Nominal traditions and folk signs of the Slavic peoples

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

When choosing a name for a newborn, certain rules and prohibitions were always observed (not always the same, however, in different traditions.

For example, it was widely believed that "giving a name to a name" was dangerous because "one of the namesakes will kill the other." "You should not call a child by the name of people living in the same house, or one of the namesakes may die." (For modern high-rise buildings, the task is practically impossible).

This omen was based on the fact that each person has his own guardian angel, depending on the name, and if in one house two people are named after him, then he is simply not able to protect each of them.

Today this sign has transformed. It is believed that it is better when the person's name and patronymic do not match. Although the merits of the name in this situation are doubled, but the disadvantages are aggravated, often to a dangerous level. In addition, different Van Vanychi and Pal Palychi carry something derogatory and bureaucratic.

True, sometimes children are deliberately called the same names for magical purposes. For example, if a woman has only girls, she must give her name to the latter so that a boy is born next.

DO NOT USE A NEWBORN BY THE NAME OF A RECENTLY DEAD FAMILY MEMBER

In different traditions, the attitude towards naming children by the names of deceased family members is different. But still, in most cases, they avoided calling children by such names. It was believed that in this case, the child can receive the fate of the deceased or never marry. They were especially afraid of the name of the drowned man, fearing that the child would not drown in the future.

The belief that the bearers of the same name have the same fate or similarity of characters underlies the prohibition to call newborns by names that are or were worn by the weak-minded, drunkards, desperate cowards, etc.

You can not give a newborn and the name of a deceased child, so that he does not inherit his fate.

You can call a child the name of a deceased grandfather or grandmother if they were happy and successful: fate is inherited through a generation.

HIDING THE NAME

Concealment (taboo) of a name in ancient times was used to protect a person, especially a child from evil spirits, causing damage "in the name" and powerless when the real name of the victim is unknown. Hence the sign that has survived to this day: "To reveal the name before baptism is a grave sin that can lead to the death of a newborn."

In Russia, in order to protect a child from a sorcerer, they hid his "true" name, given at baptism, and used another, "false" name.

A number of prohibitions are associated with the institution of marriage and family. After the wedding, a woman had to follow strict rules for naming her husband, his parents, sisters and brothers, excluding the use of their real names. The husband also did not give his wife a personal name. Tabuistic substitutions in the naming of spouses are still alive today (mine, mine, man, woman, master, old, old, husband, wife).

NAMES OF THE DEAD - PROTECTION OF THE ALIVE

According to popular belief, the names of the deceased (especially the drowned) have the magical ability to protect a person. There were many beliefs that seem ridiculous today.

In the event of a fire, it is recommended to run around the house three times, shouting the names of the twelve drowned men.

And in order not to sleep the child, the woman must remember the names of the three drowned men.

The Slavs addressed the drowned by name with incantations and pleas for disgust from the village of a hail cloud and for sending rain during a drought.

Call out by name

Calling by name is one of the types of magic that the ancient Slavs often used.

In Russians, for example, a newborn who did not show signs of life was called by the names of relatives, then by other names. The name with which the child came to life became his name.

Among the Eastern Slavs, in order to quickly forget the deceased husband, the widow shouted his name into the chimney.

And in order to release the convulsion, you need to pronounce the name of your father.

Yelling an unclean force

Shouting is also attributed to evil spirits, which cannot harm a person if they do not know his name. So, they believed that mermaids attack only those who respond to their call.

If a person finds himself at a crossroads or cemetery at night, and is also in a dangerous state, for example, a pregnant woman, and suddenly hears that someone is calling him by name, in no case should he respond: this voice may belong to evil spirits …

SAMOZOV

Samozov is a shouting out of his own name. Among the southern Slavs, it was considered an effective amulet against snakes.

In the spring, when a person sees a snake for the first time, he must loudly shout out his name so that all year the snakes keep from him at a distance of hearing his voice.

CROSSING

The name in the ritual could be the object and instrument of magic. Crossover, i.e. name change, was widely used in folk medicine as a means of "rebirth" of a person, dissolving his connection with illness and deceiving demonic forces that send illness. The Ukrainians of Transcarpathia, for example, symbolically “sold” a sick child to a family where the children grew up healthy, and at the same time gave him a new name.

Families where children died were also preventively resorted to renaming and naming the child with a fake name.

The same meaning of "rebirth" had the renaming when a person was tonsured a monk, at ordination, at baptism.

Among the Russian schismatic runners, rebaptism was used before death or "leaving the world."

Renaming was widely used in cattle-breeding magic. So, to protect cows from evil spirits on the Kupala night, the peasants gave them new nicknames.

DO NOT CHANGE NAMES OR HATS

Changing names is the same as changing destinies.

They do not change their name unless there are serious reasons for not losing their heavenly patron.

A person with a new name, like a newborn, his aura is torn, without the surrounding radiance. With someone else's (new) name, new character traits are acquired, which may conflict with the previous ones. The same happens when exchanging names between people.

Here we note that the name has its own energy, which irradiates the fate of a person throughout life. And when a name is in vain, too often pronounced, it diminishes and becomes distorted. That is why the repeated names of the leaders became, as it were, common nouns and thus demonic.

Take care of your name, pronounce it little and firmly - then you will be strengthened in your destiny.

BAPTISM AND CONVENTIONS RELATED TO IT

The sacredness of naming, which goes back to the ancient mythoepic tradition, is reflected in folk beliefs and rituals associated with Baptism, and especially in the mythological interpretation of unbaptized children.

Today, in many cases, the desire of parents to baptize their children is explained by superstitious reasons ("so as not to be jinxed") and a tribute to traditions, and not by the desire to introduce a newborn to the church. But even in this case, the rite of Baptism carries a positive ennobling function.

It is believed that the Baptism procedure strongly and immediately affects the condition of the baby - he becomes noticeably calmer, sleeps better and is less sick. It is generally accepted that the fate of a baptized person is distinguished by closeness to God, and therefore by stronger protection from all sorts of misfortunes.

If the child is unbaptized, without a name, the demon can easily approach him. It was believed that unbaptized children were more likely to drown. Even grandmothers did not treat unbaptized children - all the same, de, it will not help.

Children from the moment of birth to Baptism or those who died "without a cross" were considered unclean and were often treated as animals or demonic creatures, they have no name ("without a name, a devil child"). To prevent the child from dying anonymous, it was customary to call him "materin's" or "temporary" name right after birth. For Russians, all children before Epiphany were usually called Naydens, Bogdans, i.e. given by God.

They baptized the child and gave him a name according to the Holy Calendar, usually on the eighth day, and if the child is weak, then immediately after birth, so that he does not die unbaptized and does not turn into a demon. If such a misfortune happened, it was supposed to distribute forty pectoral crosses and forty belts to the neighboring children.

For any believer, his name was a protection and amulet, because it was the name of his guardian angel. Therefore, before in Russia, name days were celebrated more magnificently than a birthday, which many people generally forgot, especially since these events almost coincided in time.