#volkhv

[saraphimshpatar]

Oleg Meets the Wizard

By: Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov

[user-nu11]

First class design, the Volkhv

[gruntled-druzhina]

Just yeet the wizard from a cannon is apparently an option.

[russianfolklore]

“Volhv. Pagan Rus” by Yuriy Sergeev.

A volhv (Cyrillic: Волхв; translatable as wiseman, wizard, magus, i.e. shaman, or mage) is a priest in ancient Slavic religions.

Volkhvs are attested among the early Rus people. Volkhvs were believed to possess mystical powers, particularly the ability to predict the future. The first literary reference to a volkhv occurs in the Primary Chronicle under the year 912; there, the priest-soothsayer predicts Prince Oleg's death. With the adoption of Christianity, the pagan priests came under persecution and sometimes tried to channel social discontent against the Christian church.

[lamus-dworski]

‘Wołchw’ by Polish artist Aleksander Karcz.

Wołchw is a Slavic shaman and seer/prophet dealing with the spiritual life and magick, and mediating with the god Weles (Veles). Wołchw is responsible for passing down the oral traditions of a community. Recitations, music, dance and often also natural intoxicants putting them into a trance are important in their rituals.

Another similar profession is a guślarz, strongly focused on the ‘shamanic’ aspects and on conducting various common rites (for example healing practices or charms). Guślarz is derived from a noun gusła that describes primarily the rites during which the souls are being summoned from the outerworld. He is the conductor of the annual rites of dziady when the souls of the ancestors are invited for a feast and paid homage.

Another important profession is that of a żerca, a priest and a spiritual leader. Żerca leads sacrificing practices, major divinations and important ceremonies like weddings, and is responsible for designating dates of the religious festivals. They protect the sacred sites (temples, groves, sacred fires). In the past they were seen as the most elite profession among those mentioned above, and held the most of political power - it was also usually them who advised the rulers. The word żerca is derived from a noun żertwa which means an offering.

(side note: the words wołchw, guślarz and żerca are shown in the Polish language above and they are spelled differently in the other Slavic languages in which they also exist)

[weles3-blog]

[toledeol]

Oleg meets wizard (volkhv) by Viktor M. Vasnetsov 1899

[thesilenceofthedesert]

Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov.