Hermits around the web – Hermitary
news, sites, and pages of interest about hermits and solitude
English Russia offers a photo gallery titled “Romance of the Hermit’s Life” about a 60-year old man living in a forest hut in Novgorod. The text and description is similar to another article (in Russia Today) about a hermit in the same vicinity, also named Viktor.
URL: http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2011/01/07/romance-of-the-hermits-life/
Viktor, the Russian “forest man,” is described in a Huffington Post article. The article includes video which, however, was not accessible at the time of visiting; however, the original Russian Today interview is available on YouTube.
A Russian man’s decision to adapt a Robinson Crusoe-like lifestyle has made him an Internet sensation, but he now finds himself struggling to gain back a little of the peace and quiet that he says drove him to the wilderness in the first place.
As Russia Today is reporting, Viktor opted for a life of solitude in a treacherous Russian forest after failing to establish himself in nearby Moscow. His tiny cabin — complete with a self-built generator for electricity — is cozy and allows him to lead a simple, if somewhat introverted, lifestyle. “I am not a sociable person, I never drink and I do not like noisy parties,” he said. “This way of life suits me better …. I have good hands, and I love to build.”
URLs:
Huffington Post article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/04/russia-forest-man-_n_804212.html
Russia Today video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzW7ZHPKXlg
The website English Russia offers many fascinating photos of Agafya Lykov, who lived with her family in isolation in the Siberian taiga. The family went to Siberia in 1937 and was “discovered” in 1978, as described in the book Lost in the Taiga by Vassily Peskov, reviewed by Hermitary. The family of Old Believers fled persecution and remained deliberately isolated and quite self-sufficient. Agafya is now alone and aging, but has relatives nearby.
URL: http://englishrussia.com/index.php/2010/11/21/russian-hermits-of-the-21st-century/
An article titled “From Taiga to Kremlin: a Hermit’s Gifts for Medvedev” describes now-famous Russian hermit Agafia Lykova’s presentation of gifts to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Because these new items tend to disappear, here is the text in full:
A famous Russian hermit, who lives in an isolated settlement in a Siberian nature reserve, has sent presents to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
Agafia Lykova is the only living member of a family, which went into seclusion in 1937 to preserve its religious traditions. They were Old Believers, Orthodox Christians who adhere to the teachings of the church prior to its reforms in the mid-17th Century.
A local hunter who visits the 69-year-old from time to time, told her about President Medvedev and his attitude towards Siberia. The woman was so impressed that she decided to send him something as a sign of gratitude, said the presidential press service.
The home-made gifts include a blue traditional skew-collared shirt, a birch bark box with a dedication inscribed and a pouch of cedar nuts.
Lykova asked a visiting party who brought supplies for the old woman to deliver the tokens to the Kremlin, which was eventually done.The Lykov family is quite famous in Russia. When they were discovered in their Taiga retreat in 1978 by a prospector, there were five of them. Over the years Agafia’s father Karp, two brothers and a sister died.
Lately, Lykova has been accepting more visitors since her health has deteriorated and she doesn’t have enough strength to maintain her household. Nevertheless, she refuses to see civilization even to obtain treatment in hospital. Local authorities supply her with food, livestock and fuel.
From RIA Novosti, another update on the Siberian taiga hermit Agafya Lykova, 63, whose Old Believer family moved to Siberia in 1937. Their lives are described in the 1992 book Lost in the Taiga: One Russian Family’s Fifty-year Struggle for Survival and Religious Freedom in the Siberian Wilderness, by Vassily Peskov, reviewed here.