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SELF-IDENTIFICATION OF PAGANS IN MODERN RUSSIA: THE PHENOMENON OF THE NAMES (according to the materials of field research) // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2020. Issue 1 (27). P. 151-161

The article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of the name-bearing and the name of naming in the pagan movements of modern Russia. The principles of the choice and appropriation of the sacred name as a means of self-expression and self-identification of new pagans, their distancing from the current, traditionally formed on the basis of the Orthodox culture of the namesake, are explored. It is established that the onomastic space of neo-paganism does not repeat and does not overlap with the ancient pagan nomenclature. Focusing on the traditional pagan onomasticon, modern paganism reflects their own preferences in choosing a name. The choice of anonym and rite of naming are determined by the new conditions of existence and the relations of the spiritual world of modern man. The predominant names are, as a rule, a complex structure, with positive semantics. The axiological markers of the phenomenon of modern paganism are the concepts of goodness, light, glory, ethical categories, reassessment of one's own worldview, and worldview through the prism of a new name. The name, in the respondents' opinion, determines the changes in their lives, helps to broaden their horizons, self-knowledge, improve the quality of life. Acting as a social, cultural and individual marker, the new name is a means of self-identification not only of its individual bearers but of new pagan communities in general. The onomastic space of modern paganism unites the representatives of neo-paganism of any variant, current, sense, allowing to recognize "one's own" and "others" – others that are not related to modern paganism.

Keywords: modern Russian paganism, onomastic space, rite, naming, sacredness, self-identification, questionnaire