2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25
Kikimora, or a beautiful maiden who drowned in water - who are they, what abilities do they have and what secrets do they hide under their image?
Kikimora. Unidentified Mystical Creature
People have been drawn to everything unknown and creepy, charming and repulsive for centuries. The image of a kikimora is just the very ideal of a mysterious creature. A character that chills the blood and makes unbelievers believe. The swamp, wherever it is located, always causes fear and a desire to bypass it or simply run away faster. Near the mysterious overgrown places, there is a feeling of anxiety and a paranormal presence of unearthly creatures is felt, or a creepy character is seen in front of your eyes - a kikimora.
Why swamp, and not, say, forest or domestic? And this is due to the fact that the image of a kikimora is tried on by innocent virgins who had to drown themselves in the ill-fated swamp, among muddy mud and viscous thickets. They say that whoever the swamp beast married to, next to that she has to stay for her entire eternal life. The description of kikimora has a different interpretation and depends on her place of residence.
If a kikimore is lucky enough to marry a brownie, then she will stayexist among ordinary earthly people. And if the goblin charms her, she will not see worldly happiness anymore, but is destined to rest forever in a swamp with her husband.
But not only the drowned can be the cause of the appearance of kikimor. For example, according to legend, babies who died unbaptized or were born dead, ugly, became those very terrible images. Children outside the family are also doomed to the same fate, as are those who were cursed by their parents or abducted by impure otherworldly forces.
What does a kikimora look like. Photo
It's hard to stop at one description of a swamp resident. There are some of the most popular options. What a kikimora looks like can be seen in books that tell ancient myths and legends. And if the nerves are strong enough, then, having gathered in the evening, you can go in search of her to the nearest swamp.
What does a real kikimora look like? Let's try to describe this creature in detail, without missing a single mystical element. Mythology presents us with a kikimora in the form of an old terrible woman, she is hunched over, her hair is tousled in different directions, and she is dressed in rags. In the photo we can see what a kikimora looks like - in a kokoshnik on his head, very short in stature, with a thin camp. Due to her small weight, she was afraid to go outside so that she would not be blown away by the wind. Another story says that kikimoras are naked girls with a very long and magnificent braid. Of course, as mentioned above, there is no single idea of what a kikimora looks like.
Daytime they can beinvisible and make themselves known through voice. Kikimors living in the house can expel residents with their voice, demand something. Most often, such requirements are not very favorable for the residents of the house.
Favorite habitats of kikimore
Besides a swamp or a cozy home, kikimoras can also live in other places. Most often, this is a bathhouse, chicken coops, a barn, abandoned houses or taverns, where a lot of negative energy is concentrated.
Kikimora can hide in a corner of a room littered with unnecessary things or climb onto a closet that has not been dusted for a long time. She is looking for places where she will be comfortable, and this is where there is a lot of dirt and old shabby things. Kikimora can be accidentally dragged into the house with a woman along with negative energy, and she will remain next to the owner.
Everyone who knows what a real kikimora looks like is afraid of a chance meeting with her. Some legends say that the kikimora lives in every house all the time, never leaving it.
Where does the kikimora come from. Beliefs
Peasants follow one popular belief that appeared a long time ago and remains in the minds. It is said that disgruntled workers who were badly paid for their work by the owners can launch kikimora into the house. But, most likely, this belief was invented by the workers themselves in order to teach a good salary for their work.
How can you attract a kikimora to your house? For this, the workers used a doll depicting a kikimora, which was well hidden somewhere in the house orbetween the walls and spoke a special spell.
What is kikimora capable of?
It is believed that the kikimora has a huge potential for negative energy, which it constantly directs at the mistress of the house. For example, if she touches any work with her dirty hands, then this work will never be completed. A feature of kikimor is that when they are engaged in weaving, they constantly jump in one place, and in addition, they weave threads in the opposite direction (than ordinary people do). They tangle the threads, procrastinate and constantly tear everything that they have tied.
What other names does kikimora have?
The ominous image of the kikimora chills the spirit of all the household members who sensed her presence in their cozy house, seemingly closed to the other world.
Many met kikimora, but they themselves did not suspect it. And all because she has several names, and each of them has its own special, awesome meaning.
Belarusians called this beast, a domestic monster, a little thing. Another popular nickname for her is ygong or igon. And the home spirit of kikimora is usually called a sister-in-law or shishimora, shishiga. Kikimora is also a well-known name of a swamp or domestic creature, an image of a drowned beautiful maiden who, by the will of fate, had to marry a terrible goblin and forever stay with him under the still water of the swamp.
The word "kikimora" itself consists of two parts, namely "kiki" and "mora". The first means "shouting, making horrible, unpleasant moans,devil". And "mora" is death, this is how the second part of the name is translated, which perfectly fits the description of kikimora.
It is not surprising that her image causes a terrible animal fear, because in direct translation her name speaks for itself - it screams about death.
Works containing the image of kikimora
Many writers-mystics or even classics in their works mentioned the image of a drowned maiden - kikimora. How is she usually described and what role does she play in various works?
In the ancient monuments of the Russian manuscript, especially the later ones (17-18 centuries), there are descriptions of mystical spirits and characters.
The episode with the kikimora in the Moscow legend of the 1630s. says that the little thing, as Belarusians call it, is a kind of terrible provocateur and instigator of all sorts of troubles in the life of a family or an individual. She is able to bring trouble of any complexity, both a minor quarrel in the family, and an incurable fatal disease. Why is she doing this? This is easy to explain: a kikimora is the unfortunate spirit of a woman who, through her own or someone else's fault, was drowned in a lake (swamp) or tragically died in the forest. That is why she takes revenge on everyone who gets in her way. The story with the mention of the kikimore is a kind of direct proof that it has always existed, and even before it was known.
Also, the work of A. K. Lyadov "Kikimora" melodiously creates an atmosphere of presence when listening.
What does a swamp kikimora look like. Photo
The swamp species of kikimore are special mythological creatures that live in swamps and are born in the form of drowned girls, but already much older and scarier - changed beyond recognition.
In Slavic mythology, they describe in detail what a marsh kikimora looks like - the photo below shows a lower evil spirit that settles in a swamp and loves to dress up in all sorts of furs and weave marsh and forest plants into its braids.
Thing steals little children, brings trouble and makes babies cry all the time. She drags the babies into her dark, dirty home and they never go back to their parents.
Kikimora can relatively rarely appear among people, she prefers to declare herself in a voice - terrible, creaky and low, which chills the blood and tickles the nerves. In this, she is like her sister, the domestic kikimora. Although they never meet, each has its place and its own activities.
Transforming into a kikimora
If anyone is interested in the question of how to become a kikimora, then read on. Every myth has a grain of truth, and the swamp creature is no exception. We will not know the truth, but ancient legends and modern interpretations can be discussed in more detail.
The first path to transformation is a forgotten dirty swamp. A young girl is doomed to become a kikimora if she drowns in this muddy mass.
And as for boys, the legends say that one must be ugly or damned. There is no doubt that it was the cursed boy who in the past centuries was considered real.the embodiment of the old toothless kikimora.
In fact, any living creature that was once cursed or chose the wrong path of life - the path of evil and sinful deeds can become a kikimora.
Favorite pastime of real kikimoras
True kikimoras never get bored, although they are destined to wander forever among people and swamp dwellers. Beasts love to weave, but they weave in a special way - on the contrary, not like ordinary women, and during this they jump in one place. The sight is not pleasant, but fortunately, it is quite rare to see it. Since kikimoras prefer a solitary lifestyle and remain invisible most of the time, the chance to find out what they look like is reduced to zero.
Another favorite pastime of the beasts is to play jokes on the residents of the house, and, of course, not in a kind way. Her jokes are so frightening that the family, having sensed something was wrong, quickly tries to leave the sinister house with all its mystical manifestations of evil spirits. So what is the point of these jokes? Kikimora can appear before people in the form of a poor child abandoned by their parents, and kind people, having picked up and heated the baby, actually provide themselves with a painful life with a kikimora. You can protect yourself from this creature, and you need to do this through prayer, appeal to the holy spirits and the Mother of God. For those who are aware of what a kikimora looks like, it is easy to avoid contact with her.
How to recognize a kikimora?
Usually, kikimoras allow themselves to go out before great holidays, such as Christmas. And also the beastfeels the atmosphere of the family and comes just at the moment when something special happens - good or bad. At such moments, people are most vulnerable and succumb to the evil spells of domestic kikimora.
She appears in front of the house on the threshold. A piercing cry or a loud frequent knock on the door can alert the owners. It is not surprising if kikimora combines these two activities. You can ask her a question and hear a knock in response.
Those who are lucky enough to catch a kikimora on a hot can, with the help of special rituals and spells, return it back to the human form. To do this, on her crown it is necessary to cut her hair with the image of a cross. But, despite the return, the kikimora will always have some feature from the past - stuttering, a hump on the back, stupidity and more.
And finally, a little advice. To rid your house of a possible mythological beast, you need to throw out all the rubbish and consecrate every corner. Now it's not a secret what a kikimora looks like. The photo will tell more about her than all the myths.
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