Kikimora, or the beautiful maiden drowned in water - who are they, what abilities do they have, and what secrets do they hide under their own image?
Kikimora. Unidentified mystic creature
For centuries people have been drawn to everything unidentified and eerie, enchanting and repulsive. The image of kikimora is precisely that ideal of a mysterious creation. A character who cools blood and makes unbelievers believe. The swamp, wherever it is located, always causes fear and a desire to get around it or just to run away faster. Near the mysterious overgrown places there is a feeling of anxiety and the paranormal presence of unearthly creatures is felt or an eerie character - kikimora is seen in front of your eyes.
Why is it marsh, and not, say, forest or domestic? And this is due to the fact that innocent virgins try on the image of kikimora, who had to drown themselves in an unfortunate swamp, among muddy mud and viscous thickets. They say that for whom the marsh beast married, next to that she has to remain for her entire eternal life. Description of kikimory has a different interpretation and depends on her place of residence.
If kikimore is lucky enough to marry a brownie, then she will remain among ordinary earthly people. And if she’s fascinated by the goblin, she will not see more worldly happiness, but is destined to rest in the swamp with her husband forever.
But not only drowned can be the cause of kikimore. For example, according to legend, babies who died unbaptized or were born dead, ugly, became those very terrible images. Children outside the family are also doomed to such a fate as those who have been cursed by their parents or abducted by unclean otherworldly forces.
What does kikimora look like. Photo
It is difficult to dwell on one description of a bog resident. There are some of the most popular options. What kikimora looks like can be seen in books that tell ancient myths and legends. And if the nerves are strong enough, then, having gathered in the evening, you can go in search of her to the nearest swamp.
What does a real kikimora look like? Let's try to describe this creature in detail, without missing a single mystical element. Mythology presents a kikimora in the form of an old scary woman, she is hunched over, her hair is curled up in different directions, and she is dressed in rags. In the photo we can see how kikimora looks - in the kokoshnik on the head, very short stature, with a thin camp. Because of her small weight, she was afraid to go out so that she would not be carried away by the wind. Another story says that kikimors are naked girls with a very long and magnificent braid. Of course, as mentioned above, there is no single idea of what kikimora looks like.
During the day, they can be invisible and express themselves through voice. Kikimors living in the house can drive out residents with a voice, demand something. Most often, such requirements are not very favorable content for residents of the house.
Favorite Kikimore Habitats
In addition to a swamp or a cozy house, kikimors can live in other places. Most often this is a bathhouse, chicken coops, stable, abandoned houses or taverns, where a lot of negative energy is concentrated.
Kikimora can get into a corner of the room cluttered with unnecessary things or climb into a closet from which dust has not been wiped for a long time. She is looking for a place where she will be comfortable, and this is where there is a lot of dirt and old shabby things. Kikimora can be accidentally dragged behind a woman into the house along with negative energy, and she will remain next to the owner.
Everyone who knows what a real kikimora looks like is afraid of an accidental meeting with her. Some legends say that kikimora lives in every house all the time, never leaving it.
Where does kikimora come from. Beliefs
Peasants follow one popular belief, which appeared a long time ago and remains conscious. They say that dissatisfied workers, whom the owners paid poorly for their work, can start kikimoru into the house. But, most likely, the workers themselves came up with this belief in order to teach good salaries for their work.
How can you bring kikimore into the house? For this, the workers used a doll depicting a kikimore, which was well hidden somewhere in the house or between the walls and pronounced a special spell.
What is kikimora capable of?
It is believed that kikimora has a huge potential for negative energy, which is constantly directed to the hostess of the house. For example, if she touches any work with her dirty hands, then this work will never be completed. The peculiarity of kikimore is that when they are engaged in weaving, they constantly jump in one place, and in addition, they weave the threads in the opposite direction (rather than ordinary people do). They confuse the threads, procrastinate and constantly tear everything that is tied.
What other names does kikimora bear?
The ominous image of kikimora chills the spirit of all members of the household who sensed her presence in their cozy, seemingly closed to the other world house.
Many met with kikimora, but they themselves did not suspect it. And all because she bears several names, and each of them has its own special, frightening meaning.
Belarusians nicknamed this beast, a domestic monster, a little thing. Another of her popular nicknames is igong or igon. And the home spirit of kikimors is usually called a gravy or shishimora, shishiga. Kikimora is also a well-known name for a swamp or domestic creature, an image of a drowned beautiful maiden who, by her will, had to marry a terrible goblin and forever remain with him under the quiet water of a swamp.
The word "kikimora" itself consists of two parts, namely "kiki" and "pestilence." The first means "screaming, uttering terrible unpleasant groans, calling the devil." And "mora" is death, this is how the second part of the name is translated, which ideally fits the description of kikimora.
It is not surprising that her image causes a terrible animal fear, because in a direct translation her name speaks for itself - it screams about death.
Works in which the image of kikimora is found
Many mystic writers or even classics in their works mentioned the image of the drowned maiden - kikimory. How is it usually described and what role does it play in various works?
In the ancient monuments of the Russian manuscript, especially the later (17-18 centuries), there are descriptions of mystical spirits and characters.
The kikimore episode in the Moscow tradition of the 1630s. says that the little thing, as the Belarusians call it, is a kind of terrible provocateur and instigator of all sorts of troubles in the life of a family or an individual. She is able to bring trouble of any complexity, both a minor quarrel in the family, and an incurable fatal disease. Why is she doing this? It is easy to explain: kikimora is the unfortunate spirit of a woman who, for her or another's fault, was drowned in a lake (swamp) or tragically died in the forest. That's why she takes revenge on everyone who comes across her in the way. The tale with the mention of kikimore is a kind of direct proof that it always existed, and even until the time they learned about it.
Also, the work of A. K. Lyadov “Kikimora” melodiously creates an atmosphere of presence when listening.
What does kikimora marsh look like ? Photo
The swamp species Kikimore is a special mythological creature that lives in swamps and is born in the image of drowned girls, but it is much older and more terrible - changed beyond recognition.
Slavic mythology describes in detail how the kikimora swamp looks like - the photo below shows the lower evil spirit that settles in the swamp and likes to dress up in all kinds of furs and weave swamp and forest plants in its braids.
The little thing steals small children, brings misfortune and makes babies cry constantly. She drags the babies into her dark, dirty home, and they never return to their parents.
Kikimora is relatively rare to appear among people, she prefers to declare herself in a voice - terrible, creaky and low, which cools the blood and tickles the nerves. In this, she is like her sister - home kikimore. Although they never meet, each has its own place and its own occupations.
Transformation into Kikimore
If anyone is interested in the question of how to become a kikimora, then read on. Every myth has some truth, and a swamp creature is no exception. We won’t learn the truth, but the ancient traditions and modern interpretation can be discussed in more detail.
The first path to transformation is a forgotten muddy swamp. A young girl is doomed to become a kikimora if she drowns in this muddy mass.
As for the boys, the legends say that you need to be a freak or a damned. There is no doubt, it was the damned boy in the past centuries that was considered the real embodiment of the old toothless kikimora.
In fact, any living creature that was once cursed or chose the wrong path of life — the path of evil and sinful deed — can become a kikimora.
Favorite hobby of real kickimore
True kikimors never get bored, even though they are destined to wander forever among people and swamp inhabitants. Beasts love to weave, but they weave in a special way - on the contrary, not like ordinary women, and during this jump in one place. The sight is not pleasant, but fortunately, you can rarely see it. Since kikimors prefer a secluded lifestyle and remain invisible most of the time, the chance to find out how they look is reduced to zero.
Another favorite activity of beasts is to make fun of the residents of the house, and, of course, not kindly. Her jokes are so frightening that the family, smelling something was wrong, quickly tries to leave the sinister house with all its mystical manifestations of evil spirits. So what is the essence of such jokes? Kikimora can appear in front of people in the image of a poor child abandoned by parents, and kind people, having picked up and heating a baby, actually provide themselves with a painful life with kikimora. You can protect yourself from this creature, and you need to do this through prayer, appeal to the holy spirits and the Mother of God. For those who know how kikimora looks, it is easy to avoid contact with it.
How to recognize kikimore?
Usually kikimors allow themselves to go out before great holidays such as Christmas. And also the beast feels the atmosphere of the family and comes exactly at the moment when something special happens - good or bad. At such moments, people are most vulnerable and are influenced by the evil spell of domestic kikimora.
She appears in front of the house on the doorstep. The owners can be alerted by piercing crying or a loud frequent knock on the door. It is not surprising if kikimora connects these two classes. You can ask her a question and hear a knock in response.
Those who were lucky enough to catch kikimore on the hot can use special rituals and spells to return it back to the human form. To do this, on her crown, it is necessary to cut hair with the image of a cross. But, despite the return, the kikimora will forever have some peculiarity from the past - stuttering, a hump on the back, stupidity and more.
And in conclusion, a little advice. To rid your home of a possible mythological beast, you need to throw out all the trash and consecrate every corner. Now it’s no secret what kikimora looks like. The photo will tell about her more than all the myths.