WULVER
In the folklore of the inhabitants of the Shetland Islands, the monster , despite its intimidating appearance, is completely harmless and treats people quite friendly. The vulver looks like a man with a wolf's head and is all covered with short brown hair. This creature lives in a cave. If he is not bothered, he will not touch anyone. More than anything, the wolver loves to fish. The islands even have a backwater, which is called Wolver's Backwater. From time to time, the wolver leaves his catch on the porch or on the windowsill of some poor man.
GHOST
GHOST
In Russian folklore (more precisely, in the literary processing of folklore tests , a ghoul is a word distorted “wolf-lacking”. A. S. Pushkin first used
VYKHOVANOK
See HOVANETS
Vyalaka Bronze. South India, XVII to London
VYANTARA
In Jain mythology , the deities of the underworld, living between the upper layer of the lower world (Ratnaprabha) and the middle world. In addition, they can be found in the groves of the middle world and on the islands of Antaradvipa (these islands are in the Lavansda ocean that surrounds Jambudvipa, the continent at the center of the middle world). The Vyantaras are divided into ten tribes according to some sources, these include the Pishachas of the Bhutas, the Yakshas of the Rakshasas, the Kinnaras and the Gandharvas . The Vyantaras live in palaces, the largest of which is equal in size to Jambudvipa.
WEIWEI
In ancient Chinese mythology, a two-headed snake It is found on Mount Jiuishan - the Mountain of Nine Doubts Yuan Ke says: “Unusual animals and birds were found on the mountain, among them the weiwei animal was the most terrible ... It was a two-headed snake. They say that as soon as a person saw her, he immediately died. At times, a two-headed snake appeared from the ground in a purple robe and red caps. According to legend, the lord of the principality, who saw such a snake, could become the lord of the Celestial Empire. ” According to legend, a certain boy who once met a weiwei was not afraid of the snake, killed it and buried it so that it would not harm anyone else. Strangely enough, this boy did not die - he became the first minister of the Chu kingdom. As Yuan Ke notes, "To a truly brave man, this monster could not do any harm."
WEISHE
See WEIWEI.
GAGANA
GAGANA
In Russian folklore, a wonderful bird that is mentioned in conspiracies. Wed a conspiracy to drive away the black murii, which is led by I.P. Sakharov: “Over the blue sea, over the Khvalynsky sea, in the middle of the Okiya Sea. lies the island of Buyan; on that island of Buyan sits the Gagan bird, with an iron nose and copper claws. You. bird Gagana, sit down by the house where there are iron caddies, and black murias lie in the cadis ... sit together and firmly, Don't let anyone in, drive everyone away, bite everyone ... "
Buyan Island is mentioned in almost every conspiracy along with the combustible stone alatyr, which lies on this island. Without mentioning the island and the stone, no conspiracy will work.
reptiles
In Slavic folklore, the common name for "unclean" animals. Reptiles primarily include reptiles (snakes) and amphibians (frogs, toads), as well as insects, mice, worms and caterpillars, and some fish (loaches, eels, lampreys - the latter are called "blind reptiles" or "serpent brothers"). Reptiles are connected with the underworld: they live in the earth, own underground treasures. According to legend, over time, any snake or frog turns into a flying kite. Most reptiles are poisonous.
GALA
In Sumero-Akkadian mythology, the evil demons of the underworld are disgusting in appearance, they are alien to all human customs, do not need food and drink: they cannot be bribed and they do not know pity. In the myth of Inanna and Dumuzi, the gala pursue Dumuzi and demand from Inanna. descended into the underworld, strict observance of the laws of the underworld.
HAMADRYADS
In Greek mythology , tree nymphs . The Hamadryad is born with the tree and dies with it. Ovid in his Metamorphoses expounds the myth of Erysichthon. which the
tree woman
“... with an ax - they say - he insulted Cererin's grove.
GAMAYUN
Bird Gamayun
fall.
Leaf fall burning and combustible. That's why my poems are like clouds
With the distant thunder of warm strings
So in a dream Gamayun sobs -
That a mighty bard forgotten by the tour.
It was as if he had dishonored an ancient oak forest with iron.
Erysichthon ordered to chop down an oak tree in the grove of Demeter (Ceres): blood streamed from the tree, and the branches turned pale.
“... any food in it
To new food only attracts. He is eating. but the womb is empty.
Here it is exhausting already, starving with an empty womb.
Paternal funds. You are the only one, oh pitiless hunger,
Not blunted inside; not a humble flame blazed
In his throat. Finally, all the property has sunk into the womb.
*(Translated by S. Shervins- WHOM)
GAMAYUN
In Byzantine and Slavic legends, a wonderful, prophetic bird. One of the old popular prints depicts “Makariysky Island, the first under the east of the sun, near the blissful paradise because it is called tacos because the birds of paradise Gamayun and Phoenix fly into this island and wear out a wonderful fragrance.”
N Klyuev wrote:
<I love crimson
GHANA
Gandharva. Indian fresco
GHANA
In ancient Indian mythology, a closed group of deities The Ghana of the gods included nine groups - Aditya, Vishva, Vasu Tu Shita, Abhasvara, Anila, Maharajika, Sakhya and Rudra Ruled by the Ghana of the gods Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, the god of wisdom with an elephant head.
Gandharvas
In ancient Indian mythology, the demigods are the husbands of the heavenly Apsara dancers. The Atharva Veda says that there are several thousand Gandharvas, that they are evil spirits of the air, forests and waters. A person who sees the ghostly "city of the Gandharvas" in the air is in danger of death. At the same time, Gandharvas are singers and musicians who delight the ears of the gods at holidays and feasts.
In Indian folklore and law, there is an expression "marriage in the way of the Gandharvas" - this is one of the eight types of marriage. This is a free marriage based on mutual love, but concluded without the knowledge of relatives and without observing rituals.
HANCONER
In English folklore , the faerie is also called the "affectionate lover". The Gunconer usually takes the form of a very imposing, handsome man with a short pipe in his mouth. He wanders through secluded hollows and plays various melodies on his flute. Girls who hear his flute cannot resist the music. Hankoner seduces them - and then disappears without a trace. A girl who meets a gunconer will yearn for him until her death, she will grow thin and wither away from longing. To avoid such a fate, one should not walk alone through the hollows where bluebells or pansies grow. Blackthorn thickets are the most dangerous.
GARAFEN
In Russian folklore, a magic snake.
which is mentioned in conspiracies. I.P. Sakharov cites a conspiracy from “goat stinging”: “On the sea in the Ocean, on an island in Buyan, stands
Mistress of the Underworld Hel with Garm
the oak is neither naked nor clothed, under that oak stands a linden bush, under that linden bush lies a golden stone, on that stone lies a black fleece, on that rune lies a foreign (outlandish - K.K.) snake of Garafen. You. snake Garafen. take your sting from such and such a slave. take his sickness away. And if you don’t take your sting, you don’t take away ailments, otherwise I’ll take out two damask knives, I’ll cut off the sting of the Garafena snake, put iron chests in three, lock it in two German locks. Heavenly key, earthly castle!”
GARM
In Scandinavian mythology, a monstrous dog conceived by the giantess Angrboda from the god Loki. He is tied to a rock in the underground cave of Gyipahellir. When Ragnarok (the battle before the end of the world) begins, Garm will break free:
"Here Garm barked
there. in Gnipahellir - the rope will break, the beast will come out hungry. ”*
★ (Translated by V. Tikhomirov)
In this battle, Garm will kill the god Tyr, but he himself will die.
According to some theories, Garm is identical to the wolf Fenrir.
HARPIES
In Greek mythology, the daughter of the sea deity Taumant and the oceanid Electra. These are half-woman half-birds, whose names are Aella, Aellope. Podarga, Okipeta. Kelaino - are translated respectively as Whirlwind, Whirlwind-like, Fleet-footed, Fast and Gloomy. Harpies steal babies, kidnap
human souls According to Virgil, harpies live in Hades:
Harpy. From a bestiary of the 16th century
“In the same vestibule, the shadows of monsters crowd around:
Scylla biform here and herds of centaurs live,
Here Briareus the hundred-handed lives and the dragon from Lerna
Topi hisses, and the Chimera intimidates enemies with fire.
Harpies fly in a flock around the three-bodied giants ... "*
*(Translated by S. Osherov)
Blind Phineas and the Harpies
In the myth of the Argonauts, the Salmides king Phineus is mentioned, whom the gods blinded because he predicted the future too accurately. The king was annoyed by harpies - “disgusting winged female creatures who, as soon as Phineus sat down to eat, hurried to the palace, grabbed anything from the table, and infected the remaining food with such a stench that it was impossible to eat” (R. Graves). The Argonauts Calais and Zeth drove off the harpies.
GARUDA
In ancient Indian and Buddhist mythology, huge pits, sworn enemies of demonic snakes nagas Some ascetic taught the garudas a secret mantra, thanks to which they found nagas always and everywhere. The name of these birds comes from the name of the ancient Indian god Gkruda, the king of birds, who also constantly fights with the nagas. Garudas look like birds with a human body, an eagle head and claws
Garuda with a snake
gvillions
Harpy T Hefner, 1967
In Welsh folklore, mountain fairies are very bloodthirsty, sinister creatures. They appear only at sunset, and their favorite pastime is to hide in trees near the mountain path. Travelers walking along the path, they deliberately knock them off the road, piling up stone blockages in front of them. In rainy weather, Gvillions often drop by to visit people, and the owners, out of fear of them, try to show all their cordiality in such cases. To drive away the Gwillions. show them an open Bible or a knife or other cutting instrument
There is a story that one man was returning home late at night along a mountain pass and suddenly saw Gwillions ahead. He heard the sound of a hunting horn, as if invisible horsemen were rushing across the sky. He was scared, though. fortunately I remembered that Gwillions can be driven off with a knife. The man drew his dagger and the fairies instantly disappeared.
There is also a legend about a certain farmer who went out on the road at night to reach his goal by morning. Soon he heard someone scream behind him. Then the cry was repeated, but closer the Farmer was seized with fear, for he suspected that it was not a person who was screaming at all. Then a shout came from ahead, and then the farmer realized that he was being led astray by the most
HECATONCHEIRES
the most harmful of the Gvillions is the Mountain Old Woman: she has an outlandish quadrangular hat, clothes of ashy tones, an apron thrown over her shoulder, and in her hands is either a pot or a wooden vat. Beside himself with fear, the farmer rushed to run, turned off the path and hid in the thickets of heather. To his great relief, there was nothing left before dawn: with the first rays of the sun, the Old Mountain Woman disappeared.
HECATONCHEIRES
Serpent giant. Pergamon altar
In Greek mythology , monsters, offspring of Uranus and mother earth Shi, brothers Kott, Briares and Shee. Each of the hecatoncheirs has fifty
heads and a hundred hands (hence their nickname - "hundred-armed") Uranus drove the hecatoncheirs underground, but Zeus called them and with the help of the hundred-armed defeated the titans. The vanquished were thrown into tartar, and the hundred-armed guards were entrusted. Subsequently, the hecatoncheirs again rescued Zeus when Hera, Poseidon and Athena conspired against him, one type of hundred-handed men so frightened the conspirators that they abandoned their intention.
GENIUS
Geniuses in flight. Sculpture on the beam of the inner hall of the vihara. Ajanta, cave number 6. 450-500s
In Roman mythology , deities are the progenitors of the clan. Subsequently, the gods of male power began to be called geniuses. Every man had his own genius. Together with a male baby, his genius was born (or two - good and evil), who led the actions of a person throughout his life. Geniuses were not only people, but also cities and individual areas. Geniuses usually appeared in the guise of
HEROES
snake. Greek demons are in many ways similar to geniuses .
HEROES
In Greek mythology, the son or other offspring of a deity from a mortal. A generation of heroes was born at the behest of the Olympian gods, who needed help in the fight against chthonic monsters. The gods converged with people; from these marriages and lead
A. Serrure. ajax
heroes of their own kind In order for a great hero to be born, a lot of time must pass. So. Zeus met mortal women three times, so that Hercules was born thirty generations later:
"AND ABOUT.
Who, against the will of Zeus, will unchain you?
PROMETHEUS.
My Savior from your generation will come
AND ABOUT.
What you said? My son will save you from evil, PROMETHEUS.
In the third generation, after ten generations" *
*( Aeschylus "Chained Prometheus" Translation
A. Piotrovsky)
The duty of the hero is to fight monsters and help people. He is endowed with tremendous strength and superhuman
mi capabilities, but by no means immortal (one can recall how Thetis tempered Achilles in the fire, trying to make her son immortal). Among the most famous heroes are the same Hercules, Perseus, who defeated the Gorgon Medusa, the musician Orpheus, Odysseus and Menelaus.
As a universal category, the hero combines two hypostases - the actual hero and the cultural hero (see DEITIES). Culture-
HESPERIDES
ny hero - a mythological character who obtains or for the first time creates various household items for people, establishes the rules of social organization, teaches crafts, etc. The cultural hero, as a rule, either finds his prey or steals it. Sometimes he also fights with elemental forces, which personify the initial chaos, and thereby contributes to the triumph of the cosmos, that is, the established world order. The motif of battles with monsters brings the cultural hero closer to the hero himself. A characteristic feature of the latter is an irrepressible craving for travel and adventure. So. Ilya Muromets, having barely gained strength, sets off to wander - "to see the world and show himself." The fight against those who interfere with the gods and people to live their lives. is the main task of the hero himself. In other words, here again the eternal enmity between the Cosmos is personified,
One of the main opponents of the hero himself is Fate. The hero is either endowed with the gift of clairvoyance. or someone reveals the future to him, and he learns about impending troubles and imminent death. Here it is fully manifested
truly heroic character: the hero is not 3. Burne-Jones. Garden of Hespe
becomes a fatalist, does not try to avoid reading what is "written in the family", but strives to live life in this way. to gain posthumous fame. Such, for example, is the Scandinavian Sigurd - he is Siegfried in the Nibelungenlied.
HESPERIDES
In Greek mythology , the nymphs who live on the banks of the Ocean River in the far West, There grows a garden, and in this garden there is a giant
HYANA
Giana
Atlas holding the vault of heaven on his shoulders. The Hesperides guard the golden apples of eternal youth, presented to the goddess Hera by mother earth Gaia Once Hercules entered the garden of the Hesperides. The myth says that the Hesperides began stealthily stealing apples, and then the Game sent the dragon Ladon, who “had a hundred heads and a hundred tongues,” to guard the garden.
Hercules killed the dragon, confused the nymphs and, with the help of Atlas, obtained rejuvenating apples.
HYANA
In Italian folklore , the spirits are Tall and beautiful, they lived in the forests and were engaged in needlework. They could also predict the future and knew where the treasures were hidden. Despite their beauty, hyanas, among which the majority were women. with difficulty they found a mate for themselves. There were very few male hyanas: dwarfs were not suitable for husbands, and giantswere real brutes. Therefore, the hyanas could only do work and sing sad songs. Over time, they became the best embroiderers in the world, and began to lure people with their songs: as soon as a person hears the first bars of a melody, he freezes in place as if rooted to the spot, succumbing to delusion. Then the hyana pounces on him, sucks out the blood, and then kills him. Three days later, the satiated hyana gives birth to a half-breed child, hungry for raw meat.
Over time, the hyanas became shorter and began to wrap themselves in furs or wear bright peasant clothes. Men and women live together in caves, eating wild herbs and meat. However, female hyanas
they are still reputed to be wonderful needlewomen, but wonderful songs, no, no, yes, are heard in the forests.
GIANTS
In Greek mythology, the sons of the earth mother Gaia. born from the blood of the castrated god Uranus (according to Hesiod).' Apollodorus also reports that Gaia gave birth to giants from Uranus after Zeus cast the titans into Tartarus : “Gaia.
indignant about what happened to the titans, she gave birth to giants from Uranus, who had enormous growth and irresistible strength. They inspired horror with their appearance, thick shaggy hair and long beards. Their lower limbs passed into the bodies of dragons covered with scales. Giants did not have immortality. therefore, Gaia, who knew that her children were destined to fall at the hands of heroes, was looking for a miraculous herb that could keep the giants alive. But Zeus was ahead of the goddess and cut this grass himself. In the battle with the giants - gigantomachy - the Olympian gods destroyed the giants.
Two-headed Hecuba. Pergamon altar, circa 180 BC. State Museum, Berlin
Hercules defeats the Lernaean Hydra. Greek vase
HYDRA
In Greek mythology, the nine-headed sea serpent, the daughter of Echidna and the dragon Typhon. She lived in the Lernaean swamp, from which she crawled out only to devour livestock and poison crops with her poisonous breath. Among her nine heads, one was immortal. The second feat of Hercules was just the victory over Hydra, which was given to him with great difficulty. As soon as the hero cut off one head of the monster, another immediately grew in its place.
GILLY DOO
Timid Gilly Doo
Hercules won by cauterizing the decapitated necks with burning brands. Having cut off the immortal head, he buried it in the ground and crushed it from above with a stone. Then he cut the body of the hydra and dipped his arrows in her poisonous blood.
GILLY DOO
In Scottish folklore, good-natured and timid forest fairies. They have black hair, clothes are cut from moss and fallen leaves. They take care of children and help the lost to return home, and show edible berries and nuts to the hungry.
HYPERBOREAS
In Greek mythology, the wonderful people living in the far north are the favorites of the god Apollo. From time to time, Apollo sits on a chariot and goes to the Hyperboreans to rest among them. Hyperborea live a blissful life, feast and have fun, sing and dance. They perceive death as deliverance from satiety with life: having experienced all possible pleasures, the Hyperboreans throw themselves into the sea.
It is curious that in modern literature, with the light hand of Robert Howard, the creator of Conan the Barbarian, Hyborea appeared - a clear derivative of the Greek Hyperborea. In addition, the so-called Iyperborean era is known in the esoteric tradition - the period when, according to M. Handel , “the Lords of the Form and Angels (humanity ) appeared period of the moon) and clothed the dense form of man with a body of life.
Hippogriff. Italy 17th century
hippogriff
In classical mythology and medieval bestiaries, a wonderful animal, a winged creature, the offspring of a griffin and a mare. In poetry
hippogriff - a symbol of sublime love
hippocampus
In "Furious Roland" by L. Ariosto, the hippogriff is described as follows:
“Only the horse was not imaginary, but true. Kon, the offspring of a mare and a griffin - Feathers and wings - e father,
And the front paws, and the forehead. and past. Everything else is like mother's. His name was - hippogriff ... "*
★ (Translated by M.Gasparov)
hippocampus
In classical mythology and medieval bestiaries, a wonderful sea animal, the sea horse. The hippocampus has a horse head and torso, and instead of a croup, a fish tail. The sea bull is close to the hippocampus. in which the back of the body is fish, and the front is bull.
Hippocampus. Leipzig, around 1600, Dresden Gallery
The “Physiologist” says: “From the waist and above it has the image of a horse, and below the belt the image of a whale fish. Floats in the sea and the governor over all the fish. On the outskirts of the same side of the earth stands a golden fish and does not leave its place, so as not to get fishermen on the way to the water horse. And he, like a governor over fish, goes to the outskirts of the earth to that golden fish. Lick her, and then all the male fish lick her. And the males go to their places first, and then the females. And the males throw the seed, and the females, following them, take it and become pregnant. And in seven days they will give birth. When they go to the borderlands, the fishermen put their nets in the way of the fish. While they are fraught, they are not caught.
GLASHANS
Fairies in the folklore of the inhabitants of the Isle of Man . distant relatives of gremlins. Their favorite pastime is to magnetize the stones on the sides of the roads. Cars that pass by such stones pull over to the side of the road despite
GLEISTIG
to all the efforts of the drivers. Satisfied, the glashans burst out laughing and run away.
Gleistig
GLEISTIG
In Scottish folklore , fairies are half female and half goat. Peistigs are both good and evil. Good gleistigs take care of children and old people, look after pets; in order to thank the gleistig, it is enough to put a saucer of milk on the doorstep in the evening. Evil gleistigs are bloodthirsty and deadly to people. They have female heads and torsos, and instead of legs, goat hooves hidden by long green dresses. These dresses are embroidered with gold threads, and the women themselves are so beautiful that a rare mortal will be able to resist and not give in when he is invited to dance. That. whoever accepts an invitation from the glaistig, no longer a tenant in this world, will drink all the blood from him.
All gleistigers, both good and evil, can fly and are able to move on water as if on land.
glastin
Fairies in the folklore of the inhabitants of the Isle of Man . Most often, the glastin appears in the form of an attractive, well-dressed young man with lush curls: he is easily recognizable by his pointed, horse-like ears. At any moment, he is able to turn into a horse and drag his unsuspecting victim into the sea. Good Glastins. like brownies help people with housework. But if a glastin is offended, he becomes unbearable - he beats and destroys everything in a row, tramples the fields, maybe even violently
gnomes
catch women. Therefore, before starting any business, you should ask permission from the Glastin.
There is a legend about how a certain girl was left at home alone: her father, a fisherman, went to the market to sell his catch. He told his daughter to lock herself and not open until there was a knock on the door three times. In the evening, a storm broke out, and the father still did not return, and the girl became worried. Finally, there was a knock on the door three times. She opened it, and soaking wet entered the house. stranger. He spoke in a strange language, but the girl understood that he was asking permission to warm himself by the fire. When the stranger fell asleep, the girl looked at him more closely and noticed the pointed ears. That wasevil glastin. at any moment capable of turning into a horse, dragging it to the bottom of the sea and tearing it to pieces there. I just hoped he didn't wake up before dawn. The girl sat motionless. Suddenly an ember shot in the hearth, and the stranger woke up. He pulled out a pearl necklace and waved it in front of the girl. She pushed the glastin away. but he grabbed her by the sleeve.
F. Bocchi. Scene with gnomes
The girl screamed, her
the cry woke up the rooster, which crowed. The stranger instantly disappeared - only hooves rattled around the yard, and with the first rays of the sun the girl's father returned home.
GNOMES
In modern European folklore, tiny creatures that "borrowed" their habits and habits from zwerg and dwarfs. The tradition of the gnomes does not know: the first mention of them is found in Paracelsus. Gyomas are elementals. that is, to the natural
GOBLINS
spirits, which are divided into four groups - gnomes, sylphs, undines and salamanders, that is, the spirits of the earth, air, water and fire, respectively. Paracelsus believed that the dwarves were able to move in the earth as easily as on the water, and that their main duty was to guard underground treasures.
Manly P. Hall observes: “Just as many types of people came into being through the objective physical elements of Nature, so many types of gnomes came into being through the subjective etheric body of Nature. These earth spirits work in the elements at a vibrational level so close to the material earth that they have tremendous power over rocks and plants, and even over the mineral elements in the animal and human kingdoms.
Mischievous Goblin
GOBLINS
In the folklore of the peoples of Western Europe, vicious creatures of tiny stature, dark-skinned, hunched, with huge hands They settle in people's houses or in tree hollows. Goblins walk around in caps pulled over their eyes. On Halloween they are. as a rule, they take the form of ugly animals and scare people.
Halloween is an ancient pagan holiday among the Celts, celebrated on October 31st. On this day, according to popular belief, the fairies arrange a grand migration, move from one hill to another to the sound of bells and hunting horns. According to some sources, mortals abducted by fairies. can be released exactly one year and one day after the kidnapping, but the spell will only work if this period falls on Halloween. On this day, all the inhabitants of the Magic Land, even the most good-natured, become cruel and bloodthirsty, and woe to the person who encounters them! Walter Scott advised to cross on Halloween night
ONE-YEAR
bed before you go to bed and say a prayer, for there is no other way to escape the Wild Hunt on this night.
ONE-YEAR
See KHOVANETS.
golem
Golem
In Jewish folklore and medieval demonology, a clay giant animated by magical means. To make Iolem. according to ancient recipes, you need to fashion a human figure from red clay as tall as a ten-year-old child. You can revive the figurine by saying the name of the god, or by inscribing the word gtei - “truth” on its forehead (if you erase the letter r, you get tei.i.e. "death": in this way the golem can be destroyed). However, the animated golem does not have the gift of speech and does not have a soul, but it quickly grew, acquiring inhuman strength. Sometimes the golem gets out of control and may even kill its creator. The most famous is the legend of the golem created by the Prague Jew Rabbi Lev: this legend was outlined in his novel "The Golem" by Gustav Mayr Inc.
homunculus
In medieval demonological and alchemical representations, an artificial person. Many alchemists were engaged not only in the search for the philosopher's stone and the elixir of life, but also in the creation of a homunculus. Attempts to create a golem - so to speak, one of the directions in the creation of a homunculus ..
GORGONIUS
In Slavic folklore and Christian apocrypha, a strange beast guarding paradise from people after the fall.
Gorgon head
GORGONY
In Slavic legends and traditions, a maiden with snake hair on her head. Gorgonin knows the languages of all living beings: her gaze brings death. The wizard who can decapitate Iorgonia. will receive a miraculous remedy that gives victory over any enemy. According to one of the legends, it was thanks to the head of the Gorgonin, which he allegedly had, that Alexander the Great achieved his victories.
As stated in The Physiologist, Gorgonia lives "in the mountains in the west. And when her marriage time comes, she will get up and start calling. Starting from the lion and other animals, from man to domestic animals and birds and snakes, he calls, saying: “Come to me!” As soon as they hear her call. then they go to her. And when they see her, they die.”
GORGONS
mother earth Gaia. Gorgons - sisters, there are three of them -
In Greek mythology, monsters, granddaughters
Stheno, Euryale and Medusa. The older sisters are immortal. and Medusa is mortal. They lived in the extreme west, on the banks of the Ocean River, next to the Hesperides and the Grays. Gorgons are winged creatures covered with scales: instead of hair they have snakes; Gorgon's gaze turns to stone. Gorgon Medusa was defeated by Perseus, who looked at her reflection in a copper shield. The winged horse Pegasus was born from the blood of Medusa.
GORUGODE
Gorgon Medusa
In the myths of African peoples (Songhai), water snakes, each of which owns a river. If the river does not have its city. the area gradually falls into disrepair, and the vegetation dies. When the water in the rivers dries up in summer, it means that the city is hidden
Do it underground until autumn. Without exception, all cities obey the Mistress of the Waters Haraka Diko, to whose kingdom the double of his soul goes after the death of a person.
THE MOUNTAINS
In Greek mythology, the goddess of the seasons is Eunomia ("good law"). Dike ("justice") and Irena ("peace") Mountains - sisters of moirs and harit They streamline human life. According to Gmer. mountains guard the cloudy gates of Olympus:
“Hera immediately leaned on the swift-footed horses with a whip:
With thunder, the gates of heaven themselves opened up for them at the Mountains,
The guardian of which Olympus and the great sky is entrusted,
To open a thick cloud or close in front of them "*
★ (Translated by N. Gnedich)
DOMINATIONS
In Christian mythological representations, the fourth of the nine angelic ranks , together with forces and authorities , forms the second triad. According to Pseudo-Dionysius“significant name of the holy Dominions. signifies some non-servile and free from any low attachment to the earthly exaltation to the heavenly, not in any way shaken by any violent attraction to what is different from them, but domination is constant in its freedom, standing above any humiliating slavery. alien to any humiliation, withdrawn from any inequality to itself, constantly striving for true Domination and. as much as possible, holyly transforming both itself and everything subordinate to it into a perfect likeness of Him, not clinging to anything that accidentally exists, but always fully turning to the truly existing and incessantly partaking of the sovereign God-likeness.
Sandro Boticelli Archangel
Gabriel
GRADIVNYK
See Khmarnik
GRAI
In Greek mythology, the Gorgon sisters are disgusting old women, gray-haired from birth. The three of them have one tooth and one eye, which they alternately exchange. The hero Perseus tricked them into stealing an eye and a tooth. The Grays began to beg him to return the treasures to them. Perseus agreed in exchange for the fact that the grays showed him the way to the nymphs, who "had winged sandals and a shoulder bag," as well as a cap of invisibility.
E. Burn-Jones. Perseus and grays
GRAMP
In English folklore , the monster. It lives in lakes and from time to time, splashing in warm water, throws out whole fountains. The grump's head is like that of a dolphin, and the snout is blunt like that of a pig.
GRANT
In English folklore , a werewolf who is most often a mortal disguised as a horse. At the same time, he walks on his hind legs, and his eyes are full of flames. Ifant is an urban faerie and can often be seen outdoors at noon or near sunset. A meeting with a grant portends misfortune - a fire or something else in the same vein.
GRAHI
Witches in ancient Indian mythology. They attack people, send diseases on them and kill them.
The Atharvaveda contains several spells against graha. One of them sounds like this:
“On Trita, the gods erased this sin.
Trita rubbed it on people.
If Grahi clung to you from this.
May the gods cast a spell to make her disappear from you!
In twelve places, what is erased is laid
Triton - human sins.
If Grahi clung to you from this.
May the gods with spells make her disappear from you!
★ (Translated by T. Elizarenkova)
GRACE
In Roman mythology , deities corresponding to Greek Charites.
gremlins
GREMLINS
In modern European folklore (however, according to some sources, information about gremlins can be found in medieval chronicles) are malicious creatures, haters of technology. Since the First World War, all technical problems, from bicycles to spaceships, have been attributed to gremlins. Gremlins hate technology and harm the people who use it in every possible way.
Outwardly, they are most reminiscent of a cross between a rabbit and a bull terrier: about 20 inches tall, usually dressed in green trousers and red jackets. They have webbed feet, with which they step very quietly, almost inaudibly. Gremlins are people
GRENDEL
friendly enough, they do dirty tricks more out of mischief than out of a desire to annoy
Grendel
GRENDEL
In the Anglo-Saxon heroic epic Beowulf, a monster. Gfendel got into the habit of sneaking into the princely palace of Heorot at night and kidnapping warriors. They could not cope with him in any way, because he was charmed by iron swords and spears. This went on for several years, until the knight Beowulf lured Grendel into a trap and tore off his arm:
“The impious enemy , contrary to God, who put to death a myriad of earth-born, now he himself has experienced the mortal infirmity of the flesh, exhausted in the hands of the virtuous combatant Higelakov:
they are irreconcilable under heaven.
An incurable, bleeding ulcer in the shoulder of the impure one gaped - the joint was furious. veins burst: Beowulf gained victory from the battle. and Grendel fled into a swamp hole, dying, he fled into a stinking lair, foreseeing near death: his earthly life had already ended.
*(Translated by V. Tikhomirov)
Grendel's mother, whom the epic calls the "woman monster", set out to avenge the death of her son, but Beowulf descended into her lair on the seabed and cut off her head with a sword blow.
MAKEUP
In the folklore of the peoples of Western Europe, the creatures that most often settle in church cemeteries, therefore they are also called church grims. Usually the make-up takes the form of a black dog (and in Sweden they say that he prefers to change into a calf), scares people, howls under the windows of the sick, foreshadowing the imminent end. Grima can be seen in rainy weather. Sometimes he rings the bells in the middle of the night, and during the funeral he looks from the bell tower, and by his appearance you can find out where the soul of the deceased will go - to hell or to heaven. As it is said in the medieval treatise “The Life of Robin the Good Guy”, the make-up scares the youth who gather together to have fun, and when the boys and girls scatter, they finish what they left. But a wise make-up will not be afraid, because he knows that make-up is not capable of harming a person.
Griffin with the head of a lion. Assyria
GRIFFINS
Griffin. Triumphal procession of Emperor Maximilian
In classical mythology, wonderful animals that live in India or Africa. They have the body of a lion, the head, neck, wings and claws of an eagle. The griffin is eight times the size of a lion and has an unusually sharp hearing. His claws are highly prized for their remarkable ability to change color when venom is dropped on them. In their golden nests, griffins keep countless treasures, and female griffins lay eggs from agate: it is not surprising that people throughout
These creatures have been hunted for centuries. But legends say that it is better not to compete with them: griffins are extremely strong.
Griffin, Egypt, 17th Dynasty
Griffin, Mycenae
Griffin, West Portal of St. Michael in Lucca. 13th century
Griffin from a seal from Susa. III millennium BC
Griffin, II millennium BC
Griffin, India 1c. BC.
Griffin, Pazirik
Griffin, Egypt III millennium BC Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
Warrior with the body of a bird. Capital in the tomb of the Brandenburg Cathedral
Griffin from the Cretan-Mycenaean seal
Golden seal with a griffin. Mycenae.
Griffin
Griffin from a Greek vase, Fr. Rhodes
Griffin, Egypt, Ben Hasan
Alexander the Great with griffins. Mosaic from Otranto, fragment, 12th century.
Bronze figure of a griffin. Egypt, XI-XII centuries.
Bronze censer in the form of a griffin. Ja'far ibn Mohammed ibn Ali, Syria, 1181
GROGAN
with one blow of their claws it costs them nothing to tear a horse to shreds.
According to Aeschylus, griffins guard gold in the country of the Hyperboreans.
GROGAN
In the folklore of the inhabitants of Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland, the broad-shouldered and shaggy faerie The grogan is said to have no bones in its body, but it is endowed with great strength. He looks after the cattle, usually walks naked, and if they give him clothes, he immediately leaves the houses in which he lived with tears.
There is a legend that a certain farmer used to leave several sheaves in the barn - for the grogan to thresh the grain overnight. Once a farmer
forgot to put down the sheaves, and the grogan decided that he needed to thresh everything in the barn. The poor fellow tried so hard that by morning he died of exhaustion. The farmer gave the grogan a magnificent funeral, and he was remembered on this farm for many years.
GROAGAH
In the folklore of the inhabitants of highland Scotland and Ireland, fairies. which can be conditionally divided into three types. The first - women with long golden hair, sometimes beautiful, sometimes ugly, dressed in
lake maiden
midnight and dance in the meadows until the first cock crow. As a rule, lake maidens
green dresses that are embroidered with gold and silver. These Gruagah roam from village to village, guarding livestock and keeping order in people's homes. Often they go into people's houses and ask permission to warm themselves by the fire.
The second kind is men, young and beautiful; they sometimes wear green and red outfits, but more often go naked. These gruagas also help people around the house. The third genus includes Irish gruagas - evil giants.
GUARAGGED ANNON
In Welsh folklore, lake maidens live in luxurious palaces at the bottom of mountain lakes. These are written beauties: tall, slender, with luxurious golden hair to the waist and wonderful milky-white skin. Together with them live their relatives in the male line - gray-haired, with long beards, strong and strong, despite their age. The palaces of the lake maidens are surrounded by magical gardens; the guest will be fed with the most exquisite dishes to the accompaniment of indescribably beautiful music. But if you pick a single blade of grass in such a garden, everything will disappear, the guest will be on the shore and will not get into the underwater palace again.
Lake maidens come to land to frolic, dance or hunt. On a full moon, they appear from the water a minute before they are disposed to people and often marry mortals, bringing magical animals to their husband's house. Usually, the lake maiden sets a condition for her husband - not to violate this or that prohibition, and when the husband violates this condition three times, he returns to his lake and takes the magical cattle with him.
Distinguishing guaragged annon from ordinary women is very simple: not a single woman can compare with them in beauty, in addition, they can only count up to five.
A Welsh tale says that a mere mortal, a young lad, fell in love with a lake maiden. She responded to him in return. Played a wedding. As a dowry for the lake maiden, her father gave a herd of Guarteg-i-llin - cows and bulls, sheep, horses and pigs. The girl set one condition: if her husband raised his hand to her three times, she would return to her father. The guy swore that he would never touch her even with a finger.
Everything went well, they had children. But one day the husband, having forgotten, hit his wife - because she dared to be capricious. The second time, the lake maiden cried at someone's wedding ("I cry, because these two are destined to continuous torment - they do not suit each other," she explained), and her husband did not like it, and the third time she laughed at the funeral ( “the dead are happier than the living - they have nothing to worry about) Her husband just pushed her, but that was enough. The woman returned to the lake with her cattle, leaving her husband three sons. She helped her sons become famous healers, and she never met her husband again.
GUARTEG-I-LLIN
In Welsh folklore, magical pets are usually all milky white, although sometimes
there are variegated and black. Usually part of a herd
The lake maiden in her canoe guarteg-i-llin departs as a dowry for lake maidens - guaragged annon - when they marry. Magic bulls often cover ordinary cows, after which farmers cannot get enough of their animals - the breed is improving literally before our eyes.
GUI
Chinese demons. Designed by G. Dore
The tale says that a stray cow was nailed to the herd of one farmer. The calves born from her were remarkably strong, and no other could be compared with the milk that she gave. The farmer got rich quickly. But over the years, he began to forget to whom he owed his wealth. One day it seemed to him that the cow was no longer the same and it was time to feed her for meat. He did so, and in the autumn he took him to the slaughterhouse that stood on the shore of the lake. But as soon as the butcher raised a knife over the cow. how he lost his hand. The knife fell out, a heart-rending cry was heard, and a woman suddenly appeared from the lake and called the cow to her. The animal rushed to the lake, followed by all the offspring of the cow. The farmer failed to stop them, and soon there was no trace of his wealth.
GUI
In ancient Chinese and Buddhist mythology , the spirit of the deceased, later the common name for demons. Iўy looks like a man, but has no chin, does not cast a shadow, has the ability to suddenly become invisible, turns into animals and into a man in order to lure an unsuspecting traveler and kill him. In most cases, the gui is the soul of a person who died a violent death or a suicide. He is afraid of loud screaming.
GULI
a calendar, a sword with which many people were killed, urine, spitting, a peach tree and various amulets: it can also be driven away.
if you read an excerpt from a Confucian work or a Buddhist text "Sutra
Avalokitesvara." Huya has many varieties
Ghoul. ill. to "1000 and One Nights"
- Shuiqinggui. (spirit of a drowned man), diaojingui (spirit of a hanged man), hogui. (fiery), maoguy (hairy), banfangui (spirit of the one who died of starvation in prison), etc.
GULI
In Muslim mythology , jinn are female, hostile to humans. They have hideous faces, their bodies are made of some kind of ghostly substance, but ghouls have monstrous strength. They feed on carrion, tear up graves, but do not disdain living people. By changing their appearance, ghouls lure travelers, who are then eaten. Most often, they appear invisibly at a magnificent funeral, wait until everyone has dispersed, and then dig up the grave and begin to feast. Therefore, it is believed that the less noise and pomp at the funeral, the more likely it is that the uli will not touch the deceased. Iўl-man is nicknamed "ku tru b".
GULON
In Scandinavian folklore
Nava peoples are a wonderful beast. He vaguely resembles a cat, you can recognize him by his fox tail and sparkling eyes, which reflect everything. what the animal sees. He prefers to eat carrion.
Tales say that hunters haunt the gulon in winter, because the winter fur of this beast is highly valued among people.
GOUMENNIK
In Slavic folklore, a kind of brownie spirit is the guardian of the threshing floor. A. Kharitonov reports: “They say about the bean goose that he runs the muzhik, friendly with him. God knows where, bread, so that during the winter and spring, without resorting to a purchase, the peasant himself still sells excess bread in the bazaars: they say that he is in his possession, in the threshing floor, he does not like roommates and not a single prudent peasant will agree to spend the night alone in the barn, afraid of being crushed. See also OVINNIK
HUNNA
In Scottish folklore , fairies whose main occupation is to prevent livestock from eating seedlings in the fields. The Huns usually wrap themselves in fox skins, they have no other clothes, but if they are presented with new outfits, they. like brownies who are relatives, they are offended and then they already disappear in an unknown direction. As it is said in the ballad:
“Look, look, he’s all cold!
Let him in quickly.
Otherwise the poor fellow will give oak
At the very door.
Only the skin - his whole outfit
He always walks like this.
Wouldn't freeze
In such cold!
★ (Translated By Queen)
GURAKH-I-RIBIN
In Welsh folklore, a distant relative of the benhpie, She invisibly accompanies the person she wants to warn to a crossroads or to a river, and then screams. "My husband! My husband" - if it's a man - and "My wife' My wife!" - if it's a woman. Or “My child! - if he wants to warn about the imminent death of a child. If the cry of gurakh i-ribin is not made out, it means that not the one whom she accompanies will die, but the one who happened to be nearby. She looks terrible: she has matted hair and bony hands to
GURIA
knees, and long black fangs protrude from the mouth.
GURIA
In Muslim mythology, the maidens of paradise, together with the righteous, inhabit paradise (janna). They are devoid of both bodily and spiritual shortcomings. Gurias get married to the righteous - but not forever, but for a period depending on the number of pious deeds performed by the righteous on earth, and alwaysremain virgins. Some legends state that the houris
Dancing houris. Islamic fresco of the IX century.
- creatures of saffron, musk, ambergris and camphor. They are almost transparent and live in luxurious palaces. On the chest of each houri are written two names - Allah and her spouse.
GUHYAKI
In ancient Indian mythology, the demigods, together with the yakshas and kinnars , make up the retinue of Kubera, the god of wealth. The yuhyaki live in the mountains, guarding the treasures hidden there. The Mahabharata says: “Know that the Guhyakis are together with the Ashvins. all herbs and small livestock are the ghana of the gods, oh
king, sung to you in order. Singing her. man is freed from sins.
DAGSHED
DAGSHED
In Tibetan Buddhist mythology , the deities are the patrons of Buddhists. They zealously monitor loyalty to the teachings of the Buddha and severely punish apostates.
DAIMON
See DEMONS.
DAITY
In ancient Indian mythology, a group of asura demons These are giants, endowed with enormous growth and monstrous strength. They constantly fight with the gods. Sometimes they are identified with danavas
DAKINI
In ancient Indian mythology, cruel demonesses make up the retinue of the evil goddess Kali.
DACTYLE
In Greek mythology , demons are the companions of the goddess Rhea-Cybele. It was the dactyls who discovered the method of processing iron ore, and also established, according to Pausanias, the Olympic Games in Elis. “Regarding the Olympic competitions ... they say that at first Kronos reigned in heaven and that in Olympia a temple was built for Kronos by those people who were called the golden generation. When Zeus was born, Rhea entrusted the protection of the child to the Idean Dactyls. who were also called Kuretas .. During jokes and games, Hercules (one of the dactyls - K.K.), as the eldest in age, challenged them to a race and crowned the winner of them with a branch of a wild olive tree ... Idean Hercules is the first the honor of establishing these games, and he was the first to give them the name 'Olympic'.Dactyls are often identified with the Corybantes and Telchines .
DAL HA
Resting Hercules Bronze. 330-320 AD BC.
In Tibetan mythology , deities patronizing Dalha people are both generic and personal, both guardians of the house and guardians of military luck, both male and female. weapons.
DANAVES
In ancient Indian mythology , demons are asuras. opponents of the gods, giants endowed with monstrous power . Sometimes danavas are identified with daityas. There are seven of them; the danavas include Vritra, the rival of the god Indra, and Namuchi, who by cunning deprived Indra of strength, but still did not escape death from the hand of the god. In the end, Indra defeated and scattered all the danavas.
DANDO AND HIS DOGS
In Cornish folklore the Wild Hunt is told of as follows:
There was once a priest in Cornwall named Dando, who, despite his rank, devoted his life to the pursuit of worldly pleasures. One day he and his dogs, huge black mastiffs, went hunting. The fun lasted until the evening: Dando wanted to drink, and then he found that his flask was empty. The satellites also did not have water. Then the priest exclaimed: “What should I do now, to the underworld to run for water?” Out of nowhere, a stranger appeared, holding out a full flask to Dando. While the priest was drinking. the stranger collected the shot game. Dando demanded that he not covet someone else's: the stranger replied: “I take that. what belongs to me." The priest rushed at him with his fists. Then the stranger grabbed Dando by the scruff of the neck, seated him on his horse in front of him, and drove the spurs into the animal's sides. The horse jumped into the river. Dando's companions were blinded by a flash of flame. When they regained the ability to see, they found that the stranger and Dando had disappeared, and with them the priest's dogs had disappeared.
Since then, from time to time, the barking of dogs has been heard over the forests and meadows: this is Dando, released for a short time from the underworld. continues his hunt. Sometimes his dogs are confused with the pack of the Wild Hunter.
DANNY
In English folklore, a mischievous werewolf, most often he takes the form of a horse, but sometimes he also changes into a donkey. Danny can also pretend to be human.
It gives him great pleasure to play tricks on travelers who take him for an ordinary horse: one who sat on a danny. runs the risk of being in a puddle or in a dunghill. However, Danni is quite good-natured and can help - he takes lost kids home and takes care of sick or trapped animals.
According to some sources, the danny is the spirit of a village thief caught and killed at the scene of a crime. Before that, the thief had pretty much profited in other places and hid the loot, but tell about that. where he buried his wealth, he did not have time, therefore he cannot find peace in any way.
There is a story about a farmer who harnessed a horse to a plow, unaware that it was a danny. As soon as he made the first furrow, the horse slipped out of the harness and rushed away with a laugh, and then dived into the river with a running start.
The story goes that a farmer's wife went into labor. I had to go for the midwife. and the horse, as luck would have it, limped. Then a neighing came from the yard. Running out of the house, the farmer saw a strong horse that beat invitingly with its hoof. He jumped on her and rode after the midwife. Everything worked out: the farmer brought a midwife, his wife was safely relieved of her burden. But when the midwife rode that very strong horse to her home, the animal with a loud neighing slipped out from under the woman, and she flopped into a puddle. And Danny - it was, of course, he - burst out laughing and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
DANTERS
In English folklore , fairies live in ancient ruins. They make such a noise as if they are beating flax. If the noise gets louder, you should expect trouble. It is believed that danters are the spirits of those people whom the ancestors of today's people sacrificed when they built their structures, as well as the spirits of animals, whose blood is sprinkled on the foundation.
DANGHU
In ancient Chinese mythology, a wonderful bird that looks like a pheasant. She had a mustache growing over her beak, replacing the danhu's wings. The meat of this bird healed eye diseases.
DAPPI
DAPPI
In the Haitian voodoo cult, there is an evil spirit. who is called upon to take revenge on someone. To summon a dappy, one should pour a glass of rum on a fresh grave and call dappy until he appears - rises from the coffin. These spirits are only capable of evil, even their fetid breath causes a person to vomit and the touch kills on the spot. Dappy operates at night and expects to be rewarded when he returns to his grave. To drive away the dappies. you need to scatter tobacco seeds on his path
Dappy
DASA
In ancient Indian mythology , demons are hostile to the gods and defeated by Indra.
DASYU
In ancient Indian mythology , demons are opponents of the gods, crushed by Indra, who, for this feat, received the nickname Dasyokhan - "dasyu killer".
DAFEN
In ancient Chinese mythology, a ferocious animal monster of an indistinct appearance, which is mentioned in the ancient treatise "Huainanzi". In addition, the dafeng is a wonderful bird, a huge phoenix that harmed human dwellings. Yuan Ke reports: "During the flight of a bird, the wind that arose from the flapping of its wings could devastate the surroundings." The brave shooter I., having met a dafeng bird, hit it with an arrow, to the end of which he tied a rope woven from green silk. “The rope tied to the arrow prevented the bird from flying away. The shooter pulled the bird to the ground and cut it into several pieces with his sword. So the people were delivered from this evil.”
DAHAKA
DAHAKA
In Iranian mythology , a monster, the strongest of the drudges. a snake created by Angro-Mainyo to destroy all living things. Dahaka was defeated by the hero Traytaon. who chained the serpent to the rock. The Avesta says:
“Give me such good luck, Good Ardvi-Sura, So that I defeat the Three-Headed Dahak Serpent - Three-pawed. six-eyed. Insidious, wicked. Fiend of the devas, evil.
Powerful, strong.
It is made by Angro-Mainyu the Strongest to be in the Lie For the destruction of the whole world.
All righteous beings.”*
* (“Yasht” Translation by I. Steblin-Kamensky)
In the battle before the end of the world, Dahaka will break out of the shackles, but will be slain by the hero Kersasp (in Ferdowsi's - Sam; by the way, in Shahname Dahaka turned into the diva Zahhak).
DVOUSHNIK
In Slavic mythology, a creature in which two natures are combined - human and demonic. During the day, a double-hearted person behaves like an ordinary person, but at night he falls asleep so soundly that it is impossible to wake him up. While he sleeps, his second soul wanders outside the body, sometimes in the form of an animal. If anyone tries to detain this wandering soul, he is threatened with death from a terrible wind. If you wake up a double soul. having shifted it with his feet to the head, he will fall ill and will be ill for at least two weeks. After the death of a double soul, the human soul goes to the other world, and the demonic one turns into a ghoul.
DOUBLE
Coats of arms in which mythical creatures appear
In the myths and folklore of various peoples, a creature that invisibly accompanies him from birth to death. Usually doppelgangers hide from everyone until then. until it's time for the "masters" to die. Then they appear before their "masters" and their relatives; moreover, they have a similarity with the "originals"
YARD
so complete that relatives sometimes mistake a double for the person himself. Doubles, in addition to the "owners", see dogs and cats; if the dog looks wide-eyed behind the back of a person, it means that she saw a double. In mirrors, twins, unlike the "masters", are not reflected - thus, by the way, you can distinguish a person from a double.
R. Kirk wrote: “People endowed with magical vision can see these creatures at the funeral - they feast at the tables:
so many Scots and Irish people don't eat anything at wakes, because
possible only with the help of spells, because they are like two drops of water ... "
Shadow doppelgänger
YARD
In Russian folklore, a kind of brownie, a creature that lives in the yard. Unlike the brownie, the yard, as a rule, does not help, on the contrary, it annoys people and livestock in every possible way. To appease the courtyard, one should not keep white cats and dogs in the house, as well as gray, nightingale and tan horses (only black and gray ones are to his taste). Especially closely you need to monitor newborn calves and foals, which the yard does not tolerate and will definitely try to strangle. To protect the cattle, you need to hang a dead magpie in a barn or in a stable - the courtyard hates this bird.
Yards are often at enmity with each other. So. With V Maksimov conveys the following legend: the evil "courtyard" envied the good one, whose cows were full, and the horses' hair was shiny. The evil one made a hole in the vat, in which the good yard servant carried water from the river. He poured and poured water and waited until the vat was filled to the brim; but did not wait and with grief hung under the lower lip of the horse's icy
Virgo
icicle, the outlines of which resembled a tiny man.
During the day, the courtyard usually appears in the form of a snake with a cock's head, and at night it becomes like the owner of the house - even his hair takes on a similar color.
VIRGO
In ancient Indian mythology , there are thirty-three deities (however, 333 gods, and 3306 and 3339 are mentioned in various texts). Virgos are divided into three groups - celestial deities (Varuna, Vishnu, Adityas). airy (Indra, Rudra, Maruts) and earthly (Agni.
Soma). The gods are at enmity with the asura demons. endowed with witchcraft power - Maya (since the gods are also called “suras” in another way, the word “asuras” can be interpreted as “heavenly gods”).
DEVAPUTRA
In Buddhist mythology, a group of lower deities. assistants of the supreme gods of the Buddhist pantheon, such as Shakra or Yama. Subsequently, the word "devaputra" began to refer to rulers and great mentors.
NINE ANGELIC
CHINOV
God Agni in flames. India. State Archaeological Gallery, West Bengal
In the Christian mythological tradition, the hierarchy of angelic beings developed by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (5th or early 6th century). The nine angelic ranks are divided into three triads, each of which has a particular feature. The first triad - seraphim, cherubim and thrones - is characterized by immediate proximity to God: the second - strength, domination and power - emphasizes the divine basis of the universe and the world
DAVE
Demon surrounded by archangels. Francesco da Volterra. Detail of the fresco "The Story of Job". Pisa
puffiness; the third - beginnings, archangels and angels proper - is characterized by close proximity to man.
Pseudo-Dionysius summarized what had been accumulated before him. Seraphim, cherubim, powers and angels are already mentioned in the Old Testament: dominions, principalities, thrones, authorities and archangels appear in the New Testament. According to the classification of Gregory the Theologian (4th century), the angelic hierarchy consists of angels, archangels, thrones, dominions, beginnings, forces, radiances, ascensions and understandings.
By its position in
rank hierarchies are arranged as follows: seraphim - the first; cherubs - the second; thrones - the third; domination - the fourth;
strength - the fifth: power - the sixth; beginning - the seventh; archangels - the eighth; angels are the ninth.
DAVE
In Lithuanian mythology, female spirits, beautiful maidens with long hair and magnificent breasts, skilled craftswomen. Like the Welsh guaragged annon, it is not uncommon for deives to marry mortals, but
when the husband violates this or that condition, they return to their home. Despite their addiction to needlework, the deives severely punish those women who dare to spin and weave on Thursdays.
DOLPHIN
See PYTHON.
DEMA
In the mythology of the Australian aborigines, creatures in the form of which the features of people, animals and birds are combined. Dema are considered totem ancestors of people. They created
DEMOGORGON
it dwells among the gima
Demon king. Islamic miniature of the 14th century. National Library, Paris
whether plants and animals. as well as all cultural objects - that is, they are not only the first ancestors, but also cultural heroes (see DEITIES. HEROES). Despite the fact that demas are totems, they often quarrel with people.
DEMOGORGON
In classical mythology, an evil monster. one mention of the change of which brought trouble. It was believed that the Lai peaks. Every five years, the demogorgon summons human souls to his judgment and decides whether they are worthy to continue to live on earth.
DEMONS
In the mythology and folklore of various peoples, disgusting-looking evil spirits that incline people to evil and themselves harm them. However, they are at enmity not only with people, but also with the gods, like Indian asuras or Iranian devas. They are werewolves who don't have to take on any form. The true appearance of demons can be judged by the following description given by C. Briggs: “The face is like a pale muzzle of a lioness, donkey ears, chest is bare, hair is
us. his hands are covered in mud, his fingers end in claws, he vomits snake venom and beats with his tail like a scorpion ... "
Greek mythology knows a good demon - the so-called "demon (or daimon) of Socrates", who, according to Plato and Xenophon, advised Socrates more than once how to act in this or that case. In general, Greek demons are special beings: they are something like a non-personalized divine power, which
DERRICK
Peg Pauler
appears for a short moment and, having carried out any action, instantly disappears. Demons are also mediators between gods and people, akin to Roman geniuses.
With the spread
In Christianity, demons were increasingly identified with fallen angels, servants of Satan.
DERRICK
In English folklore, tiny fairies dressed in green outfits. There are good and evil derricks - some lead travelers who have gone astray to the house, others, on the contrary. make people wander to the point of exhaustion.
BABY BOGS
Fairies in English folklore . which can be safely called the best friends of parents, because
they keep naughty children away from forbidden places, and in general do not allow too much indulgence.
The most famous of children's boots are bugs.
JENNY GREEN TEETH
In English folklore, malevolent water fairies. They confuse naughty children. They have loose hair, long green fangs and sharp claws, with which they grab children standing near the water. The fact that Jenny is close can be guessed by the green foam on the surface of a river or pond. Especially often they drag away those who walk barefoot.
The most famous of the Jennies is Peg Pauler. living in the river Teese. She steals children playing on the beach, despite the prohibitions of their parents, and is especially dangerous on Sundays.
JIVAS
In Jain mythology, eternal souls are opposed to ajivas - the inanimate principle. The number of jivas is infinite.
genies
An elephant-headed creature with a genie. Drawing from the French edition of 10OO and one night. Stuttgart, 1838
Genie. ill. to '1000 and one night', Pforzheim, 1838
Merging with karmic matter, jivas acquire a body and are born as living beings. Jivas are endowed not only with people, animals and plants, but even elementary grains of matter.
JINNS
In Muslim mythology, supernatural beings are usually not very friendly to people. Jinn were created by Allah from smokeless fire: their bodies are fiery or airy. They are able to take any form and carry out any orders. Jinn - and jinn - are divided into three groups: ghouls, ifrits and si lats.
According to folklore tradition, jinn emerged from the human shadow. The kings of the Suleiman dynasty rule over the jinn; they live on Mount Kaf. Good genies often take the form of beautiful women, while evil ones appear in the form of monsters with the head of a hyena and wolf paws instead of legs. Often genies prefer to remain invisible, and their presence can only be guessed by the aroma of cinnamon that suddenly spreads in the air. Sorcerers often enclose jinn in copper vessels or rings.
JYOTISHKA
In Jain mythology , the deities of the luminaries living between the earth and the upper world are Urdhvaloka. The Jyotishka clan includes the gods of the sun, moon, planets, constellations - "lunar houses" and stars. All heavenly bodies move around Mount Meru on precious chariots. attracted by thousands of deities. In the east, these deities have the form of lions, in the west they look like bulls, in the north they become horses, and in the south they turn into elephants.
Elephant Head Genius India
DIBBOOK
Savages
DIBBOOK
In Jewish folklore, a demonic creature or the spirit of a person who during his lifetime did evil. As a rule, a dybbuk does not want to lie peacefully in a coffin - he tries in every possible way to take possession of the thoughts of others in order to force them to bear destruction and death. According to an ancient legend, once a Jewish boy Israel led his comrades into the forest - to look at the flowers and listen to the birds. On the way, the students discussed scripture texts. Suddenly they were attacked by a dybbuk. disguised as a simple lumberjack. When he swallowed Israel, the boy was not afraid - he entered the cavity where the heart of the dybbuk was beating. and tore it out. The dybbuk's body went limp and collapsed to the ground, and the heart melted under the sunlight when the boy got out.
DIV
In the mythology of the Eastern Slavs, a demonic creature. The Tale of Igor’s Campaign mentions him twice: “Div started up, calls at the top of the tree, orders to listen to the unknown land.” Western and southern Slavs know a female demonic creature named diva (or samodiva).
DIGGAGI
In Hindu mythology, space elephants, which, together with lokapalas , guard the cardinal points. Etavny among them is the elephant of the god Indra, the guardian of the east. Elephant Agni guards the southwest, elephant Yama - the south. the elephant of Surya is the southeast, the elephant of Varuna is the west, the elephant of Vayu is the northwest, the elephant of Kubera is the north and the elephant of Soma is the northeast.
DIGNAGHI
See DIGGAGI
SAVAGE
See Leshy.
WILD HUNT
In the folklore of the peoples of Western Europe, a procession of the dead that rushes across the sky When a monstrous roar is heard from the sky in the forest, trees begin to bend and fall to the ground, roofs are torn off houses - that means.
Under Oi ok yushkgos gosi
DIKONKA
Savages. Wood engraving by X Schauffelein for a poem by Hans Sachs. Nuremberg, con. 16th century
The Wild Hunt has begun. A cavalcade of ghostly creatures with a pack of dogs rushes across the sky: the Wild Hunter leads the cavalcade - he is often identified with the Scandinavian god Odin. The Wild Hunter is also known as the Black Rider and by many other names. A.N. Afanasiev says:“It often happens ... that on a bright, quiet night a terrible rumble is suddenly heard. the light of the moon fades, whirlwinds raise their whistle, trees break and fall with a crack, and in a destructive storm the Wild Hunter rushes through the air - alone, or accompanied by a large train of spirits ... On a stately horse, white as milk, spewing flames from its nostrils and mouth , the ancient god gallops at the head of a huge retinue; his head is covered with a wide-brimmed hat: a cloak thrown over his shoulders flutters far in the wind ... Sometimes a wild hunter rides not on horseback, but in a fiery chariot on horses exhaling flames; the charioteer drives the charioteer, he loudly slams the whip and after each blow, lightning sparks fall. Meeting with the Wild Hunt portends misfortune and even death.
DIKONKA
See Leshy.
DINISHI
In Irish folklore, beings who, according to legend, were once gods, then became knights, who were not defeated in a single battle, and in the end turned into fairies. Dini shi are typical heroic fairies: they lead the lifestyle of medieval knights, spend time in
DINNAGI
feasts and battles. These fairies can change their appearance at will - sometimes they become as tall as an adult and even taller, and sometimes they seem to turn into children. They live underground or underwater. By the way, according to C. Briggs, underwater dinish shi are considered fallen angels who are too good for hell: “Some fell on land and remained on it, long before the appearance of man, like the first earthly gods, while others collapsed into the sea.”
The tale says that one young man once went out to sea in a boat and then he saw diny shi flying over the water so low that the water was under
they parted, exposing the bottom. They flew up to the boat and began to circle over it. clearly enjoying the experience. The young man heard their silvery laughter. Meanwhile, the boat swayed dangerously, listing more and more. Finally, the fairies got tired of tormenting the fisherman: they soared into the sky in a huge cloud. The young man only managed to notice that the cloud consists of a huge number of grinning faces that change their color every second.
DINNAGI
See DIGGAGI.
DIOSCUROUS
Dioscuri. Fragment of a painting of a red-figure kylix by the Artist of Penthesilea>. Ok, 460 BC. e. Ferrara, Archaeological Museum.
In Greek mythology, the twin brothers Castor and Polydeuces, sons of Zeus. Polydeuces was immortal, while Castor belonged to mortals. The Dioscuri returned to their homeland Elena the Beautiful, stolen by Theseus, participated in the Calydonian hunt - when many heroes of Hellas drove the boar of the goddess Artemis - and in the campaign of the Argonauts for the Golden Fleece. Castor subsequently died, and Polydeuces, by the will of Zeus, found himself on Olympus. Yearning for his brother, whom he dearly loved, he gave Castor a piece of his immortality, and now the Dioscuri alternately appear in the sky in the form of a morning and evening star in the constellation Gemini.
dips
dips
In medieval bestiaries, serpentine creatures, among which belong the sepsis. hypnals and dips proper. The most poisonous of them are sepsis. even the bones of a person bitten by sepsis are saturated with poison. Hypnal. unlike sepsis. poison does not kill, but lulls.
diss
In Germanic Anoscandinavian mythology, the lower deities are helpers in childbirth. In separate texts, the word "dis" refers to the Norns and the Val Kyri
DIJIANG
In Chinese mythology, the wonderful bird Yuan Ke describes it as follows: “... in the western part of the Tien Shan mountains lived a sacred bird, resembling a yellow bag in its appearance; she could blush, and then she became like a fiery red ball, she had six legs and four wings, but she had no ears, no eyes, no mouth, no beak; she understood songs and dances.
DISH
In Chinese myth
Evil spirits 72 stars (qishier shashen) Chinese popular print. Con. 19th - early 20th centuries Leningrad, Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism Collection of Academician V.M. Alekseev
logy and folklore, the spirits of stars that have a bad influence on a person. There are seventy-two such stars. Disha oppose tangan - the spirits of the stars, which have a beneficial effect on human destinies. The lord of the dish is a young magician; he deals with the spirits by piercing them with a pitchfork and throwing them into earthen jugs, which he then takes to the desert lands and throws into the fire. And since the flame is outlined in a circle of lime, the disas cannot get out.
I DOBY
DOBY
Foolish fairies in English and Scottish folklore . related to brownies. Their stupidity has entered into proverbs and proverbs. According to legend, in the old days there was a custom to bury treasures in the ground and entrust their protection to brownies. If there were no brownies nearby, you had to rely on the dobies: they never refused, but it didn’t cost them anything to gape and miss the thieves. Ah, out of the goodness of my heart.
they could give the treasure to the first person they met.
Dobies also take on any homework, but spoil everything they can - beat eggs, spill milk, and so on. By
to some sources, dobies are not so much fairies as spirits of the spurned
Good people have bird bodies
women who roam people's houses, trying to prove that they are still good for something.
GOOD PEOPLE
In English folklore, swamp fairies. They are short, with light brown skin and green eyes. Most often, good-natured people appear to people under the guise of sand swallows. They respond to kindness with kindness, but they cannot stand the ignorant and rude. Like ghillies, good people bring home lost children.
The story goes that a traveling merchant named Good John picked up a sand swallow chick that fell out of a hole and put it back. Thus, he won the favor of the good-natured. And when his neighbor. Sly Borly, threw another chick into the river. Good John, passing by, saved the baby, and for this the good people rewarded him in full.
It so happened that John was robbed on the way - they stole casks of rum and a purse of money that he was carrying to the local lord. John honestly confessed everything to the lord and promised that he would work off the lost money. He kept his word, and the next night, after the last coin of the debt was paid, John heard a bird chirp, which suddenly formed into words:
DOGAI
Good John, Good John, Look into the hole.
You will be rich like a king In the morning.
John obeyed and found his missing kegs in the bird hole. And then Sly Worley appeared, who came to hide the stolen goods - it turns out that he stole the purse and kegs. "Money is still mine!" he shouted. waving your wallet. Suddenly, a flock of swallows flew at him: he could not stand on his feet and flopped into a puddle. As soon as he got out, John plunged him into the water again and took his money. And Sly Worley, who, covered in mud, hobbled home, was escorted with ridicule by tiny little men with green eyes.
DOGAI
In the mythology of the Australian aborigines, the spirits of a woman with long pendulous breasts are cunning and vicious. Dogai speak a special language that people do not understand.
Dodo Spirit Mask
DODO
In the myths of African peoples (Hausa), evil monster spirits Dodos live in thickets along the banks of water bodies, sometimes they also settle in water They are distinguished by cunning and deceit, they look simply disgusting - most often dodos take the form of a head without a torso. They kidnap children they love to eat.
DOMOVIK
In Russian folklore, the nickname of the dead, rising from the graves. The nickname is due to the fact that initially people who “died unfortunate and sudden deaths - * strangled, drowned, frozen, generally suicidal and dying overnight on the roads and in the fields (D.K Zelenin), were buried in miserable houses.
brownie
bozhedomah, outside the cities. The same D.K. Zelenin explains: “These wretched houses were nothing more than large and deep pits, sometimes having “prayer temples” above them, simply sheds, sometimes ... not. Bodies were placed and thrown into these pits and left uncovered until the seventh Thursday at Easter. Domoviks, as a rule, walk among the living in silence, in the clothes in which they were buried: they scare people, steal bread and other food.
As already mentioned, domoviks refer to the mortgaged dead or ghouls - that is, to those who died "before the time of their natural death, who died, often in their youth, of a sudden unfortunate or violent death" (іbісІ.). Mortgage dead also include suicides, people cursed by their parents, missing people.
as well as sorcerers and witches. All pledged dead live beyond the coffin for the period allotted to them at birth, preserving after death both their needs and the ability to move. It is believed that ghouls are henchmen of evil spirits and therefore almost always harm people. It is no coincidence that they were buried without burying. and subsequently - in special places, outside the cemeteries and the boundaries of settlements.
S. T. Konenkov. "Alexey Makarovich" (brownie)
DOMOVOI
being, spirit , and guardian of the home. Most often, the brownie is depicted as a tiny old man with a face covered with white wool, or as a double of the owner of the house. S.V. Maksimov
cites a legend about the origin of brownies: “When the Lord, at the creation of the world, threw down to earth all the rebellious and evil heavenly power, which became proud and revolted against its Creator, unclean spirits also fell on human habitations. At the same time, it is not known whether those who were kinder than the others got here, or it just so happened that, having settled closer
to people, they settled down and went limp, but only these spirits did not become evil enemies, like water, goblin and other devils, but, as it were, turned into well-wishers and at the same time further turned out to be with the habits of people of a cheerful and playful disposition.
Each house has its own brownie, who guards not only the building but also all its inhabitants (obviously, today we need to say that every apartment has its own brownie). The brownie is a big mischievous and prankster: he tickles the sleepy ones, yells in a bad voice, knocks on the walls, throws dishes - just like that, from nothing to do protection of the property of the owner.
All brownies are divided into two types - actually brownies and yards . Actually, the brownie (he is also called a homemaker) lives in the corner behind the stove, where garbage should not be thrown (I wonder where domozhils settle now?). Brownie - a werewolf who can easily turn into a cat or a dog, a snake or a rat
S.V. Maksimov notes: “... the brownie loves those families that live in complete harmony, and those owners who are zealous about their goodness ... But he willingly helps the lazy and negligent to start the economy and tries to harm in everything”
To protect yourself from pranks and the wrath of the brownie, you need to give him some kind of gift.
A.S. Griboyedov wrote:
“The children complained to their mother.
Sleep to go to bed zakayalsya:
Painfully disturbing us grandfather fidget.
Evil creates many and many troubles. He tramples his feet, turns tables. Strangles, leans, stings, tickles.
FIGHTS
In English folklore, water fairies. which lure mortal women by appearing to them in the form of wooden dishes floating on the water. As soon as any woman grabs onto such a dish, the fight immediately takes on its true, ugly appearance.
seven headed dragon
whose and drags the unfortunate to the bottom. to take care of his children there.
The same nickname is worn by domestic fairies - they are also called krats - who move through the air in the form of fiery ribbons, delivering milk, grain and eggs to their owners. Most often, fights become a friend of the owner of the house, sometimes their union is sealed with blood. Drak is charged with taking care of the livestock and making sure that the house has plenty of everything. A man should feed the fight and treat him with respect. Anyone who offends a fight endangers the house in which he lives.
If fiery ribbons with huge heads or huge fireballs are flying across the sky, these are fights. In a fraction of a second, they are able to cover unimaginable distances. Fairy tales advise those who really saw a fight to run at full speed. The fact is that the smell of sulfur stretches behind him, so strong that it literally knocks a person down. Anyone who catches himself in time can get hold of a fight with goods: you just need to shout “in half!” Or throw a knife into a fight. And if two people notice him, and even from the cart, they should silently remove the fourth wheel from the cart, sit on the ground and cross their legs. If everything is done correctly, the fight will share its prey with people.
THE DRAGON
In the myths and folklore of various peoples, a giant winged serpent. Usually a dragon has the head (or several heads) and the body of a reptile and the wings of a bird or bat. A fair amount of dragons, especially of Celtic mythology, belong to the category of creeping ones - they are without wings, their body is snake-like long (it is not for nothing that such dragons are often called snakes:
“The unburied treasure became the property of an old snake, a naked reptile, a smooth-scaled one.
*(Translated by V. Tikhomirov)
the breath is not fiery, but poisonous. However. winged and crawling dragons have much in common: both are covered with scales, live in caves or ponds, kidnap girls,
dragon skeleton
Fight of a dragon with a lion. Engraving by Andrea. National library, Paris
Dragon from the east portal of Notre Dame Cathedral
Dragon monster. Rice. Matthäus Guidius, 1521
Dragon on a ceramic jug. Iran, 1550
features of princesses, and guard countless treasures As a rule, it is extremely difficult to kill a dragon: it is necessary to find on his body - usually on his belly - a single weak spot and hit right on target. It is believed that the first dragons appeared in the east, in China and Japan, and only then moved to Europe.
In Chinese mythology, the dragon is a symbol of greatness and power, while in European tradition (and later in heraldry) it was considered a product of evil. According to V.V. Pokhlebkin, “in Russian emblematics, the dragon was completely identified with the serpent as the emblem of the forces opposing Russia ... Such a theological interpretation had a profound influence on the use of the dragon emblem both in medieval and modern European art ... and even in modern ideas of people.
The tale says that once upon a time there lived a dragon called Hvatala. He stole from mortal horses and cows on which he fed. he did not disdain people either - he would sit by the shore and lick passers-by like a frog mosquitoes. One boy decided to defeat the dragon. He asked the blacksmith to forge a huge cauldron, ordered the woodcutters to build a large fire in the square, then he took flour from the miller and baked a huge pudding - ruddy on top, but raw inside. Then he got into the boat and swam towards the dragon, which lay down in the middle of the river. Grabbed
smelled the pudding and asked what it smelled like.
The boy suggested that he try it. The dragon did not force himself to beg - he swallowed the pudding along with the boat. Meanwhile, the boy ran home. At night, the dragon began colic. He was so tormented that he decided to swallow the boy to alleviate his suffering, but he was not taken aback - when the dragon stuck his head in his window, he pulled out an ax and cut off his neck with one blow.
R. Wagner, translating the Scandinavian myths, tells how the giant Fafnir. who received a lot of gold as a ransom for the death of his brother, turned into a dragon and lay down in a cave where he hid his wealth. The warrior Sigurd once came to this cave. Dragon said:
“I wanted to drink - I got food!”
To which Sigurd replied;
“You opened a merry snout to me. - the teeth are laughing at the gourmet! It would be nice to shut this throat, -
your throat is very wide! ”*
★ (Translated by V. Kolomiytsov)
Sigurd fought with the serpent, which either tried to hit him with its tail or hit him with poisonous saliva. When the dragon reared up, Sigurd noticed an unprotected place on his chest and plunged his sword into it up to the hilt. The dragon died, and Sigurd, drawing the sword from the wound.
stained his hand with dragon's blood. The blood was so stinging that he involuntarily put his fingers in his mouth to lick them. And at the same moment he acquired a wonderful ability to understand the language of animals and birds.
DREGPA
In Tibetan mythology, the common name of deities whose nature is dual - that is, they are both benevolent and hostile to people Dregpa are strangers (mainly from the Indian pantheon, from Indra to Garuda), house spirits of ancestors, patrons of crafts) secret (punishing for various offenses) high (planetary gods) magic (close to guardian geniuses ) and dregpa of the visible world. Dregpa also includes lower deities and demons - bal lha theurang
DRYADS
In Greek mythology , nymphs are the patroness of trees. The people who planted trees and cared for them enjoyed the special patronage of the dryads.
The Dragon. Ornament on fabric (China, 17th century)
FRIENDSHIP
In Iranian mythology, one of the designations for the devas , Druj, was also called the deva created by Angro Mainyu to destroy the “righteousness of the worlds”, at the instigation of an evil deity, this deva tried to tempt and kill Zarathushtra.
D RE GAY KA
In the folklore of the Romanesque peoples , fertility spirits are beautiful girls dancing on sweat and giving ripeness to cereals, and healing power to herbs. Dragaika protect crops from hail and locusts, but they themselves are able to take away the aroma from flowers or burn crops. Their day is June 24th, after which the herbs stop growing. Anyone who violates any prohibition on their day is threatened with deafness, dumbness or insanity.
Sea many-eyed dragon O Magnus, 1573
DSONOKVA
Dragon Rice by Hans Thoma
In the myths of the Indians of North America (Kwakiutl), cruel cannibal giantesses with copper claws Dsonokwa whistle to lure children to them, who are then carried away in baskets. If you burn dsonokva. mosquitoes will be born from its ashes. If you capture the giant by surprise, she can share with a person part of her wealth. Among the squamish tribe, these spirits are called kali aht, among the poppies - ishkus
DUANHU
DUANHU See Yu.
DUBOVIKI
Fairies in English folklore . living in oaks. They are small, stocky, wear red hats made of toadstools, you can recognize oaks by these hats and purple noses. Passing by, they offer to taste mushroom dishes. That. whoever succumbs to persuasion will fall ill and may die.
DOUNI
In Scottish folklore , a werewolf who most often takes the form of a pony.
Offering to the mountain spirits
but not averse to spilling over into a person. He is much more good-natured than his cousin Danny.
The tale says that one boy, having climbed a rock for bird eggs, could not resist and fell down. Fortunately, he managed to cling to a bush growing over a cliff, but under the weight of his body, the roots began to tear out of the ground. A river flowed at the foot of the cliff - the boy had to either drown or break on the stones. Suddenly he saw an old woman under him; she stretched out her apron and waved her hand: they say, jump. He jumped: the apron tore, and the boy flew into the water. When he surfaced, the old woman grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pulled him ashore. Then she told me to go home and no longer climb for eggs. “Then the duni will be angry,” she added, and disappeared.
PERFUME
In the myths and folklore of various peoples, supernatural beings are directly related to humans . Spirits are usually good and evil. In addition, spirits are usually divided into natural and domestic spirits .
DUENDE
In Spanish and Portuguese folklore, supernatural creatures that, like follets, cannot be driven away either by prayers or holy water. The only way to get rid of them is to move to a new house, taking with you only the necessary things.
They appear at night and disappear long before the sun rises. At night they play pranks, frighten the cowardly and prevent the brave men from sleeping . they rip off blankets. Also duende rearrange furniture, throw stones and clods of earth on the roof, throw dishes out of windows, rattle chains, sing, and also saddle people and ride them around the rooms. However, many duende are not averse to working for a mug of milk. They clean the house, kindle a fire, and repair broken things.
They are about two feet tall, have the ability to become invisible and change their appearance From clothes they prefer green, red or gray outfits they always wear small hats or caps They prefer to settle in duende in villages far from the bustle of the city
Duende
DUERGAR
In English folklore, the most vicious and cruel of all lonely fairies. They live in the hills and are famous for their strength, knowledge of magic and the art of working with metals. Like the tsvergs, to which they are relatives * and. duergar arose from the larvae that ate the flesh of the giant Ymir when daylight appeared, they hid underground
Dharmapala
There is a story that a duergar invited one lost traveler to his place - to rest and warm himself by the fire. When the fire had burned down, the duergar put a new piece of log, which lay on the right, into the hearth, and when it burned down, he asked the guest to bring the next one, which lay on the left. Sensing something was wrong, the traveler refused, and in the same second the duergar disappeared along with the hearth. The traveler saw that he was sitting on the edge of a cliff: if only he had listened to the duergar. it would fall down and crash to death.
The malevolent duergar plots
Dharmapala
In Buddhist mythology , deities who protect the Buddhist teachings in general and each Buddhist individually. According to Tibetan canons, there are eight of these gods; but in other localities their number differs.
DEVIL KEPS
In the folklore of the inhabitants of the Cornish peninsula, the most formidable of all the magical packs, whether it be the Wild Hunt Dando and his dogs or the con annon.
Devil dogs are usually two, flames burst out of their mouths, they are ready to tear to shreds any person they meet. However, if you have time to pray, the dogs will not be touched. As a rule, they hunt mainly for witches .
The story goes that a certain farmer was returning home late at night through the swamps and suddenly heard a dog barking and trumpet sounds of a horn in the distance. Three or four miles to the house, he hurried as far as the unsteady ground under his feet would allow. However, the barking of dogs and the sound of the horn were inexorably approaching. Looking back, the farmer saw the hunter and the dogs. The hunter looked simply terrible: black, with horns and a tail, and with a long spear in his hand. There were several dogs - all black as night itself, with bowl-shaped eyes, flames escaping from their mouths. There was nowhere to hide, it remained only to surrender to the mercy of the pack. Suddenly it dawned on the farmer: he fell to his knees and
devas
began to pray. The dogs instantly backed away and howled sadly, and the hunter shouted: “Damn!”. In the next moment, everything was gone, and the farmer made his way home without a hitch.
DEVAS
In Iranian mythology, evil spirits, warring with the Devas , serve as Angro-Mainyu; there are countless of them. Many illustrious heroes fought with the devas, the main one being Rustam (Rostem). Firdousi describes one of the battles between a knight and a deva (diva) in the following terms:
“ He takes his grandfather’s club with him
And, full of courage, rushes forward ... He hurries to the great Erzheng in the camp. Only the giant reached the enemy headquarters.
He let out a war cry.
That the mountains trembled with the depths of the sea.
Hearing the warrior's proud call.
The angry Div left his tent.
Grow up when you see him. touched immediately
The horse and, like lightning to the diva, rushed,
Grabbed him by the ears, furious, And tore off his head from the body, like a lion.
This bloody head then
He threw Rostem to the ground in front of the divas. *
*(Translated by Ts. Banu-Lahuti)
Div. Islamic miniature of the 17th century.
The devas are giants, their bodies are covered with hair, and on their hands and feet they have long claws. In their lairs, which are located in hard-to-reach places, they guard fabulous treasures. Devas hate people and eat several people every day.
EGVI
See MIMENGVI.
EGVI
UNICORN
In the myths and folklore of various peoples, a wonderful animal. Outwardly, he looks like a horse, only his body is white, his head is dark red, his eyes are dark blue, and there is a horn on his forehead. True, according to other sources, the head of a unicorn is a deer, the hooves of an elephant, and boar fangs stick out of its mouth. However, the appearance of wonderful animals tends to change from tradition to tradition, so there is nothing surprising in the disagreement about the appearance of the unicorn. Jorge L. Borges leads
Unicorn
a curious quotation from An Anthology of Chinese Literature Annotated. An ancient author named Han Yu says: “Everyone knows that the unicorn is a creature of another world and portends happiness. i - odes, works speak about this
historians, biographies of famous people... Even children and commoners know that a unicorn promises good luck. But this animal does not belong to the number of domestic animals, is rare and difficult to describe. This is not a horse or a bull, not a wolf or a deer. And therefore, being in front of a unicorn, we may not recognize him. It is known that this animal with a long mane is a horse, otherwise. with horns - a bull. But what a unicorn is, we don't know."
Only an innocent girl can catch a unicorn if she sits alone under a tree. Seeing her, the unicorn will come and put his head in her lap. This is where he can be taken by surprise. In captivity, the unicorn dies, and before death, he sings a mournful farewell song.
The horn of the unicorn is the greatest value: like the claws of a griffin, it darkens if poison is dropped on it.
By the way, such a horn was kept at one time in the Windsor Palace in London: they made a vessel for drinking from it, and every time they poured wine, they watched not
UNICORN
Will it change color? In addition, the horn has healing properties.
W. Bauer remarks: “The unicorn is a symbol of viviparous male power. In the songs of the troubadours and the painting of that time, the unicorn ... is the most powerful and indomitable animal that becomes meek and falls to its knees only when it sees a “beautiful virgin” in front of it ... "
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In the text of the Depth Book, which was published by Kirsha Danilov, the unicorn is called the father of all animals (however, the lion was already considered the king of animals):
“The unicorn-beast is the father of all animals.
Why is the unicorn the father of all animals?
Because the unicorn is the father of all animals. -
And he walks underground
And the mountains of stone do not hold him.
And those rivers are fast;
When he comes out of the damp earth,
And he is looking for an opponent,
And whether that fierce lion of the beast;
They met with a lion in an open field.
They began to fight, the beasts:
They want to be kings
Above all the beasts is taken large.
And they fight about their majority.
Unicorn. Gesner, Animal History. Zurich, 1551
Print with unicorn
The unicorn-beast submits.
ENVAN
He submits to the lion-beast, And the lion is signed - he should be king. King to be over all the beasts.
ENVAN
In Korean mythology, the sea dragon is the king of dragons who lives in an underwater palace. Yongwang is the lord of the Mulquisins. Each of the seas - northern, southern, western and eastern - has its own envan. Together with wives, daughters, commanders and dignitaries, these four yenvans make up the pantheon of water spirits. Green Yongwan (Cheonnyen) -
■ ■
Monster. From Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok, Thailand. 19th century
guardian of the East, red (Chonnen) and yellow (Hwannen) are guardians of the South. the white (Pennen) is the guardian of the West, and the black (Hynnen ) is the guardian of the North. It was believed that if the yenwan took off from the water, there would be a change in the ruling dynasty among the people. In the underwater palace of the yenvan, the sun and the moon find shelter. Envan cubs could turn into humans and live both on land and under water. According to the legends, a snake and turbidity could become a yenvan, which for a long time
lay in the water.
ENDON
In Korean mythology, the house spirit. Endong hides in the house behind the largest beam, monitors the observance of cleanliness and order, and severely punishes carelessness - he can set fire to the house.
YENSIN
See YENVAN.
ESTRAFILE
See STREFIL.
ECHIDNA
See ECHIDNA.
FIREBIRD
S. N. Antonov. Firebird. Book savers.
church shmyguns who live in those
FIREBIRD
In the folklore of the Eastern Slavs, a wonderful bird. “The feathers of the firebird shine with silver and gold, ” A.N. Afanasyev wrote, “ the eyes glow like a crystal, and she sits in a golden cage. At deep midnight, she flies into the garden and illuminates it with herself as brightly as thousands of lit fires; one feather from her tail, carried into a dark room, can replace the richest lighting; such a pen ... the price is neither less nor more - more than a whole kingdom, but there is no price for the bird itself! The firebird feeds on golden apples, which give youth, beauty and immortality; when she sings, pearls fall from her beak. The singing of the firebird heals the sick and restores sight to the blind.
ZERDYAY
In Russian folklore evil spirits. V.I. Dal describes the pole as follows: “... long and pretentious, sometimes staggers through the streets at night, looks into windows, warms his hands in a pipe and scares people. This is some kind of miserable connecting rod who is condemned to wander around the world for a century without use and position.
FAT
Fairies in English folklore . avid for human food. It is believed that fairies can eat any human food. if it is not marked with a cross. But there are also fairies who eat what people have received in an unrighteous way - by theft, extortion, and the like. Such fairies are called fat. They are closely related to
hill dwellers
monasteries where the monks forgot about their duties and indulged in gluttony.
Tradition says that a certain priest decided to somehow visit his nephew, who owned a tavern. At the table, the priest asked his nephew how things were going. He began to complain: they say everything is going upside down for him, there is no profit, although he tries his best - he bakes dog meat into pies and dilutes ale with water. The priest reproached him and asked permission to look into the cellar. At the bottom of the cellar lay a fat guy, devouring everything. The owner of the tavern was indignant and began to demand an answer from the guy as he climbed into the cellar. The priest explained
elven hill
he said that it was fat and that if the nephew wanted to get rid of him, he should forget about bad habits With these ovals he left.
A few years later, the priest again -ave:til the nephew of Totrazbog Tel and enjoyed such respect in the city that he was about to be elected burgomaster. In the cellar of the tavern
still sat fat - skinny, skin and bones. He looked longingly at the provisions around him, but he could not touch them because the owner of the tavern no longer deceived anyone.
Curiously , in Slavic folklore there are similar characters - namely, wen - or lickers. They usually live behind the stove and steal freshly cooked pancakes and lick dishes at night.
RESIDENTS OF THE HILLS
In the folklore of the inhabitants of the Isle of Man, the malevolent fairies are perhaps the most sinister of all. Hill dwellers - otherwise they are called mounds or homen - live in caves or inside the hills; the main occupation of the mounds is to herd domestic animals, which are all blue in color. Hogmen are magnificent blacksmiths and unsurpassed interpreters of runic writings.
ZHIKHAR
endure sunlight and show up only at nightfall. Kholmoviks kidnap women and children, set fire to barns and throw out other dirty tricks. True, if you treat them with respect, they will behave decently if a mortal neighbor has a child, a hogman will definitely give them a purse of gold coins However, it is believed that on the night of Holland Tide (November 11) it is better not to leave the house, whatever the relationship with the hogmen. On this night, the hogmen move from one cave to another from hill to hill and anyone they notice, expect serious trouble
Fairy round dance
ZHIKHAR
In Russian folklore, an evil spirit. who steals babies As soon as the mother weaned herself from the cradle, the fat man is right there. but in the presence of his mother, he does not dare to his pranks N. N. Kharuzin notices: If the mother is forced to leave the hut, then in order to prevent the attempts of the zhikhar to steal the child in the absence of the mother, the following measures are taken, the mother puts scissors and a spindle stone in the shank, and under the shaking on the floor, they put an old broom. If these precautions are taken, the zhikhar turns out to be powerless.
BAKER
BAKER
In Russian folklore, a kind and mischievous spirit lives behind the stove. His pranks sometimes turn into big troubles for people - for example, he loves to break dishes and hide things that are urgently needed.
BEAST ROARING
In the legends of the so-called. “Arthurian cycle”, that is, associated with King Arthur, a wonderful beast, the appearance of which is described by T. Malory as follows: “... in appearance it had a head - like a snake, a body - like a leopard, a lion - like a lion. and shins - like a deer. And from his womb came a roar. as if forty hounds were imprisoned in it, and this roar came from it, wherever the beast found itself.
Lion with the neck of a snake. Egypt, III millennium BC
Lion with snake neck Egypt, Ben Hassan, Middle Kingdom
