Thresholds Of The Underworlds

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Video: Thresholds Of The Underworlds

Video: Thresholds Of The Underworlds
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Thresholds Of The Underworlds
Thresholds Of The Underworlds
Anonim
Thresholds of Afterlife - Afterlife
Thresholds of Afterlife - Afterlife

For centuries, a person, realizing the inevitability of death, wondered: what awaits him beyond the border of life? It would seem that world religions, such as Islam and Christianity, have long ago satisfied this curiosity, promising sinners the torments of hell, and the righteous - a carefree life in heavenly booths.

However, according to ancient sources, thousands of years ago, people believed in a completely different afterlife existence, promising the deceased an exciting adventure, a fun rest from earthly worries and even … a chance to return to the world of the living. But getting to the kingdom of shadows was sometimes difficult.

An important profession is a carrier

We all know well from history textbooks that the ancient peoples were very sensitive to the funeral rite. It could not be otherwise, because according to many religions, in order to reach the kingdom of shadows, the deceased had to overcome many obstacles. First of all, it was necessary to propitiate the carrier, who carried out the ferry across the river separating the worlds of the living and the dead.

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Almost all myths from different times and peoples mention this strange edge of the worlds in the form of a water barrier. For the Slavs, this is the Smorodinka River, for the ancient Greeks, the Styx, and for the Celts, a boundless sea, overcoming which the deceased will reach the beautiful island - the Land of Women.

It is not surprising that the character, who transported the souls of the dead on his boat, enjoyed special respect. So, in Ancient Egypt it was believed that even a person buried according to all the rules would not be able to reach the afterlife country of eternal happiness, Fields Nalu, if he did not appease some nameless old man - a ferryman who transported the dead across the river of the dead.

Therefore, caring relatives put special amulets in the sarcophagus of the deceased, which later served as a fare for the old man's boat.

In the legends of the Scandinavians, the worlds of the living and the dead are separated by a terrible deep river with dark water, the banks of which are connected only in one place by a golden bridge. It is very difficult to pass it, as ferocious flocks of wild dogs prowl along the crossing, and a crowd of evil giants guards it.

But if the spirit of the deceased manages to come to an agreement with the mother of giants - the witch Modgud, then he will not have problems on the way to the kingdom of the dead. But the warriors who distinguished themselves and died in battle on the golden bridge are met by Odin himself - it is the lord of the gods who accompanies the heroes to Valhalla (a special place of the world of the dead), where an eternal feast awaits them in the company of beautiful Valkyries.

The most severe carrier of the souls of the dead was Charon, the hero of ancient Greek myths. With this old man, who ferried the shadows of the deceased to the kingdom of Hades across the river Styx, it was impossible to agree and appease him, since Charon faithfully observed the laws established by the Olympian gods.

For travel in his boat, both from the great king and from the insignificant slave, Charon took only one obol (small copper coin), which his relatives put in the mouth of the deceased during the burial. However, getting into the boat of this carrier was not easy - only the deceased, buried according to the proper rules, could count on the crossing.

If the relatives of the deceased were stingy with lavish sacrifices to the gods of Hades, Charon drove him away without any pity, and the poor man was doomed to eternal wandering between worlds.

The path to the land of women

However, the most tempting afterlife awaited the ancient Celts. Many legends have survived about unknown islands, where a truly paradise and not boring life awaited the dead. On the island, which in the legends was called the Land of Women, everyone could choose an occupation to their liking.

So, for brave warriors, brilliant tournaments were arranged there, the ladies enjoyed the company of sweet-voiced minstrels, the drinkers rejoiced at the rivers of ale … But the wise rulers and druids did not stay in this paradise, because soon after their death they were to face the next incarnation - after all, their minds were needed for future generations …

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It is not surprising that the Celtic warriors for several centuries were considered the most fearless and desperate grunts - you can not value life if such a wonderful island awaits you beyond its doorstep.

True, it was not easy for women to get to the Earth. Tradition says that a thousand years ago there was one mysterious village on the western coast of Brittany. The inhabitants of this village were exempted from all taxes, since the men of the village were burdened with the difficult task of transporting the dead to the island.

Every midnight, the villagers woke up from a loud knock on doors and windows and walked to the sea, where strange boats, shrouded in a light fog, awaited them. These boats seemed empty, but each of them was submerged almost to the very side. The carriers sat down at the helm, and the boats themselves began to slide along the sea surface.

Exactly an hour later, the bows of the boats buried themselves on the sandy shore, on which unknown escorts in dark raincoats were waiting for the arrivals. The greeters called the names, rank and family of the arrivals, and the boats quickly emptied. This was indicated by the fact that their sides rose high above the water, indicating so the carriers that they got rid of the mysterious passengers.

Guardians at the doorstep

In many ancient religions, the guardians of the thresholds of the afterlife are … dogs, who not only guard the kingdoms of the dead, but also patronize the souls of the deceased.

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The ancient Egyptians believed that the world of the dead was ruled by Anubis, a god with a jackal's head. It is he who meets the soul that descended from the carrier's boat, accompanies it to the trial of Osiris and is present at the sentencing.

According to Egyptian myths, Anubis taught people to mummify corpses and a truly faithful burial rite, thanks to which a dignified life awaits the dead in his domain.

Among the Slavs, the dead were accompanied by a gray wolf, who later became famous thanks to Russian fairy tales. He ferried the deceased across the legendary river Smorodinka, while instructing his riders how to behave correctly in the kingdom of Rule. According to Slavic legends, the gates of this kingdom were guarded by the huge winged dog Semargl, who guarded the borders between the worlds of Navi, Yavi and Prav.

However, the most ferocious and implacable guardian of the world of the dead is the creepy three-headed dog Cerberus, sung many times in the myths of the ancient Greeks. Legends say that the ruler of the kingdom of the dead, Hades, once complained to his brother Zeus that his possessions did not have proper protection.

The possessions of the lord of the dead are gloomy and joyless, and there are many exits to the upper world, which is why the shadows of the dead will get out into the white light, thereby violating the eternal order. Zeus listened to his brother's arguments and presented him with a huge dog, whose saliva was a deadly poison, and his body was decorated with hissing snakes. Even the tail of Cerberus was replaced by a poisonous terrible snake.

For many centuries, Cerberus impeccably carried out his service, not allowing the shadows of the dead to even approach the borders of the kingdom of Hades. And only once did the dog leave his post for a short time, as he was defeated by Hercules and brought to King Eph-Risei as confirmation of the twelfth feat of the great hero.

Nav, Yav, Prav and Slav

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Unlike other peoples, the Slavs believed that the stay of the soul in the world of the dead is temporary, since the deceased will soon be reborn among the living - in the kingdom of Yavi.

Souls, not burdened with crimes, having passed the boundaries of the worlds, found a temporary refuge among the gods in the kingdom of Rule, where they, in bliss and peace, prepared for rebirth.

People who died in battle were transferred to the world of Slavi. There the heroes were met by Perun himself and invited the brave men to settle in their possessions forever - to spend an eternity in feasts and entertainments.

But sinners and criminals were awaited by the gloomy kingdom of Navi, where their souls froze in an age-old heavy sleep, and only relatives who remained in the world of Revelation could spell (pray) them.

After a while, a deceased person who had rested in the kingdom of Rule reappeared among the living, but always in his own family. The Slavs believed that, as a rule, two generations passed from the moment of death to the moment of birth, that is, the deceased person incarnated in his great-grandchildren. If the clan was interrupted for some reason, then all its souls were forced to reincarnate into animals.

The same fate awaited irresponsible people who abandoned their families, children who did not respect their elders. Even if the race of such apostates grew stronger and flourished, they still could not count on a worthy rebirth.

Children whose parents tainted themselves with the sin of adultery were also punished similarly. Remembering this, the husband and wife did not even look to the side until their youngest child was 24 years old, which is why the marriage unions of the Slavs were strong and friendly.