Soviet Gods

[Ashtagon]

This is a parallel thread to American gods.

I am specifically covering the USSR period of Russian history here. Anything prior to Gorbachev and after the Tsarist period counts..

* Aleksei Stakhanov (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksei_Grigorievich_Stakhanov) (had a city named after him), manual labour, industriousness
* Lenin (Leningrad is his monument), politics, thought
* Stalin (Stalingrad...), fear, control, oppression
* Mikhail Kalashnikov, weapons, gunnery

Oddly, Marx seems to have had no monuments to him in the USSR. Trotsky too was an unperson for much of Soviet history.

Any others?

[Yora]

Kalashnikov would probably be a demigod. :smallbiggrin:

[Kane0]

Nikola Tesla. Electricity, knowledge

[gkathellar]

Yuri Gagarin was the first human in Earth's orbit.
Gherman Titov was the first human to exercise manual control of a spacecraft in Earth's orbit.
Valentine Tereshkova was the first civilian and the first woman in space.
Nikita Kruschev, who was Premier from 1953-1964.


Nikola Tesla. Electricity, knowledge

Considering that he was a Serbian-American, probably not.


Oddly, Marx seems to have had no monuments to him in the USSR. Trotsky too was an unperson for much of Soviet history.

Yes, well, no great surprise there considering the Marxism and Trotskyism were directly at odds with the USSR's goals and methods.

[Ashtagon]

Nikola Tesla. Electricity, knowledge

Serbian-American by self-identity, Austrian by birth nation. Not a Soviet, no matter what the Command and Conquer might say.

[Prime32]

If things can go further back, Rasputin? Since the American thread has fictional characters, what about Koschei the Deathless (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koschei)?

[Ossian]

Why is Baba Yaga not in this list?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%B0_%D0%AF%D0%B3%D0%B0.jpg/350px-%D0%91%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%B0_%D0%AF%D0%B3%D0%B0.jpg

[Ashtagon]

Koshchei and Baba Yaga weren't members of the Communist Party, that's why.

[Bastian Weaver]

Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin. Nuff said.

[Pyromancer999]

Koshchei and Baba Yaga weren't members of the Communist Party, that's why.

Just because they weren't part of the Communist party doesn't mean they can't be gods. They don't all have to be of the same nature. Otherwise, you should probably count out Benedict Arnold on the American gods thread.

[Spiryt]

Just because they weren't part of the Communist party doesn't mean they can't be gods. They don't all have to be of the same nature. Otherwise, you should probably count out Benedict Arnold on the American gods thread.

Title of the thread is "Soviet Gods", though....

So it's pretty obvious that those gods need something do with "soviets" so councils of.... Soviet Union, 'glorious' political entity formed after October Revolution.

Now, certainly few 'good' Gods who oppose the system would be in place. :smallwink:

[Mulletmanalive]

Aside from being anthromorphic representations, both Mother Russia and Madam Winter fit your criteria.

Both were fond favourite subjects of state funded artists, both had pretty big installations to them at museums at different times and I"m not sure, but i think that Winter was awarded some kind of medal for her participation in WW2.

I get the impression those are popular idioms too, given that one of the Russians i lived with at uni always called both Russia and Winter "she"

[Pyromancer999]

Title of the thread is "Soviet Gods", though....

So it's pretty obvious that those gods need something do with "soviets" so councils of.... Soviet Union, 'glorious' political entity formed after October Revolution.

Now, certainly few 'good' Gods who oppose the system would be in place. :smallwink:

Like Rasputin, who was killed during the process of therevolution?

[nolispe]

Like Rasputin, who was killed during the process of therevolution?

What? Rasputin was killed several years before...

[Pyromancer999]

What? Rasputin was killed several years before...

But it was still part of the revolution. Hence why I said the process

[Ashtagon]

Now, certainly few 'good' Gods who oppose the system would be in place. :smallwink:

This raises an interesting question. What is good and evil in teh context of teh real world? I don't actually want to enter this area, as it is dangerously close to discussing politics. Andrew Jackson in the other thread was noted as being possibly LE in the eyes of native Americans, but he was probably seen as good in the context of his own nation and era. Stalin, that evil figure we love to hate in the west, was and still is seen as a national hero (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin#Views_on_Stalin_in_the_Russian_Feder ation) who saved the country in difficult times. If he wee alive today and stood for election, 35% of those surveyed there said they'd vote for him. So yeah.

I'm after figures that embody national ideals. That's not necessarily good or evil; I will make no judgement on that in this thread. But it is nationalist, and it is about making a more ideal (within the cultural conceit of the nation) country.

[Acanous]

Oddly, the russians I know always reffer to "Grandfather" winter.
There's also the term "General" winter, but that also is said implying a male personage.

[Bastian Weaver]

Oddly, the russians I know always reffer to "Grandfather" winter.
There's also the term "General" winter, but that also is said implying a male personage.

Which is very strange, because "winter" is a female word in Russian. Mother or Granny Winter? Sure. But Grandfather? Probably Grandfather Frost or something like that...

[Maquise]

I can't help but laugh at the irony(or not?) of the thread title.

[thisisnotspam]

Oddly, the russians I know always reffer to "Grandfather" winter.
There's also the term "General" winter, but that also is said implying a male personage.

Grandfather Winter(or Frost or a variation) is what we call santa clause in slavic countries


General Winter is the term that is used to describe winter warefare in russia as something that saved the country several times : Charles XII, Bonaparte, Hitler

those things are not so much soviet related

[Bastian Weaver]

Well, not exactly that. Santa is a Christian saint, while Grandfather Frost is more of a pagan deity. Sort of.

[thisisnotspam]

as for gods:

NG Maxim Gorky: writer, wrote quite "soviety" so to say, on good terms with stalin, had a city named after him

LN Katyusha: a real person after whom the song and the rocket artilery launcher were named, young woman who fought bravely in WW2 and who was a part of the war time propaganda, i think she's still alive

LE Zhukov: Briliant Soviet comander who didn't spare men when it came to wining

LN Igor Kurchatov: Leader of the Soviet Nuclear Programme

some other people you can use as ''deities''

Vasily Zaytsev-sniper with hundreds of kills
Theremin- guy who invented the theremin, the first electronic music instrument

[thisisnotspam]

Well, not exactly that. Santa is a Christian saint, while Grandfather Frost is more of a pagan deity. Sort of.

santa is not a christian saint, saint nicholas day is december 6th (st nicholas is btw patron of russia and greece) and here it is celebrated as a separate holiday with a separate costume (st nicholas is dressed as a bishop)

[Bastian Weaver]

Well, if he's not a saint, why would they call him Santa? :durkon:

[thisisnotspam]

Well, if he's not a saint, why would they call him Santa? :durkon:


kuz he's nice like a saint but he's not saint nicholas(who brings gifts to kids on december 6th) for whom he is confused
santa brings them on christmas but many countries have other gift givers on that day like the angel in the alps, or little baby jesus. western santa and eastern grandfather frost are the same person, only in the east people are more aware of the diference because protestants don't have saints and orthodox christians have a lot of saints, but you and i are getting offtopic with this the question is about stalin, lenin, gagarin...

[Flickerdart]

Theremin- guy who invented the theremin, the first electronic music instrument
Theremin wasn't called Theremin until he moved to the States, so can't really use that one.

Chapayev and Budyonny should count too. If we're doing writers, then Mayakovsky, Marshak, Bulgakov and the Strugatsky brothers make the list, and at that point you can't not include Vystotsky and Zoi. All of these people were far more beloved by the populace than Gorky, even if the latter does have a bunch of stuff named after him.

[Bastian Weaver]

Hey, Gorkiy had huge popularity back in his time. Bulgakov, on the other hand, became really popular posthumously.
Although none of them looks like good "god material" to me.

[NinjaStylerobot]

Cheburashka: The god of Kindness and adorableness and somewhat sad existence.

Gena: The God Of Crocodiles, truth, and justice.

[Mando Knight]

Koshchei and Baba Yaga weren't members of the Communist Party, that's why.

But she would definitely qualify as one of the Old Ones, the pantheon held to by the superstitious, even among the faithful, though the Official Churches try to eradicate belief in them...

[zimmerwald1915]

Michael Chekhov: self-discipline
Sergei Eisenstein: light and shadow

[Cicciograna]

Nuriev, God of Dance.

Landau, Protector of Physics.

[Bastian Weaver]

Cheburashka: The god of Kindness and adorableness and somewhat sad existence.

Gena: The God Of Crocodiles, truth, and justice.

Oh, yes.

Matroskin, the god of cats, farming and business.
Sharik, the god of hunting.
Pechkin, the trickster god.
Chapeauclaque, the trickster goddess of rats and slapstick humour.

[Flickerdart]

Matroskin, the god of cats, farming and business. sandwiches

Fixed.

If we're including fictional characters, you can't forget Stirlitz.

[Bastian Weaver]

Not just sandwiches - open sandwiches. His remark only makes sense when it is an open sandwich.

[averagejoe]

The Mod They Call Me: A bit too political. Thread locked.