Zalmoxianism () or Zamolxianism () is a Neopagan movement in

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

which promotes the rebuilding of an

ethnic religion In religious studies, an ethnic religion or ethnoreligion is a religion or belief associated with notions of heredity and a particular ethnicity. Ethnic religions are often distinguished from universal religions, such as Christianity or Islam ...

and spirituality of the

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

through a process of reconnection to their ancient Dacian and

Thracian The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...

roots. The religion takes its name from Zalmoxis or Zamolxe, at the same time the name of the primordial god and the

archetype The concept of an archetype ( ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, philosophy and literary analysis. An archetype can be any of the following: # a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main mo ...

of the enlightened man in Paleo-Balkan mythology. Scholars Bakó and Hubbes (2011) have defined Zalmoxianism, like the other ethnic religious revivals of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, as a reconstructionist ethno-paganism.

Origins

The reconstruction of ancient Dacian and Thracian religion and mythology has been strictly connected with the field of dacology. Amongst contemporary supporters of Zalmoxianism, the emigrant dacologist Octavian Sărbătoare even proposed to make it the official religion of

Organisations

The Gebeleizis Society

The "Gebeleizis Society" ( Romanian: ''Societatea Gebeleizis''), though far from being the only Zalmoxian group in Romania, has been the most studied formation. It has 500 members split into 15 branches. The core values of the organisation are expressed by its motto "One Family, One Nation, One Territory" ( Romanian: ''O Familie, Un Neam, Un Teritoriu''); for the ideas promoted, the Gebeleizis Society has been subject of media scandal, and accused of

extremism Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied sha ...

''Zamolxe'' group

Another group is the ''Zamolxe'', based in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, whose high priest is Alexandru Mihail. They worship the old Thraco-Dacian pantheon of gods, and claim that the name "Zalmoxis" comes from ', meaning "earth".Maras Loks
Zamolxe
/ref> File:Symbol_of_Zamolxiana_NRM.JPG, Symbol of Zamolxiana New Religious Movement. File:Dacian_Sacred_Fire_ceremony_year_2013.jpg, Dacian Sacred Fire ceremony at Detunata temple during 2013 in Romania. File:Foc_sacru_Costesti.jpg, The Dacian Sacred Fire at Costesti, Romania, in 2012.

Eastern Pagan Front

( Romanian: ''Frontul Păgân de Răsărit''), the purpose of this group consists in the investigation, research and recovery of old traditions, of authentic Thracian-Dacian values, their knowledge and the raising of new generations of ethnic Romanians in the spirit of Zalmoxianism. The group largely operates on

Telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...

, often posting paragraphs, photos, and more with an anti-Christian sentiment and a pro-

Pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

perspective. They are at times recognized as a National-Socialist group, known for its pro- folkish outlook on Paganism.

References

Bibliography

* László-Attila Hubbes. ''Romanian Ethno-Paganism: Discourses of Nationalistic Religion in Virtual Space''. In ''Native Faith and Neo-Pagan Movements in Central and Eastern Europe''. Kaarina Aitamurto, Scott Simpson. Acumen Publishing, 2013. * Rozália Klára Bakó, László-Attila Hubbes. ''Religious Minorities' Web Rhetoric: Romanian and Hungarian Ethno-Pagan Organizations''. ''Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies'', vol. 10, issue 30, Winter 2011: 127–158.

External links

Societatea Gebeleizis
("Gebeleizis Association")
Spiritualitate Daco-Românească
("Daco-Romanian Spirituality") * Octavian Sarbatoare
''The Foundations of Zamolxiana New Religious Movement''
2014. {{Romanian religions Modern paganism in Europe Religion in Romania