In Russian history, witchcraft was originally an element of the East Slavic religion, and after the adoption of Christianity, it became part of the folk religion. Under the influence of Christianity, ideas about witchcraft became predominantly negative, which, however, did not exclude witchcraft and its bearers from religious life. In the Soviet period of history, witchcraft was a noticeable phenomenon in the religious life of the East Slavic population in different regions. This has remained relevant up to the present time. The article studies the regional phenomena of witchcraft that existed in Russian Far Eastern culture. The article is based on archival documents and field research materials. The main content of the article is the story of a witch – a resident of the village of Dmitrievka (Amur Region). The story about the Dmitrievka witch reliably correlates with demonological ideas, folklore-mythological images and plots that are universal not only for Central Russia, but also for East Slavic culture. On the one hand, it captures the deep rootedness and stability of witchcraft in Russian folk culture. On the other hand, the narrative, along with many other facts, testifies to the preservation of the deep traditions of East Slavic culture in the mass consciousness of the Russian migrant population of the Far East. The migrations of Russians thousands of kilometers away from their historical small homeland, the new natural and cultural environment of the Russian-Chinese border did not shake the foundations of religious consciousness, which was one of the basics for the preservation of ethno-cultural identity.
Key words: Orthodoxy, witchcraft, religious syncretism, Amur region, East Slavic culture, ethnocultural identity
DOI: 10.22250/20728662_2023_3_108
About the author
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Vasilisa A. Zabiyako – Employee of the Laboratory of Frontier Studies, Amur State University; 21 Ignatievskoe shosse, Blagoveshchensk, 675027, Russia; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |