There are a great many mythological characters. In the life of ancient peoples, there were always animals, birds or people who possessed different magical abilities. They could help a person in his life or, on the contrary, harm if he did something wrong. With the help of myths, natural phenomena and events that happened to people were explained.
In ancient times, a person could not imagine his life without mythical creatures. They created the rules by which people lived. Violation of the laws could lead to death, and the right actions gave a person a chance for well-being.
What is a bestiary
A medieval collection of allegorical stories about animals, which described species not only in prose, but also in verse, was called a bestiary. Translated from Latin, the word bestia means a beast. Among ordinary animals, descriptions of mythological creatures are often found in collections. Therefore, a bestiary is any collection that tells about mythical creatures. The myths of the Russian people are filled with various magical creatures that are represented in the form of birds, animals and people.
Mythical birds
In the mythology of different countries, there are a large number of unusual birds. Among them, three of the most famous can be distinguished:
- Alkonost;
- Gamayun;
- Sirin.
Alkonost and Sirin
These two birds are commonly referred to together. There are major differences between the two. Alkonost is considered a good messenger. She brings joy to people. Although this bird belongs to Slavic mythology, its progenitor comes from Ancient Greece. A woman named Alcyone, having learned about the death of her beloved husband, threw herself into the depths of the sea. The gods of Olympus turned her into a bird for this act. The name of Alcyone from the Greek language can be translated as kingfisher.
Alkonost is depicted as a maiden with breasts, arms and variegated feathers. She is wearing light clothes, and in her hands is a scroll from paradise and a flower. There is an adornment in the form of a golden crown on the head. Her claws on the left paw are of silver, and on the right of gold. The bird's habitat is Iriy (Rule), which in Slavic mythology is considered paradise.
Sirin, unlike Alkonost, brings sorrow to people and protects the world of the dead - Nav. Its origin originates from the ancient Greek mythical birds of the sirens, who, with their songs, lured and killed sailors.
In contrast to Alkonost, the Sirin bird is depicted with dark feathers, black hair and silver claws on both paws. Her main weapon is her bewitching voice. According to legends, with its songs, a bird could bring a person to suicide. But at the same time, she possessed the gift of prophecy. Sirin cannot stand the noise, therefore, when people heard her singing, they began to rattle with weapons and frighten the bird with bell ringing.
According to legend, Alkonost and Sirin arrive in Prav for an apple rescue. Sirin flies first, she flies around the heavenly apple trees, mourning the dead and living in lies. Then Alkonost flies by. Singing joyfully, she irrigates the trees of the Garden of Eden with dew from her wings, symbolizing the constant renewal of nature.
Gamayun
Bird from Slavic mythology. She brings people happiness and prosperity. The name of the bird comes from the Iranian word humay, which means good or kind. The bird Gamayun belongs to the world of Reveal and is considered the messenger of the god Veles. Flying over the world, the bird exudes a delicate aroma, and in its presence it is impossible to lie.
The bird's appearance is similar to Alkonost and Sirin. She has a woman's face and breasts. The hair of the bird Gamayun is fiery. The plumage consists of three colors: gold, black and yellow. It is believed that her singing is able to endow people with intelligence and allows you to solve any problems. Bird Gamayun controls the winds and is able to calm the storm.
Patrons of the house
Home patrons were especially revered in Russian families. In some villages, there is still a belief in the brownie and the bannik.
Brownie
Old Slavic mythological creature that personifies the spirit of the home, the guardian of the family living in the house. A deceased ancestor was considered a brownie, but in Christianity he is mistaken for a demon. In ancient times, the domovoy was treated with special respect. They gave him various names: master, breadwinner, grandfather-brother, etc. Such a different attitude is due to the behavior of the brownie. On the one hand, this is a kind defender, but if you offend him, he will begin to take revenge on the offender. For example, he may start choking people at night, make a mess, chase a cat around the house, or entangle a horse's mane.
It is impossible to describe the exact image of the brownie. He was often represented as an old man overgrown with red hair and a long beard. And the richer the house was, the more shaggy the brownie was. In a poor house, he was completely naked. The brownie usually hides from people, and his favorite habitats are a baked space, a cozy attic or a clean underground floor. The brownie can also move around other outbuildings, for example, be in a barn, in a hayloft or in a stable.
Bannik
Another interesting creature from Russian mythology. If a brownie is watching the house, then the bathhouse is considered the owner of the bathhouse. Sometimes a female image acts in his role - a rip-off. The Russian people treated the bathhouse as an unclean place. Despite the fact that they not only washed in the baths, but were treated and gave birth to children, people called it an unconsecrated place where evil spirits could dwell. Bannik was very much afraid and described in different ways. He could be in the form of a huge black man with a fiery gaze or a tiny old man with a long white beard.
Old people said that in the bathhouse you need to behave correctly, then the bathhouse will not harm. It was impossible to wash and heat the bathhouse on holidays. It was forbidden to sleep in the bath after soaring or go to wash alone after the third steam. Coming to the bathhouse, you had to ask permission from the bathhouse, and when leaving, leave him water and soap. The owner of the bath had magical things: an invisible hat and an irredeemable ruble. People have always tried to steal these magical items, coming up with different ways to cheat the bannik. For example, they tried to slip him a swaddled black cat, which was brought instead of a child, in exchange for wonderful things.
Mythical creatures of forests, fields and rivers
According to the beliefs of ancient people, any place had its patron. Leshy guarded the forest, the watermaker ruled over rivers and lakes, meadows ruled everything in the fields.
Goblin
For ancient people, the forest was a particular danger. It was believed that it was in the forests that the greatest accumulation of evil spirits was. The attitude to the goblin was, as well as to the domovoi, different. On the one hand, he defended a person in a dangerous territory for him, for example, he helped to pick mushrooms and berries. On the other hand, if you misbehaved, you could punish. Knock off the road or frighten with roars, laughter and crackling.
The appearance of the goblin has always been associated with the forest and trees. He looked like a man, but there were always otherworldly motives in his costume. For example, he could be overgrown with bark or wearing a copper cap. The clothes could be wrapped on the wrong side, and the bast shoes on the legs were confused (on the right leg there is the left bast shoe and vice versa). The habitat of the goblin is driftwood, twisted roots of trees or abandoned forest huts.
Mermaid or Wrong Death
Ancient people were attentive to how a person leaves this world. If death was natural as a result of aging of the organism, then such a person fell into another world. You can remember him and ask for help in difficult matters. A completely different attitude was towards those who died wrong. For example, he did not create a family, did not give birth to children, or died as a result of an accident. Such dead people were feared and believed that meeting with them would bring death. This is how myths about mermaids and ghouls appeared.
Who is a mermaid
A mythical creature in the form of a man. Dead girls were considered mermaids, often from a violent death. Among popular beliefs, not only a girl, but also a man or a deceased unbaptized child could become a mermaid. The origin of the name is not fully understood, but now it is believed that it comes from the ancient holiday rosalia. This holiday was dedicated to the souls of dead people. In Russia, mermaids are called differently, depending on the place. In the north, they are called jokes, in the south, swimmers or scraps (from the Ukrainian word to scrape - to tickle).
The mermaid's appearance is the image of a long-haired and beautiful girl. The color of mermaid hair, usually white or green. The mermaid's skin is pale and translucent, cold hands and dead eyes. The meeting of a man with a mermaid foreshadowed his death. Mermaids tried to tickle their prey to death. Bread served as a talisman against mermaids.
Serpent Gorynych and Lernean hydra
The most famous negative character in Russian fairy tales, represented in the form of a three-headed dragon, is the Serpent Gorynych. His middle name speaks of the place of residence. The serpent lived on a rock in the sea-ocean. According to another version, he is the guard of the Kalinov Bridge, which is thrown across the Smorodina River. The bridge and the river is the border between the worlds of the living and the dead. Another version of the nickname Gorynych comes from the word burn.
In fairy tales, the Serpent Gorynych steals the cutest girls, for whom Russian heroes fight with him. It was possible to kill the fabulous three-headed snake only by chopping off all the heads at the same time. According to the Slavic myths, the snake is associated with the raid of enemy tribes, war and evil. The task of the Serpent Gorynych was to incinerate the villages, capture prisoners and extort tribute from the people.
The description of the Russian Serpent Gorynych is very similar to the Lernaean hydra, which Hercules was able to overcome. She had seven heads, and they were restored in place of the severed ones. Hydra, like the Serpent, was able to spew fire. The victory of Hercules over the hydra took place in the same way as among the Russian heroes in the battle with the serpent. He chopped off all her heads.
