Skip to content

Prav Publishing

Towards Another Myth – Askr Svarte (2024)

Another 340 page book with essays by Askr Svarte / Evgeny Nechkasov. The full title goes: Towards Another Myth: A Tale of Heidegger and Traditionalism. Thematically this book continues with the last book of Svarte that I reviewed.

In 25 longer and shorter texts, Svarte investigates the relationship between Heidegger and Traditionalism. To do that he makes side steps into Northern mythology, poetry and of course philosophy and language and all that to come to “another myth”.

In recent years, more and more Traditionalists and right-wing thinkers have been trying to incorporate the thought of Martin Heidegger into theirs. Critical notes have already been made in Passages. Svarte takes this a step further. He dissects Evola’s erroneous critique on Heidegger, investigates the common and diverting points between the philosophy of Heidegger and that of Guénon and in order to do so, dives into Northern mythology, Advaita Vedanta.

As all of Svarte’s work, the present title is not an easy read, but he does once again come with interesting observations and explanations.

Amidst his general empathy and sympathy for mythos as an ontological principle of extreme importance in culture and thinking, Heidegger’s program nevertheless does not propose returning to one or another mythology, even the Greek, as a form of identity, state religion, or system of values. Instead, he speaks of the non-metaphysical, groundless (Ab-Grund) and poetic refounding of the whole of mythos and the holy on the horizon of Another Beginning. For Traditionalism, this means being compelled to seek out and tell forth Another Myth.

2024 Prav Publishing, isbn 1952671825

Passages: Studies in Traditionalism and Traditions – Volume I (journal)

Looking for contemporary Traditionalistic writings, I ran into a recently published (December 2023) first volume of a new journal. The editors have seen the coming and going of journals such as Luvah, Sophia, Sacred Web, Tyr and The Initiate. None of them is currently active, so it was high time for a new journal.

The foreword seems to promise a contemporary, spiritual approach to Traditionalism. The content is actually more political, Evola-like in approach with a lot of philosophy, mostly that of Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), some psychology even.

The contributors are mostly from the Slavic and Italian ‘spheres’. Even though the chief editor is American and we run into Collin Cleary and Troy Southgate, most essays had to be translated to English. There are familiar and unfamiliar names (to me). Alexander Dugin is probably the most famous name, but we also find a text by Askr Svarte / Evgeny Nechkasov (not unexpectedly).

There is a lot ‘against the modern world’, Heidegger (philosophy), the social/political side of the ideas of Guénon and Evola and similar subjects. Not uninteresting, but I would not have minded to read more from and about Traditionalism today and/or the more religious side of it.

The journal has almost 400 pages. It makes an interesting read, it does indeed fill a gap, but I would like a wider (other?) approach to Traditionalism in a future volume.

2023 Prav Publishing, isbn 1952671159

Polemos II: Pagan Perspectives – Askr Svarte (2021)

So, Polemos was initially a 1000-page book written in Russian by an author born in 1991. First published in 2016, at the age of 25! Also the translator, Jafe Arnold, is a young author and the man behind the Prav publishing house. I also ran into his name in an academic Traditionalistic work.

Part II is another massive work, over 500 pages. The ‘pagan perspectives’ are sometimes not that obvious. There are lengthy chapters are subjects such as the “creationism” of Abrahamic religions, the left hand path, dualism, more or less obscure currents within Eastern religions or within Islam. Sometimes interesting, sometimes a bit too ‘off path’ with only here and there references to “pagan traditionalism”. Often quoted is Evola, but Svarte also refers to less known authors such as Troy Southgate. Obviously, politically Svarte is not in the corner of the masses, but he is critical to both ‘left’ and ‘right’. He is also critical towards Traditionalists such as René Guénon.

The red thread of this volume is:

Paganism is opposed by the creationism in the face of the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as their offspring – Modernity and Postmodernity.

and:

For a full-blooded revival of the true pagan worldview in modern conditions, the philosophy of Traditionalism is a categorical necessity.

To make that point, Svarte goes at great lengths displaying his extraordinary well-readness. Also he frequently manages to shortly explain some difficult writings or authors, so he not only read it all, he understands it as well.

Interesting, thought-provoking, but not very much to-the-point. You can read both Polemos volumes for an introduction into modern Traditionalism, the Russian and foreign pagan ‘scenes’, the woes of modernity and the Abrahamic religions. The second volume is even more theoretic than the first one.

2021 Prav Publishing, isbn 1952671167

Polemos: The Dawn of Pagan Traditionalism – Askr Svarte (2020)

I found this book when I was browsing the Kindle store to see what Traditionalist books are available. So there are more writers writing about Traditionalistic paganism. Svarte does it a lot better than I did, though, and way more lengthy. The book is over 400 pages! Moreover, Svarte refers to other Traditionalistic pagan authors.

Oddly enough, the author (whose name is an pseudonym of Evgeny Nechkasov (1991-)) is a Russian. For some reason Russia and Russian thinkers gravitate towards me recently.

It seems that Svarte has published extensively in Russian and now English versions of both Polemos books have appeared (as there is a second part). The present title was first published in 2016.

The book goes from Guénon, Evola, Dumézil and Eliade to different kinds of paganism. Svarte proves to be very well acquainted with paganism in his own country, but also abroad. The book sets off wonderfully with Traditionalism, comparative mythology, initiation, etc. Things get a bit less interesting when he continues with endless descriptions of the woes of modernity, currents that Svarte calls “pseudo paganism”, “counter initiations”, etc. Quite like some books of Guénon actually. In these parts Svarte can display his wide knowledge of groups and thinkers all over the globe. Of course there are many references to groups and thinkers in Russia, so you can learn a thing or two about the Russian heathen and Traditionalistic scene(s) too and he even sheds some light on the events in the Serebrov books that I am reading.

We have defined polemos as the nerve of being, as that which according to the myths and teachings of traditions creates and orders the world.

Especially the first part of the book is good. I may not agree with each and every statement of the author makes, but is not necessary. Even though Svarte is about as strict a Traditionalist as Guénon, he (like myself) has to bend things a little in order to (for example) disapprove of Northern European paganism in Northern America while he is a Northern European heathen in Russia. The overly intellectual second half is a bit tiring at times, but overal this first part makes a descent read. The second volume is even larger, but I will give it a try too.

2020 Prav Publishing, isbn 1952671000