Dahl's explanatory dictionary gives the following meaning of the word "sorcerer": "Magus, sorcerer (old) - sage, astrologer, astrologer. To sorcery, to move - to sorcery, to sorcery, to conjure, to enchant, to sorcery, to witchcraft, to guess, to bewitch, to witch, to speak, to let loose, to whisper. According to V. N. Tatishcheva, sorcerer "sometimes the very thing means that now a philosopher or a sage."
Wise men in ancient times were called sages and magicians who enjoyed great influence in society. Their wisdom and power consisted in the knowledge of a wide variety of secrets, secrets inaccessible to ordinary people. Fortunetellers, soothsayers, sorcerers and wizards were known in all cultures of the West and East. Depending on the level of development of the people, the "magic" of the Magi was also different - from the skills of simple witchcraft to deep scientific knowledge.
Many researchers believe that the birthplace of the Magi is the East, since even Herodotus wrote that the Magi and magicians are a special social class among the Persians and Medes. But from the point of view of etymology, the word "sorcerer" is rather of Slavic origin and means the priest Veles, who was often called Valakh or Volokhaty among the people. Among the ancient Slavs, hair was considered a way of communication with their family and a repository of wisdom. The Celts called the Magi druids. But back to the ancient Slavic tribes, each of which had its own magician. The sorcerer was responsible for conducting religious rituals, predicting misfortunes and successful deeds. They could also heal with spells and medications. Such people have always enjoyed the respect of the tribe and in the hierarchy stood next to the prince. By the way, the princes themselves quite often resorted to the services of the Magi. For the first time in the chronicles of 912 the Magi are mentioned in connection with the prediction made to Prince Oleg the Prophet.
And the princes themselves were often wise men. According to numerous legends, the nephew of Yaroslav the Wise Vseslav of Polotsk was born "from magic". As an amulet he wore around his neck the "shirt" in which he was born. The chroniclers believe that this is why he was always "unmerciful to bloodshed." It is also said that he knew how to turn into a wolf, foresee the future and send trouble. The Magi are often mentioned in the Novgorod and Pskov chronicles of the 13th – 14th centuries.
Now the topic of magic and sorcery is back in fashion, dozens, if not hundreds, of books with plots and recipes of the Magi, various rituals and rituals are being published. However, they say a lot about the Magi, but very little is actually known about them. This topic is practically inaccessible for research and study, since for many centuries in a row sorcerers and sorcerers were persecuted both by the church and by the secular authorities, and the people who believed in Christ considered the sorcerers to be a devilish creature and destroyed themselves at the first opportunity. Nevertheless, stories have come down to us about magicians who could rise into the air and fly, live under water, not feel and speak pain, stop bleeding, see the past and the future, become invisible, heal and send diseases, control the weather and do others. no less amazing miracles. Not everyone could become a sorcerer. In order to receive this gift, it was necessary to achieve the recognition of the pagan gods. Apparently, it was a kind of ritual of complete unity with nature, the complete dissolution of consciousness in its power. At that moment, a person suddenly understood all the mysteries and laws hidden from others and, having learned, could manage them. To achieve such a height of consciousness, a long study was needed, after which tests followed. If the applicant withstood them all, then he acquired magical properties that seemed to ordinary people. This gift was somewhat akin to the abilities of yogis. But to a modern person what yogis do does not seem like a miracle. This is the result of many years of training and practice. The sorcerer, in the understanding of the ancient Slavs, was an intermediary between people and gods. This connection gave a lot, but was very fragile. Any vile deed could break the divine connection, and the person would lose the gift.
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For many centuries, Christianity has eradicated belief in the forces of nature and kind from the consciousness of people, blocking access to the heritage of ancestors, but it could not destroy everything. Proverbs and phraseological units (stable expressions) that convey the essence of the ancient mysteries have come down to our time. What do you think it means to "beat the thumbs up"? Every schoolchild will say - to sit back, to be lazy. What about “crush water in a mortar”? Don't do meaningless work at all. It is not that simple. The true meaning of ancient sayings is quite different.
It turns out that for a long time the Slavic priests had three most important things - to pound water in a mortar, write with a pitchfork on the water and beat thumbs.
Each of us has probably heard these sayings at least once. Actually, these phrases became proverbs at a time when Christianity was implanted in Russia. The priests ironically used them to expose in an awkward, unfavorable light their competitors - the Magi and sorcerers, who often spent their time just for such occupations. The ministers of the Church could not understand the true meaning of these actions, and they did not particularly try, presenting the affairs of the Magi as a useless occupation and aimless pastime. Therefore, the emphasis was placed on the fact that, they say, "the wise men are only idle and put obstacles to others in their work, and we, God's servants, work day and night for the glory of God." What was the true meaning of these expressions? Why did the wise men waste time and energy on such seemingly useless activities? This is what we will find out now. The first sayingthe original meaning of which we will try to understand sounds like this: "crush water in a mortar." From time immemorial, water has been for man the most important gift of nature and the biggest mystery. Life came out of the water, it can create and destroy, save and transfer information. For many years before our era, primitive people noticed that some sources can give healing, and some, on the contrary, awaken disease. A little later, shamans and priests found that water can also have mystical properties. Modern research has shown that water is an inexhaustible source of information and human life depends on what information is contained in the water. After all, a person himself consists of 70-80% water. Now there are many theories about the information field of water, its ability to absorb and memorize any information, and then transmit it to others. For a long time, there have been popular beliefs about living and dead water, about the ability of holy water to heal ailments, about ways to slander water, which can make a life-giving liquid both healing and carrying disease and grief. If you take these theories into account, you can find hidden meanings in ancient sayings.
Why was it necessary to crush water in a mortar? After all, at first glance, this activity has absolutely no meaning. If you adhere to the opinion about the properties of water as a custodian of information, the meaning appears.
For the Slavs, for a long time, water from mountain springs, springs and waterfalls was considered truly pure water. Not only because the water there was, as a rule, crystal clear and pleasant to the taste. According to the convictions of the Slavic priests, water, passing through the ground or falling from a height, breaks and loses the information that it previously carried. She is really clean in every way. The sorcerer collected water from seven springs, poured it into a mortar and began to crush it. For what? So that all the information remaining in the water is broken and the water is finally purified. In this form, she could absorb any information that the sorcerer would like to put into her.
After crushing water in a mortar, the sorcerer proceeded to the second stage of the sacred rite - he wrote with a pitchfork on the water.
The pitchfork in the ritual was by no means traditional pitchforks and not a fork, but a triglav - a stick in the shape of a triluch fork cut from the wood of one of the sacred trees. At worst, a priest could use three fingers. This instrument symbolized the trinity of the worlds - Navi, Reveal and Pravi. It should be borne in mind that the three in Slavic mythology was a magic number and a threefold increase in something gave a triple power.
It was with such a trigger that the sorcerer wrote on the water. Depicting runes on the water surface, the sorcerer seemed to program the water in the right way - for a specific person, family, village, and sometimes a whole city. The sorcerer laid a program of help, forgiveness, recovery, protection from troubles and diseases, and the like. According to ancient myths, such water had miraculous power. After the end of the ritual, the sorcerer took water and carried it to the one for whom he prepared it, or walked throughout the settlement, adding a little to the barrel at each house. Thus, all the water in the barrel acquired the desired beneficial properties. The third proverb will seem especially interesting to lovers of myths, Slavic beliefs and mysticism - "to beat the thumbs."
When a child was born in the community, which was taken care of by the sorcerer, he, as a rule, took birth as a doctor or was present at them. At the same time, the sorcerer always noticed the day and time of the baby's birth. After that, the sorcerer went into the forest at night and chose a tree in bloom. No, we do not mean a flowering tree, but a tree that has reached the peak of its development, is at the peak of its strength and has a powerful bioenergy, from which it glows, “blooms”. The priest performed the ritual, asking the gods and the tree itself for permission, and cut it down. Then he necessarily planted several young seedlings in the place of the cut tree. From the trunk and branches of this tree, the sorcerer cut blocks and, choosing a favorable time, began to beat them with small thumbs. Backlays were made specially of different sizes, since in the future they were to become toys, instruments,handles for weapons, staffs, talismans, dishes, in a word, everything that the child was to use during his life. The sorcerer handed the child over to the father, and he himself made everything he needed. All things made from this tree or with parts from it brought the child good luck, gave strength and protected from disasters. They were a powerful talisman throughout life.
These are the unusual and even witchcraft versions of the well-known Russian sayings.
The mention of the Magi disappeared many centuries ago, the pagan gods are forgotten, the temples are abandoned, but the folk memory reliably preserves the traditions of distant ancestors. Christianity gave a new faith, new holidays. Have you noticed that Christian holidays, as a rule, coincide with pagan ones?
The Slavs imagined the annual cycle as a cycle, in which, in turn, evil and good forces gain the upper hand. The starting point of this cycle was the birth of a new sun - the day of the winter solstice. The Slavs embodied the pagan content of this holiday in Christian Christmas. Spas fall at the time of harvest and the days of thanksgiving to the pagan gods for their generosity. Who knows, maybe the gods of our ancestors still take care of us?
ANNA VERBITSKAYA