ABSTRACT
This chapter asserts that the concept of nativeness serves as a fundamental pillar for adherents of Native Faith in contemporary Poland, often intertwined with an ethnocentric and ethnicist view of nationality. Consequently, neo-pagan movements inevitably engage in identity politics, intertwining notions of common ancestry and religious belief. The pre-Christian, or pagan, past is thus sacralized and elevated into the supernatural realm, rendering it non-negotiable and potentially providing a foundation for far-right ideologies rooted in ethnicist principles such as anti-pluralism, anti-egalitarianism, or racism. Moreover, the chapter contends that the appeal to pre-Christian Slavic history and culture is bolstered by the widespread fascination with the Middle Ages in contemporary popular culture, attracting a broad audience of cultural missionaries for identity politics.
