Belvedere Meridionale (Mar 2016)
Raszputyin – egy kórtünet - Rasputin: a Symptom
Abstract
The career of Grigory Efimovich Rasputin, the „holy starets” is one of the most popular legends of the 20th century in which the folk tale of a poor peasant’s rise mingles with mystical elements and apocalyptical tragedy. Despite scientific efforts, facts and legends cannot be separated, as we are still under his contemporaries’ influence. This essay cannot give the ultimate answers either, but it tries to contribute to the exploration of his real character by raising new questions. The most important task is to explain his miraculous advancement and influence on the Court of Tsar Nicholas II. Tsarevich Aleksei’s fatal illness might be the main cause, but the presence of Rasputin’s precursors (e.g. of Philippe the French miracle worker) could easily refute this interpretation. There had to be a deeper impression in the Tsar’s mind. A renaissance of occultism and mystical thoughts was characteristic for the Western world from the 1850s. In the modernization process, the old religious world-view had lost its credibility and the masses’ ‘spiritual hunger’ favoured occultism. In Russia, the religious conflicts between the Ortodoxy and raskolniki (Old Believers), flourishing radical sects, the differences between modern citizenship and archaic rural lifestyle and the discrepancies in the Tsarist bureaucracy served as catalysts in the second half of the 19th century. Ancient magical rites (e. g. divination) were everyday practice here, and the old customs were revived in the urban environment. Paradoxically, the modern ideologies – first of all nationalism – confirmed the credibility of old beliefs and practices in the eyes of the radicalising Russian intelligentsia. An apocalyptic vision determined the world-view of the whole Russian society. This special form of occultism prepared the scene for Rasputin and his precursors.
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