Romania’s Saving Angels: "New Men", Orthodoxy and Blood Mysticism in the Legionary Movement

In Romania, a Christian, ultranationalistic movement known as The Legionary Movement has before and after the Communist period called for a national, spritual revolution. Perceiving themselves as front fighters protected by the Archangel, Legionaries endeavour to purify the nation so that it can liv...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bulletin for the study of religion
Main Author: Endresen, Cecilie (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Equinox 2012
In: Bulletin for the study of religion
Further subjects:B Religion and society
B Ethnonationalism
B Antiseminism
B Fascism
B Nationalism and Religion
B Orthodox Christianity
B Gender
B Romance language area
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Summary:In Romania, a Christian, ultranationalistic movement known as The Legionary Movement has before and after the Communist period called for a national, spritual revolution. Perceiving themselves as front fighters protected by the Archangel, Legionaries endeavour to purify the nation so that it can live in its God-given fatherland. In order to assure national resurrection, Legionaries want to create a "New Man", understood as a new male. This ideal combines the qualities of a Christian martyr, a working hero, a monk and a militant and as such both complex and ambiguous. In practice, Legionaries have a lot in common with other European "boot boys". Based on field studies, this article discusses the role of men in this movement: their role models, male bonding, rituals and myths, as well as their concepts of family, brotherhood and blood relations, all with reference to a particular ethnonationalistic, christocentric worldview.
ISSN:2041-1871
Contains:Enthalten in: Bulletin for the study of religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1558/bsor.v41i2.16