The mythology of the Slavs is colorful, distinctive and diverse. There are countless mystical creatures present in it, who choose houses, ponds, fields and forests as their habitat. Everything that surrounds people leaves an imprint on the device of their life, and the Slavs endowed with divine abilities not only celestial bodies and natural phenomena. The hierarchy of mythical creatures is colossal, although there is generally no definite classification. Along with this, the appearance of creatures is described in great detail, as well as their habits, as well as methods and recommendations, guided by which, you can survive when meeting with representatives dangerous to humans. To such unsafe for human life and health is the creature Yrka.
Reality or fantasy?
Whether this evil spirit existed in Slavic mythology can be argued endlessly. For the first time it is mentioned in the "Veles Book", which is considered a falsification, primitively imitating the Slavic language. The second literary source, which describes Yrka in detail, is considered the book "Zapovednaya Rus" written by Yuri Mirolyubov.
According to these sources, the creature of Yrka is the restless spirit of suicide, which, in order to survive the unfulfilled, must “drink the living heat”, presumably, the blood of the unfortunate victim. An individual hunts at night, attacking belated travelers. But it never comes close to a burning fire, so everyone who decided to spend the night outside the shelter was strongly recommended to maintain fire in the fire.
In case of attack
If a lone traveler was persecuted by an evil spirit, then, according to legends, Irka always creeped up behind. Therefore, a possible victim could not be looked back, much less look the monster in the eye. The appearance of the creature is described rather arbitrarily - a dark face, huge eyes, like cats, glow. But if you look at them, the spirit will bewitch you.
If the victim does not look back, then the creature of Irk goes on the offensive, can whisper all sorts of passions, jump on his back, pretend to be someone close to and dear to the traveler to attract attention. In extreme cases, he will grab the doomed by the hands, circle, fool, knock out of the way, lengthening the road. It is believed that Yrka is especially active on the night of Ivan Kupala.
Effective remedy
The proven and best method of scaring away all terrible creatures is rightfully considered the prayer “Our Father”. However, the pagans considered effective and the influence of one phrase: “Chur me, chur, ancestor!”, Which is repeated three times. If the undead are not far behind, the position of the victim is compounded. Salvation can be turning to help and protection for Grandfather. One has only to say: "Grandfather, Great-grandfather, Grandfather, hear?" And hear a muffled answer, chanted: "I hear," you can not be afraid of Irka. The spirit will lag behind, leaving with nothing. Perhaps under Grandfather, our ancestors meant Svarog, the supreme god of the Eastern Slavs.
Pagan myth with Orthodox bias
In the story about the creature of Yrk, there are a lot of inconsistencies. Some equate the spirit with vampires, but he is not afraid of either garlic or stake. Moreover, the monster has features more characteristic of spirits and ghosts. The mention of Orthodox prayer also does not fit very closely with the pagan content of the myth. Incidentally, in a separate variation of the legend, the person attacked by Irka is invited to enter into dialogue with the spirit. To warn that if he doesn’t lag, the traveler will complain to Grandfather. If the creature does not become quiet, then you should ask him for the knowledge of "Our Father". The question should upset the spirit, which, filled with tears, will immediately lag behind the person.
Presumably, a categorical prohibition to look into darkness should be considered as a fear of loneliness in the dark. If Darkness is Death, then the persecution of Yrka should be interpreted as the approach of death, the threat of death.