Scary myths and legends on water

Since time immemorial, water for people is one of the most unusual elements. It involves a lot of takes, a lot of stories, myths and legends. For the Russian fire, earth, and especially water has always been absolutely wonderful elements. They were sure that the water came from a magical source. In Russian folklore, the water is inextricably linked with the life and death. So, the living water, according to legend, was able to heal the wounded body. The ancestors of the modern South Americans, Africans and Europeans worshiped the water not less, and even more. Myths and legends were different, but they all agreed on one thing — the water was a way of being, a deity. In many places of pagan worship on the water even was erected chapels and temples, and sometimes water bodies became heroes of myths and legends.

First, refer to Japanese mythology. Everyone knows the story of the flood described in the Bible. However, mentioning this "incident" found in the myths and legends of different peoples. According to the Japanese version, for example, the first ruler of Japan settled in the Islands immediately after the water began to subside.

And again about the Japanese, there is a lake Tazawa (or Tazawako) depth of 423 m. it is Noteworthy that in the winter the lake freezes, despite the cold, typical of local winters. It involves a lot of legends, one of which States that once there lived a young and beautiful Rybak Heterocera. Once he caught in the river a strange fish. A young guy was hungry and ate it. Suddenly he felt a monstrous thirst. In an effort to satisfy her, he fell to beating under the stones and the source, and drank water from it 32 days without a break. On the 33rd day of Heterocera turned into a dragon. To return to this form under the shelter home the fisherman could not. Therefore, it dammed the river, turning it this way in a deep lake for dwelling water dragon. So — according to legend — appeared lake Tazawa.

There is a legend among the inhabitants of the land of the rising sun. According to Japanese mythology, the Dragon Ryūjin is the God of the sea, the master of the water element. According to legend, he lived on the ocean floor off the coast of Japan, the Ryukyu Islands (nansei of). Single kick tail Ryūjin causes a tidal wave that completely wash away coastal villages. When Ryūjin opens a huge toothy mouth and sighs in the water there are giant whirlpools. The noble dragon head crowned with deer antlers, mustache indicate his wisdom; the eyes see into the depth to the bottom of the ocean. When Ryūjin pulls terrible claws, and floods. The movement of the feet he can knock back a few ships.

With him is another myth, but this time almost historical. Deciding to attack Korea, the Empress Jingu asked for help from Ryūjin. The messenger of the dragon brought her two precious stone, tidal and casting. Jingu Shrine led the campaign of the Japanese fleet in Korea. In the sea they were met by Korean martial court. Jingu Shrine was thrown into the water, casting the stone, and Korean ships stranded. When the Korean soldiers jumped from the ships to take Hiking attack, Jingu Shrine dumped on the seabed of the tidal rock. All the water rushed back and drowned enemies.

The Japanese generally there are a lot of myths and legends on water. And here's another one. Once the Japanese believed in aqueous demons Kappa, which look like little naked men with turtle and water-filled bowl of the head. They barged into the water in search of the lost passengers and sucked him deep. There are only two ways to avoid them: the first involves inscribe a name on a cucumber and throw it in the water. Kappa love cucumbers. The second method is to worship the demons. The demon in this case we have to bow in response and thereby to empty his Cup-head. Without water in the head Kappa helpless.

Fast forward to South America in Ancient Mexico. In their legends about the Flood said: "the Sky close to the Ground, and in a moment all life died." They were confident that the mountains and the rocks that we see now covered the entire earth, and the water boiled and raged so that the mountains became red. They were also assured that the water removed unnecessary, ugly race of giants, and all the people turned into fish, except for one couple, hidden in the trees.

Red people generally believed that peopled the globe was created from silt, which rose from the primeval waters. In their myths meet bisexual creature known to the Aztecs as Ometecuhtli‑Omecihuatl (the lords of the dual nature). They are depicted deities, ruling over the appearance of all things, over the beginning of the world.

Around the same time, the most famous hero of ancient myths southern Europeans is Neptune (Poseidon). It relates the mass of fables, legends and myths. He instilled great fear because of Neptune (Poseidon) attributed all of the tremors, and at the start of the earthquake, the God Poseidon sacrifices were offered. It was enough to blow Poseidon's Trident on the ground, she opened up and hesitated. Poseidon (Neptune) recognized and revered as a mighty and powerful God of all sailors and merchants, who erected altars to him and turned to him with pleas to God, Poseidon gave them to the ships of a happy relocation without storms and favored the success of their trade.

With him is one of the most famous myths. At the request of the hero Theseus God Poseidon caused the monster that caused the death of Hippolytus, son of Theseus and the Queen of the Amazons. Sullen by nature, Hippolyte loved nothing except hunting. He loudly expressed his contempt for women who never worshipped the goddess Aphrodite, brought all his victims on the altar of the goddess Artemis. Angered, Aphrodite decided to take revenge for such neglect. The goddess Aphrodite inspired stepmother of Hippolytus Phaedra crazy love for Hippolyte. But Hippolyte, in disgust, turned away from her stepmother that slandered Hippolytus before the father. Believing him guilty, Theseus upon him the wrath of the God Poseidon, and he ordered the sea monster appearing on the surface of the water, while Hippolytus drove to the sea in a chariot. Frightened by the horror horses overturned chariot, and Hippolyte died. Subsequently, this myth formed the basis of "Henry" and the paintings of Rubens "the Death of Hippolytus".

And at this time in Egypt, the water is endowed with life-giving ability — heavenly water-irrigated land, contributing to the maintenance of life on it. One of the myths tells that the God was sitting on the water like a bird sitting on the eggs, and hatched life. Egyptian hieroglyph chart triple water represents the immensity of water, i.e. the primordial ocean and primal. In the Vedas it is said that in early days it was like the sea, deprived of light. Water is compared with the life-giving body fluids. In accordance with this view in Ancient Egypt, water was added to the mummified body to replace the lost "life juices". The divine image was attached and Neal as the "breadwinner" of the people — without floods of this river life here would be impossible.

Fast forward to Russia. Here is walking on Water — the Lord of the waters. According to legend, an evil spirit, symbolizing the water element. It lives in the whirlpools of rivers, still waters or in swamps, likes to settle under the water mill, near the wheel, because in the old days all Melnikov were considered sorcerers. However, there is a water and their houses, built of shells and semi-precious stones river. In its native element water is invincible, and on earth his strength was weakening. He lures the man into the water and drowns him that can destroy a dam, could give fishermen a good catch or accelerates all the fish and tearing network. Therefore, millers and fishermen tried to soothe his anger: were thrown into the water, the bread or the sacrifice of an animal in black (of a rooster, a cat, a dog), the fishermen were released back into the water first caught fish.

Existed among the Slavs faith and Vodenica — the wife of the water, were drowned. It was also known as a cracker, shutokou. Vodyanitsa preferred forest and mill waters, but most of all loved PADI under the mills where the Riptide muddies the water and washes out of the pit. Under the mill wheel as though it had been commonly were going to bed together with water. According to legend, has an ill temper and when she's splashing in the water and plays with traveling waves or jumping to a mill wheel and spinning along with them, tearing network and spoil the millstone.

Omsk oblast keeping the legend of the "Five Lakes", one of which is the famous lake Okunevo. While the village near it was considered to be the energy center of the earth. The village itself is a place where occasional paranormal phenomena. Someone saw here the headless horseman, and others talk about from nowhere dance girls on the river Bank. Legend has it that behind the girls that appeared and then disappeared translucent figures of great height. Around the village there are five lakes, which appeared in the fall of five meteorites. Water in each of the lakes is healing, the location of the fifth lake is still a mystery.

Preserved and such a legend: in the old days the mighty lake Baikal was cheerful and kind, he loved his only daughter Hangar. The most beautiful was she still could not stop looking at her. Even the birds, though, and down below, never sat on it and said, "how can light be black?" Baikal shore daughter Pushcha your heart. One day when the Baikal fell asleep, rushed to the Hangar to run to the boy the Yenisei. Angry Baikal and dropped the rock directly on the throat of the Hangar. Panting, she asked the father to forgive her and give even a drop of water. Baikal shouted: "I can only give my tears!" Since hundreds of years Angara flows into the Yenisei water, tear, and gray lone Baykal became gloomy. The rock that was thrown Baikal after the daughter was named people Shamanic stone. There were brought to lake Baikal rich offerings. The people said, "Baikal will get angry, frustrate Shamanic stone, water will flood and flood the whole earth."

But in the South there was a popular legend about living and dead water. She told me about the old man who has experienced many generations, but his appearance remained unchanged. And it possessed tremendous power. Had often asked him for help healers and different spirits of the land, and the mother Earth sometimes. The old man had the gift to endow the water with life-giving power, a drop of water could be brought back to life and rid the disease, a breath could give the person the ability to see the truth of life and to be happy, three SIPS opened in man, the gift of healing, and a mug of water provided the man power that had only disembodied spirits. Realizing the value of this water, he handed it carefully, because in the hands of the ignorant many misfortunes could happen. However, trouble came to him a man, begging for help. His father had died of a serious illness. The old man gave the man a glass jar with water said to give water to the father every day at the crack of dawn all week, and were forbidden to drink it himself, because he never intended it. But I could not help people and drank the water. I saw immediately he was an old man who was mad at him and demanded water to return. But the hate filled person. He turned the spear of heavy wood and went back to the cave. He came back and killed the man. As soon as the spear pierced the old man's heart, his blood sprinkled on the eyes of the men and purified his mind and heart from black thoughts and feelings. The man fell to his knees and hugged the old man wept with remorse and love as my father. But this time the sight of his blood father and became healthy. The gift of the elder went to the man.

In Yakutia, the locals have long believed in the existence of hell Laryngoscope — something dark-gray color with a huge mouth. The distance between the eyes is equal to the width of the raft of the ten logs. According to the legend, he is very aggressive and dangerous, attacking people and animals that were able to go ashore.