STATE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION
SECONDARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
KEMEROVSK VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE
CREATIVE PROJECT “RUSSIAN CHARMS”
project participants: students of group TS-71
supervisor: Kupriyanova Inna Vladimirovna, teacher of the discipline “Floristry and papermaking” (elective)
Objective of the project:
· introduce students to one of the phenomena of Russian folk art- a talisman.
Project objectives:
· consolidate knowledge about symbols and ancient images;
· develop the creative potential of students;
· cultivate love for folk art, respect for your work, perseverance.
RELEVANCE OF THE PROJECT
Project Execution Plan
1. Study of Russian amulets, their meaning in the life of Russian peasants
2. Making amulets
3. Project presentation
The topic “Amulets” has interested me for a very long time. Once upon a time, my mother and I were at an exhibition of paintings at the All-Russian Exhibition Center (All-Russian Exhibition Center) and there I saw these funny and amusing brownies. We stood next to the display case for a long time and looked at the crafts. These were various brooms, wickers, spoons, braids, little shoes, brownies. Each amulet was different from each other, but at the same time, each work had its own character, its own soul, there was so much warmth and kindness in these works. I was especially struck by what they were made of. These were various cereals, grains, pine cones, herbs, dried flowers, berries, mushrooms (from salt dough), seeds, tree bark and twigs, various braids, scraps of fabric, etc. It seemed like nothing special, but at the same time I wanted to pick them up and look at them and look at them.
Therefore, I would like to introduce others to amulets - house-elfs, because people believed that in everyone there lives a house-elf who must be appeased, otherwise he will get angry and harm the inhabitants of the house.
Project goals and objectives
1. HISTORY OF RUSSIAN CHARMS, THEIR IMPORTANCE IN THE LIFE OF RUSSIAN PEASANTS
Centuries-old history culture is inextricably linked with folk beliefs. They came to us from the depths of time as a memory of our ancestors, the first attempts to understand the world around us, to protect ourselves from unfavorable events. Folk customs and beliefs changed over time along with changes in the culture of the people.
Ancient Slavic customs and rituals were not forgotten even after the arrival of Christianity in Rus'. The Orthodox Church has shown wisdom and tolerance. Therefore, Christianity only supplanted, but did not destroy the traditional worldview.
For thousands of years, not a single house in Rus' could do without amulets. Miniature images of an axe, a bell, spoons, as well as ordinary household items: a mixing bowl, a broom, a poker, bast shoes, etc. were widely used in rituals. People believed that amulets protected them from diseases, the “evil eye,” predatory animals, natural disasters and various misfortunes. When preparing for a long journey, a person took with him a talisman so that the goodness, faith and love put into it would warm the soul and remind him of his father’s house and land.
Gradually, a person’s view of the events happening around him changed. Life, utensils, housing and other aspects of life changed. But the inherent desire of people to protect their home and family members from adversity remained unchanged. Our ancestors protected it with the help of the correct location on the site, observed special rituals when choosing a place and construction, and after construction - with the help of a wide variety of symbolic images. A properly built house was itself best protection from possible troubles and troubles.
Our ancestors knew very well that the entire future life in the new place depended on how correctly the site for building a house was chosen. For this reason, they attached so much importance to the issues of choosing a site and observing the ritual of construction. These beliefs originate in ancient times, and today many of them may seem to us unusual superstitions, while others, on the contrary, are full of deep hidden meaning.
So, in ancient times it was impossible to build a house on a place where lightning struck, abandoned by people due to natural disasters or disease. They did not build a house and together, where human remains were found, serious crimes were committed, someone was seriously injured, where a shaft broke or a cart overturned. Respect for cemeteries was traditional.
Therefore, the traditional Slavic house was usually built as a model of the Universe. The stove was a symbol of the Earth, and the opposite red corner with icons was the Sun and God in the sky... The cult of the house is one of the oldest, which is why ideas about the need to protect the house from real and invisible enemies are so old.
The main natural boundaries of the house are the walls, openings and roof, which in wooden houses were protected with the help of symbolic carvings. The door also served as a natural talisman. In houses, specially woven curtains were hung at the doors, and the opening was outlined with red clay.
When a child was born, the door frame was notched with an ax as a message about a new addition to the family. There was also a custom in villages not to lock the doors, but to keep them open for everyone who came with good intentions.
The threshold was endowed with the greatest protective power. There are well-known signs that you cannot pass anything across the threshold, talk or say hello across the threshold, or stand on the threshold. When crossing this line, there are numerous, both pagan in origin and Christian, prayers and amulets.
Our ancestors tried to protect the courtyard. The boundary of personal space runs along the fence around the yard and is protected with the help of a number of symbolic objects. These could be, for example, pots and jars, horseshoes, old bast shoes, etc., which are hung on gates and fences, or a net that is thrown over a fence or fence. It was believed that in this way it was possible to scare away birds of prey and protect domestic animals. Also, pebbles with holes, the so-called “ chicken gods", also having a talismanic meaning. Nowadays, attention to the outer border of the yard - the fence - has almost disappeared, however, the tradition is still alive - nailing a horseshoe to the gate for good luck.
The figurines - amulets - are weather vanes that were placed on the roofs of houses. In Rus', most often it was a horse or a rooster. This amulet protected the house from all sorts of misfortunes.
Charms accompanied the life of a peasant from birth to death. The main everyday amulets of Russians in the 19th – early 20th centuries were the pectoral cross and belt. The cross was often put on the baby during childbirth, so that the child would not die unbaptized. According to popular beliefs, his guardian angel could not intercede for an unbaptized person.
According to popular belief, the child was given his next amulet by nature itself as soon as his first baby tooth grew. Before that, he was considered especially susceptible to the machinations of evil spirits, which is why it was not customary to leave him alone for a minute.
The cape on the float, which was usually sewn from the mother’s skirt, also had a protective function. Under the pillow, in a shaky place, it was customary to keep two crossed knives, scissors open with a cross, a handwritten prayer “Saints of Help” (90th Psalm) or “Prayer to the Honorable Cross” as a talisman.
The child was protected from spirits, which, according to legend, entered the house from the outside with a floor broom placed on the threshold at night. Instead of a broom, an ax was often placed on the threshold with the blade facing up. Smears of soot behind the ear or on those parts of the body where the bones formed a “cross” served as a talisman against the evil eye for the baby.
The belt was first put on the baby at the stove pillar when he reached one year, but if he died before this period, then he was placed in the coffin belted.
From the age of seven, people began to wear a pin as a talisman against the evil eye. Men carried a nail or other sharp object in their pocket as a talisman.
At the wedding, the bride and groom took the “Vacation” prayer as a talisman against witchcraft, which they bought from a relative or friend’s sorcerer. For the bride, needles with a broken eye were stuck into the hem; for the groom, such needles were stuck into the waist part of his trousers. The bride and groom could carry with them onions and garlic, mercury in a goose feather as a talisman, the groom put a silver ruble or a flat stone under the heel of his right boot. An additional amulet on his wedding day was a belt that was never worn by a person. Wedding amulets were worn by newlyweds for 40 days after the wedding.
The entire life of the Russian people was permeated with a grateful and respectful attitude towards nature, in which there are mythical creatures, living in water, earth, air, fire, forest, field (goblin, water, field, brownies, kikimoras, beregins, etc.). One or another owner or assistant was responsible for different aspects of life and everyday life. Charms have long been prepared to protect houses and their inhabitants from bad spirits, diseases, to attract the brownie and appease him.
In Rus' they believed that no house would stand without a brownie. The brownie is the soul of the house, the patron of the home and the people living in it. He lives in a house, preferring a place where it is warm and nourishing - a stove, a kitchen. The well-being of the home depended on a respectful attitude towards the brownie. The “neighbor” causes minor troubles for careless owners: knocking at night, hiding things, dropping clothes, etc. If the brownie is on friendly terms with the owner, the house is under his protection. The brownie loves to transform into different animals, especially a cat. When moving to a new place, they always invited “Neighbor” with them. He was transported in a bast shoe, on a bread shovel, on a broom: “here are those sleighs, come with us.”
Continuing these traditions, our modern artists create the image of a brownie and a “brownie”. This is a broom, a braid, a spatula, a wreath, a picture, etc. they depict household items made specifically for the brownie. They are composed of folklore Slavic symbols.
“Domovushki” are most often hung on the wall in the kitchen. They are made from natural materials: leather, bast, cereals, salt dough, dried berries and flowers. The basis of a “housewife” can be a broom, a bag, a wooden spoon, a horseshoe, a wreath.
All “housekeepers” contain a similar set of symbolic figures and objects: miniature brooms, bast shoes and wreaths, wicker tablecloths, pots of porridge, pastries, bouquets of dried flowers. According to tradition, there should be 12 symbolic objects on it, no more and no less.
Each item has its own meaning:
v a broom symbolizes cleanliness in the house;
v garlic and pepper drive out evil spirits;
v dough products, cereals - hospitality and prosperity;
v a bouquet of dried flowers - comfort and beauty;
v sunflower seeds - children in the house;
v bag – wealth, abundance;
v peas and beans - peace and friendship;
v braid – longevity;
v figures of a man and a woman - love and inextricability of bonds;
v coins, cone - success in business, business;
v croup – peace and harmony in the family;
v house - family, home, comfort;
v corn - health in children, mutual understanding in the family;
v jug symbol – water, health;
v Bay leaf– fame and success;
v immortelle – longevity;
v poppy – wish fulfillment
2. MANUFACTURING CHARMS
Charms have long been prepared to protect houses and their inhabitants from bad spirits, diseases, to attract the brownie and appease him. There are a huge number of different amulets and areas of their application.
Collected and dried magical plants are suitable for a broom amulet.
When creating amulets, you must follow some rules:
1. Amulets cannot be made for yourself.
2. No one can force someone to make a talisman for themselves or beg them to do it. Amulets are made only of good will and from a pure soul.
3.. The most powerful amulets are those that are made for you by your blood relatives: father, mother, brother, children. Marital ties are traditionally not considered consanguinity, but if the marriage is harmonious and happy, mutually created amulets also have great power.
4. You need to be very careful when choosing materials for amulets, because often a material (stone, wood) that is good for you is completely unsuitable for the person for whom you are creating this amulet.
5. In the process of creating a talisman, you must constantly think about the person for whom you are making it, keep his image before your mental gaze, feel his energy, mood, character, needs.
If you strictly follow all five rules, it is likely that the amulet you made will really be able to protect its owner from many troubles and misfortunes.
Amulet broom
that beautiful little thing (broom) is at the same time a decoration, a talisman and a whole fairy tale. The broom is known among many peoples as a symbol that protects against evil entering the house. In Rus', it was customary to change the ritual broom annually, throwing it at a crossroads. It was believed that with a broom the troubles that had accumulated throughout the year would go away. The more beautiful and neat your broom, the greater its power.
A broom is easy to make from plants of the bluegrass family. To do this, you need to tie the plants into small bunches (about the thickness of your index finger). Make a bandage in the middle of each bunch. Place several bunches side by side, conditionally divide the lower parts (panicle inflorescences) in half and make one more bandage below the existing one, but this time capturing two halves of adjacent bunches in one bandage. The upper part is the panicle itself, and the lower part is the butt. The butt needs to be tightly tied with linen or paper twine, creating a neat and comfortable handle. The upper part of the panicle and the lower part of the butt must be carefully trimmed using scissors and a knife. The basis for the “housework” is ready.
Now you need to attach decoration elements and symbols to the panicle. For everyone, this decoration can be individual, depending on the meaning put into its creation.
If you place the broom amulet with the whisk facing down, it helps sweep quarrels out of the hut and drives out evil spirits.
A broom located with the whisk up attracts money into the house.
Amulet panel
The role of the amulet panel is the same as that of the broom; various items who protect the house from evil, bring goodness and understanding.
Pouch
The bag has always been associated in Rus' with wealth; it can be decorated with various symbols, or it can simply stand in the corner, protecting the house and bringing prosperity to it. The bags are stored as long as the herbal smell is felt.
Painted eggs
In Rus' it was also believed that painted eggs protected from troubles and diseases
Harvest amulet
Prosperity next year can be attracted already this year if you decorate your house with a harvest amulet for the Veils. This symbol is created based on the generous gifts of nature and serves not only as a talisman for your family’s well-being, but also as an excellent decorative element. Indeed, today the “country” style is very popular in interior decoration, so such a talisman will be fashionable and appropriate in almost any apartment. Dried flowers, nuts, rose hips, garlic, and wheat ears are perfect.
We simply push light details (dried flowers, spikelets, twigs, dry dill, physalis) under the ribbons. We glue the heavier ones (garlic cloves, halves of a nut: broken in half, it looks more impressive - onions, beans) to the ribbons. The most heavy elements(a whole head of garlic, a decorative pumpkin) we attach to the foam rubber with long sewing pins in several places, and rowan branches with a stapler.
Horseshoe
Horseshoes of happiness have a decorative function, as well as a talisman and an amulet. For centuries, the horseshoe has been considered an amulet that brings happiness and protection in all countries where horses are shoed. This is partly because it is made of iron and forged by a blacksmith in a purifying fire, and partly because its shape resembles, and therefore symbolizes, the new moon.
Since ancient times, in Rus', finding a horseshoe on the road was considered a very good omen. In some regions, the correct sequence of actions was even developed for such a lucky find: pick up a horseshoe, spit on it, make a wish, throw it across left shoulder and go your own way without looking back. But another practice has taken root: take a horseshoe with you and nail it above the front door or to the threshold.
Legends and all kinds of beliefs about a horseshoe bringing happiness have deep historical and psychological roots. IN early centuries, when iron first began to penetrate into Europe, it was so expensive that any thing made of iron was considered valuable. And in the peasant economy, iron was even more rare, and therefore finding a horseshoe from which one could make something for the home: a knife, a scraper or just a nail was truly a blessing.
Different European nations have their own legends about the meaning of the horseshoe as a symbol of good luck, grace and happiness. The most famous of these is the Anglo-Saxon legend of St. Dunstan and the Devil. The devil himself appeared to the future Archbishop of Canterbury Dunstan (909-988) and asked him to shoe his hoof. Dunstan, who was also a blacksmith, agreed to such a deal. However, he shod the devil so tightly that he, experiencing incredible pain, asked for mercy. In exchange for freedom, the devil swore that he would never enter the door over which the horseshoe hung. Probably, this Christian version of the meaning of a horseshoe as a protective object was adopted by Christians from the ancient pagan Celts, who believed that a horseshoe nailed above the doors had the power to repel the invasion of otherworldly guests.
In Ancient Babylon and Egypt, a horseshoe, its shape resembling the shape of a waxing moon, was associated with the cult of the fertility goddesses Astarte and Isis.
Horseshoes have always had some kind of magical power, and many powerful people have collected them. In the office of the Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I there was a large collection of all kinds of horseshoes. Modern riders and jockeys strive to preserve the horseshoes of a horse that has won a prize or set a record.
But how to hang a horseshoe? Horns up or horns down? And where exactly should I hang it?
In the East, Europe and Latin America, horseshoes are hung on the wall with their horns facing down so that happiness will flow to you. But the English and Irish are convinced that it is necessary to hang it with its horns up so that happiness does not leak out. The Mexican horseshoe - decorated with ribbons and coins, the faces of saints, hangs high - no one is allowed to touch it. The Italians, on the contrary, hang a horseshoe so that everyone who enters touches it.
In Russia they hang people with their horns down. But not adherents of the teachings of Feng Shui. Here the opinion is different - a horseshoe with its horns up so that the house is a full cup.
Nowadays, the horseshoe as a talisman is used in different ways:
Nailed above the doors with the horns facing down, it protects the house from evil;
Horns up - attracts prosperity to the house;
Placed on the inside of the door, it evens out the energy of the room if it contains geopathogenic zones that are harmful to health. For the same purpose, you can keep souvenir horseshoes at the head of your beds;
In a car it will protect the owner from accidents and bring him good luck in business;
Placed on the windowsill with the ends inward on the first night of the full moon, it will begin to attract money into the house and contribute in every possible way to material well-being;
Buried in the ground near the northwestern wall of the house, it will bring good luck in the field of help and support;
If flowers grow poorly in your house for unknown reasons, place a horseshoe near them.
Wattle
Not a single Slavic house could manage in ancient times without amulets, and one of the most important, undoubtedly, was the fence. After all, the traditional Slavic farmstead represented a real model of the world and the first barrier on the path of hostile forces was precisely the fence, the fence. It performed protective functions, not allowing strangers and enemies into the yard; horseshoes were hung on it, clay pots and old bast shoes to ward off evil forces.
Nowadays, an elegant wicker amulet hung on the wall will protect the family from hunger, cold and disease. In addition, the interweaving of twigs symbolizes close family ties, pleasant new acquaintances and strong friendships.
The material from which our wattle fence is made is also interesting. Few people know that in fairy tales of different nations, “magic wands” were made from willow, and in Ancient Greece The willow was dedicated to the goddess of witchcraft, Hecate. Many great healers of the past wrote about healing properties and you. Avicenna, Paracelsus and other scientists recommended willow bark and juice for various diseases.
In Rus', the fluffy balls of goat willow that bloom in early spring have become the main symbol of Palm Sunday, one of the most important Orthodox holidays preceding Easter. Perhaps this is due to the amazing ability of the willow to revive - folk wisdom says about this: “The willow grows even from a poke,” or “The willow was mowed down, but it grew again.” Indeed, a cut willow twig stuck into moist soil will almost certainly germinate, and it happened that willow wattles also began to grow!
Brownie
Brownies are the mischievous and mischievous spirits of your home. They can steal sweets or some little thing, tangle a horse's mane, make noise and rattle at night - scaring the owners. But if you respect the brownie, you give him a treat - you won’t find a better helper. He manages the housework, looks after the domestic animals, protects from fire, and helps in case of illness!
According to the belief of many peoples, brownies lived near the fire - both warmth and goodies from the oven were just a stone's throw away. You wouldn’t envy the owner who didn’t let the little brownie warm up by the stove! Brownies, of course, are kind creatures, but they will not tolerate disrespectful treatment - they will begin to take revenge and play pranks!
The brownie is changeable and unpredictable, like life, like the fate of a home or the fate of a family. He can be kind, cunning, mischievous, indifferent and even harmful. The happiness and well-being of the home depended on a respectful attitude towards the brownie. The brownie is the invisible soul of the house, the patron of housing and the people living in it. He is the ideal owner, an eternal busybody, sometimes grouchy, sometimes mischievous, but always caring and kind. For careless owners, the “sedulka” causes minor troubles - knocking at night, hiding things, dropping clothes, etc. If the brownie is on friendly terms with the owner, the house is under his protection. It was believed that in the absence of people, the brownie takes on the appearance of its owners at night, walking around the house and around the yard, scaring thieves. People tried to maintain good relations with the brownie, did not forget to address him with kind words, leave some tasty food and small gifts. Then the brownie will repay good for good: he will preserve peace and tranquility in the family, he will warn and save the house from troubles and ruin, he will take care of the livestock, and help with the housework.
Scythe-housewife
An elegant house braid can serve not only for interior decoration. She has one more wonderful feature - to appease the invisible patron of your home - the brownie. You can give a luxurious braid to your brownie, or you can give it to the house of your relatives, neighbors or friends. Anyone would be pleased to receive such a gift. Such a braid symbolizes increasing well-being, and its weaving signifies the consent and unity of all family members. The braid is also a symbol of the infinity of your family.
Lapot
Shoes could also be a talisman.
Gifts were hidden in shoes, and the shoes themselves could be a valuable gift - they were given by young people. Those who want to tell a girl about their feelings.
It was believed that red shoes protect a person from negative energy.
There are many fortune-telling and superstitions associated with shoes - during fortune-telling, girls stood with their backs to the gate and threw their felt boots onto the street. In which direction the sock points, wait for the matchmakers from there.
Lapot has long been a talisman of family happiness in Rus' and home comfort, gifts for the brownies were placed in it.
Safety precautions
1. Labor protection requirements before starting work
1.1. Put on overalls and tuck your hair under a scarf.
1.2. Check for rusty needles and pins.
1.3. Prepare the workplace for work, remove everything unnecessary.
1.4. Make sure that the protective grounding (grounding) of the electrical housing is available and in good condition. sewing machine, the presence of a dielectric mat on the floor near the car.
2. Labor protection requirements during work
2.1. Store needles and pins in a specific place (cushions, special boxes, etc.), do not leave them in the workplace.
2.2. Do not use rusty needles and pins when working, and do not put needles or pins in your mouth under any circumstances.
2.3. Sew with needles only with a thimble.
2.4. Attach patterns and fabrics with the sharp ends of pins facing away from you.
2.5. Store scissors in a certain place, place them with their sharp ends closed, away from you, and pass them to each other with the handles forward.
2.6. Do not lean close to moving parts of the sewing machine.
2.7. Do not hold your fingers near the sewing machine foot to avoid getting pierced by the needle.
2.8. Before sewing a garment using a sewing machine, make sure there are no pins or needles along the seam line.
2.9. Do not bite the threads with your teeth, but cut them with scissors.
3. Labor protection requirements in emergency situations
3.1. If a problem occurs in the operation of the sewing machine, stop working, release the start pedal of the electric sewing machine and inform the teacher (teacher, foreman) about this. Continue work only after eliminating the problem.
3.2. If a sewing needle or pin breaks, do not throw the broken pieces on the floor, but put them in a trash bin.
3.3. If injured, provide first aid to the victim, if necessary, send him to the nearest medical institution and inform the administration of the institution about this.
3.4. In case of electric shock, provide first aid to the victim, if the victim does not have breathing or pulse, give him artificial respiration or chest compressions until breathing and pulse are restored and send the victim to the nearest medical facility.
4. Labor protection requirements upon completion of work
4.1. Disconnect the electrical machine from the network.
4.2. Check the availability of working tools and tidy up the workplace.
4.3. Conduct wet cleaning premises and its ventilation.
4.4. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap.
3. PROJECT PRESENTATION
The exposition of amulets participated in the exhibition of student creativity of the State Educational Institution of Secondary Professional Education KPTK, the regional student exhibition of creative works of students, and at the exhibition of the Days of German Culture.
ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION FOR MANUFACTURING THE COLLECTION
Cost of raw materials, materials, accessories
| Name of materials | Unit | Unit costs |
||
| Consumption rate | price, rub. | Amount, rub. |
||
| Cotton fabric | ||||
| Adhesive fabric | ||||
| Floss threads | ||||
| Buttons | ||||
| TOTAL: | ||||
Calculation of cost items
| Name of cost items | Cost per unit, rub. |
| Raw materials, materials and accessories | |
| Sales waste | |
| Transportation and procurement costs | |
| Salary PPP | |
| Additional salary | |
| Contributions for social needs | |
| General shop expenses, 1.5% | |
| General expenses, 1.5% | |
| Other production costs, 10% | |
| Total cost of products |
CONCLUSION
The implementation of projects in student groups TShP-41, TShP-31, PZ-31 aroused interest among students. This work brought moral, emotional and creative satisfaction. Through the costume, students learned the history, culture, way of life, traditions of the Russian people, learned to see beauty, understood how important it is to preserve national culture and how to use elements of Russian folk costume in modeling a modern costume.
The main result of the work was not only the costume itself, but those educational, developmental and training goals that are set by the teacher at each lesson: independent activity of students, realization of their personal creative potential, increased independence, responsibility, development of skills to work in a team, plan and make decisions , evaluate the results obtained. Students gain invaluable experience in solving real problems in their future independent lives.
Of course, working using the project method requires a lot of effort, preparation and patience from the teacher. It is the teacher who is the initiator of interesting endeavors. In a certain sense, the teacher ceases to be a “subject specialist”, but becomes a generalist teacher. To do this, he, as a project manager, must have high level culture and creativity. Teacher to his personal example must show students how it is possible and necessary to properly coordinate work, how to overcome emerging difficulties. Love for the business you serve is the key to success.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Artemyeva, E. Aleshinsky outfit [Text] / E. Artemyeva // Wonderful moments. Series: Traditional costume.- 2005.- No. 5.- P.5-34
2. Ivanovskaya, V.I. Russian ornaments [Text] / V.I. Ivanovskaya - M.: Publishing house "V. Shevchuk". - 2006. - 224 p.
3. Karshinova, L. Russian folk costume. Universal approach [Text] / L. Karshinova - M.: White Alva. - 2005. - 64 p.
5. Russian traditional costume [Text]: illustrated encyclopedia / A. Sosnina, I. Shangina. - St. Petersburg: Art-SPB. - 2006. - 400 pp., ill..
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Amulets have existed in Rus' for a long time, the most ancient of them have a history stretching back thousands of years. The popularity of amulets was very high - almost every home had an amulet. In Rus' they gave great importance the magical capabilities of various objects - both self-made and natural formations. The Slavs had a unity with nature, almost lost in our time. They knew how to receive strength and energy from nature, communicate with animals and Gods.
The ancients believed that sacred symbols were given to humanity by higher beings, and each symbol contained divine knowledge about the universe. Moreover, each of the symbols has its own meaning, its own knowledge and its own magical potential.
Russian amulets and talismans and their meaning
The pectoral cross contains powerful protective forces
Amulets and talismans were an integral part of the culture and life of the Slavs. Many of them have survived to this day. For example, the pectoral cross is one of the oldest Slavic amulets, although many do not even know about it.
The amulets of ancient Rus' can be divided into verbal, objective and symbolic.
Object amulets include various gizmos and objects made independently, purchased or simply found. Moreover, it is worth noting that hand-made items had greater potential and significance than purchased ones.
Verbal amulets and spells are important for Russian people
Symbolic Russian amulets are images that can represent objects real world, including Gods and animals, or contain a sacred drawing. Prayers and conspiracies are.
Amulets and talismans can be universal, that is, protect against any negativity, or they can have one specific property, for example, protect against various diseases.
How to choose a Russian amulet
Before making or buying a talisman, you need to clearly understand what kind of protection or help you would like to receive in life. Perhaps you are unable to resolve a problematic situation on your own, or you have serious health problems, or you simply vaguely sense some kind of threat from the world around you. The motives can be very different, you need to determine the most important one for you.
Your inner feelings will tell you in choosing a talisman
You can choose a suitable amulet for yourself by familiarizing yourself with its meaning and properties. Or, if you have well-developed intuition, you simply feel that this particular amulet is yours, then don’t hesitate and buy or make it.
You can choose any material for the amulet. It can be glass, wood, fabric, stone and others. There is only one condition - you should not have a negative feeling towards the material itself, and the material should be in harmony with the character of the person for whom you are going to make the amulet.
Home amulets
All hand-made amulets are always made only from natural materials
In the houses of our ancestors there was always a talisman, and often more than one. The protective items were very different - pillows with dried herbs, and many others. They had one thing in common - they all had to be made from natural materials. Natural materials themselves are excellent protectors against illnesses, problems and magical attacks.
The Slavs attached particular importance to wormwood. They filled pillows and dolls with it, or simply placed a wormwood broom near the entrance. Dark forces are afraid of wormwood, and people with unclean thoughts will feel some kind of barrier and will not enter your home.
Wormwood has long been endowed with mystical properties and was often used in various rituals.
Today, wormwood has not lost its magical power and meaning. You can add a small bunch of wormwood to your hallway as a decorative element, and this herb will protect your home from uninvited guests, as well as envy, the evil eye or damage. A small doll with wormwood inside will reliably protect you on the road.
Another amulet known to every Russian person is this. A horseshoe has several protective properties, the manifestation of a specific property depends on how you position the horseshoe. To attract good luck, the horseshoe was placed with the ends up, and to protect the house from dark forces and deceitful people - with the ends down. The horseshoe was most often placed at the entrance to the house. If you decorate a horseshoe with wormwood branches, its strength will increase.
Such a talisman as the bell is also quite famous today. Usually it was made by hand and also placed near the entrance or simply on the front door. The bell symbolizes prosperity, and its ringing has a beneficial effect on the energy in the house and drives out evil.
Russian amulets for children
Magical objects accompanied Russian people throughout their lives. And mothers sometimes cooked even before the child was born. Basically, self-sewn dolls served as such amulets. The doll was placed in the crib, it protected the baby from the evil eye and at the same time warmed him.
The custom of putting a cross on a child originated long before the baptism of Rus'
The newborn baby immediately received another one of his own personal amulet- cross. They put a cross on a child so that he would always have a protective object with him. It is interesting to note that s. The Slavs believed that the cross had magical powers no less than those of solar symbols.
It has long been believed that young children are especially susceptible to the influence of dark forces, and, of course, they tried to protect the child as much as possible. One of the protections was diaper dolls. They were made before birth, and from the first days of life, the diapers were continuously next to the child for several months. They were then removed and used again only when the child became ill. Swaddle dolls protected the baby from any evil.
After seven years, the child received other amulets. For boys, some small, sharp object was placed in their pocket, and for girls, a pin was pinned on the wrong side of the dress.
Amulets for newlyweds
For the ancient Slavs, family was the most important value in life. The connection between spouses, as well as blood kinship, was revered as something unshakable. There were talismans and amulets that were presented as wedding gifts; the main meaning of these items was to protect the new marriage from quarrels and troubles.
One of the wedding customs was a gift to the newlyweds - a Lovebirds amulet doll
The mother of the bride usually prepared a traditional talisman gift in advance - . These two dolls had one common hand, symbolizing a life together in happiness and prosperity. Lovebird dolls were given to the bride and groom at the very beginning of the wedding ceremony, and then placed in the newlyweds’ house as a talisman.
Another wedding gift-amulet was a needle without an eye. Such needles were attached to the hem of the wedding dress for the bride, and to the belt for the groom. It was necessary to wear needles for forty days; it was believed that it was during this period that the new family was most susceptible to envy and dark attacks.
Another confirmation that the amulets were worn in bundles was a find made in the area of the city of Torzhok, Tver region. Suspended from a bronze wire were two animal fangs and two bronze amulets: a zoomorphic creature (lynx?), whose body was decorated with a circular pattern, and a spoon. With a certain degree of confidence, we can say that this set of amulets belonged to the hunter, since three of them symbolized protection from the “fierce beast,” and the spoon personified satiety and success in the hunt.
(Total 7 photos)
The complex can be fairly accurately dated to the second half of the 11th – first half of the 12th century. Bronze fangs, the so-called “jaws of a predator” (No. 2), also provided protection from the fierce beast. They were found near the former settlement of Duna near the city of Chekalin in the Tula region. The time of existence of such a talisman was 10–12 centuries.
A talisman signifying 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 location where the second comb, made of bronze, was found has not been established (No. 4). They are typical for the 11th - first half of the 12th centuries.
The safety and inviolability of household property is the task of key amulets 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 Suvorovsky district of the Tula region.
One of the most common amulets of the 11th–12th centuries. there was such a universal weapon as an ax. On the one hand, the ax was Perun’s weapon, 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 the marching weapon. 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 agricultural magic. The hatchets reproduced the shape of real axes. Such amulets were found in the Velizh region 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 equal cross under them. Their variety is very great. A pendant with identical front and back sides was found in the Kovrovsky district of the Vladimir region (No. 12), with spiral-shaped circles and a smooth back side - in the Yaroslavl region (No. 13), with circles in the form of curls and a smooth back side - in the Ryazan region (No. 15). A pendant made of twisted silver wire (No. 16) found in the Kursk region shows the influence of the northerners. If we consider the semantics of such appendages from the position of Academician B.A. Rybakov, in them you can see the earth (cross) between two positions of the sun - in the east and in the west (circles). In this series, the 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-pointed cross, the upper end of which ends in 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.
Old Russian pendants and amulets of the 11th – 13th centuries
The two most historically significant finds are trapezoidal pendants from the 10th–11th centuries. with the signs of the Rurikovichs, discovered 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-shaped pendants found in the Bryansk region (No. 20, 21).
Turning to the topic of the Rurikovichs, one cannot help but note the influence that the Scandinavians had on Rus' 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 with gilding found in the Chernigov 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. There are five hemispheres in the center and around the circle. The composition is complemented by a human face. Unfortunately, the upper fastening 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-shaped pendants of presumably Scandinavian origin, found near Vladimir (No. 23), Kiev (No. 24) and Rzhev (No. 25).
It is curious that the composition of volute-shaped curls was widely popular in the Slavic environment of the 11th - mid-12th centuries. Pendants with a pattern of eight volutes in the outer circle and three volutes in the inner circle were found in the Novgorod (No. 26), Bryansk (No. 27) and Kyiv (No. 28) regions. Moreover, if the first two are made of copper alloys, then the last one is cast from silver and under its title there is a composition of dots. A similar pendant made of tin-lead alloy was found in Gochevo, Kursk region (No. 31). A coin-shaped pendant with a pattern of large false grains around the perimeter and a “Perunova” rosette in the center (No. 29) dates back to the same period.
Quite interesting is the coin-shaped pendant made of copper alloy (No. 30) with the image of sprouted grain in the center, a five-petal flower and five pollinated pistils (according to B.A. Rybakov). Despite the lack of direct analogies, it can be dated back to the second half of the 12th - first half of the 13th century.
Old Russian pendants and amulets of the 11th – 13th centuries
Lunars are a special type of pendants. The earliest is the wide-horned lunella made of copper alloy, found in Ukraine, which existed from the end of the 10th to the first half of the 12th century. (No. 32). A wide-horned moon with a recess in the shape of a moon (No. 33), but made of billon, was found in the Boryspil district of the Kyiv region. A variety of broad-horned ones are lunellas, decorated at the ends and in the middle with three convex points (No. 34). They became widespread in the 10th–11th centuries.
Another type of lunella - narrow-necked or steep-horned - includes a find from Ryazan. Cast from tin bronze, the lunar is decorated with a three-part geometric pattern in the center and two raised points on the blades (No. 35). It dates back to the 12th–13th centuries. The copper lunnitsa from the Boryspil district of the Kyiv region dates back to the same period. Its field is decorated with two triangles at the edges and three circular elements in the center (No. 36). Judging by the works of B.A. Rybakov, the decor of these lunars is of an agricultural nature.
Separately, there is a unique bronze slotted three-horned moon from the Rostov region, decorated with false grain (No. 37). Its estimated date is 12th–13th centuries.
A find near Moscow - a closed lunar cast from tin bronze with an ornament in the form of rounded recesses (seven in the upper part and one in the lower) - 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 its silver and gilded counterpart from Ukraine! Its lower branches are decorated with images of turkish 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 lunars with a four-part composition, which were common in the 12th–13th centuries. One of their varieties is the Bryansk find. The circular bronze lunar is decorated with a three-part ornament, a rim of false grain and an equilateral cross with a diamond-shaped center cross and ends in the form of a four-part composition of false grain (No. 40).
Of particular note is the round slotted pendant from the 12th–13th centuries. made of 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 the complex solar-lunar impact on the Earth. Same semantic load, but in a more simplified compositional version it bears a copper pendant from Ukraine (No. 42).
Speaking about the beliefs of the Slavs of the 11th–13th centuries, one cannot ignore pendants with images of birds, animals, and zoomorphic creatures. Many of them have connections with related cultures.
A coin-shaped pendant made of copper alloy with an 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 the colts (No. 44). They can be roughly 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 ritual of “turits”. 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 there is a triangular sign, sloping 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 is apparently associated with the sacrifice of a bull to Perun and is typical for the Radimichi lands in the 11th–13th centuries. However, the settlement of the northern Radimichi at the end of the 11th century. their amulets carried to the east as far as the Nerl, so a similar find from the Ivanovo region (No. 46) would be more logical to attribute to the 12th century.
Perhaps the Radimichi introduced the cult of the snake, borrowed from the Balts. 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.
Old Russian pendants and amulets of the 11th – 13th centuries
One cannot help but recall once again the pendant, which among search engines was called “trot”, 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 is cast of poor quality (No. 50). It is more difficult to date a flat incised pendant found in the same region, depicting a not very clear creature, possibly a bird (No. 51). By time of existence similar products it can be dated back to the second half of the 10th – early 12th centuries.
Particular attention should be paid to the large role of the chicken or rooster in the magical rites of the Slavs, which is associated with a large number of appendages 12 – first half of the 13th century. in the form of these birds. The pair of these birds found nearby is touching: a flat, single-headed slotted copper cockerel (No. 52) with a false filigree pattern, a loop on the back and four loops for pendants, and the same hen (No. 53), only without a comb. It is interesting that duck legs were often suspended from the bottom of the hens and cockerels on links, which clearly shows the influence of the Finno-Ugric tradition. Outlined by false filigree, the flat double-headed slotted cockerel made of tin bronze with a floral pattern on the body and five loops for pendants has losses - the second head and the loop on the back have not been preserved (No. 54). Despite the lack of analogies in printed publications, similar pendants can be found on the Internet. Place of discovery: Klinsky district, Moscow region. There are almost no published analogies for two realistically made bronze flat-relief cockerels with an eye for hanging. One of them was found in the Ivanovo region (No. 55), the other - in the northwestern regions of Russia (No. 56).
Along with flat ones, there are also hollow pendants of the “chicken family”. All of them were made in the 11th–12th centuries, but, despite the general similarity, almost each specimen is individual. An interesting bronze hollow cockerel with a body decorated with rounded dents and a ridge along the lower edge, a head decorated with a comb and two loops along the body (No. 57). The hollow cockerels with a smooth body, a head with a comb and two loops along the body, found in the Ryazan (No. 58) and Vologda (No. 59) regions, look much simpler.
From the 12th to the end of the 14th century. There are hollow zoomorphic pendants, in the appearance 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 skates, 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 decorated 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.
Old 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 pipit, has a wide cylindrical muzzle (No. 62). The mane is conveyed with a flat stripe. The lower part of the body is decorated with a zigzag line between two rims; at the bottom there are rings (three on both sides of the body) for attaching pendants. The second is a two-headed horse (No. 63) with a vertically flattened muzzle and ears in the form of two rings across the axis of the body. The lower part of the body is decorated 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, some of them unique. I hope that acquaintance with the site’s materials will arouse interest not only among search engines, archaeologists, local historians and historians, but also among everyone who is interested and dear to the life, culture and beliefs of our ancestors.
Reconstruction of the costume and jewelry of a girl from Yaroslavl, late XII - early XIII centuries. Based on materials from the Department of Security Excavations of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
In this article:
In Ancient Rus', people believed in the power of amulets, relying on their protection from illnesses, enemies and other misfortunes. Through their amulets, they drew the energy of nature and the Sun, never tired of thanking the Gods who generously gifted the Russian people with unique Slavic magical symbols. All of them are carriers of information about the structure of our universe.
Russian amulets are based on Slavic symbolism associated with the Sun; such symbols are called Solar. Each of them has proper name, they have a specific power and carry a certain semantic load. The most common symbol in Rus' was the Swastika, endowed with multifaceted meaning and various options titles. It was also called the symbol of “Light”, the symbol of “Primary Fire” or “Life”, and the “Divine symbol”. Patterns of these symbols were used to decorate household items, homes, and clothing. At different times in Solar Rus', this symbolism could be seen on banknotes.
The cultural history of Rus' throughout its existence has been based on folk beliefs, which have their roots deeply rooted in the past, and preserve the memory of our ancient ancestors. In those distant times, they already sought to comprehend the secrets and subtleties of the structure of the universe. First of all, they needed this knowledge in order to protect themselves and their loved ones from possible danger. Culture changed over the centuries, beliefs and customs changed, but the memory of the ancestors was not erased even after the Baptism of Rus'. The loyal, wise and tolerant Orthodox Church did not destroy the traditional folk worldview; throughout the entire period of its existence, the Russian people used amulets and talismans bequeathed to them by their ancestors.
Features of the Russian folk amulet
A Russian person is devoted to his family and faithful to his land, therefore Russian amulets, like talismans, are mostly associated with real things that are familiar to each of us from childhood. Among these you can find ordinary spoons, bells, miniature hatchets, pokers, brooms, bast shoes, horseshoes, etc. They were widely used not only in the everyday life of Russian people, but also in folk rituals. People made amulets for themselves with their own hands, hoping for their protection from predatory animals, natural disasters, the “evil eye” and diseases.
Russian amulet for home
For a Russian person, the house, in terms of its significance and holiness, is in second place after the church and Orthodox churches. Even going to long journey, he always took on the road a talisman he created with his own hands, as a reminder of home, family and native land. The earth also acts as a kind of amulet for the house, which had to be built correctly, since the fate of the entire family depended on it.
Modern house in Russian style
In Rus', houses have always been built in favorable energy zones and traditionally adhered to certain rules when choosing a plot of land:
- Houses were not built in places where lightning struck.
- Areas that were previously abandoned en masse by people as a result of epidemics, pestilence, war, and natural disasters were considered unfavorable.
- A house has never been built in a place where human remains have been found.
- Places where a cart overturned or a shaft broke were considered a mark of the “unclean” and they were avoided.
According to ancient traditions, the Slav built his house with his hands by analogy with the model of our Universe, in the center of which stood a Russian stove - a source of heat, food, light, perceived as a symbol of the Sun.
The cult of home and family has always been the main thing in Rus'. Each element of the house’s design was a specific symbol, as was the decoration of the house.
Its main symbols are Russian folk amulets at home, all of them are listed in the table below:
| Name | Symbol (association) |
Functions |
| Bake | Planet Earth. The stove was painted with special protective symbols. | Source of heat, fire, life. |
| Red corner (home iconostasis) | Planet Sun; God. | Divine protection, patronage, healing. |
| Walls | They were decorated with various symbolic wood carvings. | Physical and energetic protection of habitat |
| Roof and openings | Decorated with symbolic carvings. | They did not allow physical negative factors to enter the house, as well as from any evil spirits and evil misfortunes. |
| Entrance door | Central amulet (various amulets were placed above the door; the door itself was coated with red clay along the contour; curtains woven with patterns with special symbols were hung in the doorway). |
Protection of home and family at the level: Physical (negative weather, enemies, robbers); Mental (evil spirits, illnesses, troubles). |
| Threshold/porch | The key element of the house was endowed with the greatest protective power (everything was important - from its shape to decoration, including amulets that were placed under the threshold to enhance its magical properties). | In pagan and Christian faith, it was the main protection of a person’s home and clan, the keeper of the family hearth. The threshold was carefully guarded, since through it one can bring both good and bad deeds into the house. |
| Vane | More often made in the shape of a rooster or horse | Charms that warn the owners of the house about danger and scare away evil spirits. |
The carving acted not only as decoration, its patterns were carefully thought out and corresponded to ancient Russian protective symbols. Door and window openings, roof edges, and porches were decorated with carvings.
Carving is a special skill The threshold and porch in a Russian hut were always endowed with the most powerful amulets and were additionally guarded by the owner himself. Through the threshold (or porch) you can send a lot of negativity, both to the owner of the house and to all members of his family, to the entire family.
Many folk signs are associated with the threshold, for example, it is undesirable to just stand on the threshold, smoke or talk, pass things or say hello across the threshold. To protect home and family across the threshold, both Christian and pagan amulets, symbols, spells and prayers were used (and are still relevant today).
The blower in a Russian stove is of particular importance. This place was considered a gate through which the Evil One could enter the house. While the stove was burning or smoldering, the vent was not closed so as not to get burned by carbon monoxide, but as soon as the last heat in the stove went out, the vent was immediately closed.
Charms to protect the yard
The yard area is part of the personal space of each family, limited by a special fence. In the old days, the fence of a house or plot was built in the form of:
- wattle fence (made of wicker or brushwood), in the form of a picket fence (made of low wooden slats);
- board fence;
- a powerful timber palisade several meters high.
Whatever material the fence was built from, for many centuries the yard was guarded and protected with the help of traditional amulets. These were the simplest household things, in whose powerful protective energy our contemporaries believe. A variety of objects were used as court amulets, all of which were considered magical protective symbols.
Glaciers, jars, pots
Inverted, they were placed on the highest rail of the fence, the fence.
Clay products are still used in making amulets Since these utensils were usually made from a natural material - clay, they were very sensitive to negative energy.
It was believed that a broken or cracked fence on a fence indicates a negative message addressed to the owner of the house or his entire family. In this case, they said that the glechik took on the “thin”; it was not customary to take it with bare hands. Usually it was removed with special tongs and thrown away from the house, and a whole pot was immediately hung in its place.
Old (woven) bast shoes, worn-out shoes, felt boots
The shoe (felt boots or bast shoes) is an old Russian amulet with multi-valued symbolism. For example, having met the Evil One, it was customary to throw your worn-out bast shoes at him and be sure to hit the target; if you didn’t hit, expect trouble or trouble.
A pair of red shoes given by a guy to a girl testified to his sincere love for her; a similar gift from her parents served as a talisman so that her daughter would not stray from the “red” (right) path.
There was a tradition of throwing bast shoes at their rivals. If the bast shoe reached its goal, it was believed that by this action the girl was driving her rival away from her lover, and at the same time removing the love spell that she could cast on her boyfriend.
A pair of shoes attached to the porch or threshold symbolized the strength and prosperity of the owner of the house, a happy family. To scare away all evil spirits and enemies, shoes or bast shoes were hung on a fence or on a post at the gate.
If an unlucky child grew up in a family, he was forced to put on the old bast shoes of the family member who was considered positive and hard-working; with this action, they tried to return the child who had gotten out of hand to the true path.
A pair of symbolic shoes was given to newlyweds for a wedding so that they would live together happily and for as long as possible The theme of shoes is also found in many superstitions and fortune telling. For example, there was a long-standing custom of telling fortunes about the groom. To do this, the girl, standing in the yard with her back to the gate, threw a bast shoe over it onto the street. Then she watched how the bast shoe lay down - its sock, as a rule, indicated the direction from where the groom should be expected to come.
If a person wanted to travel, but could not decide where exactly to go, it was also customary to throw a bast shoe outside the gate. The man set off in the direction the sock pointed.
Horseshoe
In addition to its decorative function, the horseshoe in Russian culture and traditions has always been used as an effective amulet/amulet. In many countries, it is a symbol of happiness, having a deep meaning rooted in ancient history.
Made of iron, forged on fire by a blacksmith, purified by fire, resembling a new moon in shape (also a symbolic element), a horseshoe was at one time an expensive pleasure. Finding it for a simple poor peasant was considered happiness, since expensive iron appeared in the house, which could be sold at a high price or forged into nails, a scraper, a knife or other necessary item. Later, when iron was no longer such a rare thing, the tradition of keeping a found horseshoe “for good luck” was preserved.
In every European country you can find a legend about a horseshoe; in Christian culture, the legend itself and the tradition of taking care of a found horseshoe are most likely borrowed from the ancient pagan culture of the Celts. They believed that a horseshoe attached above the front door would protect their home from the invasion of otherworldly forces.
In our time, the horseshoe as a talisman has not lost its meaning Nowadays, the horseshoe is endowed with multiple symbolism, which can be found in the table below:
| Placement | Function | The meaning of the amulet |
| “Horns” down over the door to the house, on the gate, on the pillars of the central gate | Protective (from the evil eye, damage, bad messages and ill-wishers) | The guest, having passed through the gate, “lost” his bad thoughts and was disarmed if he came with bad intentions |
| “Horns” up above the door to the house, on the gate, on the pillars of the central gate. | Talisman of wealth, happiness and prosperity | Brings good luck, material and financial well-being to the home |
| On the door (from the inside with the “horns” up) | Protective bioenergy | Aligns energy flows, reducing the strength of geopathogenic zones in the house |
| Inside the car | Protective | Prevents accidents, vehicle breakdowns and various unpleasant road incidents |
| On the windowsill (on the first moonlit night, “horns” into the room) | Wealth/luck talisman, money talisman | Helps increase financial situation, attract money and rapid financial growth |
| In the ground near the wall of the house (bury on the northwest side) | Good luck talisman | Brings good luck in business, support in any endeavors |
Fishnet
They threw it on top of a fence, picket fence or wattle fence, believing that the Evil One would get entangled in it and would not be able to enter the house. It was also assumed that bad words and thoughts of ill-wishers would not be able to pass through this network.
Toads, mice and other vermin entangled in the net indicated that one of the ill-wishers was taking negative magical actions against the owner of the house and his family.
Broom
Placed at the threshold, a broom scared away evil spirits and drove ill-wishers away from the house. It was believed that if, following an unpleasant guest leaving your house, you sweep a path in his footsteps with a broom, this person will never appear in your house again. It should be noted that the broom was not only a shore, it could also cause considerable harm to the family, so in some families they preferred to hide it from prying hands and eyes. Usually the broom-amulet was made by the head of the family with his own hands.
Nowadays you can often see a broom in apartments with the broom facing up. To ensure prosperity in the house, it was customary to place a broom in the kitchen “on the handle” with the broom facing up. Nowadays, for this purpose, a small decorative broom is more often used, on which gifts are attached - several grains of various cereals, corn kernels, real coins, flowers yellow color(as a symbol of the Sun, gold) and so on. Left in the kitchen as a decoration, such a decorative broom-amulet brings material stability and prosperity to the home.
It was considered wrong to touch a broom with your hands in someone else's house; such a guest could be suspected of hostility and allowed into the house no longer.
Panel amulet
Such panels were specially made in each family, so they were all unique and different from each other. Each housewife made her own panel, decorating it with the symbolism that was most necessary to improve the life of her family.
With the help of special symbolism of patterns, such panels protected the house from unkind people, brought good luck, health, patrons to the family, promoted mutual understanding, love and care for each other among all household members.
Embroidery
Embroidered symbols could be seen not only on clothing, but also on bed linen, towels, towels, tablecloths, curtains, shoes and head decorations. When a young girl got married, she had to have in her dowry all these things, sewn and embroidered by her own hands.
Girls were taught to do needlework from an early age. The more a girl had a dowry, prepared by herself, the more hardworking she was considered and the more desirable she was in the groom’s house.
Bag
In Rus', a bag has always been considered a symbol of preserving wealth. This symbolism dates back to ancient times, when social inequality was the norm, as a result of which beggars wandered around Rus' with outstretched hands. Behind their backs they had a knapsack (a homemade bag) with all their simple belongings.
This amulet should not be touched by strangers. For every beggar, such a knapsack was a real treasure. At the same time, rich people also kept their gold and jewelry in bags, but they were made of expensive fabric and embroidered with gold/silver thread, embroidered with stones or embroidered with patterns.
Nowadays, it is customary to place a symbolic bag in the kitchen or in the money area of the house, decorating it with your own embroidered patterns, which necessarily include some key magical symbols. It can be decorated with various symbols, depending on the result that should be obtained - increasing wealth, preserving existing wealth, etc. Inside the bag they place coins for wealth, magical dry herbs for protection and other items that correspond to the wishes of the owner of the house.
Painting on wood, plaster, metal
Painting gates, house walls (outside/inside), door and window openings, benches (at the gate and in the yard), ovens, barns, barns and carts was also a talisman.
The theme of solar signs, which attract warmth, joy, life, health and happiness into the house, was especially popular.
Amulet for harvest
This Russian amulet symbolized the generous gifts of nature, was used as a talisman for family well-being and was a good decorative element in home decoration. As a “rural” decor, it is still found today in homes whose interior is made in the “country” style. Often a decorative broom-amulet, decorated with special symbols, is used for this purpose.
To make it, they usually use nuts, dried flowers, bunches of garlic, rose hips, ears of wheat, beans, a small pumpkin, and bright ribbons (the whole composition is tied with them). A braid should be made from colored ribbons; with its colors it symbolizes a joyful and happy life, and its length and thickness symbolize longevity. The lighter ones of the above symbolic elements are woven into it, the heavier ones can be fixed with glue or sewn on, secured to ribbons with threads.
Each such element corresponds to certain symbols, distinguished by their characteristic magical properties:
| Element | Meaning in the amulet |
| Broom | Clean base |
| Scythe | Longevity |
| Bag | Prosperity, abundance, wealth |
| Spoon | Prosperity |
| Onion/hot pepper/garlic/ | Protects from evil spirits |
| Cereals and flour products | Prosperity, hospitality and good disposition of the owner of the house (tradition of welcoming guests with loaf/bread and salt) |
| Pine cone, coins | Business success, financial well-being, wealth |
| Sunflower seeds | Symbolizes children in the family |
| Beans/peas | Friendship, mutual assistance, peacefulness |
| Dried flowers (in a bouquet) | Harmony, beauty, protection from evil spirits and “bad” people |
| Cereals | La, and the well-being of family relationships |
| Female and male figures | Integrity of marital/family ties |
| Corn | Health of children in the family |
| House | Happy family, cozy home |
| Jug | Healthy family, family well-being, prosperity |
| Immortelle | Long and happy life |
| Bay leaf | Success in business, fame, respect from others, respect in the family |
| Poppy | Fulfillment of secret desires |
There is a huge variety of Russian folk amulets, for the manufacture of which various symbolic elements are used. The table above lists only the main and fairly common symbols.
The Russian people have always treated the gifts of Mother Nature with care and respect, and believed in the existence of her mythical creatures that inhabit all four elements - fire, water, earth and air. There are many legends and fairy tales about kikimoras, water creatures, goblins, brownies and other evil spirits in Russian culture. Russian people have a twofold attitude towards these natural creatures.
He tried to be friends with some of them, to appease some of them, to pay off some of them, and some of them had to be avoided so as not to anger him with his presence on their territory. Some representatives of the Evil One were often hired as assistants to solve various life problems and everyday problems. At the same time, Russian people have always made amulets to protect themselves and their homes from evil spirits; he used long-known folk symbols to create them. A curious character is the brownie; it was believed that this creature lives in every home.
Brownie
Being the soul of the house, its talisman and amulet, Domovoy patronized the people living in it. Woe to the owner who did not please him, Domovoy tried in all his ways to expel him from the house, and could attract other creatures from evil spirits to this process. He demanded respect for himself; it always depended on whether he would consider the residents of the house his friends and whether this family would live in prosperity and peace. It is noteworthy that with the hands of an unwanted owner he could cause great misfortune in the house.
Sometimes Brownie got so used to the head of the family that when the family moved to a new place of residence, he tried to move with the people, hiding in some household object. Most often, the person himself invited the Housewife to move with him, offering him a broom, a bread spatula or a broom with the words:
Neighbor Brownie, here is a noble sleigh for you, go to your new home with us!
Options for making a brownie amulet are limited only by your imagination The brownie sleeps during the day, and at night he wakes up and walks around the house, checking to see if everything is in order. He was always given a specific corner in the house, where the owner forbade all household members to go, so as not to anger the Brownie with his actions. In this place it was forbidden for children to play, place any things, make noise, sit, this place belonged to Domovoy. In each house, Domovushka could occupy different places, his favorite place it was necessary to find, as a rule, it was the warmest, driest and quietest corner. Sometimes he himself willingly suggested and indicated his presence.
The Brownie has noisy fun - he knocks at night, tangles the horses' manes, and hides small things necessary for the owner. To return an item hidden by him (an item that you cannot find in the place where you left it the day before), you should throw a coin into the room with the words:
Neighbor Brownie, here’s a coin for you to play with, and give me mine/my (name of the thing).
After this, you need to leave the room for a couple of minutes and close the door. After this time, you will find the lost item in the place where you left it and looked at it several times before, but did not see it.
Nowadays, the theme of the Brownie is very popular - it is a magnificent element of apartment decor and at the same time an effective and powerful amulet. Each Domovushka must contain 12 symbolic items. They serve as symbols such as dried berries, dough products, dried flowers and other symbols. Its base can be anything, but more often a wooden spoon, a wreath, a horseshoe, a bag or a broom is used for this.
The brownie is the spirit of the house, a mischievous and mischievous creature, but always kind and ready to help the owner run the household, protect the house and family. Often Domovushka warned the head of the family about the impending trouble. You need to make friends with this creature and not forget about it, leave food, give some things, throwing them in its corner.
If you cannot detect its presence in your home, make it with your own hands, this is the best and most powerful amulet for your home.
Charms to protect a child
At a time when medicine was not yet developed enough to save a person’s life from a simple cold, he relied only on the mercy of God and the magical protection of amulets and talismans.
The very first and strongest protective amulet for a child was considered a pectoral cross. They tried to put it on the child during the birth process in order to protect the unbaptized baby from evil forces, since the Guardian Angel appears in children only at the age of one year, and according to some beliefs, at the time of baptism.
The child received his next amulet from Mother Nature herself - this was his first baby tooth, which during the change of teeth should have been hidden and kept throughout his life as a talisman or talisman/amulet. Until the moment the child was toothless, he was considered an easy prey for evil spirits, so it was not customary to leave him alone for a single minute.
An important and powerful amulet for him was the shaky - a kind of hanging cradle, bast or made of wicker, wood or wooden slats, with a canopy sewn from the mother’s skirt.
Inside such a shaky place, two criss-cross knives or scissors (opened in the shape of a cross) were hidden under a child’s mattress. A handwritten version of the prayer “Holy Relics” from Psalm 90 or, optionally, a prayer (also handwritten) to the “Honorable Cross” was also placed there.
The baby was protected from evil spirits that entered the house at night with the help of amulets. For example, a broom at night “on the handle” on the threshold of the baby’s room; an alternative was an ax, also placed on the threshold at night with the blade up.
Protective motanka dolls There was a custom to deliberately smear a child’s face with soot from the stove so that he would not be recognized and carried away by evil spirits. Soot was also smeared on the skin in the projection of the joints and bones of the child, forming a sacred cross.
A belt embroidered with protective symbols was put on the child when he reached the age of one year. It was a beautiful family ritual, to which neighbors and friends were not invited, but only the baby’s godparents. He was ceremoniously girded with this belt, which was supposed to strengthen his protection outside the house.
The baby's mother, with her caring hands, sewed the belt in advance and embroidered it with a protective pattern, the symbols of which were always passed on to the new generation of the family. In the event of the death or sudden death of a baby, this belt, intended only for him, was buried with him.
At the age of seven, it was customary for a child to pin an ordinary pin (head down) to his clothes, but more often girls wore it.
As a talisman, boys had to carry some sharp object in their pocket - a nail, a planing knife, an awl, handed to him by the hands of their father.
For many centuries, Russian people surrounded their home, themselves and their loved ones with amulets. Nowadays, we use the same protective symbols, although we more often wear them in the form of pendants and other jewelry. Today, along with man-made amulets, you can purchase a ready-made Russian amulet or jewelry with corresponding symbols. Many amulets have lost their relevance over time, some have transformed and taken on a new form, but the belief in their magical power among Russian people has not disappeared.
For some men, a woman's love for trinkets is a reason for jokes, for others - for admiration. But the tradition of putting on trinkets came to us from distant ancestors.
Dirham, ring, another half hryvnia
Interesting Vyatic Colt
Or rather, two - a marvelous drawing
Swastastic solstice
And the ducklings, ducklingsThey
This symbol is so cute to me
Its some quiet guy
The blacksmith shyly gave...
Levin Vyacheslav Nikolaevich (stvs)
Ancient people believed that the human soul could fly out through the holes in our body, or, conversely, some evil magic could penetrate inside. It was also necessary to magically protect the arms and legs that were most susceptible to wounds and bruises. 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, wood was preferred to “noble” species: oak, birch, pine. The bone had to be from a strong, fearless animal: a bear, a tiger. But metals and precious stones were best suited for protecting the soul and body. Old Slavic myths relate gold and silver to sunlight and lightning of the god Perun, the main pagan god. 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. Ancient Slavic women's attire included (as it does now) much more jewelry than men's.
Since ancient, truly cave times, a woman has been an object of almost religious worship on the part of 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 much more sacred being than a man. This means that it, like everything sacred, needed to be especially carefully protected. Hence - with a little income - the golden brocade of girls' headbands, and multi-colored beads, and rings.
Scientists write that the Slavs, who settled in the 6th-7th centuries along the forest belt of Eastern Europe, found themselves cut off from the traditional places of extraction of non-ferrous metals. Therefore, until the 8th century, they did not develop any special, unique type of metal jewelry. The Slavs used those that were then in use 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 use them to 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 and mutual enrichment of cultures did not stand still, fortunately 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 placed around the neck seemed to ancient people to be a reliable barrier capable of preventing the soul from leaving the body. We called it “hryvnia”. This name is related to the word "mane". Apparently, this word in ancient times meant “neck”.
Among some peoples, hryvnias were worn by men, by others by women, but scientists claim that among everyone, including the Slavs, it was always a sign of a certain position in society, very often like an order of merit.
Hryvnias are often found in female burials of the ancient Slavs. Therefore, archaeologists rightfully insist that it was a “typically feminine” decoration, like beads and temple rings.
Ancient Slavic craftsmen made hryvnias from copper, bronze, billon (copper and silver) and soft tin-lead alloys, often covering them with silver and gold. Precious hryvnias were made of silver.
The ancient Slavs wore different types of hryvnias, which differed in the way they were made and how the ends were connected. And of course, each tribe preferred its own, special look.
Dartovy hryvnias were made from a “dart” - a thick metal rod, usually round or triangular in cross-section. The blacksmiths twisted it with tongs, heating it over a fire. The hotter the metal was, the finer the “cut” was. A little later, hryvnias made of rhombic, hexagonal and trapezoidal darts appeared. They were not rolled, preferring to emboss a pattern on top in the form of circles, triangles, and dots. These hryvnias are found in burial mounds of the 10th – 11th centuries.
Similar ones, only connected not by a lock, but simply by ends extending far beyond each other, were made by the Slavs themselves. The open ends of such hryvnias were located in front. They expand beautifully, but the back side, adjacent to the neck, is round to make it more comfortable to wear. Their usual design consisted of triangles with bulges inside. Archaeologists call them “wolf teeth.” 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 torcs 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 mold. This indicates developed trade and the fact that ancient Russian jewelers worked not only to order, but also for the market.
Some neck hoops, made of thick or bronze wire, were worn “just like that”, without additional decoration. But if the iron or colored wire was thin enough, beads, round plaques, foreign coins, and bells were strung on it.
The most numerous were twisted hryvnias. Slavic craftsmen twisted them different ways: “simple bundle” - made of two or three copper or bronze wires; "complex tourniquet". Sometimes a simple or thin tourniquet was wrapped around the top with a thin twisted wire.
Temporal rings
Archaeologists called the decoration of the headdress, usually fastened near the temples, “temporal rings.” 
Slavic women's underwear 
They sewed temple rings to the headdress (a girl’s crown, 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 temple rings were strung on a strap, forming a crown around the head. And yet, most of them were worn as their name suggests - at the temples. As excavations have shown, temple rings were worn in Western and Eastern Europe, in the North and in the South. They have been worn since ancient times - and nevertheless, by the 8th-9th centuries they began to be considered typically Slavic jewelry; they began to enjoy such popularity among the West Slavic tribes. Gradually, the fashion for temple rings spread to the Eastern Slavs, reaching their peak in the 11th-12th centuries.
Teenage girls, who had not yet reached the age of brides, did not wear temple rings at all, or, in extreme cases, wore the simplest ones, bent from wire. Brides and young girls 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 temple rings are therefore especially elegant and numerous. And older women, who stopped having children, gradually abandoned the richly decorated temple rings, passing them on to their daughters. The temple 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, this 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 temple rings with beads decorated with fine grain - metal balls soldered to the base. In the Dregovichi tribe (a region of modern Minsk), large silver grains were attached to a frame of beads woven from copper wire. In Kyiv in the 12th century, beads, on the contrary, were made openwork from fine filigree.
Earrings
Not so long ago, our fashionistas introduced wire earrings the size of a bracelet, which, as usual, was not very popular with 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 (the upper reaches of the Dnieper, Western Dvina, Volga, between the Dnieper and Oka rivers). One end of such a ring was sometimes bent into a loop for hanging, the other went behind it or was tied. These rings are called “Krivichi” rings. They wore several of them (up to six) on the temple.
Similar ones were also found in the north-west of the territory of the Novgorod Slovenes, only they were worn 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, sometimes even in several tiers, were sometimes hung on chains from wire rings. But among the Slovenians who lived in the city of Ladoga, rings with a spiral curl facing outward came into fashion in the middle of the 9th century. It cannot be ruled out that they got there from the southern coast of the Baltic, from 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 abroad, 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 are found in treasures and during excavations of settlements dating back to the 6th century.
The word bracelet came into our language from French. The ancient Slavs called bracelets “hoop”, i.e. “that which covers the hand”, as well as “arms”. 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 feminine. 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 wool fabric, from a durable cord wrapped in a thin metal ribbon, from solid metal and even... from glass.
Despite their low cost and brisk trade, glass “hoops” did not take root among the rural population.
Apparently, village people preferred metal bracelets, mostly made of copper. They were worn on the right and left hands, sometimes in several pieces.
In great use were bracelets twisted from several wires, “false-twisted”, that is, cast in clay molds from wax casts of twisted bracelets, as well as wicker ones - on a frame without a frame.
“Plate” (bent from metal plates) bracelets, forged and cast, are very beautiful and varied.
From pre-Mongol times, another type of bracelet has been preserved - “folding”, consisting of two halves, connected by small loops and a clasp. Bracelets were always made round, but with different cross-sections: 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.
Symbols of water were most often depicted on bracelets: braided wire, wavy patterns, snake heads. This is primarily due to the purpose of the bracelets: they were worn by girls during rusalia - celebrations of good, fruitful water.
Pendants
Pendants were worn on long cords or chains and attached to the dress on the chest or belt. They were made of silver, copper, bronze and bilon. Most often, pendants acted as amulets and were made 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 shape 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, moons, crosses, diamonds, etc.
Pendants in the shape of the Moon were especially popular among girls, since she was considered the patroness of the unmarried. Pendants in the form of miniature combs with two animal heads were widespread. The comb 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 water symbols.
All of the above types of pendants existed until the 13th century. Bell pendants existed a little longer, until the 15th century. They were worn in combination with other pendants, neck hryvnias, crowns, but most often - with pockets, near the belt or sleeves. Being symbols of the thunder god, they were called upon to drive away evil spirits with their ringing.
Charms
Everything that is called “decoration” in modern language had a clearly readable religious, magical meaning in ancient times. Just like for a Christian believer the cross that he wears around his neck - even if this cross is a work of jewelry
Many Slavic amulets are quite clearly divided into male and female (by the way, note that in the Christian era, pectoral crosses were distinguished in a similar way).
“Solar” symbolism can also be clearly seen in the round amulets pendants, which were also included in women’s attire. They were made, as a rule, from billon or bronze, less often from high-grade silver.
If mostly yellow alloys were used for “sunny” round pendants, then white alloys, the color of moonlight, were more often used for “lunar” pendants - silver or silver with tin, and bronze - only occasionally. This is understandable, because, as scientists write, the moonlits reflect the ancient cult of the Moon, widespread not only among the Slavs, but also among other ancient peoples of Europe and Asia. Lunas appeared in Slavic burials in the 10th century. Usually they were worn in several pieces as part of a necklace, or even put into the ears like earrings. Rich women wore moonlights made of pure silver. They are often marked with the finest jewelry work; they are decorated with the smallest grain and filigree. In such lunars, every smallest ball was soldered by hand.
In lunars, which most women willingly wore, the metal was cheaper and the work was simpler. Such lunars were made, as a rule, from a ready-made wax cast into which metal was poured. Clay casts were also used for casting. Often such lunars had floral ornaments. This is not accidental, since the Moon’s “duty” was to monitor the growth of plants.
Slavic amulets: amulets
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 worn on the body in the chest area, closer to the heart.
The crescent-shaped bow was not chosen by chance; it symbolizes the firmament. Three dots were also stamped on it, indicating sunrise, sunset and noon. Most often you can find amulets consisting of five figures: a key, a predator's jaw, two spoons and a bird.
Women's Slavic amulets
Everything that people wore in ancient times had practical significance. All women's and men's jewelry were amulets: bracelets, rings, monistas, 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 hit each other when walking, and with this noise they scared away evil spirits. These could be simple-shaped bells or figurines made of wood or metal. They carved out roosters, horses, duck legs, frog legs and other zoomorphic symbols.
Particular attention was paid to the most vulnerable area: neck, chest, solar plexus. That is why women wore voluminous necklaces, monistas and other talismanic jewelry around their necks. One of the 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 in different time they wore pendants in different ways: as a necklace on the neck, on a belt, or attached to a headdress.
An obligatory element of a woman's costume were headdresses, which, among other things, had protective function. Among the Slavic peoples, bird symbolism is often found in women's headdresses. Kokoshnik, for example, could be called “petushnik”, since kokosh is a rooster. Horned kiki symbolizes a duck (kika is a duck). There were also hats called magpies. Ordinary shawls were most often of a protective scarlet color; the same birds, plant and other protective symbols were embroidered on them.
Girls were not allowed to wear headdresses, but they had so-called headbands. It could be an ordinary scarlet ribbon, or made of metal, to which amulets-figurines were attached in the form of pendants. Among all metals, amulets were most often made of copper or bronze; if funds allowed, silver and gold were used.
A woman's comb also served as an amulet. It had seven teeth (for many peoples of the world this is a magical number that protects against the evil eye and disease). In addition to their direct purpose, combs were used in various magical rituals, used for spells 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 served 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, a mortar pestle - a sign of fertility and masculinity. Piercing 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 by wild animals in the forest.
It has long been believed that women are more susceptible to the influence of otherworldly forces than men, therefore powerful protection they needed it both day and night. In order to protect themselves at night from the evil spirits of the Navian world, women wore special moon necklaces. They were made of silver in the form of pendants, round or crescent-shaped.
Slavic amulets for men
Men had much less jewelry and amulets than women, but they also had them. For example, protective solar signs were carved on the clasps of cloaks, the so-called brooches.
On men's body amulets 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 firmament.
Far from home, men were protected by pendants depicting ducks or skates. Men constantly fought, so amulets were important to them, protecting them from injury and bringing victory in battles.
Such amulets were the fangs and claws of wild animals, especially wolves, as well as pendants in the form of knives, swords, and daggers.
Both men and women wore bracelets made of metal, glass, and bone with protective symbols on their hands.
Remember the image of the princess from Slavic fairy tales. Before starting to work miracles, she unraveled the long sleeves of her shirt. And in fact, in ancient times the sleeves were on women's clothing were wide and long, right down to the ground. They were dissolved only when they danced a ritual dance in honor of the earth goddess Makoshi. The rest of the time, the sleeves were fastened with bracelets: firstly, so that evil spirits could not penetrate through them, and secondly, for convenience. The sleeves on men's clothing were also wide, but not long; they were “sealed” with amulets bracelets.
Beads
The word “beads” in its modern meaning began to be used in Russian in the 17th century, until then, apparently, the Slavs called this type of jewelry a “necklace,” that is, “that which is worn around the throat.” Archaeologists often write in their works “...a bead necklace was found.” In fact, a string of often very large (about 1.5 cm in diameter) beads, of the same type or different, to modern man It will most likely remind you of the necklace, and not the beads that are worn now.
In ancient times, beads were a favorite decoration of women from the northern Slavic tribes; among the southern ones they were not so common.
The craftsmen made some beads from pieces of glass rods that had several layers - most often yellow, white, and red.
Other beads that I definitely want to mention are gold-plated and silver-plated ones. The technique of silvering and gilding glass products, including beads, was mastered by craftsmen in the Egyptian city of Alexandria even before our era. Centuries later, the thread of tradition reached Northern Europe. The most common were glass beads. There are four types of beads: glass (blue, black, light green), beads made from multilayer glass rods, blown beads and polyhedrons. Green was considered the most favorite color for beads. But noble women preferred beads made from various materials (gold, pearl and carved from precious stones). In Ancient Rus', there was another female neck decoration - monisto-specific 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 doubled chain or ribbon. Usually they consisted of two convex plates, which were joined together and supplemented on top with a bow for fastening. In the 11th-12th centuries, the most common were gold kolts with enamel of different colors. 
vetov. Often pearl edges were made along the edge of the kolta. In the 12th century, star-shaped colts and niello decorations also appeared.
In general, kolta can be considered one of the most amazing works of applied art. Our craftsmen, in search of the best play of light and shadow, skillfully shaded silver and gold with niello, and sometimes covered the smooth surface with thousands of rings, each of which was strung with a tiny grain of silver.
The most common designs for kolta were images of the Sirina bird or the tree of life. Scientists associate this with the symbolism of the wedding ceremony: here the birds are a symbol of the married couple, and the tree is a sign of new life. A little later, Christian motifs began to appear on colts, 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 important role in a church ceremony. However, other scientists excavated Slavic burials of the 7th century (in Transylvania), and there were bronze rings - not brought from a distant country, but local, and even allowing us to talk about the “Slavic type” of rings. The ring is also held in the hand by one of the Deities of the Zbruch pagan idol: researchers recognized in it the image of Lada - the Slavic Goddess of the universal order of things, from the cosmic circulation of constellations to the family circle. And on later rings, symbols of paganism are persistently visible, for example, the signs of the Earth. In a word, the pagan symbolism of the ring-ring was in no way poorer than the Christian one. Or maybe this is why the pagans avoided putting rings on the deceased, for fear of preventing the soul from leaving the body and going on an afterlife journey? If so, then it should be assumed that after the adoption of Christianity at the end of the 10th century, when the dead, especially noble ones, increasingly began to be buried according to Christian rites, rings began to be placed next to the body, and then left on the hand...
In one female burial, as many as thirty-three rings were found in a wooden casket. In other graves, the rings are tied with a cord, placed in a pot, in a tuesk, in a leather or knitted wallet, or simply on a piece of birch bark. Probably, this was influenced by the customs of the Finnish tribes - neighbors of the ancient Slavs, and not just neighbors: some of these tribes were destined to join the emerging ancient Russian people. Where such proximity and kinship became the closest, completely Finnish types of rings were found in Slavic graves. For example, to the southwest of modern St. Petersburg and in the middle reaches of the Volga, so-called “mustachioed” rings were worn, and “noisy” rings were found in the Vladimir burial mounds - equipped with metal pendants capable of ringing one another. Sometimes these pendants have very characteristic outlines of “duck feet” - ducks and other waterfowl were sacred to the Finno-Ugric tribes, according to their beliefs, they participated in the creation of the world.
An equally interesting “Finnish borrowing” was the peculiar way of wearing rings. In the Moscow region, rings worn by... were found in several mounds. on your 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 in the 12th-13th centuries, when their production became truly widespread.
The very unique and beautiful “lattice” rings of the Vyatichi were apparently inspired by the art of the Mordovian and Murom Finno-Ugric tribes.
Slavic amulets for home
Like clothing, human habitation was also covered with symbolic protective signs. To this day, in villages you can find old houses with carved roofs, doors, shutters. Everything that was carved on wood had a meaning; these were 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, chimney. The top of the roof was often crowned by a horse - a symbol of Perun. There was a horseshoe hanging above the front door. By the way, a horseshoe is still used to this day as a talisman for the home or as a body talisman. But most often you can find it hanging with the ends down, which is wrong - our ancestors placed the horseshoe-amulet exclusively with the ends up.
Inside the house, many household items were covered with protective ornaments: a stove, a kitchen table, and various tools for work.
Slavic amulets for prosperity and well-being:
Crest
Combing your hair with a seven-tooth wooden comb not only has a beneficial effect on your hair and scalp, but also attracts good luck and health. To enhance the effect of the comb, apply an image of a skate or two wavy lines (water sign) to it, which will ward off evil spirits.
Spoon with curved handle
You can eat or drink medicine from it, then the benefits will double. To enhance the effect, apply a diamond with dots inside to the handle of the spoon - this is the sign of Mokosh.
Key
You can use either an image of a key or a real small key as a talisman. It symbolizes the accumulation of experience, honor, material and spiritual wealth.
Bones and teeth of wild animals
In the form of body amulets, such a talisman is quite common in the modern world. But not everyone knows that this is a purely male talisman that only brings misfortune to women. A man who makes, for example, a wolf or bear fang his amulet, will protect himself from attacks from enemies, gain strength over them, courage and invincibility. Not only real animal teeth and bones have power, 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 object itself and its images, figurines, are powerful protective amulets.
Bone knife
This object itself and its image will protect a person and his home from evil spirits.
platypus
This amulet combines two powerful symbols: a duck and a horse, and, accordingly, has double power. These symbols are associated with Dazhbog, pagan god sun. During the day, his chariot is carried across the sky by horses, and at night, along the underground Ocean, by ducks. Such a talisman protects against all bad things and will attract all good things.
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 directions.
Horseshoe
Rusty horseshoes were used as amulets, since 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 was surprised, which helped dispel all his evil power.
Such pagan traditions gradually began to be lost after the baptism of Rus', but at the same time, they have not been completely eliminated to this day. Few of us know how to choose, make and wear amulets correctly, but the connection with the ancestors that is present in everyone subconscious level, gives hints. Even if you pick up some pebble on the street that you suddenly like very much, 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, in many houses you can find towels, shirts, pillowcases, scarves, tablecloths, and tobacco pouches inherited from grandmothers and great-grandmothers with beautiful patterns embroidered with them.
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 where the embroidery was located, the mood with which the work was done. By the way, only women were trusted 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 when mentioning embroidered amulets is folk costumes. Even the most modest everyday outfit had embroidery along the edges: on the neckline, cuffs, and hem. This is due to the fact that evil spirits could penetrate through these unprotected places.
Embroidered Slavic amulets, depending on the color of the threads and the pattern, performed different functions:
Cross and circular shapes of red and orange flowers protect from physical attack.
Black or red silhouettes of a rooster and horse will save 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 against damage and the evil eye.
Capable of protecting even those who have already been touched by evil. Woolen threads “darn” holes in human energy. They were used to embroider solar signs, as well as animals to which a particular 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 the patterns, it is best to embroider trees, stars, birds, and the sun with linen threads.
Slavic amulets and the meaning of embroidery patterns
The embroidery elements represent different motifs, but they are all united by roundness and closed forms. Even if they embroider a silhouette, they enclose it in an oval or circle to give it the function of a talisman.
To avoid energy disorder, you should not embroider several patterns on one thing that have different purposes. Also, do not mix different materials of threads and fabrics.
Scissors must not be used in making any amulets, including embroidery. By cutting something off, the craftswoman harms herself or the person for whom the amulet is intended. The threads can be cut off by hand. It is also necessary to try to keep 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 clothing, this is the neck. Clouds, birds, lightning, and water were embroidered on it. To the bottom of the neckline there was a cutout, which was decorated with plants symbolizing the world tree and solar signs.
Cosmogonic symbols ran near the shoulder, along the seam of the sleeve.
Middle world.
In clothing, this is the bottom of the sleeve and the middle part of the shirt. They embroidered everything that is located between heaven and earth: beregins, deer, birds, the sun, heavenly horses.
Lower world.
In clothing, this is the hem. It depicted the earth and what is under it. On men's clothing they embroidered horses, a plow, a forge, and on women's clothing they embroidered a field, beregins, and deer. For girls, the pattern on the hem was narrower than for women.
In ancient times, each clan had its own characteristics of embroidery; when meeting each other, a man and a woman could recognize by certain signs which clan they belonged to.
Embroidered Slavic amulets for children were made with red threads. Adults used different colors. For example, black on women's clothing protected against infertility, blue on men's clothing protected from the elements, and green from injury.
Among all the patterns of ancient embroidery, the most common is the rhombus. Its shape differed among different peoples, and the meaning of the design changed depending on this. The most common are diamond frog, diamond seeded earth and diamond burdock. They all symbolize fertility.
The complex ornament in the form of a female figure is nothing more than Mother Earth herself.
Common patterns:
They block the way to evil.
Tree (in the form of a Christmas tree).
A symbol of longevity and unity of everything in the world.
They symbolize reason and promote clarity of thinking.
Symbolizes purity, beauty, earthly love.
Squares.
A sign of earth, fertility, farmers.
They symbolize the feminine principle in nature, motherhood, fertility, prosperity.
Spiral.
Symbolizes wisdom and secret knowledge, protects from the evil forces of the other world.
Triangle.
Symbolizes a person. A triangle with points at the vertices is often found.
Wavy line.
A symbol of water, the world ocean, the beginning of life and the ability to adapt to circumstances. Vertical lines mean self-improvement, the road to Knowledge.
Slavic symbols and their meanings:
