Udmurt Paganism in the Early Soviet Union

• In Event: Atheism and Secular Spirituality in the Soviet Union

Abstract

In the years leading up to the October Revolution, antagonistic attitudes towards religion grew across Russian society. The popularity of the work of 19th century philosophers provided the academic and intellectual groundwork for this trend, while growing animosity towards the Russian Orthodox Church’s direct involvement in governance and the church’s widespread ownership of land fueled the revolutionary flame. Nevertheless, the importance of religion as a cultural touchstone and an influential aspect of the lives of many Russian citizens remained and would remain, despite the official state atheism of the Soviet Union. Among the indigenous peoples of the RSFSR, traditions and symbols from non-Abrahamic religions and paganism appeared as motifs in art and became sources from which to develop their national cultures.
For the Udmurts, a Finno-Ugric people settled in the Volga River region, their folklore and religion survived both the intense Christianization campaigns of the Russian Empire and the anti-religious campaigns of the Soviet Union. Despite their embrace of the new Soviet government and society, many of the prominent Udmurt writers of the early Soviet Union did not ignore the religious aspects of their people’s culture, but rather embraced them at times and featured them in their creative work. My research focuses on the ways in which Kuzebai Gerd and his contemporaries employed aspects of Udmurt paganism in their writing, and the consequences and critical reception thereof.

Author

• Andrey Ridling, Ohio State U