Almost every one of us has heard about certain magical and mythical creatures that inhabit our world. However, there are many more such creatures, the existence of which we know little or do not remember. In mythology and folklore, many magical entities are mentioned, some are described in more detail, others less.

According to the ideas of medieval alchemists, a creature like little man, which can be obtained artificially (in vitro). To create such a little man, the use of a mandrake was required. The root had to be plucked at dawn, then it had to be washed and "saturated" with milk and honey. Some prescriptions said that blood should be used instead of milk. After that, this root will fully develop into a miniature person who will be able to guard and protect its owner.

At Slavic peoples home spirit, mythological master and patron of the house, ensuring the normal life of the family, fertility, health of people and animals. They try to feed the brownie, leave a separate saucer with treats and water (or milk) for him in the kitchen on the floor. The brownie, if he loves the owner or hostess, not only does not harm them, but also protects household well-being. Otherwise (which happens more often), he starts to dirty things, breaks and hides things, encroaches on the light bulbs in the bathroom, creates an incomprehensible noise. It can “strangle” the owner at night by sitting on the owner’s chest and paralyzing him. Brownie can change shape and pursue his master when moving.

Babai in Slavic folklore- night spirit, a creature mentioned by parents to intimidate naughty children. Babai does not have a specific description, but most often he was represented as a lame old man with a bag over his shoulders, into which he takes naughty children. Usually parents remembered Babai when their child did not want to fall asleep.

Nephilim (watchers - "sons of God") described in the book of Enoch. They are fallen angels. physical beings, they taught people the forbidden arts and, taking human wives as wives, gave birth to a new generation of people. In the Torah and several non-canonical Jewish and early Christian writings, nephilim - nephilim means "those who cause others to fall." The Nephilim were of gigantic stature, their strength was enormous, as was their appetite. They started eating everything. human resources, and when they ran out, they could attack people. The Nephilim began to fight and oppress people, which was a huge destruction on earth.

Abaasy - in the folklore of the Yakut peoples, a huge stone monster with iron teeth. Lives in a forest thicket away from people's eyes or underground. It is born from a black stone, similar to a child. The older he gets, the more the stone looks like a child. At first, the stone child eats everything that people eat, but when he grows up, he begins to eat the people themselves. Sometimes referred to as anthropomorphic one-eyed, one-armed, one-legged monsters as tall as a tree. Abaasy feed on the souls of people and animals, tempt people, send misfortunes and illnesses, and can deprive them of their minds. Often the relatives of the sick or deceased sacrificed an animal to Abaasy, as if exchanging his soul for the soul of the person they threaten.

– Abrasax is the name of a cosmological being in the ideas of the Gnostics. AT early era Christianity, in the 1st-2nd centuries, many heretical sects arose, trying to combine new religion with paganism and Judaism. According to the teachings of one of them, everything that exists is born in a certain higher Kingdom of light, from which 365 categories of spirits come. At the head of the spirits is Abraxas. His name and image are often found on gems and amulets: a creature with a human body and a cock's head, instead of legs - two snakes. Abraxas holds a sword and shield in his hands.

Baavan shi - in Scottish folklore vicious, bloodthirsty fairies. If a raven flew up to a person and suddenly turned into a golden-haired beauty in a long green dress, it means that a baavan shi is in front of him. They wear long dresses for good reason, hiding under them deer hooves, which the baavan shi have instead of feet. These fairies lure men into their dwellings and drink their blood.

Baku - "Dream Eater" in Japanese mythology good spirit that eats bad dreams. You can summon him by writing his name on a piece of paper and placing it under your pillow. At one time, images of Baku hung in Japanese homes, and his name was written on pillows. They believed that if Baku was forced to eat a bad dream, then he had the power to turn the dream into a good one.
There are stories where Baku does not look very kind. Eating all the dreams and dreams, he deprived the sleeping of beneficial effects, and even completely deprived them of sleep.

Baku - "Dream Eater"

Kikimora - a character of Slavic-Ugric mythology, as well as one of the types of brownie, causing harm, damage and minor troubles to the household and people. Kikimora, as a rule, settle in the premises if a child has died in the house. Kikimora may appear in the form of a running child abandoned on the way. was accused of kidnapping children, instead of whom she left an enchanted log. Her presence in the house could be easily identified by wet footprints. A caught kikimora could be turned into a human.

Basilisk - a monster with a rooster's head, the eyes of a toad, the wings of a bat and the body of a dragon that exists in the mythologies of many peoples. From his gaze, all living things turn to stone. According to legend, if the Basilisk sees his reflection in the mirror, he will die. Caves are the habitat of the Basilisk, they are also its source of food, since the Basilisk only eats stones. He can leave his shelter only at night, because he cannot stand the cock crow. And he is also afraid of unicorns because they are too “clean” animals.

Baggain - in the folklore of the inhabitants of the Isle of Man evil werewolf. He hates people and harasses in every possible way. Baggain is able to grow to gigantic sizes and take on any appearance. He can pretend to be human, but if you look closely, you can see pointed ears and horse hooves, which will still give out baggain.

Baggain - in the folklore of the inhabitants of the Isle of Man

Alkonost (alkonst) - in Russian art and legends a bird of paradise with a maiden's head. Often mentioned and depicted along with Sirin, another bird of paradise. The image of Alkonost goes back to Greek myth about the girl Alcyone, turned by the gods into a kingfisher. The earliest depiction of Alkonost is found in a book miniature of the 12th century. Alconst is a safe and rare creature living closer to the sea. folk tale, in the morning on the Apple Spas, the Sirin bird flies into the apple orchard, which is sad and crying. And in the afternoon, the Alkonost bird flies to the apple orchard, which rejoices and laughs. The bird brushes the living dew from its wings and the fruits are transformed, amazing power- all fruits on apple trees from now on become healing

Water - the owner of the waters in Slavic mythology . Water graze at the bottom of rivers and lakes their cows - catfish, carp, bream and other fish. Commands mermaids, undines, drowned men, aquatic inhabitants. More often he is kind, but sometimes he drags some gaping person to the bottom to entertain him. It lives more often in whirlpools, likes to settle under a water mill.

Water - the owner of the waters

Abnauayu - in Abkhazian mythology("Forest man"). Giant ferocious creature, characterized by extraordinary physical strength and fury. The whole body of Abnahuayu is covered with long hair, similar to bristles, he has huge claws; eyes and nose are human. It lives in dense forests (there was a belief that one Abnauayu lives in every forest gorge). Meeting with Abnauayu is dangerous, the adult Abnauayu has an ax-shaped steel protrusion on his chest: pressing the victim to his chest, he cuts it in half. Abnahuayu knows in advance the name of the hunter or shepherd he will meet.

Abnauayu - in Abkhazian mythology

Cerberus (Spirit of the Underworld) - in Greek mythology a huge dog of the Underworld, guarding the entrance to the afterlife. So that the souls of the dead can enter underworld, they must bring gifts to Cerberus - honey and barley biscuits. The task of Cerberus is to prevent dead living people from entering the kingdom who want to rescue their loved ones from there. One of the few living people who managed to penetrate into the underworld and emerge from it unharmed was Orpheus, who played beautiful music on the lyre. One of the feats of Hercules, which he was ordered to perform by the gods, was to bring Cerberus to the city of Tiryns.

Griffin - winged monsters with a lion's body and an eagle's head, guardians of gold in different mythologies. Griffins, vultures, in Greek mythology, monstrous birds with an eagle's beak and the body of a lion; they. - “dogs of Zeus” - guard gold in the country of the Hyperboreans, guarding it from the one-eyed Arimaspians (Aeschyl. Prom. 803 next). Among the fabulous inhabitants of the north - the Issedons, Arimaspians, Hyperboreans, Herodotus also mentions the Griffins (Herodot. IV 13).
There are also griffins in Slavic mythology. In particular, it is known that they guard the treasures of the Riphean mountains.

Griffin - winged monsters

Gaki - in Japanese mythology- eternally hungry demons Those who, during their lifetime on Earth, overeat or throw away completely edible food, are reborn in them. Gaki's hunger is insatiable, but they cannot die from it. They eat anything, even their children, but they cannot get enough. Sometimes they get into the Human World, and then they become cannibals.

Gaki - in Japanese mythology

Vuivre, Vuivre. France. King, or queen of snakes; in the forehead - a sparkling stone, a bright red ruby; the form of a fiery serpent; keeper of underground treasures; can be seen flying across the sky summer nights; dwellings - abandoned castles, fortresses, donjons, etc.; his images are sculptural compositions Romanesque monuments; when he bathes, he leaves the stone on the shore, and whoever manages to take possession of the ruby ​​will become fabulously rich - he will receive part of the underground treasures guarded by the snake.

Headdress - Bulgarian vampire, feeding on dung and carrion, because he is too much of a coward to attack people. It has a bad character, which is not surprising with such a diet.

Headdress - Bulgarian vampire

(among the Nanais) spirits-ancestors of shamans. Each shaman has his own Ayami, he instructed, indicated what kind of costume a shaman (shaman) should have, how to treat. Ayami appeared to the shaman in a dream in the form of a woman (to a shaman - in the form of a man), as well as a wolf, a tiger and other animals, moved into shamans during prayers. Ayami could also have spirits - the owners of various animals, it was they who sent Ayami to steal the souls of people and cause them illness.

Evil magical creatures living in the crowns and trunks of oaks.
To every person passing by their dwelling, they offer delicious food and gifts.
In no case should you take food from them, and even more so taste it, since food cooked by oak trees is very poisonous. At night, oaks often go in search of prey.
You should know that it is especially dangerous to pass by a recently felled oak tree: the oak trees that lived in it are angry and can do a lot of trouble.

Damn (in the old spelling "devil")- an evil, playful and lustful spirit in Slavic mythology. In the book tradition, according to the Great Soviet encyclopedia, the word devil is a synonym for the concept of demon. The devil is social and most often goes hunting with groups of devils. trait attract drinking people. When the devil finds such a person, he tries to do everything so that the person drinks even more, bringing him to a state of complete madness. The very process of their materialization, popularly known as "getting drunk as hell", is colorfully and in detail described in one of Vladimir Nabokov's stories. “By prolonged, stubborn, lonely drunkenness,” the famous prose writer reported, “I brought myself to the most vulgar visions, namely: I began to see devils.” If a person stops drinking, the devil begins to wither without receiving the expected replenishment.

A huge shaggy monster with supernatural power: sometimes Vampala has several heads. Wampals are both male and female. In fairy tales Vampal - positive character, distinguished by nobility and helping the heroes in their battles.

Gianas - in Italian folklore mostly women's perfume. Tall and beautiful, they lived in the forests, were engaged in needlework. They could also predict the future and knew where the treasures were hidden. Despite their beauty, hyanas, among which the majority were women, had difficulty finding a mate. There were extremely few male hyanas; dwarfs were no good for husbands, and giants were real brutes. Therefore, the hyanas could only do work and sing sad songs.

Gianas - in Italian folklore

- an evil night spirit with eyes on a dark face, glowing like a cat, is especially dangerous on the night of Ivan Kupala and only in the field, because the goblin do not let him into the forest. They become suicidal. Attacks lonely travelers, drinks their blood. Ukrut, his assistant, brings him a sack of scoundrels, from whom Yrka drank life. He is very afraid of the fire, he does not approach the fire. To save yourself from it, you cannot look back, even if they call out in a familiar voice, do not answer anything, say “keep me away” three times, or read the prayer “Our Father”.

Div - Demonic character of East Slavic mythology. Mentioned in medieval teachings against the pagans. echoes last value there is in the episodes of “The Tale of Igor's Campaign”, where the expression “spreading divas to the ground” is perceived as a harbinger of misfortune. Div turned people away from dangerous deeds, appearing in the form of unseen. Seeing him and being surprised, people forgot about the unrighteous deed that they wanted to commit. The Poles called him esiznik (“There is a sign”, there is and disappeared), that is, a god-vision.

Div - Demonic character of East Slavic mythology

Crap; harms people and animals. According to beliefs, if Ayustal moves into a person, he falls ill, and sometimes dies in agony. When a person suffers greatly before death, they say that Ayustal took possession of him, but often a person defeats Ayustal by cunning.

One of the souls of a person, with which his vital and spiritual power is connected. Sulde ruler is the spirit - the guardian of the people; its material embodiment is the banner of the ruler, which in itself becomes an object of worship, guarded by the subjects of the ruler. During the wars, human sacrifices were made to the Sulde-banners to raise the morale of the army. The Suldi banners of Genghis Khan and some other khans were especially revered. The character of the shamanic pantheon of the Mongols Sulde-Tengri, the patron of people, apparently, is genetically connected with Sulde of Genghis Khan.

A warlike race of creatures that are vaguely similar to European goblins. Bloodthirsty sadists, slightly taller than people and much stronger than them, with well-developed muscles. Sharp teeth and burning eyes. They do nothing but war. They often set up ambushes in the mountains.

Buka - scarecrow. A small, vicious creature that lives in a child's closet or under a bed. Only children see it, and children suffer from it, since Buka loves to attack them at night - grab them by the legs and drag them under the bed or into the closet (his lair). He is afraid of the light, from which the faith of adults can die. He is afraid that adults will believe in him.

Buka - scarecrow

Spirits in the form of women with tails, living along the banks of rivers. Mentioned in ancient Russian historical and literary monuments. They protect people from evil spirits, predict the future, and also save small children left unattended and fallen into the water.

Anzud - in Sumero-Akkadian mythology divine bird, an eagle with a lion's head. Anzud is a mediator between gods and people, at the same time embodying good and evil principles. When the god Enlil took off his insignia while washing, Anzud stole the tablets of fate and flew with them to the mountains. Anzud wanted to become more powerful than all the gods, but by his act he violated the course of things and divine laws. In pursuit of the bird, the god of war, Ninurta, set off. He shot Anzud with his bow, but Enlil's tablets healed the wound. Ninurta managed to hit the bird only on the second attempt, or even on the third attempt (in different versions of the myth in different ways).

Anzud - in Sumero-Akkadian mythology

Perfume, according to legend, a bug is a "childish" monster, even in our time, English women scare their children with it.
Usually these creatures have the appearance of shaggy monsters with matted, tufted hair. Many English children believe that bugs can enter rooms by using open chimneys. However, despite their rather intimidating appearance, these creatures are completely non-aggressive and practically harmless, since they have neither sharp teeth nor long claws. They can scare in only one way - by making a terrible ugly face, spreading their paws and raising the hair on the scruff of the neck.

Alraunes - in folklore European nations tiny creatures that live in the roots of the mandrake, the outlines of which resemble human figures. Alraunes are friendly to people, but they are not averse to making fun, sometimes quite cruelly. These are werewolves capable of transforming into cats, worms, and even small children. Later, the Alrauns changed their way of life: they liked the warmth and comfort in people's homes so much that they began to move there. Before moving to a new place, alrauns, as a rule, test people: they scatter all kinds of garbage on the floor, throw clods of earth or pieces of cow dung into milk. If the people don't sweep up the garbage and drink the milk, Alraun understands that it is quite possible to settle here. It's almost impossible to drive him away. Even if the house is burned down and people move somewhere, alraun follows them. Alraun had to be treated with great care due to its magical properties. You had to wrap or dress him in white robes with a gold belt, bathe him every Friday, and keep him in a box, otherwise Alraun would start yelling for attention. Alraunes were used in magical rituals. It was assumed that they bring great luck, in the likeness of a talisman - a quatrefoil. But possession of them carried the risk of being prosecuted for witchcraft, and in 1630 three women were executed in Hamburg on this charge. Due to the high demand for Alraunes, they were often cut from bryony roots, as genuine mandrakes were hard to come by. They were exported from Germany to various countries, including England, during the reign of Henry VIII.

Alrauns - in the folklore of European peoples

Power - in Christian mythological representations angelic beings. The authorities can be both good forces and minions of evil. Among the nine angelic ranks, the authorities close the second triad, which, in addition to them, also includes dominions and powers. As Pseudo-Dionysius says, “the name of the holy Authorities signifies equal to the Divine Dominions and Forces, slender and capable of receiving Divine insights, the Chin and the device of the worldly spiritual dominion, which does not autocratically use the granted domineering powers for evil, but freely and decently to the Divine as ascending itself. who brings others holy to Him and, as much as possible, becomes like the Source and Giver of all power and depicts Him ... in a completely true use of his sovereign power.

Power - in Christian mythological representations

Gargoyle - the fruit of medieval mythology. The word "gargoyle" comes from the Old French gargouille - throat, and with its sound imitates the gurgling sound that occurs when gargling. The gargoyles seated on the facades of Catholic cathedrals were ambivalent. On the one hand, they were like ancient sphinxes as guard statues, capable of coming to life and protecting a temple or a mansion in a moment of danger, on the other hand, when they were placed on temples, it showed that all evil spirits were fleeing from this holy place, since it could not bear the temple purity.

Gargoyle - the fruit of medieval mythology

Grima - according to medieval European beliefs lived throughout Europe. Most often they can be seen in old cemeteries located near churches. Therefore, scary creatures are also called church makeup.
These monsters can take on a variety of forms, but most often they turn into huge dogs with jet-black hair and glow-in-the-dark eyes. You can see the monsters only in rainy or cloudy weather, they usually appear in the cemetery in the late afternoon, and also during the day during the funeral. They often howl under the windows of sick people, foreshadowing their imminent death. Often, some kind of makeup, not afraid of heights, climbs the church bell tower at night and starts ringing all the bells, which is considered by the people to be a very bad omen.

Grima - according to medieval European beliefs

Ahti - a water demon among the peoples of the north. Neither evil nor good. Although he likes to joke and with jokes he can go too far so that a person will die. Of course, if you piss him off, he can kill you.

Ahti - a water demon among the peoples of the north

An evil demon that unexpectedly appears in front of travelers at night in the form of a shock, a cart, a tree, a fiery clod and strangles them. Attsys was also called various evil spirits (Myatskai, Oryak, Ubyr, etc.), whose names were afraid to pronounce out loud, being afraid to attract a demon.

Shoggoths are creatures mentioned in the famous mystical book “Al Azif” better known as the Necronomicon, written by the mad poet Abdul Alhazred. Approximately one third of the book is devoted to the control of shoggoths, which are presented as shapeless "eels" from bubbles of protoplasm. The ancient gods created them as servants, but the shoggoths, possessing intelligence, quickly got out of submission and have since acted of their own free will and for their strange incomprehensible goals. It is said that these beings often appear in narcotic visions, but there they are not subject to human control.

Shoggoths are creatures mentioned in the famous mystical book “Al Azif”

Bashkirs and Kazan Tatars (Yukha) is a demonic character associated with the water element. Yuvkha is a beautiful girl, whom she turns into after living for many (for the Tatars - 100 or 1000) years. According to the myths of the Turkmens and Uzbeks of Khorezm, Yuvkha marries a man, setting him a number of conditions in advance, for example, do not watch how she combs her hair, does not pat on the back, perform ablution after intimacy. Violating the conditions, the husband discovers snake scales on her back, sees how, combing her hair, she removes her head. If Yuvha is not killed, she will eat her husband.

Ghouls - (Russian; Ukrainian upir, Belarusian ynip, other Russian Upir), in Slavic mythology, a dead man attacking people and animals. At night, the Ghoul rises from the grave and, in the guise of a bloodshot dead man or a zoomorphic creature, kills people and animals, sucks out blood, after which the victim either dies or can become a Ghoul herself. By folk beliefs, ghouls became people who died an "unnatural death" - forcibly killed, drunken drunkards, suicides and also sorcerers. It was believed that the earth does not accept such dead people and therefore they are forced to wander around the world and harm the living. Such dead people were buried outside the cemetery and away from housing.

- The king of fish. He freely swallows ships, and when he sticks out of the water, he looks like a huge mountain.

Dragon with serpentine body and wings. It is possible to distinguish between two layers of ideas about Shambling. One of them is related to European tradition, is presented mainly in fairy tales, where Sharkan is a ferocious monster with a large number (three, seven, nine, twelve) of heads, the enemy of the hero in battle, often an inhabitant of a magic castle. On the other hand, there are beliefs about the one-headed Shuffling as one of the assistants of the sorcerer (shaman) taltosh.

Shilikun, Shilikhan - in Slavic mythology- hooligan small spirits that appear on Christmas Eve and before Epiphany run through the streets with burning coals in pans. Drunk people can be pushed into the hole. At night they will make noise and roam, and turning into black cats, they will crawl under their feet.
They are as tall as a sparrow, their legs are like those of a horse - with hooves, fire breathes from their mouths. At Baptism they go to the underworld.

Shilikun, Shilikhan - in Slavic mythology

God of shepherds and fishermen in Greek mythology. This is a cheerful god and companion of Dionysus, always surrounded by forest nymphs, dancing with them and playing the flute for them. It is believed that Pan had a prophetic gift and endowed Apollo with this gift. The faun was considered a crafty spirit that stole children.

Kumo - in Japanese mythology- spiders that can turn into people. Very rare creatures. In their normal form, they look like huge spiders, the size of a man, with burning red eyes and sharp stingers on their paws. In human form, beautiful women with cold beauty, trapping men and devouring them.

Kumo - in Japanese mythology

Phoenix is ​​an immortal bird symbolizing the cycle of the world. Phoenix is ​​the patron of anniversaries, or great time cycles. Herodotus recounts the original version of the legend with marked skepticism:
“There is another sacred bird there, its name is Phoenix. I myself have never seen her, except as painted, because in Egypt she rarely appears, once in 500 years, as the inhabitants of Heliopolis say. According to them, she arrives when her father (that is, she herself) dies. If the images correctly show her size and size and appearance, her plumage is partly golden, partly red. Its appearance and dimensions resemble an eagle.” This bird does not breed, but is reborn after death from its own ashes.

Phoenix is ​​an immortal bird

Werewolf- a monster that exists in many mythological systems. It means a person who can turn into animals or vice versa. An animal that can turn into people. This skill is often possessed by demons, deities and spirits. The classic werewolf is the wolf. It is with him that all the associations born by the word werewolf are associated. This change can occur either at the will of the werewolf, or involuntarily, caused, for example, by certain lunar cycles.

Werewolf

Viryava - mistress and spirit of the grove among the peoples of the north. Appeared as a beautiful girl. Birds and animals obeyed her. She helped lost travelers.

Viryava - mistress and spirit of the grove among the peoples of the north

And some other Algonquian tribes. Served as a warning against any excesses of human behavior. The Inuit tribe calls this creature various names, including Windigo, Vitigo, Vitiko. Wendigo enjoy hunting and love to attack hunters. A lone traveler who finds himself in the forest begins to hear strange sounds. He looks around for the source, but sees nothing but a flicker of something moving too fast to be detected. human eye. When the traveler starts to run away in fear, the Wendigo attacks. He is powerful and strong like no other. Can imitate people's voices. In addition, the Wendigo never stops hunting after eating.

Spirits summoned by a magician, an expert on Onmyo-do. They usually look like small oni, but can take the form of birds and beasts. Many shikigami can possess and control the bodies of animals, and the shikigami of the most powerful magicians can possess humans. Controlling shikigami is very difficult and dangerous, as they can break out of the magician's control and attack him. An expert on Onmyo-do can direct the power of other people's shikigami against their master.

(VIII-VII centuries BC) in his legend of Hercules ("Theogony"): a many-headed snake (Lernaean Hydra), in which two new ones grew instead of each severed head. And it was impossible to kill her. Hydra's lair was near Lake Lerna near Argolis. Under water was the entrance to the underground kingdom of Hades, which was guarded by a hydra. Hydra hid in a rocky cave on the shore near the spring of Amimona, from where it came out only to attack the surrounding settlements.

Fighting - in English folklore, water fairies, which lure mortal women, appearing to them in the form of wooden dishes floating on the water. As soon as any woman grabs onto such a dish, the fight immediately takes on its true, ugly appearance and drags the unfortunate woman to the bottom so that she can look after his children there.

Fighting - in English folklore, water fairies

Sinister - pagan evil spirits of the ancient Slavs, the personification of Nedol, Navi servants. They are also called kriks or hmyrs - swamp spirits, which are so dangerous that they can stick to a person, even move into him, especially in old age, if in life a person did not love anyone and he had no children. Sinister can turn into a poor old man. In the Christmas game, the villain personifies poverty, poverty, winter darkness.

Sinister - pagan evil spirits of the ancient Slavs

Harassers female love. The word incubus comes from the Latin "incubare", which means "to lie down" in translation. According to old books, the incubus is fallen angels, demons addicted to sleeping women. Incubuses showed such enviable energy in intimate matters that entire nations were born. For example, the Huns, who, according to medieval beliefs, were the descendants of "outcast women" Goths and evil spirits.

Forest spirit, in mythology Eastern Slavs. This is the main owner of the forest, he makes sure that no one in his household does any harm. To good people treats well, helps to get out of the forest, to not too good - bad: confuses, makes you walk in circles. He sings in a voice without words, beats his hands, whistles, hoots, laughs, cries. Leshy can appear in various plant, animal, human and mixed forms, can be invisible. Most often appears as a lonely creature. Leaves the forest for the winter, sinking underground.

The mistress of the forest, the mistress of animals and birds, the guardian of the borders of the kingdom of Death. In a number of fairy tales it is likened to a witch, a sorceress. Most often - negative character, but sometimes acts as an assistant to the hero. Baba Yaga has several stable attributes: she knows how to conjure, fly in a mortar, lives on the edge of the forest, in a hut on chicken legs surrounded by a fence of human bones with skulls. She beckons good fellows and small children, ostensibly in order to eat them.

If he lives in the forest, then he attacks randomly wandering people, so that later he can gnaw their bones. At night, they like to make noise and gossip. According to another belief, shishimors or shishigs are mischievous restless house spirits that mock a person who does things without praying. We can say that these are very instructive spirits, correct, accustoming to the pious routine of life.

Lamia - According to the Roman and Greek classics, lamia live in Africa. Above the belt they have uniforms beautiful woman, while the lower half is serpentine. Some scientists called them witches, others evil monsters. They are deprived of the ability to speak, but they know how to make a melodious whistle and, luring travelers in the desert with it, devour them. They are of divine origin - they are the offspring of one of the many love affairs of Zeus.”

Alkonost (alkonos) - a fabulous bird of paradise, in apocrypha and legends a bird of sadness and sadness. Featured on popular prints with wings and human hands, body and face of a woman. The image of Alkonost goes back to the Greek myth of Alcyone, who threw herself into the sea and was turned into a kingfisher by the gods. Alkonost carries eggs on the seashore and, plunging them into the depths of the sea, makes it calm for six days. Hearing the singing of this bird forgets about everything in the world.

BABA YAGA - an old forest sorceress, a witch, a sorceress. The character of oriental tales and Western Slavs. Lives in the forest, in a "hut on chicken legs." One of her legs is made of bones, she sees badly, she flies around the world in a mortar. You can trace parallels with other characters: a witch - a way to move, the ability to transform; the goddess of animals and the forest - life in the forest, the complete subordination of animals to her; mistress world of the dead- a fence of human bones around the hut, skulls on stakes, a deadbolt - a human leg, constipation - a hand, a lock - teeth. In most fairy tales, she is the opponent of the hero, but sometimes his assistant and giver.

BEREGINI - air maidens protecting people from ghouls. The Slavs believed that beregini live near the house and protect the house and its inhabitants from evil spirits. Cheerful, playful and attractive creatures, singing enchanting songs with delightful voices. early summer in the moonlight, they circle in round dances on the banks of reservoirs. Where the coast ran and frolicked, there the grass grows thicker and greener, and in the field bread will be born more abundantly.

BESITSY-TRYASAVITSA - spirits of diseases. At first, it was called fever, and then other diseases. There are 7, 10, 40, 77, but most often 12 diseases in conspiracies. Bessy-shakers are serious diseases, they were considered "daughters of King Herod" and were depicted as naked women of a devilish appearance with wings. Their names correspond to the functions: Shaking, Ogneya, Ledeya (sends chills), Gnetei (lies on the ribs and womb), Grynusha or Khripusha (lays on his chest and comes out with a cough), Deaf (aches his head and lays his ears), Lomeya (bones and body aches), Puffy, Zhelteya (sends jaundice), Korkusha (sends cramps), Looking (does not let you sleep, deprives you of your mind), Nevea (catch a person - do not live for him).

GODDESSES - mythological characters of the Western Slavs. Terrible in appearance: old ugly lame women with large heads, sagging breasts, swollen belly, crooked legs, black fanged teeth; according to beliefs, they kidnap and replace children. They can appear in the form of frogs, dogs, cats, appear as a shadow, but most often they are invisible to people. Dead women in childbirth, suicidal women, girls who got rid of the fetus, child killers become goddesses. They live in caves, swamps, ponds, ravines. Appear at night in bad weather.

BOLOTNITSA (wilderness, shovel) - a drowned maiden living in a swamp. Her black hair is tossed over her bare shoulders and trimmed with sedge and forget-me-nots. Disheveled and unkempt, pale-faced with green eyes, always naked and ready to lure people to her only to, without any particular guilt, tickle to death and drown them in a quagmire. Swamplands can send crushing storms, heavy rains, destructive hail to the fields; steal threads, canvases and canvases from women who fell asleep without prayer.

Wanderers - among the ancient Slavs, the spirits of the guards of the fords, pretty girls with long hair. According to legend, Brodnitsy live with beavers in quiet backwaters. They guard the fords made of brushwood, correct them, guard them. When the enemy stealthily steals up, the Wanderers imperceptibly destroy the ford, directing the enemy into a swamp or a whirlpool.

WITCH - according to ancient legends, a woman who sold her soul to the devil. In the south, this is a more attractive woman, often a young widow; in the north - an old woman, fat as a tub, with gray hair, bony hands and a huge blue nose. It differs from other women in that it has a small tail and has the ability to fly through the air on a broomstick, a poker, in a mortar. He goes to his dark deeds without fail through the chimney, can turn into different animals, most often a magpie, a pig, a dog and a yellow cat. It gets older and younger with the month. On Sila August 12, witches die after drinking milk. famous place gathering of witches for a sabbath on Kupala night - in Kyiv on Bald Mountain.

It was believed that their supernatural properties ordinary woman could acquire through connections with evil spirit. The nature of such a connection could be different: an evil spirit, the devil, the spirit of a dead person, was infused into a woman (at her request or against her will); woman entered into love affair with a demon, a flying kite; or she entered into an agreement with evil spirits for the sake of acquiring some supernatural abilities, etc. Such duality was understood in folk beliefs as a kind of double-mindedness, that is, as the presence in real woman two souls - human and demonic (it is the second, "impure" soul that leaves the body of a witch woman during her sleep and flies to harm people.

Most typical characteristics witches: a high degree of harmfulness in relation to people and livestock, the ability to select in their favor all types of economic benefits (milk cows, fat of other people's pigs, eggs poultry, honey from other people's apiaries, harvest from the fields, etc.). All witches are characterized by the ability to send damage, natural disasters, disease. Such properties as the ability to shapeshift, to fly to the Sabbath, and the calendar timing of its harmful activation act as universal ones.

According to Polissya testimonies, after the day of Ivan Kupala, witches can no longer harm.

external sign, which distinguished a witch from ordinary people, Siberians considered an inverted reflection of a person or object in her pupils. it constant attention to the features of the eyes or gaze of a witch is characteristic of many Slavic traditions. The Poles believed that the "enchantress" can be recognized by the inflamed, reddened eyes, by the watery or "running" eyes, by the wild look.

FORK (samovily) - women's perfume, lovely girls with loose hair in light clothes, living in the mountains. Pitchforks have wings, they fly like birds, they own wells and lakes, they are able to "lock" them. If you take away the wings from the Vil, they lose their ability to fly and become ordinary women. Whoever takes away the clothes from the Wil, to him they obey. They treat people friendly, help the offended and orphans, they know how to heal, predict the future.

VODYANITSA - the wife of the waterman, but a drowned woman from the baptized, and therefore does not belong to the undead. Also called - a joke, a joke. Vodyanitsy prefer forest and mill whirlpools, but most of all they love the fall under the mills, where the rapids muddy the water and wash out the pits. Under the mill wheels, they seem to usually gather for the night along with the water ones. Waterworts are harmful: when they splash in the water and play with the running waves or jump on the mill wheels and spin with them, they tear the nets, spoil the millstones.

HAIR - in the mythology of the Slavs, the image of the constellation Pleiades. Later name: Volosozhar, Stozhary, Vlasozhely, Baba. According to ancient legends, women of one of the clans during the attack of the enemy turned into a “heavenly herd” so as not to be captured. The radiance of this constellation portends good luck in hunting, the multiplication of livestock. AT starry nights Shepherds went out into the street, stood on wool and prayed that there would be more sheep than stars in the sky. Volosi - the wives of the god Volos, the patron saint of cattle breeding.

GORGONIA (maiden Gorgoniya) - in Slavic book legends, a maiden with hair in the form of snakes comes from ancient medusa gorgon. The face of Gorgonia is beautiful, but deadly, she knows the language of all living beings. Heroes are trying to get the head of Gorgonia in order to get a wonderful tool that gives victory over any enemy, but only the strongest and most courageous succeed. Iconography of the Gorgonian head - feature popular Byzantine and Old Russian amulets - "serpentines

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DANA - Slavic goddess of water. The fair-faced girl is a river murmuring her cheerful song. She will give a drink to a tired traveler, and wash the wound of a warrior, and, having risen into the sky, will fall like a blessed rain on the fields. She was revered as a bright and kind goddess, giving life to all living things. From the name of Dan comes the name of the Dnieper (Danapris), Dniester, Danube, Dvina, Donets. The word Dana is complex: YES (“water”) plus NA (“nenya”), means “Water is Mother”. The refrain of the song "Dana, sheedy, ready, Dana" is "Dana, she creates, she creates a river, Dana." Special honors were paid to this goddess during the Kupala holidays.

DENNITSA - the image of the midday dawn (stars) in Slavic mythology. Star-Dennitsa - sister (according to other legends, mother or daughter) of the sun, beloved of the month. The sun is jealous of Dennitsa for the month and does not allow them to meet. Dennitsa portends the sunrise, leads the sun to the sky and melts in its bright rays. At night Dennitsa shines brightest of all, helps the moon.

DIDILIA - the goddess of childbirth, growth, vegetation, the personification of the moon. She was sacrificed and asked to give children. She was depicted in different ways: a young woman, with her head wrapped in a cloak, with a lit torch in her bare hands (a torch is a symbol of the beginning of a new life); woman preparing to give new life, with flowers, in a wreath. The image of Didilia was often used famous artists.

DODOLA - a character of South Slavic mythology, the goddess of rain, the wife of a thunderer. AT magical rites In order to cause rain among the southern Slavs, ritual actions are performed by priestesses of the goddess (six girls aged 12 to 16 years) - dodolitsy. They decorate them with wreaths, pour water on them, bring them bread. At the same time, dodolits sing, turning to the goddess with a request to send rain. Dodola is akin to the goddess Didilia.

FIREBIRD - in Slavic fairy tales a wonderful bird that flies from another (thirtieth) kingdom. This kingdom is fabulously rich lands, which were dreamed of in ancient times, for the color of the Firebird is golden, a golden cage, beak, feathers. It can be assumed that the Firebird is associated with other mythological characters: Rahorn, Fire Serpent. Sometimes in fairy tales the Firebird acts as a kidnapper.

ZHELIA - the goddess of sorrow and pity among the ancient Slavs, the messenger of the dead. Beautiful unearthly beauty and sad. A pale face is set off by long black hair. Together with his sister Karna, he flies over the battlefield and notifies who will be killed. And after the battle, he sits with his head bowed and, hugging his knees with his hands, mourns for the dead. According to the existing custom, the dead soldiers were burned - Zhelya carried their ashes in the horn.

ZHIVA (Zhivana, Siva) - "giving life", the goddess of life, she embodies the life force and opposes the mythological incarnations of death. AT right hand holds an apple, in the left - grapes. Alive is in the form of a cuckoo. In early May, sacrifices are made to her. The girls honor the cuckoo - the spring messenger: they baptize her in the forest, make friends with each other and curl wreaths on a birch.

KARNA (Karina) - the goddess of sorrow, the weeping goddess of the ancient Slavs, the sister of Zhelya. If a warrior dies far from home, Karna is the first to mourn him. According to the legends, weeping and sobbing can be heard over the dead battlefield at night. This goddess Karna in black long clothes performs a difficult female service for all wives and mothers. Other Russian "kariti" - to mourn. Text hidden

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→ KOSTROMA - in East Slavic mythology - the embodiment of spring and fertility. In the rites of seeing off spring, it is a young woman wrapped in white sheets, with an oak branch in her hands, walking accompanied by a round dance. They also made a scarecrow of Kostroma from straw and arranged a ritual funeral (burned, torn to pieces) with ritual mourning. The ritual also symbolized the rebirth of nature. Kostroma was buried on Spirits Day - the first Monday after Trinity.

LADA - goddess of love, patroness of marriages, hearth, goddess of youth, beauty, fertility. Femininity itself, tender, melodious, fair-haired; in white clothes - she will bring the guy to the sweet one on Kupala night in a round dance; and stepdaughter wicked stepmother hide under the branches when she gathers to meet her friend. In young families, the hearth supports: it’s about to go out, and Lada throws up a twig, waves her clothes - the hearth flares up, touches the hearts of the unreasonable with warmth, and again harmony in the family.

LETAVITSA - the spirit of dawn. At night, it flies or sits somewhere on the branches, brings the day closer. Charms night owls with his girlish beauty. She is shod in red boots with which she flies; they are for her, that the wings are light, they have all the strength of the flyer. Only those who can force themselves not to look at her boots or take them off will not succumb to the charms of the flyweed. If this spirit of dawn is left without boots - manage it as you wish. Letavitsa disappears with the sunrise.

FEVER - the demon of disease. Appears to be a bare-haired woman with a diabolical appearance. Mentioned in Slavic apocrypha and in conspiracies. Often, our ancestors, in order to appease and not attract Fever, called her affectionately friendly words: kindness, kumoha, sister, aunt, guest, guest. The images of diseases are weakly expressed in Slavic tradition and therefore are not reflected in rites and rituals.

MAKOSH (Mokosh, Makesha) - Slavic deity, patroness women's work, spinning and weaving. Also agricultural deity, mother of the harvest, goddess of abundance. Poppy flower - heady, like love. From the name of this bright flower, which the girls embroidered on wedding towels - the name of the goddess. Makosha - female deity life force. The only female deity whose idol stood on a hilltop in the pantheon of Prince Vladimir.
Among some northern tribes, Makosh is a cold, unkind goddess.

MAVKI (navki, mevki) - in East Slavic mythology, evil spirits, often deadly. According to Ukrainian beliefs, children who died before baptism turn into Mavok: the name Mavka is derived from “nav” (Navka), which means the embodiment of death. Mavki are incorporeal and are not reflected in the water, they have no shadow, they have no back, so all the insides are visible. Mavkas and mermaids are not the same thing, they have many differences.

MARA (maruha, mora) - in Slavic mythology, the deity of evil, enmity, death. Later, the connection with death is lost, but the harmfulness of the deity is obvious (pestilence, darkness). The northern Slavs of Mar have a rude spirit, a gloomy ghost that is invisible during the day, and does evil deeds at night. Most willingly, Mara lives in dark and damp places, in caves under washed-out shores. in some places Mara is the name of evil spirits. Text hidden

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→ MOLONYA QUEEN (Melanya) - the formidable goddess of lightning, the wife of the Great Thunder Rattler, lives in heaven. Her son is the Fire King. There is a myth about the abduction of Molonya by the god Veles. If you follow this myth - the Fire-king is an illegitimate son. When the whole heavenly family is together, but the family is not getting along, everyone gets angry in their own way: Thunder - thunders, Molonya - shoots golden arrows, the Fire-king rushes on these arrows, setting fire to everything that gets in the way. Sparrow night is a major quarrel in the heavenly family.

MERMAID - the maiden of the waters, according to other legends, the wife of the water. It's high beautiful girl living at the bottom of a pond. A mermaid does not have a fish tail. At night, she, along with her friends, splashes on the surface of the water, sits on a mill wheel, and dives. The maiden of the waters can tickle the passer-by to death or take her away. As a rule, girls who drowned themselves from unhappy love or drowned by their stepmothers become mermaids. A mermaid can marry a man, but this marriage is always unsuccessful.

MOLONYA QUEEN (Melanya) - the formidable goddess of lightning, the wife of the Great Thunder Rattler, lives in heaven. Her son is the Fire King. There is a myth about the abduction of Molonya by the god Veles. If you follow this myth - the Fire-king is an illegitimate son. When the whole heavenly family is together, but the family is not getting along, everyone gets angry in their own way: Thunder - thunders, Molonya - shoots golden arrows, the Fire-king rushes on these arrows, setting fire to everything that gets in the way. Sparrow night is a major quarrel in the heavenly family.

MORENA (madder, margin) is a goddess associated with the embodiment of death, with darkness, disease, with seasonal rituals of dying and resurrection of nature, sometimes with rituals for causing rain. Among the southern Slavs, this is a light flying ghost of winter. And when winter ends, a scarecrow of Morena is knitted from last year's straw and drowned (burned, torn to pieces) in honor of the future harvest.

MORYANA - maiden sea ​​waters, daughter of the sea king. Most time swims in the depths of the sea, turning into a fish, playing with dolphins. It comes ashore on quiet evenings, sways on the waves, splashes, sorts out sea pebbles. When the angry king of the sea raises a storm, calms it, calms the storm. In Russian fairy tales, the image of Marya Morevna is close to Moryana.

PARASKEVA-FRIDAY (Virgo-Pyatenka) - a female deity. patroness of Friday. It also favors youth games with songs and dances. Appears in white clothes and guards the wells. Where Paraskeva-Pyatnitsa is depicted on the wooden roofs - there the water is healing. So that the grace of the Virgin-Five does not dry out, the women secretly make a sacrifice to her; sheep's wool on the apron. In Belarus, the custom has been preserved to make statues of her from wood and pray to her for rain for seedlings. dark night.

MIDNIGHT is a woman in white who is working in the field. Favorite time its noon. At this time, she makes riddles to those she meets, and if someone does not guess, she can tickle. Those who work at noon, when custom and nature itself require a break, are punished by noon. It is rare for anyone to see her - whom she punished, prefers not to brag, but to remain silent about it. Noon - embodiment sunstroke.

PRIYA is the goddess of love, marriage and fertility. A young, calm woman with slicked back long hair. Revered by mistresses as the patroness of the garden. Women knew: if you please Priya - weed the grass, water it, thin it out, plant it in the right proportions, i.e. keep the garden in order - it will provide a rich harvest to the table in the fall. And if there is something to serve at the table - and the owner will be pleased, and in the family there will be advice and love. Priya's favorite time is autumn, when the tables are bursting with vegetables, when fun weddings are played.

CHILDREN - maidens of fate, fertility, female power. Their cult arose during the period of matriarchy and is associated with the cult of female fertility. They are present at the birth of children and determine their fate. Usually midwives who take birth know how to appease women in labor so that they help to give birth easily. There were two or three women in labor, later - seven, apparently, corresponding to the days of the week.

MERMAID - the maiden of the waters, according to other legends, the wife of the water. This is a tall, beautiful girl living at the bottom of a reservoir. A mermaid does not have a fish tail. At night, she, along with her friends, splashes on the surface of the water, sits on a mill wheel, and dives. The maiden of the waters can tickle the passer-by to death or take her away. As a rule, girls who drowned themselves from unhappy love or drowned by their stepmothers become mermaids. A mermaid can marry a man, but this marriage is always unsuccessful. Text hidden Mermaid is one of the most conflicting images. Information about him differs significantly in the complex of beliefs of the Russian North (as well as the Urals and Siberia) in comparison with the data of the Ukrainian-Belarusian and South Russian demonological systems.

The first of these complexes is characterized by the following features: firstly, the scarcity of stories about female character called a mermaid; secondly, the rapprochement of this image with the more popular characters for the northern Russian tradition, defined by the terms vodynikha, joker, leshachikha, devil, etc.; thirdly, a noticeably accentuated connection between the “mermaid” and the water element.

In the Northern Russian materials, the fact of a single (and not a group) appearance of mermaids is noted; predominantly scary face, a view of a naked woman with saggy breasts or a long-haired, shaggy woman (less often - women in white). Here there are stories about their appearance in the winter in the hole, or that a mermaid in the form of a naked woman is chasing the sleigh of a peasant who was driving through the forest in winter.

In this tradition, bylichki about the cohabitation of a mermaid with a man represent the development of a plot about an “imaginary wife”: a werewolf woman visits a hunter in a forest hut under the guise of his wife, gives birth to a child from him, and when the hunter recognizes evil spirits in a werewolf, the mythical “wife” tears her child in two and throws him into the water (the same plot is typical for the images of the goblin, the devil, the forest girl).

The situation is different with the “mermaid” complex of beliefs characteristic of the Ukrainian-Belarusian and South Russian demonology. There are conflicting descriptions in many places. appearance mermaids either as young beauties, or as a neutral female image, or as old, scary-looking women.

Mermaids became: dead unbaptized children; brides who did not live to see their wedding; children and girls who died as a result of violent death. When asked about the appearance of mermaids, one often heard that they walked the earth in the same form in which unmarried dead girls are usually buried: in wedding dress, with flowing hair and with a wreath on his head. That's right, by folk custom, dressed the dead girls, as if arranging a symbolic wedding for them. It was believed that the souls of people who died before marriage could not finally go to the "other world" and from time to time invade the world of the living.

The second most important feature of the "mermaid" image should be recognized as the seasonality of stay on earth. It is widely believed that Rusal Week is a "mermaid holiday"; that's when they allegedly appeared from afterlife and all week they frolicked in the fields, forests, in places near the water (sometimes they penetrated into the houses of their relatives). At the end of this period, the mermaids returned "to their places" (went into the water, into the graves, to the "other world").

According to East Slavic beliefs, mermaids appear in a cereal field during the flowering of rye; among the southern Slavs, it was believed that mermaids, mermaids reside in places of abundant flowering of the plant "rosen". Apparently, it is this circle of beliefs that clarifies the etymology of the “flower” name of the mermaid (associated with the name of the flower “rose”), since it is known that the ancient holiday rosalia, dies rosae was timed to coincide with the period of rose bloom and represented funeral rite in honor of the untimely deceased young people.

Attention should be paid to significant differences between the folklore mermaid and the eponymous in a literary way. A list of all the "mermaid" images created in fiction would be very long list. All of them are depicted as drowned women and inhabitants of the waters, endowed with the features of insidious beauty maidens, women with a fish tail, luring their victims into the water, looking for love earthly youths taking revenge on unfaithful lovers, etc. Such a standard image has become firmly established not only in fiction, but also in everyday consciousness, and in many scientific dictionaries and encyclopedias. Its source turned out to be not so much authentic data of folk demonology as similar characters of ancient and European mythology (nymphs, sirens, naiads, undines, melusines and other water and forest mythical maidens) that have become popular in the book tradition.

SNOW MAIDEN - the daughter of Frost, according to other legends - the granddaughter. Kind, not as tough as Frost. Sometimes in the summer he lives with people and helps them. When she walks through the forest, squirrels, hares and other forest kids look for protection from her. The Snow Maiden's heart is cold, and if someone manages to ignite the fire of love in it, the Snow Maiden melts. It also melts from the rays of the loving Yarila-Sun. Under New Year Together with Frost, her grandfather, the Snow Maiden comes to the children and gives them gifts.

DEATH is a character that is inherent not only to the Slavs, but to the mythology of almost all peoples. A terrible old woman, incorporeal, only bones, with a scythe, comes from hell to the ground to choose another victim and take her life. In many legends and fairy tales, the hero enters into combat with Death, often wraps it around his finger and turns out to be the winner.

STRAFIL-BIRD - mother of all birds, progenitor of birds. The Strafil-bird lives in the middle of the sea, and when it wakes up, there is a storm on the sea. According to other legends, the Strafil-bird tames storms, and at night hides the sun under its wing in order to give light again in the morning. Or he hides the earth under his wing, saving it from universal troubles. It comes from the Greek name for the bird ostrich. In the morning, after the Strafil-bird “trembles”, roosters begin to sing all over the earth.

SUDENITS - the spirits of fate among the Slavs, female creatures that determine the fate of a person at his birth. Three sisters, always together, immortal, come at midnight on the third day after the birth of a child and call his fate. As they call it, it will be so, no one can change the prediction. One of the sisters offers death, the other - physical disabilities, and the third says how much to live, when to go to the crown, what happens in life. Her prediction usually comes true. Text hidden

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Women in mythology (mainly Greek and Roman, Scandinavian and Slavonic)

Amazons (militant Virgins), Valkyries (Scand.)
Ariadne (Greek: Daughter of the king, ball, thread)
Artemis (Greek Daughter of Zeus, goddess of hunting, childbirth, chastity)
Pallas Athena (Greek Goddess of war, victory, wisdom, knowledge, arts, crafts, daughter of Zeus), acc. Bellona (Rome)
Aphrodite (Greek Goddess of love, beauty, fertility, eternal Spring)
Gaia (Greek Goddess of the earth, based on mountains and seas, 1st generation of gods)
Harpies (Greek Goddesses of the whirlwind, female birds)
Hekate (Greek Goddess of darkness, witchcraft, moon, hunting,)
Hecuba (Greek Personification of Sorrow and Sorrow)
Nemesis (Greek goddess of retribution)
Galatea (Greek. Animated. Statue; Nereid)
Nereids (Greek Mor. Nymphs, 50 daughters of the Mors. Elder)
Nike (Greek. Winged. Goddess of Victory), resp. Victoria (Rome)
Charites (Greek Goddess of beauty and grace)
Cassandra (Greek prophetess)
Greek 9 muses, goddesses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne: Clio (patron. Stories), Euterpe (lyric. Poetry), Thalia (comedy), Melpomene (tragedies), Terpsichore (dances), Erato (love. poetry), Polyhymnia (hymns) , Urania (astronomy), Calliope (epic poetry
Leda (Greek: Elena's mother)
Medea (Greek Sorceress, golden fleece)
Hypermnestra (Greek, Danae disobeyed, the ancestor of the Argos kings)
Danae (Greek: Daughter of the king, mother of Perseus)
Nymphs (Greek. Deities of nature, alive. In the mountains, forests, seas, daughters of Zeus) - Bacchantes, Nereids, Naiads, Dryads
Penelope (Greek. Symbol of marital fidelity, wife of Odysseus)
Psyche (Greek. Personification of the human soul
Persephone (Cora, Greek Goddess of fertility and the kingdom of the dead, wife of Hades)
Sirens (Greek. Women-birds, lured sailors with beauty and voice)
Andromeda (Greek: King's daughter)
Circe (Kirka, Greek sorceress, insidious seductress)
Aurora (Rom. Goddess dawn)
Graces (Rom. 3 goddesses of beauty and joy)
Danaids (Greek 50 daughters of Danae, fill a bottomless barrel of water)
Venus (Rome. Goddess of spring and gardens, love, beauty), Flora (Rome.)
Diana (Rom. Goddess of vegetation, women in childbirth, moon)
Minerva (Rome. Goddess of crafts and arts, wisdom and cities, triad)
Mermaids (glory. Spirits of water and vegetation)
Vestals (Rom. Priestesses)
Vesta (Rom. Goddess of the house. Hearth)
Trivia (Rom. Goddess of 3 roads)
Themis (Greek goddess of justice)
Fortune (Rom. Goddess of happiness, good luck)
Furies (Rom. Goddesses of vengeance), resp. Erinnia (Greek, Eumenides)
Ceres (Rom. Goddess of agriculture and fertility), resp. Demeter (Greek)
Juno (Rom. Goddess of marriage, motherhood, women), resp. Hera (Greek Queen of the Gods, sister and wife of Zeus)
etc. etc.

Vivid female literary and film images (based on real events or fictional, unknown women - prototypes)

Scarlett O'Hara
Esmeralda
Maggie Cleary
Natasha Rostova
Tatyana Larina
Giselle
Carmen
Bella
Ophelia
Lady Macbeth
Mary Poppins
Bonnie Parker
Assol
Nikita
Isolde
Yesenia
Emmanuel
Desdemona
Isaura
margarita
Jane Eyre
Juliet
Asya
Aida
Feride
Angelica
Lucky Luciano
Anna Karenina
Jane Marple
Milady
Catwoman
Lara Croft
Arina Rodionovna
Dulcinea Tabos
Tess D'Urbelville
Natalie Goncharova
Constance Bonacier
Vassa Zheleznova
Anna of Austria
Anastasia Romanova
Shahirizada
Pocahontas
Alice Liddell
The Snow Queen
Alyonushka
Pippi long stocking
Alisa Selezneva
Snow Maiden
Malvina
Tortilla
Ellie
Gerda
Elena: beautiful, wise
Cinderella
Thumbelina
etc. and etc

Women in the Bible, Quran, religion

Virgin Mary, Mother of God
Eve, mother
Esther
Judith
Hagar
Leah
Rachel
Rebekah
Sarah
Deborah
Anna, Madonna's mother
Maria Magdalena
Ruth

Will be replenished

Mythological creatures of the peoples of the world [Magical properties and interaction] Conway Dinna J.

16. Water people

16. Water people

Humanoid beings of the element of Water belong to the undines and are associated with the West. The word "undine" comes from the Latin unda, which means "wave". Chief among them was Nexa, or Nyxa. Undines can have a significant influence on the direction of flow and the behavior of water in physical world, as well as human emotions in the world of magic.

Although the most famous water creatures are those of the Mermaida seas, there are many other classes and types of creatures that inhabit the waters. Ancient philosophers wrote that the Water People, in one form or another, lived in every water source, whether it be springs, springs, streams, rivers, lakes, marshes or swamps, waterfalls or seas. Although the undines, or water-dwellers, bear a considerable resemblance to humans in appearance and size, there are also species of smaller creatures that inhabit smaller water bodies, such as springs, springs, and small streams with a weak current.

Most aquatic creatures have some human-like features, although there are signs of aquatic animals in their structure, such as scales and webbing on their hands and feet. Most of them can, if desired, communicate with people, as they are fluent in human tongues of your region.

Water creatures living in damp, foggy swamps, bogs and swamps - human body with arms and legs, but at the same time they have sharp teeth, fish eyes, their skin is covered with the smallest scales, and between the fingers and toes there are membranes. Their hair is thin and dark, like dead slimy grass stalks. They usually appear on cloudy, foggy days or at night. The Swamp Folk are the most unpredictable and treacherous of all the Water dwellers, often deliberately leading people astray in the fog.

Tiny inhabitants of springs, springs and streams are creatures that have a human body covered with iridescent scales that shimmer in the sun beautiful flowers. Their babies are born with fish tails that disappear once they reach maturity, much like tadpoles. Children do not leave the water until this transformation is completed. The older generation looks like people, they have arms and legs, and they can rise into the air with the spray of a spring. Their dances in the water are reminiscent of fairy dances, although these aquatic creatures have neither wings nor fins. Adult creatures often bask in the sun along the shores of their aquatic home. They shy away from people, but sometimes they can be persuaded to help in divination related to water.

The inhabitants of the waterfalls are very beautiful and outwardly resemble their smaller counterparts living in springs and springs, but they are human in size. They can fly up the falling water, then go down with the stream, wriggling and jumping in the water spray. Them younger generation, which is also born and lives to maturity with fish tails, plays in the ponds under the waterfalls. Undines living in waterfalls rarely help people, although they have knowledge of healing.

Another aquatic creature that lives in small waterfalls is the Stromkarl, or Riverman. He plays a beautiful but sad melody on the harp and has an amazing voice.

The water people, who live in rivers and fast streams of water, are more like their relatives who inhabit the seas. Some of them have fish tails, others don't. They are usually human-sized and quite attractive in appearance. However, you should not trust them, as they often lure people into the water and drown them. They like to sing while sitting on the beach and combing their hair.

Representatives of the Lake people are most similar to people. The membranes between the fingers of their hands and feet are so thin that they are almost invisible. Their bodies are rarely covered with scales, and their faces differ from human ones only in pallor and an expression of detachment. These inhabitants of the water element feel just as good on earth as in water, and often live among people unrecognized for a long time. They have extensive knowledge of magic, but when interacting with them, a person must be on the lookout for charm spells that can drag the magician into the lake.

Little is known about the rest of the Water Folk, as they are very shy of humans. Some of these tiny creatures live among the reeds that grow along the banks of rivers and lakes, others make their homes under floating water lily leaves, in small caves among the bottom rocks, or in miniature moss houses under waterfalls.

People are most familiar with the Sea People, who inhabit the seas, with whose representatives we have been communicating for many centuries. There are several types of Sea People: some of them can transform and come ashore, while others live permanently with a fish tail.

All aquatic creatures love to sing, and most of them have beautiful, enchanting voices. However, the voices of some of them, especially the swamp dwellers, can be frightening. Although Water dwellers are emotional and can be influenced by people's emotions, there is little human in their personality and outlook on life.

The water people represent the whole range of emotions, both positive and negative, that people experience.

Auizotl

This is the name of a terrible creature that lives in the high mountain lakes of Central America. The descriptions of this dangerous creature are very vague, as few of the people who saw it managed to survive. Auizotl believes that all the fish in the lakes are his and becomes furious when fishermen "steal" his fish with nets or rods. When Auizotl is angry, he whips the water with his long tail, causing violent storms, and sometimes even grabs the boat by the edges and turns it over to drown the fishermen.

: one who sees danger even when there is none.

magical properties: too dangerous; it is not recommended to contact him.

Ben Varra

The inhabitants of the Isle of Man call the creature known to us as Mermaid (sea mermaid), Ben-Varra. Like other Mermaids, this kind of marine life can enchant and beckon people to death, but sometimes it shows its good side.

Dora Broom wrote down a legend about how a fisherman carried Ben-Varr, entangled in his nets, back to the sea, and she, in gratitude, revealed to him the secret where the treasure was hidden. Another beautiful story tells how the little mermaid was so eager to get a doll belonging to an earth girl that she stole it. The mermaid mother scolded the baby and told her to return the doll and, in addition, a string of pearls.

Ben Varra

There is another legend about the friendly Ben-Varr, who lived near Partik. During the fishing season, when one of Peel's boats was fishing near Spanish Head Point, Ben-Varra suddenly appeared from the water and yelled, "Sail to shore!" The fishermen, who knew that her advice was to be trusted, immediately sent their boats to cover. Those who ignored the warning lost their equipment, and some lost their lives.

Psychological characteristics: one who does not like to experience too powerful emotions and does not show them, either by keeping them to himself or bringing them to the point of explosion.

magical properties: can protect or provide a service, but be aware of their power of charm.

Bunyips are Australian water monsters, also known as Kain Praty, Wuwi Wuwi, Dongus and many other local names. Apparently there are several various kinds these creatures, and they all live in swamps and swamps in different parts countries. Some Bunyips have a flat bulldog face and a fish tail; others have a long neck, an emu-beaked head, and a sea snake's long flowing mane. Still others outwardly resemble people. However, all of these species can be immediately identified by their turned back feet and hideous faces. These creatures are rarely seen.

Bunyips emit a loud, deafening roar, audible far around. They live in dens on the banks of rivers, wells and mangrove swamps. When their burrows dry up during droughts, the Bunyips hibernate, burrowing deep into the mud. Their fearsome roar is usually heard during or after a long rainy season, but never during a dry season.

Psychological characteristics: the ability to make a comfortable dwelling in terrible conditions.

magical properties: symbolize rain.

A mermaid living in the Scottish Highlands region was known as Kiask, or "maiden of the wave." She had the body of a beautiful woman and a large tail resembling that of a young salmon. Kyask was a dangerous creature that, according to legend, could only be defeated by destroying its separately existing soul, which did not live in her body, but was hidden somewhere, in an egg, shell or casket. In mythology and folklore, there was a concept of the separated soul of many supernatural beings, as well as some mages.

The fishermen of the Highlands region stubbornly ignored the dangerous features of Kyask and tried to catch her. According to legend, Kiask must fulfill three wishes of the one who managed to catch her. And if she lived with this fisherman, then his luck increased. Several famous Scottish pilots claimed to be the descendants of Kiascus and a mortal man.

Psychological characteristics: ignoring the spiritual side of life or separating it so much that it does not bring good to a person.

magical properties: very dangerous. But if the magician is powerful enough, Kiask will be able to fulfill his three wishes.

Dinny Mara

This Mermen (sea merman) of the Isle of Man was also called Dunya Mara. The Dinny Mara was considered much less ferocious than the typical English Mermen and almost as gentle and friendly as the Irish Merrow. Folk lore says that these creatures were good fathers playing with their children and giving them gifts. This contrasts sharply with the Cornish lore, especially from Chiuri, which speaks of Mermaid (a sea mermaid) who was afraid that her husband would eat the children if she returned home a little later.

The Cornish sea mermaids had a more sinister nature. They could grant three wishes to the one who caught them, but they always tried to drown their victim in the sea (and they usually succeeded).

There is a similar story in the folklore of the village of Chiuri, near Lizard Point in Cornwall. Long ago, a fisherman named Looty was scouring the shore looking for debris when he discovered a sea mermaid washed ashore by the tide. She promised to fulfill his three wishes if he carried her back to the sea. When Luti was carrying the mermaid, he asked to give him the power to remove magic spells and control spirits for the benefit of other people. These powers should be passed down in his family from generation to generation, and none of his family members should ever be in need. Mermaid gave Looty her comb, with which the om could summon her from the sea.

When Luti approached the sea, she began to lure him with her into the sea with the help of charms. The fisherman turned around and looked at his house, and the spell was broken, but the mermaid hung around his neck and did not let go until Luti took out his knife and placed its blade between them. The mermaid jumped into the water and disappeared. For nine years Luti lived in safety, but one day he went fishing with one of his sons. The same mermaid appeared at their boat and called him. Without turning around, Luti dived into the sea and disappeared forever.

Psychological characteristics: desire or desire to acquire certain things or relationships, without paying due attention to the fact that the fulfillment of this desire can harm you. Frustration and moaning after getting what you want.

magical properties: very sinister; dangerous; contact is not recommended.

Guraged Annun

Guraged Annun are the Lake Maidens of Welsh legend. In Wales, there are many stories about a variety of sinister faerie creatures. Lake maidens were not of this species, they did not look like sirens or nixies. They were very beautiful and sometimes married mortals. Like all Sea Folk, they liked to sit along the banks of their watery home and comb their long hair.

Guraged Annun

One of the earliest traditions about Guraged Annun is that of a maiden from Llyn-y-Fan-Fah, a small lake in Wales near the Black Mountains. In the 12th century, a young peasant from Blansode, near the village of Midfay, saw the Lady of the Lake combing her long golden hair and fell in love with her. They got married, but the Lady of the Lake warned her husband never to beat her even as a joke, because after three blows she would have to return to the lake. For several years the couple lived happily, during which time they had three sons. But the husband forgot the warning, and on three occasions he could not resist and lovingly slapped his wife. After the third blow, the woman returned to her mountain lake, but she often visited her sons, teaching them the jealously guarded secrets of healing. When the boys grew up, they became famous doctors from Midfai. Their knowledge, received from their mother, the Lake Maiden, was passed down from generation to generation until their family died out in the 19th century.

Psychological characteristics: softness combined with inner strength, allowing a person to get away from unpleasant situations.

magical properties: carry the secret knowledge of healing and medicine.

Hai Ho Shan

In the South China Sea, sailors once feared the Hai-Ho-Shan (sea Buddhist priest), or sea bonzu. According to the descriptions, this creature had a huge fish body and the shaven head of a Buddhist priest. Legends say that Hai-Ho-Shan was aggressive and so strong that he could seize and capsize a fishing boat, drowning the entire crew in the process. However, two ways were known to scare away this sea creature. To do this, team members burned feathers, or someone performed a certain ritual dance. The latter method has gained such popularity that usually at least one of the team members was able, in addition to performing their direct duties, to perform these protective ritual steps.

Psychological characteristics: Extremely aggressive and inconsiderate of others when it comes to getting what they want.

hippocampus

Marine inhabitants considered this sea creature an unsurpassed steed for swift movements across the oceans. Its name means "sea horse". Three hippocampi were harnessed to Neptune's sea chariot. The front of this creature was equine and had powerful webbed fins. And although his back was a fishtail, he also had a long horse's back with a mane in the form of a scalloped fin. The front part of his body was covered with small scales, and the larger one was covered with all other parts. Tritons often rode hippocampi.

Psychological characteristics: positive- the ability to quickly assess potential danger in a relationship and move away from it. Negative- depravity and love of cruelty, control of emotions.

magical properties: Summon the hippocampus as an astral steed as you travel through parallel worlds during meditations to help you deal with emotional issues.

A kappa is a type of gnome demon that lives only in Japanese seas, rivers, or ponds. Outwardly, he resembled a grotesque little naked man or a large, child-sized monkey without hair and with a tortoise shell on his back. Kappa was yellow-green in color, sometimes his body could be covered with scales or there was no shell. Between its clawed fingers and toes were webbed, and the skin of this creature had a greenish tint. He had a hooked nose and round eyes, and the whole creature was enveloped in a sharp smell of rotten fish. However, its most characteristic feature was a round depression at the top of its head.

Kappa liked to lie in wait, waiting for people or animals that wandered close to his watery home. Then he jumped out of the water and dragged the victim under the water, where she died, and ate her, starting with the insides. He especially loved blood; it is believed that he also raped women.

There were two known ways to avoid the kappa's lethal behavior. The first - as soon as you see the creature, politely bow to him. Then the kappa will bow in return, and the water will pour out of the recess in his head. The loss of water robbed him of his strength until he filled the hole again. In the meantime, the man could have escaped. The second way is to carve the names of all family members on a cucumber and throw it into the kappé water. Those whose names are written on it will not be attacked by the kappa. However, the "offering" in the form of a cucumber must be made annually.

Despite the fact that these strange creatures were considered dangerous, they shared some knowledge with people, most often related to bone-cutting. There are several legends about the deals made between kappa and humans.

Psychological characteristics: one who always wears a mask of friendliness, although his penchant for hypocrisy, lies and gossip prevents him from making friends.

The Scandinavian peoples considered the kraken, strange creature, sometimes confused with the giant devilfish or octopus, a terrible menace. It is usually seen in the waters of the North Atlantic Ocean and along the coast of Norway. Legend has it that two krakens were created at the creation of the world, and these creatures will live as long as the Earth exists.

The huge body of this ocean dweller, which was much more body sperm whale, sometimes mistaken for an island. The kraken was so huge that it could easily drag a person off the ship or turn the ship itself over by sticking to it with its tentacles. In calm weather, sailors looked carefully for signs of unusually boiling water, which served as a signal that the kraken was rising to the surface. When this creature rose, it was impossible to avoid its deadly attack.

In 1680, Fr. e. there was a message that a young kraken was stuck in the narrow Altstahong channel. When he died, such a terrible smell appeared that the inhabitants of the surrounding villages were afraid that he would cause some terrible disease. In 1752, a Norwegian bishop personally saw the kraken and wrote about it. He claimed that the kraken threw out "ink" that acted as a smoke screen, and all the water around the ship turned black.

There are also stories in Irish folklore about sea ​​monsters. The sea monster orc constantly devastated one of the islands off the coast of Ireland, until he was killed by a Saracen warrior named Rogero.

Psychological characteristics: A person who appears harmless on the outside but has dangerous and/or malevolent personality traits.

magical properties: very dangerous; it is not recommended to contact him.

This sea mermaid is called the "consecrated mermaid", since her image was adopted by the Christian religion and was found in the carvings of churches. The history of Liban was described in 1894 by James Joyce in the book "Ancient Celtic Traditions". She is also mentioned in the Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland, written by the Four Masters. This is a history of Ireland, written in the 17th century and covering the period from the creation of the world (as determined by the authors) to 1616 Fr. e. This work contains one short mention of Liban, referring to 558, when she fell into a fishing net on the banks of the Ollarba.

However, the history of Liban began several years earlier. She was originally the daughter of Eochaid and possibly Etain. In the year 90, the sacred spring of Ireland overflowed its banks, forming a huge lake, Loch Ness. During this flood, Eochaid and his family drowned, leaving only Liban and her two brothers. Liban and her beloved dog were swept up in the whirlpool. The girl prayed for salvation, and in response to her prayers, the lower part of her body turned into a salmon tail, but the upper part of her body remained human. Her dog turned into an otter.

When Liban was caught in 558, Fr. e., the fishermen called the local Christian priest, who asked the girl if she wanted to "gain a soul" by undergoing the sacrament of baptism, or prefer immediate death. She "chose" baptism, and died immediately afterwards.

Psychological characteristics: one who is able to accept life and the changes it brings.

magical properties: symbolizes the acceptance of harsh changes and the transformation of their impact on life into good.

The German mermaid, or Maid of the Rhine, became widely known thanks to the work of the composer Richard Wagner. In the opera Rhine Gold, three Lorelei, or sea mermaids, sing on the cliffs of the Rhine.

According to German legends, the Lorelei were beautiful young women with fish tails. Like the sirens, the Lorelei sang enchanting songs that lured unwary sailors to certain death on the rocks. In fact, one of the cliffs on the banks of the Rhine is named after Lorelei.

These guardians of the magical treasure of the Rhine were the guardians of magical power and spiritual knowledge deep in the subconscious.

Despite the fact that the legends about Lorelei exist mainly in Germany, the English analogue of this water maiden is known - Mary Player. According to legend, if she swam around the ship three times, she could make it sink.

Psychological characteristics: positive- a man who has learned to use the power of his voice to make people listen to the truth. Negative- someone who tries to be nice and helpful in order to get something. This is usually a gift, money, or a mention in a will.

magical properties: has access to magical secrets; helps in the search for ancient spiritual knowledge.

Melusina

One of the most famous sea mermaids was Melusina. She had a double tail, which could be not a fish, but a snake. Above the waist, she looked like an ordinary woman.

It is believed that Melusina is the founder of the state of the powerful French family of Lusignan. She married Raymond Poitou and was a good mother and a kind, considerate friend. After her husband showed displeasure at her being half-snake fish, Melusina disappeared. In the 12th century, one of her descendants, Guy de Lusignan, became king of Jerusalem and Cyprus, and his descendants continued to rule these countries for three centuries. Before the death of any of the members of the family, Melusina appeared in the stone corridors of the castle and sobbed piercingly.

The Lusignan family was so famous that several families, including the Luxemburgs and the Roans, even made changes to their ancestry, claiming that Melusina was their ancestor. After the complete disappearance of the Lusignan family, Melusina appeared to the French kings, warning them of the approach of death. Mentions of Melusine appeared in national folklore long before the 14th century.

Psychological characteristics: one who has visions and / or dreams about approaching troubles.

magical properties: symbolizes prosperity; warns of disaster or death.

Sea mermaids and mermaids / mermaids and mermens

Sea folk are known in one form or another in cultures around the world. Obviously, the European Mermaids and Mermens are distant relatives of the Mediterranean Nereids. Their name probably comes from the Indo-European roots mori-, mari- (sea). From this root word came the German word meer (sea) and the Latin mare (sea), English word mere (lake, sea) and French mer (sea).

The Sea Folk appear to have lived primarily in colder waters and along the rocky shores of the Atlantic Ocean, although they have also been seen in other regions. They originally inhabited an area stretching from the west coast of Cornwall along the western coast of the British Isles, all along the northern coast of Scotland and along the rocky cliffs and fjords of Scandinavia and Ireland.

Europeans usually remember only sea mermaids - women who have a fish tail starting from the hip line. However, there are also male mermen, which are usually not as dangerous and insidious as mermaids.

Basically, Sea people lived in sea ​​depths and sometimes came up on rocks in bays and deep waters where they liked to sit. Their magnificent underwater palaces sparkle with gold and shimmer with brilliance. precious stones, and most of this wealth was salvaged from sunken ships. Mermaids have their own own language, but they can also speak the language of the people living on the coast they love. They feed on fish and seafood, but rarely interfere with fishermen unless they have been offended by humans. Although folklore tells of how the Sea Folk fell into the fishing nets, this is unlikely. These marine inhabitants know the sea and life in it too well and are too agile, and could only fall into the net if they were injured.

Mermaids and mermen take care of certain schools of fish and gather and eat marine vegetation.

Mermaids and mermens above the hip line look like ordinary people, and below the line of the hips they have a fish tail with large caudal fins, while the dorsal fins are absent. The skin of their torso is pearly white with a silvery sheen. Hair color ranges from ash white to light brown or golden. Their eyes are either green or blue-green. Despite the fact that mermaids are incredibly beautiful, and mermen are very attractive, this is a cold type of beauty. Their age cannot be determined, since the development of representatives of this species is slow, and they are immortal. They do not have souls (in the sense that people give this word), they can be vain, envious and do not forgive people who offended them. In addition, they have supernatural powers, including the ability to predict the future.

Mermaid singing and combing their hair can be found in rivers and shallow seas. It's believed that charming voice mermaid lures ships to the rocks, and people to death. When mermaid is angry, she summons howling winds and violent storms as she dances through the waves. Several Old English ballads tell the story of how sailors saw a sea mermaid, mermaid, and then their ship sank, hitting the rocks. Mermen are muscular, very attractive and kind-hearted.

sea ​​people

Both male and female sea mermaids are able to transform their fish tails into human legs, so if they want to, they can go on land and mingle with people. It is possible that some of the sea mermaids spend a lot of time, both in the water and on land, with legs instead of fish tails. Although humans and Sea Folk have a mutual physical attraction to each other, mermaids and mermen are very different emotionally and in character from humans.

Some people, spying on the mermaid or mermen dancing on the shore, fall in love and resort to various tricks to marry or marry this creature. In these ancient traditions almost always we are talking about mortal men who fell in love with a sea mermaid. It was believed that if a person hides a mermaid skin, a shell necklace or other valuable thing belonging to her, mermaid or mermen must remain on land until they receive their thing back. In these legends, mermaids married a man, and they even had children. But at some point their life became unhappy, they found a hidden thing and returned to the water. In other cases, people gave away a thing when the Mermaids opened something for them. secret knowledge or endowed them with supernatural powers. According to church teaching, if a person manages by hook or by crook to convince a sea mermaid to accept baptism, she will gain a soul and will not be able to return to aquatic life.

In several stories, a husband was disappointed in his mermaid wife and her strange behavior and sent her back to sea. These mermaids either withered on the coastal rocks, or, as in the legend of the Adirondack Indians, returned with other evil water spirits and flooded the husband and his village.

Mermaids who fell in love with mortal men always shed their tails and went to live on dry land. However, these marriages or unions of mermaids and humans were rarely successful. At first, the relationship was full of passion, but soon the sea mermaid began to languish and miss the sea. However, there are several stories of mermen falling in love with mortal women. In them, the Mermen always turned their lovers into amphibians and took them with them to the sea.

It is believed that children born in the union of a mortal man and a mermaid or mermen grow webbing on their hands and feet. Outwardly, they looked like people, they had a human respiratory system, while they were excellent swimmers and had the ability to predict the future, thus reminiscent of their marine parent.

Sometimes ordinary child began to make friends with a Sea creature, most often with a mermaid. They had a strong connection, and the sea mermaid of her own free will became the guardian of the child and punished anyone who offended him.

It was said that there lived in Scotland a branch of the Sea People who were distinctly hostile to humans. They were known as blue people Muir, or Minch. These creatures lived exactly between Long Island and the Shiant Islands. They threw huge stones at the ships and pierced them and caused storms in the North Sea. Only the captain of the ship could stop their attack, and the only way to do this was to speak to them in rhyme. This gave the ship time to hide while the Blue Men looked in and tried to keep the conversation going. Underwater caves served as the home of this creature, where they were ruled by an elder.

In Germany, the sea mermaid was called Lorelei, Meriminni or Meerfrau, in Iceland - marmenill, in Denmark - maremind. In France, it was called morgans or morgens, and in Ireland - merrow. Indian matsyanari creatures were depicted as nymphs with fish tails. Chinese sailors believed that mermaids lived in the Chinese seas. Even in ancient Babylonia, there was a fish-god who brought the art of civilization to people. In Polynesia, the god Vatea, in the form of a half-man, half-sea pig, was considered the forefather of all people and gods. At American Indians there was a legend about a fish-man with green hair, according to which this unusual creature led the Indians of Central America from the land where they were starving to the North American continent. Yemayi, an African sea mermaid, had long green algae hair and wore sea shells instead of jewels.

In the Middle Ages, the siren (who had previously been described as a half-bird, half-woman) took the form of a half-fish, half-woman with a huge forked tail. Books on alchemy referred to this siren as the siren of the Philosophers or as the Fish-tailed Aphrodite Marina. Apparently, the alchemists considered her a cross between a sea mermaid and a shila-na-gig.

In Spanish folklore, there are tales of Water Maidens, small human-looking creatures with a star in their foreheads. According to folklore, they had shimmering, straw-colored bodies and golden hair. Unlike other aquatic creatures, they did not have membranes between their fingers and toes, and their hands looked like the hands of an ordinary person. The Water Maidens wore white rings on their fingers, and a golden ribbon with black stripes on the wrist of their left hand. Sometimes they came out of their reservoirs to walk among the fields. Where they trod, they grew yellow flowers, and any person who was lucky enough to find them was granted happiness. These Water Maidens had the power to influence and change things or the course of events.

From the time of the ancient Assyrian kingdom to the Persian era, the drawings depicted priests in fish robes during rituals of healing and exorcism. They are drawn with beards human faces and a fish head put on their heads, and the body of a fish covers their backs. It is difficult to determine whether this robe was specially tailored, or whether it was a real fish. It must have had great magical and spiritual significance for both the priests and the owners of such a body.

In Assyrian, Babylonian and Mesopotamian art, images of the Sea People can be found. This creature was known to the Assyrians as "kullu" (male fish) and "kulilt" (female fish). This creature had a typically human upper body and a fish lower body. These Sea creatures were depicted not only in sculptures found in palaces and temples, but also in small figurines used in protective magic.

Psychological characteristics: tolerance; the acquisition of knowledge, the ability to separate the intellect and animal emotions.

magical properties: They are strong protectors, especially women. Symbolizes freedom, imagination, wisdom; predict storms and future events; help in finding treasures. Sea people can grant wishes and give people some supernatural abilities. If you are disciplined and dedicated, the Sea People can enrich your life.

Many Germanic, Scandinavian, and Celtic lore speak of certain types of Sea People who can temporarily shed their sea skin, assume human form, and mingle with people on the shore.

Murrow, the Irish equivalent of mermaid, were very beautiful, even with fish tails and webbed fingers. The females had flowing hair, shimmering white hands, and dark eyes. The males had flipper-like arms, long red noses, green hair and teeth, and small eyes. Both of them wore red caps that helped them move in the water. If these caps were lost, they could not return to the sea. Usually merrow were friendly, joyful creatures.

Despite the fact that the Irish were scared to death of the appearance of the merrow, as they heralded the approach of a storm, these sea creatures were good-natured and often fell in love with people. The bodies of children resulting from such marriages were often covered with tiny scales, and they had membranes between their fingers and toes.

Psychological characteristics: cm. Mermaids and Mermens.

magical properties: predict storms; cause rain.

These sea nymphs of the Mediterranean are the fifty daughters of Pontus, the sea god, and Gaia, the Earth Mother. Although in many ways they resembled sea mermaids found in other parts of the world, nereids did not have fish tails. They were very beautiful and proud of their appearance.

They spent most of their time surfing the waves and playing with the dolphins. Whenever Poseidon rode out in his ocean chariot surrounded by tritons, the Nereids accompanied the sea chariot of his wife Amphitrite.

Psychological characteristics: a person with an optimistic but slightly irresponsible outlook on life.

magical properties: their symbols are beauty, happiness; help bring emotions into balance.

Nine Daughters of Ran

The Scandinavian goddess Ran was the deity of death and the wife of Aegir, the god of the sea. She caught in her nets the souls of those who were burned in funeral boats lowered into the sea, and those who drowned.

It was believed that Ran and Aegir had nine daughters, sea giantesses. Their names were Bulgya (Wave), Dufa (Diver), Khefring (Raising), Kulga (Wave), Gyolp (Wailer), Greip (Grasping) and Udr (Wave).

Although Aegir himself was a cheerful deity, he brewed ale and arranged dinners for all the other gods. His wife and daughters were not so friendly. They liked to cause storms and catastrophes at sea. While Ran caused a violent storm, her nine daughters danced wildly on the rising waves until ships were wrecked and sailors drowned. Then Ran with his huge net, and the daughters with deadly white hands caught these sailors and carried them to underwater palace Aegira.

In Norse mythology, the god Heimdall was called the "Son of the Nine Waves", as he was born by nine waves during Odin's spell. This means that all nine of Ran's daughters are either his mothers or adoptive mothers. The exact same story is told in Irish saga about Rouen, son of Rigdonn.

Ruad with a squadron of three ships was on his way to Norway, but suddenly the ships stopped and could not move further. To find the cause, Ruan dived into the cold water and found that three sea giants were hanging from each of the ships. The sea women immediately grabbed him and dragged him to their underwater palace. They must have been quite handsome, for Rouen happily spent the night with each of them, after which they allowed him to return to their ships. As he was leaving, the sea giantesses informed him that one of them would soon bear him a child. Ruan promised to return to them after the end of the trip to Norway. However, after seven years in Norway, Rouen went to Ireland. The saga does not say whether he forgot about his promise or did not intend to fulfill it. The sea giantesses pursued the ships, but could not overtake them. In anger, they killed the child and threw his head at his father.

Psychological characteristics: one who will take revenge at any cost.

magical properties: only experienced magicians should contact them: they are very unpredictable and insidious. Their arrival is preceded by storms and chilling terror.

The springs and rivers of Germany were inhabited by nyxes, aquatic elves. In Iceland they are known as nikers. The Germanic nixes in many ways resembled the Greek Nereids. According to Scandinavian mythology, their mother's name was Nott (Mother Night), while the Greeks called this goddess Nyx. Both Knott and Nyx were goddesses of chaos energy, and Nyx and Nereids collected for them human souls to restart the cycle. However, in the Middle Ages, in human minds, nyxes were analogues of sirens and other aquatic inhabitants, beckoning sailors to death.

Female nyxes, like sea mermaids, loved to bask in the sun along the coast, but people rarely saw male nyxes. Outwardly, they resembled people, but their greenish skin was covered with small scales. They had green or silvery-white hair and silvery or bluish-silver eyes. The nyxes did not have a fishtail, but their hands and feet were webbed.

The Nix women were very beautiful. They liked to sit on the shore, basking in the sun, singing how to comb their long hair, admiring their reflection in the water, but as soon as they heard the steps of an approaching person, they immediately jumped into the water.

Any attractive young male who allowed the Nix to see him was in danger of being lured into the water, for the Nix women were skilled at casting love spells with their singing. These young males were rarely seen again, as the nyxes took them deep underwater to their lair, where the victims had to stay for at least a year. At the end of this period of slavery, each person was supposedly free again and could leave, but no one knows what really happened, since few managed to escape from the power of the nyxes. However, if the legends are to be believed, any metal makes a nyx powerless, and if you keep the metal near this creature for too long, then it may even die.

Nyx never change their appearance and do not live among people on land. If a person manages to sneak up on a nyxa and peep at her from behind a bush without being noticed, her singing will damage his mental health and sanity. Most of the mortal men to whom this happened soon took their own lives by throwing themselves into the water.

In Scandinavia, Estonia and Latvia lived creatures very similar to nyxes. They were called Nekan, Necker, Nakki or Nek. These creatures, capable of reincarnation, sang excellently and played the harp. Most often they were seen on the banks of lakes and rivers. They tried to persuade a man to enter the water, and there they drowned him.

Psychological characteristics: a superficial person who rarely takes responsibility.

magical properties: their symbols are love charms, singing.

Roan in Gaelic means "seal". Sometimes this creature was called the Seal Maiden. According to legend, these creatures were one of the types of fairies and could wear sealskin to sail the seas. However, when they removed it, they assumed human form. Roan was considered the softest and kindest of all sea fairies. These creatures did not even try to take revenge on the seal hunters, who sometimes killed their relatives.

Folk tales tell of roans shedding their sealskins and coming out to the northern shores to dance in the moonlight. In the Scottish Highlands region, in the Orkney and Shetland Islands, there are many ancient stories about a mortal fisherman who, having seen the dancing roans, stole the skin of one of them and, thus, forced the Seal Maiden to marry him. The wedding was fun, but soon the wife found her seal skin and again fled to the sea.

Sometimes in such marriages children are born with hereditary horny outgrowths between the fingers. by the most famous example this is Clan MacCoddrum of the Seal line.

Psychological characteristics: cm. Mermaid.

magical properties: their symbols are music; dancing; singing; love.

Mermaids and Vila

In Russia, as well as in other Slavic countries mermaids were known as water maidens. Their appearance and behavior varied depending on the place and people.

In Russia, mermaids were considered dangerous water spirits, and sometimes they claimed that they were the souls of drowned women. There are probably several types of mermaids, especially in Russia, where in northern regions there was one kind of these creatures, and in the south - another. But both species were equally dangerous and insidious for people who risked being near water bodies in the summer. During the winter months, the mermaids lived under the ice in the depths of the reservoir, but with the onset of summer (in the Mermaid week), they could again leave the water and climb trees in the surrounding forests.

In the harsh northern regions of Russia, mermaids looked like naked drowned women, deathly pale, with eyes burning with an evil green fire. They liked to lie in the water or near the shore, waiting for careless passers-by. They dragged their victims into the water, where they tortured and intimidated before killing them.

In the south of Russia, mermaids were outwardly completely different. They were beautiful young moon-faced maidens, dressed in weightless outfits. They attracted their victims with sweet singing, sitting on the banks of the rivers and wringing out their long hair. When the victim entered the water to find them, the mermaids drowned him or her, however, it was believed that anyone who similar death died with a smile on his lips.

In the coastal regions of the Rhine and Danube, this creature is known as Vila, a graceful and beautiful water creature. And the inhabitants of the Dnieper are considered evil, unattractive girls with unkempt hair. Mermaids of the Dnieper and Danube sang beautiful songs, unknown to their relatives from the north of Russia. AT Slavic cultures there is a belief that during the Mermaid Week at the beginning of summer, mermaids left their water homes, climbing onto the thin branches of a willow or birch that bent over the water. And at night, when the forest was flooded with moonlight, they swayed on the branches and called to each other. Then they descended from the trees and danced in the clearings. Sometimes they even went out to dance in the fields. The southern Slavs claimed that the places where mermaids danced could be identified by thicker grass and a rich harvest of wheat.

In addition to drowning travelers, mermaids also had other bad habits. They could destroy crops by causing heavy rain, break fishing nets, destroy dams or water mills, or even steal clothing, linen, and thread from mortal women.

However, these water spirits were afraid of one grass. Travelers passing by the water could protect themselves from mermaids by taking with them a few leaves of wormwood ( Artemisia absinthium). Wormwood could also be sprinkled on anything that the mermaids could steal or break. If in any locality they caused a lot of disturbance, a huge amount of this herb was poured into a river or pond.

The pitchforks were also known in Dalmatia, in the northwest of the Balkan Peninsula. In this culture, they were called rugulia, that is, "horned."

Psychological characteristics: man is changeable, like a chameleon.

magical properties: very dangerous. But they can bring abundance and a rich harvest.

Scylla and Charybdis

In Greek mythology, there are two strange aquatic inhabitants who began their lives as people - these are Scylla and Charybdis.

Scylla was originally a beautiful aquatic elf. There is no consensus in the myths about whether she was the daughter of Phorkis and Crateis, Typhon and Echidna, or Poseidon.

A fisherman named Glaucus went to the sorceress Circe to try and convince her to bewitch this aquatic elf. Circe refused the fisherman, advising him to forget his hopeless love for Scylla. Glaucus became very angry and refused to follow the advice of the sorceress.

However, instead of punishing the fisherman, Circe decided to punish an innocent elf. She prepared a decoction of a mixture of poisonous herbs and poured it into the sea where Scylla lived. When Scylla, as usual, swam to the surface in the morning, she suddenly found herself turning into a terrible monster, firmly tied to this place along the rocks. She had twelve legs and six huge dog heads on long, snake-like necks. The heads barked deafeningly, and their bite was deadly. Scylla ate fish, dolphins and fishermen that she managed to catch. She lived in a lair among the sea cliffs along the Italian side of the strait.