Why did European paganism lose out to Christianity?

It happened because of a cluster of interleaved reasons. European pagans and heathens had been adding and subtracting deities from their pantheons for millennia and they stayed pagan or heathen doing that. So they had no problem adding Jesus as the new popular deity.

What religion did Russian Slavs traditionally practice?

Slavic paganism or Slavic religion describes the religious beliefs, myths and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and the 13th century.

What is the most common religion for the Slavs?

Most Slavs are traditionally Christians. Eastern Orthodox Christianity, first introduced by missionaries from the Byzantine empire, is practiced by the majority of Slavs.

How old is Slavic paganism?

Slavic mythology and Slavic religion evolved over more than 3,000 years.

What is Slavic paganism?

The term Slavic Paganism is composed of two parts: “Slavic”, referring to the Indo-European people who speak various languages of the Slavic language group. Slavs are the largest ethno-linguistic group in Europe: three of the top ten most spoken languages in Europe are Slavic languages [1].

What religion did Vladimir the Great believe in?

Originally a follower of Slavic paganism, Vladimir converted to Christianity in 988 and Christianized the Kievan Rus’. He is thus also known as Saint Vladimir.

What happened to the Slavic religion?

In the eleventh century, Slavic pagan culture was “still in full working order” among the West Slavs. By the twelfth century, however, under the pressure of Germanisation, Catholicism was forcefully imposed through the Northern Crusades and temples and images of Slavic religion were violently destroyed.

Who are some modern scholars studying ancient Slavic religion?

Twentieth-century scholars who pursued the study of ancient Slavic religion include Vyacheslav Ivanov, Vladimir Toporov, Marija Gimbutas, Boris Rybakov, and Roman Jakobson, among others.