Not every child is expected in this world. Alas, the history of mankind knows thousands of ways that women resort to to get rid of an unwanted baby.
From the novel by M. A. Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita " we remember Frida, who, having become pregnant from the owner of the cafe, “gave birth to a boy, took him to the forest and put a handkerchief in his mouth, and then buried the boy in the ground. And even in the otherworldly world, Frida is doomed to see that very handkerchief with a blue border on her dressing table every day - a reminder of the crime.
In Shakespeare's Macbeth, witches are thrown into the cauldron, among other ingredients, while preparing their infernal brew:
-….mother in the mud of the slums
At birth, a moment later.
A strangled child
Buried in a ditch
To deceive the rumor.
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It is not surprising that folk beliefs have brought to us many terrible legends about the ghosts of murdered children. Moreover, if other ghosts may not show aggression towards people, then these, on the contrary, are emphatically hostile.
Of course, life in the Middle Ages was harsher, and manners were more cruel than now, but undoubtedly, the murder of a child could not but affect the conscience of the person who committed this terrible crime. Perhaps the ghosts of children, which folklore tells about so often. - nothing more than a product of the feeling of guilt that tormented the killer. After all, the imagination of a person tormented by conscience is capable of creating truly terrible images …
Abandoned in the snow
So, since ancient times, the Eskimos had a belief in the Angyak, a very bloodthirsty spirit capable of ruining an entire village. Lack of food forced some families to get rid of extra mouths - babies were stuffed with snow in their throats and left to die away from human dwellings. However, if the child had already been given a name, then after a while he could be reborn in the guise of an Angyak.
A traveler crossing the icy desert should be wary of hearing a child's cry in the silence of the polar night. If you do not turn off the path, then in a few minutes a person will hear the flapping of wings - a white owl will fly over his head, and a small man will appear on the road, covered like an animal with brown hair. He has sharp claws and fangs, more terrible than animal ones, which he will immediately use. The ghost child, who did not know the mother's embrace, squeezes his victim so tightly that she loses consciousness, and soon life.
It is said that for a year after death, an Angyak visits his mother at night and feeds on her milk, sucking the life out of her at the same time. The woman thinks that she is just dreaming of a baby, healthy and rosy-cheeked. And only when the illnesses begin to undermine her strength, the thought creeps into the head of the unfortunate woman that, perhaps, a ghost visits her at night.
In his boat made of a dog's skull, rowing with a dog-bone oar, an angyak floats on the sea, sometimes arranging terrible storms and storms. Then those who once advised the mother to take her child to die in the snow die …
Merciless Avengers
In Scandinavia, the ghost of a murdered baby is called utburd, which is translated from Old Norse as “a child taken out of the house”. Just like the Angyak, Utburd. usually destroys their parents first. If a woman gave birth to a child before marriage and secretly got rid of him, then the ghost of the baby could appear to her right at the wedding, if any. Many village legends tell how the half-decayed corpse of a child suddenly tumbled into the door of a house where unsuspecting peasants feasted. These stories in the spirit of "everything secret becomes apparent" usually ends with the death or madness of the mother-killer.
Legends say that the utburd is able to transform into a hazy haze to seep through the keyhole. When attacking, the ghost can grow to the size of a hay shock. His strength is such that he can simply crush a person, trample him. like an insect. In the minds of people, an absolutely helpless creature turned into an omnipotent being - mercilessly ruined, the Utburd knew no mercy.
Woe to the one who accidentally wandered into the place where the parents buried their child - there the utburd could attack anyone. If the traveler was attentive enough, he could make out in the distance the figure of a child with a face distorted with rage and clenched fists. Sometimes people also saw a white owl or a large black dog. Then, behind the man's back, loud heavy steps were heard - the ghost began to pursue, and it was impossible to hide from him … Only the waters of the river could save the traveler from the utburd chasing him. Some also believed in the magical power of iron objects - in the beliefs of ancient people, iron born in fire was a powerful talisman against any evil spirits.
Having no back
The Slavs also believed that children who died unbaptized become evil spirits. They are called Mavkas or Navkas. The common Slavic root "nav" means death, it is also possible that the word "mavka" came from the Gothic mawi - girl. Both explanations are possible, given that Mavok is represented as children or maidens in white shirts with long flowing hair. Sometimes Mavki ask the traveler for a comb, having received which, they begin to comb their hair, and the person can slowly get away. Some beliefs say that Mavoks have no skin on their backs, which is why you can see their insides. For this they are also called "backless".
A spike in Mavok activity is observed in Rusalnaya week (the week before Trinity). These days you can see them in the fields, they run among the greening loaves, singing: "My mother gave birth to me, she buried me unbaptized!" Mavkas remember the harm done to them and take revenge on people, knocking travelers off the road, luring them into a thicket of a forest or swamp. Sometimes Mavki, like mermaids, can tickle the victim to death.
Mavka, who has been in ghostly form for less than seven years, can be saved. To do this, you need to sprinkle water on it with the words “In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” - and the ghost will turn into an angel who will go to heaven, where he will put in a word before God for his benefactor.
Icy palms
Ghysland Castle in Cumberland (England) is famous for the following dark history. Once in one of the upper rooms a little boy was locked up as punishment for disobedience. The child died, forgotten by everyone in a cold room, where no one thought of lighting a fireplace. Since then, his ghost is often seen in the castle. He shivers with cold and whimpers pitifully. Sometimes he sits on the bed next to the sleeping person and putting his icy hand to the person's forehead, whispers: "Cold, eternal cold, cold will soon swallow you!" After such a visit, a person usually falls ill and does not live long. The coldness of Ghysland Castle is really capable of forging the bravest heart …
"Secrets of the XX century" June 2012