- Our ancient ancestors buried witches and sorcerers face down, so that after death they would not turn into ghouls and would not interfere with people's lives.
- And why was the aspen stake placed in the coffin?
- In Russia, aspen was considered a special tree that is capable of absorbing all negative energy. By the way, this tree was not used in the construction of houses. Legends say that aspen draws in the life force of residents, and people in such houses can be endlessly sick. But the bathhouse, on the contrary, it was customary to build only from aspen! After all, people go to the bath not only to wash, but to wash off all the evil from themselves, it was believed that this particular tree helps to get rid of all evil spirits best of all. And in each hut they kept an aspen stump, on which the sick were seated so that they could "take away the disease."
- It turns out that the witch is a negative character?
- Not always…
Spouses Daria and Alexander, the founders of the museum of superstitions of the Russian people, tell the story. They set up a museum right on their site in a two-story wooden hut in the city of Uglich.
Promotional video:
Details from the life of Russian witches
In Russia, witches lived as hermits far, far away in the forest. They collected various herbs, roots, berries and mushrooms. We treated people and livestock. In other words, the witch in Russia did only good. In folk tales, she is called Baba Yaga. The word "Aha" is a Turkic word that is translated into Russian as an elder. That is, Baba Yaga is the oldest grandmother in the district, both in age and in knowledge.
- And you yourself have had mystical cases.
- Not with us, but with one of our relatives - yes. That story, by the way, was the reason that we decided to build this museum.
The story of the witch
A girl named Maria could not find peace, her beloved was about to get married. But not on it, but on the other. And then Masha decided to turn to a local witch for help.
The girl regularly visited the fortune-teller grandmother, strictly followed all her orders, recited some spells and drank teas from magic herbs. And, oddly enough, Stanislav began to call Masha, and even invite her on dates.
“Every time we met,” says Masha, “he complained about Oksana, about her nasty character and her difficult situation. The wedding day was constantly postponed. And I was just tired, I wanted to quit this case with a love spell. But the grandmother insisted on going to the very end."
Meanwhile, the situation began to gain momentum. Friends turned away from Masha, all as one excused themselves by their busyness. Relations with parents also deteriorated. Due to nervous breakdowns, the girl developed neuralgia. And due to her frequent absence, Masha was expelled from the university.
“I wondered why so much trouble fell on me,” says Maria, “the answer appeared quickly: I am doing evil to Oksana. And this evil, like a boomerang, returns to me. However, I achieved my goal, Stanislav married me. And later, I accidentally found out that Oksana had an abortion.
It turns out that Oksana killed her child because of me … How scared I am to constantly think about it! Yes, Stanislav and I love each other, but the situation in our house is very tense, we constantly quarrel ….
Museum visitors ask Alexander and Daria:
- You said that the witch is not a negative character? However, this story suggests otherwise.
- The witch did good to Masha and evil to Oksana. Every witch who knows her job says that when you decide on this, you need to sacrifice something.