Zorian Dołęga-Chodakowski

Zorian Dołęga-Chodakowski (4 June 1784 – 17 November 1825), born Adam Czarnocki, was a Polish ethnographer and archaeologist. A Slavophile, he became known for his ethnographic field research and theories about the ancient Slavs, which did not convince academics but have influenced Polish cultural life. For much of his adult life he travelled the countryside without any money, collecting folk songs and other material.

Chodakowski established several themes that became prominent in Polish Romanticism, notably a duality between native Slavic culture and imported Latin culture. His lifestyle as a homeless traveller inspired legends and he appears as a character in literary works from the 19th century. Chodakowski argued publicly that Christianisation of the Slavs had been a mistake and privately described himself as a pagan. He is recognised as a pioneer of Polish Native Faith.