Today each of us has a choice - to believe in goblin, vampires, brownies and other "evil spirits" or to consider it a figment of the wild imagination of our ancestors. But only the distant ancestors of the Slavs themselves did not have such a choice, and it could not have been: the existence of good and evil spirits absolutely organically fit into their picture of the world. Therefore, now we can consider numerous Slavic spirits "fiction" and "fairy tale", but for people of that historical era, these were kind of "neighbors": sometimes restless, sometimes insidious, but absolutely real.
Researchers note that the so-called “mythological consciousness” of a person was largely responsible for such a perception of reality. This term has several interpretations, but one of the main properties of such consciousness is the ability to see the world as indivisible into its components, integral, not opposed to personality. If modern man clearly separates himself from the world and looks at the surrounding reality from the outside, then for the ancient people this was impossible: they considered themselves to be such an element of the surrounding reality as trees, rivers, fire, weather phenomena. And, accordingly, having reason and character themselves, they endowed everything else with these qualities. Thus, the ancient Slav was surrounded not only by people, but also by numerous “non-people” with whom he needed to somehow build relationships.
Traditionally, all the spirits and mythological creatures of the ancient Slavs are usually called "undead". Our ancestors believed that spirits are creatures that do not have a body and soul, but have a mind and are able to take on different guises. Since the undead surrounded people everywhere, each spirit was personified either by its place of residence or by its inherent actions. And if we consider that the categories of good and evil were actively used by people in ancient times, then most of the representatives of the undead were assigned the status of "evil" or "good" - exclusively for utilitarian purposes: so that there was an opportunity to "negotiate" and protect themselves as much as possible.
The main Slavic "evil"
Despite the fact that thousands of years ago people lived in greater harmony with nature than they do now, in open spaces a person, especially alone, still felt vulnerable and vulnerable. Perhaps that is why some of the most unkind spirits in Slavic mythology are water and goblin.
The water one (in different areas it was also called the crowberry and the oxen) seemed to the ancient Slavs one of the most malicious representatives of the undead. Describing his appearance, eyewitnesses said that he was a terrible fat old man with a swollen face and a swollen belly. The details could be slightly modified, but if you "look closely" at the main features, then you can easily understand that something like this looks like a drowned man who spent a lot of time in the water - a drowned man. So the theory about the initial fear of the drowned, in which the ancients no longer saw their once relatives and close people, seems to be quite probable, later transferred to the image of the water one. Scientists also believe that the fear of an ancient man before flowing water and reservoirs, in which he saw an abyss leading to the next world, to Nav, could be personified in the image of a water one.
Promotional video:
The water one fiercely hates the living and strives with all his might to drag a person into his underwater kingdom and make him his slave. The Slavs believed that it was impossible to come to an agreement with him in an amicable way, therefore they preferred to observe certain rituals so as not to fall into the clutches of the water man. So, it was impossible to swim in reservoirs at midnight, at noon and at sunset, and at night in general appear near a pond or lake alone.
The ancient Slavs spent a lot of time in the forests. Therefore, it is natural that there was also a master there - a goblin. Not such an evil character as the water one, but people did not expect good from him either. Lesovik, forest grandfather, fox - the goblin has many names in Slavic folklore. His appearance was also described in different ways: a small old man, overgrown with green hair; a huge demon, taller than the tallest tree; almost ethereal clot of air …
Leshy was the keeper of forest resources and severely punished those who did not treat his "economy" with due respect. He could scare to death, make a person get lost and walk in circles for several hours, lead him into a swamp. Moreover, this spirit has such a harmful character that it could well play an unkind joke with a respectful guest. Nevertheless, unlike the water one, the goblin succumbed to persuasion and coaxing. Therefore, the Slavs, coming to the forest for their own needs, be sure to ask the forest owner for permission to do something, brought him gifts - eggs, sweets, pies. But they always had salt with them: if the goblin nevertheless sent an obsession on a person, it was necessary to throw three pinches of salt over his left shoulder - then the enchantment induced by the spirit would dissipate.
The spirits associated with the human house were usually endowed with positive traits, one of the few exceptions is a bannik or a baennik. As the name implies, this representative of the undead lives in the bath: either behind the stove, or under the shelf on which they steam. Experts in mythology suggest that the evilness of this spirit is largely due to its close connection with water, and the so-called "aquaphobia" has already been discussed in the context of the water spirit.
Bannik - a lover of steam himself - dictated a bath ritual to the Slavs, for violation of which he could kill. So, it was believed that one can safely enter the bathhouse only three times for kindling, that is, "until the fourth steam." The first three pair belong to people, and the last - the fourth - to evil spirits: the bannik and his friends-devils. Since the bathhouse was heated for a certain amount of time, the fourth steam fell at four to five o'clock in the evening, and at this time it was not customary for the Slavs not only to take a steam bath, but in general to go into the bathhouse - a bathhouse could make a person go crazy. And that is precisely why the traveler, whom the night found on the road, did not even think of spending the night in a bathhouse that came across on the way - it was very dangerous. It was believed that one could try to appease the bannik with rye bread and salt, but this ceremony did not give any guarantee.
Who will come to us with good …
The most, perhaps, the kind and benevolent Slavic spirit - the keeper of the house, the brownie. In principle, this is quite logical, because the most calm, invulnerable and protected person was made only by the walls of their home.
The character of the brownie traces the features of an earlier cult - the worship of fire and the god of fire - Agni or Perun, as well as the deification of ancestors. First of all, this spirit guarded the hearth, because the extinguished fire in the hearth is death from cold and hunger. Then he began to be considered the "manager" of the entire household: rooms, storerooms, kitchen and other household utensils. Last but not least, the security of the family living in the house was added to the functions of the brownie: he prevented quarrels, discord, illness, theft.
The brownie appeared to the Slavs as a short grandfather with a kind face and long soft hair. He helped in all domestic endeavors, and was angry only if the owners were lazy and careless. But his anger was not aimed at killing or maiming. Rather, they are petty dirty tricks that make family members take to their minds. The brownie was never scolded either mentally or aloud, they put separate plates of food for him, and in the event of a move, they performed a certain ritual to "transport" the brownie to a new home.
Vazila was also very kind, a peculiar spirit of the stable. He patronized horses and brought happiness to those who looked after their horses well. It was believed that he looks like a man, but he has horse ears and hooves instead of legs. Vasila did not let the horses get sick, promoted reproduction, and when the herd grazed, he protected the horses from wolves and other predatory animals.
The Slavs also believed in a fellow traveler - a spirit that brings happiness and good luck. It was believed that each person has his own companion, and if suddenly troubles and misfortunes pour down on you, then the companion was offended by you and left. Therefore, people who suddenly became "unhappy" performed a special ceremony to restore the spirit of luck. But, as practice showed, he still did not return to the majority: the percentage of happy and successful people at all times was low.
Messengers from Navi
According to the beliefs of the ancient Slavs, not all spirits arose out of "nowhere", a certain part of them are people who have become undead. Unfortunately, most of the "envoys from Navi (the afterlife of the Slavs)" did not return to the living with good intentions.
So, a woman who died in childbirth or killed her baby in the womb could return to earth as a goddess - an evil creature who abducts small children. The Western Slavs believed that these spirits live near water bodies and can be noticed in the evenings and nights. A traveler who saw at sunset a woman washing clothes in the river, especially baby clothes, had to run without looking back - the goddess could tickle to death, lure and drown. Among the Eastern Slavs, the image of the goddesses largely intersected with the images of mermaids.
An infant who died during childbirth or a fetus poisoned by its mother could also return to its relatives in the form of a spirit. Most often it was called a igosh. Igosha, as a rule, settled in the house of his failed relatives and, as best he could, harm them: he smashed dishes, laughed and stomped at night, strangled sleeping people, and fouled pets. A special ritual was required to drive him out.
If this or that woman was considered a witch during her lifetime, then after death she could turn into a bat (kriksu) - an evil tireless demon who drinks the blood of newborns and kills every person in the way. The Slavs tried to prevent this, and after the death of the witch they performed a ritual over her body, preventing the "return". If the kriks did appear, it was believed that there was no escape from it.
Descendants of Slavic spirits
It so happened that over time, people have lost faith in most of the spirits, which were for our ancestors a part of everyday life. Now even the names of many mythological creatures are known only to specialists in folklore, theology and history. Nevertheless, some of the characters turned out to be the most "tenacious" - they are believed in our days.
Not erased from human memory, for example, a brownie. Perhaps for his kindness and benevolence towards the owners. And today, many people, not spreading much about it, leave their little houses with saucers of milk and delicious food, when they move, they put a new broom at the door - so that the brownie can get there and calmly leave for a new place of residence. Even more of those who, in search of some thing, utter a saying: "Brownie-brownie, play and give it back!" The lost is magically found right there, and, as a rule, either in the most conspicuous place, or where it has been repeatedly searched for.
There is a version that the belief in the brownie is explained by the elements of our "gene memory": in the most ancient times, for our ancestors, brownies personified the founders of the clan, the ancestors, those from whom the family branch originated. These "patriarchs" closely follow the deeds of their descendants and guard the family line. This is partly why the nickname "Ivan, not remembering kinship" in Russia was considered one of the most offensive: a person who does not know and does not respect ancestors will never have a home, a good family, or a happy life.
Of course, to cover the entire "pantheon" of Slavic spirits, if not impossible, then very, very difficult. But it remains indisputable that a person, while improving, developing physically and spiritually, still somewhere in a hidden corner of the subconscious keeps the memory of the beliefs of his ancestors. And, who knows, perhaps not all of the characters that are considered fictional today are actually mythical? After all, there is still no unambiguous and reasoned answer to the question of the existence of otherworldly forces. It is just a matter of faith or disbelief in each of us.