Protective symbols of ancestors: Slavic amulets and their meaning. The most powerful amulets of the ancient Slavs

Having created a shelter for himself, our distant ancestor continued to worry about his own safety. It was then that the first thoughts about the amulet arose in a person, which were embodied in rock paintings. The topic of security has not lost its relevance in our days. Are you interested in Slavic amulets and their meaning? From this article you will learn what the old Russian talismans were like.

Primitive people came to the conclusion that all the events that take place are controlled by higher powers or spirits, which were divided into evil and good. Good spirits had to be cajoled, and the attention of evil ones had to be diverted from oneself.

This is how the first Slavic charms arose, and with them the rules for their manufacture:

• Don't make a charm for yourself
• Do not force another to make you an amulet
• Choose the source material according to certain rules

The amulet created by the closest relative was considered the most effective. The manufacturer was obliged to think about the person to whom this talisman was intended. The thoughts of the creator should not be clouded negative emotions, this rule was of paramount importance. Otherwise, the amulet was considered inactive, and in some cases even harmful.

The amulets of the Slavs were divided into male and female. Women more often used certain Slavic jewelry as talismans. In fairness, it should be noted that sometimes there were also such amulets that could be worn not only by men and women, but even by small children. These, for example, were Slavic.

Leather bracelet for men

Talismans for men were more often made in the form of metal fasteners, pendants and. They were decorated with signs of the Sun, which were depicted in the form of a cruciform figure with beveled ends. The cross was inscribed in a circle that symbolizes the universe.

The main attribute of our distant ancestors was weapons. In a stable peaceful time, it was used for hunting, and during the war it was impossible to do without it. Slavic talismans and amulets were directly related to the lifestyle of the people of that era.

The meaning of Slavic amulets

1. Alatyr. One of the most sacred symbols was (a talisman in the form of a star with eight rays). According to the ancient Slavs, Alatyr lay at the heart of the universe. Its meaning is the personification of wisdom, the symbol has become an invariable attribute of the Magi and travelers.

It was worn by women and men, while the cross-bars of the male version converged at a right angle, the female one - at an oblique angle. It was believed that male magical amulets had the highest power.

2. Ax of Perun . This male talisman personified militant energy and protected from curses and the evil eye. As the legend says, Perun used his weapons only in a fair fight. The amulet protected brave warriors from the arrows of an insidious enemy and from the attacks of warlocks.

This is a Slavic talisman of strong and powerful men, protecting the hearth and helping to establish warm family relations. Having only right angles and lines, it looks very brutal. The amulet Rodimych could be depicted on the wall of the dwelling, near the front door.

A male amulet capable of putting any enemy to flight, an adornment of military weapons and banners under which the squad went on a campaign. Ratiborets blinded the adversary and forced him to shamefully retreat from the battlefield. The talisman was intended for soldiers and everyone who spoke in defense of the Fatherland.

An amulet that protects against any natural adversity was most often made of oak or pine. It could also be cast from silver, which gave the talisman incredible strength. God Svarog, in whose forge silver was born, patronizes blacksmithing. The Slavic amulet Grozovik was worn by blacksmiths. It was believed that the talisman helps them make the most durable weapons and armor.

According to legend, this daughter of a brave warrior carried fighters from the battlefield on a winged horse. Possessing supernatural abilities, the girl controlled the outcome of the battle. According to an old legend, the warrior wearing her symbol remained alive after the battle.

The meaning of the Slavic amulet of the Valkyrie is to enhance the four qualities of a true warrior: wisdom, impartiality, nobility and honesty. He decorated military weapons, with which the fighters simply fought the enemy with lightning speed.

The meaning of this symbol is a cloudless day, growth and creation. A white god is called an old man dressed in white clothes and holding a staff. This image symbolized the wisdom of the universe, and the elder himself symbolized the protection of the laws of the world. Only honored men and people endowed with power proudly wore this sign.

Bracelet as a talisman

Among the ancient Slavs, jewelry in the form of a bracelet was especially popular. At that time, men's clothing had wide sleeves. To get reliable protection from all sorts of evil spirits, the representatives of the stronger sex wore bracelets, which were decorated with security symbols.

The owner of the amulet "Fern Flower" gained spiritual power. Bracelets for young men with the sign "Fire-eye" and protected from the evil eye. The power of the amulet repelled all incoming negativity from its owner. Men wearing the symbol of Svarog were distinguished by incredible strength and wisdom. In the most difficult situation, they instantly found the right solution.

Noble people wore bracelets with a combination of several symbols, such a talisman was called the Charm Cup. The owner of the sign was protected from the tricks of the dark forces, he was distinguished by the ability to resolve the most complicated case, was capable of self-healing, as well as increasing his power and might.

Charms in the form of men's belts

In the old days, a man without a belt did not even leave the house. Still, after all, all the weapons he had were attached precisely to the belt. It also provided a place for protective amulets. To appear in public without a belt was considered the height of indecency, and the evil spirits of people with belts bypassed the tenth road!

One had only to appear without a belt - consider that the glory of a sorcerer or even a warlock has stuck to you. The belt was indeed a good amulet, as it protected the most vulnerable place of its owner - the stomach.

Slavic charms of men were created by the closest women: daughters, wives and mothers. If a man died during the battle, then the woman who made the bad amulet was considered an indirect culprit of his death.

For some men, women's love for trinkets is an occasion for jokes, for others - for admiration. But the tradition of putting on trinkets came to us from distant ancestors.

Dirham, ring, another half a hryvnia
Interesting Vyatich Colt
Or rather, two - a marvelous drawing
swastika solstice

And ducks, ducksThey
I love this symbol
Its some quiet
The blacksmith shyly gave...

Levin Vyacheslav Nikolaevich (stvs)

Ancient people believed that through the holes of our body a human soul could fly out, or, conversely, some evil magic could penetrate inside. It was also necessary to magically protect the arms and legs most prone to injury and bruising. Finally, it was necessary to protect the energy centers and channels of the body.

Not trusting too much in their ability to resist evil, people tried to protect their bodies with objects made of bone, wood or metal. Of course, the tree was preferred to "noble" species: oak, birch, pine. The bone had to be from a strong, fearless animal: a bear, a tiger. But best of all, metals and precious stones were suitable for protecting the soul and body. Old Slavic myths make gold and silver related to sunlight and lightning of the god Perun, the main of the pagan gods. Thus, jewelry in ancient times had a religious, magical meaning. Jewelry was worn not so much "for beauty", but as an amulet, a sacred talisman. The ancient Slavic women's outfit included (as, indeed, now) much more jewelry than men's.

Since ancient, truly cave times, a woman has been an object of almost religious worship from her eternal friend and companion - a man.

First, a woman gives birth to children. Secondly, it is the woman who turns out to be the bearer of the ancient wisdom of the tribe, its myths and legends. In the eyes of our ancestors, a woman not only was not a "vessel" of evil forces - on the contrary, she was a being much more sacred than a man. So, like everything sacred, it needed to be especially carefully guarded. Hence - with a little bit of prosperity - and the golden brocade of girlish headbands, and multi-colored beads, and rings.

Scientists write that the Slavs, who settled in the VI-VII centuries in the forest belt of Eastern Europe, were cut off from the traditional places of extraction of non-ferrous metals. Therefore, until the 8th century, they did not develop any special, only inherent type of metal jewelry. The Slavs used those that existed then throughout Europe, from Scandinavia to Byzantium.

However, Slavic craftsmen were never content with imitating models adopted from neighbors or brought by merchants and warriors from foreign lands. In their hands, "pan-European" things soon acquired such a "Slavic" individuality that modern archaeologists successfully determine the boundaries of the settlement of the ancient Slavs, and within these boundaries - the areas of individual tribes. But the process of mutual penetration, mutual enrichment of cultures did not stand still, since in those days there were no strictly guarded state borders. And now foreign blacksmiths copied the new Slavic style and also implemented it in their own way, and the Slavs continued to look closely at the trends of "foreign fashion" - Western and Eastern.

Hryvnia

A metal hoop worn around the neck seemed ancient man a reliable barrier that can prevent the soul from leaving the body. We called him "hryvnia". This name is related to the word "mane". Apparently, this word in ancient times meant "neck".

For some peoples, hryvnias were worn by men, while others were worn by women, but scientists say that always and for everyone, including the Slavs, it was a sign of a certain position in society, very often like the Order of Merit.

Hryvnias are often found in the female burials of the ancient Slavs. Therefore, archaeologists rightfully insist that it was a “typically female” jewelry, like beads and temple rings.

Ancient Slavic craftsmen made hryvnias from copper, bronze, billon (copper with silver) and from soft tin-lead alloys, often covering them with silver and gilding. Precious hryvnias were made of silver.

The ancient Slavs wore different types hryvnias, which differed in the way of manufacturing and connecting the ends. And of course, each tribe preferred its own, special look.

Dart hryvnias were made from a "drot" - a thick metal bar, the usual round or triangular in section. Blacksmiths twisted it with tongs, heating it on fire. The hotter the metal was, the finer the “cut” was. A little later, hryvnias from rhombic, hexagonal and trapezoidal darts appeared. They were not twisted, preferring to knock out a pattern on top in the form of circles, triangles, dots. These hryvnias are found in burial mounds of the 10th-11th centuries.

Similar, only connected not by a lock, but simply by ends far reaching each other, were made by the Slavs themselves. The open ends of such hryvnias were in front. They expand beautifully, but the back, adjacent to the neck, is round to make it more comfortable to wear. Their usual ornament consisted of triangles with bulges inside. Archaeologists call them "wolf tooth". Such hryvnias, made of billon, bronze and low-grade silver, were worn in the 10th-11th centuries by the Radimichi tribe. In the 11th-12th centuries, radimichi began to connect the ends of the hryvnias with beautiful square plaques, stamped or cast. Some plaques, scattered over a large area, were clearly cast in the same workshop, even in the same mould. This indicates a developed trade and that the ancient Russian master jewelers worked not only to order, but also to the market.

Some neckbands, made of thick or bronze wire, were worn "just like that", without additional decorations. But if the iron or colored wire was thin enough, beads, round plaques, foreign coins, bells were strung on it.

The most numerous were twisted hryvnias. Slavic craftsmen twisted them different ways: "simple tourniquet" - from two or three copper or bronze wires; "complex cord". Sometimes a simple or thin tourniquet was wrapped around the top with a thin twisted wire.

Temple rings

The decoration of the headdress, which was usually fixed near the temples, was called by archaeologists "temporal rings".

Slavic women's temporal rings were attached to a headdress (a girl's corolla, a married woman's crown) on ribbons or straps that beautifully framed the face. Sometimes the rings were woven into the hair, and in some places they were even inserted into the earlobe, like earrings. Sometimes the temporal rings, strung on a strap, formed a crown around the head. And yet, most of them were worn as it should be by name - at the temples. As excavations have shown, temporal rings were worn in Western and Eastern Europe, in the North and in the South. They were worn from ancient times - and yet by the 8th-9th centuries they began to be considered typical Slavic jewelry, they began to enjoy such popularity among the West Slavic tribes. Gradually, the fashion for temporal rings spread to the Eastern Slavs, reaching their peak in the 11th-12th centuries.

Teenage girls who had not yet entered the age of brides did not wear temporal rings at all or, in extreme cases, wore the simplest ones, bent from wire. Girls-brides and young married women, of course, needed enhanced protection from evil forces, because they had to protect not only themselves, but also future babies - the hope of the people. Their temporal rings are therefore especially ornate and numerous. And older women who stopped giving birth to children gradually abandoned the richly decorated temporal rings, passing them on to their daughters. Temporal rings with beads strung on a wire base looked completely different. Sometimes metal beads were made smooth and separated by wire spirals - such rings were loved not only by Slavs, but also by women of the Finno-Ugric peoples. In the 11th-12th centuries, it was a favorite decoration for female leaders (descendants of the ancient Vod tribe still live near St. Petersburg). Novgorod women of the 11th-12th centuries preferred temporal rings with beads decorated with small grains - metal balls soldered onto the base. In the Dregovichi tribe (the area of ​​modern Minsk), a large silver grain was attached to a frame of beads woven from copper wire. In Kyiv of the 12th century, beads, on the contrary, were made laced from fine filigree.

Earrings

Not so long ago, our fashionistas introduced bracelet-sized wire earrings, which, as usual, did not really please the older generation. And yet, once again, it turns out that the “new fashion” is already a thousand years old, if not more. Similar rings (only more often not in the ears, but on the temples) were worn by women of the Krivichi tribe (upper reaches of the Dnieper, Western Dvina, Volga, interfluve of the Dnieper and Oka). One end of such a ring was sometimes bent into a loop for a pendant, the second went behind it or tied. These rings are called "Krivichi". They wore several pieces (up to six) at the temple.

Similar ones were found in the north-west of the territory of the Novgorod Slovenes, they were only put on one at a time, less often two on each side of the face, and the ends of the rings were not tied, but crossed. In the 10th-11th centuries, bells and triangular metal plates were sometimes hung on chains to wire rings, sometimes even in several tiers. But among the Slovenes who lived in the city of Ladoga, in the middle of the 9th century, rings with a spiral curl turned outward came into fashion. It cannot be ruled out that they got there from the southern coast of the Baltic, from the Slavic Pomerania, with which the Ladoga residents maintained close ties.

In general, earrings were not particularly popular among the ancient Slavs, usually appearing as an imitation of a foreign tradition. Prince Svyatoslav probably got his famous earring because he spent most of his time in a foreign land, on military campaigns.

Bracelets

The fashion for them appeared in the middle of the 12th century and lasted until the beginning of the 14th century.

Bracelets are the earliest Slavic jewelry known to us: they come across in treasures and during excavations of settlements starting from the 6th century.

The word bracelet came into our language from French. The ancient Slavs called the bracelets "hoop", that is, "what covers the hand", as well as "sleeve". They were decorated with precious stones and pearls, and gold chains were inserted into them. Great importance was attached to the clasps of bracelets, which were decorated with enamels. It is not known exactly who wore hoops - men or women. Archaeologists rarely find them in male burials and confidently consider the decoration to be specifically female. But on the pages of chronicles we meet princes and boyars "with hoops on their hands."

The ancient Slavs made bracelets from different materials: from leather covered with an embossed pattern, from woolen fabric, from a strong cord wrapped in a thin metal ribbon, from solid metal and even ... from glass.

Despite the cheapness, brisk trade, glass "hoops" did not take root among the rural population.

Apparently, the village people preferred metal bracelets, mostly copper. They were worn on the right and left hands, sometimes several pieces.

In great use were bracelets twisted from several wires, “falsely twisted”, that is, cast in clay molds according to wax casts from twisted bracelets, as well as wicker - on a frame without a frame.

Very beautiful and varied are "plate" (bent from metal plates) bracelets, forged and cast.

From pre-Mongolian times, bracelets of another variety have been preserved - “folded”, consisting of two halves, connected by small loops and a clasp. Bracelets were always made round, but different in cross section: smooth, twisted, twisted, square, ribbed, triangular. Their colors were also rich: black, brown, green, yellow, turquoise, purple, blue, colorless, etc. A significant number of bracelets were made from amber.

The bracelets most often depicted symbols of water: a braid, a wavy pattern, snake heads. This is primarily due to the purpose of bracelets: they were worn by girls during mermaids - celebrations about good, fruitful water.

pendants

Pendants were worn on long cords or chains and fastened to the dress on the chest or on the belt. They were made of silver, copper, bronze and bilon. Most often, pendants acted as amulets and were performed in the form of pagan symbols. There are up to 200 types of different types of pendants. The most popular were pendants symbolizing household items (spoons, keys, combs) or wealth (knives, hatchets), pendants in the form of animals: birds or horses, which were symbols of happiness and were invariably accompanied by signs of the sun, as well as geometric pendants: round, moon, crosses, rhombuses, etc.

Among the girls, pendants in the shape of the Moon were especially popular, since it was she who was considered the patroness of the unmarried. Pendants in the form of miniature combs with two animal heads were widespread. The crest has long been given magical functions, as a protector of a person from any infection. Of course, solar themes were widely used, as well as symbols of water.

All of the above types of pendants existed until the 13th century. A little longer, until the 15th century, bell pendants existed. They were worn in a set with other pendants, neck torcs, crowns, but most often with pockets, at the belt or sleeves. Being symbols of the god of thunder, with their ringing they were called upon to drive away evil spirits.

amulets

Everything on modern language called "decorations", had in ancient times a clearly readable religious, magical meaning. Just like for a believing Christian, the cross that he wears around his neck - be this cross even a piece of jewelry

Many Slavic amulets are quite clearly divided into male and female (by the way, we note that in the Christian era, pectoral crosses were also distinguished in the same way).

The "solar" symbolism can be clearly seen in the round pendants-amulets, which were also part of the women's attire. They were made, as a rule, from billon or bronze, less often - from high-grade silver.

If for the "solar" round pendants mainly yellow alloys were used, then for pendants - "lunar" more often went white, in the color of moonlight, - silver or silver with tin, and bronze - only occasionally. This is understandable, because, as scientists write, the ancient cult of the Moon, which was widespread not only among the Slavs, but also among other ancient peoples of Europe and Asia, was reflected in the moons. Lunnitsa appeared in Slavic burials in the 10th century. Usually they were worn in several pieces as part of a necklace, otherwise they were put into the ears like earrings. Wealthy women wore pure silver moons. Often they are marked by the finest jewelry work, they are decorated with the smallest grain and filigree. In such moons, each smallest ball was soldered by hand.

In lunnitsa, which most women willingly wore, and the metal was cheaper and the work was simpler. Such moons were made, as a rule, according to a finished wax cast, into which metal was poured. Clay casts were also used for casting. Often there was a floral ornament on such moons. This is no coincidence, since the "duty" of the Moon was to monitor the growth of plants.

Slavic amulets: amulets

Charms-amulets could be in the form of magical symbols or special figures. Protective figures, as a rule, were worn in whole sets in the form of decoration. They were hung from a semicircular bow, fastened with metal chains and put on the body in the chest area, closer to the heart.

The bow in the shape of a crescent was not chosen by chance, it symbolizes the firmament. Also, three dots were knocked out on it, indicating sunrise, sunset and noon. Most often you can find amulets of five figures: a key, a jaw of a predator, two spoons and a bird.

Women's Slavic amulets

Everything that people wore in ancient times had a practical meaning. All women's and men's jewelry were amulets: bracelets, rings, monista, pendants, earrings, and even scarlet ribbons that girls wove into their hair.

Among the northern peoples, for example, women wore pendants, the elements of which knocked against each other when walking, and with this noise they scared away evil spirits. These could be simple bells or figurines made of wood or metal. Roosters, horses, duck, frog legs and other zoomorphic symbols were carved.

Particular attention was paid to the most vulnerable area: neck, chest, solar plexus. That is why women wore voluminous necklaces, monista and other talisman jewelry around their necks. One of the most common materials for their manufacture was beads. In fact, beads are glass, and the properties of glass have always been valued by magicians and soothsayers in the same way as the properties of crystal. Glass not only protects against dark forces, but also preserves human health, as it is able to equalize its energy flows.

Different nationalities at different times wore pendants in different ways: in the form of a necklace around the neck, on the belt, attached to the headdress.

An obligatory element of the women's costume was headwear, which, among other things, had a protective function. Among the Slavic peoples, bird symbolism is often found in women's headdresses. A kokoshnik, for example, could be called a “rooster”, since a kokosh is a rooster. Horned kicks symbolize a duck (a kick is a duck). There were also headdresses, which were called so, magpies. Ordinary scarves were most often of a protective scarlet color; the same birds, plant and other protective symbols were embroidered on them.

The girls were allowed not to wear hats, but they had the so-called headbands. It could be an ordinary scarlet ribbon, or made of metal, to which amulets were attached in the form of pendants. Among all metals, amulets were most often made of copper or bronze, if funds allowed, then silver and gold were used.

A female comb also acted as an amulet. He had seven prongs (for many peoples of the world this is a magic number that protects from the evil eye and diseases). In addition to their direct purpose, combs were used in various magical rites, were used for conspiracies and healing a sick person. It is no coincidence that the comb is often mentioned in fairy tales. There he was used as a magical assistant.

Women wore earrings, and they also performed a protective function. Earrings consisted of one or more metal pendants. It could be a key, symbolizing wealth, a small spoon, symbolizing prosperity in the house, the pestle of a stupa - a sign of fertility and masculinity. Punching and cutting objects in pendants, depicted in the form of animal jaws, saws, axes, sickles, etc. were considered a powerful amulet against evil spirits and attacks of wild animals in the forest.

It has long been believed that women are more susceptible to the influence of otherworldly forces than men, so they needed powerful protection both day and night. In order to protect themselves from the evil spirits of the Navi world at night, women put on special lunar necklaces. They were made of silver in the form of pendants, round or in the shape of a crescent.

Slavic amulets for men

Men had much less amulets than women, but they also were. So, for example, protective solar signs were carved on the clasps of raincoats, the so-called brooches.

On men's wearable charms, they depicted a symbol of fertility - an eight-pointed cross, a sign of the sun - an ordinary cross, a sign of the earth - rhombuses, solar signs - swastikas, as well as fish, animals, birds, the sky.

Away from home, men were protected by pendants depicting ducks or skates. Men constantly fought, so amulets were important for them, protecting them from injuries and bringing victory in battles.

Such amulets were fangs and claws of wild animals, especially wolves, as well as pendants in the form of knives, swords, daggers.

Both men and women wore bracelets made of metal, glass, bones with protective symbols on their hands.

Remember the image of the princess from Slavic fairy tales. Before starting to work miracles, she let down the long sleeves of her shirt. And in fact, in ancient times, the sleeves on women's clothing were wide and long, to the very ground. They were dismissed only when they danced a ritual dance in honor of the goddess of the earth Makosh. The rest of the time, the sleeves were fastened with bracelets: firstly, so that they could not penetrate through them evil spirits Secondly, for convenience. Sleeves on men's clothing were also wide, but not long, they were “sealed” with amulets.

beads

The word "beads" in its modern meaning began to be used in Russian from the 17th century, until then, apparently, the Slavs called this type of jewelry a "necklace", that is, "what they wear around the throat." Archaeologists often write this way in their works "... a bead necklace was found." In fact, a string of very large (about 1.5 cm in diameter) beads, of the same type or different ones, will most likely remind a modern person of a necklace, and not the beads that they wear now.

In ancient times, beads were a favorite decoration for women from the northern Slavic tribes; they were not so common among the southern ones.

Some of the craftsman's beads were made from segments of glass rods that had several layers - most often yellow, white, red.

Other beads, which I certainly want to mention, are gold-plated and silver-plated. Silvering and gilding technique glass products, including beads, was mastered by the masters of the Egyptian city of Alexandria before our era. Centuries later, the thread of tradition reached out to Northern Europe. The most common were glass beads. There are four types of beads: glass (blue, black, light green), beads made of multilayer glass rods, blown beads and polyhedrons. Green was considered the most favorite color for beads. But noble women preferred beads made up of various materials(gold, pearl and carved from precious stones). In Ancient Russia, there was another women's neck decoration - monisto-peculiar beads in the form of small jewelry or coins strung on a chain.

Colts

Colts were attached to the headdress at the level of the temple on a chain or ribbon folded in half. Usually they consisted of two convex plates, which were connected together and supplemented from above with a shackle for fastening. In the XI-XII centuries, the most common were gold kolts with enamel of different colors. vetov. Often, pearl trims were made along the edge of the colt. In the 12th century, star-shaped kolts and niello decorations also appeared.

In general, kolts can be recognized as one of the most amazing works of applied art. Our craftsmen are looking for the best game lights and shadows skillfully set off silver and gold with black, and sometimes covered the smooth surface with thousands of rings, each of which was strung with a tiny grain of silver.

The most common design for kolts was the image of the bird Sirina or the tree of life. Scientists associate this with the symbolism of the wedding ceremony: here the birds are a symbol of a married couple, and the tree is a sign of new life. A little later, Christian motifs began to appear on kolts, including images of saints.

Rings and rings

Jewelry, originally designed to magically protect the human hand - rings, rings - appear in the graves of the ancient Slavs from the 9th century and are widely found starting from the next, 10th century. Some archaeologists believed that they became widespread among the Slavs only after the introduction of Christianity, because the rings play an important role in church rite. However, other scientists unearthed Slavic burials of the 7th century (in Transylvania), and there turned out to be bronze rings - not brought from a distant country, but local ones, moreover, even allowing us to talk about the “Slavic type” of rings. The ring is also held in his hand by one of the Deities of the Zbruch pagan idol: the researchers recognized in it the image of Lada, the Slavic Goddess of the universal order of things, from the cosmic cycle of constellations to the family circle. And on later rings, symbols of paganism, for example, signs of the Earth, are stubbornly visible. In a word, the pagan symbolism of the ring-ring was in no way poorer than the Christian one. Or maybe that's why the pagans avoided putting on rings on the dead, fearing to prevent the soul from leaving the body and going to the afterlife? If so, then it should be assumed that after the adoption of Christianity at the end of the 10th century, when the dead, especially the noble ones, increasingly began to be buried according to the Christian rite, the rings began to be placed next to the body, and then left on the hand ...

In one female burial, thirty-three rings were found in a wooden chest. In other graves, rings are tied with string, placed in a pot, in a tuesok, in a leather or knitted purse, just on a piece of birch bark. Probably, the customs of the Finnish tribes - the neighbors of the ancient Slavs, and not just neighbors - had an effect here: some of these tribes were to merge into the emerging Old Russian people. Where such proximity-kinship became the closest, completely Finnish types of rings were found in Slavic graves. For example, to the south-west of modern St. Petersburg and in the middle reaches of the Volga, the so-called "whiskered" rings were worn, and "noisy" rings were found in the Vladimir Kurgans - equipped with metal pendants that can ring one against the other. Sometimes these pendants have very characteristic outlines of "duck legs" - ducks and other waterfowl were sacred to the Finno-Ugric tribes, according to their beliefs, they participated in the creation of the world.

No less interesting "Finnish borrowing" was a peculiar way of wearing rings. In the Moscow region, in several burial mounds, they found rings worn by .... on the toe.

Ancient Slavic rings, like bracelets, do not have a clearly defined “tribal affiliation”. The same varieties are found over very large areas. Local types of rings appear mainly by the XII-XIII centuries, when their production becomes truly massive.

Very peculiar and beautiful "lattice" rings of the Vyatichi were, apparently, inspired by the art of the Mordovian and Murom Finno-Ugric tribes.

Slavic amulets for the home

Like clothing, human habitation was also covered with symbolic protective signs. To this day, in the villages you can find old houses with carved roofs, doors, shutters. Everything that was carved on a tree made sense, it was far from simple decorations, which are made in our time. All the same solar and thunder symbols were placed around the holes through which evil spirits could enter the house.
First of all, these were windows, doors, a chimney. The top of the roof was often crowned with a horse - the symbol of Perun. Above front door hung a horseshoe. By the way, a horseshoe as a talisman for a home or a wearable talisman is still used to this day. But most often you can find it hanging with its ends down, which is wrong - our ancestors had a horseshoe-amulet exclusively with its ends up.

Inside the house, many household items were covered with protective ornaments: a stove, kitchen table, various tools for work.

Slavic amulets for prosperity and well-being:

Crest

Combing your hair with a wooden comb with seven teeth, you not only have a beneficial effect on your hair and scalp, but also attract good luck and health. To enhance the action of the comb, apply an image of a skate or two wavy lines (a water sign) on it, which will drive away evil spirits.

Spoon with curved handle

From it you can eat or drink medicines, then the benefits will double. To enhance the action, apply a rhombus with dots inside on the handle of the spoon - this is the sign of Mokosh.

Key

As a talisman, you can use both an image of a key and a real small key. It symbolizes the accumulation of experience, honor, material and spiritual wealth.

Bones and teeth of wild animals

In the form of wearable amulets, such a talisman is quite common in the modern world. But not everyone knows that this is a purely male talisman, which only brings misfortune to women. A man who makes his amulet, for example, a wolf or bear fang, will protect himself from the attack of enemies, gain strength over them, courage and invincibility. Power is possessed not only by real animal teeth and bones, but even their images. It is no coincidence that the wolf was present on the emblems and coats of arms of many armies.

Axe

The ax symbolizes the main pagan god Perun, therefore, both this item itself and its images, figurines, are powerful protective amulets.

bone knife

This object itself and its image will protect a person and his house from evil spirits.

platypus

This amulet combines two most powerful symbols: a duck and a horse, respectively, has double power. These symbols are connected with Dazhbog, pagan god sun. During the day, horses carry his chariot across the sky, and at night, through the underground Ocean, ducks. Such a talisman of protection from all the bad and will attract all the good.

Cross

The symbolism of the cross among the ancient Slavs has nothing to do with Christianity. This is a solar sign that protects a person from evil forces from all four corners of the world.

Horseshoe

Rusty horseshoes were used as amulets, as worn-out metal attracted all diseases to itself, preventing them from reaching the owners of the house. In addition, as soon as a person with an evil eye saw a horseshoe hanging in an unusual place, he wondered what helped to dispel all his evil power.

Such pagan traditions gradually began to be lost after the baptism of Russia, but at the same time, they have not been completely eliminated so far. Few of us know how to choose, make and wear amulets correctly, but the connection with the ancestors, which is present in everyone at a subconscious level, gives clues. Even if you pick up some pebble on the street that you suddenly like very much for some reason, it can already become your personal talisman, you just need to believe in its power. Listen to such signs, because they are not accidental, perhaps you need protection, and fate itself sends it. And now, knowing about the main Slavic amulets, you can make them yourself.

Embroidery

If you rummage through chests, then in many houses you can find embroidered items inherited from grandmothers and great-grandmothers. beautiful patterns towels, shirts, pillowcases, scarves, tablecloths, pouches.

Embroidery was given great importance: it was not a simple decoration, but served as a talisman. Everything mattered: the pattern, the color of the threads, the chosen fabric and the place on which the embroidery was located, the mood with which the work was performed. By the way, only women were allowed to embroider. If a spinning wheel and a loom were used for work, then special signs were painted or carved on them, which also served as a talisman.

The first thing that comes to mind at the mention of embroidered amulets is folk costumes. Even the most modest everyday outfit had embroidery along the hem: on the neck, cuffs, hem. This is due to the fact that unclean forces could penetrate through these unprotected places.

Embroidered Slavic amulets, depending on the color of the threads and the pattern, performed different functions:

Cross-shaped and circular shapes of red and orange colors protect against physical attack.

Black or red silhouettes of a rooster and a horse will save a small child from various misfortunes. Purple and blue patterns were embroidered on the clothes of older children.

For success in business, patterns were applied with threads of golden green and blue colors.

And even the material from which the threads were made had its own meaning:

Protects from damage and the evil eye.

Able to protect even those who have already been touched by evil. Woolen threads "darn" holes in human energy. They embroidered solar signs, as well as animals, to which this or that person was most drawn. The location of embroidery with woolen threads was of great importance: it should be the area of ​​the solar plexus, heart, neck, lower abdomen, it is in these places that the main human energy centers are located. It is not recommended to embroider patterns of stars and birds with wool.

Has a calming effect. Among all patterns, it is best to embroider trees, stars, birds, the sun with linen threads.

Slavic amulets and the meaning of embroidery patterns

The elements of embroidery represent various motifs, but all of them are united by roundness and closed forms. Even if a silhouette is embroidered, it is enclosed in an oval or circle to give it the function of a talisman.

In order to avoid energy confusion, you should not embroider several patterns on one thing that are different in purpose. Also, do not mix different materials threads and fabrics.

In the manufacture of any amulets, including embroidery, you can not use scissors. Cutting off something, the craftswoman harms herself or the one for whom the amulet is intended. Threads can be cut by hand. It is also necessary to try to make the pattern as smooth as possible, without knots, as they impede the flow of positive energies.

The pattern itself and its location are determined depending on who the embroidery is intended for.

The Slavic people distinguished three levels of the universe, based on this, embroidery patterns were distributed:

Upper world.

In clothes, this is the neck. Clouds, birds, lightning, water were embroidered on it. To the bottom of the neck there was a cutout, which was decorated with plants symbolizing the world tree, solar signs.

Cosmogonic symbols went near the shoulder, along the seam of the sleeve.

Middle world.

In clothes, this is the bottom of the sleeve and the middle part of the shirt. They embroidered everything that is located between heaven and earth: coastlines, deer, birds, the sun, heavenly horses.

Lower world.

In clothes, this is the hem. It depicted the earth and what is under it. Horses, a plow, a forge were embroidered on men's clothes, and a field, coastline, and deer were embroidered on women's clothes. For girls, the pattern on the hem was narrower than for women.

In ancient times, each clan had its own characteristics of embroidery, meeting each other, a man and a woman, could find out by certain signs to which clan they belong.

Embroidered Slavic amulets for children were made with red threads. In adults, different colors were used. So, for example, black on women's clothes protected from infertility, blue on men's clothes protected from the elements, and green - from injuries.

Among all the patterns of ancient embroidery, the most common is the rhombus. For different peoples, its shape was different, depending on this, the meaning of the picture changed. The most common are diamond-frog, diamond-sown land and diamond-burdock. All of them symbolize fertility.

A complex ornament in the form of a female figure is nothing but Mother-Cheese-Earth herself.

Common patterns:

Blocking the way for evil.

Tree (in the form of a Christmas tree).

A symbol of longevity and the unity of everything in the world.

Symbolize the mind, promote clarity of thinking.

Symbolizes purity, beauty, earthly love.

Squares.

Sign of the earth, fertility, farmers.

They symbolize the feminine in nature, motherhood, fertility, prosperity.

Spiral.

It symbolizes wisdom and secret knowledge, protects from the unclean forces of the other world.

Triangle.

Symbolizes a person. Often there is a triangle with dots on the vertices.

Wavy line.

A symbol of water, the oceans, the beginning of life and the ability to adapt to circumstances. Vertically located lines mean self-improvement, the road to Knowledge.

Slavic symbols and their meanings:

Another confirmation that the amulets were worn in bundles was a find made near the city of Torzhok, Tver Region. Two animal fangs and two bronze amulets were hung on a bronze wire: a zoomorphic creature (a lynx?), whose body is decorated with a circular ornament, and a spoon. With a certain degree of certainty, it can be argued that this set of amulets belonged to a hunter, since three of them symbolized protection from the "fierce beast", and the spoon personified satiety, success in hunting.

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The complex can be dated quite accurately to the second half of the 11th - the first half of the 12th century. Bronze fangs, the so-called "jaws of a predator" (No. 2), were also protection against a fierce beast. They were found near the former settlement of Duna near the city of Chekalin, Tula region. The time of existence of such a talisman is 10-12 centuries.

The amulet, meaning the sun, cleanliness and hygiene - a copper comb, decorated with two horse heads looking in different directions, was found on the banks of the Desna River, 25 km north of the city of Novgorod-Seversky (No. 3). The place where the second scallop made of bronze was found has not been established (No. 4). They are typical for the 11th - the first half of the 12th century.

The safety and inviolability of household property is the task of amulets-keys of the 11th-12th centuries. (No. 5, 6). The sacred meaning of the spoon (No. 7) has already been mentioned. All these items were found in the Suvorov district of the Tula region.

One of the most common amulets of the 11th-12th centuries. was such a universal tool as an ax. On the one hand, the ax was the weapon of Perun, and the circular ornament decorating the amulets confirms their belonging to the heavenly thunderer. On the other hand, the ax was an integral part of marching weapons. Here again, one can trace the role of Perun as the patron saint of warriors. The ax is also directly connected with the slash-and-burn agriculture that existed at that time and, therefore, with agrarian magic. The axes reproduced the shape of real axes. Such amulets were found in the Velizh district of the Smolensk region (No. 8), in Western Ukraine (No. 9, 10) and in the Bryansk region (No. 11).

Cast pendants are widespread, representing two circles with an equilateral cross below them. Their diversity is very great. A pendant with identical obverse and reverse sides was found in the Kovrovsky district of the Vladimir region (no. 12), with spiral circles and a smooth reverse side - in the Yaroslavl region (no. 13), with circles in the form of curls and a smooth reverse side - in the Ryazan region (no. 15). In the pendant found in the Kursk region, made of twisted silver wire (No. 16), one can feel the influence of northerners. If we consider the semantics of such attachments from the standpoint of Academician B.A. Rybakov, in them you can see the earth (cross) between the two positions of the sun - in the east and in the west (circles). In this series, a pendant stands out sharply, in which pagan elements are replaced by Christian ones (No. 14). On the front side inside the cross and in the circle there is an in-depth image of an equal-ended cross, the upper end of which ends with two volute-shaped curls. On the reverse side, inside the cross and in the circle, there are in-depth images of equal-ended crosses with expanding blades. Place of discovery - Ryazan region.

Ancient Russian pendants and amulets of the 11th – 13th centuries

The two most historically significant finds are trapezoidal pendants from the 10th–11th centuries. with signs of the Ruriks, found near Smolensk (No. 17) and Minsk (No. 18), are not inferior to their museum "brothers" (No. 19). Later stylizations of Rurik symbols are seen in two identical coin-like pendants found in the Bryansk region (No. 20, 21).

Turning to the theme of the Ruriks, it is impossible not to note the influence that the Scandinavians had on Russia at that time. Evidence of this, in particular, is a number of pendants from the Domongola collection. The most striking is a coin-shaped silver pendant found in the Chernihiv region (No. 22). The field of the pendant is filled with four false-grained volute-shaped curls, the edge is filled with three false-grained circles. In the center and in a circle are five hemispheres. The composition is complemented by a human face. Unfortunately, the upper mount was lost in antiquity, and a later homemade eyelet greatly spoiled the impression of the composition. A similar pendant can be dated to the 10th-11th centuries. There are also several more coin-like pendants, presumably of Scandinavian origin, found near Vladimir (No. 23), Kiev (No. 24) and Rzhev (No. 25).

It is curious that the composition of volute-shaped scrolls was widely popular among the Slavic environment of the 11th - mid-12th century. Pendants with a pattern of eight volutes in the outer circle and three volutes in the inner circle were found in Novgorod (No. 26), Bryansk (No. 27) and Kiev (No. 28) regions. Moreover, if the first two are made of copper alloys, then the last one is cast from silver and under the title it has a composition of dots. A similar pendant made of tin-lead alloy was found in Gochevo, Kursk region (No. 31). A coin-like pendant with a pattern of large false grain along the perimeter and a “Perun” rosette in the center dates from the same period (No. 29).

Quite interesting is the coin-like pendant made of copper alloy (No. 30) with the image of a sprouted grain in the center, a five-petalled flower and five pollinated pistils (according to B.A. Rybakov). Despite the absence of direct analogies, it can be dated to the second half of the 12th - the first half of the 13th century.

Ancient Russian pendants and amulets of the 11th – 13th centuries

Lunnitsa are a special type of pendants. The earliest is a wide-horned copper-alloy moon found in Ukraine, which existed from the end of the 10th to the first half of the 12th century. (No. 32). A wide-horned crescent with an indentation in the shape of a month (No. 33), but made of billon, was found in the Boryspil district of the Kiev region. A variety of broad-horned ones are moons, decorated at the ends and in the middle with three convex points (No. 34). They became widespread in the 10th-11th centuries.

A find from Ryazan belongs to another type of lunars - narrow-necked or steep-horned. The lunnitsa, cast from tin bronze, is decorated with a three-part geometric pattern in the center and two convex dots on the blades (No. 35). It dates from the 12th-13th centuries. A copper crescent from the Boryspil district of the Kiev region belongs to the same period. Its field is decorated with two triangles along the edges and three circular elements in the center (No. 36). Judging by the works of B.A. Rybakov, the decor of these moons is of an agrarian nature.

Separately, there is an unparalleled bronze slotted three-horned moon from the Rostov region, ornamented with false granulation (No. 37). Its estimated date is 12th-13th centuries.
A find near Moscow - a closed crescent moon cast from tin bronze with an ornament in the form of rounded depressions (seven in the upper part and one in the lower part) - dates back to the 13th century. (No. 38). Perhaps the ornament symbolizes seven positions of the luminary during the day (according to the number of days of the week) and one - at night. But the real masterpiece is her silver and gilt coeval from Ukraine! The lower branches of it are decorated with the image of turian horns, and the center is filled with floral ornaments, which leaves no doubt about the agrarian semantics of the monument (No. 39).
Of undoubted interest are lunnitsa with a four-part composition, which were common in the 12th-13th centuries. One of their varieties is the Bryansk find. A bronze crescent shaped like a circle is decorated with a three-part ornament, a rim of false grain and an equilateral cross with a rhomboid middle cross and ends in the form of a four-part composition of false grain (No. 40).

Of particular note is a round slotted pendant from the 12th–13th centuries. from a copper alloy, found in the Serpukhov district of the Moscow region. In the center there is an image of a moon and a four-part composition of five rhombuses (No. 41). Probably, such pendants represent a complex solar-lunar impact on the Earth. The same semantic load, but in a more simplified compositional version, is carried by a copper pendant from Ukraine (No. 42).

Speaking about the beliefs of the Slavs of the 11th-13th centuries, one cannot ignore the pendants depicting birds, animals, and zoomorphic creatures. In many of them, there is a connection with adjacent cultures.

A coin-shaped pendant made of copper alloy with the image of a zoomorphic creature, which has no direct analogies, was found in Ukraine (No. 43). The plot of another pendant (two birds) has analogies only on kolts (No. 44). Roughly they can be dated to the 12th-13th centuries.

But the plot of the bronze pendant found near Bryansk is well known. B.A. Rybakov believes that it depicts the rite of the "Turki". The center of the pendant is occupied by a relief image of a bull's head with clearly profiled horns, ears and large round eyes. On the forehead is a triangular sign, descending at an angle downwards. The bull's head is placed in a rim of false grain (No. 45). Seven female figures are schematically depicted around the head. This pendant, apparently, is associated with the sacrifice of a bull to Perun and is typical for the lands of the Radimichi in the 11th–13th centuries. However, the settlement of the northern Radimichi at the end of the 11th century. their amulets were brought to the east as far as the Nerl, so a similar find from the Ivanovo region (No. 46) would be more logically attributed to the 12th century.

Perhaps, the cult of the snake borrowed from the Balts was introduced by the Radimichi. Since ancient times, her image has been given magical meaning. Two bronze pendants found in the Vladimir region probably depict snakes (No. 47, 48). The composition of two snakes found in the Yaroslavl region (No. 49) is unique.

Ancient Russian pendants and amulets of the 11th – 13th centuries

It is impossible not to recall once again the pendant, which received the name “lynx” among the search engines, although archaeologists call it “horse”. Such a bronze animal found in the Middle Poochie is obviously relatively late and can be dated to the 12th–13th centuries, since it lacks a circular ornament and poor quality casting (No. 50). It is more difficult to date a flat slit pendant found in the same region, depicting a not very clear creature, possibly a bird (No. 51). According to the time of existence of such products, it can be dated to the second half of the 10th - the beginning of the 12th century.

Particular attention should be paid to the great role of the chicken or rooster in the magical rites of the Slavs, which is connected with a large number of pendant 12 - the first half of the 13th century. in the form of these birds. A pair of these birds found nearby is touching: a flat single-headed slotted copper cockerel (No. 52) with a pattern of false filigree, a loop on the back and four loops for pendants, and the same chicken (No. 53), only without a comb. Interestingly, duck feet were often hung on links from below to hens and cockerels, which clearly shows the influence of the Finno-Ugric tradition. The flat double-headed slit cockerel made of tin bronze with a floral pattern on the body and five loops for pendants, outlined in false filigree, has losses - the second head and the loop on the back (No. 54) have not been preserved. Despite the lack of analogies in printed publications, such pendants can be found on the Internet. The place of discovery is the Klinsky district of the Moscow region. There are almost no published analogies in two realistically made bronze flat-relief cocks with an eye for hanging. One of them was found in the Ivanovo region (no. 55), the other was found in the northwestern regions of Russia (no. 56).

Along with flat ones, hollow pendants of the “chicken family” are also found. All of them were made in the 11th-12th centuries, but, despite the general similarity, almost every copy is individual. An interesting hollow bronze cockerel with a body ornamented with rounded dents and a ridge along the lower edge, a head decorated with a scallop and two loops along the body (No. 57). The hollow cockerels found in the Ryazan (No. 58) and Vologda (No. 59) regions with a smooth body, a head with a comb and two loops along the body look much simpler.

From the 12th to the end of the 14th century. there are hollow zoomorphic pendants, in the form of which the features of a horse are visible, whose cult was also widespread among the Slavs. Very nice are two (one from the Yaroslavl (No. 60), the other from the Vladimir (No. 61) regions) hollow, single-headed, with a beak-shaped muzzle flattened vertically and ears in the form of two rings located along the axis of the body. The lower part of the body is ornamented with a zigzag line enclosed between two rims. The tail is in the form of two rings. On both sides of the body there are a pair of rings for attaching pendants.

Ancient Russian pendants and amulets of the 11th – 13th centuries

Two finds from the Novgorod region differ from each other. The first, a hollow two-headed horse, has a wide cylindrical muzzle (No. 62). The mane is transferred by a flat strip. The lower part of the body is ornamented with a zigzag line between two rims, below there are rings (three on both sides of the body) for attaching pendants. The second is a two-headed horse (No. 63) with a muzzle flattened vertically and ears in the form of two rings across the axis of the body. The lower part of the body is ornamented with a zigzag line. There are three rings on both sides of the body, and one more under the tail for attaching pendants.

Thus, in a relatively short period of time, it was possible to collect and describe many cosmogonic monuments and ideas of the ancient Slavs, and some of them are unique. I hope that acquaintance with the materials of the site will arouse interest not only among search engines, archaeologists, local historians and historians, but also among all those who are interested and dear to the way of life, culture and beliefs of our ancestors.

Reconstruction of the costume and jewelry of a girl from Yaroslavl, late 12th - early 13th centuries. According to the materials of the Department of Protective Excavations of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Good day to all. My readers are so interested in amulets that I will continue to write new information about them. The article - "Slavic amulets and their meaning" will help you choose your amulet.

Amulets from antiquity

To protect the house, give themselves courage, fearlessness, the ancient Slavs used various magical symbols. They were placed on clothes, weapons, household items.

The Slavs used 16 signs of the zodiac, each zodiac had its own symbol. A nominal amulet was made. Before putting on an amulet to which it was intended, it was loaded on oneself or on a person.

A charged thing endowed a person with those qualities that could help him in life. Name amulets protected a person throughout his life, endowing him with those qualities that he lacked.

How to choose a charm

Today, your favorite hand-made thing can become a talisman, or you can look at a ready-made symbol.

When choosing ready-made jewelry, you should pay attention to important nuances:

• Immediately decide who the amulet is chosen for - a woman, a man, young or old.
• For daily wear, it is necessary to take into account the purpose of the amulet.
• What form should it be in?
• Carefully study the interpretation of the sign you have chosen.

The most revered Slavic amulets and their meaning

There are many variants of symbols that were revered by the Slavic peoples, but all of them are defenders from all evil. It is possible to distinguish a special group of signs that were used in the manufacture of jewelry, embroideries, even for buildings, premises, and interior items.

The oldest woman in the family was usually engaged in the manufacture of amulets. When creating strong amulets, thoughts should be kind, clear, so complete silence was established in the house. Traditionally, a man was allowed to wear one amulet, and a woman - several.

Among the large group of defenders, one can name Makosh. This is a female talisman. He keeps the warmest qualities necessary for good family relationships. It was worn by mature women who maintained traditions, family ties, respected their family.

Makosh- a symbol of happiness, prosperity, abundance in the house. This sign is considered the protector of the family from dark forces, capable of endowing the health of all family members, bringing peace and abundance to the house.

Ladinets is an 8-pointed star with curved ends. It is believed that for a woman it is very useful, as it relieves pain, protects against female diseases helps to lose excess weight.

Our forefathers wore it as protection from damage, the evil eye, curses, evil thoughts.

The Slavs wore Molvinets to protect them from evil thoughts, words, and slander. They believed that he would protect the whole family. It is worth noting that Molvinets often showed off on clothes for children. Also, this sign was found on the bodies of the Magi in the form of tattoos.

And in our time, the Molvinets tattoo is becoming more and more popular. It is worth noting that any mistake in a tattoo can completely turn your life around, and it is not known in what direction.

Valkyrie is a male sign. He endowed a man with strength, wisdom, especially in resolving conflicts. Usually it was presented to warriors.

A universal amulet that has the power of the Sun itself. For those who honor their kind, this sign brought wisdom, understanding, warmth to the hearth. To charge this talisman, you need to put it under the rays of the sun and hold it for at least three hours.

The Lada Star or Lada Mother of God is a symbol of love. He is considered the protector of the house from dark otherworldly forces, and the family - from different kind adversity. The star was often applied to the wall of the dwelling so that the Goddess would take the whole family under her protection.

In order for the amulet to help, the wearer must have pure thoughts, sincerity, an open soul to his family, relatives and friends.

Silver amulets

Slavic amulets for the strong half kept health, gave protection during the hunt, brought good luck in everything. Most often, male talismans were cast from silver, sometimes from copper. Men did not wear them as pendants, wives and mothers embroidered their image on their shirts.

most popular male sign from silver is considered the Hammer of Svarog. It can be given to relatives and close men. He will become a real assistant in the development of a new profession, a defender from various life hardships. It will help you gain peace of mind and self-confidence. For family people will help create a strong family, a warm family hearth.

The description of the next amulet suggests that the representative of the stronger sex, who will get the Znich symbol, will feel nourished from the Cosmos, have protection in dangerous or difficult situations.

The wearer of this amulet will strive for knowledge, will be able to find true love, also Znich help to flare up old feelings. In a difficult situation, it will help to strengthen the strength of the spirit, to become an energy accumulator. The main thing is to ask him for help!

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The ax of Perun will give the male half physical and spiritual strength, help protect the main human values ​​\u200b\u200b- faith, family, love. God Perun is ready to punish enemies, and to support the bearer of this amulet in battle, to give him strength.

There is also the Shield of Perun, which will protect against the evil eye, cleanse the thoughts of a person, give strength to cope with difficult life problems.

The seal of Veles Bear Paw is the patron and protector of a man, but on condition that he should not part with this sign all his life. God Veles will help to achieve great success in work, bestow wealth, diligence, but one must sincerely believe in this.

For the house, to protect it from fire, applied to the walls.

General charms for men and women

The main part of the amulets was cast, since the ancient Slavs believed that this metal was endowed with magical powers. Often there were amulets made of gold, as you like. Among the talismans especially revered by the ancestors was Kolard.

Symbol Kolrad helps everyone who wears it. On modern jewelry, you can often see this particular symbol, which can be done after charging.

An ideal gift can be bracelets, pendants with this sign. So that the symbol does not negatively affect fate, girls and boys who have not married do not need to wear such jewelry.

The main amulet of the Slavs

Slavic amulet Cross does not apply to Christianity. This one of the main symbols of the Slavs denotes the four cardinal directions, that is, its owner is protected from adversity and misfortune from all four sides. It is believed that its owner has a powerful support of the ancestors.

The cross has several varieties that have their own power:

Crosses were made of gold, silver, copper, bone, leather, stone, wood. It was often embroidered on clothes.

Sun symbol

Kolovrat is a sign of the sun, on which everything in this life depends. He brought people

• the power of solar fire, fertility;
• victory over enemies, the forces of darkness;
• fortitude, health;
• faith in the future;
• protection from the evil eye, damage.

Do not be surprised if a person who has this amulet suddenly starts to get lucky in everything! It is solar energy that gives the power of creation in good deeds. But in evil deeds, the opposite can happen.

Any amulet should be cleaned and charged. Kolovrat also needs it. Hold it in running water for two hours, you can in the water of the stream. After cleansing, pass the wax over the flame three times. After that, carry Kolovrat with you for 3 days so that it is recharged with your energy. Just remember to clean it every six months.

Alatyr - a talisman with miraculous power

People firmly believed in the power Alatyr- heavenly stone. It was worn as a charm, embroidered on shirts, painted on household items. The powerful Alatyr gave protection to everyone. Even small children wore it.

The talisman drove away evil evil spirits from the threshold, sheltered from diseases.

Magic Talismans

amulet Fern flower our ancestors attributed magical properties, believing that he was endowed with unprecedented healing capabilities even from deadly diseases. In order for the amulet not to lose its magical qualities, it must be regularly carried over the flame of a candle.

About what brings happiness, protect from evil people, help on long journeys, we already wrote. Many of my readers have already learned how to make such amulets.

It is not bad to learn how to embroider ancient Slavic symbols. Embroidery is also a protector from various troubles. No wonder ancient women embroidered shirts for warriors when they sent them on a campaign.

It turns out that in order to protect themselves from the evil eye, the house from unkind people, evil spirits, they embroidered "Chur" - the god of protection. This is very reliable protection for home. Even in childhood, everyone said: “Chur, me!”, Protecting himself from an attack. Here is an effective zachuralochka from the negative.

Svarog circle

In culture Ancient Russia occupied a special place amulets- items designed to protect from misfortune and bring wealth and love to the house.

They could be very different: clay or bone figurines, jewelry, embroidery on clothes, pieces of birch bark with incantations...

Having arisen in pagan times, the amulets were preserved among the people even after the adoption of Christianity - and each of them had its own specific sacred meaning, protecting a person from one or another danger.

solar circle

Among the amulets, the most interesting are those that served to protect the home, since it was they, as a rule, that were associated not with the material value of the thing, but with its sacred meaning. They were placed in the courtyard of the house, in front of the entrance to it, as well as inside - in places that, according to the owners, needed special protection.

: Even painted household utensils served primarily to ward off misfortunes, and only then - to please the eye. For the same purpose, carvings were made on doors, shutters or platbands - these were not just decorations, but protective signs.

The oldest protective symbols were patterns associated with the three elements worshiped by the Slavs: Earth, Water and Fire. It was they who were most often called upon to protect the dwelling. The sign of the Earth and fertility was a rhombus, divided into four parts with dots inside each, the symbol of Water was wavy lines, and the Fire-slanting cross.

Our ancestors usually placed protective signs around openings or structures through which evil spirits could enter the house: gates, doors, windows, chimneys. They were covered with a special ornament - usually with the image of the sun (a six- or eight-pointed star inscribed in a circle) or crosses that protect a person from evil forces from the four cardinal points.

The symbols of the sun were supposed to protect the dwelling from the evil spirits of the night. On the facade of the house, the sun was often depicted three times - morning, noon and evening (the middle sign is in highest point, and two side ones are lower).

Next to the solar symbolism, there could be a thunder sign (a circle divided into six sectors) - the symbol of Perun, which protected the house from lightning, as well as the sign of Rarog (a cross surrounded by a circle) - a symbol of the harmony of heavenly and earthly fire, "responsible" for the health of the inhabitants Houses.

Correct horseshoe

The image of a horse, a sacred animal for the ancient Russians, is associated with solar symbolism - it was a heavenly chariot driven by Dazhbog, personifying the sun. In order for the owners of the hut to live long, this image was placed on the roof.

The swings in the yard were also decorated with figurines of horses. In the songs and legends of the Slavs, the swing of a girl on a swing correlated with her love for the sun and further luck in marriage. And joint swinging on a swing of a young man and a girl was considered as a wish for them happiness.

: To attract happiness, old bast shoes and pots were hung on the fence, and horseshoes were nailed to the gate. It was believed that the horseshoe resembles a moon in shape and is a talisman, because it is forged from iron in a cleansing fire.

Our ancestors believed that if a horseshoe was placed in the chimney, it would prevent the witch from flying into the house, and if attached to the bed, then nightmares would not occur.

A horseshoe was also hung over the front door. This ancient custom has survived to this day - however, today such a talisman can often be found hanging with the ends down, while the ancient Russians placed it with the ends up. After all, a horseshoe open up catches and stores happiness, and an open one cannot hold it and misses it.

Archaeological finds of ancient Slavic amulets. This is what could be found in the usual settlement of the Vyatichi. Bank of the river Vyssa, Kaluga region. The settlement burned down and was destroyed several times. The main part of the finds is from the time of the Vyatichi (XI-XIII centuries). Above: buttons, a Radimich cuff for a cloak, a temporal ring for a girl, a crescent moon, belt pads, fragments of temporal rings, pendants, and objects of unknown purpose. In addition, the arrowhead, similar to the Polovtsian.

Broom for brownie

Inside the house, almost all household items were covered with a protective ornament: a stove, a kitchen table, utensils, and working tools.

The door was perceived not just as an entrance to a dwelling - it was the boundary between the inner and outer worlds. In addition to locks and bolts, it was supposed to be guarded by carved crosses, bunches of nettles lying at the threshold, fragments of a scythe or a knife stuck into the cracks of the threshold or jamb.

The threshold for the Russians was the boundary between the world of the living and the world of the dead (they used to bury the ashes of their ancestors under it to protect the family). For this reason, it was impossible to sweep garbage through it, so as not to sweep someone from the family. It was also impossible to talk or pass anything over the threshold. The guest had to be met at the threshold and let into the house in front of him.

The stove was very revered, it was perceived as a nurse, there lived a fire, a protector and keeper of the family, a manifestation of the god Svarog. Therefore, his signs were present in the ornament of the furnace - a square (family hearth) and two crossed spindles (symbols of a flame). The stove was kept clean, next to it it was impossible to swear.

When bread was baked in it, the doors were locked so that someone else would not enter - it was believed that this would attract poverty into the house. Cleaning the house should have started from the door to the stove, and not vice versa. The heated stove could not be left empty - firewood was put into it so that it would dry out, or water was put in to heat it up.

The ancient Russians believed that the well-being of the home directly depends on the respectful attitude towards the brownie who lives under the stove. For him, a broom, bast shoes and a bread shovel were hung next to the stove - so that he knew that the house would always be clean, rich and satisfying.

Diagonally from the stove was a red corner (pokutie), the best place in the house to which the headboards were turned. Here the table was located and most of the rites associated with the birth, wedding or funeral were performed.

In the red corner, before the advent of Christianity, there was usually a bunch of ears of corn - a symbol of prosperity, so that bread would not be transferred in the house. Several grains from this bunch were necessarily added to the wheat, which was sown in the field in the spring.

Towel with roosters

A special protective role was given to embroidery, which adorned bed linen, towels, tablecloths and napkins. Its main purpose was protection from misfortune and damage.

To create such an amulet, the ancient craftswomen followed numerous rules and rituals. For example, no knots should remain on the reverse side of the material - otherwise the needlework would lose its magical power.

It was impossible to make embroidery - a talisman for oneself - just as one cannot ask someone to create it. The amulet will have power if created by blood relatives and donated from a pure heart.

Each element of embroidery had a specific meaning. Basically, when creating it, symbols of the sun were used (various crosses, including those with antennae, directed in the direction of the luminary).

But also the signs of a tree (herringbone) were used - a symbol of long life, a star - a symbol of reason, a flower - a symbol of beauty, circles and squares - symbols of fertility.

The pattern was supposed to consist of a closed rounded contour - then it would not let the evil spirits through and serve as real protection. It was not necessary to make several protective embroideries of different purposes on one thing - for each of them it was necessary to choose a separate canvas.

Ritual towels played a special role in the life of the Russians. The patterns on them reflected family or calendar events. On holidays, bread and salt were taken out on ritual towels (salt served as a symbol of the sun and love, bread - earth and fertility, and the towel itself - human destiny). The bride and groom joined their hands during the betrothal, wrapping them in a towel so that there would be prosperity in the future family.

The midwife laid the newborn baby on a new, specially prepared towel. Symbols of loss were depicted on the burial towel (a rhombus, similar to the symbol of the earth, but not with dots, but empty inside).

Protective embroidery on clothes

Everyday towels were also embroidered with a protective ornament - usually with the image of roosters, the cry of which drives away evil spirits. And so that the embroidery does not lose its miraculous properties, it had to be done in one day.

With protective embroidery, preference was given to the red color of the threads. Although sometimes other colors were used: brick, scarlet, poppy, currant, cherry (that is, close to red). The drawing itself was not previously applied to the material, but only its size was outlined and the location was determined.

Key and bell

The function of amulets was also performed by many household items - for example, a hide (chest for clothes).

She was inherited from mother to daughter, she was always decorated with protective carvings. It contained the dowry of the girl, which she herself had to embroider: shirts, towels, scarves, bed linen.

A very important piece of furniture was the bed, also covered with protective patterns. She was placed in a good place, which was determined with the help of a cat - where she would sit. It was impossible to sleep on the bed with feet to the door, and wormwood and garlic were placed under it as protection from evil forces.

Needles and pins also served as amulets. They were sewn into the hem of a wedding dress and stuck into clothes to protect against evil spirits - or into doorposts from a witch entering the house.

Sometimes an old key was hung on the wall of the hut - it seemed to lock the house, not allowing evil spells to penetrate. The key also symbolized prosperity, helping the owner achieve material prosperity. One of the most ancient amulets was also hung on the wall - an earthen bell, the ringing of which, according to legend, drove away any evil spirits from the house.

In Ancient Russia it was impossible to find a hut where there would be no amulets. This is a part of the culture associated with pagan traditions and helps to better understand the spiritual essence of the East Slavic peoples.

Platon VIKTOROV