Molfars in the Carpathians are those who, in their unusual, magical capabilities, significantly surpass both the wizards and the sorcerers ("Chakluniv" in the local language. In Russian, the word "Molfar" is most closely translated as "magician", because "magician" is a word in English origin and in this case is not very suitable. Molfar comes from "Molf", which means "enchanted, magical object."
Secret knowledge of the Carpathian shamans
Several years ago I was visiting friends in the Carpathians. And I learned, quite "by chance", that not far, in a small mountain village, lives a molfar - one of the last keepers of the ancient Carpathian magic tradition. Information about molfar was supported by a dozen stories about almost miraculous cures for diseases that were too tough for official medicine. With resolve and firm intention, I hit the road.
And here I am in a small Carpathian village. Around there are high mountains covered with dark forest. They keep the memory of the courageous and brave leader of the opryshkov Dovbush (Carpathian analogue of Robin Hood and his "Free Shooters") and the last pagans - sun worshipers, whose temples are still preserved on the mountain tops.
I'm walking on a dirt road. I cross the river along a narrow suspension bridge that trembles with every step. Obeying my inner voice, I head to the first hut. Above the door of grass - amulets, and on the threshold - I understand this at first glance - he stands. A thin, elderly man with a warm smile and piercing blue eyes. He takes a travel bag from my hands and in a surprisingly melodic voice with an indescribable Carpathian accent says: "I was waiting for you."
Seeing on my chest the amulet presented by my father, molfar says: "This Molf was 25 years ago I Made for your Father."
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For a moment, the gift of speech is taken away from me, and I do not have time to ask the meaning of the word "Molf", with which, as I understand it, the very concept of "molfar" is connected, while the shaman himself at this time calmly and freely begins to talk. About molfars and witches, about his "Doing", about the origins of his tradition….
The concept "Molfar" really comes from the ancient word "molf", which means - a spoken object. Molfar pronounces a certain "Prymivka" (conspiracy) over him, and this object helps a person in various life situations.
In 2011, the last officially recognized Ukrainian molfar Mikhail Nchay tragically died in the Ivano - Frankivsk region.
I immediately realize two things. Firstly, the main strength of the Carpathian shamans lies in conspiracies, special sets of words, or, more simply, in the word itself. And secondly, this tradition is very practical. Indeed, later I found out that there were very few Molfars who went somewhere in the mountains and forests and were engaged only in personal magical practices and self-knowledge. Basically, they lived among people, had homes and families and provided real help in real life … however, I got carried away.
While I mentally compared the Molfar tradition with North American and Siberian shamanism, "my" Molfar told me about the beginning of his shamanic activity. The Molfar gift was given to him by his grandmother, who devoted her whole life to shamanism: she was a Molfar, both a healer and a witch. Seeing magical abilities in her grandson, she began to take him, six years old, to the mountains, forests, to Poloniny. She taught to recognize herbs, passed on her knowledge and skills.
When the boy was twelve years old, she performed a rite of passage over him. The rite consists in fumigating the initiate with special herbs - at the same time the shaman's "Vision" opens, the person enters the world of spirits, so that they recognize him as their own. At this moment, the future molfar acquires a personal spiritual guide, which helps him navigate in the other worlds.
Each molfar has its own "Letter", its own style. Molfars can be congenital and learned. Each of them is a magician in the truest sense of the word. Moreover, he owns both white and black aspects of magic. The power of Molfar magical art extends even to the elements. Molfarov, who know how to disperse thunderclouds and deflect hail, are called "Thunders" by the Hutsuls. In order to gain power over the elements, a certain ritual is performed. The thunderman's tool is a special knife made of a scythe blade, with which the molfar “Cuts” storm clouds.
In general, in the Molfar tradition, many ceremonies, rituals and sacred objects are associated with thunder, thunder, lightning. The Carpathian magicians have a universal word - "Gromovitsa". This is the name of the thunderstorm itself, and the tree struck by lightning (the best musical instruments are made of it, and the chips of such a tree are used by molfara to fumigate people suffering from nervous disorders. "Thunderbolt" is also a sacred object made from such a "thunder tree", with the help of it, molfar deprives evil sorcerers and witches of strength.
And in pre-Christian times in the Carpathian and South Slavic region "Thunders" was called the heavenly maidens - the patroness of brave warriors. You can also remember the thunderbolt - the female hypostasis of the god - thunderbolt in South Slavic mythology … of particular importance in the shamanic tradition of the Carpathians are "Thunder Stones" that fell from the sky during a thunderstorm, as well as "stones - lightning" - rounded black stones of unknown origin.
They are usually found near trees struck by lightning, and Molfars claim to be ball lightning cores. In any case, they are not similar to any other mineral rock known in the Carpathians. Molfar uses these stones when performing special magical rites.
It is interesting that the Incas also had a cult of thunderstorms, lightning. And in their magical rituals, they also used the "Thunder Stones". These stones of meteoric origin, which fell to the ground during a thunderstorm, were considered sacred by the Incas. And the Incas called their main cultural hero Viracochu the "Thunderous Messenger".
And one more curious parallel. Molfar says that his magical tradition goes back to the Incas with spiritual roots. Secret legends, passed from mouth to mouth, say that when the spiritual aspirations of the Incas weakened, their magical power in the form of an energy flow went into the "Spiritual Space" and was perceived in the Carpathians by a group of people who possessed the proper qualities. Then this spiritual knowledge was intertwined with local traditions and in this form have come down to our time …
Molfar pauses for a minute, and from the history of molfarism he turns to healing, which is an important part of this tradition. He heals molfar with conspiracies, blessed water, minerals and, of course, herbs and potions, which he himself collects on strictly defined days and hours. Roots - in the afternoon, ground part of plants - in the first. There are herbs that are harvested only at dawn, while others require a night time. After all, each herb has its own biofield, and it depends on when to collect it.
Legends have been created about some of the herbs in the Carpathians. About "Golden Root" (Rhodiola rosea), about mandragora - the queen of love magic, about "dzhinjur" - yellow gentian, which is called Carpathian ginseng, and before the miraculous power of which the Hutsuls adore to this day ….
And another Molfar treatment is music. To be more precise, playing the drymba, an ancient Hutsul instrument. Play it with lips, teeth, tongue and breath at the same time. And the very sound of Buddhist mantras reminds. By the way, in Tibet there is an analogue of drymba. A similar instrument (jew's harp) is used in magic rituals by the shamans of the northern peoples. In the Carpathians, drymba has been known since time immemorial. Interestingly, it is traditionally considered a female instrument. And to this day, every second gutsul "Umie in drymba".
Molfar says that this instrument has extraordinary power - it is magic in sounds, conspiracy in music. The shaman says that the sounds of drymba can heal a disease, these sounds awaken the energy of wood, stone, metal, they give molfar special strength, especially since he himself makes drymba. With the help of these sounds, you can charm a loved one, attract a wild beast, turn an enemy into a friend….
Noticing a silver ring on my finger, the molfar says: "If You Constantly Wear a Silver Ring on Your Right Hand, You Will Become Invulnerable to Evil Influences." And again he brings drymba to his lips, and sounds pour in, transmitting both the murmur of mountain streams, and the ringing of stars over the tops of the Carpathians, sounds full of power that originates somewhere there, in the depths of millennia, in the very spirit of our ancestors, who felt the inseparability of everything existence….
Our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of another patient. I went out into the yard. It was a frosty winter night. Huge furry stars twinkled above the white tops of the mountains. I took two steps along the house and suddenly … a mighty force, which cannot be called and described in words, seized me. The earth spun furiously underfoot in one direction, the whole world before my eyes slowly floated to the other, the stars danced before my eyes.
I leaned against a tree so as not to fall, closed my eyes. And the whirlwind of magic being performed in the house, which enveloped all the space around, carried me further and further. And when it seemed to me that I could already touch with my hand the huge, honey-golden moon, the magic suddenly went away. I slowly came to myself, somewhere nearby a gate slammed. The visitor left.
… every spring, as soon as the snow melts, the molfar performs the ancient shamanic rite of “Finding Power”. He goes to the mountains, finds a cave by the only signs he knows and walled up there without food and water. It is lined with turf and moss, closes the entrance with stones so that not a single ray of light, not a single sound from the outside penetrates into this shelter. There, immersed in the deepest meditation, the molfar stays for twelve days. So he is cleansed of all evil spirits and filth that could stick to him throughout the year during healing sessions. So he gets a new charge of spiritual strength …
We are looking for spiritual revelation in the deserts of Mexico, in mystical doctrines or elsewhere. But we have our own secret traditions that have not been studied by anyone and are carefully guarded. And probably not for nothing. Molfar says that his tradition, in addition to the magical - healing school, also has the path of a certain "Higher Magic". But this path, as well as its goals, cannot be opened to the uninitiated.
The Molfar tradition is not exotic. This is a real force that needs to be taken seriously. The shaman says that they come to him, especially in recent years, home-grown "Magicians" demanding a miracle in confirmation of his magical abilities, who want to test the shaman "for strength." But he has only one answer to such demands: empty experiments harm both people and nature, and the forces with which the molfar communicates. And these forces can avenge the neglect of the secret.
The magic carried by the Molfar tradition is living fire, lightning over the mountain tops. And, having fun with her, you can get burned forever. To those who nevertheless strive to follow this path, Molfar says: “Molfarism is a heavy cross, it is the very fate that a person carries until his death. This is life for others. It is responsibility for every day of your life, for every deed you do, for every spoken word, for every thought …”.
At parting, molfar gives me a small carnation - protection, so that the strength I receive from communicating with him does not go away. And, intently looking into my eyes, he utters the words that I will remember forever: “a bullet can fly past the target. The word is never, for the word is the greatest power in the universe ….