BETWEEN A HUMAN AND A BEAST: Archetypical priest and warrior in the images of animals in the works of Eastern Slavic neo-pagan musicians

In a given article studied are common for the Eastern Slavic neo-pagan music scene basic archetypes of ancient Indo-European society, defined by G. Dumézil. These archetypes in the works of the described musicians play a key role, are revived and re-defined, adapted for contemporary times. Special attention is given to the archetypes of warrior and priest, emphasized is their interconnection and interaction, creation of an image of pagan warrior priest, fighting the manifestations of pernicious for traditional world modern – and post-modern – values not only in the physical, but also in spiritual realm. These archetypes, taking into account the nature-centric character of works of neo-pagan musicians, are often manifested through the images of special animals, having an important place in the cosmos of ancient Slavs and closely tied to war and magic – wolf, raven, bear, falcon, as well as several other. Detailed study is given to their place in the works of Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian followers of “native faith”, namely – in lyrics, interviews, visual elements.