A black raven and a snake, a gray wolf and a pig, a black cat and a fiery rooster - these and a number of representatives of the animal kingdom since ancient times in Russia were used by sorcerers and healers, shamans and sorcerers when performing secret occult rituals.
It was the pets of the peasants who played the most important role in magical rituals. So. in the 17th-19th centuries, in a number of provinces of central Russia, it was customary to raise watchdogs in a special way. In order to get a faithful watchman who will never bark in vain and will not throw himself at a person who entered the yard with good intentions, in the old days a newly born puppy was rinsed in water, which was previously washed in the house floors.
Then, for the next three weeks at dawn, the puppy was rubbed with pork fat and stuffed into the master's boot. After that, the eldest member of the family pronounced a certain conspiracy over him and released him into the yard.
Siberian hunters possessed secret knowledge in the selection and education of dogs. In particular, it was believed that a dog born in the coolest weather would become a true hunting dog. From infant canines, such dogs were watered with the fresh blood of the hunted animal, laid to sleep on a bedding made from the skin of a killed animal. The Pomors had a custom of stitching puppies into the carcass of a wolf or bear that was killed, over which the pagan rite of "hunting magic" was then performed. According to legends, it was from such puppies that the most fearless and ferocious wolfhounds grew up.
Many legends, signs and magical rituals are associated with a longtime companion of man - a horse. So, it is believed that it is the horses that are friends with the brownies that live in every yard. Previously, sophisticated sorcerers immediately after birth weaved a foal into the tail or mane of a small ribbon - a gift to the invisible master of the house. According to the testimony of the old people, after the first night the foal spent in the barn, the gift ribbon miraculously disappeared.
Often, brownies secretly braided horses. If the weaving was tight and tangled, it was believed that the brownie was dissatisfied with something. In this case, it was necessary to appease him with some kind of tribute, and the discovered braids should be cut off and burned in a furnace on a moonlit night. Healers in the villages with the help of horses healed many ailments. For example, in order to relieve a baby from fear, he was brought to a nulliparous mare and beaten on the rump with reins. The loud whinny of a frightened horse cured the disease.
It is considered a great success to find a horseshoe lost by a black horse. In the old days, amulets were made from such a horseshoe - rings, medallions, hair combs. The possession of such a relic necessarily brought peace and prosperity to the house.
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For a long time in Russia the proverb is known: "Do not cock a hen, do not quarrel between a woman and a man." This proverb has its origins in such a rare and popularly considered bad phenomenon, when a hen suddenly begins to crow like a cock. In this case, the superstitious owners immediately folded the head of such a chicken and threw it over the threshold, and gave the carcass of the poultry to the chain dogs. The blood of the killed bird was certainly sprinkled on the corners of the house and the underground, anointed the gate. Otherwise, it was imperative to wait for either the deceased in the house, or a fire, or the death of livestock.
Running errands for black magic
For a long time, animals such as the black raven and the black cat have had a stable ill fame among the people. Indeed, the servants of many pagan cults, sorcerers and shamans use these representatives of the animal world in their rituals. For example, in order to receive "double vision" - a special gift in which its owner sees what other people do not see, sorcerers from Friday to Saturday in deserted places burned forty black cats, accompanying this ritual with special spells.
In order to annoy people and bring on them all sorts of misfortunes - illness, melancholy, fire, ruin - in the old days, witches and sorcerers caught black cats, put them in a bag, and then on the night before the holiday of Ivan Kupala, with slander and demonic spells, they let them through the village streets …
On those passers-by, whom the frightened black messengers ran across the road, misfortunes soon began to pour in. For many years, among the people, especially in Little Russia, there was a belief that many black cats are none other than witches who turned into animals. Indeed, in the arsenal of warlocks there was a rite when a witch, having eaten the heart of a black cat, makes a somersault through forty knives and three bonfires, after which it seems to turn into a cute fluffy animal that brings people trouble.
Until the middle of the 20th century, the gloomy ritual of the Black Prophetic Crow was prevalent in some Central Asian cultures. Shamans who owned this ritual found a three-day-old raven chick, took it from the nest, and then, feeding it until the age of three, exclusively with animal food, and instead of water, giving fresh blood, they prepared the bird in a special way for a sinister mission.
When the time came, shamans performed a secret rite of sentencing a person to death, after which they sent a black prophetic raven to the condemned. According to the testimony of the elders of Tuva, Buryatia and Altai Mountains, the person to whom the raven visited died either immediately or after two or three days after the tragic meeting with the ominous bird.
Living talisman
In different cultures, it has long been noticed that some animals successfully cope with the role of a living talisman. It is known from history that many rulers kept tamed wild felines, poisonous snakes, monkeys and feathered assistants with them.
In one of the northern epics, it is said that a polar bear lived with the Yakut king Munjan, presented to him by the Great Shaman of the northern tribes Tohunbei. With a bear, Munjan ate, slept, received his subjects, went on successful military campaigns. Shortly after the polar bear died, Munjan was killed by his younger brother and took the royal throne.
And today, representatives of the animal kingdom are becoming reliable amulets from troubles and misfortunes. Thus, a resident of Blagoveshchensk, Igor M., in the nineties of the last century, due to a number of unpleasant circumstances, became the owner of such a talisman. Having successfully engaged in trading business with Chinese partners, Igor soon began to be harassed by competitors.
His wealthy mansion was robbed and set on fire many times. Several attempts were made on Igor himself, during one of which the businessman was seriously injured. In the end, he turned to the sorcerer for help, who presented the businessman with a snake, on the condition that he would not embarrass the animal in its movement around the house, and would always keep the snake with him on business trips.
Despite the dissatisfaction of the household. Igor M. began to follow the advice of the sorcerer. And after a while, not far from the fence of the mansion, the businessman found the corpse of an unknown man, in whose backpack there was an explosive device that was clearly intended for him. A few more months passed, and again a dead man was found opposite the mansion, armed with a sniper rifle.
In all cases, the examination showed that the men who were preparing the assassination attempt on Igor died a natural death. In the next few years, the amazing, in an incredible way, felt the danger threatening his master. In such cases, he began to emit a sound similar to a whistle, and the body of the animal curled up in rings …
And once he disappeared without a trace. Igor realized that it was time for him to leave the city, and having sold his business, he left for Moscow forever.
Sergey KOZHUSHKO