Sacred animal of ancient Egypt. Honoring the bull, cow, cat, mongoose, falcon. Animal cults in ancient Egypt Message about the veneration of the sacred animals of the ancient people

From time immemorial in ancient Egypt it was customary to honor sacred animals. The main religion of this state was combined with totemism. Each tribe, in those days, had its own totem with some kind of deified animal. But it was in Egypt that the cult of veneration of animals acquired colossal proportions.
The Egyptians worshiped such animals as the cat, falcon, crocodile, bull, frog, cow and many others. Many sacred animals were prohibited from hunting everywhere. Only in a few places could sometimes kill crocodiles because of their increased numbers.

The worship of the animals of Ancient Egypt was elevated to a cult to such an extent that many dead deified animals were mummified and buried at local temples in sarcophagi.

Cult of the Cow and the Bull.

A special place in the list of revered animals was occupied by the cult of the sacred bull. The bull personified fertility, because thanks to him, the inhabitants of Ancient Egypt managed to fertilize the soil. And, all the gods, who were symbols of fertility, here, most of all, were personified with a bull. For example, the bull Apis lived permanently in Memphis. He was, as the locals believed, the soul of the god Ptah. But, for such veneration, the bull had to have special signs. He was supposed to have a white triangle on his forehead, an eagle-shaped spot on his neck, and a moon-shaped spot on his side.

People also worshiped the cult of the sacred white cow of Heliopoli. The deity identified with her was called Isis. She was considered the mother of the bull Apis. Another goddess, Hathor, was also revered. The sun was always placed between her horns in the paintings. It was believed that she moves the god Ra across the firmament.

Bird cult.

In ancient Egypt, the veneration of such birds as the ibis and the falcon was great. Killing these sacred birds was punishable by death. The ibis was the personification of the god of wisdom, Thoth, who created literature and invented writing. The ibis was associated with calmness and wisdom. The remains of these birds were also embalmed.
The falcon was also worshiped in ancient Egypt. He was personified by the god Horus, depicted as Ra with a soaring falcon, or a man with a falcon's head. They were considered the protectors of the pharaohs.

Cult of Crocodiles.

In ancient Egypt, crocodiles were identified with Sebeka, the god of the Nile and its deep waters. People believed that they controlled the ebb and flow of the river. The soil fertility depended on these factors.

Honoring cats.

Cats in Egypt were revered everywhere and always. The main object of worship was the god Bubastis. It was believed that it was cats that brought the safety of the crop, as they killed small rodents. It is with these animals that many strange traditions are associated. At the death of a cat, the entire family that kept her observed mourning. For the destruction of this animal, the death penalty was due. If the house was engulfed in flames, then the cat was carried out first, and only then people and personal belongings were saved.

For dead cats, a special cemetery was created, where they were buried after being embalmed.
In addition, these animals were identified with the goddess Bastet. She is the keeper of the hearth, a symbol of fertility. She was depicted as a woman with the head of a cat.

The cult of baboons and dogs.

The baboon was revered, and was considered one of the animals that were at the great court of Osiris in world of the dead. Sometimes there are paintings of the god Thoth, depicting him as a baboon. The Egyptians elevated this animal and considered it a rational creature. These monkeys often lived near temples, and even took part in religious ceremonies.
In ancient Egypt, the gods of the underworld played a huge role. Such was the king of the dungeon of the dead Anubis. He was the servant of Osiris, accompanied the dead to another world. He was depicted in the form of a jackal or a dog, or in the form of a man with a dog's head.

The cult of pigs, lions and hippos.

The worship of these animals in ancient Egypt was not so widespread. It was more local. For example, lions were revered mainly in Memphis, Heliopolis. They were symbolized by the goddess Sekhmet. She carried the personification of war, the hot sun. Lions were also not allowed to be hunted.
The cult of the hippopotamus was identified with the goddess Taurt. She was considered the protector of pregnant mothers and babies. She was depicted in the form of a pregnant female hippopotamus.
The pig in ancient Egypt was treated with disgust. They considered her unclean. Associated with the cunning deity Seth. However, for many peoples, she personified the sky.

Cults of other animals of Ancient Egypt.

Among other revered cults, the frog can be distinguished. She escorted people to the other world, and symbolized the resurrection. The life after death was also symbolized by the scarab beetle. The Egyptians often wore amulets depicting this beetle. They protected them from evil spirits, evil spirits.
It should be noted that in ancient Egypt, sacred animals were considered the souls of the gods and often lived near temples. Probably, the cult of animals was so strong on the lands of this state also because Egypt is a country with a poor animal world, and the prosperous existence of the people depended on this, one way or another.

The cult of the wolf is very ancient and complex. Probably, for the ancient Slavic farmers, wolves were very useful in the spring, when spring bread and flax sprouted, and in the forest thickets there were a lot of horned little things (roe deer, wild goats, chamois), deer, wild boars, causing great harm to crops; wolves in the open spaces of sown fields easily caught this living creature, thereby protecting the fields from grass. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why the wolf in the popular representation began to be associated with fertility; another reason could be the ancient representation of a cloud in the form of a wolf. At the same time, the connection between the wolf and the harvest was preserved under Christianity; for example, the Serbs believed that the wolf brings good luck and even specifically can predict the harvest, and meeting with him and the Eastern Slavs was considered a good omen. In the guise of a wolf, they sometimes imagined the spirit of a field, bread: for example, when the winds swayed the bread, in some places they said: “A wolf passes through the bread”, “A rye wolf runs across the field”, etc .; and children gathering in the field to pick spikelets and cornflowers were warned: "There is a wolf sitting in the bread - he will tear you to pieces", "Look, the rye wolf will come and eat you", etc. In some places it was even believed that the wolf was hiding in the last sheaf of bread, such a sheaf itself was occasionally called the "Rye Wolf".

Fenrir grew up among the Ases, only Tyr, the god of military courage, dared to feed him. To protect themselves, the aces decided to chain Fenrir, but the mighty wolf easily tore the strongest chains (Leding, Drommi). In the end, the aesir, by cunning, nevertheless managed to bind Fenrir with the magic chain Gleipnir, but in order for the wolf to allow himself to put this chain on himself, Tyr had to put his hand into his mouth as a sign of the absence of evil intentions. When Fenrir was unable to free himself, he bit off Tyr's hand. The Æsir chained Fenrir to a rock deep underground and stuck a sword between his jaws.

On the day of Ragnarok, according to the prophecy of the prophetic Norns, the goddesses of fate, Fenrir will break his chains and swallow the sun. At the end of the battle, Fenrir will kill Odin and will be killed by Vidar, the son of Odin.

Fenrir joined other monsters and giants in a campaign against the gods. Ragnarok begins like this: one Wolf will devour the sun, and the other the moon. The earth and mountains will tremble, trees will fall, mountains will break from top to bottom, and all shackles and chains will be broken and broken. Fenrir Wolf will break free, and the sea will rush on land, because the World Serpent will crawl ashore in a rage. The ship Naglfar, equipped in Hel, will take on board a team of the dead and, under the leadership of Loki, will sail from the swamps of Hel, picked up by a gigantic shaft. Fenrir Wolf will rush forward with his mouth open: the lower jaw to the ground, the upper jaw to the sky; be more space, he would open his mouth even wider. Flames blaze from his eyes and nostrils. And next to the Wolf, the World Serpent crawls, spewing poison into heaven and earth. Odin rides ahead of the army of the gods - in a golden helmet, with a spear Gungnir in his hand. He goes out to fight Fenrir the Wolf; side by side with him is Thor, but he cannot help Odin, for he is fighting the World Serpent. Freyr fights Surt until he falls dead. Garm, imprisoned in Hel, in the bottomless cave of Gnipahellir, breaks free. He enters into a furious fight with the god Tyr, and they strike each other to death. Thor kills the World Serpent, but, moving nine steps away, falls to the ground, poisoned by the putrid breath of the reptile. Fenrir Wolf swallows Odin; but Odin's son Vidar pushes forward and puts his foot on the lower jaw of the Wolf. This foot is shod with a shoe, which has been made piecemeal since the beginning of time. Vidar grabs the Wolf's upper jaw with his hand and rips his mouth open. The wolf is dying. But Surt throws fire on the earth and burns the whole world. Thus is accomplished Ragnarok, the death of the gods.

Wolf in Slavic mythology

Wolves were once considered sacred animals of the god of wealth and fertility Veles; "Veles days" that fell on winter Christmas time were also called the "wolf holiday". In addition, the patron of wolves, apparently, was the solar god Dazhbog (similar to the Greek Apollo Lykeisky, "Wolf", the patron of wolves), and also probably the goddess of the earth and fertility Lada (similar to the Greek goddess Leto, turning into a she-wolf in myths). As a sacred animal, the wolf was highly revered by the Slavs, and the echoes of these reverences have survived to this day in fairy tales and legends, where the wolf, by the way, is one of the most honest characters. Even some Old Slavic names were associated with the wolf; for example, names like Wolf, Vuk and diminutive Vuchko, Hort, etc.

The origin of the wolf in folk beliefs was usually associated with evil spirit. For example, according to one of the legends, the devil molded a wolf out of clay or carved it out of a tree, but could not revive him, and then God himself breathed life into the wolf, while the wolf animated by God rushed at the devil and grabbed his leg (therefore, the devil from those lame now). A variant of this legend, spread elsewhere, said that the devil was jealous of God when he created Adam, and tried to create a man himself, but instead he turned out to be a wolf.

The chthonic properties of the wolf (the origin associated with the earth, clay, the belief about treasures "coming out" of the earth in the genus of the wolf) bring it closer to reptiles - snakes, lizards, eels, etc .; even their origin was sometimes considered common (for example, according to one of the beliefs, reptiles were born from shavings from a wolf carved by the devil). At the same time, the wolf, in popular beliefs, sometimes unites with various unclean animals that are not eaten, the characteristic principle of which was blindness or blind birth. Some beliefs about wolves were, as it were, somewhat modified beliefs about reptiles: for example, in some places they believed that a she-wolf brings wolf cubs once in her life, and that she who brought offspring turns into a lynx five times (cf. the idea that a snake or a frog, living to a certain age turns into a flying snake); at the same time, wolf cubs are bred where the wolf howls during the Easter Vespers, and there are as many of them as there were days for the meat-eater from Christmas to Great Lent.

As a supernatural being, involved in the world of Gods and Spirits, the wolf in folk beliefs was endowed with the gift of omniscience (he usually appears in Russian fairy tales, if not omniscient, then at least a wise and experienced beast in various matters). In addition, the functions of an intermediary between "this" and "the next world", between people and gods or evil spirits, in general, the forces of another world, were traditionally attributed to him; for example, the Serbs believed that the wolf often visited the dead in the "other world", and when they met with the wolf, they sometimes called the dead for help. Because of such beliefs, as well as because of the notions of lycanthropy and werewolf, the wolf in folk beliefs is often associated with "strangers": the dead, ancestors, "walking" dead, etc.

In addition, the wolf in popular beliefs was usually closely associated with evil spirits. So, for example, in the stories of some places, wolves oppose a person as unclean spirits, and they are driven away with a cross by prayer, bell ringing, and generally illuminated objects. It was also often believed that the wolf "knows" with evil spirits and sorcerers, who, at will, can turn into a wolf, or send wolves to people and cattle. Devils, demons, etc. also often appear in the form of a wolf, or have wolf signs (wolf teeth, ears, eyes, etc.). Everywhere there was also a belief that wolves are subordinate to the goblin, and the goblin disposes of them like his dogs, feeds them bread and indicates to them which cattle in the herd can be bullied; at the same time, the goblin itself can turn into a white wolf. However, at the same time, the attitude of the wolf to evil spirits was ambivalent: on the one hand, it was believed that devilry disposes of wolves and even devours wolves (cf. the idea that unclean spirits sometimes drive wolves to human habitation in order to profit from wolf carrion later, and the devil annually drags himself one wolf into hell); but on the other hand, wolves in folk beliefs eat and generally exterminate devils so that they are less fertile.

Under Christianity, St. Georgy (Yuri, Yegory), "wolf shepherd"; in addition, among Western Ukrainians, St. Mikhail, Luppa, Nikolai, Peter and Pavel. It is possible that it was the patronage of St. George over the wolves led to a peculiar perception of the predatory actions of the beast: "What the wolf has in its teeth, Yegoriy gave it"; this, in turn, led to the fact that the attack of the wolf on the cattle was considered by the peasants as a sign of future good luck and contentment. For example, livestock abduction by a wolf was often perceived by pastoralists as a sacrifice that promises good luck to the owner: other animals from the herd after this sacrifice will remain untouched, and some supernatural forces (goblin, etc.) will protect the cattle during summer grazing. In some places, shepherds, trying to appease the goblin, even deliberately left one sheep, cow, etc. in the forest to be eaten by wolves. from the herd. In general, in order to appease the wolves or their owners (goblin, St. George, etc.), the peasants often promised one or more cows from the herd, believing that the promised cow would certainly be picked up by the wolves, but the rest of the herd would remain intact and safety.

According to popular beliefs, wolves are especially dangerous for people starting from the day of Elijah the Prophet, since it is at this time that "wolf holes open"; and from Yuri Kholodny (December 9), wolves begin to approach rural backyards for prey, and at this time it is dangerous to go outside the village. Around the day of St. Anna (December 22; the beginning of winter in folk calendar: "with the feast of the conception of St. Anna, winter begins") wolves, according to popular observation, gather in packs and become especially dangerous; they scatter only after the shots at Epiphany (January 19). From Nikola Zimny, wolves in packs begin to scour the forests, fields and meadows; from that day, until Epiphany, "wolf holidays" continued. These holidays, celebrated in the middle of winter at Christmas time, were celebrated by many Slavic peoples, wishing to appease the "flock of sunny Yegori", especially fierce in the winter months, by honoring the wolves at this time. For example, in the Western Ukrainian and Podolsk peasant villages until the twentieth century. The custom was preserved to dress up in wolf skins for Kolyada, and with songs to carry a stuffed wolf through the streets. In ancient times, such holidays, apparently, were dedicated to the god of fertility and wealth Veles and his sacred animals - wolves; under Christianity, some of these Christmas rites, including those dedicated to wolves, were preserved, although they were somewhat modified.

In ancient times, wolves were sometimes perceived by peasants as a threat no less than the invasion of enemy armies. This was especially true for remote forest villages (cf .: "There were many wolves in our places in those years. Now they howl in the autumn right under the plant, and then they were - strength!"). Therefore, despite all the positive functions of wolves, the peasants were wary and fearful of them, they tried to protect themselves from them by all possible means, both ordinary and magical. For example, to protect livestock in some special days observed certain prohibitions on actions and work related to sheep wool and yarn, livestock meat, manure; With weaving and sharp objects. So, for example, in order to prevent the wolves from touching the cattle, the peasants did not do any work on St. George and others: they did not lend anything during the first grazing of cattle and the removal of manure to the field; did not spin at Christmas time; they did not give weaving tools beyond the boundaries of the village, they did not put up fences between the days of St. Yuri and St. Nicholas; did not eat meat on St. Nicholas; they did not allow sexual intercourse on the last night before Shrovetide, etc.

To prevent the wolf from touching the grazing cattle, in many places they also performed various magical actions, symbolizing the erection of a barrier between the wolf and the cattle. For example, to protect livestock on St. Nikolai was put iron in the oven, stuck a knife into the table, into the threshold, or covered the stone with a pot with the words: "My cow, my nursery nurse, sit under the pot from the wolf, and you, wolf, gnaw your sides." At the first pasture of cattle, locks were closed for the same purpose ("they locked the teeth of a wolf"), sprinkled oven heat on the threshold to the stables, etc.

To protect the wolves, conspiracies were also used, appealing both directly to the wolf, and to the goblin or to the saints - the lords of the wolves, so that they would appease "their dogs"; reading conspiracies was usually accompanied by clenching fists, closing teeth, sticking into a wall, etc. At the same time, in conspiracies, the wolf was usually called by its ancient name - "hort" (cf .: "Saint George, protect me from a fierce beast, from a hort with hortens", etc. Entering the forest, the peasants usually read the conspiracy "from the evil beast ", so as not to meet the wolf. When meeting with the wolf, they tried to be silent and not breathe; often they even kissed dead or, on the contrary, showed the figurine to the wolf, scared him away with threats or knocking, screaming, whistling, swearing; sometimes they bowed, knelt before the wolf , welcomed, or asked for "pardon".

It was also widely believed that the wolf, like unclean spirits, instantly responds to the sound of his name, so it was forbidden among the people to mention the name of the wolf so as not to call him (cf. the proverb: "we are talking about the wolf, but he is towards"). The peasants usually used other names for this taboo animal, for example: “beast”, “gray”, “biryuk”, “lykus”, “kuzma”, etc. But even such nicknames were rarely used, since they (although less likely) could attract the attention of the beast, and therefore, bring danger to the person and his environment (his relatives, as well as livestock, etc.).

The wolf was sometimes interpreted by the peasants as a foreigner: for example, a pack of wolves was often called a "horde"; in order to protect themselves from wolves, they were sometimes called "carolers" (i.e., carolers and, in general, participants in roundabout rites, in the popular attitude, also belonged to "strangers", foreigners), etc. Various foreign bodies were also associated with the wolf (for example, in folk tradition wolf - the name of the growth on the tree; growths and tumors on the body of patients were often treated with wolf bone or with the help of a person who had eaten wolf meat, etc.). By the way, each of the parties participating in the wedding could be endowed with "wolf" symbols, as the other in relation to the opposite: for example, "wolves" were popularly called the squad of the bride or groom, relatives at the wedding; "gray wolves" in the bride's lamentations are the groom's brothers; the groom's relatives often called the bride - "she-wolf", etc.

The eye, heart, teeth, claws, wolf hair among the people often served as amulets and remedies. So, for example, a wolf's tooth in some places was given to gnaw on a child whose teeth were erupting; It was believed that then the baby would have the same strong and healthy teeth as a wolf. The wolf's tail was sometimes carried with them from diseases, damage, etc.: and the healers could use it along with the wolf's paws, for divination and sorcery. a talisman for ordinary people the very mention or name of the wolf could even serve (for example, they said about a calf that was born: “This is not a calf, but a wolf cub”, believing that after that the wolf will take the calf for one of its puppies and will not touch it during summer grazing.).

IN folk omens, a wolf that ran past the village, crossed the road or met on the way, usually foreshadowed good luck, happiness and well-being; but the wolf that ran into the village was considered a sign of crop failure. A lot of wolves that appeared in the vicinity of the village promised war (as well as the appearance of a lot of anything, for example, white butterflies, ants, etc.); the howl of wolves foreshadowed hunger, and their howl under housing - war or severe frost, in autumn - rains, and in winter - a snowstorm.

The development of the cult of the wolf in ancient Rus'

In various sources reflecting the development of the religious views of our ancestors, along with references to various cults, one can find information about the veneration of animals. In the system of traditional folk ideas about the surrounding world, animals act as a special kind of mythological characters, along with deities, demons, elements, celestial bodies, people themselves, plants, and even utensils. These elements, as objects of a structural description, partially intersect with each other. That is why it is far from always possible to draw a clear line between mythological and animal characters.

The purpose of this work is to trace the development of attitudes towards the wolf of our ancestors. The wolf is the most mythologized character. It has a wide range of different meanings, many of which combine it with other predators, as well as with animals that are endowed with chthonic symbolism. Combining information from different sources, you are amazed that the attitude towards this animal has changed in the opposite direction with the passage of time. If at first the wolf was revered by the ancient Slavs, then later (especially with the adoption of Christianity) it becomes a hostile creature, and sometimes the embodiment of evil. However, this change is due not only to a change in religious beliefs. The meaning of this character changes even in the pagan period, at a time when cattle breeding and agriculture became the main occupation of our ancestors.

It should be noted that it is difficult to establish a clear time frame for such a study. First, if we talk about the lower limit, it should be noted that the development of the Slavic tribes was uneven and depended on the natural conditions in which they lived. Secondly, if we talk about the upper limit, then this is the period of the so-called. dual faith, but the work uses sources recorded much later. In addition, it must be taken into account that many echoes of ancient beliefs survived until the end of the 19th century.

In order to trace the development of the “wolf cult” among the Slavs and the transformation of the wolf into a hostile creature already in the Christian era, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with a variety of sources of oral folk tradition, such as beliefs and signs that cover different aspects of human life, conspiracies, fairy tales, proverbs and sayings, legends, riddles, etc. at the same time, each of the forms of folk culture, each folklore genre has its own specifics and different value in terms of the reconstruction of mythological representations.

Traditional folk beliefs act as motivations, prohibitions, amulets and ritual and magical actions. However, their original mythological meaning is often changed, or completely erased. Rites in which animals appear either directly (often as central characters) or symbolically (characters dressed up, figurines of animals and birds, etc.) provide rich material for revealing the mythological symbolism of animals.

In folklore texts, mythological ideas about animals are presented in a purer form in epics, legends, and less often in toponymic and historical traditions. These representations are reflected in various song texts, primarily in ritual ones, but also in epic and ballad ones. To a lesser extent playful and comic, even weaker in lyrical and historical1.

In many folklore texts, mythological symbols appear in a transformed form. this applies primarily to incantations, dream interpretations, and riddles that have preserved traces of deep archaism. The meaning inherent in them is revealed not directly, but taking into account the magical function of the word, poetic allegory. In general, small folklore texts are an important material for the reconstruction of mythological representations, since they have a stable formulaic character. In addition to conspiracies and riddles, these are incantations, spells, curses, formulas for exhorting and appeasing animals, intimidating children. Swear formulas containing comparisons with animals have the same stable character. In poetic form traditional beliefs reflected in various genres of children's folklore and in fairy tales. The worldview of our ancestors can be partly restored with the help of works of ancient Russian literature and archaeological data.

Invaluable assistance in such studies is provided by the work of scientists so-called. mythological school of I.P. Sakharova, F.I. Buslaeva, A.N. Afanasiev, A.A. Potebni and others. They were the first, based on the analysis of Russian folklore, its comparison with the folklore and mythology of other peoples, who tried to restore the beliefs, cults, rituals and customs of the ancient Slavs. These researchers have collected a lot of works folk art who found their second life on paper. The works of "mythologists" are also popular with modern scientists.

As mentioned above, the attitude towards the wolf among the Eastern Slavs changed with the passage of time. The beliefs of our ancestors were constantly developing and changing, but the old did not die off, but was layered on the new. Thus, it is obvious that any cult is multilayered.

The stages of development of early forms of religion, as scientists have shown, are inextricably linked with the development of society, with historical features his life and work. S.A. Tokarev claims that among the most ancient forms of religion in their origin are: 1) totemism, 2) witchcraft, 3) quackery. They are rooted in the conditions of life of primitive people. Later forms of religion, which already reflect the processes of decomposition of the communal-tribal system, should be considered: 4) initiations, 5) a fishing cult, 6) a family-tribal cult of shrines and patrons, 7) a patriarchal cult of ancestors, 8) nagualism, 9) a cult of leaders , 10) the cult of a tribal god, 11) agrarian cults2.

This pattern also corresponds to the development of the cult of the wolf among the Eastern Slavs. It arose even before the main occupation of the Slavs was agriculture and cattle breeding.

Hunters believed that wild animals were their ancestors. Each tribe had its own totem. Totemism reflected a sense of the connection of the human group with the territory belonging to it. This form of religion, as it were, sanctifies and consolidates the traditional rights of the clan to its land and hunting grounds.3 In addition, totemic mythology is nothing more than a mythological personification of the feeling of unity of the group, the commonality of its origin and the continuity of its traditions. Totemic ancestors are her religious and mythological sanction of the customs of the community. They are the supernatural founders of the rites performed by the members of the group, the prohibitions observed by them4.

Perhaps Herodotus witnessed a similar rite: “These people (in my opinion) werewolves. After all, the Scythians and Hellenes who live in Scythia say that once a year each Nevr becomes a wolf for several days and then returns to its former state again. In this news of the Greek historian, many commentators see evidence of the Slavs of the Neuri. Since, according to many sources, the cult of the wolf was widespread among the ancestors of the Slavs at that time. This can be explained by the fact that the wolf is a successful hunter, like him, people existed due to hunting. Hence the desire to imitate this animal. This was reflected in hunting rituals: dancing in animal skins, which in turn develops into fishing magic.

As for magical prohibitions, different types hunting taboo, then this is the most stable manifestation of fishing magic. They arose from elementary precautions in hunting: not to frighten away the beast with noise, conversations, smell and, as a result, the requirement to observe silence, cleanliness in the fishery and all kinds of secrecy. It was on this soil that superstitious ideas were born that the beast understands human speech, hears it from afar. Confirmation of this is such proverbs: “I would say a word, but the wolf is not far away”; "Don't call the wolf out of the ring." and therefore, even being at home, the hunters were not supposed to speak directly about the purposes of hunting, to call the beast by name. He was called either uncle (Belarusian) or fierce. Hunters imitating this beast called themselves "lutichi".

The rich ethnographic material makes it possible to trace the evolution of religious-magic and religious-mythological ideas associated with fishing rites and, one might say, developed on their basis. Originally it was a belief in magic, supernatural power the most human action. But gradually, as the general historical development proceeded, the personification of these magical ideas took place, they increasingly took the form of animistic (mythological) images. The same happened with the cult of the wolf. This beast is beginning to be endowed with miraculous properties.

The cult of the guardian spirit is also connected with the fishing cult. According to S.A. Tokarev, the family-clan cult of shrines and patrons, the patriarchal cult of ancestors and nagualism intersect here, i.e. cult of a personal spirit-patron. Probably, the appearance of magical fairy tale stories about a wolf-helper, a wolf-devourer of evil spirits, as well as signs that meeting a wolf on the way is for good dates back to this time. Belarusians have an expression “forward to the pit, I ran across the road”, which means, in essence, the same as “happiness fell on him”.

The custom of wearing amulets is associated with the cult of the patron spirit: numerous archaeological finds show that men's jewelry most often consisted of wolf fangs - apparently, these are still echoes of witchcraft.

Hunting is being replaced by animal husbandry and agriculture. They become the main occupations of man. Accordingly, new cults associated with them appear. Many of the former magical rites are losing their generally understood meaning. The wolf for pastoralists and farmers becomes a hostile animal. However, tradition is something stable, and respect for the fierce beast remains both at this time and in the future.

The farmers, as already mentioned, had their own cults and ideas about nature. This is the so-called. meteorological magic associated with heavenly powers and deities. The wolf, due to its predatory and predatory disposition, receives in folk legends the meaning of a hostile demon. In his image, fantasy personified the power of night darkness, clouds darkening the sky and winter fogs. Such a personification is in close connection with the belief in the fertile heavenly herds that give fertility to the earth. Herds, both heavenly and earthly, have a common enemy - the wolf.

So, in riddles, the word "wolf" is taken as a metaphor for the darkness of the night: "The wolf came - all the people fell silent, the falcon came clear - all the people went."

The epithets "wolf" and "evening" were sometimes used as equivalent. So, Vechernitsa (the planet Venus) was called the “wolf star”. The fact that the wolf serves as a symbol of a dark cloud is indicated in the “Pilot Book”: “clouds - goneshtei from the villagers are called leekodlatsi: when a lone or slate perishes, they say: eloquent lone has eaten up or slate”8.

Vlekodlatsi - dressed in a wolf skin (dlaka). The heavenly bodies, darkened by clouds, and the stormy spirits walking in the clouds, seemed to be dressed in wolf skins. Since celestial wolves attack celestial herds (stars, moon, sun), there is a belief that a wolf can eat fire (in fairy tales: a fire-eating wolf). The wolf-cloud, the devourer of heavenly bodies in Russian folk tales, is called the self-swallowing wolf: he lives on the "sea-okiyana" (or in the sky) and produces a gusli-samogudy for the fairy-tale hero. The epithet "bloody sunset" apparently came from the fact that people believed that in the evening the wolf devoured the sun9. Cracked on the moon are the marks of wolf teeth.

Winter and especially the month of December seemed to be the period of the triumph of demons over the beneficial power of sunlight, therefore the entire duration of winter (from November to February) is known as wolf time. February is called among the Slavs - fierce.

Since the wolf was a heavenly demon of clouds, the thunder god Perun became its master. The legends about the mythical cloudy wolves accompanying him during a formidable procession across the sky forced St. Yuri (Egor) as the leader and lord of wolves. He gathered them around him and determined for each where and what to feed on. There was a belief among the peasants that the wolf would not crush a single creature without God's permission; that on St. George's Day, Yegory the Brave rides through the forests on a white horse and gives orders to the wolves, as evidenced by such proverbs as: “What the wolf has in its teeth, Yegory gave”; "That's why Georgy gave his teeth to the wolf to feed"10.

This is also confirmed by reference to the XIX century. a legend recorded by N.A. Krinichnaya and writer V. Pulkin and published together with other legends and stories in 1989.
“Once a man was driving through the forest. It was during the day, in the summer. Only suddenly he sees: the wolf rushed at the sheep. The sheep was frightened, rushed under the cart. The wolf got scared and ran away.
The peasant took the sheep and took it with him, drove five sazhens from that place, it became not visible at all - it was a dark night. He was amazed. I drove and I drove and I don't know where.
Suddenly he sees a light.
- Ah, - he thinks, - these are, apparently, herdsmen. At least ask them where to go.
He drives up and sees - the fire is laid out, and around the wolves are sitting and Yegoriy the Brave himself is with them. And one wolf sits aside and clicks his teeth.
The man says that, they say, so and so, he got lost, I don’t know where to find the way. Yegoriy says to him:
- Why, - he says, - took the sheep away from the wolf?
- Yes, she, - says the man, - rushed to me. I felt sorry for her.
- And what will the wolves feed on? These, you see, are well-fed, and this hungry one is clicking his teeth. I feed them; everyone is happy, only one complains. Throw him a sheep, then I will show you the way. After all, this sheep was doomed to the wolf, so why did you take it away?
The man took the sheep and threw it to the wolf. As soon as I left it, the day became clear again, and I found my way home.

Thus, it can be assumed that some ancient beliefs were preserved even at the end of the 19th century.

Returning to the ancient patron of wolves, Perun, let us recall that he was the patron, first of all, of warriors-druzhina-niks, who, in turn, honored the animals of their god and tried to imitate them. IN ancient Russian literature more than once there is a comparison of a warrior with a gray wolf12. Young warriors called themselves wolves. This comparison survived until the 19th century. IN AND. Dahl wrote down the following proverb: “A soldier is like a wolf; wherever there is and tears.

However, the main occupation of our ancestors was still cattle breeding and agriculture, so the bad reputation of an evil demon is increasingly attached to the wolf. Elemental demons were presented to the ancients not only as humanoid creatures, but also in animal form. Cloud covers served as their skins. They either completely turned into animals, or acquired some of their individual characteristics. But if, on the one hand, ancient man in the phenomena of nature he saw the habits of various animals and his heavenly gods often gave their properties, then, on the other hand, he took miraculous properties from these mythical images and endowed animals with them. Losing connection with the most ancient expressions of the language, a person gradually forgot about the supernatural, and turned his religious feeling to the creatures around him. The original meaning of the word was lost; the idea of ​​a powerful elemental phenomenon, for which it served as a metaphor, became inaccessible to consciousness, and a strange, meaningless, mythical formula remained. The real deity has disappeared; in ancient legends about him, in prayer appeals, the people no longer recognized their old gods, understanding every word and expression literally. Instead of a god, he found a simple bull, bear, wolf.

So from a heavenly absorber, the wolf turns into a robber, who is feared, but still honored by the old grandfather's memory. The predatory nature of the wolf excites the idea of ​​robbery, violence and massacre. Until now, there is still an expression: "the wolf slaughtered a sheep or a cow." In later times, people who steal other people's livestock were called wolves. This was noticed by P.I. Melnikov (Andrey Pechersky) and described in his novel In the Forests:
“There are no special pastures and pastures beyond the Volga. Cattle graze in the forest all summer ... And sometimes thieves used to take cows and sheep out of the forest. People called such thieves "wolves". These wolves with their hands will cover, it happened, in the forest a cow or a sheep, they will immediately slaughter it and take it to the cart and to the market. The skin will be shed, it will be sold especially, and the meat will be sold cheaply to industrialists, by the fact that corned beef is prepared for barge haulers. This trade is much safer than walking through other people's cages and barns. Rarely the "wolf" was hunted down. But if such a thief is actually caught, the peasants will immediately punish him by lynching, in the old days. First, they flog with rods, how many vines fit, remove the skin from the slaughtered cattle, not washed from the blood, put it on the thief and in such an outfit they lead him from village to village, clanging in frying pans and barriers, with shouting, whooping, cursing and beatings. This is done on holidays, and behind the thief, who from the time of this walk is given the nickname "wolf", a crowd of a hundred people gathers. After that, that person is forever disgraced. Lead whatever righteous life you want, everyone calls him a wolf, and not a single decent peasant will let him into the yard.

The following is the "wolf song" with which the thief was taken through the villages:

Like our wolf
flared sides,
He was beaten, beaten,
Barely released alive.
But the wolf is being led,
What is the name of Mike.
Wu! u! u!
Mikeshke wolf
Will be at the withers!
Not for that the wolf is beaten,
That ser was born
And for that they beat the wolf,
What the sheep ate.
He killed a cow
The pig's throat was cut.
Oh you wolf!
Gray wolf!
Mikeshkin's mug
Looks like a wolf.
Drag the wolf alive
Beat him with a club.13

The proverb is very suitable for this situation: “Grey wolf, gray wolf, and all to him is wolf honor”14.

Hostility towards the wolf is felt even in times Kievan Rus. So, for example, in epics, any enemies are called wolves or fierce beasts. This definition is also found in ancient Russian literature.

After the adoption of Christianity, the wolf becomes the personification of evil spirits. The wolf is a damn horse, but on the other hand, the devil is afraid of the wolf. There is a legend that the devil created the wolf against God, but failed to revive it. God did it. The revived wolf attacked the devil, who tried to escape on a tree, most often an alder or aspen. The beast grabs him by the leg, and since then the devil has become legless, lame or one-legged. Cossacks, for example, believe that wolves eat devils at the behest of God15.

The wolf in the period of dual faith was conceptualized not only as an enemy (“Do not make the enemy a sheep, make him a wolf”), but also as a foreigner in general. Jews and Tatars were called wolves. In Belarusian conspiracies, wolves are called yavrei (Mogilev region)16.

In the Christian era, the wolf becomes the main character of the legends about werewolves (of course, they existed before, especially when the main form of religion of the ancient Slavs was totemism). In the Christian worldview, werewolves definitely become the embodiment of evil. People capable of turning into wolves of their own free will or as a result of the machinations of sorcerers were called werewolves.

The transformation of a werewolf, like any werewolf, involved moving from the human world to another world. The complex of features inherent in the wolf-dog is most fully preserved in the Ukrainian, Belarusian and Polish traditions, where ideas about this character are realized in a rather limited number of plots: the sorcerer turns wedding participants into wolves; a man turns into a wolf as a result of the revenge of a girl he has rejected; an evil mother-in-law (wife) turns an unloved son-in-law (husband) into a werewolf; the sorcerer becomes a werewolf to do evil to people; the wolf husband turns into a wolf at the “urgent” hour and attacks his wife, who later recognizes him when she sees a piece of her dress in his teeth. In Slavic written monuments, references to Volkolaks have been known since the 13th century.

The very name volkolak (ukr. vovkulak, white. voukolak) according to traditional etymology is the addition of the words "wolf" and "skin". Another theory elevates the second component of the word to the Balto-Slavic designation of a bear, literally it turns out “wolf-bear” (a bear is no less mythologized character).

A werewolf most often has the appearance of an ordinary wolf, although some features and habits give out a werewolf in him: his hind legs have knees forward, like a man, he has a human shadow, eyes burning like coals, he always runs alone. The remains of decayed clothes were allegedly found under the skin of a dead werewolf under the skin.17 At the moment of transformation into a werewolf, a person’s hands become overgrown with hair and become animal paws, he gets on all fours, instead of a human voice, a wolf’s howl is heard. With the reverse transformation, the human form does not yet attach the werewolf to the world of people: he is naked and unable to speak. The moment of the final return to "this" world is ritualized: usually it comes with putting on a shirt, eating human food, ringing a bell.

Werewolves can be voluntary, forced and predetermined by fate. At their own will become witches, sorcerers. They are able to turn any person into a werewolf. They are predetermined to become people conceived on Easter, born of a woman from a connection with a wolf, cursed by parents, double-minded people.

The ways of turning into a werewolf and vice versa are connected with crossing the border that separates the human world from the animal world: somersaulting over a wattle fence, an intersection, an aspen block, a stump, knives stuck in the ground, climbing over a collar, etc. I.P. Sakharov wrote down a curious plot, uttered according to popular belief by the werewolf himself:
“At the sea on Okiyan, on the island of Buyan, in a hollow clearing, the moon shines on an aspen stump, in a green forest, in a wide valley. A shaggy wolf walks around the stump, with all the horned cattle on his teeth; but the wolf does not enter the forest, and the wolf does not wander into the valley. Month, month - golden horns. Melt the bullets, dull the knives, blunt the clubs, cast fear on the beast, man and reptiles, so that they don’t take the sleep of the gray wolf and don’t tear the skin from him warm. My word is strong, stronger than sleep and heroic strength.

So, following the development of the wolf cult in Rus', we can distinguish the following motifs associated with this animal:
1) patron and assistant (for hunters and warriors);
2) the sacrifice made to this animal (“What the wolf has on its teeth, Yegoriy gave”);
3) friends - strangers: the wolf was associated with an enemy, a foreigner and just a stranger (which was especially pronounced in marriage symbolism: for each of the parties participating in the wedding, representatives of the opposite side were strangers and they called each other wolves);
4) the motif of the “other world”, when the wolf was already considered a fiend: a damn horse, a werewolf.

Layering these motifs on top of each other created a bizarre picture of the attitude of the people to the wolf, where reverence and respect, fear and hatred were mixed.

The messenger of Veles is the wolf. In ancient times, wolves were considered messengers of God. They made sacrifices to them, usually in December. The peasants took a goat, led it into the forest and tied it at the crossroads of forest roads. In the morning they went to see if the forest owners had refused their gift. Wolves never refused such a gift.

When meeting with a wolf in the forest, Belarusians greeted him: “Great, brother!” It was believed that if you greet him first, he will never attack, but run across the road - this is good, good luck. If the wolf runs near the village or through it before sunset, then the night will be good for all the villagers.

For service to Veles, the wolves were rewarded with the killing of domestic animals. Usually the wolf drags from the herd those animals for which he received permission from his master. But everything happens. There lived a widow. She had a black and bald cow. The choice of Veles fell on her. The widow found out about it. Neighbors advised her to cover the cow's bald spot with something black. The widow did just that. A wolf came to the herd, looking for a black cow with a bald spot and did not find it.

He went to Veles and began to complain that he had not found such a cow. God knew what a joke was played with the wolf and advised him to eat the black cow. The wolf went back to the herd to look for the already black cow. Meanwhile, the widow washed the cow's bald spot. And this time the wolf did not find his cow. He walked like this for a long time, looking for a cow with a bald spot, then a black one - and the widow kept deceiving him - and the wolf died of starvation.

wolf shepherd

One man found in the forest, under an old stump, a treasure. I didn’t even have time to rejoice, but the devil is right there: let’s, they say, share. They divided and divided until the very evening - they still can’t come to an agreement. Here is the cunning devil and says:

- Let's argue. Whoever sees a star in the sky first is the treasure.

The man agreed. Still would! He was reputed to be the most far-sighted in the village. He lifted his beard to the sky, looking out for an asterisk. And the devil jumped on the oak, got almost to the top and sits astride a branch, looking around. “Hey, it’s more convenient for him there,” the man thought, and also climbed up.

And then the devil and the peasant look - a pack of wolves rushes to the oak, driven by a rider on a white horse. The rider stopped under a tree and began to send the wolves in different directions. And he punishes everyone how and with what to soak. He sent everyone away, he is going to go further. At that time, a lame wolf trudges along and asks:

“And where is my share, Egory?”

“And your share,” answered the horseman, “is sitting on an oak tree.” The wolf waited night and day for the peasant and the devil to get down from the oak, but he did not wait. He walked away and hid behind a bush. In the meantime, the devil noticed the first star in the sky, descended from the oak, grabbed the treasure - and run. And the wolf jumped out from behind the bush, overtook the unclean one and immediately ate it. And the treasure was left lying around - what is it for the wolf?

The woodcutters found the peasant only three days later on an oak tree: he still didn’t want to get off. They barely removed the poor fellow from the tree, gave him food and drink. And then the treasure was divided among all.

In the tales of the Slavs, the wolf most often acts from the animals. The meaningfulness of the behavior of a wolf pack, cunning, intelligence and courage of gray predators have always inspired not only fear, but also respect. No wonder there was a personal name in antiquity - the Wolf (still in the Balkans, boys are called Buk, and among the Germans - Wolf). It was believed that wolves do not destroy their victims without exception, but choose only those who are doomed to death by Egor the Brave, the wolf shepherd, that is, the shepherd. As a matter of fact, this image merged with Egor the Brave already in later, Christian times. Our most ancient ancestors saw in him, first of all, the lord of the heavenly wolves, who, like hounds, participate together with the Wolf Shepherd in the wild hunt and rush through the heavens. Descending to the ground, the Wolf Shepherd rides out on a wolf, cracking his whip, drives the packs of wolves in front of him and threatens them with a club.

Sometimes he approaches the villages in the form of a gray-haired old man, but sometimes he himself turns into a wild beast - and then not a single shepherd can save his flocks from him. In the forest, he calls the wolves to him and determines his prey for each. Whoever it is - a sheep, a cow, a pig, a foal or a person - he will not escape his fate, no matter how careful he is, because the Wolf Shepherd is inexorable, like Fate itself.

Proverbs also speak of this: “What a wolf has in its teeth, Yegoriy gave”, “The wolf catches the fatal sheep”, “The doomed cattle is no longer a little animal”. That is why the dalina - an animal crushed by a wolf - was never eaten: after all, it was intended for the predator by the Wolf Shepherd himself.

For Belarusians, the Wolf Shepherd is a goat-legged and shaggy Polisun. Legends say that Polisun drives herds of hungry wolves with a whip to feed them to where the warring peoples are destroying each other in a fierce war. The blows of this bloody lash spread far over the surrounding countries.

According to folk tales, the wolf is the personification of a dark cloud that stores the living water of rain. The concept of strength, health and beauty is inextricably linked with it, therefore the wolf; sometimes acts as an assistant to the hero of legends. At the same time, the wolf is a cloud that obscures the sun, and in general the embodiment of darkness. “The wolf came (dark night) - all the people fell silent; the clear falcon (sun) flew up - all the people went! - asks an old riddle.

There is even such a character of ancient legends - a self-swallowing wolf. This is a wolf-cloud, a devourer of heavenly bodies. He lives on the sea-ocean (that is, in the sky), his terrible mouth is ready to devour any adversary. Under the wolf's tail is a bathhouse and the sea: if you evaporate in that bathhouse and swim in that sea, you will find eternal youth and beauty.

A wolf sometimes turned around, according to the word of pagan antiquity, even Perun himself, appearing on the ground; sorcerers and witches tried to imitate the god of the Slavic gods. In one of the most ancient conspiracies, it is due that on the fabulous island of Buyan “in a hollow clearing, a month shines on an aspen stump - in a green forest, in a wide valley. A hairy wolf walks around the stump, all the horned cattle are on his teeth ... "

The tales about Ivan Tsarevich and the gray wolf, repeated not only in Rus', but also among all Slavic and neighboring peoples, even endow this beast of prey with wings. He flies faster than the wind, carries the gray prince on his back from one white side of the world to another, helps him get the wonderful Firebird, the golden-maned horse and all the beauties the beauty - the Tsar Maiden. This fabulous wolf speaks with a human voice and is gifted with extraordinary wisdom.

Why is it that the wolf, a thief and robber by its bestial nature, helps man in almost all legends and is even ready to sacrifice his life for him? We find here traces of the veneration of the wolf as a totem, a sacred ancestor, the patron of people from his tribe. That is why he is even able to get living and dead water, resurrect a dead hero, although this would be beyond the power of an ordinary beast.

But over time, the veneration of the ancestor totem and the fear of a fierce beast went in different directions. The wolf has become more of a foe than a helper, and people have found ways to successfully defend themselves against him - both with the help of weapons and sorcery means.

An old Little Russian belief advises a plowman-cattle breeder to put a piece of iron in the stove - if he fights off the herd, an animal wanders into the forest, then the fierce beast-wolf will never touch it. From winter Nikola, the people say, wolves begin to prowl in herds through forests, fields and meadows, daring to attack even entire carts. From that day until Epiphany - wolf holidays. Only after the baptismal blessing of water does their courage disappear.

According to the stories of coachmen, wolves are afraid of bells and fire. An arched bell drives them away from the traveler: “The evil spirits feel that the baptized are coming!” says the old man. In many villages, in order to protect livestock from wolves that sneak up to the backyards at night in winter, in the old days it was customary to run around the outskirts with a bell in hand, lamenting to the sound: “There is an iron fence near the yard, so that not a fierce beast gets through this fence, neither a bastard, nor an evil person! People who believe in the power of witchcraft say that if you throw a dried wolf heart towards the wedding train, then the young will live unhappily. Wolf hair was considered in the old days one of the evil forces in the hands of sorcerers.

The cult of the wolf among the Bashkirs

In mythical traditions, legends and fairy tales, as well as in beliefs, customs, rituals and folk holidays The Bashkir wolf acts as a totemic ancestor - progenitor, patron and protector. Such motives are based on the most ancient ideas of people about the identity of man and animal, the possibility of their mutual transformation.

Such ideas are manifested among the Bashkirs in folklore sources. In one of the versions of the epos "Ural-batyr" there is a story about how Shulgan, the elder brother and antipode of the Urals, trying to become a mighty batyr, on the advice of a snake-yukha in the guise beautiful woman he drinks a sip of the blood of a predatory beast from a wineskin, violating his father's prohibition, and at the same moment turns into a wolf.

The plot "man-wolf, werewolf" is one of the most popular in the mythology of the Ural-Altaic, Paleo-Asian, Indo-European and Caucasian peoples. The "wolf-man" plot type has found no less distribution in world mythology, as evidenced by the existence in all parts of the world of fairy tale motifs about the meeting of heroes with wolves with human language and intelligence.

In Bashkir folklore, there are images of both wolf progenitors and wolf progenitors of people. So, in the legend of the Usergan tribe of the Bashkirs, it is said that one day a young hunter met a she-wolf and wanted to kill her. But the she-wolf suddenly spoke in a human voice and said: "Take my tail and hit me on the ground." He did just that. The wolf turned into a beautiful girl. The hunter brought her to the camp and married her, but the Usergans did not agree with this and drove them out of the tribe. The hunter and the girl went into the dense forests and began to live together. The wolf girl bore him many children, their offspring made up the tribal subdivision Bureler Tokomo (genus of wolves). At present, residents of the villages of Bashbure (Nazargulovo) in the Kuvandyk district of the Orenburg region and Khakmar Burekhe (Sakmar-Nazargulovo) in the Khaibullinsky district of the Republic of Bashkortostan associate their origin with this legend.

The motive of the she-wolf-progenitor, nurse and educator was also preserved in the fairy tale "Sanai-batyr": the young wife of the hero of the fairy tale Kusun-batyr gave birth to a boy, he was named Sanai. Taking advantage of the fact that at that time Kusun-batyr was hunting, his two older wives replaced the boy with a puppy and took him to the forest. The slandered young wife of the batyr was imprisoned. Abandoned in the forest, Sanai was fed and raised by a she-wolf. When Sanai became a batyr, the she-wolf remained by his side and provided all possible assistance.

The image of the wolf-progenitor and ancestor of people is reflected in the fairy tale "Son of the wolf Syntimer-pahlavan", where the only daughter of the king is kidnapped by a werewolf and carried away to a mountain cave. After some time, the princess gives birth to a son from a wolf, who is called Syntimer.

The motif of a wonderful husband or groom, acting in the guise of a wolf, is also present in other Bashkir tales, for example, in the tale "Ak Bure", where a white wolf marries a moon-faced girl. During the ritual bathing of a newborn in a bath, he is called in well-wishes aiyu, bure balakhy (child of a bear, wolf).

This motif is indirectly refracted in the mythological plots of revival by wolves fallen heroes. In the fairy tale "Two Brothers", a grateful wolf revives the treacherously killed hero by licking his wounds. The same scenes are found in the fairy tales "White Wolf" and "Golden Apple". It seems to us that they should be perceived as remnants of the faith of the ancestors of the Bashkirs in the origin of people from wolves: the wolf, reviving dead heroes, gives birth to them again, gives them a second life.

Such ideas are so deeply rooted in the historical memory of the southeastern Bashkirs that even today some informants confidently say that human children were born from wolves and bears in the past.

The legends about the progenitor wolf and the ancestor wolf have deep historical roots. N.Ya. Bichurin, referring to the Chinese chronicle of the 7th century, reports that the Tugyu Turks descended from a she-wolf: once the enemies exterminated a whole tribe, only a ten-year-old boy survived. He was saved from starvation by a she-wolf who brought him meat. When the boy grew up, the she-wolf gave birth to ten sons from him, who later became the ancestors of ten Turkic clans. Among them was Ashina, the legendary ancestor of the Ashina clan, famous in the Turkic-Mongolian world, with whom the genealogies of the Khan dynasties of the Blue Turks, Karakhanids, Khazars, Mongols, including Genghisides, were associated. The she-wolf acts as an ancestor in the Chuvash genealogical legends. The motive of the marriage of a young man and a she-wolf is also developed in the Kazakh fairy tale "Dzhigit and the she-wolf".

And another kind of ancient Turks - the Gao-guis believed that their ancestor was a wolf. In the legend included in the Chinese chronicle, it is said that the Xiongnu khan (shanyu) had two daughters of extraordinary beauty, whom he wanted to give to Heaven. To do this, he settled his daughters in an uninhabited place in high house in the form of a tower. Four years later, an old wolf dug a hole under the tower: he began to guard the sisters' dwelling day and night, uttering a howl. The younger sister, considering the arrival of the wolf a good omen, went downstairs despite the older sister's protests. She married a wolf and gave birth to a son. The offspring from them multiplied and made up a whole state.

The ancient Mongols also had tribes that considered the wolf their progenitor. The father of the Mongol tribe Bersit, according to legend, was a wolf, the mother was a maralukh, who lived in the forest near the lake. From them a son was born, the ancestor of the Bersites. The beginning of the clan, to which Genghis Khan belonged, was laid by Borte-chino ("gray wolf") and Kho Maral ("kaurai fallow deer").

The above-mentioned legends echo the ancient Turkic custom, according to which people, wanting to know the sex of a newborn, asked: "Was a wolf or a fox born?" The wolf was a symbol of the masculine. This custom is interesting in that it reveals the idea of ​​the possibility of resolving a woman in labor by a wolf cub or a fox.

The motif "she-wolf-nurse and educator" was a stable element in ancient Turkic mythology. In the Altai legend "Ak taichi" a white wolf, saving a newborn child from the owner underworld Erlik, takes him to a cave and feeds him with the milk of wild deer. The Kyrgyz legend says that during the migration, the parents left a crippled boy in the parking lot. The she-wolf nursed the child with her milk. In the myths of the Chuvash, the she-wolf is presented not only as an ancestor, but also as a nurse and educator of their first ancestor. The Buryat tribe Ekhirit considers their ancestor the boy Chono, fed by wolves, therefore they received the name Chonorud Buryats (chono - wolf). These plots echo the Ossetian legend that the Nart Sauaya was fed with wolf's milk, and Soslan was hardened in it; an ancient Persian legend about a she-wolf who raised Cyrus; ancient greek myth about Akalla, the granddaughter of Zeus, who gave birth to the son of Miletus from Apollo and, in fear of her father, hid him in the forest, where the baby, the future founder of the city, was raised by a she-wolf; an ancient Roman legend about the Capitoline she-wolf who nursed the twin brothers Remus and Romulus, the future founders of the city of Rome, etc.

Thus, in the above materials of the Eurasian peoples, including the Bashkirs, the wolf appears as their progenitor and patron, acts as a totem animal.
The totemic essence of the wolf is clearly seen in the legends of the Bashkirs about the guide wolf. The southeastern Bashkirs (Usergans, Tangaurs and Burzyans) in legends connect their former residence with the lower course of the Syr Darya and the Northern Aral Sea. The legends say that during the migration the Bashkirs got lost. The wolf helped them: walking ahead and showing the way, he led the Bashkirs out of the sandy deserts. Thanks to him, the Bashkirs found a new homeland - the Ural Mountains. The ancestors of the Usergans called the wolf Kort. Since they came to the Urals under the leadership of wolves, then, according to legend, they were called bashkort ("bash" is interpreted in this case as "head", "at the head", "kort" - wolf). In the fairy tales "Yulbat" and "Golden Apple" magical wolves become mounts-guides of heroes, in the blink of an eye deliver them along the road known only to them to the palace of the golden bird or to the kingdom of the deva.

All these plots in Bashkir fairy tales, traditions and legends are closest to similar plots in Tatar and Turkish mythology. According to the Tatar legend in ancient times, when the Tatar people roamed the mountains and forests, they got lost, were surrounded by enemies and were doomed to death. Suddenly, a white wolf appeared in front of the Tatars, who led them out of the mountains and forests along paths known only to him and saved them from death. Often found in Turkish fairy tales, the wolf appears in the form of an animal showing a lost person the way in the snowy steppe. Dastan "Steppenwolf" is based on this motive. The wolf acts as a leader in the myths of the Chuvash.

In the past, such motifs were also characteristic of the mythology of the Indo-European peoples. According to Lithuanian legend, Prince Gediminas (beginning of the 14th century) founded the city on the spot where he dreamed of an iron wolf in a dream. The soothsayers interpreted this in such a way that a capital city should be founded here.

The above legends are rooted in ancient times and are fragments of myths about the wanderings of the totemic ancestor-wolf. Apparently, on the basis of such ideas about the wolf-totem and the guidebook, the Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Turkmens, Belarusians, Russians, French and Germans interpreted the meeting with the wolf as a good omen. Among the Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Uzbeks and Turkmens, a meeting with a wolf on the way is considered a good sign not only in reality, but also in a dream. Similar motifs were reflected in fairy folklore. In the tales of the Altaians, Khakasses, Maris, Udmurts, Komi-Permyaks, Nanais, Koryaks and other peoples, a wolf encountered along the way provides the heroes with disinterested help and assistance in all their accomplishments and exploits.

The remnants of the cult of the wolf are observed in some rituals and customs of the Bashkirs. Due to the frequent death of children at an early age among the Bashkirs, newborn children, to protect their lives, were given "wolf" names: Burebay, Baybure, Akbure, Burekhan or Kashkar. At present, such names are almost never found, but surnames derived from them are widespread: Buribaev, Baiburin, Kashkarov, etc.

There are many superstitions associated with the cult of the wolf. magical rites. In the event of the loss of things or livestock, the Bashkirs burned the tendon of a wolf on fire: this was supposed to cause cramps in the thief's arms and legs. The rite was accompanied by spells (kargau).

It can be seen that the role of a talisman was also performed by the applique patterns "bure taban" (wolf's footprint) on the dresses and aprons of the Bashkir women of the Kurgan region and the sculptural figurine of a wolf at the end of the chain on the handle of the koumiss ladle, carved from a single piece of wood. Resorting under various circumstances to the help of a wolf, its individual parts and images is not an exclusively Bashkir tradition. So, the Kazakhs put the head of a wolf in front of the camp in order to save the sheep. According to an old Chuvash rite, a wolf was buried at the foundation of a village. The custom of burying the skull of a wolf under various buildings existed even among the Volga Bulgars. magical properties the Scythians and related Savromato-Sarmatian tribes attributed to the images of the wolf. According to archaeologists, the numerous images of wolves on women's jewelry, weapons and horse equipment among the nomads of Eurasia had a "utilitarian" meaning - they were supposed to protect women, make the warrior and his war horse invulnerable.

All these customs, rituals and beliefs convincingly prove the totemic essence of the wolf cult. In them, echoes of ancient ideas about the wolf as a progenitor and ancestor, intercessor and protector of people are felt. This is reflected in the system of family relations. For some peoples, the name of the wolf was a code name for an older relative: the Bashkirs had the practice of addressing their father-in-law with the word storm; among the Uzbeks and Buryats, the word wolf was a dummy name for the elder brother. There is reason to believe that the folk etymology of the ethnonym Bashkort is not without foundation and is associated with the cult of the wolf: according to the hypothesis, tribes separated from the gurs, who received their self-name from the ancient Turkic name of the wolf-totem, and formed a new ethnic association Bashkort (the main wolf).

In the ancient Turkic language, the wolf was called the word cort. In modern Turkic languages, this zoonym has been preserved in the Uighur, Turkmen and Turkish languages. Chuvash, Kazakhs, Kirghiz, Karakalpaks and Uzbeks call the wolf kashkar (kaskar, kaskyr), the rest of the Turkic and Mongolian peoples have variants of the word bure, bori, beru. The oblivion of the old name Kort by the majority of the Turkic peoples and the appearance of a new bure are explained by researchers by the long existence of a taboo on the designation of a totem.

Drawings and images of a wolf on clothes, household items, weapons, harnesses were the material embodiments of a wolf-totem, expressed (as well as tribal ethnonyms and anthroponyms) the inseparable unity, the identity of the primitive collective and the totem. In later traditions, these images became fetishes, guardian spirits of the clan, tribe. The presence of images of a wolf on the attributes and banners of tribal formations became an obligatory canon. This norm was also observed by the ancestors of the Bashkirs. And it was reflected in the Bashkir legends, traditions and historical documents.

The ancient Bashkirs, according to legend, had a banner with the image of a wolf's head, which they received before their trip to Europe from the leader of the Huns, Attila. They got the name bashkort from this image on the banner (bash - head, kort - wolf). This motif associated with Attila is confirmed by some field materials. With this fact folk memory also connects the origin of the ethnonym Bashkort. With the strengthening of the role of the tribal nobility, the sacred attributes of the clan or tribe became a symbol of the power of the khans, later the elders. Even in the XVII-XVIII centuries. the volost foremen of the tribes Usergan, Tangaur and Burzyan had badges with the image of a wolf's head. Banners with images of a wolf's head survived until the 19th century. Images of wolves are found today on the banners of some national movements of the Turks, Kurds and Chechens.

All of the above allows us to conclude that the fundamental basis of these myths, legends and fairy tales is the most ancient cosmogonic myth, in which the wolf totem, totemic ancestor, demiurge and cultural hero participated in the creation of heavenly bodies and, like Prometheus, obtained fire for people. And the motives for pursuing the moon and the sun by the wolf are nothing more than a reflection in the myths of the very process of obtaining (catching) light and fire for people.

Traces of views on the wolf as a being of the highest substance are also found in other beliefs and customs of the Bashkirs. They say about a man who has suddenly become rich: "his wolf howled." There was a sign among the peoples of the Volga region that the howl of a wolf brings happiness to people. This sign has deep roots. The interpretation of the howling of the wolf was formed on the basis of the perception by the ancestors of the Bashkirs and the Volga peoples of the wolf as a divine being, bringing success and wealth.

The divine essence of the wolf was manifested in beliefs. The shepherds filled the pastures with loud cries of "Korayt, Korayt, kiu!". With the same exclamation, the Bashkirs protected their houses or yurts during the first spring thunder. This was a spell of mothers, uttered after the sons leaving for the war. Exclaiming "Korait!", the ancestors of the Bashkirs turned to the wolf deity for help, sought protection and patronage.

Thus, in the Bashkir fairy tales and epic works, legends and traditions, sayings, proverbs, beliefs, customs and rituals, the oldest relics of the worldview associated with the totemic cult of the wolf have been preserved. They single out the belief of the ancestors of the Bashkirs in the mutual transformation of a man and a wolf, in the identity and kinship of certain groups, clans with a wolf-totem, echoes of ideas about a totemic ancestor-progenitor, patron and protector are traced. They allow us to restore the essence of totemic myths and rituals associated with the cult of the wolf, to reveal the ways and forms of evolution of this cult among the Bashkirs.

Among the various sounds made by wolves, the howl stands out - an expressive, dreary, soul-chilling sound heard at a great distance, which always excites the imagination of people, leaving no one indifferent. Perhaps it is precisely the melancholy heard in the howl that affects the subconscious of a person, causing anxiety and confusion in the soul of everyone whose ears usually reach the many-voiced performance of this song of hopeless, eternal, primordial loneliness.

Howling is the most mysterious phenomenon in the biology of the wolf. Even among scientists who have devoted their lives to studying this predator, there is no consensus on the functions of howling. Several facts remain indisputable: of mammals, only wolves, coyotes and jackals emit a howl that can be heard at a distance of several kilometers; the ability to howl is formed in wolves by about the sixth month of life; the initiator of the howl is always the male, who begins to howl in a relatively low voice with smooth transitions to higher notes, then the “gaining height” voice of the she-wolf joins him, and then the voices of other wolves. At the moment of howling, wolves are in extreme excitement, one might say, ecstasy and tend to crowd. The muzzles of the animals are approaching, but they retain an expression of detachment from everything around them. This, in fact, gives rise to the illusion of their longing and the doom of each of them to eternal loneliness. Sometimes the wolf's howl gives the impression of a song of contempt for life and death.

From the point of view of biological science, howling is one of the mechanisms for regulating the population structure of a given animal species. But is everything so clear? After all, everyone who is at least a little familiar with the life of wolves has a number of questions. For example, why is the howl especially loud when wolves hit hard times of winter starvation and must work together to survive?

The main population grouping of a wolf is a family group of individuals, called a pack and consisting of parents - two old, or mature, wolves - 3-6 young, as well as profit - wolves from the brood last year- and pereyarkov - wolves that have already survived one winter, but have not yet reached puberty.

Sometimes in such a family, for one reason or another, adult wolves of three to five years of age who have not found a mate, usually males, remain. Animals born from other parents are not allowed in the flock-family and are encountered as enemies. Thus, a flock is a relatively closed group of individuals of different ages, which for a long time jointly use the food resources of their "own" territory, which provides accommodation for 5-15 animals of this species. Sometimes there are also larger packs - from 15 to 22 wolves.

Using scientific terminology, you can characterize the typical structure of the pack as follows. The pack consists of three high-ranking wolves: an α-male, the leader of the community, who is exceptionally aggressive towards strangers; an α-female that prefers an α-male and is aggressive towards all other sexually mature females of the pack; β-male - usually the son or brother of the α-wolf and his most likely successor, who periodically tests the strength of the leader's position.

In addition to high-ranking wolves, the pack includes younger, low-ranking males and females. Living in a pack, they get an obvious advantage from collective hunting. But at the same time, these wolves have sharply limited reproduction opportunities, since the aggressiveness of the α-male and α-female prevents their potential rivals from participating in reproduction. In this regard, low-ranking wolves tend to leave the old one and form a new one, their own pack.

Pereyarki keep a separate group and shy away from participating in intra-pack conflicts. Profitable ones are outside the family hierarchy and, demonstrating subordination to both high- and low-ranking wolves, evoke in them reciprocal manifestations of care.

All members of the pack in all periods of the year gravitate towards the territory where the family den is located, which they periodically visit. As a result, they constantly keep in touch with the α-female, who is actually the main coordinator of relations in the family. In winter, wolves maintain the closest family ties, which are significantly weakened in summer.

coat color

The skins of the wolves of the polar range have a particularly lush fur of light and dark blue with gray down and a shiny zonal awn. The long (up to 160 mm) guiding hairs of the polar wolf are monochromatic with dark brown hair ends. The guard hairs are somewhat shorter (110-150 mm). From below (30 mm) they are pure white, smoothly turning into a black or black-brown zone (40-50 mm), then 20-25 mm of a light zone follows again. The long guard hair ends with a fourth zone of black or dark brown color. The shorter the guard hair, the fewer zones in it. Guard hairs 110-120 mm have only three zones: white, dark and cream. The underfur of the polar wolf, about 70 mm high, has two color zones: the bottom is gray, like lead, the top is reddish- gray color. The zonal coloring of the wolf's hair is the main sign of the difference between its fur and dogs of a similar external color. The splendor of the color of the skin of the polar wolf is given by long lush guides and guard hairs, and the underfur creates a general gray-blue background. The guard and guide hairs on the back of the wolf end in a long black or dark brown zone and create a general dark background in the form of a kind of "belt". Especially long guard hairs on the wolf's neck. They stand out noticeably "mane" from the rest of the spinal part of the skin. The tail of the polar wolf is round, fluffy, gray in color, with black guard hairs at the end. The paws of all wolves, although wide, are compact, their claws are black. Due long hair and dense pubescence, the skins of polar wolves always look more weighty and richer than the skins of forest wolves.

The skins of the Siberian forest wolf have, although lush, but rough gray-blue or dark gray fur with bluish down. The "belt" along the ridge of the skin of the timber wolf is less pronounced, it has a gray-brown hue. The fur of wolves living in the southern mountain forests of Altai, Sayan, Baikal and Transbaikalia is softer and lush than that of wolves living in the steppes of Dauria and Tyva.

The skins of wolves of the central ridge are harvested in the European part of Russia. In size, they are often inferior to the skins of polar wolves, less magnificent and more rough than the skins of forest wolves of the Siberian ridge. The fur of these wolves is light or dark gray with a darker "belt" along the spine. The hairline of the steppe wolves of this range is coarse, gray-brown along the ridge and light along the belly.

The skins of the southern (Caucasian) ridge are harvested in the Stavropol and Krasnodar regions. They are similar in color to the skins of timber wolves, but differ in small size and short coarse fur.

The wolves of Russia show seasonal variability in the color of their skins. Wolves are darker in autumn. By spring, their fur wears out, fades in the sun, brightens.

Age-related variability in the color of the fur is also characteristic. In young wolves, the puppy's light buffy color of the fur changes by winter to the color of adult wolves, but without buffy tones. Wolves of the second year have an admixture of red tones. In old wolves, red tones noticeably predominate. Often, on the basis of the standard, the skins of young and old wolves were assigned to different ranges.

In addition, even within the same related pack of wolves, there are animals with different colors. Sometimes in flocks there are even individuals with black (melanists), red (chromists) or almost white (albinos) color.

The skins of wolf-dog hybrids come in a variety of colors that are atypical for a wolf: black, white, piebald, red. The skins of wolf-colored hybrids are often distinguished by short paws with light, like in dogs, claws, "suspensions" on the rump and thighs, and weakly expressed zonality of the guard hairs.

I swear on the name of the wolf." "Wolf holidays" among the Gagauz

One of the brightest elements that has survived to this day, reflecting the ethnic specifics of the Gagauz calendar rituals, is the cult of the wolf. In honor of the wolf, which played a significant role in the life of the ancestors of the Gagauz, many days were celebrated. The most famous are the autumn "wolf holidays", which were not timed to coincide with the days of Christian saints and retained their ancient name, which indicates the presence of the cult of the wolf among the Gagauz, which has its roots in the past.

November is the month when the wolves began to come closer to the dwellings of people, since the sheep were already at home. The number of days observed by the Gagauz in honor of wolves in all villages is different - from 3 to 7 days (approximately from November 11 to November 17); at the same time, half of the days celebrated should fall on the eve of the Christmas fast, and the other half - directly on the post, when it was necessary to observe the ban on eating fast food, that is, the observance of the “food” taboo.

The days observed in honor of the wolves do not include any festive rites. The essence of this holiday is to observe the ban on all types of women's work related to wool (knitting, weaving, spinning, sewing) and the use of sharp objects (needle, knitting needles, scissors). This prohibition was especially observed in relation to the man, since he was the main worker in the field. If two days were observed for women and children, then 4 or 6 days for men and the household. According to legend, if a man finds himself in the field in the thing that the woman knitted or sewed during these days, then the wolf will certainly chase him.

Prohibitions to commit various works associated with wool and sharp objects (weaving, spinning, sewing, knitting, etc.), as well as the observance of the "food" taboo, refers to the archaic elements in the ritual "wolf holidays". All prohibitions associated with wolf holidays are aimed at protecting livestock and humans from predators. For the same purpose, on the eve of the wolf holidays, each housewife performed a series of magical actions: she covered the hearth with clay in order to “smear the mouth and eyes of the wolves.” After these holidays, it was forbidden to do any work related to clay until spring.

The veneration of the wolf among the Gagauz has been preserved in an archaic form. According to the ancient beliefs of the Gagauz, the wolf is not subject to extermination. The cult of the wolf among the Gagauz is manifested in a respectful attitude towards the wolf, which indicated the wide significance of the wolf in the life of the people. In the Gagauz fairy tales, traces of the former veneration of the wolf, which has a “heavenly” origin (it is also, as it were, a “deputy” of a god on earth), which cannot be killed, have been preserved. In addition, the wolf has the ability to transform, broadcast, help people, and also punish those who do not comply with ancient customs.

Back in the 60s of the 20th century, the Gagauz had a custom to swear by the name of the wolf: “сanavar ursun” (let the wolf punish me if I deceive). “This oath was recognized as more convincing than the usual “word of honor” or the traditional oath in the name of God” For a false oath, punishment was threatened by the wolf, whose image later absorbed some of the functions of the deity.(The Buryats had a custom of swearing on the tendon of the wolf.) "The Gagauz believed that the wolf knew all their thoughts and intentions. The women would whisper as soon as the wolf was mentioned.” In this case, the image of the wolf acts as the chief judge or deity, in whose hands are invisible levers to maintain world order and justice among fellow tribesmen.

The Gagauz, like other Turkic peoples, had a taboo on the use of the word "kurt", denoting the ancient name of the wolf. For this, various substitute words were used: "canavar", "yabanı", "bozkumi", "bozbei", "kuyruklu ". And the basis of this prohibition is the idea of ​​the inseparability of the name and the object, that is, "pronouncing the name of the wolf invites him to appear." The emergence of this belief is associated by scientists with the period when the peoples were mainly engaged in cattle breeding. The custom of swearing by the name of the wolf, preserved among the Gagauz, also belongs to this category.

The cult of the wolf in one form or another is inherent in all the peoples of Europe. The question is only in what form and to what extent it is manifested in the views, rituals and folklore of a particular people. At the heart of the wolf cult of many European peoples (Greeks, Italians) is a superstitious fear of the wolf. The veneration of the wolf as a dangerous predator was known among the peoples of the Balkan-Danube region, whose rituals associated with the “wolf holidays” are similar to the Gagauz ones: the Bulgarians have “feast holidays”, the Romanians “filipii”, the Serbs and Montenegrins. the wolf was preserved among Belarusians and Latvians.

It is also important that, among the Gagauz, God himself patronizes the wolves, and he also distributes food for them, which is recorded in folklore. This point indicates the position of the wolf in the views of the Gagauz and the system of subordination between God and the wolf, the wolf and people. Among other European peoples, unlike the Gagauz, the role of coordinator of the relationship between the wolf-predator and the person was assigned either to St. Yuri / George among the Slavs, or St. Nicholas or St. Petru among the Romanians.

The image of the wolf in the representation of the Gagauz, as well as other Turkic peoples, as well as peoples North Caucasus contacted a kind start; the wolf was a symbol of good omen. Unlike the Slavic sedentary peoples, among the Gagauz, a meeting with a hare was considered an unkind omen, and they tried to postpone sowing the next day. And vice versa, if a wolf met along the way, then this meant good luck. The views on the wolf as a symbol of a good omen are clearly reflected in the agricultural rituals of the Gagauz.

In the annual cycle of the Gagauz calendar rituals, several more holidays can be distinguished, which, in terms of content, or rather, in terms of their prohibitions, can be classified as "wolf holidays". These are directly "wolf holidays" celebrated from November 11 to 17; day of the lame wolf - November 21 (the feast of the Entry into the temple of the Lord); day of st. Tryphon, St. Seeds, Candlemas; Hederlez, "dissolution" (the second day of the Hederlez holiday) - April 24 / May 7; Spiridon (Skyrdon) was also celebrated in order to protect people and domestic animals from the attack of wolves.

An analysis of the Gagauz beliefs, customs and rituals associated with the cult of the wolf (a ban on killing this animal, taboo on the use of the word wolf, food taboo, an oath in the name of the wolf, observance of a certain number of days in honor of the wolf, endowing the wolf with supernatural qualities), allows us to say that that they are distant echoes of totemistic views, which indicates that the cult of the wolf among the Gagauz has ancient roots and is closely connected with the economic activity of their ancestors (cattle breeding).

The cult of the wolf, based on totemistic beliefs, was widespread among the Turkic tribes and the Mongols. However, there are some differences between the cult of the wolf among the Gagauz and other Turkic peoples. Along with the elements of honoring the wolf as a creature of "heavenly" origin (patron wolf), the Gagauz at the same time do not have any myths and legends in which the wolf would act as their distant ancestor, i.e. there is no one of the main elements of totemism (an indication of genetic relationship), unlike other Turkic peoples, who have widespread totemistic ideas about the wolf as an ancestor.

Many Turkic peoples, as well as some Caucasian peoples, from totemistic ideas about the progenitor wolf, developed a variety of wolf charms-amulets (for example, from the teeth of a wolf), which were worn by adults and children; they were hung around the neck of domestic animals during epidemics. Various parts of the wolf's body (veins, genitals, skin) were used by the Turkic peoples in folk medicine and in black magic.

In general, it should be noted that the image of the wolf among the Gagauz is rather contradictory, which is explained by the conditions of their economic activity - the constant threat of wolves attacking livestock. The ancient ban on the destruction of wolves was sometimes violated, as evidenced by folk tradition about the celebration of the day in honor of the "lame" wolf, which a person killed to save his life.

The day in honor of the lame wolf was celebrated on the feast of the “Entrance into the Temple of the Virgin” (November 21/December 4), which is popularly called “topal canavar günü” (the day of the “lame wolf”). This day was celebrated especially, probably because to atone guilt (violation of the prohibition) of one of his fellow tribesmen who killed a wolf. According to the Gagauz legends, this wolf is considered more dangerous than other wolves. On the day of the "lame wolf" they prepared a yeast-leavened cake (v. Beshalma), which was smeared with honey (ballı pita) . She was treated to children and neighbors early in the morning.

The observance of the day in honor of the "lame" wolf, which included the preparation of a sacrificial cake, can be considered as a relic of ancient sacrifices to the wolf. It can be assumed that this custom is one of the later forms of the "rite of purification" ("apology" to the wolves). organize wolf hunts in order to exterminate dangerous predators, as well as the emergence of various satirical tales with the image of a wolf, belong to a later time.

Analyzing the ritualism of "wolf holidays" among the peoples of the Balkan-Carpathian region, it should be noted that the cult of the wolf among the Gagauz acquired some common features characteristic of the peoples of this region. The rites of "wolf holidays", as well as the dates of their celebration, largely coincide among the Bulgarians, the peoples of Yugoslavia, Romanians, Moldovans with the Gagauz rituals. At the same time, according to the Russian ethnographer M. Guboglo, the cycle of "wolf holidays" among the Gagauz "... chronologically much wider than that of the surrounding Bulgarian population, and has a broader theme of ritual actions.” Thus, the cult of the wolf among the Gagauz “was born of the specifics of nomadic life.” Studies conducted by the same author showed that “many elements of such rituals (among the Gagauz, associated with the cult of the wolf - E.K.) coincide with similar phenomena among the medieval Cumans, described in Russian chronicles and in Byzantine chronicles.

On the other hand, the presence of the cult of the wolf among the Gagauz unites them with other Turkic peoples, who are also characterized by the cult of the wolf. However, based on the elements preserved by the Gagauz, we cannot talk about the identity of the wolf cult among the Gagauz and other Turkic peoples, since the Gagauz lack (tradition) the main link of totemic ideas about the wolf as an ancestor.

The form of the cult of the wolf, preserved among the Gagauz, allows us to say that the roots of this cult go back to the distant past and are associated with the role of cattle breeding among the ancestors of the Gagauz. The use of the image of a wolf as a symbol of a good omen in agricultural rituals testifies to the transfer of this image by former pastoralists to the area of ​​agriculture as a result of their transition to a settled way of life.

Based on the above information about the cult of the wolf among the Gagauz, it can be seen that the sphere of influence of the wolf among other Turkic peoples, among whom the wolf also acted as a patron ancestor, is much wider than we see in the Gagauz folk rituals and folklore. Nevertheless, even in the form in which the views and rituals associated with the cult of the wolf have been preserved among the Gagauz, one can speak of survivals that are one of the sides of totemism. In the presence of most of the elements that form the basis of totemistic views, it can be assumed that the legend of the progenitor wolf was forgotten.

How to pronounce the word wolf in different languages ​​(including ancient ones)

English wolf
Italian lupo
spanish lobo
french loup; loup gris
german wolf
Russian wolf
Arabic ذئب
Chinese 狼
African wolf
Albanian ujk
Asturian lobu
Basque otso
Bengali; Bangla
Brazilian Portuguese lobo
Bresciano Luf
Breton bleiz
Calabrese lupu
Catalan llop
Cornish blue
Corsican lupu
Croatian vuk
Czech vlk
Danish ulv
dutch wolf
Esperanto lupo
Estonian hunt
Faeroese ulvur
Finnish susi
Flemish wolf
frisian wolf
Furlan lof
Galician lobo
Greek λύκος
Guarani yaguaru
Gujarati ભેડીયો
Hebrew זאב
Hindi
Hungarian farkas
Icelandic úlfur
Indonesian serigala
Irish mac tire
Japanese 狼
Korean
Kurdish Kurmanji gor
Kurdish Sorani گورک ; گورگ
Latin lupus; canis lupus
Latvian vilks
Leonese llobu
Lithuanian vilkas
Lombardo Occidental luff
Malagasy fosa
Manx moddee-oaldey
Maori wuruhi
Marathi लांडगा
Maasai loiibor kidong"o
Mokshan verjgaz
nissart loup
Norwegian ulv
Occitan lop
Old Greek λυκος
Papiamentu wòlf
Persian گرگ ; حريص
Piemontese luv
polish wilk
Portuguese lobo
Punjabi ਭੋਡ਼ੀਆ
Quechua atuc
Romagnolo lv
Romanian lup
Saami gumpe; navdi
Sanskrit वृकः
Sardinian Campidanesu luppu
Sicilian lupu
Slovenian wolf
Somali uubato ; halyey; yey
Swahili mbwa mwitu
Swedish varg; ulv
Thai หมาป่า
Turkish kurt
Turkmen group
Ukrainian vovk
Valencian llop
Venetian lovo
Vietnamese cho san soi
wallon leu
Welshblaidd

Zeneize lô; luvo

Mong. - chono
gypsy - ruv
Croatian - vuk
Bulgarian - valk
Uighur - bore
gothic - wulfs
Serbian - kurjak, vuk
Hebrew (pronunciation) - ze "ev
Japanese - おおかみ(Hiragana), オオカミ(Katakana) - ookami
OE - mearcweard
Celtic (Scots) - madadh-allaidh
Celtic (Irish) - faolchu

Eskimo - oo koo" a
Espanja-lopo
Esperanto-lupo
Etruski-oltas
Gaeli eli scotti - faol/mactire
Gaulish - succellus

Revelation of John, chapter 13

1 And I stood on the sand of the sea, and saw a beast coming out of the sea, with seven heads and ten horns; on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names.
2 The beast that I saw was like a leopard; his feet are like those of a bear, and his mouth is like the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave him his strength and his throne and great authority.
3 And I saw that one of his heads was, as it were, mortally wounded, but this mortal wound was healed. And all the earth wondered, following the beast, and bowed to the dragon, who gave power to the beast,
4 And they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like this beast? and who can fight him?
5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was given him to continue for forty-two months.
6 And he opened his mouth to blaspheme God, to blaspheme his name, and his habitation, and those who dwell in heaven.
7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given unto him over every kindred, and people, and tongue, and nation.
8 And all who dwell on the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
9 He who has an ear, let him hear.
10 He who leads into captivity will himself go into captivity; whoever kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and faith of the saints.
11 And I saw another beast coming out of the earth; he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.
12 He works before him with all the power of the first beast and makes the whole earth and those who dwell on it worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed;
13 And he does great signs, so that he also brings fire down from heaven to earth before people.
14 And by the miracles which he was given to do before the beast, he deceives those who dwell on the earth, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image of the beast, which is wounded by the sword and lives.
15 And it was given to him to put breath into the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast both spoke and acted in such a way that everyone who did not worship the image of the beast was killed.
16 And he will cause all, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to have a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,
17 and that no one will be able to buy or sell, except he who has this mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom. Whoever has a mind, count the number of the beast, for this is the number of a man; his number is six hundred sixty-six.

Beast number oneThe cult of Jesus of Nazareth, erected by greedy people in their own interests in order to enrich themselves to the name of Jesus "god".

Beast number twoCult of the mother of Jesus of Nazareth. The second Beast appears from the Earth and acts in the interests of the first Beast, that is, the interests of his own son.

Heads of the first Beast:denominations (churches) of Christianity built on the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

42 months:According to history, Jesus of Nazareth was born either at the end of December or at the beginning of January. As anyone likes. The day of execution came in the spring. Count further.

Three years Jesus of Nazareth preached - 36 months. But in December (January) it is cold to swim in the Jordan River, so John the Baptist baptized Jesus of Nazareth in the waters of the Jordan River 3 months before his birthday - that is, in late September or early October. Jesus of Nazareth was executed in April, that is, 3 months after, as it were, his birthday. That is why John was shown in Revelation - 42 months of the Prophetic activity of Jesus of Nazareth.

Insulting GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT and HIS Dwellings:version that the father of Jesus of Nazareth is GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT.

not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the World:from the creation of the World only one was slain. Adam, Son of GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT. GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT expelled Adam from Paradise, that is, betrayed him to the slaughter by Death. As you know, Adam died our human Death.

The First Beast (Cult of Jesus of Nazareth) came out of the sea:Jesus of Nazareth began his prophetic activity EXACTLY on the shores of the SEA OF GALILEE. On the shores of the Sea of ​​Galilee, their first meeting took place, Jesus of Nazareth and John. “On the sea, like walking on dry land” Jesus of Nazareth, on the shores of this sea and his disciples - the future Apostles, scored himself.

The second Beast (the cult of the mother of Jesus of Nazareth) came out of the earth:As you know, GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT once carved Eve from Adam's rib. Adam, translated from ancient languages, means - allotment of the earth. The second Beast, as the mother of the first Beast, acts precisely in the interests of the first Beast, in which one head was mortally wounded, but healed.

Two heads of the second Beast:Mary's children, Jesus and James. Jacob, after the departure of Jesus from Nazareth to the Essenes Community, headed the Primary Community of the early Christians and constantly "fought" with Simon / Peter in Jerusalem for the right to lead this Community.

Inscription on the right hand and forehead (forehead):It was invented to be baptized right hand. No one could be baptized with the left, even if he was left-handed. It is necessary to be baptized with the right hand, starting from the forehead.

Omens:Walking on the water of the sea, as on dry land. Turning water into wine. Ascension to heaven. The promise of Paradise (although, as you know, after the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise, GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT placed an Angel with a sword on guard over the gates of Paradise. Who, except GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT, could remove the Angel from his post at the gates of Paradise?) Descent of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem . Miraculous boards, nails, rags and, worst of all, remnants of blood from the cross. And so on...

The image of the Beast, which had a wound from a spear and is alive:Cross as a symbol of Christianity. Icons, lamps, prayer books and so on...

and it was given unto him to put breath into the image of the beast:the church never killed under its own name. All massacres or calls for the Crusades were accompanied by the words: "in the name of our Lord, Jesus of Nazareth."

no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has this mark, or the Name of the Beast, or the Number of His Name:1000 years later, when the Church gained strength, no one could trade in Christian cities - if he was not a Christian. Remember the Jews who changed their faith to Christianity in order to avoid repression. Nostradamus is a perfect example of this. Grandfathers of Nostradamus had to become Christians and baptize Nostradamus in the Christian faith.

The secret of the number "666":The first Apple computer cost $666. The founder of this company chose an apple for the logo of the company in the shape of a bitten apple. Eve took a bite of the Apple in the Gardens of Paradise. Since that time, the “bitten Apple” has been a symbol of temptation.

The world is nothing - GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT is everything!

Yandex pictures

What. cult What. Book. Exaggerate the role, the importance of something; consider something as an ideal, making it an object of reverence, indispensable observance. I was more and more interested in Yevgenych ... He got up a little before light and ran around the whole house with a whisk. Cleanliness has been elevated to a real cult(Mamin-Sibiryak. At the crime scene). If there is anything Americans cult and revere, it is time. Time is the basis of everything that I liked and disliked in this country.(N. Dumbadze. Return of Odysseus). . Chivalrous treatment of a woman is built almost into a cult(Chekhov. Sakhalin Island). Cleanliness on the ship and its impeccability appearance raised to a cult(A. N. Krylov. My memories).

Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language. - M.: Astrel, AST. A. I. Fedorov. 2008 .

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erect- lead, lead; erected, led, led; raised; erected; day, day, day; St. 1. whom. High Put on a rise. V. on a pedestal (also: to exalt, glorify). B. to the throne (also: to put on the kingdom; to recognize as king, monarch). 2.… … encyclopedic Dictionary

erect- I lead /, you lead; erected, led /, led /; raised / raised; erected; den, dena /, deno /; St. see also erect, erect, erection 1) whom is high. Put it up… Dictionary of many expressions

What. cult what. Book. Exaggerate the role, significance of something; consider something as an ideal, making it an object of reverence, indispensable observance. I was more and more interested in Evgenych ... He got up a little before light and ran around ... ...

cult what. cult what. Book. Exaggerate the role, significance of something; consider something as an ideal, making it an object of reverence, indispensable observance. I was more and more interested in Evgenych ... He rose a little before light and ... Phraseological dictionary of the Russian literary language

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