Rasputin

RASPUTIN

Grigory Rasputin was born on January 23, 1869. The village of Pokrovskoe, Rasputin's birthplace, is in Western Siberia, not far beyond the Ural Mountains, and about sixteen hundred miles from St. Petersburg, where this unusual peasant would spend much of his time in later years (Moynahan, 16; DeJonge, 6).

Grischa, as he liked to be called, grew up as any ordinary peasant would. He was a sturdy infant. This is what you would have to be growing up in rural Siberia, for every four out of five people would die of diphtheria, cholera, influenza, or other illnesses before they reached their teens (Moynahan, 17).

Rasputin helped around the farm by doing various chores. He helped round up and herd the cattle and also collected kindling in the forests. In free time Grigory would play hide-and-seek with his older brother Mischa. When Grischa was eight and Mischa was ten the boys were swimming in the nearby Toura River, when they drifted out into the languid current. A farmer pulled the boys out, but Mischa developed pneumonia and soon died. (Moynahan, 19, 21).

Grigory became depressed, alternately moodily quiet and hyperactive. The boy wandered among the forest larch and birch or made a pest of himself around the house. He had no friends to take his brother's place, and no stimulations to feed his imagination and intelligence. His mother said that little Grischa became so captivated at staring at the sky that she feared he was "not quite right in the head." (Moynahan, 20-21).

Along with his imagination, Rasputin developed powers. He had a way with horses and became a horse whisperer. His father had a favorite story where his son's gift first was revealed. At the midday meal, Efim Rasputin, Grigory's father, mentioned that one of their horses might have pulled a hamstring. Grischa then went out to the barn, placed his hand on the hamstring, and stood in silence with his eyes closed and head thrown back. When he was done he told the horse: "You're all better." Its lameness had disappeared (Moynahan, 20).

Another incident where Rasputin showed power had to deal with a theft. Grigory did not use his healing powers this time, but instead what you might call clairvoyant power for he was able to pick a horse thief out of a crowd. In the course of an evening gathering in the Rasputin household a villager announced that someone had stolen his horse. The young Rasputin interrupted the discussion and pointed to one of the most prosperous villagers. Such an implausible charge was indignantly dismissed. However, later that night some of the villagers followed the accused to his home and saw him lead the horse in question out of his yard (DeJonge, 18).

Although it seems that Grigory was different from most children, as there is no doubt that he was, he still got into plenty of mischief. There are a few recorded accounts, such as when he tried stealing pieces of his neighbor's fence and of his involvement of horse theft, which was a very heinous crime, of the very same neighbor with two of his friends (DeJonge, 20).

The whole incident of the horse theft turned into a huge scandal and there was talk of sending the three lads away to eastern Siberia. Although only Rasputin's two friends had to go, he felt that the moment had come to spend a little time away from Pokrovskoe. He went to the monastery of Verkhoturye for three months, and on his return he was unrecognizable. No longer the wild young man of the village, he had abandoned tobacco forever and would not touch vodka for many years (DeJonge, 24).

Rasputin was attractive to women, projecting an immediate and unspoken authority over them. At the age of nineteen he met Praskovia Dubrovina. She resisted all his attempts to seduce and made him court her for over six months before she agreed to marry him. In its way the marriage was a great success. Praskovia was a practical-minded women, and Rasputin remained attached to her, in his own fashion, for the remainder of his life. She kept the household going and remained calmly tolerant of his sexual excesses. In due course she gave birth to three children, Dmitri, Maria, and Varvara (DeJonge, 22).

The Czar of Russia, Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra finally gave birth to a boy in 1904 after having four girls. But the joy that greeted this arrival was soon harshly checked, for it was discovered that Alexis had hemophilia. The royal family lived in dread that they would lose their golden boy, and the Czarina exhausted herself between keeping long prayer vigils over her son and praying for a miracle that might save him (Halliday, 67).

This was the situation when Rasputin arrived on the scene, having been introduced to the Czar and his bride by a grand duchess who had heard of his acts of faith healings. Grigory soon showed what he could do for the