“The wizard host of ancient Rus” as a paradoxical example of the Neopagan pseudo-simulacrum (part I)

The article examines the phenomenon of the “The Wizard Host of Ancient Rus” non-governmental organization. The first part of the study discusses the peculiarities of modern paganism classification, allowing us to identify the characteristics of a unique neo-pagan pseudo-simulacrum; contains a brief history of the organization's formation, in addition to the biography of the leader-ideologist of the movement. Particular attention is paid to fixing the presence of a direct link in the form of borrowings, parallel “discoveries” in the developed worldview discourse of the followers of the “The Wizard Host of Ancient Rus” and other socio-political movements. As a result of the parsing of the organizations' Internet narratives, the historiography of the issue highlights the following identical organizational and ideological field: identical specifics of creation and functioning of organizations, the active detailing of groups under consideration on the Internet, the predominance of conspiracy notions, the denial of state, including financial, institutions of modern Russia.