The lower spirits of Slavic mythology. Slavic spirits and undead

Today is Friday again, and again the guests are in the studio, spinning the drum and guessing the letters. The next issue of the capital show Field of Miracles is on the air and here is one of the questions in the game:

What was the name of the god of water among the ancient Slavs? 7 letters

Correct answer - ANCHUTKA

Anchutka - to the east Slavic mythology evil spirit, one of the most ancient names for a demon, the Russian version of an imp. By explanatory dictionary the living Great Russian language of V. I. Dahl, anchutka - imps.

According to beliefs, there are bath and field anchuts. According to legend, they, like any evil spirits, instantly respond to the mention of their name. Therefore, it is believed that it is better to keep quiet about them, "otherwise this fingerless, fingerless one will be" right there "."

Anchutka appears to be without fingers or fingers, which usually characterizes evil spirits. There is a tale that the footless anchutka is because "once a wolf chased him and bit off his heel."

According to the legend, bathing anchuts are "shaggy, bald, frighten people with moans, darken their minds, and are good at changing their appearance."
Field - "sprouts are very tiny and more peaceful." It is believed that they live in every plant and are called according to their habitat: potato, hemp, flax, oatmeal, wheat, horns, etc.
It is also believed that the water also has its own anchutka - an assistant to the water or swamp. The legend endows him with an unusually ferocious disposition, in addition, he also appears to be nasty.

According to the sign: "if a swimmer suddenly has a cramp, he should know that this is a water anchutka grabbed his leg and wants to drag him to the bottom." That is why, since ancient times, "every swimmer is advised to have a silver pin with him: after all, evil spirits are afraid of silver to death."

The most basic spirit of Water among our ancestors was considered Water (Water grandfather, Vodovik) - most often taking the form of a large old man, all overgrown with mostly green hair and a long beard.

Often she entangled the body of the Water Mud, and her legs were replaced by a fish tail - an attribute of many aquatic inhabitants. The Lord's State water world depended directly on the phases of the moon: the strength of the Water grandfather for the young month increased, and noticeably decreased after the full moon.

Slavs believed that Water possesses a real gift of prophecy, and the fact that water itself stores information about the future and the past.

Therefore, unmarried girls at Christmas time always went down to guess at the hole, and hoped that Vodyanoy would let them see the reflection of their betrothed. The fishermen made plentiful sacrifices to Vodyanoy so that he would drive more fish and did no harm to all who were in his power.

In the retinue of Vodyanik there were waterwomen, otherwise called mermaids, beautiful girls with very long hair, and very pale, almost transparent skin. According to beliefs, those who accidentally drowned or who were killed by someone's evil will became Vodyanitsy. These water spirits constantly played pranks and often harmed people: they confused fishermen's nets, destroyed dams and bridges. However, their behavior was, to put it mildly, not very unambiguous. Often the peasants called Vodyanits directly to the fields, because they knew that where the water maidens ran, the land would give an excellent harvest. Sometimes it happened that, having fallen in love with a mortal man, Vodyanitsa married him, but their marriage was unhappy.

kikimora - Another ancient spirit of water. She lived in swampy swamps, so it is not particularly surprising that our ancestors considered her an insidious and dangerous creature. Kikimora looked like a woman short stature, sometimes even took the form of a girl, dressed with swamp flowers in her hair and from fluffy moss. She showed herself to people very rarely, mostly screaming from the quagmire with her terrible voice. She could drag a careless traveler to her and torture him to death.

To the good spirits of Water, the Slavs undoubtedly attributed Brodnitz - is a variety Beregin sympathetic towards people. Such beautiful maidens often settled near beaver dams and built their passages from tree branches across the rivers so that they could get from coast to coast. Moreover, as their name implies, the Brodnitsy guarded the fords, they were not allowed to collapse, and they indicated these fords to travelers who usually lost their way.

People from ancient times knew that no matter what the spirits of Water had properties, it was possible to establish contact with them only by expressing their deepest respect and showing concern for the elements. Otherwise, even a very negative spirit or deity would become intimidating and unfriendly.

Water grandfather is the owner of the waters . Water at the bottom of rivers and lakes graze herds of their cows - catfish, bream, carps and other fish. Commands undines, mermaids, and other aquatic inhabitants. In general, he is usually kind, but sometimes the water one is not averse to indulging and dragging a gaping person to the very bottom so that he entertains him. The drowned, too, by the way, go in the service of this strange grandfather.

Our ancestors represented the merman in the form of a flabby, naked old man, bug-eyed, and even with a fish tail. He was all entangled in mud, had a large full beard, as well as a green mustache. The merman could turn around big fish, horse or child. He lives more often in whirlpools, likes to settle under a water mill. He is able to destroy dams, because he must be appeased by sacrificing some animal.

The water springs were endowed with special power, according to legend, the springs arose from the lightning strike of Perun himself - a very strong deity. These keys were called "rattling" and this was preserved in the name of many sources.

Swamp kikimoras. Strange sounds are heard from time to time in the swamps - as if the voice of some unknown creature. As much as you can assure that these are the cries of the squelching mud and the cries of marsh birds, the local population will still believe in monsters living in the bog and dragging people to them. According to a well-known Russian belief, dangerous otherworldly entities called kikimors live in the swamp. Girls who are cursed by their own mothers in the womb or before the moment of baptism, as well as those who died unbaptized, can become kikimors. Such children are kidnapped by unclean forces in infancy, and at the age of seven they turn into terrible and evil spirits - kikimora. Some kikimors subsequently marry brownies, and then begin to mischief in houses, others - for goblin.

in many Russian folk beliefs, kikimoras love to lure cautious travelers into the swamp. Usually they do not show themselves to people, they only shout in a loud voice from the swamp, calling for help. Those who rush to this call will inevitably perish. Kikimora can turn into a beautiful girl. She will beckon the traveler to her, he will take a step towards her - and she will drag him into the swamp ... Sometimes people are led out of prank into the swamp by the children of the kikimora and the forest - goblin. At best, in its ugly guise, the kikimora jumps on the traveler's back and rides him like a horse, while at least leaving him alive.

The retinue of Vodyanik was made up of waterwomen, otherwise called mermaids, beautiful girls with long hair, and very pale, almost translucent skin. According to beliefs, those who drowned by accident or who were killed by someone's evil will became Vodyanitsy. These water spirits loved to play pranks and often harmed people: they confused fishing nets, destroyed bridges and dams. However, their behavior was not so unambiguous. For example, peasants often called Vodyanits to the fields, because they knew that where the water maidens ran, the land would give a good harvest. It happened that, having fallen in love with some mortal, Vodyanitsa married him, but their marriage was not happy.
Another ancient spirit of Water was Kikimora. She lived in swampy swamps, so it is not surprising that she was considered a dangerous and insidious creature. Kikimora looked like a little woman, sometimes a girl, dressed in fluffy moss and marsh flowers in her hair. She rarely showed herself to people, only screaming from the quagmire in a terrible voice. She could drag a careless traveler to her and torture him to death.
The positive spirits of Water, of course, included Brodnits - a kind of Beregin, benevolent towards people. These beautiful maidens usually settled near beaver dams and built river crossings from tree branches so that they could get from one bank to another. In addition, as their name implies, the Brodnitsy guarded the fords, preventing them from collapsing, and pointed out these fords to travelers who had gone astray.

From ancient times, people knew that no matter what properties the spirits of Water possessed, it was possible to establish contact with them only by expressing their deep respect and showing proper concern for the element they represented. Otherwise, even the most friendly spirit or deity became unfriendly and intimidating. And this should not be forgotten.
Maria Shevalenko.
The water grandfather is the master of the waters. Water graze at the bottom of rivers and lakes herds of their cows - catfish, carp, bream and other fish. Commands mermaids, undines and other aquatic inhabitants. In general, he is kind, but sometimes he likes to indulge in water and drag some gaping person to the bottom so that he entertains him. By the way, drowned people also go in the service of the waterman.
The merman was represented as a naked, flabby old man, bug-eyed, with
fish tail. He is entangled in slime, has a large full beard, green mustache. Could turn into a large fish, a child or a horse. It lives more often in whirlpools, likes to settle under a water mill. He is able to destroy the dams, therefore he must be propitiated by sacrificing some animal.
The water springs were endowed with special power, because the springs, according to legend, arose from the lightning strike of Perun, the most powerful deity. Such keys were called "rattling" and this is preserved in the name of many sources.
"Water Spirit"
Don't go to the stream -
He makes noise, runs
There nearby
The water guard.
He is at the bottom of gold
Inconspicuous during the day.
The sun is just setting
He rises from the river
heavy heel
Lays on the sands
And, illuminated by the moon,
Falls into sleep.
Shaggy until the morning
Sleeping peacefully there
Swarm of winged spirits
Guards around him
To accidentally wave
Didn't disturb the sleep

D.P. Oznobishin

According to popular beliefs, swamp kikimoras love to lure cautious travelers into the bog. Usually they do not show themselves to people, they only shout from the swamp in a loud voice, calling for help. Those who hasten to this call will inevitably perish. Kikimora can turn into a beautiful girl. She will beckon a traveler to her, he will step towards her - and she will drag him into the swamp ... Sometimes, out of prank, children of kikimora and goblin - forests lead people into the swamp. At best, the kikimora, in its ugly guise, jumps on the traveler's back and rides him like a horse, while at least leaving him alive.

The most basic spirit of Water among our ancestors was considered Water (Water grandfather, Vodovik) - most often taking the form of a large old man, all overgrown with mostly green hair and a long beard.

Often she entangled the body of the Water Mud, and her legs were replaced by a fish tail - an attribute of many aquatic inhabitants. The state of the Lord of the Water World depended directly on the phases of the Moon: the strength of the Water Grandfather increased for the young month, and noticeably decreased after the full moon.

Slavs believed that Water possesses a real gift of prophecy, and the fact that water itself stores information about the future and the past.

Therefore, unmarried girls at Christmas time always went down to guess at the hole, and hoped that Vodyanoy would let them see the reflection of their betrothed. The fishermen made plentiful sacrifices to Vodyanoy, so that he would drive more fish in the net and not cause harm to everyone in his power.

In the retinue of Vodyanik there were waterwomen, otherwise called mermaids, beautiful girls with very long hair, and very pale, almost transparent skin. According to beliefs, those who accidentally drowned or who were killed by someone's evil will became Vodyanitsy. These water spirits constantly played pranks and often harmed people: they confused fishermen's nets, destroyed dams and bridges. However, their behavior was, to put it mildly, not very unambiguous. Often the peasants called Vodyanits directly to the fields, because they knew that where the water maidens ran, the land would give an excellent harvest. Sometimes it happened that, having fallen in love with a mortal man, Vodyanitsa married him, but their marriage was unhappy.

kikimora - Another ancient water spirit. She lived in swampy swamps, so it is not particularly surprising that our ancestors considered her an insidious and dangerous creature. Kikimora looked like a woman of small stature, sometimes even taking the form of a girl, dressed with swamp flowers in her hair and from fluffy moss. She showed herself to people very rarely, mostly screaming from the quagmire with her terrible voice. She could drag a careless traveler to her and torture him to death.

To the good spirits of Water, the Slavs undoubtedly attributed Brodnitz - is a variety Beregin sympathetic towards people. Such beautiful maidens often settled near beaver dams and built their passages from tree branches across the rivers so that they could get from coast to coast. Moreover, as their name implies, the Brodnitsy guarded the fords, they were not allowed to collapse, and they indicated these fords to travelers who usually lost their way.

People from ancient times knew that no matter what the spirits of Water had properties, it was possible to establish contact with them only by expressing their deepest respect and showing concern for the elements. Otherwise, even a very negative spirit or deity would become intimidating and unfriendly.

Water grandfather is the owner of the waters . Water at the bottom of rivers and lakes graze herds of their cows - catfish, bream, carps and other fish. Commands undines, mermaids, and other aquatic inhabitants. In general, he is usually kind, but sometimes the water one is not averse to indulging and dragging a gaping person to the very bottom so that he entertains him. The drowned, too, by the way, go in the service of this strange grandfather.

Our ancestors represented the merman in the form of a flabby, naked old man, bug-eyed, and even with a fish tail. He was all entangled in mud, had a large full beard, as well as a green mustache. The water one could turn into a large fish, a horse or a child. He lives more often in whirlpools, likes to settle under a water mill. He is able to destroy dams, because he must be appeased by sacrificing some animal.

The water springs were endowed with special power, according to legend, the springs arose from the lightning strike of Perun himself - a very strong deity. These keys were called "rattling" and this was preserved in the name of many sources.

Swamp kikimoras. Strange sounds are heard from time to time in the swamps - as if the voice of some unknown creature. As much as you can assure that these are cries of squelching mud and cries of marsh birds, the local population will still believe in monsters living in the bog and dragging people to them. According to a well-known Russian belief, dangerous otherworldly entities called kikimors live in the swamp. Girls who are cursed by their own mothers in the womb or before the moment of baptism, as well as those who died unbaptized, can become kikimors. Even in infancy, such children are kidnapped by unclean forces, and at the age of seven they turn into terrible and evil spirits - kikimora. Some kikimors subsequently marry brownies, and then begin to mischief in houses, others - for goblin.

According to many Russian folk beliefs, kikimoras love to lure cautious travelers into the swamp. Usually they do not show themselves to people, they only shout in a loud voice from the swamp, calling for help. Those who rush to this call will inevitably perish. Kikimora can turn into a beautiful girl. She will beckon the traveler to her, he will step towards her - and she will drag him into the swamp ... Sometimes people are led out of prank into the swamp by the children of the kikimora and the woods - the goblin. At best, in its ugly guise, the kikimora jumps on the traveler's back and rides him like a horse, while at least leaving him alive.

At the time of the baptism of Russia, the host of Slavic pagan gods was headed by Rod - the universal abolition, a single many-sided god, different from other gods that dominate the mythologies of various peoples. He embodied white and black, fire and water, feminine and masculinity. At the same time, he could appear both as the god of water and as the god of war.

The Slavs are one of the oldest ethnic groups that inhabit the earth to this day. And for such a long time, both the bright goddess Dana and the Water One were considered the patrons of the waters.

However, more ancient water deities are also known, the cult of which, according to some sources, dates back a million years.

Lizard - slavic god water. His name, changing into Yasha, Fyashchura, in itself speaks of hoary antiquity, being modified into Ancestral. The god of water himself, acquiring new features, finally appeared in the form of a crocodile. Traces of worshiping him in large quantities are found throughout the territory of the Slavic tribes. For example, the village of Spas-Krokodilino, which is not far from Klin, the villages of Bolshaya and Malaya Lizchery, located in Leningrad region. Most often, the name of the Lizard is mentioned in the names of various rivers, streams and lakes (the Lizard River and Lake Yashchino). Temples dedicated to him are most often found in the northern regions, and they are located, as a rule, on the banks of reservoirs. One of the discovered altars is located on a small granite island, shaped like a crocodile, of the Ros River. The main place of worship of the Sea Dragon, as it is believed, was located on the shore of Lake Ilmen.

Fishermen and sailors worshiped him earnestly, composed songs (“... after all, he rules in the deep sea, the ancient guardian of the Lizard-Dragon ...”), made sacrifices, because the god of water among the Slavs, along with others, demanded them. long time the victim was a girl who, thrown into the water, was given to the Lizard as a wife. This custom allowed Academician Rybakov to identify the Slavic merman with the Greek Hades, the ruler of the underworld. Archeology testifies that the world of the ancient Slavs was divided into 3 parts, one of which was the underwater-underground world. His rightful owner, responsible for the waterways and wealth, was the foot-and-mouth disease, and its main function was the nightly absorption of the luminary, and its release into the heavens every morning. To the ancients, this spoke of the greatness of the sea monster, the worship of which is reflected in absolutely round shape temples, which spoke of the perfection attributed to the Lizard.

However, offerings changed over time, becoming more humane. They began to throw dolls depicting a young girl into the water, somewhere nuts poured into the mouth of an idol served as a victim (according to some nut spas dedicated to this deity), somewhere a horse was sacrificed, decorated, anointed and smeared with honey. She was taken to the center of the lake, accompanied by chants, and the god of water, the Lizard, accepted this fragrant gift.

The popularity of this deity is evidenced by numerous finds in the form of various metal cloak fasteners that came from those times (the so-called brooches), various vessels for drinking and storing water, bearing symbols sea ​​dragon which, in turn, served as a talisman. The famous Sadko's harp was made in the shape of a lizard.

At the same time, the Slavic god of water, along with Kashchei, Korchun and Chernobog, belonged to the hellish deities. That is, to dark forces, was considered a marine reptile. In a word, the water god Fyodor was diverse, like life itself, combining both light and darkness in equal proportions.