Zalmoxianism

Zalmoxianism (Romanian: Zalmoxianism) or Zamolxianism^[1] (Romanian: Zamolxianism) is a Neopagan movement in Romania which promotes the rebuilding of an ethnic religion and spirituality of the Romanians through a process of reconnection to their ancient Dacian and Thracian roots.^[2] The religion takes its name from Zalmoxis or Zamolxe, at the same time the name of the primordial god and the archetype of the enlightened man in Paleo-Balkan mythology. Scholars Bakó and Hubbes (2011) have defined Zalmoxianism, like the other ethnic religious revivals of Europe, as a reconstructionist ethno-paganism.^[3]

Origins

The reconstruction of ancient Dacian and Thracian religion and mythology has been strictly connected with the field of dacology.^[4] Amongst contemporary supporters of Zalmoxianism, the emigrant dacologist Octavian Sărbătoare even proposed to make it the official religion of Romania.^[5]

Academic knowledge of ancient Zalmoxianism

According to Dan Dana, Herodotus "constitutes the singular pertinent ancient source regarding Zalmoxis."^[6] Zoe Petre stated that all theories about Zamolxianism are mere speculations, with Herdotodus being the only author who knew one of its moments.^[7]^[8] Ion Pogorilovschi wrote that the cosmogonic worldview of the Geto-Dacians remains unknown in ancient sources.^[9]

Organisations

The Gebeleizis Society

The "Gebeleizis Society" (Romanian: Societatea Gebeleizis), though far from being the only Zalmoxian group in Romania, has been the most studied formation.^[10] It has 500 members split into 15 branches.^[11] The core values of the organisation are expressed by its motto "One Family, One Nation, One Territory" (Romanian: O Familie, Un Neam, Un Teritoriu);^[12] for the ideas promoted, the Gebeleizis Society has been subject of media scandal, and accused of extremism.^[13]

Zamolxe group

Another group is the Zamolxe, based in Bucharest, whose high priest is Alexandru Mihail. They worship the old Thraco-Dacian pantheon of gods, and claim that the name "Zalmoxis" comes from zamol, meaning "earth".^[14]

Symbol of Zamolxiana New Religious Movement.
Dacian Sacred Fire ceremony at Detunata temple during 2013 in Romania.
The Dacian Sacred Fire at Costesti, Romania, in 2012.

Eastern Pagan Front

The Eastern Pagan Front (Romanian: Frontul Păgân de Răsărit), is a Romanian Zalmoxian group based in Bucharest, whose purpose consists "in the investigation, research and recovery of old traditions, of authentic Thracian-Dacian values, their knowledge and the raising of new generations of ethnic Romanians in the spirit of Zalmoxianism".

The group largely operated on Telegram, often posting paragraphs, photos, and more with an anti-Christian sentiment and a pro-Pagan perspective. They were at times recognized as a National-Socialist group, known for its pro-folkish outlook on Paganism.

As of late 2025, the group is no longer operational on the internet, with its Telegram and YouTube channels having been deleted by the group's owners. Despite the group no longer being active on the internet as a whole, it continues to maintain a physical presence and an archive of some of its posts in a founder's own Telegram channel. The group was mentioned by the Elie Wiesel National Institute for Studying the Holocaust in Romania in its "report of monitorization of Anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial in the electoral year 2024-2025".

References

↑ Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, pp. 139-140
↑ Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 129
↑ Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 131
↑ Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 137
↑ Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 140
↑ Henț, Alin (1 December 2025). "How We Write the (Dacian) Past? Late Iron Age Archaeology in Post-Communist Romania". Studia Universitatis Cibiniensis. Series Historica. 22 (1): 9–25. doi:10.2478/sucsh-2025-0001. ISSN 1584-3165. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
↑ "în Prefață de Zoe Petre la volumul lui Dan Dana: Zalmoxis de la Herodot la Mircea Eliade, Editura Polirom, 2008, p. 9" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-17.
↑ Dana, Dana (2016) [2008]. Zalmoxis de la Herodot la Mircea Eliade: Istorii despre un zeu al pretextului. Historia (in Romanian). Polirom. p. 9. ISBN 978-973-46-2599-4. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
↑ Pogorilovschi, Ion Introducere în sapiența zamolxiană Archived 2015-02-11 at the Wayback Machine, 84 p., în: Studii de istorie a filosofiei românești II, Editura Academiei Române, București, 2007, p. 21.
↑ Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 136
↑ Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 149: quoting Margareta Lupu
↑ Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 143
↑ Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 142
↑ Maras Loks: Zamolxe Archived 2016-03-14 at the Wayback Machine

Bibliography

László-Attila Hubbes. Romanian Ethno-Paganism: Discourses of Nationalistic Religion in Virtual Space. In Native Faith and Neo-Pagan Movements in Central and Eastern Europe. Kaarina Aitamurto, Scott Simpson. Acumen Publishing, 2013. ISBN 1844656624
Rozália Klára Bakó, László-Attila Hubbes. Religious Minorities' Web Rhetoric: Romanian and Hungarian Ethno-Pagan Organizations. Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, vol. 10, issue 30, Winter 2011: 127–158. ISSN 1583-0039

External links

Societatea Gebeleizis ("Gebeleizis Association")
Spiritualitate Daco-Românească ("Daco-Romanian Spirituality")
Octavian Sarbatoare. The Foundations of Zamolxiana New Religious Movement, 2014. ISBN 9780992446819

[1] Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, pp. 139-140

[2] Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 129

[3] Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 131

[4] Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 137

[5] Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 140

[e848-6] Henț, Alin (1 December 2025). "How We Write the (Dacian) Past? Late Iron Age Archaeology in Post-Communist Romania". Studia Universitatis Cibiniensis. Series Historica. 22 (1): 9–25. doi:10.2478/sucsh-2025-0001. ISSN 1584-3165. Retrieved 26 August 2026.

[7] "în Prefață de Zoe Petre la volumul lui Dan Dana: Zalmoxis de la Herodot la Mircea Eliade, Editura Polirom, 2008, p. 9" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-25. Retrieved 2020-12-17.

[Dana_2016_p._8-8] Dana, Dana (2016) [2008]. Zalmoxis de la Herodot la Mircea Eliade: Istorii despre un zeu al pretextului. Historia (in Romanian). Polirom. p. 9. ISBN 978-973-46-2599-4. Retrieved 17 December 2020.

[9] Pogorilovschi, Ion Introducere în sapiența zamolxiană Archived 2015-02-11 at the Wayback Machine, 84 p., în: Studii de istorie a filosofiei românești II, Editura Academiei Române, București, 2007, p. 21.

[10] Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 136

[11] Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 149: quoting Margareta Lupu

[12] Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 143

[13] Bakó-Hubbes, 2011, p. 142

[14] Maras Loks: Zamolxe Archived 2016-03-14 at the Wayback Machine

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v t e Principal religions of Romania
State-recognised	Armenian Apostolic Church Baptist Union of Romania Convention of the Hungarian Baptist Churches Christian Evangelical Church Evangelical Church Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession Evangelical Lutheran Church Islam Jehovah's Witnesses Association of Romania Judaism Lipovan Orthodox Old-Rite Church Pentecostal Union of Romania Reformed Church Roman Catholic Church Armenian Catholic Vicariate Romanian Greek Catholic Church Romanian Orthodox Church Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate Army of the Lord Romanian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Serbian Orthodox Church Diocese of Timișoara Unitarian Church of Transylvania	Main religions in the localities (2002)
Semi-recognised (as a religious association, but not a denomination)	Assemblies of God Baháʼí Faith Harvest Nazarene New Apostolic Church Old Calendar Orthodox Church Pentecostal Church of God Renovatio Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement
Not state-recognised	Anglicanism Hinduism Inochentism Mormonism Zalmoxianism
Others	Irreligion in Romania