Brief information about weasel. Interesting facts about weasel: photo and description of the animal

The smallest fluffy predatory animal is weasel. Possessing a completely calm appearance and a kind look, it also has aggressive qualities. It is a mouse hunter, from where it got its name in translation from Latin.

Hand weasel

Long gone are the days when a person kept familiar pets, such as cats and dogs, at home. Weasel animal, the description of which can be found in almost any special sources, is not tame in nature. But the growing interest in everything new and unusual makes people acquire various exotic animals and tame them. Almost any representatives of the animal world are successfully kept at home by many exotic lovers, as this is currently at the peak of popularity. If you start taming living creatures from infancy, then such a predator as weasel will become your favorite pet. An animal at home shows very friendly feelings towards a person. It willingly sleeps with the owner in the same bed, hardly parted even for a short period of time with him and actively plays with other pets. A tamed weasel can live up to 7 years, while in the wild, due to constant danger, it lives only about a year.

Appearance of weasel

By their own external characteristics the weasel is very similar to the ermine, has an elongated and very flexible body. The size of the weasel animal in length varies between 18-28 centimeters, including the tail. The length of the latter does not exceed 9 centimeters. The weight of an adult can range from 40-115 grams.

The weasel's coat is short, close-lying and silky. The length of the hairline is approximately 1 centimeter.

Depending on seasonality, weasel fur tends to change its color. The picture below shows a snow-white weasel (animal). The photo was taken in winter time of the year. Here the animal has a completely white color.

At other times of the year, its color changes to brownish-brown. Only the color of the lower part of the body remains unchanged - a limited number of predators have this unique feature, one of which is the weasel (animal). The photo shows that the paws on the inside, the abdominal region, chest and throat remain white, and the rest of the skin has a brown tint.

Weasel habits

Animal weasel sufficient dexterous and agile, distinguished by courage and audacity. For the purpose of hunting rodents, it adapts to almost any conditions of existence, overcomes water bodies without any difficulties, deftly penetrates into various holes and crevices. It shows the greatest vital activity during twilight and at night, but during the day it does not lead a calm life, staying most time on the move, exploring your own territory for tasty prey. Prefers to be in an artificially protected space than in an open area. During the coming danger, the animal weasel will stubbornly defend its nesting site, while risking own life. In case of urgent need, it transfers its cubs to a safe place, and when attacked, it is able to gnaw through the throat of even a larger predator.

How to feed affection at home

Living in nature, weasels literally hunt their food, that is, they do not just get it among the wooded and desert riches, but chase it. In order to provide themselves with food, they catch various mouse-like rodents, frogs, therefore domestic weasels are animals that need to be provided with the most similar diet to the one they live in the wild. Also in the menu of the animal in natural conditions there is poultry meat - larks, chickens, pigeons, as well as various seafood that are thrown ashore by the surf, for example, small fish. Weasel needs such portions so that she can get enough at one meal. On average, the food of the animal per day is approximately 30-40 grams. In addition to animal products, the weasel can be fed a special dry vitamin food that ferrets eat. It can be purchased at any pet store.

Conditions for home care

The domesticated weasel does not differ much in the way it is kept at home from other animals. Her constant presence in the apartment space can aggravate her state of health and change her behavior not in better side. That is why the best option would be to create the most similar living conditions in the house with the conditions that she needs due to her natural nature. During walks of affection through the home space, it is necessary to close all doors and windows through which she can escape into the street. If the animal runs away, there is a high probability of losing it forever.

house for affection

In order for the weasel animal to feel free and comfortable, in no case should its freedom be limited in the owner's living space. But at the same time, he should have his own separate house - a cage. It is quite easy to equip a caress cage, it needs to be equipped with various snags so that it can climb on them, cover the bottom with straw, build various shelves in it, put a drinking bowl with clean water and of course a litter box. The bars of the cage for affection should be frequent so that she does not have the opportunity to escape from there. The constant maintenance of caress in a cage is not recommended, from such imprisonment the animal can become aggressive.

Weasel Care

Weasel is a completely independent animal, so caring for it will not be difficult. Mandatory conditions are:

Regular feeding and a varied diet.
Walking on fresh air and in an apartment outside the cell.
Periodic consultations with the veterinarian on the state of health of the animal.

If the pet weasel gets dirty while walking on the street or turns over a bowl with some contents on itself at home, you can bathe it. To do this, you need to create a reservoir condition, for example, simply draw water into a bath. Weasel willingly swims, and at the same time cleans its fur from unnecessary elements. During seasonal molt the carpets and furniture in the house need to be vacuumed and cleaned more often. But combing the fur of the animal is not at all necessary, but with a special desire, you can remove the falling hairs from the fur of the caress with wet hands with light massage movements. If the veterinarian detects any deviations in the health of the weasel, immediate action is required to recover it. It is necessary to follow the recommendations of a specialist, and everything you need can be purchased at a special veterinary pharmacy or pet store.

In appearance, weasel is a beautiful, cute animal that has a tough temper. The animal settled in North America, Korea, on the lands of Iraq, Iran and Mongolia. This animal can be found even in Egypt, Australia, Europe, as well as in Algeria and Japan. The habitat is very diverse. The animal can live in forests, fields, desert, tundra, as well as in areas where a person lives. People like the animal for its cute appearance and small size. Looking at this lovely animal, it is hard to think that it keeps even animals that are larger than it in fear. But in fact, weasel is a sophisticated predator.

Why does the animal have such a cute name?

From Latin, the word caress is translated as "snow". Indeed, in winter the animal changes its fur coat to white which makes him look even cuter. But besides an affectionate name and a charming appearance, there is nothing touching in this bloodthirsty animal.

Who is this kindness?

She is confused with the marten, but these are completely different animals belonging to the same species. Weasel is just a small representative of the weasel family.

Exists several subspecies of this animal:

The body of the weasel does not exceed 22 cm. There are sharp claws on the small paws. The neck of such a miniature animal is strong, long, but at the same time the head and muzzle are narrow and small. The ears of the weasel are also small, but the eyes of the animal are large and dark. Weasel has a long tail, under which there are glands that emit a very pungent odor that scares away predators. The weight of an adult male is no more than 250 grams, and females are even less! But despite its size, it is a skillful and sophisticated predator.

The fur of this animal is very beautiful, although the fur coat is not as fluffy as that of other mustelid representatives. Its color depends on the season, because weasel is a molting beast. In winter, she changes the color of her fur coat to white, but in summer period it becomes brownish brown.

The nature of the predator

The animal leads a solitary lifestyle. It separates its territory with smells, and this is about 10 hectares, on which a predator then lives and hunts. Such an animal hunts in secluded places, mainly at night. Although this is a very active animal that can stay awake at any time of the day. A small bold beast is very agile. He can run, swim and climb fast. It eats mostly mice, but will not disdain everything that it can catch. Sometimes she manages to grab prey several times larger than herself. Weasel also makes holes in the eggs and drinks the contents. Happens makes stocks of field mice, storing them in their hole.

The animal does not like to build a home for itself, therefore it captures territories belonging to others. Basically, these are other people's holes or empty cracks. The animal finds for itself several dwellings in the territory chosen by it. But despite this, weasels often die. Individuals can become infected with various infectious diseases or just die from paws big predators. In a safe environment, weasels can live up to 5 years, but in natural conditions, life expectancy averages 9-10 months.

Does the animal have enemies?

As we have already said, weasels often die from predatory animals that are much larger than this pretty animal. Meeting with them threatens death.

Among the enemies of affection the following predators can be noted:

The animal also has enemies among birds which include birds of prey:

owl;
owl;
hawk;
white-tailed eagle;
golden eagle.

How do animals reproduce?

In March, representatives of this species begin mating season. Males scream loudly, making a variety of sounds, and get tired of fighting over females. Since male weasels are polygamous, they can mate with several individuals of the opposite sex.

After the female becomes pregnant, she remains alone. The male leaves her and lives independently. The period of bearing cubs lasts up to 35 days. At this time, the female prepares a cozy home for her future babies, which is lined with grass and moss. After 35 days, weasels are born tiny blind puppies, weighing about 2 grams.

There can be up to 8 puppies in a litter. While the cubs are blind, and this period lasts three weeks, they drink their mother's milk, but after this period, the weasel brings them a little mouse, thereby accustoming them to other food. Then the kids begin to learn to play. They fight, fight for their first "prey". 4 months after birth, little weasels leave their mother. When they are about to leave the nest, they follow their mother everywhere. Together with her, they explore the area and at the same time go further and further. The reflex of following the mother becomes weaker, and then the grown-up children begin to live independently.

Relationship with a person

Previously, weasels were hunted by harvesting skins. Also, in some nations there was a superstition, because of which people were friendly towards affection, and she, for their kindness, seemed to bring happiness to the house. Others believed that she did not bring anything good and avoided the animal.

Now prejudices have evaporated, as well as the hunting significance of caresses. She ceased to be an object of extraction of valuable fur. But in large quantities, weasel exterminates mice than benefits people. But getting into a human dwelling, she will not leave without prey, and she will definitely steal something or climb into the chicken coop. Although due to the extermination of rodents, people are ready to forgive her a lot. It has also become popular to keep this mammal at home.

Weasel in your home

With its cute muzzle, the animal wins the hearts of marten lovers. These people tend to have such a pet. Of course, for humans, this type of mammal poses no danger.

If you want to get yourself such a cute predator and become his friend, then you should know that it is easiest to tame a baby. However, they will require care. There are difficulties with feeding the weasel cub, which is why they usually catch an adult individual and tame it gradually. Get ready for the fact that the caress will not accept your idea with enthusiasm, and you will be bitten more than once. Care and care will do their job: if you are ready to devote time to a future friend, then weasel can become a faithful pet.

It is difficult to answer the question about the acquisition of an animal. These beasts you will not find in a regular pet store, so it is very difficult to find a weasel on sale. Most likely, you will have to catch it yourself or find a special person for this.

What does kindness look like

There are many animals that fit the name "living mercury". Long, nimble, incredibly mobile, and even covered with silky fur - these animals often cause a desire to get to know each other better. Among the marten there is a representative named weasel. Let's look at the photo, how it looks, find out where it lives, why it is called that and whether it is possible to enjoy communication with a fluffy cheat at home.

Portrait of a predator on the background of nature

There is no one smaller than weasel in the Predatory squad. Males can grow up to 26 cm in length and gain weight up to 250 g. The body of the animal is elongated, and the legs are disproportionately short, like a dachshund. However, in dexterity it surpasses not only the dachshund, but even the cat. Rapidly moving in short jumps, the predator easily and often changes direction. Not even a lizard can get away from it.

For full description type should be added:

in summer short brown fur on the head and back, dazzling white on the throat, breast and belly;
winter fur is thicker and completely white;
elongated head;
short rounded ears;
anal glands with strong-smelling secretions.

Weasels are sometimes confused with stoats. They do look alike, but the stoat has a black tassel on its tail, the same one that makes the lining of the royal robe look like it is streaked.

Attention! Wild weasels can carry rabies - do not come into contact with them.

Legendary and elusive

Weasels live throughout Europe, Russia, Canada, in the northern states of the United States and a little bit in Africa - not far from the Strait of Gibraltar. It does not belong to rare animals, but it is difficult to meet and even more so to catch it. Incredibly nimble, she will climb into any narrow gap, hole, under a snag, go over stones, windfall and deadwood.

The predator feeds on any animals comparable in size: mice, voles, shrews, rats, snakes, frogs, and if it doesn’t find anything like that, then insects. The animal is attracted to subsidiary farms, where he can eat a chicken or a rabbit.

Weasel loves to hunt in the stables: there are many mouse nests in the hay and bedding. In the old days, in the mornings, peasants often found their horses lathered, tired, with tangled manes - they seemed to be riding all night. They thought that this "stable neighbor" was playing a trick, riding a horse, it turned out - a weasel. The predator easily jumps on the horse's back to feast on grains of salt in place of dried sweat. At the same time, sometimes it bites through the withers and licks drops of blood.

Why is this aggressive quirky animal called weasel? The ancient Slavs revered him as the patron of the house - secretive, but does not leave housing. Many peoples have a legend according to which a kind daughter-in-law, undeservedly cursed by her mother-in-law, turned into a caress.

Caress in the house: comfort or disaster

IN Ancient Rome appreciated the ability of the predator to exterminate mice and welcomed him in the houses. But very soon the ruthless rodent fighters were replaced by more docile ones. Unlike the Romans, modern lovers of not quite familiar pets give birth to affection in order to enjoy her indomitable energy.

The condition under which the animal can become a cute pet is taming it “from an early age”. Taken into the house from two months and older, the weasel will remain wild, aggressive, unpredictable, will bite and run away sooner or later.

For a guest you will need a large cage, preferably a high aviary with a floor area of at least square meter. The floor of the enclosure is covered with straw or hay. Placed inside:

a cat tray with wood filler (there is a chance that the pet will learn how to use it);
stable feeder and nipple drinker;

wooden house for shelter;
shelves and driftwood for climbing.

Attention! Weasel will crawl anywhere, so the bars of the aviary should be quite frequent.

The weasel diet includes meat, poultry, fish, eggs - everything that the animal obtains in nature. Ready-made food for cats and dogs is categorically not suitable, as are goodies from the table.

Weasel bathes with pleasure in the bath, takes care of the hair herself. Sheds in spring and autumn, changing from bicolor to white and vice versa. At this time, the animal can be stroked with a damp hand to remove the hairs that have come out.

Nimble and fearless, completely unkind, in nature this predator devotes all her time to hunting. Diligently exterminating breeding rodents, it has been helping other animals maintain balance in food chains for millions of years.

Pet weasel: video

Weasel belongs to the weasel family. It lives in Europe, including the Scandinavian Peninsula, Siberia, Mongolia, northeastern regions of China, the Far East, Japan, North America up to Alaska. The animal lives in both mountainous and lowland areas, is found in forests and fields. It can settle in hollows of trees, under stones, in burrows, in outbuildings of people. This type considered the smallest predator in the carnivore order.

The body of the animal is thin, elongated and extremely flexible. The eyes are large and protruding. The limbs are short. The tail in length reaches 30% of the body length. At its base there are glands that secrete a sharp and bad smell. Paws from below are covered with hair and have dark sharp claws. The fur is thick, dense and short. In animals living in the northern regions, it is soft and silky. But their southern counterparts are rougher.

The color of the fur in summer varies from dark chocolate to sandy. Throat, chest and belly white color. The paws on the inside have the same color. IN winter period fur color changes to white. In rare cases, it is slightly diluted with dark hairs. The size of the animals varies depending on the regions of habitat. Males are noticeably larger than females. The length of males is 13-26 cm. Females reach a length of 11-20 cm. The weight of males reaches a maximum of 250 grams, in females it does not exceed 120 grams.

Reproduction and lifespan

Pregnancy lasts 35-37 days. Cubs are born in April-July. There are an average of 6 newborns in a litter. They are naked, blind and deaf. Already on the 4th day they are overgrown with fluffy white wool. The lactation period lasts 3 weeks. Only the female takes care of the offspring. At the 3rd month, babies become independent. Sexual maturity occurs at the age of 4 months. But males begin to mate only in the 2nd year of life. IN wild nature weasel lives no more than 9 years. There is an opinion that the maximum life expectancy is 30 years.

Behavior and nutrition

These animals are territorial. The territory of the male is adjacent to several territories of the females. Representatives of the species do not dig their holes. They usually nest in mole burrows. They make chambers for rest, the birth of offspring and the storage of food supplies. The animal is agile, fast and courageous. He is a great tree climber, swims and runs well. Moves on the ground by jumping. The length of the jump reaches 35 cm.

For small rodents, weasels pose a serious threat. These are moles, mice, rabbits, hamsters. Representatives of the species attack birds, frogs, snakes, and lizards. The diet also includes insects. Hunting is carried out both during the day and at night. Medium daily rate food is 35 grams. Exterminating rodents, the animal brings undoubted benefits to people. At the same time, he likes to visit chicken coops, which the owners do not like. But, in any case, the benefits of this type are greater than the harm.

Weasel - a little brave robber

Weasel, or common weasel(from lat. Mustela nivalis) - predatory mammal mustelidae family, species of the genus weasel and ferret (Mustela). In the CIS, 8 subspecies of the common weasel are distinguished:

Northern weasel Mustela nivalis nivalis - lives in the northern and middle parts of Eastern Europe, in the steppes Western Siberia and from southern Siberia to the Pacific Ocean.

Southern weasel M. n. vulgaris is common in Western Europe and in the southern part former USSR, with the exception of Crimea.

Crimean weasel M. n. nikolskii inhabits the Crimea and adjacent parts of Ukraine.

Greater Caucasian weasel M. n. dinniki and the Lesser Caucasian Weasel M. n. caucasica are characteristic of the Caucasus and Transcaucasia.

Turkestan weasel M. n. pallida lives in the mountains Central Asia, in the Tien Shan, Pamir and Kopet-Dag.

Siberian (tundra) weasel M. n. pygmaea - inhabits Far East Russia. She is very small in size with a short tail. The summer fur on the back is pale brownish, with a dull rusty tint.

From Latin weasel is translated as "snowy". It comes from the Slavic laska "love, affection". Akin to bald - "affectionate, flattering, greedy, greedy for goodies." Further here lat. Lasc-vus - “frisky, playful; unbridled, voluptuous."

It lives on all continents of the Northern Hemisphere. Range Europe, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Asia Minor, northern Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Mongolia, China, Korean Peninsula, Japan, North America, Australia. Lives in fields and forests, in mountainous and low-lying areas, not avoiding populated areas. Settles under stones, in hollows, ruins, burrows, barns.

Weasel is the smallest representative of the order of carnivores. Body length 10-25 cm, tail about 5 cm. Weasel weighs 50-100 grams. The weasel's body is thin, flexible, elongated, with very short legs armed with sharp claws. On a long powerful neck, an oblong narrow head, with small rounded ears. The weasel has a pretty, blunted muzzle, a sharp mustachioed nose at the end of a blunt and slightly forked, eyes shining like beads. The tail is short, at the base there are musky glands that emit an unpleasant odor. The structure of a long, flexible body and the color of the fur are very similar to the ermine, but it differs in small sizes and a shorter one-color tail; it does not have a black tassel on the tail.

The weasel's fur is short and tight. The density of fur in summer and winter is the same, but summer wool is shorter and thinner than winter. Summer weasel fur from dark brown to baked milk color. Throat, chest, belly, edge of upper lip and inner surface paws - pure white. Behind the corners of the mouth - a sharp border of dark spots. In autumn, in cold areas, the weasel changes its summer brown outfit for snow-white winter fur, only the eyes and nose remain black. Only in southern regions habitats, where there is very little snow, the animal does not change the color of the coat.

Weasel fur, unlike many other mustelids, has no industrial and hunting value, so it is not currently hunted. Weasels only accidentally fall into traps or traps when catching other animals - ermines, polecats, minks, moles. Earlier, in post-war period In the 20th century, the weasel was considered a valuable fur-bearing animal, from 3 to 20 thousand weasel skins were harvested every year.

Weasel is very agile and agile, runs fast, climbs and swims well, is distinguished by great courage and bloodthirstiness and is a dangerous enemy for all small animals. The ability to crawl through the narrowest gaps and holes is its main strength.

Weasel is an unusual pet

To date, affectionate relationships with people are quite complicated. On the one hand, she is disliked for her tendency to brazen robberies and robberies, on the other hand, she is respected for her ability to quickly exterminate rodents. It is curious that if she settles next to a person, she never harms her immediate "owner". But all the neighbors in the district suffer from her daring tricks. However, if the poultry houses are sufficiently well protected (they do not have cracks, manholes or windows), then the weasel switches to house mice and rats, which helps the locals a lot.

They escort the weasel from the farm plot, starting a goat or a goat in the barnyard. Like any underground animal, the weasel is sensitive to earthquakes. Therefore, it is enough to install a pair of windmills that transmit vibrations through the pole to the ground. Along the way, such a device will protect the site from moles, shrews, the same rats and mice. In summer, you can also stick mole repellers and all kinds of vibrators into the ground.

Weasel is a very aggressive animal, known for its bloodthirstiness and daring robberies in human households. It is interesting that nature has endowed a tiny and cute animal with such courage. Despite small size, weasel has earned the fame of a robber. The weasel has many enemies: wolves, foxes, badgers, raccoon dogs, hawks, golden eagles, owls and eagle owls - they all dream of eating a nimble animal. However, the agile and toothy beauty does not give up without a fight: she is able to gnaw through the throat of the offender, deftly twisting out of his paws at the last second.

When meeting a person, the weasel is absolutely not afraid, but rather takes an aggressive stance. If you approach her, she, without hesitation, will rush to the attack. More than once, weasel itself attacked a person, and it is not so easy to get rid of the sharp teeth of this small animal. It seems that the weasel holds the record for hooligan antics among animals. In a word, weasel is a real robber who attacks everyone he meets.

Weasels are quite easy to tame, especially in early age. Unfortunately, most of them die in captivity. But there are times when weasels live for 4-6 years. Hand weasels, unlike their wild relatives, fully justify their name. They are very curious, affectionate and faithful friends. They sleep with people, play with cats and dogs, and some of them never leave their owner's side. One Englishman was even forced to take a weasel with him to work, since, you see, she did not want to be left alone. Here she is such a sweet, cunning, kind and very cute little animal, quite corresponding to her name.

In ancient Rome and early medieval Europe, the weasel was a pet because it hunted mice. Weasel is very agile and agile, runs fast, climbs trees and swims well, is distinguished by great courage and aggressiveness, is a dangerous enemy for all small animals. Weasel in huge quantities, up to 2-3 thousand per year, exterminates mouse-like rodents, thereby bringing great benefits to nature and man. However, due to the poor tameness of the weasel and, to a greater extent, with the appearance in Europe of the gray rat, which was difficult for the weasel to cope with, other animals replaced it as a protector of stocks in this role - ferrets (ferret), cats and genets.

Weasel is an amazing affectionate animal

In the old days, a lot of superstitions and prejudices were associated with affection. In some places, it was believed that she brings happiness to the house, while in others she was treated very badly. Among many Slavic and other peoples, weasel is revered as the guardian of the house:

“A weasel lives in every house. She loves animals very much, and it is because of them that she comes to the house. She braids the manes of horses, runs on the backs of cows. However, if he dislikes the animal, he will tickle.

“Weasel, dove, or lax is a mythical beast, house. In the old days, they believed that weasel is the same brownie who, in addition to everything else, takes care of cattle.

Also in Sicily, they ask the weasel living in the neighborhood not to choke the chickens: “Dove, dove, do not touch the hens, and I will marry you as soon as I have the opportunity. If you are a woman, I will give you a king's son; if you are a peasant, I will give you a king's daughter."

Among many Slavic and other peoples, weasel enjoys great reverence as the guardian of the house. Montenegrins, in order to lure affection, bring a nest with her cubs into the house. In Bosnia, it is believed that if the weasel leaves the house in which she lived for many years, this means misfortune for the house.

According to some beliefs, the soul of the hostess is embodied in caress, the soul of the owner is embodied in the snake. Therefore, no one can kill them. Among the Slavs of the Zilskaya Valley, they are most afraid of killing the white weasel. For Estonians, caress is a sign of happiness. "Each farm has its own caress." Among the many beliefs about affection, there are those in which it helps a person become rich. The Poles of the old Sącz believe that if you call “lady weasel” several times, she will appear, caress the person and show the treasure. The Greeks believe that as a reward for a good attitude towards her, weasel finds enchanted money and transfers it to the house. There is a belief among Polish Jews that the one on whose bed the caress ends up will be rich.

Weasel is the patroness of cattle, especially horses. In eastern Polissya, there is a custom to go with a consecrated Thursday candle to the barn on Pure Thursday to see the weasel there and determine by its color what color the cattle should be kept. In Ukraine, Belarus and Poland, they believe that cattle breed in the color of the weasel. “De in the stoic є lasici, there is thinness,” say the Rusyns of Galicia. To find a dead weasel among Estonians - unfortunately with cattle. In the Minsk region, it was believed that weasels protect cattle from witches. They tell how in one village all the cattle died, because the weasel was persecuted there.

The Ukrainians of Pokuttya believe that "weasel will bring happiness if it comes to the hut for the winter." The Poles and the French believe that the weasel brings only happiness to the house, and if you kill it, the weasel's brood will eat all the hats in the house and poison the food. Among all animals, no one kills weasels and swallows, the Hutsuls say. The Hutsuls also do not kill the weasel, fearing revenge from her relatives.

Weasels cannot be beaten, but the way a person dies, so he can die, - they say in the Lviv region. Lasochka - such a mouse, black to the beast, from the bottom - a big one, - Belarusians say. Lasochka - out like a kitten, - they say in the Zhytomyr region. “Lasochka is God's mitten with right hand, dove - that's God's quote.

In ancient beliefs, under the guise of affection, a woman often appears - a fairy, a sorceress, a sorceress or seductress, a bride or a young woman. married woman depending on the circumstances. The word itself literally conveys the nature of female charms used to divert attention and achieve the desired result.

Aesop's fable tells how Aphrodite turned a weasel into a girl in love with a young man so that they could get married. But during the wedding, the bride saw a mouse, chased it and turned back into a weasel. In Spain, in Catalonia, there is a belief that if you see affection and tell her “you are beautiful”, she puffs up, puffs up, turning into a person, showing her joy in every possible way. A kind word, as they say, is pleasant to caress.

The Greeks, in order to protect their daughter’s dowry from affection, speak to her: “Little girl, we will give you gold and silver, we will give you a husband so that you get married, have your own house and become a mistress.” The Greeks in the house where the weasel settled put a spindle with yarn, because "she loved to spin while she was still a girl." Greek legend says that a girl who loved to spin turned into a caress.

Among the Hutsuls, weasel is dedicated to the day of St. Catherine - November 25 (according to the old style), because weasel is the patroness of spinning and marriages. It is believed that the appearance of affection helps a woman giving birth. As you know, a caress ran past Alcmene, who could not give birth in any way, and caused the birth of Hercules. According to another belief, Hera turned the servant of the mother of Hercules into a caress because she helped the successful birth of the future hero.

The Serbs believe that if you do not give the pregnant woman what she asks for, then such a person will be gnawed through the clothes by caress. It is believed that a child, under whose cradle a weasel ran, will be healthy.

The southern and western Slavs have such an epic: mowers, plowmen and reapers, while working in the field, find a nest of affection, and in order not to damage them, they transfer it to another place. Weasel, not finding her cubs, pours poisonous saliva into the vessels with water, but when she finds out that the mowers are moving the nest to former place, overturns all these vessels so as not to poison people. She never does evil in vain.

In European fairy tales treacherous woman acts in the form of a fluffy weasel, trying to seduce or knock the hunter off the trail. In Serbia, they say that if a hunter shoots at a weasel, the bullet will turn around and hit him. It is also said to protect people from being bitten by snakes.

Weasel should not be offended, she can gnaw off eyebrows or hair at night. If you tease the weasel, she will spit in the eyes and the person will go blind. In some parts of Europe, the belief is rooted that the bite of a weasel is considered paralyzing.

Weasel is a kind brownie. What color she is - such and cattle are selected, a dog, a cat, and sometimes a bride. They turn to her: "Welcome, my sweetheart, welcome, my daughter-in-law."

Weasel is a symbol of intuition, it helps to easily distinguish between lies and truth, to understand the actions of people. Weasel is chosen as a talisman by those who lack attentiveness, acuity and reaction.

Among other things, the weasel is a well-known exterminator of mice. In different regions of Bulgaria, when they want to get rid of rodents in the house, they invite affection “to the wedding”. Serbs believe that weasels can exterminate mice original way She inflates them and they burst. Among the Estonians, those people are happy that they saw affection. In Thebes, the weasel was revered as a sacred animal.

In the old days, there was a legend that at night the brownie torments horses standing in the stable - braids their manes, and sometimes brings them to "white sweat". They fought with the brownie: they kept a goat in the stable, which, as it were, the evil spirits are afraid of. It turned out that the brownie is none other than a weasel. Weasel is often found near a person’s dwelling, if there is food for it there. She runs along the scruffs and backs of horses who are terribly afraid of her, trying to throw off themselves and sweat a lot from this. Weasel, clinging to the mane, so as not to fall off, licks the protruding sweat, receiving the necessary mineral salts. There is a belief that a weasel, having climbed into the ear of an elk, can bite him to death.