Chapter 1. Methodological Problems in Reconstructing Pre- Christian Slavic Religion

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1. What are the three types of sources for Slavic pre-Christian religion?

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The three types of sources for Slavic pre-Christian religion are historical, archaeological, and folklore sources. Historical sources include texts from authors contemporary to 'living' paganism, such as those with an anthropological curiosity or strategic interest, and Christian missionaries who had knowledge of the peoples they were evangelizing. Archaeological sources provide direct proof but require textual evidence and historical context for interpretation. Folklore sources are valuable but may involve interpreting universal folk practices as Slavic and considering ideological interferences of nineteenth-century folklorists. Linguistic data are supplementary and need to be compared with other sources. A comparative method is necessary to reconstruct Slavic pre-Christian religion, comparing all types of sources and written testimonies among Slavic peoples and other cultures.

Chapter 1. Methodological Problems in Reconstructing Pre- Christian Slavic Religion

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