Footage of Azov Regiment's pagan solstice celebration, and the Teutonic coldness of neo-paganism.
(Daily Mail) Thousands of Ukraine's Azov soldiers have performed a traditional viking longboat burning ceremony to honour their fallen comrades killed by Russian troops.
The battalion, whose final stand fiercely defending the Azovstal steel plant in the Siege of Mariupol drew praise from around the world, gathered in the Rivne region of Ukraine for the touching tribute.
Stunning images show a replica of a Drakkar viking ship going up in flames on the river as row upon row of soldiers look on solemnly.
Former commander Maxim Zhorin said at the ceremony: 'In the flames, our Fallen are symbolically sent in a drakkar to another world, Valhalla or Vyrii.'
In Norse mythology, Valhalla is an afterlife populated by heroes who die in combat.
Before the establishment of Ukraine, its territory was part of Kievan Rus' from the 9th to 13th centuries.
The state was invaded by the Varangians, a group of marauding Vikings from Sweden who went on to rule Kievan Rus' until the 11th century.
The Azov regiment often harks back to this Viking iconography, which also presents their soldiers as fierce warriors.
In a post on their Telegram channel, the battalion said: 'The military fraternity, consisting of various units, including the Azov OZSP, held a ceremony to honour the memory of the Azov people who died in battle.
'Every year on the Day of the Dead, we remember all Azov residents who died for the independence of Ukraine in battle with weapons in their hands.
No comments:
Post a Comment