When in our country more and more people began to think about the revival of Rodnovery, the enthusiasts bit by bit began to collect the spiritual and cultural heritage of their ancestors. Spirituality and culture were inseparable, intertwined and interacted with each other for hundreds of years. Of course, the worldview, religion could not but influence the nutrition of the ancient Slavs. And here the question naturally arises: were the ancestors familiar with vegetarianism?
The present-day preachers of Rodnovery are trying either to deepen or to diversify the teaching with various Indian terms, to adapt their treatises and commandments to our way of life. As a result, Rodnovery is placed practically on the same level as vegetarianism. Before proving another point of view, we note that, in fact, there was a vegetarianism, but it had slightly different forms and differences.
Rodnoverie can now be promoted under any “sauce”, but ancient history shows that the ancestors were not categorically against meat. But, firstly, it was a very long time ago, and secondly, with the growth of the self-consciousness of the people and with the beginning of a settled way of life, the Slavs switched mainly to vegetarianism. It was not given any sacred meaning, but it was clear to everyone that it was better, more ethical and healthier to eat this way. In those days, there was a saying among philosophers: “The savagery of the Slavs made them holier than educated Rome.” Indeed, in Rome there were wild customs, bloody games. There was no question of any vegetarianism. And the natural purity of the Slavs, who worked and lived in simplicity of heart, made them holier, and vegetarianism became only a natural “side effect” of folk wisdom.
By the way, when we say “rodnovery”, we should not always mean Russian paganism. It is worth paying attention to the beliefs of the peoples of the North. They were not vegetarians either, as there was no religious basis for this. However, even they understood that killing animals is very bad. In order to somehow appease the remorse and fear of retribution from nature, the shamans staged entire performances in costumes and masks. They told the driven deer that they were not to blame, but the bear, which attacked the deer. In other rituals, people asked for forgiveness from a killed animal, tried to propitiate its “spirit”, put on masks.
In cases where sacrifice is described, one also needs to know that the most valuable things were brought in the tribes, and only a gradually rising level of culture did not allow this to be done with people. However, some scholars talk about the possibility of sacrificing captured warriors. Be that as it may, it is obvious that vegetarianism can be accepted by a person who is at a definitely high stage of personal development.
Among the main tasks of Rodnovery, pagan restorers consider the main one to be the revival of the ancient way of life, teachings. But it is better to offer modern man something more. Something that will correspond to the level at which it should be. Otherwise, it will not contribute to the development of spirituality and inseparably accompanying vegetarianism in our country.