Treasures have always been associated with many secrets, for example, it is believed that treasures are guarded by evil spirits, ghosts, and mysterious animals.
In many countries, there is a belief that secret or lost treasures are guarded by "hellish" dogs, that for hundreds of years, terrible ghosts of black dogs with fiery eyes appear. One of the most famous such legends, which is still confirmed today, is the Prague one. They say that in Prague several such ghosts are constantly seen guarding the treasures. One was seen at the old town hall in Hradcany on Loretanskaya street, the other lives near the rotunda of St. Martin in the Vysehrad fortress. Some legends claim that these are not the guardians of the treasures, but the messengers of the Devil.
There is testimony from two eyewitnesses, a young couple, who, in the dead of night, were returning home through the back streets of Prague's Vysehrad, heading for the Brick Gate and down to Viton to the railway bridge. It was 2008, the last day of October, two days before "darlings" - the day of remembrance of the dead. At the Slavin cemetery, near the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul, you can see the sparkles of candles. A few steps later, the guy stops abruptly, and the girl screams shrilly: on the road, not far from St. Martin's rotunda, they saw two fiery red eyes, behind which they guessed the silhouette of a huge dog. The dark outline was surrounded by a strange greenish haze.
They say that such creepy ghosts appear in all corners of the world. These are huge black dogs, whose eyes glow with a piercing red radiance. “It is the eyes that are the first to be seen in the darkness. Many eyewitnesses say that although the animal is dark and black, a greenish glow is visible around it. Sometimes flames sparkle from their mouths instead of tongues,”says writer Otomar Dvořák, a renowned expert on ghosts guarding treasures.
Sometimes these "creatures of the devil" spread around them the smell of burnt sulfur, and when they move, they do not seem to touch the ground, only their paws sometimes strike sheaves of sparks. “Tradition says: the one who touches these dogs will soon suffer death. According to some beliefs, just seeing a black dog meant inevitable death, "- echoes the British zoologist Karl N. Shuker.
The inhabitants of the British Isles generally have a wealth of experience associated with the appearance of these sinister creatures. Here in almost every region "lives" its own "hellish" dog. For example, there is a legend about a black dog that roams the Dartmoor moor in the English county of Devon. Locals consider her a ghost from Hell. In the 19th century, it was such a legend that inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write a detective story about the Baskervilles dog. The famous Sherlock Holmes proved that the criminal uses an ordinary large black dog to commit murder, disguised as a ghost using phosphorus.
In reality, the explanation for this phenomenon is not so simple. Psychology professor Dr. Simon Sherwood at the Center for Anomalous Research at Norhampton University has been studying these ghostly phenomena for several years. He admitted that he himself had seen one hellish dog in his childhood. News of the appearance of these nightmarish ghosts comes not only from the UK, but also from Scandinavia, France, the Czech Republic and even the Americas. Is it really mass hallucinations of witnesses?
Similar testimonies have taken place in the past. For example, in August 1577. Believers were gathering that day for morning services in the southeastern town of England. When the service was in full swing, and the priest was diligently preaching, an ominous black dog suddenly appeared in the side nave. “He attacked shocked people, killed two people and severely burned a third. Soon he again attacked the believers in a nearby church, and when he disappeared through the doors of the church, he left noticeable charred stripes on them - the traces of his flaming claws. They are visible on the doors of the church to this day,”- this is how this event is described in the parish chronicle, and at the end of the 16th century, the description appeared in local newspapers. What really happened in the church on that fateful Sunday? Nobody knows…
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Records of the Middle Ages about such incidents were kept very scrupulously. “The ghost of a black dog with a red-hot chain around his neck at night runs by the rotunda of St. Martin, goes down and disappears at the corner of the bastion, at the walled Jerusalem gate, which can be seen from the outside from Přemyslová Street,” writes the modern Czech writer Martin based on ancient chronicles Steiskal.
On the territory of the original settlement, where the arsenal was later built, a devilish dog with bloody eyes and a fiery tongue appears, dragging a red-hot chain behind it. According to old legends, he guards the Vysehrad treasure. Where the ghost walks in circles, there is most likely a secret entrance to the Vysehrad rock dungeon. This ghost is still seen.
In other parts of Prague, ghosts of black dogs also appear. “One shows up between 11 and 12 am near the old town hall in Hradčany and escorts the frightened late pedestrians to Loreta, where he disappears near the sculpture of St. Barbara,” says Otomar Dvořák. Maybe ghosts are the consequences of some old magic rituals?
This theory is illuminated by a note published on 11 August 1877 in the British National Gazette. On August 2, several hundred gold Celtic coins were found near a very old settlement of the Celts near the town of Beroun. It is at this place that the mysterious ghost of a black dog with fiery eyes appears. Is there a connection between him and the found treasure? Many researchers believe that the buried coins are a "ritual depot", a sacrifice to the Celtic gods.
Not far from the place where the treasure was found was the site of a famous pagan shrine. Maybe the Celtic druids managed to create the ghost of a demonic dog that has guarded their ritual territory for centuries? “When we collect various testimonies about the meeting of people with ghost dogs, we will find that these ghosts are in strictly limited areas. As if they are really tied to the place they are guarded by an invisible chain,”writes Otomar Dvořák. Could they be guardians created by magic?
Cryptozoologist Karl Schucker also notes that people have encountered ghost dogs in permanent locations. They appear in old cemeteries, at the crossroads of abandoned and village roads, near ancient ruins, megalithic buildings, old-old graves or cursed places. Spouses Nadia and Martin Profante in their book "Encyclopedia of Slavic Gods and Myths" draw attention to an interesting fact: archaeologists in many mines find ritual graves of dogs. It is also known that the ancient Slavs walled up or buried dogs during construction - in the form of a sacrifice.
“A dog can be found as a sacrifice in the foundations of fortifications or residential buildings. The dead dog, buried under the floor, was probably performing a magical guarding function, "the Profante couple believe. In this regard, the question arises: could the ritual sacrifice and burial of dogs in certain places bind "dog souls" with some invisible energy chain and create a ghost? Maybe the Slavs used dog sacrifices for the ritual protection of their site, like the Celts?
According to archaeologists, in many ancient cultures it is customary to bury a dog with its owner, so that she will accompany him on the road to eternity. “All ancient peoples considered the dog to be an ideal guide and companion not only during life, but also in the world of spirits - probably because, thanks to its unique senses, the dog senses and hears what is beyond human attention,” writes Otomar Dvorak. Many peoples have a belief that a dog can warn of the presence of evil spirits and drive them away from human habitation.
The Slavs were obviously well aware of these exceptional abilities of dogs. During an archaeological survey of the Tours field between Prague and Kralupy above the Vltava (according to legend, it was here that the legendary Lutsk war was supposed to take place), an amazing find was found in the grave on the Krlish hill. A ritually laid skeleton of a large dog was found at the foot of the monument, which should be the place of eternal rest of the famous commander of Tyr. It turns out that the Slavs buried Tyr with his dog? Or did they perform a mysterious ritual to summon a magical guard for the commander's grave?
In 2011, in England, near the place where a large treasure was found ten years earlier, archaeologists discovered several skeletons of dogs. Scientists believe that animals were sacrificed in order for the spirit of the dog to protect the treasure from robbers. This treasure was very large - 5 thousand gold and silver antique coins, an ancient Roman cavalry ceremonial helmet and many silver artifacts, the purpose of which is a mystery to researchers.
The earliest staters (antique coins), according to numismatists, come from Gallo-Belgian. In appearance, they resemble dishes in the Scythian animal style. Such coins have no analogues in Britain and stand apart from others. The later ones have a whole system of inscriptions. They are supposed to mean pairs of names, possibly co-rulers, or minter and ruler. Such an unusual treasure could not be left unattended in any way!
All this wealth almost two thousand years ago - between the first and the fifth decade of the 1st century AD - was buried by the inhabitants of the village of Helleton, near Macket Harborough, in the English county of Lestershire. The place was surrounded by a moat, and dogs were buried near the entrance. Scientists have found three skeletons located one below the other. The dogs were similar in size to a Labrador or Sheepdog and were very old at the time of their violent death.
“The animals were buried with their heads in the direction of the treasure so they could 'see' them,” says Vicki Skor, at the University and Museum of Harborough, which now displays dog remains and treasure. Since several skeletons of different times were found, it turns out that people kept the treasure safe for a long time. The strength of the dog's spirit, as the villagers could count, was weakening, and a new guard was sent to the place of the treasure. But for burial, according to Vicky Skor, not any animal could be used, but one selected for some signs or properties. “The story of the dog illustrates the special bond that has existed between humans and these animals for millennia,” said David Spreson, Leicestershire County Councilor.
As for the Prague dogs, scientists from various fields of science have been studying their phenomenon for decades. However, it has not yet been possible to find a definitive explanation for this phenomenon. There are many different theories. In addition to the already mentioned hypotheses about magical watchmen, some prospectors consider ghosts to be the spirits of dogs that were brutally killed. Contemporary Czech researcher Jaromir Kapinus explains that such "ghosts" could have been created by very strong emotions.
"The individual subconscious immediately before death sent strong emotional thought-forms, and their energy permeated these places mentally, which causes certain visions in sensitive people," writes Kapinus. It is also believed that hellhounds can be creatures that are guarded by the transition between the world of the living and the world of spirits. Researchers pay attention to the fact that these ghosts appear mainly in the places of the lines of force of the Earth, and they wonder if they could be created by a still unknown law of nature that manifests itself around these lines?
Another version is that hellhounds are a phenomenon of the same order as ball lightning. Otakar Dvořák also says that a connection could exist between the hellish dog and ball lightning. This version is supported by the fact that unusual light and sometimes sound phenomena appear around the ghost. This theory is supported by the case mentioned above in an English church. The church with towers could turn out to be an antenna and, at a certain electrical voltage in the atmosphere, serve as a huge accumulator.
“Hellhound, then, could have been a certain type of plasma discharge. The thought that there was a dog in front of them could inspire the parishioners by the so-called lightning surrounding them. black crown. There are some waves invisible to our eyes that give the impression of a black surface with uneven edges, which can be perceived as wool. In the ruptures of this dark shell, sometimes a flaming core flashes, which the observer may mistake for fiery eyes or tongue,”writes Dvorak. But this theory does not explain the regular appearance of hellhounds in certain places.
Treasures can be protected not only by ghosts of dogs, but also by other animals. For example, residents of the ancient Russian city of Vologda believed that the treasures were guarded by red cows or all the same dogs, only red ones.
In addition to animals (or their ghosts), treasures can also be guarded by ghosts of people or mysterious creatures. In Russia, such guards are called the Mistress of the Mountain, the Mountain Father, or spirits-storekeepers. It is believed that the latter are either unlucky treasure hunters who have fallen under the influence of a curse, or the ghosts of the owners of the treasures (for example, Stenka Razin, chained to a barrel). Even at the place of the treasures, sometimes unusual visions appeared, a fire was lit, strange sounds and phenomena arose, forcing people to fall into a stupor or, on the contrary, to run as fast as they could.
In the southern outskirts of Great Russia, the spirits-storekeepers have handy ones, they were called "kladenets", and only in the Sevsky district of the Oryol province, the main spirit, through a misunderstanding, not otherwise, bears the name of Kudiara (or Kudiyara). In the north, he is sometimes simply called "pantry" and it is recognized that these guards always act together: one of them acts at the first attempt to steal the treasure and is called "laiun" (so called because he turns into the same dog, often Laiku), the other - "tickler", protecting the treasure in the form of a white-sided tickled magpie bird.
In Belarus, this spirit has turned into a little god - Konshu, who is asked to indicate the place of the treasures and help to uncover them, and if he is lucky, he is thanked, leaving in his favor a certain part of the booty.
In Slavic mythology, fabulous animals - snakes, lizards (even the name of one of the guards - Poloz is known), owls, bears or black cats are often on duty on the hoards. As well as the so-called earth cats, or as they are also called, underground cats. And in the Ural legends, the earthen cat protects underground wealth - ores and minerals. Also in the Urals, they believed that underground treasures (hidden not by people, but by the forces of nature) were guarded by a horse with horns and cast-iron hooves, and a motley bull was a man-made treasure. At treasure hunters, he hums, stomps and drives horns, but you cannot be afraid of him. You should continue digging, and the bull will disappear as soon as a person touches the treasure.
In addition to the bull, unseen birds, or a foal, or a pig could appear at the place of the treasures. If a person who met such an animal managed to hit it with his hand, the vision disappeared, leaving silver or gold coins in front of the lucky one.
However, not all guards are as harmless as these animals. On the Vyatka River near Perm there is a ravine, from ancient times called "Semigolov". Back in the 19th century, old-timers mentioned that this log was once used as a convenient place to hide treasures. There lived a monster with seven heads, devouring treasure hunters. In Simbirsk, the treasures were guarded by an even more exotic creature: either a bear or a man, eyes like candles, mouth to ear, nose crooked, hands like a rake, snout sloping to one side, constantly grimacing. The most interesting thing is that this is not all folklore, these descriptions are given by eyewitnesses.
And in general, as you can see, the guardians of treasures in the Slavic pre-Christian mythology for the most part are unkind creatures. By the way, in many legends they are called so - Unkind. He guards such a creature because of his own love for treasures, and also because the person who buried the treasure condemned him to such a "job". As if he cursed with special spells, as a result, the Unkind appears to the treasure hunters in the form in which the owner of the treasure ordered him to remain. The unkind could appear all the same dog, cat, chicken, sometimes a wild beast: a bear, a wolf, a monkey with fiery eyes and a rat's tail, sometimes a monster, the Serpent Gorynych with seven heads. If the treasure is very large and there are “untold treasures” in it, then such is guarded by Khoval - a spirit with twelve eyes that shines at night and can blind. The guardians of the treasures also often became huge wolves attacking treasure hunters, or horses, frightening people with a neigh and taking them into the thicket, from where there is no way out.
With the planting of the Christian faith in Russia, evil spirits began to be considered the main guardian of treasures. The treasures are now guarded by witches and ghosts, they try to take a person away from the coveted treasure. And if you do not take away, then frighten or kill. So, for example, in the Voronezh province they told how one robber put all his treasures in a barge, lowered it to the bottom of the river, and poured a mound on top. The accumulation of "bloody" gold was immediately chosen by devils. Before Easter Matins, the mound opened and from its depths came a witch's light, luring the Orthodox to death.
Often, treasure hunters fell into the traps of cunning evil spirits guarding the treasures. It happens that a person manages to safely dig up a treasure. But, having brought it home, he sees, instead of gold and silver coins, pitiful shards or a heap of stones. So, here, too, it was not without evil spirits.
The treasures were well guarded by demons-storekeepers and devils-belongings, to whom the owners of the treasures sometimes sold their souls. This evil spirits sometimes so mocked the treasure hunters that the unfortunate ones disappeared in deep forests or drowned in swamps. The storekeepers called for help from Mara, who sent terrible visions to people, and Blud, who made the seekers stray even in well-known places. (Here we see a rare symbiosis of Orthodox and pagan evil spirits. Apparently, they knew how to negotiate well!
Often a person, before hiding his treasures, spoke to them. He pronounced or wrote down the conditions under which the treasure could be found. The conspiracy could be "on the first comer", "on the happy", etc. The “urgent” treasure was very popular (not to be confused with the term deposit!). Such treasures had to lie in the burial place for a certain period of time. After the end of the appointed time, but not earlier, they could be found by other people. If the treasures were not found immediately after the expiration of the term, then the treasure became "wandering" and tried to show itself to people. Usually, such a treasure was accompanied by a ghost, in whose hand a light burned. When a person approached, the ghost disappeared, leaving one or more gold coins on the ground. So the wandering treasure let know where to dig. Unfortunately,such treasures did not bring good luck to man. He either quickly and uselessly squanders the found wealth, or, even worse, has been robbed, or even killed.
It also happened that a spell was read over the treasure that it buried itself on so many heads (not years, but heads). According to the concept of a buried person, a treasure placed on so many heads, for example, "on forty heads", causes death for forty treasure hunters, and the forty-first (forty-first head) receives it unhindered.
It is believed that treasures become an ideal environment for the growth of any evil spirits in those cases when the one who buried them did not do it with some specific vow or spell, but just like that, without any purpose (for example, so that the enemies did not get). Then the devils will definitely appear there!
So with the advent of Christianity, nothing has changed - only the names of the watchmen. In fact, the treasures in Russia have always been unclean. According to Slavic mythology, gold is a metal that attracts dark power. But the archaic traditions characteristic of Europeans - to guard the treasure of the deceased, bringing a human sacrifice over a pit of gold - are rare in Slavic folklore. In the West, however, treasures often turn into people, and vice versa - people (the very sacrificed dead) themselves become treasures. The appearance of treasures in the European tradition is fickle - for example, he can become a girl and ask to kiss her, and if he refuses, he will turn into a barrel and float down the river.
By the way, such “mobile” treasures are no longer “talent in the land”, but rather the embodiment of luck. They themselves come to a person and make it possible to instantly enrich themselves. This requires only one blow - with a hand or any other object (a spindle, a symbol of witches, less often a stone). Sometimes the treasures set more complex conditions. For example, one French woman almost in our time came up with a golden measure and offered to exchange herself for her husband, in response to which she was sent to hell.
In Slavic mythology, instead of such people - living, dead or ghosts - animals almost always appear. It is in them, over time, that the treasures turn around and come to the surface. They can be caught and turned back into money: they can be foolish ("mind me, mind you"), or you can pray and hit the beast on the head with a stick, which is why it should crumble into coins. The “animal” treasure is called “happy”, because it is only shown to a happy person (the logic, you must agree, is iron and undeniable).
Even Slavic and European treasures, in addition to dogs, cats and some other animals, are related by a fire-breathing dragon. More often than not, he guards the treasure not earthen, but cave. Dragons are believed to be known for their passion for gold and jewelry. They steal gold from people, as well as from other creatures - gnomes, elves, etc., and guard their prey until the end of their lives (and dragons live practically forever, unless they are killed), but they never use even the cheapest ring …
But the most interesting thing in the myths of different peoples, but especially the Slavic ones, is the explanation of the appearance of the treasure in the earth. The fact that someone once buried it is just one of the explanations, and not the most frequent one. It is believed that gold, as a metal dark in energy, has always been in the ground. Therefore, the mythology of the ancient Slavs never rationalized the origin of the treasures. They were kept in the ground "primordially". Their antiquity was implied automatically and acted as the main guarantee of the magical properties of the treasures. The treasures were considered to be practically animate - at least, it was said that they were not given to everyone, but were opened to specific people or at the appointed time.
The same ideas persisted with the advent of Christianity, and now purely religious motives have appeared around the treasures: when the end of the world comes, all the treasures will come up, but there will be no one to take them - people will no longer need money.
That is why all the treasures most often turn out to be damned and do not bring happiness to those who find them, and these beliefs are no longer Slavic, but, so to speak, global. One of the most striking examples is the gold of the Nibelungen, since, as rightly noted in The Golden Calf by Ilf and Petrov, "all major modern fortunes have been acquired in the most dishonorable way."