A bird with a human face. Myth or truth?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Not everyone has reliable information about the Sirin bird. The popular heroes of the myths of the ancient Slavs were the cunning Baba Yaga, the treacherous Nightingale the Robber, the evil Koschey the Immortal, who are now known as fairy-tale characters. The mythical bird Sirin or the bird maiden is a creature that looks little different from a bird, but at the same time has the features of a person. Many centuries ago, a bird with a human face was revered by the pagan Slavs, as indicated by the many images that were applied to clothes and various household items. Should I be afraid of meeting a bird girl? No less interesting is the question of her appearance.

Mythical Bird Maidens

These characters of the myths of the Slavs, instead of the usual bird heads - the guise of beautiful girls. Not every person is lucky enough to meet the Sirin bird. It turns out that she also had sisters - Alkonost and Gamayun, whom our ancestors associated with goodness and everything bright. The wanderers were disturbed by a bird with a human face. What is the name of this creature, every Slav knew.

The vision of the Sirin bird indicated that the person would soonFeelings such as sadness and longing will visit. There was also such a version that it served as a warning to a person about the imminent onset of the last minutes of life. Often, all three birds were in the drawings, which at first glance will seem strange. It is quite possible that some kind of attempt was made to somehow reduce the negative impact of the sinister bird. Modern researchers have managed to uncover the true meaning of the images.

Who is Sirin bird?

The prototype of the Christian concept of paradise among the ancient pagan Slavs was Iriy, which was considered at the same time the birthplace of the Sirin bird. How this is consistent with the omen of misfortune and trouble is a question. History is silent about who the parents were. However, with full confidence it can be argued that the bird with a human face was of divine origin.

Despite the connection with everything bad, often women depicted the Sirin bird on some items of clothing and everyday life as a kind of amulet.

Locations of mythical bird maidens

Since heaven, according to the beliefs of the Slavs, was somewhere near India, the bird with the face of a man Sirin was supposed to live there. This is one of the hypothetical habitats.

And a long time ago there was a fabulous country called Lukomorye with Pushkin's giant oak, on the branches of which bird maidens could well nest. The content of ancient legends with the mention of the Sirin bird in places can not always be correctly understood. Their meaning over timelost its original meaning due to the free interpretation by some authors who rewrote the text, and also due to the fact that many of them spoke different languages. That is why there is such confusion with the geographical coordinates of the habitat, including Lukomorye. Therefore, it is difficult to say where a bird with a human face lived. Many connoisseurs of myths are now looking at photos of ancient objects depicting a virgin.

The bird Sirin and the sirens are the same thing?

Not so long ago, another hypothesis appeared about where the Sirin bird came from. It is associated with the ancient Greek sirens, which, as you know, with their charming voice put the sailors of Greek ships into a state of eternal sleep. The Sirin bird possessed similar abilities. Everyone who heard her voice lost his peace. True, a person did not stay in this state for long, but the result for him turned out to be fatal. Thus, the analogy served as a basis for suggesting that the bird with the human face Sirin is a borrowed creature from one of the myths of Ancient Greece.

One could object. Like, where were the lands of the ancient Greeks, and where are the ancient Russian? But after all, Phoenician merchants could bring information about the Sirens. Ancient Greek mythical characters from their ancient Russian "girlfriends" were distinguished by their habitat - the ocean.

Description of Sirin bird and its frightening songs

The maiden bird had beautiful features. Below the shoulders and neckline, the body had plumage, shaped like the body of an owl, more precisely, an owl. That she is still bornfrom paradise, indicated the presence of a shining halo or crown on the head.

The meaning of her mesmerizing songs was to describe the lost paradise, how beautiful it is. Listening to the sweet voice of the bird-maiden, the person was convinced that this was indeed a tempting place. Real life gradually lost its meaning, meanwhile, the desire to get into another world grew. The elders of the ancient world were sure that only trouble would be brought by a bird with a human face, whose name is Sirin. The hunters' wives were especially afraid of them, because the husband could stay in the forest forever after listening to marvelous songs.

Another feature of the mythical bird is that a person was given the opportunity to find out everything he wanted. In return, he lost his sight, became dumb, or even died - whoever was lucky. Thus, the Sirin bird is a kind of human temptation.