regiment since the beginning of 2014 – information about the connections between the pagan community and this unit repeatedly appeared on the group’s website
.
On May 12, 2015, the "priest" Velesen – Lyubomyr conducted a "warrior" pagan ritual for the "Azovites". This information was initially published on the "White Hort" website and then was mysteriously deleted. In the summer of 2016, a shrine with a wooden "idol" – the pagan god of war Perun – was erected at the regiment’s base in Mariupol. Notably, on the official website of the "Azov" regiment, the erection of Perun’s shrine is presented as a tribute to the historical traditions of Ukrainians.
Meanwhile, pagan adherents from the "Azov" regiment deny their involvement in the hooligan actions at the monument to Vladimir the Great in Kyiv. "My friends in Kyiv said that the monument to Vladimir was doused with paint by members of some Kyiv rodnover [Slavic neopagans, not necessarily neo-nazis but there’s plenty of overlap - EIU] community, supposedly from 'Veliky Ogn' [the Great Fire]. Of course, we Azovites do not highly respect Prince Vladimir – he forcibly baptized our ancestors. But our guys from the Azov civilian corps are not involved in this action," Yuriy claims.
The White Hammer in the Glow of the "Great Fire"
According to former member of the rodnover community "Veliky Ogn" Maksym Yarich, in recent years, pagans have been in conflict with the "official" state religion – Orthodoxy.
"Pagan shrines in Kyiv are constantly destroyed by religious Orthodox fanatics – Perun statues and other gods are smeared with paint, set on fire, and defaced with obscene graffiti. Until 2014, adherents of Kyiv’s native faith communities tried to protect holy places by peaceful methods – they simply posted guards from activists. Later, when many of our community activists joined the 'White Hammer,' our leaders decided it was time to stop taking a passive stance – it was time to 'give the priests a beating.'"
The core of the "White Hammer" consisted of activists from the "Veliky Ogn" community. Most "Hammer" activists practice paganism. Although the "White Hammer" was initially created as a national-patriotic organization with political goals, hostile attitudes towards Christianity are a trademark of almost all "Hammer" members.
"White Hammer" members believe that besides the war in the east, there is an invisible war in Ukraine between Christianity and the native faith – paganism. The monument to Vladimir was doused with paint as revenge – their sacred site on Lysa Hora in Kyiv had been defaced again shortly before. Also, a week before these events, former coordinator of "Veliky Ogn" – "White Hammer" activist Khors – Dmytro Karpenko was beaten by unknown persons. This was perceived as hostile actions by religious Christian fanatics," said a former member of the "Veliky Ogn" community.
Our sources in the police indirectly confirm that the monument to Vladimir the Great was doused with paint by members of one of Kyiv’s radical nationalist organizations.
"There is operational information that the hooligan action at the monument to Vladimir the Great was the work of radical pagans. One version is that it was done by activists of the 'White Hammer.' The case is under the minister's control, and we are currently verifying the information," said one of the officers of the National Police.
By the way, the radical nationalist organization "White Hammer" was part of the "Right Sector" during the Maidan. However, in March 2014, "White Hammer" was expelled from the RS, and the organization’s founder, Vladislav Goranin, nicknamed Goran, left with part of the organization’s activists to the "Aidar" battalion, but fought with it for a short time and left the unit due to disagreements with the criminal situation in the battalion [the Aidar batallion is a rightwing paramilitary group similar to right sector, responsible for a variety of torture, extortion and other human rights abuses against eastern Ukrainians. Read this Amnesty International Report on their abuses here - EIU]. After leaving "Aidar," Goran joined the "OUN" [Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, of Bandera fame - EIU] battalion in Pisky.
Interestingly, the full nickname of the "White Hammer" leader Vladislav Goranin is Goran Volchich.
"Actually, this is not a callsign, but a second pagan name given to Slava in the community during his initiation into the native faith," Maksym Yarich clarified.
"White Hammer" members were also at the forefront of the creation of the 8th separate company of the "Right Sector" with the telling name "Aratta." This word appears in cuneiform tablets of the ancient Sumerians.
According to ancient legend, this name refers to a northern country rich in precious metals and skilled artisans. In the 20th century, references to the mythical northern country were interpreted by several scholars as evidence of the existence of a proto-Slavic homeland – proto-Ukrainians – Tripillians. A volunteer with the call sign Elephant, who fought in the "Right Sector," claims that the company was initially founded by neopagans.
"Aratta was originally created by rodnovers – they were the core of the company. Of course, over time, there were fewer pagans – volunteers came to fight not for paganism, but for Ukraine. Now, only the name remains from the former 'pagan' unit – the battalion includes people of different religions," said volunteer Elephant.
Currently, the "White Hammer" organization maintains close ties with its founders from the "Veliky Ogn" pagan community. On its VKontakte page, there is a call for like-minded individuals to join – "ksatriyas" – fighters, and ideologists of paganism are especially valued.
Specifically, on October 10, 2016, a post appeared on this page: "Due to the expansion of the White Hammer movement, we are announcing a search for: …3. Ideologists (vectors - anthropology, pan-Slavism, NS, Ukrainian nationalism, (neo)paganism, social struggle), 4. Warrior caste (have ambitions and plans, can kolovrat with friends, looking for like-minded people, want to gain new skills)".
This announcement indicates that the main ideas of the organization are Ukrainian nationalism, National Socialism (the ideology of Hitler’s party, the abbreviation NS stands for this – ed.), and paganism. By the way, "to kolovrat" in this quote from "White Hammer" means – to fight. The problem is that numerous fraudster trainers have been plying their trade on the neopagan scene in Ukraine for a couple of decades, allegedly reviving the "secret" martial arts of the "proto-Ukrainians."
Friends of the "White Hammer" from "Black Arrow" and "Monolith"
Recently, the ranks of Ukrainian radical nationalist organizations have increased – new youth organizations "Black Arrow" and "Monolith" have emerged. One of their first actions was a joint march with members of C-14 and the "Azov" Civic Corps in a demonstration on October 14, 2016, in Kyiv.
Both organizations are friendly with the "White Hammer" and conduct joint actions under the overall leadership of Goran Volchich.
"Black Arrow" and "Monolith" are created for forceful actions against those whom the leadership of these organizations considers "separatists," "traitors," corrupt officials, or "Kremlin spies." The leadership of "Black Arrow" aims for radical impact on government bodies and distances itself from any political parties, attracting young people dissatisfied with the political situation in Ukraine. There is information that activists from "Black Arrow" and "White Hammer" are involved in hostile actions against the Orthodox Church (MP)," our source in the National Police of Ukraine claims.
It is not possible to say for sure whether this is true. None of the mentioned organizations has ever claimed responsibility for vandalism against religious symbols and monuments.
However, it is clear that Ukrainian radical nationalists have adopted pagan ideas. It is likely that another player – pagans, supported by the fists and Kalashnikovs of radical nationalists – may eventually intervene in the religious disputes of Ukrainian Orthodox Christians over issues of autocephaly and ties with Moscow. Most likely, this new force will be hostile to any Orthodox denominations due to the neopagan apologists' belief in their right to "primacy" and "originality."
Bonus: extract on paganism from a 2016 article by the Ukrainian oppositional outlet Vesti on neo-nazi groups. Vesti has ceased to operate after 2022, but here is a wayback machine version.
They are distinguished by particular cruelty.
A significant percentage of National Corps [Azov’s political party] party members are adherents of the Rodnover movement—neo-pagans. "Their ideology is based on pre-Christian nationalist traditions, rituals, and principles. They are known for their cruelty, which attracts the attention of new followers from the youth," says sect expert Vladimir Rogatin. According to him, "Azov" is 60% composed of followers of pagan sects (recently in Mariupol, an idol of Perun even appeared on the regiment's territory).
The occult symbol "Black Sun" (broken radial rays emanating from a black circle) is incorporated into the "Azov" symbol, tattooed on the bodies of many fighters and National Corps members, and was actively used in Nazi Germany as a sign granting "Nordic race" special abilities.
"Many of our Rodnovers joined 'Azov,' fought together. And the Azov members themselves come to us, participate in the celebrations of the god Perun and Kupala. Rodnovers also participate in the work of the National Corps party at the local level," Volkhv [a slavic pagan Mage - EIU] Svitovit from Zaporizhzhia told "Vesti." "I myself do not join the party because I am a volkhv, but I do not forbid anyone."
crazy how the US empowers and arms the most insane and cringe parts of society wherever it operates.
Wow