Table of contents:
- Blacksmiths who were in cahoots with the other world
- Millers sleeping at the bottom of the pond
- Stove-makers capable of letting devils into the house
- Joiners and their magic axes
Video: Why in Russia they were afraid of blacksmiths, why did the stove-makers leave bottles in the masonry and other ancient secrets of the professions?
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
In Russia, representatives of some professions were treated in two ways. They were respected and feared at the same time. We are talking about stove-makers, millers and blacksmiths. This happened because our ancestors believed that these people possessed special knowledge, were in collusion with the other world. Read in the material about millers who sacrifice people, about blacksmiths who communicated with evil forces and about stove-makers who could call devils into the house.
Blacksmiths who were in cahoots with the other world
In ancient times, blacksmiths were treated with special respect. After all, they were even able to defeat the Serpent Gorynych, as the legends said. People believed that blacksmiths knew how to heal people, "bind" them to each other. And since these craftsmen were able to change the shape of metal, therefore, they could also "reforge" human destiny.
Illiterate peasants did not understand the technology of forging. They thought that working with metal in this way was only possible after conspiracy with evil spirits. Often among the people, blacksmiths were called cunning and sorcerers.
To become a good worker in this field required a lot of physical strength, as well as knowledge and experience. At that time, technological development was at a low level, and the blacksmith needed to know well the characteristics of different metals.
Not everyone could become a blacksmith, so the profession was shrouded in legends, blacksmithing was equated with magic. For example, in the Czech (close to Russian) language, the word intrigue means forge, and blacksmithing is translated as deceit. In popular conspiracies, the image of a blacksmith was often used.
Another reason for mistrust of the forging craftsmen was that forges were usually built on the edge of the village, often by a lake or river. The peasants believed that this was done in order to freely communicate with evil spirits. In fact, the blacksmiths simply cared about safety: in the forge, the craftsmen worked with fire, and if the flame burst out, then the neighboring huts would not suffer. And water - it would certainly be useful for extinguishing a fire. Everything is much simpler than the villagers thought up, exaggerating the mystery and ill-will of the masters.
Millers sleeping at the bottom of the pond
In ancient times, peasants believed that a water mill was a kind of border on which people and swamp vermin collide. The mill was considered a male territory, to which children and women were prohibited from entering. People were afraid of demons, so they built mills far from villages. As for the owner, that is, the miller, he was credited with special knowledge, with the help of which he could easily communicate with otherworldly forces. And they even helped him.
Legends say that millers did not just get the favor of evil spirits. To do this, they had to make sacrifices. It could be ordinary food: flour, crumbs, bacon, vodka. But not everything is so simple. The peasants believed that the millers sacrificed black animals. And the most terrifying thing was the wanderers who walked past the mill at night. They were allegedly ground like grain.
The millers were stamped "sinner, sorcerer", they believed that such people could not get into Paradise. And the fact that the worker was all smeared with flour, in the opinion of the peasants, he did on purpose. So that evil spirits do not bother. The professionalism of the craftsmen was not appreciated, but related to witchcraft, which the miller had to comprehend at night. It was at night time that he slept at the bottom of the reservoir, selling his soul to the water one. Blimey!
Interestingly, the millers themselves were in no hurry to make excuses. It was even beneficial for them that terrible rumors were spreading about this profession - there is less competition, you can safely transfer the skill to the heirs, and not think about the fact that someone can take a "bread" place.
Stove-makers capable of letting devils into the house
Another group of people who were endowed with special abilities were stove-makers. After all, they built stoves, which since ancient times occupied the rank of the most mythologized objects in the house. The stove was the border between the world of the living and the dead. They said that one should not argue with a stove-maker, so that he would not send trouble to a person. For example, he did not run devils into the hut. To avoid such a situation, people generously paid for the work of the craftsmen.
Like millers, stove-makers did not dissuade the people of their delusions. Moreover, if the payment for the construction of the stove was too meager, the master could play a trick on the greedy peasant. For example, put a pipe squeaker or a bottleneck in the oven. When heated, from the flow of air, these objects made terrible sounds, which the peasants considered to be the shouts and sighs of the kikimora. And you just had to not be greedy!
Joiners and their magic axes
There were also professions that people were afraid of and avoided. For example, they were afraid to communicate with joiners and carpenters, shepherds and potters. Shepherds were associated with sorcerers. They said that they were friends with the devil. During the pasture of cattle, the shepherd often read a conspiracy to protect the herd or performed a special rite. It is clear, because the responsibility was great. However, this gave rise to dire rumors. Like, it's not for nothing that his cows are so obedient, evil spirits help.
The potter was able to make a beautiful jug out of a piece of clay. Surely the devils helped him in this. This means that damage can be done. The peasants treated the fire with trepidation, and the dishes were burned in it. This means that everything that a potter created can have magical properties - a pot or other product has been in a hell of a flame.
Carpenters and joiners were considered evil because they used axes. And this item has magical properties. For example, it could be used to summon a kikimor. And who wants someone to let evil spirits on the house?
Well, in order to better understand how people lived in Russia, you must definitely find out secrets of Russian wells.
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