Shishiga swamp, river and forest - a dangerous creature in the service of the water and goblin.
Legends about shishig from different parts of the country differ from each other. So, for example, in Siberia, shishiga is associated only with water, wood goblin and swamp. At the same time, the sources share these concepts among themselves. Shishiga, or shishimora, according to them, is an entity that is in the service of the water, goblin or the owner of the swamps. This entity looks unattractive - it is humpbacked and ugly, it is notable for its small stature. Shishiga is always a female creature. She leads a nocturnal lifestyle. Like all evil spirits, shishiga appears after sunset and leaves by dawn. According to legend, this can be a dead woman. Shishiga girl - who died unbaptized, without a name. These become kikimors or nameless mermaids. The latter differ from ordinary mermaids in that they are bald and ugly. Nameless mermaids prefer small rivers and lakes, live in reed thickets. They pounce on random passers-by and drown them. They can also tickle you to death. They especially do not like noisy drunken companies that disturb the peace of evil spirits. Kikimora and marsh shishiga are synonyms. As the name suggests, this creature lives in swamps. In Komi, they believe that those who see it will not live long - they will drown or die in some other way. Perhaps this is due to the fact that kikimors drown the people they meet in swamps or lure them into the swamp. They may appear in the house. According to legend, only brownies, banniki and ovinniks take a kikimor as a wife. But, if the brownie is beneficial, occasionally scaring negligent owners, then there is only harm from kikimora. She carefully monitors that the tenants observe signs. If someone goes to the bathhouse at night, lingers in the barn after sunset, starts the household, he will definitely punish him. Forest shishiga, or leshenka lives in impassable forest thickets. She is able to make a person get lost in the forest. They say about such a phenomenon - "fornication leads." Leshenka can "get lost" even where it would seem impossible to get lost. She can guide a man until he dies of thirst and hunger. According to legend, the Leshenka pursues one goal - to eat a weakened person or his corpse. In addition, she frightens travelers with screams and groans. She is considered the wife of the goblin, and in the old days they turned to him to get rid of the intrigues of the shishiga.
The pagan god Shishiga - is there such a thing in the Slavic pantheon.
People who have just begun to study the Slavic pantheon are sometimes mistaken and believe that there was such a god - Shishiga. There are many prerequisites for this. It is known that the Slavs have always tried to make friends with the evil spirits living around them. The very fact of its existence made our ancestors think that a bad world is better than a good quarrel. The rites of appeasement of the entities were quite similar to the praises of the gods, and it is quite possible to confuse them with each other. The pagan god Shishiga did not exist in the Slavic pantheon. This was the name given to spirits living near people or even in houses. It is described above that this is both a synonym for the word "devil", and a common name for all spirits and entities, and a type of swamp, river and forest evil spirits. The Slavs believed that at the beginning of the Mermaid week, or on the first day of summer, the shish was especially active. Therefore, this time was considered the most suitable in order to establish peace with the unclean for a year ahead. They wore clothes for mermaids to the reservoirs, left towels and ribbons on trees for swamp and forest spirits. Of course, they treated the brownie, bannik and ovinnik. However, the holiday of the beginning of summer was dedicated not only to this. In the old days it was called Spirit Day. This is the day when the dead can visit living relatives. The Spirit Festival was similar to Samhain or Halloween in many ways. It was customary to pay honors not only to deceased relatives, but also to people who, after death, turned into cones. In general, the word "shishiga" has several meanings. This was the name of the evil spirits and domestic spirits like the brownie and the bannik, who also had a not entirely divine origin. In addition, in some regions this word served as a synonym for the devil or demon. There is another meaning in the literature - a kind of swamp, river and forest evil spirits. It is sometimes mistakenly believed that Shishiga is a pagan god, but this is not so.
Shishiga is a frequent character in legends, fairy tales and signs. Sometimes it is found in ancient conspiracies that have come down from a time when a person was closer to the other world than now. Find out what kind of creature it is and what its temper is.
In the article:
Shishiga - the common name for evil spirits and household spirits
The word "shishiga" has many synonyms - shishigan, shish, shishok. A well-known representative of evil spirits, kikimora is sometimes called shishimora. In some legends, a cone is a collective image of spirits and creatures that live in the homes of most people. The latter are also considered to be the forces of evil. What distinguishes them from devils and demons is the ability to coexist with a person without harm to him.
In the old days, they could call a shish, a goblin, a swamp, a bannik, a barn, a demon or a devil. The list of habitats also corresponds - in the house behind the stove, in the forest, in the swamp, in the bathhouse, in the barn. This name has become widespread in the west of Russia. Legends from other regions often use it in relation to unclean spirits that have nothing to do with the above entities, but more on that below.
Initially, this was the name of spirits that do not harm a person, if they are not angry. With the advent of Christianity, they began to be afraid to say the words “hell” or “devil” aloud. well-known omen- you can’t call the devil, otherwise he will appear. People were afraid to invite evil spirits, so they called it one of the usual names used in relation to other otherworldly creatures.
Shishiga called people who were in contact with evil spirits, knew how to call it and conjure, for example, village witches. On the Pechora, this was the name of Babu Yaga.
A cone or a cone is a devil, a dirty trick and an assistant to witches
What does the word "shishiga" mean in Russian legends and fairy tales? In some of them, one can trace a clear analogy of this character with hell. Interestingly, the hairstyle of demons on ancient Russian icons was also called shish.
The fact that this name was a synonym for the word "devil" is also indicated by the ethnographer Iosaf Zheleznov. He cites as an example the Ural legends according to which ataman Ermak Timofeevich had shishigs, or devils, in his service. When the forces of the Cossacks were not enough to win the battle, the chieftain put up an army of evil spirits against the enemies. Like devils, shishigs serve witches and sorcerers.
According to beliefs, shish lives in a house, a barn, a bathhouse. He also wanders into swamps and forests. There is little harm from such evil spirits in the dwelling. To settle with a person, permission is required for the brownie, and he takes care of the order. Therefore, the shish will either not harm, or the house-owner will drive it away.
But what threatens people who live without a brownie or are not friends with him? Shish, who loves to bathe in the bath, can stick to women. Especially if they prefer the dark time of the day, when evil spirits are more active. In the old days, they did not go to the bathhouse at night, because the shish is steamed there. He can also replace a newborn, still unbaptized baby with his own. According to legend, devils and elves also give their cubs to be raised by people.
In the forest, meeting with such a spirit can seriously frighten. They scream and moan loudly, creak branches and send terrible visions. They prefer to scare children and women. In the swamps, "thanks" to this creature, you can end up in a swamp. In Novgorod they believed that it delayed the horse on the way.
Shishiga can be sent by witchcraft as revenge. Settling evil spirits in a house or bath is a good way to ruin an enemy's life. In addition, an angry brownie was called shish, who punished negligent, lazy homeowners. In this case, the actions are similar to the attack of evil forces, but they are aimed at a good cause - to wean them from laziness and teach them how to manage the household.
According to Christian mythology, shishiga is afraid of the cross, prayer and holy water. In the old days, in order to drive her out of the bath, flax was steamed. He is afraid of any evil spirits.
Shishiga swamp, river and forest - a dangerous creature in the service of the water and goblin
Legends about shishig from different parts of the country differ from each other. In Siberia, shishiga, or shishimora, is associated only with water, wood goblin and swamp. At the same time, the sources share these concepts and indicate that the entity is in the service of one of the three masters.
She looks unattractive - humpbacked and ugly, she is small in stature. Shishiga is always female. Leads a nocturnal lifestyle. Like all evil spirits, shishiga appears after sunset and leaves by dawn.
According to legend, it can become a dead woman. Shishiga girl - who died unbaptized, without a name. Such become or nameless mermaids. The latter differ from the fact that they are bald and ugly, prefer small rivers and lakes, and live in reed thickets. They pounce on random passers-by and drown them. They can tickle you to death. They especially do not like noisy drunken companies that disturb the peace of evil spirits.
kikimora and swamp shishiga are synonyms. This creature lives in the swamps. In Komi, they believe that whoever sees him will not live long - he will drown or die in another way. Perhaps this is due to the fact that kikimors drown the people they meet in swamps or lure them into the swamp. They may appear in the home. According to legend, only brownies, banniki and ovinniks take a kikimor as a wife. But if the brownie is beneficial, occasionally scaring negligent owners, then there is only harm from kikimora. She carefully monitors that the tenants observe signs. If someone goes to the bathhouse at night, lingers in the barn after sunset, starts the household, he will definitely punish him.
Forest shishiga, or Leshenka, lives in impenetrable forest thickets. She is able to make a person get lost in the forest. They say about such a phenomenon - "fornication leads." Leshenka can confuse even where it would seem impossible to get lost. She can guide a man until he dies of thirst and hunger. According to legend, the Leshenka pursues one goal - to eat a weakened person or his corpse. In addition, she frightens travelers with screams and groans. She is considered the wife of the goblin, and in the old days they turned to him to get rid of the intrigues of the shishiga.
God Shishiga - is there such a one in the Slavic pantheon
People who have just begun to study the Slavic pantheon are sometimes mistaken and believe that there was such a god - Shishiga. There are many prerequisites for this. It is known that the Slavs have always tried to make friends with the evil spirits living around them. The very fact of its existence made our ancestors think that a bad world is better than a good quarrel. The rites of appeasement of the entities were quite similar to the praises of the gods, and it is quite possible to confuse them with each other.
The pagan god Shishiga did not exist in the Slavic pantheon. This was the name given to spirits living near people or even in houses. It is described above that this is both a synonym for the word "devil" and a common name for all spirits and entities.
The Slavs believed that at the beginning , or on the first day of summer, the shish is especially active. This time was considered the most suitable in order to establish peace with the unclean for a year ahead. They wore clothes for mermaids to the reservoirs, left towels and ribbons on trees for swamp and forest spirits. They treated the brownie, bannik and ovinnik.
GAZ 66 or colloquially shishiga- This is a Russian truck produced in the Soviet era and has a 4x4 wheel formula, a load capacity of 2.0 tons and a cab located above the engine. From 1960 to 1990, this two-axle all-wheel drive truck was the most common vehicle in the national economy and the army of the USSR and Russia. The designer of the car was A.D. Prosvirnin.
GAZ 66 is a cross-country vehicle designed for off-road operation and difficult road conditions (snow, swamps, looseness, etc.). Its high cross-country ability is provided by self-locking differentials of the rear and front axles, as well as high ground clearance and adjustable tire pressure. Tire inflation is provided by an engine-driven compressor. The engine has a preheater PZHB-12. The service brake system is hydraulic separate with a vacuum booster, and the parking brake system is a drum transmission brake. The machine is equipped with hydraulic power steering.
The most important features are:
- balanced center of gravity;
- almost the same load on the rear and front axles, ensured by the compactness of the cab above the engine;
- unusual location of controls (for example, the gear lever is located on the right side and behind the driver).
It was widely used in the airborne troops, but since 1980, partially, and since 1990, it began to be written off en masse from army units. Subsequently, it was replaced by the GAZ-3308 Sadko car, which has a similar chassis, but longer.
Old Slavic myths and legends keep stories about otherworldly creatures of different levels, which are responsible for certain aspects of everyday human activity. Shishiga is one of these magical creatures. In some Slavic regions, her tricks are described in different ways, but most of those who believe in the existence of spirits are sure that she can both harm and mischief people, and indicate the necessary actions and help.
Description of shishiga
What is shishiga: in our beliefs, this is a mythical creature sent by the gods to monitor the faith and well-being of the owners in the house. Thus, the shishiga partially plays the role of a brownie. That is why it is also called the keeper of the hearth. He follows the traditions and order in the family and home.
Often found in folk tales, legends and pagan beliefs. Magicians, healers and shamans often turned to her in their prayers and conspiracies (or curses), preserved from ancient times, when people relied more on the help of otherworldly forces.
Existing varieties
Forest shishiga scares people who get lost, so that later, after their death, to gnaw their bones. In the dark, they scream furiously and howl terribly. From the point of view of mythology, shishigs or shishimora are water, restless and evil spirits that mock people who start housework hastily and without praying. From this it follows that they are moralistic beings that accustom to a moral way of life.
Swamp shishiga - according to old Slavonic legends, this is a small werewolf woman, with a hump on her back, a big belly, cold and slippery and with branches instead of hands. They believed that she wandered naked in the thickets, with her hair dirty from mud, loose hair, watching onlookers who lost their path, frightening them to death and dragging them into the water, teaching an evil lesson to drinkers and revelers.
If the water one lives in the middle of reservoirs, then the shishiga lives in the reeds, loves small rivers and overgrown water places. She sleeps during the day and only hunts at night. You might think that this creature is a relative of the shish, because it resembles him with his mischievous behavior and various evil tricks.
In ancient legends, shishiga is a forest spirit that looks like a woman. He lives in dark water and lures passers-by into dense thickets, from where it is impossible for a person to get out.
Who is shishiga:
- an evil evil spirit that settles in a swamp, in a forest, in a house behind a stove or in a bathhouse;
- an untidy woman who looks stupid;
- used as a negative, offensive appeal to a woman.
Many varieties of shishig live in the swampy parts of the forests and intimidate a person with a piercing cry and an incomprehensible kind of sounds that make the skin go cold. From fear, a person loses his way, and then dies without water and food.
Legends describe this creature in the image of a clumsy, shy, fat and ugly aunt who lives in ponds, in a swamp, and comes out on land only in the moonlight. Occasionally she gets out into the forest. He takes a steam bath very willingly, and if he sees the door open there, he will definitely enter. Therefore, you need to go into the bathhouse with a prayer in order to drive away the unclean spirit.
Shishiga was played by young guys at the New Year holidays: she was shown in old clothes, without a scarf on her head, with her hair loose. The spirit could be a guy dressed like an old woman, in rags, with a disheveled tow on his head, which was pulled all the time.
The nature of the swamp spirit
Swamp shishiga is considered to be the wife of the owner of the forest and the mistress of lakes and swamps. Her temper is very hot-tempered and vicious. It is impossible to make angry or joke with this spirit. Whoever jokes with him may pay with his life. There is a legend that shishigs often settle in dwellings, they love dark places behind the stove or in the pantry.
If this spirit has already chosen a house in which people live, then it very strictly ensures that the tenants do all the housework responsibly and with prayer. Before each work, the owner must pray and accustom his household to this, then the mythical spirit will be favorable to the house. And if you respect the shishiga, then it will not bring harm to the house, but great benefit, because it will protect the home from other harmful spirits.
Helps shishiga and magicians. Sorcerers and shamans made special dolls in the image of this spirit and with their help caused damage.
Appealing the mythical spirit
A person has always been distinguished by intelligence and ingenuity and could establish friendly or business relations even with the most terrible and vengeful creatures. In order not to anger the home shishiga, you need to be respectful and be sure to appease her. Shishiga loves to live in a clean and comfortable environment and eat good food. At night, it is customary to leave something for the spirit to eat. Dishes must be clean and food fresh. This is how the owners show their respect. It should be borne in mind that they are not used to exquisite overseas dishes.
Spirits that settle in thickets and swamps are best avoided. If we take into account the varieties of shishig, then you need to be friends with those who settle at home, because their own peace and comfort for many years depend on the atmosphere in the house.
Traditions and legends about the spirit
There are several legends that allow you to understand what this creature can be and what to expect from it:
- In old legends, shishiga is very similar to the mythical mermaid, she also lives in the water. In many regions, on holidays, young girls would decorate a small birch tree to appease the mythical guest who comes to dance under it.
- Old Russian artists depicted shishiga on their icons. She looked like a well-known devil, only without horns, with a mop of dirty long hair.
- The ethnographer Iosaf Zheleznov gave an example of the fact that ataman Ermak Timofeevich was considered by the Cossacks to be a “black sorcerer and healer” and often used the services of shishigs (devils). Where there were not enough employees, he sent his helper spirits there.
- In Belarusian legends, various unclean spirits were called sheshkas, which live in places where no human has set foot. They were also called impure (unclean spirits), but they had no connection with kikimors.
- When whirlwinds and columns of dust rose on the forest roads, people said that it was shishigs who were playing a wedding.
There are other names for this mythical creature: Baba Yaga, Kikimora, Devil, Leshikha, Mara marsh, Mermaid marsh, Spirit Brownie.
shishigi- according to Slavic mythology, "small, hunchbacked creatures, belly, cold, with gnarled hands."
It was believed that shishiga walks naked, with disheveled hair, pounces on gaping passers-by and drags them into the water, brings trouble to drunkards.
Unlike the water one, the shishiga lives in the reeds, preferring small rivers and reservoirs, while being distinguished by "the pettiness of its dirty tricks." This creature got its name because the hair on its head stands in a lump, that is, a bunch, a heap.
Shishiga plays an important role in Komi mythology. It was believed that sometimes she got out of the water, and she was seen sitting on the steep bank of the Kama, above the pool, combing her long black hair. They scared and still scare children with it, warning against swimming in the whirlpools with the threat that they would be “dragged away by the shishiga”.
In Slavic and Finno-Ugric folklore, she is considered either a kind of kikimora or mermaids, or an independent character. According to various versions, it is an inhabitant of forests or is found in ponds, small rivers or lakes, and reed thickets are its favorite habitat.
Shishig was represented in the form of naked women (sometimes humpbacked) of normal size with disheveled hair, which they unsuccessfully combed with a comb, and sometimes even with a tail. In particular, one can read from A. M. Remizov that if a shishiga “covers” a person with a tail, then he will certainly disappear, and irrevocably.
Forest shishigs attack people, eat and gnaw bones. Water - play pranks, sneak up on swimmers and start to tickle them, but they can also drag them into the water from the shore. The traveler who saw her was soon to drown or die for some other reason.
However, they tell a story that does not quite fit into such assumptions.
A certain fisherman, once going out to the shore of the lake, saw a shishiga sitting on a hummock and braiding her hair into a braid.
She, noticing the peasant, dived into the water, and left the comb with which she was combing her hair on that very bump.
The fisherman swam up to the hummock in a boat, took the comb and brought it to his hut. On the same day, as soon as it got dark and the whole family went to bed, there was a knock on the door and the voice of the shishiga, plaintively begging the fisherman to return the comb to her. The fisherman opened the window and threw away the comb - the shishiga grabbed it and disappeared.
On Samarskaya Luka, old-timers still say that shishigs willingly settle under bridges on the Askula River. It is noteworthy that the local spirit is not particularly fond of drunks, and if one of the local residents, being "under a degree", decides to go to the shore, he will disappear.
In addition, shishigs are punished for hooliganism. They tell a story about how a drunken company of young people from a neighboring village, having driven cats on motorcycles, went to barbecue and, due to a lack of firewood, turned the well.
But then, returning home, everyone was frightened to death by an ugly-looking naked woman who appeared on the way and hastily retreated.
Sometimes a shishiga was called a mermaid who looked like an old woman with green hair and tickled bathing enthusiasts. During the day, this evil spirit is not dangerous, it sleeps off after nightly pranks. With the onset of twilight, she begins to be active and look for victims either on the shore or in the forest in order to drag them to the bottom of the reservoir.
Shishiga, who looked like a kikimora empty house, was represented by mummers during Christmas time: she was depicted in a woman's sundress, but without a headdress, with her hair loose; moreover, a guy dressed like an old woman, in rags, with a pot on his head instead of a kokoshnik, could play it.
Shishiga is also abundantly represented in folk sayings: “Yes, so that the goblin in the forest would strangle her, so that the shishiga would drown in the river”; “Yagabiha is a terrible shoshichiha. Baba Yaga is the same shoshychi-ha”; "Shishiga plays a wedding" (damn wedding); "They eat wine like shishigi."
