Little-known Mythical Monsters In Russia

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

7 terrible monsters in Russia that few have heard of

Baba Yaga, Leshy and Koschey the Immortal are also familiar to us from children's fairy tales. However, in Slavic mythology, there are many other interesting characters who were attributed to dangerous superpowers and the ability to influence people by them.

Volot

Known not only from folklore, but also from Old Russian manuscripts ("Words" by Gregory the Theologian, "Palel", etc.). Descriptions of these creatures are conflicting.

Sometimes Volots are described as hostile to humans, unsociable monsters who live in remote mountainous places. But most often they are spoken of as beautiful giants, giant ancestors of the Slavs, heroes who pull up trees and move mountains.

According to legend, when the time came for them to disappear, some turned to stone, others left alive in the ground (Dal, 1880). The mounds consider them to be graves.

Sinister

It was considered an evil spirit bringing misfortune, devastation, and illness to the house. According to legends, the evil ones are weak and live in groups of up to 12 creatures. It is difficult for them to enter the house that the brownie protects. But when this succeeds, they settle behind the stove, in a chest or in a closet. Invisible, but can talk to people, climb on their backs and ride a person.

They got rid of the evil trick: they lured into a bag and threw it into a swamp, or into an iron box and buried it in the forest, or locked it up in a barrel and threw it away.

Volkolak

A werewolf man who took the form of a wolf, bear, fox, cat. If Western mythology is characterized by a sharply negative attitude towards the wolf, then among the Slavs they could be gods, princes, heroes performing feats, including thanks to thet of turning into a beast.

So, Prince Vseslav of Polotsk was considered a wolf of Prophetic Oleg, "At night he prowled like a wolf …" according to "The Lay of Igor's Regiment." The epic hero Volga Vseslavievich "learned … to fly like a falcon in the sky, learned to wrap himself like a gray wolf, to ride like a deer over the mountains." Turning, the wolf preserves the mind and human skills, which distinguishes it from the werewolf in our usual sense.

It was also believed that some people could become a wolf because of the curse. Such werewolves did not control themselves and could harm others.

Famously

She is often described as a skinny one-eyed ogre. But, possessing thet of suggestion, according to legend, it can appear in any form. Only the reflection in the mirror can show the true face of the monster.

The imagination of people settled dashingly away from dwellings, on the outskirts of villages, in the forest. Imagined her feeding on the suffering of living beings, attacking lonely wanderers and even groups of people.

It was believed that it seeks to plunge the victim into despondency, enchant it, take away bright memories, steal all the best and the best and hide it in a little amulet.

Only if the victim can find strength in himself and get out of despondency, stops feeding dashingly, the monster can be overcome. Or someone will help and find a little amulet to destroy it and return to the person everything that was taken away so that he can resist.

Viy

Slavic God Viy is the keeper of souls who have gone to Nav (underground, dark world). An ancient god, the son of Rod. Although Viy is dark, he lives according to the light laws of Rule. The departed souls end up in Nav, where they do not suffer, but, on the contrary, are cleansed of the heavy, evil, painful in the Pekla, otherwise they will not be able to move on.

We know Viy thanks to the story of the same name by N. V. Gogol, where he is presented as "the head of the dwarfs", the lord of evil spirits. His gaze brings death, and the heavy, drooping eyelids raise the attendants. But here, too, harm can be done only to a spiritually weak person, because Viy does not tolerate meanness and cowardice.

An interesting version of the origin of the word. "Wii" is the eyelids, but "you" is also translated as "darkness." Hence the well-known phrase "I am going to you" - I am going to darkness.

Ghoul

Legends describe the ghoul as a creature akin to a vampire: a revived deceased living in a grave in a cemetery or in other places inaccessible to sunlight.

Has the appearance of a human, but with sharp, shark teeth. Incredibly strong, runs faster than a horse. It feeds on the blood and flesh of large animals, but prefers humans.

Aspid

Ancient Slavic legends tell of a giant spotted snake with a bird's beak, horns and two legs. Its black wings shimmer in the light with all the colors of the rainbow.

Spouts fire, although he himself is afraid of the flame. He often attacked people and gods, did evil and iniquity, kidnapped goddesses and girls, for which, according to legends, he was punished more than once.

They believed that the asp lives in the mountains, on stones, and the Mother cannot set foot on Earth. A later image of this monster is the Serpent Gorynych. Also lives on the cliff. Probably for this reason it has a corresponding middle name.

It was believed that only the sound of trumpets, iron tongs and fire can defeat the snake.