In Slavic mythology, a demonic character, an evil spirit. A popular representative of evil spirits in oriental folklore. His image is very similar to a human one, he also has two arms and two legs, a human head, but with large ears and horns, his body is covered with black shaggy hair with a tail. The devil has hooves on his feet and claws on his hands. He carries evil within himself and does not act as a patron and benefactor, like a goblin or a brownie. Its constant presence gives a person a conscious idea of the omnipresent trait: “Pray to God, but do not anger the devil.” The devil steals small children, seduces women, drives them to suicide and pushes them to commit terrible crimes. The evil caused by the devil is always dangerous, but sometimes a person still manages to deceive or outwit him with the help of an angel or the power of the cross. In Russian beliefs, he differs significantly from the devil, who represents absolute evil.

People have different ideas about the devil: he can appear as a cunning tempter, or he can look like a funny fool who constantly finds himself in stupid situations.

You can measure strength with the devil or come to an agreement with him. In the Oryol region it is believed that the devils came from Satan, who came from the spitting of the holy spirit into the water even before the creation of the world. They create their own kind for the war with the angels. They have their own hierarchy: the most dashing devils are in hell, those of a lower rank live on earth, their habitats are swamps, deep forests, abandoned houses. In legends and tales, the devil appears to a person, as a rule, in the form of a wanderer, neighbor, or female image. But it can also appear in the form of a dog, pig or snake. The trait is recognized by the horns protruding from the head or hooves.

According to legends, the unclean appears at crossroads or rosstans. There is no need to mention the devil here, even during the day. It is believed that if anyone needs to see the devil, then at midnight he should go with a black cat to the crossroads, what the hell a large amount the cat will be bought. At the same time, you need to walk with a confident step and cannot turn around, if you turn around, they can tear you to shreds.

East Slavic fairy tales, where the devil is present, are satirical in nature: for example, how a soldier taught the devil the soldier’s craft, and rode him to his native village on leave. In fairy tales, the devil is compared with a dashing woman. For example, a man threw a dashing woman into a pit with devils, and then the devil cast a spell in her name, deceiving him with the help of his wife. The moral of all these tales is the same - “woman worse than hell" Ideas about the trait are often associated with fortune telling.

Girls at Christmas, before starting fortune-telling, light a candle and go with it to the field to “draw”: “Devils with us, the waterman with us, little devils all follow us, from feature to feature and girls to hell,” and after they listen, to whom they answer with the ringing of a bell, she will marry, to whom the boards are teased, she will die. You can protect yourself from misfortune with the banner of the cross and various amulets (a small icon, a silver cross).

In Vologda there is a prayer talisman: “Enemy Satan, retreat from me, I have something purer than you.” In the demonology of the Slavs, the image of the devil can be viewed from two sides: how general idea about evil spirits, and on the other hand, how the people relate to unrighteous evil.

Many people remember evil spirits from time to time, without thinking about who the devils are. These creatures appear in popular expressions, become heroes of sayings and even fairy tales. Their origin is shrouded in mystery and gives rise to numerous speculations and legends. “Devils” come to the rescue when a person wants to release negative emotions and swear. Where did these mythical creatures come from and what is known about them?

Who are the devils: origin

There are many legends attributing different origins creatures that are associated with evil itself. Who are the devils, based on the most common version among the people? Once upon a time these creatures were heavenly angels who served good. But they refused to obey God, which was the reason for their expulsion from paradise.

“Wet” theories are also proposed that answer the question of who the devils are. For example, many ancient Slavs had no doubt that evil spirits appear when the Devil wets his hands and shakes off the water. Another version suggests birth from God's spitting.

Finally, the third popular legend has its own explanation of who the devils are. She attributes the creation of the mythical devils to Satan, a fallen angel who needed a loyal army to fight the servants of light. Moreover, the Devil used walking kids and fawns as the basis for his subordinates, uniting these charming animals together.

When did they appear

Researchers are not able to come to a consensus about when these soldiers of hell appeared. Most theories suggest that they arose long before the creation of the world, thrown from heaven by God's hand. This version is also supported by the lameness that, according to the Slavs, fallen angels possess. The moment they fell, the legs of the evil creatures were broken.

There is another legend associated with the time of origin of the devils. They hid the clay from which God planned to create the world behind their cheeks, but the theft was discovered. The devils were forced to spit out " construction material", which led to the appearance of mountains and lakes. The punishment they suffered was expulsion.

Hierarchy

Hierarchy is a phenomenon that is present not only in human society. Legendary creatures also believe in the need for order and strictly fulfill the duties assigned to them. Historians can argue endlessly about who the devil is. But they are unanimous on the question of who controls the ruthless spirits that disturb human peace. Of course, Satan.

The devil commands his faithful servants, distributing responsibilities among them. Interestingly, the helpers are divided into two groups. “Dashing” devils enjoy the greatest honor. They spend most of their lives in the underworld. It is the “dashing” representatives of the forces of evil that those who commit sins during life should be afraid of, since they will mock them in the abyss of hell.

There are also ordinary devils that walk the earth. Their task is to drive humanity crazy, forcing them to abandon a righteous life and sin. From time to time, such creatures go on vacation to hell, they descend into the abyss and seek new orders from the Devil.

How do they look

The question of who the devil is is not the only one of interest. The description of his appearance is also interesting. It is obvious that the idea of appearance rebellious spirits is very vague. Back in the 19th century, researchers tried to understand how people saw these terrible creatures.

In most cases, followers of Satan are credited with having, like humans, two legs and two arms. The entire body of these creatures is covered with thick fur, which has a crumpled and unclean appearance, a color close to brown or black. The face they have is also unusual. It shows the features of several animals at once, for example, a pig, a goat.

Characteristic signs

When historians tried to find out who the devils are and what they look like by surveying the population of the country, they were offered various descriptions of the appearance of terrible creatures. However, there are characteristic features that are almost always attributed to these creatures. You can start listing them with teeth, which are distinguished by their extraordinary length and yellowness.

The eyes possessed by representatives of the infernal army are interesting. People believe that a frightening fire glows within them. The flame may turn orange or yellow, but most often appears blood red. Of course, devils have an evil look and look at humanity with hatred.

The horns located on the head also cannot be ignored among the characteristic features. Some people are convinced that these growths are small in size, others describe them as huge, branched. Of course, the devil has hooves and a long tail. The idea of a voice, which is seen as repulsive and creaky, is also unusual.

Responsibilities

Having figured out who the devil is in mythology, the researchers tried to clearly imagine his tasks. It is obvious that the “dashing” representatives of evil spirits are mainly engaged in inventing new mockeries against those who, after death, are drawn into the inferno of hell. But what do their “earthly” counterparts specialize in?

Understanding who the devils are among the Slavs will help answer this question. These are torturers whose main task is to destroy everything good that is in a person. They are the ones who are blamed for all the misfortunes that people experience. The supernatural powers possessed by mythical creatures allow them to persuade their victims even to commit murder or suicide. It is the followers of Satan who control a person when he decides to commit theft and violence.

Having understood who the devils are, photos of whose drawings can be seen above, you need to understand the weapons they are equipped with. Gambling, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs - all these are tools that allow evil spirits to destroy humanity en masse.

Where do the devils live?

Of course, meeting with a ruthless spirit for several centuries retained the status of one of the main fears of mankind. The places where you can encounter the devil are known. These creatures love to choose baths and mills. From time immemorial, dusty attics have also attracted them, as well as the space behind the stove, the underground. But the devil can appear in a residential building only when its owners are mired in family conflicts, are indifferent to cleaning.

Much more devils are attracted to nature. They can be found in impenetrable forest thickets and swamps. By the way, one of popular legends says that it was in the swamp that God plunged the fallen angels, punishing them for their rebellion.

Devils, demons, angels

Slavic mythology full of amazing creatures that are difficult to understand. Who are devils and the difference between them? One version suggests that these two words are synonyms, describing the same hellish creatures. Another theory insists that demons are different creatures from devils appearance and opportunities.

If you stick to the second version, then demons have wings attached to their appearance, and they reek of stench. These creatures are capable of controlling weather phenomena, for example, causing thunderstorms. They can organize a livestock pestilence. Also among their abilities are such talents as inhabiting a human body and changing their appearance.

The answer to the question of who devils and demons are (the photo above demonstrates what they can be in the imagination of science fiction writers most often sounds the same: fallen angels expelled by God. There is also a legend that claims that in addition to a personal angel to a person, At birth, a representative of evil spirits is also attached. The Cherub and the demon constantly fight with each other. Depending on which side wins, the child becomes good or bad when he reaches adulthood.

How to protect yourself from the devil

Nowadays, people easily pronounce the names of evil spirits, which was uncharacteristic of their distant ancestors. The ancient Slavs believed that when they uttered the word “devil,” they were calling on him. Speaking about representatives of evil spirits, the person tried to use a nickname rather than a real name. This is where definitions such as “evil” and “unclean” came from. The devil had nicknames that might even seem affectionate, for example, “the bad guy.”

Silence was far from the only tool of protection that our ancestors used. In the past, it was hardly possible to find a house that did not have a talisman protecting against the creatures of hell. Most often, objects to which were attributed Magic force, were irrigated with holy water. The Slavs also used herbs, which in their imagination were endowed with magical powers. For example, such properties were attributed to wormwood and St. John's wort.

Of course, there were also daredevils who made attempts not to protect themselves from the servants of Satan, but to summon them. For these purposes, various magical rituals, offerings were made to evil spirits.

This is what the most looks like interesting information, known about devils.

15 Feb

Who are the devils

Demons and devils are a common name for a fairly large number of types of evil spirits.

This includes small evil spirits of the physical and astral plane - devils, brownies, demons, some forest and swamp spirits, spirits of empty houses and others. Also, the term “demon” refers to “soldiers” - lower demons living in the Lower Worlds, or rather, their deepest part and, sometimes, succubi/incubi.

Also, devils and demons are often unfairly confused with demons and elementals of the elements of Earth, Fire and the sub-elements of Plants. Although none of these species really have anything to do with devils.

Devils have a very wide variety of shapes and types, but the “classical” image, oddly enough, is generally justified and correct. Since this true appearance these lovely beings, no matter what other they accept.
Externally, it is an anthropomorphic small entity (from 10 cm to a meter in height), has wrinkled, rough skin of a dark color (usually red, brown or beige), arms/legs and a large head with a face. As tuning they usually have a tail and horns: surprise:
They can talk. The voice is usually nasty. Nasal, thin, often drawing out and distorting words, giggling or lisping.

As an entity, devils do not shine with a brilliant mind, but they are very smart creatures, and very cunning. Having full access and their element to everything connected with dirt, they, among other things, are also capable of greatly influencing cash flows, catching money literally out of thin air for the ruler.

Throughout history, magicians of all ranks have closely communicated with these creatures. I think every practitioner has at least once carried castings or money for these sweethearts to a pedestrian crossroads... :flag:
But these are free devils.

A domestic devil in the possession of a magician is called a “Familiar” (sometimes Fetch).
They are usually obtained either under a contract or through familiar entities that are capable of influencing them. He is given a name and trained in certain skills.
Also interesting is the fact that devils acquire habits and habits from the creatures they live next to. For this reason different nations world they differ somewhat in behavior preferences.

The devil is one of the most popular characters in Slavic folk demonology. Mixed in it Christian ideas about the Devil - the enemy of the human race, overthrown by God at the beginning of time from heaven to hell, and the most ancient, pagan beliefs about demons and spirits inhabiting the whole world.

These two interpretations do not contradict each other in any way. When Christianity came to Rus', the new faith simply declared all goblins, brownies, banniks, ovinniks, kikimoras and others to be devils, servants of Satan. However, attributing demonic traits to brownies and goblins, the people still saw some difference between these spirits and devils, endowing the latter with a completely special appearance and habitat, and special activities.

Appearance

Everyone knows what the devil looks like. He has hooves, a tail, horns on his head, he is fidgety and mobile. Its color is definitely black. Some folklore collectors believe that the name “devil” comes from the word “black”. Gogol described the trait best of all, as he appears in popular fantasy, in “The Night Before Christmas”: “The front is completely German: a narrow muzzle, constantly spinning and sniffing everything it comes across, ending, like our pigs, in a round snout.” , the legs were so thin that if Yareskovsky had such a head, he would have broken them in the first Cossack. But behind him he was a real provincial attorney in uniform, because he had a tail hanging, so sharp and long, like today’s uniform coattails; only by the goat beard under his muzzle, by the small horns sticking out on his head, and by the fact that he was no whiter than a chimney sweep, one could guess that he was neither a German nor a provincial attorney, but simply a devil.”

The devil is also depicted in this form on ancient church paintings, the subject of which is Hell. However, the devil does not always appear to a person in this form. He can take the form of people, not only adult men and women, but also children. The devil loves to transform himself into an animal: a black cat or a black dog, a pig, a snake, a hare, a pike, a magpie. The devil never turns only into a rooster, since it is this bird that heralds the dawn, into a dove, which is one of the most beloved Christian symbols, and into a donkey, because it was on a donkey that Christ rode into Jerusalem.

Habitation

The most important devils are, of course, in the underworld. And those that are simpler live on earth. They love secluded and scary places, places where goodwill not a single person will go. In the old days, in almost every city a visitor could be shown an abandoned empty house where “evil spirits” lived. Outside cities, devils choose swamps for their homes. “There are devils in a quiet swamp”, “If there were a swamp, but there will be devils”, “Don’t walk in the swamp, the devil will hurt your ears” - such proverbs were recorded back in the 19th century by the collector of Russian folklore S. V. Maksimov. Devils also love water, however. “In still waters there are devils” - everyone knows this proverb, just as everyone remembers Pushkin’s Balda, who stirred up the water with a rope, forcing the little devil to come to him for services.

Devils, as is evident from popular beliefs, live in families. They have wives - devils, and children - devils. Devils love to visit each other, organize holidays and weddings. To do this, they usually choose road intersections. Clever people said, when they saw dust devils in such a place, that these were devils and witches dancing, holding a wedding. If you throw a knife or an ax into the very middle of such a whirlwind, then the “wedding” would immediately end, the knife would be found bloody, and some woman would neighboring village, reputed to be a witch, certainly appeared in public with a bandaged hand or head.

Classes

The devil's main occupation is to harm the human race. This is probably why, in order not to call out the devil, they were careful not to call the devil by name, preferring allegories: “unclean”, “anchutka”, “evil”, “enemy”, “clown”, “difficult”, “not ours” and so on.

IN folk beliefs The "enemy" appears as an evil, playful and lustful spirit. He especially loves to joke about drunk people, and these jokes often end, if not in death, then in the injury of the unfortunate person, whom the “hard woman” carries through ravines and gullies, leads him off the right path to his home, makes him wander and fall. Every person has his own personal “enemy”. He stands behind your left shoulder and whispers his evil advice into your left ear. WITH right side each of the people has an angel who, on the contrary, advises, whispering in right ear. Therefore, a Russian person will never spit over his right shoulder, but only over his left. When the devil manages to prevail over the angel, a person commits evil deeds, and when grabbed by the hand, he repents: “The evil one has led me astray! I don’t know how it came out!”

The devils take away children, especially unbaptized babies whose mothers “sleep” or accidentally strangle them in their sleep. To pray for the soul of such a baby, the mother must stand in church for three nights. At the same time, she faces trials - where is Gogol’s Khoma! On the first night, the devils howl and laugh behind her, and the child shouts: “You are not my mother, but a snake under the well!” You can’t turn around, otherwise the devils will tear you to pieces. In the morning a child appears to her - all black, like a firebrand. The second night the screams and laughter become even more terrible, the child repeats only one word: “Pray!”, and is already half white. On the third night, the mother hears a plaintive cry and requests to turn around and take her in her arms, through which a quiet voice can barely be heard: “Pray, mother, you almost prayed!” In the morning the baby finds himself lying on the floor, white and clean, and immediately dies.

The unclean spirit loves to inhabit people, especially women. In the old days such women were called cliques. They were furious, howled in different voices, did various rough and dirty things, and they were not only not punished for this, but were even pitied as victims of the eternal enemy of the human race. It was possible to save the poor clique from such an invading devil only with special prayers, a “reprimand.” And now in some villages there are still priests who know how to “reprimand” such demon-possessed people, driving out the evil spirits that have entered them. The ability to “tell off” is quite rare. This occupation is considered dangerous, requiring considerable presence of mind and impeccably righteous behavior from the priest.

Another favorite pastime of the unclean spirit is seducing women. In the old days, it was believed that if a widow was deeply saddened by her late husband, then the devil could easily come to her, taking on his appearance. The poor woman, of course, cannot resist. That's where she died! Demons appear to such inconsolable widows in the form of a fiery serpent. Having penetrated a window or chimney, the serpent hits the ground, scatters sparks and appears in the form of a beloved spouse. If a widow suddenly begins to lose weight and melt, or, on the contrary, suddenly becomes pregnant, and then walks around as if nothing had happened, goes out into the field alone and deftly copes with work that only three people can do - this is a sure sign that she has gotten into the habit. a fiery serpent towards her. You can get rid of it by drawing crosses in the corners of the hut, or hanging thistles, or ordering a prayer service and lighting incense in the house.

True, a grumpy and cunning woman can herself leave the devil a fool, so that he will run headlong from her, once and for all.

Hell, in general, cunning characters in fairy tales often deceive people. In literature striking examples Balda and Gogol’s blacksmith Vakula are of this kind. And any person can cope with the devil, you just need to remember about the sign of the cross. In the old days, even tubs of water and jugs of milk were covered at night with two splinters placed crosswise to prevent the devil from getting through. Russian people did not forget to cross their mouths when yawning - for the same purpose.

In this publication we have collected 50 photos of ghosts and spirits, which we managed to photograph in different time, different people Worldwide. Are these photos real or are they just a product of photo editing and a good knowledge of Photoshop? There is no consensus on this question, but the pictures are really interesting.

1). The girl on the right was crying, assuring those around her that she was afraid of another child, whom no one but her saw:

2). The so-called Pink Lady in one strashno.com from the Greencastle estates in Indiana, USA:

3). During her lifetime, the strictly dressed lady was the mother of the owner of the house and the mother-in-law of the mistress. She was accidentally photographed while removing new blinds:

4). The tulip-style staircase was captured by a priest in National Museum in England. This is what appeared on it later:

5). Perhaps the most famous photograph ghost - the so-called Brown Lady standing on the stairs of the Rainhamhall estate in England:

6). Relatives of the deceased say goodbye to him, standing at the coffin. But who looms in the foreground?

7). A shot of the office corridor. In all likelihood, someone ghostly continues his work, despite the late hour:

8) . The mother took a photo of her daughter's gravestone with another child sitting next to it. As it turned out later, buried nearby:

scaryno.com

9). An elderly woman can be seen in this photograph from the cemetery:

10) . In a photo from a military party, the ghost of a soldier appears in the background, already killed by the time of the holiday:

11) . Widower captured on film during seance on the call of his deceased wife:

12). The owner of the camera is filming her daughter, and behind her is a phantom of a woman in a black cloak without legs:

13). Ghost of a Soldier in the Alexandria Museum:

14). A raging poltergeist during a seance in London (1940):

15). An elegant Queen Anne style bureau photographed at the request of a furniture dealer for a catalogue. Someone's thin brush touches the surface of the bureau:

16). The camera literally captures the last seconds of a dying person's life. A white substance separates from his face along with his exhalation:

17). The young man had trouble falling asleep, chest heaviness and anxiety. On strashno.com, the photograph that was developed clearly shows the reason - a ghost sitting right on him:

18). A tourist who captured a stream of water in the forest was surprised to find in the photo something similar to a red ghost. The weather was cloudy, with absolutely no rays of sun:

19) . A ghost next to a woman photographed at home and standing near the TV:

20). The favorite chair of Lord Combermere, crushed by his crew, turns out to be occupied even after his death. By themselves:

21). Mom and son, posing, had no idea that someone else was living in their house. You can see a face on the left and something on the right that resembles a dog:

22). The husband photographed his wife praying in the English Worsted Church. The film showed a lady in a cap and an old outfit:

23). What is it: a guardian angel or the soul of a car passenger involved in a terrible accident?

24). It would seem like an ordinary photograph of a strashno.com worker’s place in the apartment. Against the background of the switched off monitor, you can see a man's head. The one who took the photo workplace the woman claims that this is the head of her dead husband. But he looks much younger than at the time of his death:

25) . The old guide led tours in a place famous for its geysers and boiling mud. The guide can be seen after his death in this photo:

26). The new owner of the house hired two workers to work on the roof. The entire time they were working, they were completely alone in the building. The previous owner of the house, an elderly woman, died 3 months earlier:

27). In this photo, a ghost boy (near a chair) is playing hide and seek with a living child:

28). Phantom in an English pub:

29). The young man posed with a dog, but after development he discovered the presence of an unfamiliar woman in the frame:

30). The most famous photograph of a ghost in a strashno.com car, taken by the wife of the man sitting behind the wheel. In the ghost on back seat both recognized her previously deceased mother:

31). Ghost captured by the road:

32). Lights over Washington one night (1952):

33). A very real, but no less terrible fire tornado in Hungary:

34) . Ghosts, invisible in the studio during the recording of the program, but displayed on the TV:

35). This photo was taken from a nurse's monitor. A black figure appeared standing on top of a patient lying on a hospital bed. He died shortly after the figure appeared:

36). In the center, outside the window, a white face can be seen looking into the room. There is no balcony in the room, and even if there was one, the face is larger than the face of a real person:

37). During the restoration of the Canadian hotel, workers took photos to document the changes. Obviously, not all the guests of strashno.com moved out at that time:

38). An abandoned sanatorium in Kentucky is famous for its ghosts - former patients:

39). One of the most scandalous photos ghosts, taken in 1963 in an English church. The photo caused a storm of controversy because... many suspected personnel overlap during its creation. Some experts who have studied the photograph claim that this is exactly one single, authentic photograph:

40). This photo was taken at the old crypt. Interestingly, this is not a reflection in the window, because... There is no glass in it for a long time:

41). The real deer stares straight at the ghostly child. We would only see a deer, the camera captures both:

42). Two girls pose with a smile, checking how the phone camera takes pictures. As it turned out, they posed not together, but three:

43). The young man clearly does not see who is walking ahead, otherwise he might get scared:

44). A dog on an evening walk strashno.com clearly sees who has approached it, and is probably surprised at its owner’s blindness:

45). Is this figure real, walking intently across the bridge in the heart of the Old Town?

46). A clot of ectoplasm has the outline of a figure, most likely a resident medieval city, where the photo was taken:

47). The ghost is clearly a woman stopping in front of the altar - the ghost can be seen wearing shoes:

48). People are talking to each other behind a white car. But who is the dark one standing in front of her?

49). Happy newlyweds are photographed with their retinue against the backdrop of the church. Someone's ghostly face can be seen in the mug under the numbers 666:

50). A very interesting and controversial shot of an indoor swimming pool. The white figure resembles someone crawling out of it, and orbs are visible above it: