Two years ago, a sensation swept across Russia. Found traces of the mythical character Koshchei the Immortal. Was the mythical hero king of the ancient Goths and lived for over 1500 years? This prompted a discussion about the time allowed by God for a person to live? Can you live 150 or 300, 1500 years?
Staritsa - the birthplace of Koschei The
statement about this discovery was made in Moscow at a special press conference attended by the head of the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism Vladimir Strzhalkovsky and the leaders of the Tver Region and Krasnodar Territory. Here the Governor of Tver Dmitry Zelenin announced that his region, following the example of Veliky Ustyug of the Vologda Region (its residents consider their city the birthplace of Santa Claus), would position Staritsa as the birthplace of Koshchei Bessmertny.
In addition to the fact that Staritsa is interesting as one of the centers of ancient Russia, a number of curious facts and local legends, as well as a labyrinth of caves with a length of over 90 km (by the way, allegedly it is in them that the Library of Alexandria is located - the repository of the oldest books of the Ancient World and Egypt). They came to Russia during the time of Ivan the Terrible, after being taken out of Byzantium. It seems that the books of the most ancient philosopher Hermes Trismegistus, who lived in the middle of the 2nd millennium BC, are also hidden somewhere here. in Blue Russia in the foothills of the Urals. The great books of the greatest magician and founder of world religions returned to Russia after 3 thousand years, but mysteriously disappeared. And in them, presumably, was the secret of immortality.
There are many reasons that the librarian monk Maxim the Greek, specially taken out of Byzantium, hid them in the labyrinths under the Staritsa. Maxim the Greek himself was imprisoned for a long time in the Tver Otroch monastery.
As you know, the ancient Slavs attributed Koshchei to the evil deities, who resembled in his appearance Death in a male guise. If there was any matter of state importance (for example, a military campaign), the people asked Koschei, if not for help, then at least not interfere. But why is he immortal? How does this relate to books and the magic of immortality?
Is the king of the east ready?
Gennady Klimov, editor of "Caravan", author of the sensational books "The Birth of Rus" and "History of Europe. Axis of Time”leans towards the version that it was a very real person. Here Klimov agrees with the conclusions of the historian Viktor Boldak, who studied the development of the Eastern Slavs in the 2nd-5th centuries. Based on the facts, Boldak proved that Koschey and everything connected with him is the memory of the Slavs about real events that took place in the south of Russia in the 4th century AD.
According to Boldak, at the beginning of the II century. AD for the Slavs who lived along the Dnieper, a golden age came. Peace was concluded with the Sarmatians, based, among other things, on numerous mixed marriages.
However, at the same time, the Jewish Khazaria began to rise, which closed the path from the north to the Bosporus principality on the Sea of Azov: because of this, the path along the Don became less preferable for the Varangians than the path along the Dnieper. The trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks began to function. The goods were transported through draglines from the Baltic Sea basin to the tributaries of the Western Dvina, to the Dnieper and back. The trade of the Slavs with the Roman Empire was opened.
But at the end of II - early III century. AD Goths appeared in the Black Sea region - immigrants from Scandinavia. Some of them, the Visigoths, settled north and northeast of the lower Danube and soon began to raid the lands of Rome. Others, the Ostrogoths, settled on the shores of the Sea of Azov, conquering the main citadel of the ancient world - the Bosporus, and in the IV century. often made sea voyages in the Black Sea. By the way, the Goths were the first Christians in the Northern Black Sea region. It seems that they were followers of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called.
In the most difficult period in the history of the Eastern Goths, they were headed by a king named Koschey. He probably knew the secret of immortality. In any case, at the age of 110, he was still in charge of the army.
As Boldak notes, in different sources of antiquity this person has different names: Koschey, Vostrogoth and the centenary Germanarich. But all this is one face - the king of the Eastern Goths. His possessions were located on the territory of modern Crimea and the Azov region. According to the scientist Boldak, he was an outstanding Gothic commander. From the message of the ancient Gothic historian Jordan, it follows that Koschey was killed only in the 110th year of his life - in 375 after the birth of Christ.
Gennady Klimov argues that the memory of the bloody war that took place in the IV century was preserved in the form of legends about Koschey the Immortal in Russian folklore and about the 100-year-old Germanarikh in German.
When asked how Koschey got to Staritsa of the Tver region, Klimov answers with assumptions. For example, Koschey could not die. In the life of this man there was such a case when he seemed to die, but then came to life. It was so. Koschey executed the wife of the Prince of Russia, who was his hostage (on this historical episode with the capture of a Russian woman, most of the tales about Koschey - about Vasilisa the Wise, etc.) are built. In revenge, the princess's brothers killed Koshchei, but he … came to life.
According to another version, Koschey, after the defeat of his troops, disappeared and tried to return to his homeland in Scandinavia. Climbing the Don, he could drag across the Volga. And then - the Staritsa. A very convenient place to spend… 1631 in dungeons with a stable microclimate!
By the way, in support of this version, the governor of the Tver region Dmitry Zelenin cites a legend, how once an old man's shoemaker met a monster with burning eyes in the local quarries. “This is exactly how Koschey the Immortal appears in Russian fairy tales,” Zelenin explains. In addition, the old coat of arms of the Staritsa depicts a hunchbacked old woman with a stick, the governor adds. According to local historians, this is "the very Baba Yaga who helped Ivan Tsarevich to defeat Koschei."
But with Baba Yaga, the Tver authorities may have a bad luck. Gennady Klimov says that the fabulous image of Baba Yaga is a transformed representation of the Slavs about the Sarmatians - warlike women who bothered the Slavs. Most of the modern Russians, Poles, Tatars, Jews and other peoples of Russia originate from the Sarmatians. And although they (Alans and Huns) really fought in the global war of the IV century on the side of the Slavs, they never lived in the Tver region. Unlike ready. Gennady Klimov says about this: “The Goths landed on the mainland from the island of Rügen (in Russian tales it is the island of Buyan) in the 1st century and moved south along the Vistula River. These are Western Goths. The Eastern Goths floated on ships along the main road of that time: this is the path along the Western Dvina, Volga or Oka to the Don River. So they got to the Azov Sea and Crimea. In any case, they could not pass the Staritsa."
According to legend, the ancient books of Hermes Trismegistr reveal the secret of immortality. And it is no coincidence that the Staritsa, where these legendary books can be hidden in the dungeons, is the "residence" of Koschei.
The modern view of immortality
In the ancient epics, we read that some people could live for 300 years or more than a thousand.
Modern doctors believe that only four habits are needed for a healthy lifestyle and active longevity - quitting smoking, daily consumption of vegetables and fruits, maintaining an optimal weight and small physical activity up to 2.5 hours a week.
American scientists have named other bad habits that prematurely destroy the body - neglect of natural immunity with excessive belief in the miraculous power of drugs, an unbalanced diet, lack of sleep and stress.
Doctors strongly recommend giving up the habit of watching TV, as one of the most dangerous to health.
Gennady Klimov, who is engaged in a comparative analysis of religious texts of world religions and epics, adds one more condition for longevity: “The most important thing is to learn to think correctly. It is consciousness that regulates all human life systems. However, our consciousness is "slagged" with aberrations. The brain, like a computer, needs periodic cleaning of viruses. Aberration is the virus of consciousness. To achieve a state of mental purity, world religions have invented certain religious practices. Let's say the annual cycle of fasting, rituals and prayers serves to teach a person to think correctly.
In the Orthodox Christian tradition, the state of purity is achieved during the sacrament of the sacrament and the confession preceding it. This is the main meaning of church services. When your mind is in harmony with God after the sacrament, it harmonizes the work of all organs of the body. This is the secret of longevity. Addiction to alcohol, tobacco, drugs in this state disappears by itself. Pay attention to the faces of people after communion - they shine …"
Thus, the secret of longevity is in a moderate lifestyle and in the fulfillment of church plans. At the same time, Gennady Klimov claims that it is better to observe the rituals of the church in which your parents were brought up. True, one should try to surpass the parents in knowing the depth of religious knowledge. Practicing new creeds can be dangerous. They do not have the experience of the world's religions. Traditionally, four Churches are classified as world religions. In Russia, these are Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity. In Christianity, the most ancient and strict direction is Orthodoxy. (As in antivirus programs - deep cleaning). A lighter version of Christianity is the modern Catholic Church, which in the 20th century went through the processes of renewal and simplification of worship. And the simplest version is different variations of Protestants.
But there is also a fourth, strictest and most ancient type of Christianity - the Russian Old Believer Orthodox Church.
Religion is a matter of personal choice. The only question is in the depth of the problems of spiritual life that a person wants to solve. The road to God is different for everyone, and it does not always have to be easy.
Indeed, if we take the Bible, it says that the first people lived for over a thousand years. Then they began to live for 300 years. Then 110-120. And then many stopped reaching 50.
