What role did the well play in the life of the Slavs? Why was it considered a connecting bridge with the ancestral world? Why was the "double" of the village well dug in the forest? And why was he often left with various offerings?
Once, about 7 thousand years ago, people guessed to dig a hole in the ground and overlay it with a tree (stone). Soon, clear groundwater accumulated in the pit, and people got it out with a rope and a leather bucket. So the well appeared. Now people could settle far from rivers or lakes, water cattle and water crops. It is still unknown how the human civilization developed (and would it have developed?) If it were not for this invention. It is likely that we would remain primitive nomad-gatherers.
Types of wells
Yes, it was the well that allowed the birth and development of all agricultural cultures. Irrigation of land and breeding of livestock directly depends on the availability of clean and fresh water. And the rivers and lakes did not have enough space for everyone. And people all over the planet have come up with different types of wells for groundwater extraction.
We're fortunate enough to be in the 21st century: most of us can just turn on the faucet in the kitchen and get drunk, cook dinner, do our laundry or wash. And before, everything was far from so simple - for water you had to run to the well in the center of the settlement. And besides, several times. And water extraction was associated with some difficulties - but it depended on the type of well. For example, in Ancient Egypt, Arab countries and Mesopotamia, the type of "shaduf" was widespread. Water from such a well can be obtained manually using a long lever, at one end of which a load was fixed, and at the other a bucket. We call such a system "crane".
In Greece and in the hot countries of the Middle East, the so-called Archimedes screw was used - a special mechanism that ensures a constant supply of water to a pool, irrigation channel or other container. True, it is very difficult to call this method of water extraction humane - either slaves or donkeys had to turn the screw, whose work, as a rule, was paid only with blows of a whip and meager food.
For the Slavic peoples, despite the advantages of the continental climate, the well was no less important than for the Egyptians and Arabs. The Russian well was distinguished by its special, compact and functional design.
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It was a shaft lined with a wooden (oak or less often aspen) frame, at the top of which a gate was fixed - a rotating drum with a handle. The top of the log house was usually covered with a roof. The Slavs have always been famous for their ingenuity. So the well device could boast of several tricks. For example, to slow down the speed of a bucket falling into the mine, a band brake was installed on the gate. And a weight was attached to one edge of the bucket. What do you think for what? So that it does not float, but quickly sinks and scoops up water. This design turned out to be so functional that it has survived to this day almost unchanged.
Digging a well
Water is needed in everyday life and in large quantities. Without it, you can't cook any food, you can't feed the cattle, and you can't wash yourself. Therefore, the construction of any Slavic village began with digging a well. And for this, it was first necessary to find water underground.
In Russia, water-bearing soil was searched for by dowsing (dowsing). This is a sophisticated method of finding groundwater using a vine. Where the fork in the vine began to tremble in the hands of the dowser, and they began to dig. Naturally, this method seemed to people mysterious and enigmatic. And therefore, those who knew how to find water were considered almost sorcerers, but at the same time they also enjoyed great respect. But now the opinion is increasingly heard that it was not the vine that helped in the search, but external signs of the presence of water on the ground. Their dowser subconsciously recognized around him and moved the fork himself.
In order not to dig a mine in vain, they approached the search for water very responsibly. Most often, the search began on June 21 - it was believed that on that day Saint Fyodor Kolodeznik helped. Before getting down to business, the workers prayed to this saint in the church. They wanted to enlist his help and cleanse their thoughts of all evil. After all, water is a very sensitive matter, capable of absorbing the negative or positive of people working with it.
When the well was completely completed, it was necessarily consecrated by a priest. The whole village came to this event. Then the well was decorated with icons, crosses, or words of prayer were carved out.
Water and a well in the life of the Slavs
Pure water for the Slavs is a symbol of life, renewal, purification. And there was also a special, reverent attitude to well water. On some church holidays (especially on Christmas, Epiphany and Easter), it was considered healing, while on others it was generally forbidden to take it from the well.
It was also believed that water from an old well has a memory. This belief provided the basis for all kinds of rituals for communicating with water: she was asked for advice, her future or past. It was believed that the answers are given by Chur - the spirit of ancestors. And so as not to offend him, it was impossible to pour water from the bucket that was just raised.
In general, many fortune-telling and rituals are associated with well water. The girls asked the water for the name of their betrothed, the sick asked the name of the "bad" person who sent the evil eye or misfortune; she also got rid of the evil eye. Screaming and ailing children were dipped into water from a well, and newborns were baptized in it.
The well gave pure life-giving moisture from the earth, and therefore there was a reverent attitude towards it. He was enveloped in an aura of beliefs and mystical ideas. Before the advent of Christianity, the Slavs believed that the well is a portal to another, underworld (remember the fairy tale "Barbara-beauty"). The spirits of this world could hear, see and even go out into our world. To avoid this, the Slavs dug a second well in the forest, which outwardly resembles a village one. He had to confuse evil spirits if they were going to get out of the underworld.
Wells were associated not only with evil forces. With the advent of Christianity, they began to be consecrated, and from this the wells became in the minds of people a blessed, clean place. It was impossible to swear near him, come with evil thoughts and throw garbage into the mine. The well also symbolized home and homeland. Going to war, the warriors lowered their sword into the well to be sure to return. Travelers, taking water, in gratitude left some thing. And the residents themselves made “gifts” to the well on special holidays. At a wedding, a piece of loaf was thrown at him, pancakes at Easter, and so on.