Polotsk – City of Knowledge. Part 1. Magi rituals, Vyslav Wizhard and Borisov Stone

Our winter acquaintance with Polotsk began near the monument to Polotsky Prince Vsiwila magician.

The date of birth is unknown, only the term of the replacement on Polotsk Prerest is known – from 1044 to 1101. Born Mother "from wiccation", Named by chroniclers prince-clutch, turning into a wolf, then in a falcon, then in a tour with gold horns, he became famous for his military victories and the elevation of Polotsky Principality. Vyslav Bryachitalovich was born "Spot ulcers" On the head. Modern doctors concluded that it was hernia brain. Princely Magnifiers imposed a bandage (bandage impregnated with healing ointment) with an indication of it to the end of life. As a result, such a disease did not interfere with Polotsk printed to the state affairs and bring Polotsk Principality to the highest bloom in his history. In many ways, this is the merit of the healing activities of the priests who had in the arsenal, speaking in modern language, "Tools of traditional and alternative medicine". During the archaeological excavations in Polotsk in the layers of the X-XI centuries, numerous surgical instruments, impregnated with healing plaster ointments, vessels with remaining on the walls of therapeutic champs were discovered. Conspirational texts and various rituals entering the patient in trance and forming powerful healing and self-referencing programs in it were conspited to unconventional methods. One of the methods: Muck read a plot "bone to bone, leg to foot, joint to joint, head to head" And the like, depending on the patient’s disease, and on an ancient shaman tradition, put his healthy part of the body to the patient.

Wanting to show the increasing role of Polotsk Principality, Vslav Wizhard ordered in 1044 to lay the Sofia Cathedral, as in Kyiv and Veliky Novgorod. The original type of temple reminded the sign of Constantinople Sophia. The walls of the Church, judging by the preserved fragment, laid out of natural stone.

Christian diocese existed in Polotsk from 922. Even there is a hypothesis that Vseslav Bryachitalovich took the baptism under the name Fyodor in honor of St. Fyodor Tyron Warrior. But be that as it may, with a lot of probability, you can say that Polotsk prince possessed a certain powerful system "Secret" pagan knowledge. And not because I addressed animals. And because it turns into a wolf, allowed himself to run the way to the great hors, the light-sided horse of the God of the Sun. And in one of the battles, it turned into a pagan military deity, a fierce, strong and rapid tour with gold horns, which was shining like the sun. As for the common world reports, in Belarus, until the 20th century, many of its inhabitants possessed such skills. Turnover was especially common in Polotsk and Polotsk Vitebsk Province.

"To contact the animal, a man sticks up in a secluded forest of 12 knives edge up, and it’s a three-way tumble through them, trying not to strive with the knives from the spot. For the first tumbler, a person loses the outlines of his face, it becomes a shapeless living creature for the second, and for the third fully acquires the type of the desired animal", – wrote folklorist and ethnographer i. M, Nikiforovsky. Return to the human appearance went in the reverse order through a three-stroke tumble on the opposite side.

Let’s return to the Sofia Cathedral, founded by Viscuits. The temple was repeatedly destroyed during wars and fires, rebuilt, reconstructed. The last reconstruction was carried out in 1985. Now in Polotsk Sofia is a concert hall with an organ.

And this part of Polotsk Sofia is almost preserved since its construction.

In that historical period, not many residents of Polotsk confessed Christianity and came to the temple. Most preferred the rites of pagan priests in the sacred oak forests. The rite of scare from sins happened as follows. Priest killed the sacrificial goat, and then the people publicly confessed in sins against the gods. Then, when the goat meat was cooked for the laid ritual feast, everyone got up to the priest to his knees, and he dreal a man for his hair and gave filling. Finally, all quenching on the priests and were taken to tear him. The louder shouting from the pain of priest, the more faith in the vacation of sins.

Near Polotsk Sofia, on the high shore of Western Dvina, is a huge glacial boulder, Borisov Stone. On the boulder carved the six-party cross "Calvary" and inscription "Xs Nika" "Lord Pomsoy slave to her Boris".

Historians converge in the opinion that the inscription was made at the direction of Prince Boris Veslavovich, the eldest son of All Sorry, about 1127-1128. In total, 7 such boris stones were found in different places, 2 of which were on land, and 5 stood at the Western Dvina Day. "Polotsky" Stone size 3, 5 m for 2, 6 m was originally 5 km from Polotsk near the village of Podkasteltsy. During the flood, it fouulated all the water, and in hungry times, according to legends, loyal bread appeared on the top. This block weighing 7 tons raised from the river in 1985 and transferred to Polotsk.

Since the oldest times, Belarusians worshiped stones, a powerful culture of ancestors was connected with stones. The stones asked for personal kindness, public benefits, military victories. On popular beliefs, the boy is always born on the stone, and the girl on the clay shard. Water washing the stones in the Belarusian worldview was the essence from which the whole world occurred, and which all world secrets are known. She served as a border that divides the world of living and the world of dead. And the river, besides, was a symbol of an unknown future.

For what reason, the prince combined the pagan objects of worship and the symbols of Christianity, until now, not established. A number of scientists believe that these are monuments about the military victories of Prince Boris or his request to the Christian God about the granting of victories. Others associate stones with the desire of the prince to stop the hungry mor, devastated the principality during this period. Third convinced that in this way the Christian Boris sought to pay or return to the Christian faith of his subjects to the Christian faith, impoverished on their sacred natural symbols, stones and water, the seal of Christianity. Boris was the eldest son of all the sorcerer. According to tradition, it was the older sons were transmitted "Secret" knowledge. But we, unfortunately, have no idea if Boris Vseslavovich got them. From him to us only the Borisov Stones – a synthesized pane-Christian sacred monument.

Later, scientists like a synthesis of paganism and Christianity will be called a two-day. However, the well-known Soviet and our professor-Slavist n. AND. Tolstoy did not agree with this term. In monograph "Essays of Slavic paternalism" He wrote that Belarusians, honorable Christian saints and at the same time making protective rites from witches, "Do not worship at the same time two gods – God and Mamon, and have their own definite attitude and to one, and to another world. These relationships are not contradictory for them, but complement each other".

We gave respect for the ancient shrine, bypassing the stone three times clockwise. Further our way lay in Polotsk Savior-Efrosinyevsky Monastery. First through the streets of the city.

Then, on the bridge across the river, the half of the Western Dvina. On the shore of the village in the village of Seltso in the XII century and the monastery complex was built.

He was founded by the granddaughter of Vyslav Correce, the preylava Svyatoslavovna, in the Christian baptism of Paraskeva. When he knew in the nun she got the name Effrosign. But about St. Efrosini Polotsk, the Education, the correspondence of the books, the first part of the article in the Beloenglish land in the next part of the article.