Alfars of the Norwegians, Elves of Danes and Swedes, dwarves and elves of Anglo-Saxons, Albs of Germanic tribes … How many are there, wise men and sorcerers, the greatest masters in processing metals and creating unique magical artifacts, whose names have passed through the dust of time and settled in the legends of Northern Europe? Probably, all over the world you can find mentions of some dwarf aborigines who once inhabited this area, but with the arrival of people, they gave in and left, disappearing without a trace underground. In the Russian North, legends about the "white-eyed chud" who went underground are still walking. Why is there such attention to unknown dwarfs, and why exactly the North, washed by the Arctic Ocean, has become the focus of the legends associated with them?
European dwarfs
The Celtic legends about the people from the northern islands, Tuatu de Dannan - the tribes of the goddess Danu, have survived to this day. It is believed that they came from the islands north of Scandinavia - from the country of Iruat. Mortals have never been there - for ordinary people this place is unattainable. The ancient saga says that the tribes of the goddess Danu were much better at magic and science than the Irish sages. When the followers of the goddess arrived in Ireland, this event was accompanied by an unusual cataclysm: the place of their disembarkation for several days was enveloped in fumes and smoke, which covered all the surroundings and rose to the very heavens. Later legends made their own adjustments, and according to their information, the Sids - that is what they called the Tuatu de Dannan - simply burned the ships on which they sailed to Ireland. But the legend of their emergence from the smoke is undoubtedly more entertaining.
Who were they? The century of their reign was considered Golden. Short, eternally young and invariably beautiful, the Seeds ruled both the magician and the sciences. But another people came from the sea: the newcomers drove out the Seeds, and they went into the dungeons, "into the happy hills to live forever." Until now, the Irish try not to disturb the peace of the mounds: the ancient "people of the hills" live there. True, over time, handsome sids turned into "little people", invariably settling in remote corners of the country.
In general, the inhabitants of the British Isles managed to combine several cultures in their legends, thereby creating their own, whose “inhabitants” have unique features and character. Not so long ago, RL Stevenson's ballad "Heather Honey" was very popular - the drink mentioned in the title was brewed by "baby mead brewers in caves underground", they are also Picts.
The king of Scots has come
Merciless to enemies
Promotional video:
He drove the poor picts
To the rocky shores.
Actually, the lines from the ballad tell about the fate of the Picts - they were exterminated by the Scots. But who are these dwarfs?
From Latin "picti" is translated as "painted, tattooed". Since the 3rd century AD, this was the name given to most of the inhabitants of the Orkney and Hebrides, as well as tribes from the north of Britain. An amazing people, which in the scientific world is considered not belonging to the Indo-European group, with a unique Ogamic script, which was in use only among the Celts and Picts … One of the tribes that lived in the north of Scotland is especially noted in the legends. These Picts were dwarfs, they preferred to settle in caves and knew how to conjure.
All over Britain there are legends about dwarfs - for example, Wales. Aidense is famous there - a dwarf who managed to cause an incredible flood that flooded the whole earth. There is also a division of dwarfs into "black" and "white", gnomes and elves, respectively. Elves in British myths know how to change their appearance, in the pre-sunset time they dance in the forest glades and sing wonderful songs. Protectors of trees, they highlight oaks and lindens. In general, the oak was considered a sacred tree among many peoples - the elves also did not ignore it. The people, possessing incredible wisdom, protected it like the apple of an eye, but if a mortal man by some miracle managed to get even the smallest part of it, then he became the wisest of his kind.
Dwarves, unlike elves, did not settle in the forests, and did not take patronage over trees. Their fiefdom was the underworld, in which palaces were erected and countless treasures were kept. According to British legends, the Dwarf dungeons reminded their inhabitants of the primordial Night that ruled the earth before the stars appeared.
If dwarfs arrived in Ireland from the country of Iruat, then in the Scandinavian epic they lived on earth even before the appearance of people. Together with the giants, they inhabited this world, it was believed that the dvergar, or gnomes, or alves - as anyone is more accustomed to - were created "from Brimir of the blood and bone of Blain." According to another version, they "appeared from the stone of the earth, came through the swamp to the sandy field." It was these dwarfs who forged magic weapons for the gods: for Odin - the spear of Gungnir and the ring of Draupnir, for Thor - the hammer of Mjellnir. The golden locks of the goddess Siv, the Skidbladnir ship, the boar with golden bristles - all these were the creations of undersized craftsmen. Much of the Scandinavian epic is based on the struggle for possession of magical items created by the hands of the dwarves.
No one managed to find out the secrets of the ancient masters. They rarely appeared to people, they got out to the surface only at night, so as not to fall under the sun's rays that were destructive for the gnomes. Miners believed that a rare meeting with a long-lived bearded man in a mine would certainly bring good luck.
The dwarfs also lived in houses. They were called kobolds - "lords of the room." In Germanic mythology, they are classified as a special kind of elves, and are considered relatives of the gnomes. For the most part good-natured, kobolds have always tried to help zealous owners. Their forest cousins, equally clumsy and shaggy, were considered excellent healers.
Old legends are clearly visible through the newest posts of the Germanic epic, which bears the features of a chivalric novel rather than an ancient saga. One of them is the famous legend about the treasures of the Nibelungs.
Initially, the Nibelungs were called dwarfs from the north - the Albs, who lived in caves and stood guard over mountain treasures. Only later, when Siegfried took these treasures from them, after his death, they went to other people, who appropriated not only the jewelry, but also the name itself. From that moment on, the Nibelungs were no longer cave dwarfs, but mighty warriors. However, the Albs are also not bastards - according to legend, they wear cloaks that hide their owners from prying eyes and protect them from any pricks and blows, and, in addition, increase the strength of their owners. It is difficult to defeat someone who cannot be seen and injured, but Siegfried somehow miraculously managed, and put the gray-bearded Albrich to guard the treasures. Time blurred the appearance of the true Nibelungs: it is only clear that they were short, possessed secret knowledge and lived in caves or underground.
Such an "abundance" of dwarfs in the epics of Northern Europe indicates that its inhabitants in ancient times really encountered a stunted people. He was not strong enough to leave a distinct mark in history, but he was not weak enough to disappear without a trace.
Chud white-eyed
But this is all Northern Europe. But what about the Russian North? And there, too, there are many legends associated with dwarfs. Folklore, folk memory, carefully preserved these legends. Even NM Karamzin said that “not only in Scandinavia, but also in Russia, the Finns and Chud were famous for magic”.
The Finnish peoples have really always been convinced that their sorcerers owe all their witchcraft knowledge to the dwarf spirits living underground. Similar traditions lived among the Laplanders. The Sami keep the legend of the Uldr dwarfs living in Lapland and wintering underground. The Lopari are nomads, and if they hear that the Uldrs are worried at the new parking lot underground (for me this remains a mystery), then they will definitely move their housing to another place. The anxiety of the underground babies indicates that a human dwelling has closed the entrance to the Uldr abode. Otherwise, you can offend the dwarfs, and then they will take revenge: they will tear the reindeer skins, or even worse - they will steal the child from the cradle, and leave their ugly baby instead of the ruddy one. He had to be handled as carefully as possible so that the Uldr mother could have mercy and return the real baby. They are not shown during the day - like the others, the Uldr are blinded by daylight, so their time is night. In any case, when meeting with an Uldr, you need to behave carefully: powerful dwarfs have excellent wizardry.
In the White Sea, the Urals, Ladoga, they still remember the white-eyed chud. It should not be confused with the Zavolochsky Chud, one of the Finno-Ugric peoples.
In the "Dictionary of the Regional Onega dialect" G. Kulikovsky writes about "real chud" and "mysterious chud". The real one just refers to the Finno-Ugric peoples, but the mysterious …
She came from the north, but with the beginning of Russian colonization "the chud went into the earth, disappeared underground." According to eyewitnesses, representatives of the tribe dug deep holes, put high pillars in their corners, and large shields were laid on them. On this "roof" stones were laid and earth was poured, and when everything was ready, the white-eyed oddball went into the pit along with the belongings and … cut down the pillars on which everything was held. The shield fell and crushed people and their belongings. Why was this done? It was believed that this was some kind of mass method of suicide, but when subsequently shields were raised and holes were dug, no traces of the chudi and their property were found. Most likely, they simply closed the "roof" of the entrance to the dungeon, which was built specifically for this purpose. If this assumption is correct, then everything falls into place:such a blockage perfectly hides the underground passage into which the chud went. In addition, an interesting fact is that after the chudi there were not only pits, but also hills, under which she allegedly went and where she found "eternal rest." The seeds that I mentioned earlier involuntarily come to mind - the Irish "dwarfs" also left for the hills. Chud kurgans are no less mysterious - they say that at night a hum, a muffled knocking is often heard from them, and in addition, a bluish glow sometimes emanates from the hills. Some legends indirectly confirm that the chud did not just “go into the ground”, but precisely through the underground passages. For example, there is such a quote: “when the rumor about Saints Pachomius of Kensk and Anthony of Siysk reached Chud, they were afraid and fled into the impenetrable forests. In the forests, they made themselves, especially in the sandy ground, underground passages. "an interesting fact is that after the chudi there were not only pits, but also hills, under which she allegedly went and where she found "eternal rest." The seeds that I mentioned earlier involuntarily come to mind - the Irish "dwarfs" have also gone to the hills. Chud kurgans are no less mysterious - they say that at night a hum, a muffled knocking is often heard from them, and in addition, a bluish glow sometimes emanates from the hills. Some legends indirectly confirm that the chud did not just “go into the ground”, but precisely through the underground passages. For example, there is such a quote: “when the rumor about Saints Pachomius of Kenya and Anthony of Siysk reached Chud, they were afraid and fled into the impenetrable forests. In the forests, they made themselves, especially in the sandy ground, underground passages. "an interesting fact is that after the chudi there were not only pits, but also hills, under which she allegedly went and where she found "eternal rest." The seeds that I mentioned earlier involuntarily come to mind - the Irish "dwarfs" have also gone to the hills. Chud kurgans are no less mysterious - they say that at night a hum, a muffled knocking is often heard from them, and in addition, a bluish glow sometimes emanates from the hills. The fact that the chud did not just “go into the ground”, but precisely through the underground passages, is indirectly confirmed by some legends. For example, there is such a quote: “when the rumor about Saints Pachomius of Kenya and Anthony of Siysk reached Chud, they were afraid and fled into the impenetrable forests. In the forests, they made themselves, especially in the sandy ground, underground passages. "The seeds that I mentioned earlier involuntarily come to mind - the Irish "dwarfs" also left for the hills. Chud kurgans are no less mysterious - they say that at night a hum, a muffled knocking is often heard from them, and in addition, a bluish glow sometimes emanates from the hills. Some legends indirectly confirm that the chud did not just “go into the ground”, but precisely through the underground passages. For example, there is such a quote: “when the rumor about Saints Pachomius of Kensk and Anthony of Siysk reached Chud, they were afraid and fled into the impenetrable forests. In the forests, they made themselves, especially in the sandy ground, underground passages. "The seeds that I mentioned earlier involuntarily come to mind - the Irish "dwarfs" have also gone to the hills. Chud kurgans are no less mysterious - they say that at night a hum, a muffled knocking is often heard from them, and in addition, a bluish glow sometimes emanates from the hills. Some legends indirectly confirm that the chud did not just “go into the ground”, but precisely through the underground passages. For example, there is such a quote: “when the rumor about Saints Pachomius of Kenya and Anthony of Siysk reached Chud, they were afraid and fled into the impenetrable forests. In the forests, they made themselves, especially in the sandy ground, underground passages. "and besides, a bluish glow sometimes emanates from the hills. Some legends indirectly confirm that the chud did not just “go into the ground”, but precisely through the underground passages. For example, there is such a quote: “when the rumor about Saints Pachomius of Kensk and Anthony of Siysk reached Chud, they were afraid and fled into the impenetrable forests. In the forests, they made themselves, especially in the sandy ground, underground passages. "and besides, a bluish glow sometimes emanates from the hills. Some legends indirectly confirm that the chud did not just “go into the ground”, but precisely through the underground passages. For example, there is such a quote: “when the rumor about Saints Pachomius of Kenya and Anthony of Siysk reached Chud, they were afraid and fled into the impenetrable forests. In the forests, they made themselves, especially in the sandy ground, underground passages."
Of particular interest is not even how and where the chud went, but the appearance of this people. In addition to the short stature typical only for the "mysterious chud", she was also white-eyed. Sometimes its representatives were called simply "white-eyed", "white-eyed people". What does it mean? What were the eyes of the chudi really like? It is unlikely that it will ever be possible to find out exactly. And in the Pomor legends, believing that "the Chud was a red-skinned people", it is stated that he moved overseas and is hiding from prying eyes on Novaya Zemlya. They do it easily: a chud knows how to become invisible. The last time fishermen saw representatives of this people was around 1920. This Pomor legend opens a whole cycle of others like her. The Chudin people tried to hide from people, but no, no - yes, there will be a reference to this people in a good fairy tale. A short old forest man,giving the tsarevich an invisibility cap and immediately disappearing under the ground - why is not a representative of an ancient people?
The Komi people talk about the same dwarfs, calling them miracles, or "chud-des", believing that they are powerful sorcerers who can see the future. One of the Zyryan legends tells about Court-Ike, who was also called the Iron Father-in-law. He is the only one among the Komi who knew how to forge iron and … conjure. Court-Ike came from the north, at first "he did not understand our way, but then he learned." In addition to growth, he fully fits the description of northern dwarfs, but the legend is just a legend, so that the small in it becomes large.
The Ural and Siberian legends also did not bypass the white-eyed chud with their attention. They say that this people lived here even before the arrival of the Russians, mining silver and gold, processing metals. Many years later, their deserted mines were called "Chud mines". The miners themselves, having heeded the advice of their shamans, “went into the ground” even before the arrival of the Russian pioneers.
In addition, in the Urals, "divya people" were often mentioned. The legend was recorded in the Urals in 1927 by Nikolai Evgenievich Onchukov:
Divya people live in the Ural Mountains, they have access to the world through caves. In the Kaslyakh plant, along the Lunevskaya railway line, they come out of the mountains and walk among people, but people do not see them. Their culture is the greatest, and the light in their mountains is no worse than the sun. Divya people are small in stature, very beautiful and with a pleasant voice, but only a select few can hear them. They portend different events for people. They say that in the villages of Belosludskoye, Zaykovsky and Stroganovka, a ringing is heard at midnight; only people of good life, with a clear conscience, heard him …
At the end of the 18th century, I. Lepekhin wrote after his travel to the north of the European part of Russia: “The Samoyeds and other northern peoples have legends about people living underground. The Samoyeds call them Syrtier and say that this is the people who occupied their country before them, and who after their arrival went underground and still lives there."
The Nenets have their own version: “A long time ago, when our people were not here, there lived sirta - small people. When there were a lot of people, they went right through to the ground”. Sirte inhabited the land from Kanin Nos to the Yenisei. The ancestors of the Nenets came to Western Siberia several thousand years ago, and met there with all the peoples who inhabit this land today. All of them are familiar to scientists, except for Sirte. If at least fragmentary information has been preserved about the clashes of the Nenets with other peoples, then there is not a single mention of the clashes with the Syrte. As a result, the little people “went to the hills,” from where they left only at night. It is believed that these underground inhabitants are a very wealthy people, they mine silver and gold, copper, iron and other metals. You can notice them only from afar - when you try to get closer, the sirtya hides, as if falling through the ground.
At first, the Europeans considered the Nenets and Lapps to be northern dwarfs, and they did not immediately realize that they were mistaken. They were confused by the stories of travelers, according to which pygmies no more than a boy three years old live on the other side of the Hyperborean mountains. As a result, Scriclinia appeared on one of the Norwegian maps north of Lapland, in which dwarfs lived.
There were bold assumptions that the entire "dwarf" mythical people, including the Irish Seeds, Scottish Picts, Scandinavian gnomes, the white-eyed Chud, the Sirte and dozens of others, unnamed, that they are all representatives of an ancient civilization that disappeared from the northern lands 8 thousand years ago … For some reason, the pygmies had to settle from their usual places, scattering over a large area. Do they still live in underground shelters hidden in remote places? The expedition of Alexander Barchenko, which in 1922 put forward the theory of a single civilization, did not provide significant evidence. Who knows, maybe there are still daredevils who can solve the mystery of the little people?