Why in Russia they said that "the word is silver, silence is gold", and these were not just beautiful words

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In old Russia, the word was taken seriously, believed in its power and believed that sometimes it is better to be silent than to speak. After all, for every spoken word, you can get a response. There were also situations when superstitious people simply did not dare to open their mouths so as not to lose money and health, not to bring trouble to their families and simply not disappear. Read how silence could keep life, why it was impossible to respond to your name in the forest, and how you fought with sins with the help of silence.

I haven't saved my voice - you can disappear

The ancient Slavs believed that silence accompanies a person in a transitional state and that during a conversation he can lose his voice, that is, give it to the interlocutor or evil spirits. And then disappear, die. Therefore, transitional states were taken very seriously. For example, during the wedding, the bride (passing into a different status) was not supposed to talk, so as not to attract unhappiness to herself. It was forbidden to speak loudly next to a pregnant woman, because the word can make the birth of a child more difficult.

They were also silent next to the dying person so that the soul could freely leave the body. When a person was in agony, they used the so-called dumb water. She was recruited in the forest, without saying a word, and in complete silence they carried the unfortunate man to the bed. When the deceased was carried to the cemetery, it was also not recommended to cry and scream, so that the evil spirits would not hear the screams and would not take living people with the deceased. In some regions, the dead could be mourned, but before the burial took place. Walking from the cemetery, it was not necessary to talk, so that the speaker would not be "dried" by evil spirits.

Keep quiet, so as not to attract evil spirits and why they were afraid of echoes in Russia

The evil spirits in Russia were treated with apprehension and were afraid of it. When a peasant woman milked a cow, it was necessary to be silent so that evil spirits would not flock to the sound. Then the milk could turn sour, and the cow could get sick. It was possible to speak only after the milk was in the house. On the way, it was also impossible to chat, so that the interlocutor would not envy the milk yield - in this case the milk sour. During the calving of the cattle, they were also silent, moreover, they did not even greet the neighbors. They said that the one who wished health to someone can give him good luck. And then the cow will not be able to give birth, but the neighboring cattle will not have any problems.

In the forest, it was impossible to respond if someone called by name. It was believed that forest evil spirits could do this. In Russia, the echo was called the voice of the devil, and, as you know, he could bewitch a person and lure him into the thicket. The man who turned to the sound made the evil spirits understand that it was really him and his name. This could not be done so that the spirits would not confuse and kill the mushroom picker or the hunter. It was customary to answer only after repeating the name three times. This extended to the forest and simply at night. If there were two calls, it could be the devil - you should have been silent.

The Slavs were generally afraid of the forest, because the goblin lived there, and in the swamps there were water and kikimors. It is difficult to protect yourself from them, so it was better to make sure that the spirits did not notice. Therefore, people wandered through the forests, afraid to shout and call for help - suddenly the forest spirits would hear, grab, and drag them into the thicket.

Guess silently so the demons don't get angry

Since it was dangerous to joke with evil spirits, it was necessary to maintain silence during the implementation of any rituals and rituals that were associated with the other worlds. For example, in no case was it allowed to chat during fortune-telling. And when it was required to read the conspiracy, it was recommended to wait for a dark night, go to the crossroads, and there splash water on all four sides of the world. You could still bury some object related to the conspiracy. Well, during these manipulations, one should be silent and not make a sound. Otherwise, the demons could get angry, because during fortune telling and conspiracies, a person encroached on their territory. After the baptism of Russia took place, superstitions did not disappear. Moreover, new ones have appeared, which sometimes frighten individual people today.

To be silent, so that the fallen angels do not upset the plans and as a crime to atone with silence

There were many situations in which a person should remain silent. Some of them are associated with fallen angels. They could be very cunning. Therefore, a tradition arose not to tell anyone about their plans, so that the fallen angels would not upset them. They said that these angels are not able to penetrate the human soul, and can only guess what a person feels, what he thinks. But when a person spoke out loud about what he wanted to do, then a danger arose. You should be especially careful if you were planning a pious act - a pilgrimage, going to church for communion or confession, some kind of good deed.

With the help of silence, one could fight against sins. This is exactly what the Orthodox monks did, who took a vow of silence. Sometimes it was about not too harsh sins, for example, the use of obscene words, talkativeness, condemnation of someone. However, such a vow was considered serious and could only be given with the blessing of the church authorities. Sometimes people paid for their actions with the help of silence. It is interesting that it was such a kind of punishment, which was imposed with the consent of the one who would be punished. The logic in this was as follows: a person committed some kind of offense, very bad or not too good, and had to fully realize the gravity of what he had done. After that, repent and completely voluntarily desire to atone for their guilt, that is, agree to take a vow of silence. Only then will it be effective and lead to the desired result.

All this affected the ethical requirements for women at that time. That's why they were often silent, who could not even speak a word with anyone.