Neo-pagan social utopia in L.R. Prozorov’s interpretation of folklore

Abstract

The article describes the main features that characterize the ideal society of the past as viewed by a most famous contemporary Russian neopagan publicist, Lev Rudolfovich Prozorov. The study of this author’s narratives allows us to form an image of the old Slavic society, which occupies the place of a kind of “golden age” in his worldview. A special place in Prozorov’s works is occupied by images of the past constructed on the basis of folklore sources: epics, fairy tales, spiritual verses, proverbs, and sayings occupies a special place in Prozorov’s works. Using exactly that technique he describes his social utopia, while adding a greater weight to his historical views, compared with some other neo-pagan authors. Nevertheless, the author of the article comes to the conclusion L.R. Prozorov argumentation often comes into conflict with the folkloric material used by the author, and the final picture of the past in his works is mostly inspired by the contemporary traditionalist discourse and partly overlaps the concept of “Ur-Fascism” by U. Eco.