Mythological creatures. Mythological creatures in Russian folklore

Mythology - part of the culture of any society, created in every historical era. As a rule, the further the events lag behind us, the less truth remains in the legends. Folk tales, parables and tales differ from the writings of the chroniclers in that in them characters, in addition to people, are mythological creatures, often symbolizing the spiritual principle - both positive and negative. In this case, each of them has some special features of the external appearance, even imaginary, distinguishing them from other legendary characters.

Very, very long time ago

Myths of Ancient Greece, Egypt, Rome, India, China and many other ancient civilizations were most often part of the officially accepted religious and state doctrine at that time. Zeus, Apollo, Atlanteans, Sirens and Medusa of the Gorgon organically participated in the legendary events on a par with the heroic people who acquired for their exploits the godlike. Ancient mythological creatures created by the imagination of priests and commoners, as a result of cultural and historical exchange, became prototypes of mysterious inhabitants of the gloomy world of European and Russian land in the Middle Ages.

Good fellows lesson

A fairy tale is a special kind of myth, for which characterization of the characters that have developed over the centuries is characteristic. They act among people using their superhuman abilities. These stories are intended for children, and many outstanding writers have contributed to their writing, in addition to the people. What fairy tale without magic and who can perform them better than mythological creatures? The main thing in them, of course, is not the ways and means, but the goals of actions. In evil characters, they are evil and insidious, and positive ones - on the contrary, as in life.

Babki-Ezhki, Kashchei and Kikimory

In the USSR, there was its own official mythology, suggesting a materialistic approach when considering all social phenomena, even those that did not actually exist. But in art mythological creatures were completely tolerated, especially in works intended for children. Cartoons and films based on Russian fairy tales are full of, besides Alenushek, Ivanushkas, princes and other "human" heroes, such characters as Serpent-Gorynych, Baba-Yaga, Koschey Immortal, Kikimora, Water, and many others. As a rule, the Russian mythological creatures borrowed from folklore look quite intrepid, sometimes playfully cute, they carry in their images even a certain negative charm, and the actors performing their roles play with inimitable humor. Children, of course, do not need to scare, but how much does this interpretation correspond to the original source?

Yaga

Baba-Yaga was an evil old woman, but not simple, which many, but special. This is almost the main mythological creature in Russian folklore. Yaga had a certain connection with demonic forces and the ability to move in three-dimensional space, in other words - to fly. Unlike European analogues, who made flights, as a rule, on a broomstick, domestic Baba Yaga had a more comfortable means of transportation - a stupa, and pomelo used only as a control device. She dressed simply, too much - in rags. Initially, it was impossible to see anything ridiculous in this image. Yaga personified evil will and possessed considerable technical possibilities for its implementation.

Gorynych

Some Russian mythological creatures are very similar to foreign counterparts. Snake Gorynych in the past centuries, not without success, frightened children. This is almost identical to the Eastern or European dragon, which has all the features of a modern attack aircraft, namely: the ability to fly, strike ground targets, and also to survive. Killing him was a troublesome and almost useless business because of his unique regenerative ability, expressed in the growth of heads in return for the lost. In some mysterious way, the information contained in the brain was immediately restored and updated. In between the aggressive raids, Gorynych hid in an underground creek, disguised as a mountain with a cave. In a feud with such an opponent, there is nothing amusing.

Koschey

Koshchei is usually depicted in the form of a very thin, even skeletal, old man, who nevertheless has a remarkable strength, both physical and moral. The name of the character comes from the word "kosht", that is, bone. The common root is also with the word "koschuny" (kosheststva, they are blasphemy), meaning witchcraft, produced in ancient times over the remains of people. The title is most often added to the main name "Immortal", expressing the ability to come alive many times, even being crushed by someone's mighty power. Other demonic mythological creatures, a meeting with which, too, can not rejoice, in this sense inferior to Koshchei. To neutralize it definitively, it is necessary to know some secrets (a needle, an egg, a bird, etc.).

Are there any good monsters?

Not so many other mythological creatures are known, the list of which is very extensive. Faced with the unknown, horrified and sensing his own helplessness, people from time immemorial explained their troubles by the hostile influence and intrigues of supernatural monsters. Sometimes some of them took the side of good, but in any case they should be treated with extreme caution, so that they did not change their mercy to anger. The names of mythological creatures vary in different peoples, but many common features indicate a similarity of perception and the ability to think out external signs.

Demons seem tailed, goat-legged and horned in almost all ethnic and religious traditions. The prophetic bird Gamayun, reptiles Basiliski and Aspidy, Snowman (traditionally fashioned from snow), Werewolf (in the German version of Werwolf), Ghoul (in Europe his name is a vampire), even Viy himself, the leader of evil spirits, who became the hero of the famous novel N.V. Gogol and the eponymous Soviet thriller, far from always becoming fabulous characters. They represent the forces of evil headed by the Prince of Air.

The origins of chimeras

Whatever it was, but the material embodiment of evil will is impossible without a visible or imaginary physical image. If a good beginning in almost all traditions is almost identical to humanlike (Buddha, God the Father, God the Son, Cherubim, Seraphim, Bogatyr, Giant, Fairy, etc.), the mythological beings that represent the dark side of the intangible world are more animal-like. Especially horrific images appear in which there is a combination of animal features. In some cases, they are so colossal that one can assume that there are no bad intentions. So, Miracle-Yudo ("copied", obviously, from the most ordinary whale) causes harm simply by negligence, because of its huge size. The Chimeras, whose statues adorn some medieval Gothic cathedrals, are intended, according to the authors' intention, to frighten the demons themselves, they must scare them away with their own kind.

The horror of the appearance of mythological beings is symbolic. She emphasizes the strength, dexterity, courage and intelligence of good heroes, who in the end always win.