Eschatology

the branch of theology that is concerned with such final things as death and Last Judgment; Heaven and Hell; the ultimate destiny of humankind

Source: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=eschatology

Cult

I'm going for a softer version of the word:

In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings ("scriptures"), its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. Cult in this primary sense is literally the "care" (Latin cultus) owed to the god and the shrine. In the specific context of Greek hero cult, Carla Antonaccio has written, "The term cult identifies a pattern of ritual behavior in connection with specific objects, within a framework of spatial and temporal coordinates. Ritual behavior would include (but not necessarily be limited to) prayer, sacrifice, votive offerings, competitions, processions and construction of monuments. Some degree of recurrence in place and repetition over time of ritual action is necessary for cult to be enacted, to be practiced"^[1]
Cult is embodied in ritual and ceremony. Its present or former presence is made concrete in temples, shrines and churches, and cult images (denigrated by Christians as "idols") and votive deposits at votive sites.
By extension, "cult" has come to connote the total cultural aspects of a religion, as they are distinguished from others through change and individualization.
The comparative study of cult practice is part of the disciplines of the anthropology of religion and the sociology of religion, two aspects of comparative religion. In the context of many religious organisations themselves, the study of cultic or liturgical practises is called liturgiology.

From, Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_(religious_practice)

Schlafen

German, "to sleep" or "to lie down for sleep"


http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/schlafen

Wanton

 I am using the word as a synonym for a strong desire.  Sexual desire is a metaphor for the intensity of the urge.

Main Entry:

¹wan·ton

Pronunciation:

\ˈwȯn-t^ən, ˈwän-\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Middle English, from wan- deficient, wrong, mis- (from Old English, from wan deficient) + towen, past participle of teen to draw, train, discipline, from Old English tēon — more at tow

Date:

14th century

1 aarchaic : hard to control : undisciplined , unruly b: playfully mean or cruel : mischievous2 a: lewd , bawdy b: causing sexual excitement : lustful , sensual3 a: merciless , inhumane <wanton cruelty> b: having no just foundation or provocation : malicious wanton attack>4: being without check or limitation: as a: luxuriantly rank <wanton vegetation> b: unduly lavish : extravagant <wanton imagination>

 

Source:

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wanton 

Izba

Izba (изба) is a traditional Russian countryside house, a kind of log house. It was the house of the conventional Russian farmstead ...


Source Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izba
 

Strel'tsy

Military Unit (musketeers). Czar Peter had them hanged. See Wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streltsy

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streltsy

Greatcoat

Dates back to the 15th century, I mention Strel'tsy a couple of lines down in the poem; it is what they would have worn.  As for the beards: Peter the Great demand that the Boyars (muscovite aristocracy) cut their beards and westernize.