On the mystery of the number 7
All the peoples of the world at all times paid special attention to magic, mysterious numbers. Of all their variety, the number seven was and is the most popular.
This number is the most mysterious, magic number of the Universe and means the completeness and totality of the world. In this number, the main secret of the universe was embodied: "The secret behind seven seals." These are seven days of Divine creation, and seven notes of harmony, seven-day phases of the Moon and seven planets known in antiquity, etc.
Whatever it is considered: both magical, and magical, and sacred (sacred is sacred, dedicated to God). Seven is a number that personifies wisdom, holiness and secret knowledge, it is a sign of ancient man's interest in knowing nature … In the traditions of different peoples of antiquity, any drawing, including letters or numbers, any sculptural image, had a sacred, even mystical meaning.
There is an opinion that the magic of numbers is usually associated either with the peculiarities of the calendar, or with the concepts of cosmogony. A special place among these numbers is the number 7. It is interesting that the seven does not possess special geometric correctness, is not very convenient for calculations, but from time immemorial it has been revered and continues to be revered. Its magic has penetrated into all spheres of human life, its frequency, in comparison with other magic numbers, is very high.
The reasons for the emergence of the cult of the number 7
There are several versions of the origin of the mystery of the number 7. As man cognizes the universe, the status of the sevenfoldness of this world rises. The worship of the number 7 dates back to 4-5 thousand years ago. For the first time, the cult of the number seven appeared among the Sumerians.
Promotional video:
One of the versions of its appearance is the number of seven celestial bodies known at that time: the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, visible to the naked eye. In addition, the Sumerians had a belief that the life cycle on Earth depends on the increase and decrease in the size of the moon. According to the lunar calendar of this people, each month consists of four weeks, each of which has 7 days. Added days to the end of the cycles to fill in the times when the moon is not showing in the sky.
Another version is associated with the Moon. In Babylon, every seventh day, marking the end of a certain stage of the lunar cycle, was considered dangerous and unfortunate. Therefore, the seventh day of the week was reserved for rest, and no one worked to avoid danger. The mysticism of this number was used two and a half thousand years BC in the calculation and construction of the pyramid of Cheops.
Here, with an error of no more than 0.15% (quite acceptable for antiquity), sizes multiples of 7 are often found. So its height is 147 meters, and the length of the base is 231 meters. This is the entrance to the pyramid, 15.61 meters above the ground. These are corridors 105 and 35 meters long, and the length of one of the burial chambers is 14 meters, and their heights are 3.5, 1.75 meters and the lining of one of which is 5.74 meters, this is a narrow opening 0.7 meters in cross section etc.
Some scholars associate worship of the number 7 with Egyptian and Babylonian philosophy, where this number was considered as the sum of two "vital" numbers: three and four. Three people - father, mother, child - form the basis of life, and four is the number of cardinal points. In addition, the number seven is the six directions of light: north-south, west-east, top-bottom, and the Creator of all this is God. The version that the number 7 is heaven and earth, water and fire, birth and death, and a person in the middle of this universe, takes its place.
A version is also proposed that a person perceives the world around him (light, sounds, smells, taste) through seven “holes” in the head (two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, a mouth). In addition, there is an opinion that the ancient people considered seven as the number of luck. This is due to a farmer who hoped for strength: 2 hands (plowman), 4legs (horse) and God (angel).
According to Pythagoras, the sum of the numbers 3 and 4 (triangle and square) was considered a manifestation of completeness and perfection. So in one (1) square, two (2) diagonals form four (4) equal triangles (the sum of 1, 2, 4 equals 7). If the sides of the triangle are equal to 3,4, 5, then the so-called Greek (Pythagorean) triangle is obtained, in which sides 3 and 4 (their sum is 7) form legs, and the angle between them will necessarily be right, which is very important during construction and marking of land plots.
Some sages of the East saw the sevenfoldness of the world in the fact that the human body is renewed every 7 years, i.e. his life consists of stages multiples of seven years. This is 7 years old - infancy, 14 years old - adolescence, 21 years old - youth, 28 years old - youth, 35 years old - maturity, 42 - fullness of vitality, 49 - wisdom, 56 - the beginning of autumn, 63 - breakdown, 70 - return to childhood, 77 - return to infancy.
Undoubtedly, these and similar facts are not accidental, obviously, they indicate the existence of some extremely important secret for mankind associated with the Creator of the universe, and the number 7 serves as the key to uncovering this secret. Frequent mention of this figure in the Scriptures of different religions by the most on various occasions once again confirms the sacredness of this mysterious number 7.
Apparently, these versions gave rise to the idea of the creation of the world in 7 days, which is repeated many times in the Holy Scriptures of different peoples, which emphasizes its magical power in the eyes of ancient people. Seven heavenly bodies, days of the week and seven known metals in those days gave rise to astrology and alchemy, complementing each other and convincing man of the sevenfold world: gold - the sun - Sunday; silver - Moon - Monday; iron - Mars - Tuesday; mercury - Mercury - Wednesday; tin - Jupiter - Thursday; copper - Venus - Friday; lead - Saturn - Saturday.
Which of these versions of the origin of the cult of the septenary of the world is true is not known, but they all have the right to exist, and each of them contributed to the birth of magic and magical power of this number 7. But, no matter which version is correct, the worship of this symbol has survived to this day.
So, in later centuries it was determined that white light is a set of seven colors of the rainbow, the musical octave consists of notes, the number of cervical vertebrae in humans and almost all mammals (even a giraffe) has seven vertebrae.
Seven in the religions of the world
According to religious beliefs, the number 7 rules time and space. According to popular belief, the seventh son of the seventh son is endowed with incredible magical powers.
In ancient Egypt, seven is the number of the God Osiris, the lord of the kingdom of the dead. On the day of the winter solstice, the Egyptians circle a cow seven times around the Temple of the Sun in search of Osiris. At the seventh hour of the night, the serpent Apop (devil of the underworld) attacks the boat of the heavenly sun god Ra, the dead passes through seven halls and seven doors of the underworld. But at the same time, among the Egyptians, the sacred number 7 traditionally correlated not only with the kingdom of the dead, but also with the earth.
The number 7 was also associated with the earth among the Anatolians as early as the 7th millennium BC. The biblical Jews also mention the number seven many times. So, in the era of the Jerusalem Temple (first millennium BC), the onset of every seventh month was marked by additional sacrifices. This is the national emblem of the statehood of the ancient Jews - the seven-branched candlestick.
This is the creation of the world by God in seven days, seven commandments of Noah, seven patriarchs: seven days of consecration of priests, seven deadly sins, seven heavens, etc. In the Old Testament, the number seven is mentioned 700 (!) Times. In Christianity, as in Judaism, the sacred number 7 is the creation of the world in 7 days. There are 7 sacraments in the Christian religion: - Holy Week of Great Lent - the seventh week; 7 - a sign of spiritual fullness and harmony, “seven bowls” of God's wrath, “seven deadly sins”, seven, seven-branched candlestick; Great Lent has seven weeks, seven angelic orders, etc.
The seven-branched candlestick marks the seven sacraments of the Orthodox Church. In the Christian holy books, the number seven is mentioned many times: “Whoever kills Cain will take revenge seven times”, “… and seven years of abundance … and seven years of famine came”, “and count for yourself seven Sabbath years, seven times seven years, so that you have forty-nine years in the seven Sabbath years,”and so on. Christians have seven weeks of Great Lent. There are seven angelic ranks, seven deadly sins.
In many countries it is customary to put seven dishes on the Christmas table, the name of which begins with one letter. In Islam, the place of "highest enlightenment" is the seventh heaven, where all those pleasing to Allah fall. 7 gates of heaven, 7 steps of hell, the seventh day of commemoration for the deceased, since his soul spends seven days at the grave.
There are seven prophets in the teachings of Islam: Adam, Noah, Abbraham, Moses, David, Jesus, Muhammad. During the Hajj to Mecca, the pilgrim must walk around the sacred stone of the Kaaba seven times. In the Holy Qur'an, the expression "seven heavens" is mentioned 7 times, the phrase "creation of heaven" is also repeated 7 times. The first sura (chapter) of the Holy Qur'an consists of 7 ayats (verses). In Indian (Vedic) numerology, the number seven is the number of fate, it enhances the qualities inherent in the number of the soul and the name of a person.
In Buddhism, the number 7 is a symbol of ascent, ascent to the highest, finding the center. The seven steps of the Buddha symbolize the ascent of the seven cosmic steps that go beyond space and time. Buddha was sitting under a fig tree with seven fruits. From them came the custom of giving seven elephants for good luck - figurines made of bone, wood or other material. In Hinduism, the following are worshiped: 7 sages; 7 worlds; 7 sacred cities; 7 sacred islands; 7 sacred seas; 7 sacred mountains; 7 sacred trees; 7 deserts; 7 chakras.
For the Babylonians, the underworld is surrounded by seven walls. An interesting fact is that in the numerology of the Mayan people, far from the Middle East, in South America, due attention was also paid to the number seven. There, the number seven is associated with death and completion. While one is the beginning, 7 is the end. Being born on the 7th day does not mean failure. 7 is halfway between 1 and 13, so those born on the 7th day look both back and forth. They may be indecisive, not knowing where to go. They see values in both directions, which are equal to them.
Traditions, legends of number 7
The magic number 7 was revered many centuries before our era, in the Middle Ages, and is revered today. It appears in the traditions and legends of many peoples of the world. So in the ancient Indian tradition, in particular, seven sages who survived the flood in order to preserve and pass on to future generations the wisdom of the antediluvian Earth.
The Egyptian manuscripts also mention the "seven wise men" who were the only divine beings who knew how to build temples. In Babylon, a seven-step temple was built in honor of the main gods. The priests of this city claimed that after death, after passing through seven gates, people enter the underworld, surrounded by seven walls.
In ancient Greece, the number 7 is the number and symbol of Apollo, one of the most important gods of Olympic mythology. He was born on the seventh day of the month, his lyre had seven strings. In legends you can find 7 Hesperides, 7 circles of hell, 7 gates, seven daughters of Astarte, 7 cyclops, 7 children of Niobe, 7 pipes of Pan's flute.
In the mythology of Ancient Greece, the bull-man Minotaur, who lived in a labyrinth on the island of Crete, was annually sent by the inhabitants of Athens as tribute to be eaten by seven young men and seven girls; Tantalus's daughter Niobe had seven sons and seven daughters; The nymph of the island Ogygia Calypso held Odysseus captive for seven years …
In Egypt, the number seven is a symbol of eternal life, the number of the god Osiris. Ancient Rome also idolized the number seven. The city itself is built on seven hills; the river Styx, surrounding the underworld, flows seven times around hell, divided by Virgil into seven regions. The seven was very often used by sorcerers, fortune tellers and sorcerers: “Take seven bags with seven different herbs, infusion in seven waters and drink seven days in seven spoons …”.
In many countries of the East, the festive table is decorated with seven dishes. So on Novruz Bayram in Azerbaijan, they put 7 dishes on the table, starting with the letter C. Number 7 in folklore and literature The uniqueness of the number 7 is that it has grown into a person's consciousness and has become a part of his speech, which helps to more voluminously, vividly express his thought. some expressions turned into sayings, proverbs, riddles, omens.
Number 7 in sayings
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Seven troubles, one answer.
One with a bipod, seven with a spoon.
Seven spans in the forehead.
Seven Fridays a week.
Be in seventh heaven.
Seventh water on jelly.
Seven feet under the keel.
See the seventh dream.
On the seven winds.
Work up to a sweat.
Know ancestors up to the seventh generation.
Behind seven seals.
Seven deaths cannot happen, and one cannot be avoided.
Seven don't wait for one.
The secret is sealed with seven seals.
Seven wonders of the world.
Seven deadly sins: pride, laziness, anger, lust, greed, gluttony, envy.
Seven in fiction
“The flower-seven-flower” (V. Kataev's tale), “Seven Simeons” (Russian folk tale), seven volumes of the novel “Harry Potter”, and in them - seven Horcruxes. According to the books of Sergei Lukyanenko "Them Seven" - a poem by K. Balmont. “Seven beauties” (a work of the Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi).
Seven Greek sages in the poem "Iskander-name" by Nizami Ganjavi. Seven volumes of Alexander Men's “History of Religion”. “The Seventh Proof” is the third chapter of the novel by MA Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita". "Seven Underground Kings." “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” “Number 7” is a poem by O. K. Aunovskaya.
The number 7 has confidently settled in fairy tales, and is not going to leave them: “Seven Kings and One Queen”, “The Wolf and the Seven Kids”, “Seven hundred seventy-seven Masters”, “Seven Simeons”, “The Wise Maiden and Seven Thieves”, “Ivan is a peasant son and a peasant himself with a finger, a mustache seven miles away”, “Seven-color flower” (VP Kataev), “Seven underground kings”, “Snow White and the seven dwarfs”.
Number 7 in the modern world
In the modern world, the number 7 can be found quite often in various fields of human activity and, unlike in distant times, is not mystical. Number 7 and the laws of nature - 7 colors of the rainbow, 7 notes in a musical scale, 7 vertebrae in the cervical spine of humans and almost all mammals.
Pregnancy period: in humans - 7x40 = 280 days, in mice - 7x3 = 21 days, in hares and rats - 7x4 = 28 days, in a cat - 7x8 = 56 days, in a dog - 7x9 = 63 days, in a lion - 7x14 = 98 days, for a sheep - 7x21 = 147 days. In birds, the incubation period lasts: in an ordinary chicken - 7x3 = 21 days, in a duck - 7x4 = 28 days. Number 7 and Science In physics there are 7 basic units of physical quantities in the International System of SI.
There are 7 periods in chemistry in the periodic table. 7 is the atomic number of nitrogen, the most common chemical element in the Earth's atmosphere - 77%. 7 major crystal systems in crystallography. Number 7 and architecture Seven Stalinist skyscrapers were built in Moscow in the early 1950s: Hotel Ukraine, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Main building of Moscow State University, Leningradskaya (hotel), Residential house on Kotelnicheskaya embankment, Residential house on Kudrinskaya Square, High-rise building on Krasnye Vorota Square
Number 7 in cinematography
"The Seventh Seal", "Seven Samurai", "The Magnificent Seven", "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers", "Seven Brides of Corporal Zbruev", "Seven Old Men and One Girl", "Seven Brave", “Six days, seven nights”, “Seven days in May”, “Seven years in Tibet”, “Seven lives”, “Seven days before death”, “Seven psychopaths”, “Agent 007”.
Number 7 in history
The G7 is the G7 of the largest Western countries. 7 countries of the Warsaw Pact, (1955-1991). 7 countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) since 16.08.2006. Seven Years War 1756-1763. “Seven Boyars” in Russia in 1610-1612. "Semibankirshchina" in Russia under Yeltsin in 1996-1998.
Number 7 in mathematics
Divisibility by 7 numbers of the form: ava, if a + b is divisible by 7. Example: 525. (5 + -2 = 7). so 525 is divisible by 7. (525: 7 = 75) waa, if a + a + b is divisible by 7. Example: 322. (3 + 2 + 2 = 7), then 322 is divisible by 7. (322: 7 = 46) waa, if b + a + a is divisible by 7. Example: 4711. (47 + 1 + 1 = 49) / so 4711 is divisible by 7. (4711: 7 = 673) aav, if a + a -b is divisible by 7. Example: 665. (6 + 6 -5 = 7, so 665 is divided by 7. (665: 7 = 95).
G. SALAEV