Slavic mythology. Field - the spirit of the fields

Field - the owner of the fields, one of the characters of Slavic mythology. Many customs and beliefs accompanying it, accompanying sowing, growing and harvesting. Field, or field, tried to appease, diseases of grazing cattle and ripening ears explained it as disgrace.

Appearance

How did the Slavic mythology depict the spirit ? Field was most often represented as a man in white robes. Depending on the terrain, he acquired new features. Perhaps, the most interesting image of the field has developed in the Orel region. Here the landlord appears as a naked man with a black body and colored eyes. Sometimes in legends he was drawn by an old man with ears and grasses instead of hair and beard.

Like some other characters of Slavic mythology, the field was often endowed with animal features. These were horns, eyes bulging, or a whisk-tail, with which he raised a cloud of dust to hide from the curious.

Sometimes the field was described by the coat of fire color. When he appeared on the field, a person might think that a spark flashed. And on a moonlit night or in the midday heat, he appeared in the image of a tall young man.

The habits

As the mythology describes, the field runs very fast. He refers to the lower spirits, most of them hostile to man. If you do not condone it, the polevik will torment the cattle on the pasture or dry the ears.

The owner of the fields in the minds of our ancestors was similar to the forest and other characters hostile to man, with which the Slavic mythology is full. Field can lead astray the wanderer, make him get lost. Sometimes he scares whistles and claps. And it happens, lures the children with flowers, and they then long search for the way back. He can send and sunstroke or fever, especially if you fall asleep on the field in the hot noon.

Incarnation of wind and fire

Field (the mythology of our ancestors is full of indications of this) was the strength of wind and fire. Attributed to the spirit of the ability to flash a spark, send a sunstroke and dry the crops directly indicate the relationship between him and the day-light. Like the noonday heat, the owner of the fields could warm and fill the ears with strength or destroy them.

In some areas there was a belief that before a fire you can see a field worker rushing through the village on a troika of horses. He was considered not only a harbinger of disaster, but also his cause.

The field was very fast. The mythology of all peoples connects speed with wind. Polevik very quickly runs, and still likes to whistle. Often, in the legends that have come down to us, the owner of the crops blows with all his might, causing the ears to bend to the ground.

How to cajole the field?

If the spirit is located to the owner of the field, the ears on it grow well, bring a rich harvest, the cattle are healthy. To cajole the fieldboy, he was brought refreshments and money. Pieces of bread and coins with special sentences were thrown over his shoulder. Obligatory offerings to the field were carried on the Spirits day (51st day after Easter). Often on the field for him left the eggs and a homeless cock. Such a sacrifice, as our ancestors thought, liked the field. After that, he protected the crops from disease and drought, did not torment the cattle.

Also, after harvesting, a sheaf of ears was left on the field. It was believed that in it a polevik can overwinter. The grain from the sheaf was then sown to the ground, thereby helping the spirit to reborn with the advent of spring. Sometimes the remaining ears were tied up, adorned, and carried to the village under cheerful singing.

In some areas, there are references to related characters of the field characters. As mythology tells us, he had a wife in the field, he and his children-he had landmarks and meadows. They were responsible for the land according to their name. Often, the mezheviks and meadow people were considered independent spirits. Close to the field and the image of the half-day. She made sure that no one worked at the hottest hour of the day. At noon, nature rests, and it is not worth disturbing her. A naughty man half-day could punish, having sent a sunstroke.

In some regions of our country, the beliefs associated with the field are still alive. Today, when interest in Slavic myths is revived with renewed vigor, such traditions become a valuable source of knowledge. In addition, the surviving myths of our ancestors help to understand their life, the features of thinking and worldview, which is important both from the point of view of preserving history and understanding the mentality of the modern inhabitants of Russia.