Is there a correct belief? And what is this? Humanity has always strived to learn the inexplicable and explain the incomprehensible phenomena that still exist. Today, various scientists and all kinds of specialists are engaged in interpretation, and in ancient times, people came to the wise men and witches for answers to all questions.
Unfortunately, little information has been preserved about the pre-Christian period of our history. It is very difficult to state anything with certainty about Slavic paganism. Ancient Russia and its faith represent a great mystery for modern historians.
Remember from the school curriculum "Song of the Prophetic Oleg"?
"Meeting of Prince Oleg with a magician." V. Vasnetsov.
Oleg, a just ruler who fights with the Khazars, met a magician who predicted his future. The old hermit promised him a "wondrous fate", which even enemies would envy. He will have many victories, but he will accept death from his horse. The meeting of the sorcerer and the prince is one of the brightest dramatic moments in Russian literature. He will part with his horse. Many years later, returning after military campaigns, the prince will remember the horse and ask what happened to him. Friends will answer that the horse died long ago. Oleg will ironically remember the words of the sorcerer and laugh at them. He will want to look at the bones of his faithful friend and when he steps on the skull, a snake will crawl out of him and inflict a fatal bite.
But we are interested in something else. The belief in the predictions of the Magi was so strong that not only ordinary people, but also rulers obeyed it. As soon as Oleg learned that death would come from his horse, he hastened to get rid of him. But he never imagined that "the bone will kill him."
The Magi occupied an honorable place in the Slavic community. The very name of the priest in the Old Church Slavonic language means “to speak illegibly, to mumble incoherently”. From this we can conclude that the main element of magical actions was the word.
"Prince Gleb Svyatoslavovich kills the sorcerer at the Novgorod veche." Andrey Ryabushkin.
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The determination of the ability of boys to sorcery was determined at an early age, even before they were given a name. Then the elder sorcerers took such children into upbringing. Each of them possessed great personal strength and carried the difficult burden of being an intermediary between people and gods. People came to them for answers to all questions and consolation in a difficult life situation.
There is an opinion that the wise men could turn into animals or birds. For example, the Polotsk prince Vseslav (1029-1101), according to The Tale of Bygone Years, was not only a ruler, but also a sorcerer, capable of turning into an ermine, a falcon or a tur. It is interesting that the great-grandson of Vladimir Saint and Rogneda could deal with such matters. In addition, in the same source it is written that his mother gave birth to him from "sorcery."
The entire life of our ancestors was associated with the forces of nature. The well-being of people, a good harvest, rains, severe frosts, good luck in personal life - all this depended on the magician's ability to communicate with spirits.
Among them were not only men, but also women. They were called enchantresses, witches, sorceresses.
"Barma (White Owl)". Andrey Shishkin.
Most often they lived in solitude, in deep forests, and rarely went out to people. Before any serious undertaking or military campaigns, the princes came to them to find out if there was the will of the gods. If the sorcerer said that there were no blessings for certain actions, then the event was postponed. Wizards could both help a person and destroy him.
The chronicles tell how the Magi performed prayers of thanks for the ships safely returning home. From other documents it is known that the sorcerer was necessarily present during the transactions of the Kiev princes with the Byzantine emperors. With the help of ceremonies and rituals, the Magi directed people's lives in the right direction. In addition, they knew how to play the harp, nozzles, and told bylinas.
In 988, Prince Vladimir converted to Christianity. These were hard times for the Gentiles. Russia was baptized with fire and sword. The Magi were tortured, forced to renounce their faith, and if they did not succumb to "re-education", then they were burned alive. They were declared servants of the devil and the cause of all possible troubles.
Most of them went north, deep into the taiga. Knowledge was gradually lost. Preserved church documents, which mention the execution of people for sympathy for the Magi. Ordinary people tried to hide those who were previously exalted and respected. The execution of the Magi is known in 1227 in Novgorod. They were burned at the stake in the prince's courtyard.
But they could not completely eradicate the memory of the sorcerers of the past. There are legends about them.
Pavel Romanutenko
