List of supernatural creatures and description. Legends of supernatural creatures
As a result of my communication with people interested in esotericism, occultism and other, as they call them, supernatural things, I noticed that they divide the world into natural, i.e. in their understanding, knowable through science and supernatural, in the explanation of which science is powerless. This approach, alas, indicates a complete misunderstanding of the essence of what science actually does and what it is in general. Therefore, in this article I would like to explain this.
First of all, it is necessary to refute the common misconception that science explains anything. This is not true and this is absolutely not part of its functions. Indeed, what is an explanation in the commonly used sense? This is simply the reduction of something new or incomprehensible to a form in which this new or incomprehensible becomes familiar and thereby creates the illusion of intelligibility. For example, in the past, many wondered why bodies fall down and all sorts of philosophical explanations were invented for this - bodies fall because... everything came from the earth and therefore stretches back, as well as many other profound philosophical explanations like this that have no practical meaning.
With the advent of Newton's theory of gravity, the fall of bodies to the ground began to be explained by the action of gravity, and this explanation, which became familiar over time, was firmly rooted in people's consciousness. But if you look closely at this explanation in itself ( those. without the patterns identified by Newton and recorded by him in mathematical form), then you can see that it is no better than the philosophical explanations that existed before Newton. And it should be noted that Newton himself was well aware of this.
So, when asked what kind of force this is and how this gravitational force can be transmitted through empty space, he answered - “I don’t invent hypotheses!” It follows that most important achievement Newton was not what he named or explained ( By the way, as a smart person, he didn’t explain it at all) a phenomenon as a result of which bodies fall down and are attracted to each other ( he would have called it instead of gravity, for example "the yearning of bodies for each other" or in some other way the essence would not change), but the fact that he deduced certain patterns that he put into mathematical form, with the help of which he, having certain information ( mass of bodies, distance between them, etc.) could give correct predictions. Thus, the main goal of science is to give, based on available data, the most accurate forecasts currently possible, and it does not matter in what area.
What many people take as explanations in science is in fact either a description of the methodology by which these predictions are actually made, or a description of those mental constructs or models with the help of which this technique, which has predictive power, was developed. Neither one nor the other has anything in common with understanding as such. So, for example, the laws of quantum mechanics contradict ordinary human logic, and therefore it cannot be said that anyone understands or can explain them. But this in no way prevents us from using the same laws of quantum mechanics to predict the results of scientific experiments with high degree accuracy.
In fact, we can say that any theory is the more scientific, the more accurate predictions it gives within the framework of the theoretically possible maximum accuracy. In other words, science is what works. From this point of view, Einstein's theory of relativity is better than the classical Newtonian theory simply in that it gives more accurate predictions and this is most clearly manifested at speeds approaching light speeds. As a result of the above, it becomes clear why the scientific approach to increasing, say, fertility, expressed in the use of fertilizers, etc. better than the occult, which is expressed in offerings to all sorts of fertility gods and all sorts of religious rituals. It is better only because it is much more productive.
Productivity is determined by statistical research. AND if statistical studies have shown that offerings to the gods of fertility and various religious rituals would be more effective than the methods currently used by science, then the above-mentioned “supernatural” methods would be recognized in the scientific community as completely scientific and would, due to this recognition, cease to be supernatural .
Another thing is that the scientific approach is a very pedantic and meticulous thing, and therefore a lot of research would be carried out to determine, for example, the relationship between various types of offerings to the gods of the harvest and percentage increase harvest as a result of this. After which, in the end, as a result of numerous experiments, a summary table would be compiled, in which there would be clear recommendations to which deity, in what form, what and when offerings should be made in order to achieve the most favorable ratio of resources spent and time to the harvest received .
As for the same rituals, many dissertations would probably be defended, which would examine, for example, the dependence of the resulting harvest on the duration of ritual chants, etc. Those. V in this case the same painstaking scientific work without any admixture of mysticism or anything supernatural. From all that has been said, it follows that the very principle of the structure of science makes such a concept as “supernatural” meaningless because either something takes place and works, and then science deals with it, or this something simply does not exist, and then there is nothing to talk about.
There is, however, one frequently encountered objection from supporters of the supernatural, that in its field there are still things that work, but, nevertheless, are not recognized by science. For example, we can talk about healing through prayer, etc. To begin with, I would like to give the following example. Let's say we find some savage and teach him to drive a tractor. At the same time, we will justify all the necessary actions for driving as rituals necessary to please, for example, certain spirits who actually live in this iron beetle. We will also tell the savage that before and after driving he must read a special prayer we have compiled and perform a ritual dance, otherwise the spirits may escape from the iron beetle and kill him.
Thus, we have a ritual system that works great - a savage drives a tractor, but which is not fully scientific. And now we will find out why. It's all about the well-known Occam's razor, which does not order the multiplication of entities beyond necessity and with the help of which science cuts off everything unnecessary that does not have an impact on final result. In fact, the tractor would drive perfectly well without the prayers and ritual dances of the savage, and in general the idea that spirits sit inside the tractor is in no way necessary for its operation, in contrast to at least a superficial understanding of the design of a diesel engine and the principles of driving. Likewise, healings through prayer, various states of religious trance and ecstasy, etc. are perfectly described within the framework of psychosomatics, placebo research and other traditional areas of science.
And finally, let’s consider the last objection of supporters of the “supernatural”, which boils down to the fact that many, including world-famous scientists, were no strangers to a fascination with the supernatural. In fact, if you look closely, you can understand that there is no contradiction in this. You just need to pay attention to the fact that it was in those areas in which the above-mentioned scientists strictly followed the scientific approach that they achieved results that made them world-famous scientists. It can hardly be expected that a person possessing outstanding talent and sound thinking in one area will have equally outstanding talent in all other areas. So a person who is an outstanding physicist may well talk complete nonsense in the field of, for example, biology or economics, or be carried away by something occult. But he will obtain outstanding results in the field of physics only as long as he does not depart from scientific approach, which consists in identifying patterns that allow us to give the most accurate possible results. currently predictions based on available data.
Now many people constantly talk about otherworldly forces and extrasensory perception. There are programs on TV that talk about those who have a special gift. However, many people are skeptical about the supernatural and consider such programs to be fiction. But is it? Is it true that all kinds of psychics and programs about them are just a scam for naive viewers, or perhaps there is still something in this world that cannot be seen by ordinary people? by the human eye?
4 96054
Photo gallery: Is it worth believing in supernatural powers?
Law of energy conservation
Even the most avid skeptics and materialists must remember the law of conservation of energy, which never disappears into nowhere. All the information that a person accumulates throughout life, all his feelings and emotions, is energy. As we used to say, soul. And after death human soul, how a bunch of energy and information ends up in the energy flow that is around the earth. But, as we all know, the stronger the information, the stronger the feelings, the stronger this energy. Therefore, it often happens that even after death, a person is felt on this earth. Everything is explained very simply: he is either too attached to someone currently alive and his feelings are so strong that even after death the energy remains, or before his death he experienced severe stress and emotions, so the energy also significantly increased in size and became noticeable.
Non-materialists believe that human energy not only exists, but also has intelligence. That is, the soul is, in essence, a person. And the body is just a shell, like any earthly clothing. Their opinion is confirmed by the appearance of the dead in their dreams, visions, and so on. On the other hand, it is difficult to say that such manifestations of an otherworldly entity can absolutely confirm the presence of intelligence in the so-called soul. Perhaps when we see and feel something, it is our subconscious that simply draws energy from the worldwide flow of information. But nevertheless, the fact that human energy and energy does not disappear into nowhere, but into special cases It may even become visible, but it’s still worth recognizing. In addition, the reality of the appearance of otherworldly entities called souls confirms great amount of people. Moreover, some of them believe in otherworldly forces, while others are skeptical. Therefore people in different words describe what they saw, but the meaning always remains the same - the dead come to them, both relatives and friends, and complete strangers, about whom they even great desire could you get information from energy shell land.
Mythical undead
There are many stories, myths and legends about various otherworldly creatures and substances. Each of us has been familiar with goblins, brownies, mermaids, werewolves, vampires, and so on since childhood. But are these creatures a figment of popular imagination or are they really real? Firstly, it is worth thinking about the fact that every people of the world has its own legends and myths. But if you do not pay attention to the different names of creatures and some differences in their descriptions, all stories about the other world describe several dozen similar creatures. For example, in any mythology there are stories about a creature very similar to our brownie or goblin. They must live in the lakes of all countries and peoples beautiful girls, bringing death to those who catch their eye. And if so a large number of people from different parts of the world describe similar creatures, then perhaps they still exist, after all, thousands of people cannot fantasize in the same way.
In addition, unlike the dead, people see such entities much more often. Almost every one of us has had at least one story related to some otherworldly creatures throughout our lives. In fact, as psychics say, such entities are also energy. They appear at the moment when there is a strong surge of energy. Let’s say some kind of mass murder happens, many people experience pain and fear, and so on. In this case, at the place where the incident happened, a strong energy imprint is formed, which does not disappear for many years and frightens people. Of course, this clot of energy can be not only bad, but also good. If you constantly imagine a certain entity, such as your angel, endowing it with the qualities of an assistant and protector, in the end, you may actually have a positive energy substance near you that will protect you and help you achieve what you want.
But if all this is just energy, then why do people see similar creatures? Perhaps the point here is that such entities once had real prototypes. After all, it is unknown what was on our land before. There are suggestions that there was an intelligent race here with the remnants of whose representatives ours met distant ancestors. Perhaps this race had certain technologies that were mistaken for supernatural powers, perhaps it mutated, so our mythological characters look like women with fish tails and men with the body of a horse. Of course, this is just a theory, but it may well have some validity if you look at the supernatural from a more materialistic point of view. And that is why the descendants of those first people see supernatural entities in similar images. They simply select the most suitable images from their past and connect them with energy entities that have always existed on any planet and in any dimension. Due to the fact that a large number of people begin to attach to one or another entity a certain image, over time it actually begins to look like this because the energies simply mix.
That is why, returning to the question of faith or disbelief in otherworldly forces, one thing can be said: the energy and energy of everything that is on this earth is very powerful. It simply cannot go anywhere and be scattered throughout the world, since there is such a thing as memory. And as long as we remember who we are, our energy simply cannot crumble into a thousand pieces and scatter throughout the universe. In addition, human memory can impart energy enormous power. It is the memory that fails to become the core for the creation of various negative entities. So, to believe or not to believe in the other world is your choice.
Incredible facts
Scientists have proven that the human brain can function at 100% even when solving the simplest problems. The question arises: what are the capabilities of the human mind? From time to time, interesting and controversial reports appear about phenomena that we do not understand, as well as about people who, in their opinion, have unusual abilities.
In most cases, scientists and various types of researchers only state data, and it’s up to us whether to believe in human superpowers or not .
Healing
A healer is a person who is able to see and understand all forms of illness, whether physical or psychological abnormalities. Such people feel the pain of others.
Almost everything traditional healers enjoy biokinesis(ability to manage someone else's body) , allowing them to control organic tissue. In this way they heal themselves and others.
The downside to this ability is that some healers can become so sensitive to the illnesses of others that they themselves become ill with the same illness. In addition, one traditional healer, having cured his “colleague,” may lose his gift forever.
There are a lot of people with such abilities. As a rule, they become doctors or nurses. But still, the majority of people who are able to heal without the use of medications and surgical interventions, go into so-called alternative medicine.
Important! Remember that not all diseases can be cured using methods traditional medicine, while delay associated with untimely diagnosis and improper treatment can cost the patient his life!
Brazilian healer
Joao Teixeira is a Brazilian healer who treats thousands of people every day. The healing is extremely in an interesting way: The healer performs complex surgical operations without medications, and the blood is practically invisible.
Juan is able to cure serious illnesses with the help of psychological suggestions. According to the healer, his abilities occur due to the interventions of higher beings who use Juan's body. He believes that the souls of once deceased healers, doctors or hypnotists mediate to him.
Russian healer
Juna is a famous Russian healer, psychic and recognized phenomenon. Her superpowers were studied by Soviet scientists, who were unable to explain this anomaly.
Juna has extremely strong energy, with which she influences biological field a person, fills him with energy and heals the body. Her healing operations are based on non-contact massage (keeping hands at a distance from the body).
American healer
Edgard Cayce was probably the most amazing person of the twentieth century. This is a great healer and clairvoyant, thanks to whom many people in the world believed in forces and phenomena that are inexplicable from the point of view of science.
Casey made all the diagnostics and predictions in a state of trance. According to the healer, during a hypnotic sleep he found himself in the “Akashic Chronicles” - the energy-information sphere of the Earth, where all the present, past and future of a person are recorded.
Xenoglossy
Xenoglossy is a phenomenon that allows some people to understand foreign languages without having previously studied them. There are people who born with such a gift, while many can spend a lot of effort and time learning foreign languages.
Strike by lightning
Nikolai Alexandrovich Lipatov from the Vologda region in 1978 he was struck by lightning and miraculously survived, but the miracles did not end there. Unexpectedly for himself and those around him, he began to speak fluently three European languages.
After a car accident
Gennady Sergeevich Smirnov from Tula region in 1987, as a pensioner, he was pressed against a fence by a truck trailer, and when pinned, he hit his head hard. The very next day he began to speak in German, which I absolutely did not know before.
Clairvoyance
Clairvoyance is the ability to see the unknown. Such people can be in one place and know what is happening in a completely different place at a very great distance.
Clairvoyants see the future, the past, and the present. As a rule, they psychic abilities are based on visions of some episodes from the lives of other people.
Famous clairvoyants
Lev Tolstoy - Russian writer, mystic and clairvoyant, whose desire for holiness and truth became an example for many.
Vanga – world-famous Bulgarian clairvoyant.
Gurzhdiev - famous Russian clairvoyant, mystic. He worked for several intelligence agencies simultaneously during World War II.
Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev famous for his chemical table, which is now used by the whole world. However, no less interesting is the story of the creation of this table, which he saw in a dream.
Important! Today, even the most zealous skeptics do not exclude the existence of the gift of clairvoyance. However, before you go to a clairvoyant, think about the fact that you can easily be deceived, because it’s no secret that modern world various kinds of fortune telling and predictions are profitable business, and most of the “sorcerers”, “magicians” and “fortune tellers” are ordinary charlatans.
Empathy
An empath is a person who feels the emotions of others. This ability is more common in children , who are very insightful to the world and people around them. This power may disappear with age, but there are people who manage to maintain the ability throughout their lives.
As a rule, empaths strive to become teachers and consultants, since their calling is to help other people. In essence, an empath can be compared to a good psychologist, and if we add logic to the ability to understand people, then many of us can confidently be called a kind of empath.
Most empaths worry constantly periods of depression, caused by other people's negative emotions getting the better of them. People with such abilities must learn to block the emotions of others so as not to absorb the negativity of others, and also surround themselves with positive people.
Energy vampirism
Energetic vampire- this is a person who, when in contact with other people, uses their energy (feeds on it), and he does this most often unconsciously.
Such people try to surround themselves with as many friends, acquaintances and colleagues as possible in order totakethey have vitality. They are able to read the thoughts of others, which they can use for selfish purposes.
All this makes the energy vampire capable of dominating others.
P.S. Today every second person can be called an energy vampire, because modern life filled negative emotions and communicating with people we don’t always like. In addition, we have forgotten how to enjoy everyday things: a child’s smile, bright sun over your head.
Pyrokinesis
Pyrokinesis is the ability of a person to cause fire with the power of thought. These people can also intensify an already burning flame.
There are two main forms of this power.
Fire is like heat
A person with this type of pyrokinesis can provoke fire occurrence. Moreover, for each such person, the created fire has an individual visual form. The created flame can burn anyone except the one creating it.
This very dangerous force which is widespread in last years. People with pyrokinesis have difficulty managing their emotions and may become angry for unknown reasons.
Fire like light
This form of pyrokinesis is a fireball of energy that produces light. People who create such energy know how to control their emotions. This energy flow similar to the light of the sun or the light of a light bulb.
Spontaneous combustion in Australia
It should be noted that spontaneous combustion of people is not uncommon. Similar phenomena are regularly recorded that cannot be explained from the point of view of science or physiology.
In the Australian city of Brisbane in 1996, a naked girl ran into the street screaming wildly. When she calmed down a little, she said that she had come to this city with her boyfriend for the weekend.
Her friend went to take a bath and she went to bed. After which he went out, lay down next to her in bed and suddenly caught fire within a minute turning to dust.
Spontaneous combustion in Peru
The rector of a church in the city of Orellano (Peru) read a sermon to his congregation in 1993. When he began to read about the fiery hyena that awaits sinners in Heaven, he screamed terribly and turned into fire club.
The parishioners began to flee from the church in horror. When they returned, they found the priest’s clothes completely intact, containing only ashes.
Spontaneous combustion in Spain
Madrid resident Roberto Gonzalez listened to a toast in 1998 own wedding, suddenly flared up and turned to ashes in less than a minute. Hundreds of people witnessed the tragedy, but the element of fire did not affect anyone or anything else.
The nature of such phenomena studied by scientists has not been established to this day.
Illusionism
An illusionist is a person who can change the structure of molecules in objects. This can be used to disguise something.
Some illusionists use consciousness, to create an illusion, while others prefer specific items, or rather their movement in space. Many compare illusionists to magicians, since both are artists whose main goal is to capture the viewer’s attention and believe in the impossible. But! Illusionists use human subconscious delusions to achieve their goal, and magicians use sleight of hand. As a result, neither one nor the other (according to scientists) has anything to do with magic and supernatural abilities.
As a rule, the best illusionists use their gift for personal enrichment and glorification (an example is David Copperfield), or find use of their abilities in psychiatric institutions, trying to help people with mental disorders.
Levitation
Levitation is an ability that allows a person to raise his body above the ground, that is, to fly (such a gift requires a great concentration of strength and energy). However, examples of levitating objects are more common.
Medieval levitation
Messages about this mysterious phenomenon have been known since the dark Middle Ages. Thus, Joseph of Cupertino, a member of the French Order, was mentioned as “often rising and hanging in the air,” causing shock among the public.
Levitation in Mexico
There is information that such "flying people" can unexpectedly move long distances. So, in October 1953, a man in military uniform, speaking to passers-by in a foreign language.
It later turned out that he was a Filipino who, in a few seconds, was transported from Manila, where he was guarding the governor's palace. Local residents were delighted with the “balloonist” and gave him a warm welcome.
Levitation in India
Such flights did not always end successfully. Thus, an employee of the Portuguese colony in India in 1655 instantly flew to his homeland in Portugal. Because he violated the “order given by God,” the Inquisition decided to burn him at the stake.
Interesting Facts! according to some scientific research, levitation is explained by the ability individuals in a way unknown to science, reduce your own weight. The only thing that scientists cannot understand is how this can be done.
Suggestion
The art of suggestion is the ability to control the minds of other people. This is a very dangerous power, because people who possess it are able to influence the actions of others with the power of thought.
Wolf Messing
In order to instill a certain thought in a person, verbal contact is not necessary, since it is possible to influence a person’s thoughts at a distance. This technique was used by the hypnotist Wolf Messing.
He could keep a person under hypnosis while over long distances from it, hundreds of kilometers away.
Thanks to his extraordinary abilities, Messing gained fame as a magician and wizard. They tried to use his talent the mighty of the world this for your own purposes.
It was because of his hypnotic sessions that he managed to anger Hitler so much that he promised huge money for the capture of the magician.
Wolf Messing said that he acquired the ability to hypnosis thanks to long training. The hypnotist was confident that all people have the ability to inspire thoughts; they just need to develop such abilities in themselves.
Regeneration
Regeneration is a human ability that allows you to heal yourself in short time. Known cases tissue regeneration in sick people without the use of treatment methods modern medicine. At the same time, they experience physical pain during the regeneration process. This ability is explained by the fact that the brain can influence the process of restoration of body tissue.
Some sources describe amazing, but unlikely cases of immortality of such people, who supposedly can be killed only in one way: by cutting off the head so that their brain cannot restore the body. Of course, these are all rumors, but as they say, “there is no smoke without fire.” Therefore, the question of the existence of people capable of regenerating themselves remains open.
Seeing spirits
Gift see spirits actually very common, but not everyone uses it. There are harmless spirits and evil ones. Some mediums can physically interact with ghosts, which is not always safe.
Some people who have this ability are afraid of spirits, others take advantage of this and contact them.
The best mediums
Edmund Gurney (1847-1888) - author of the book “Living Ghosts”, was sure that the soul of a person can appear to other people 12 hours before death and the same amount after. He claimed that such visions were the final astral flight of the dying person.
Sir William Barrett (1844-1925) was Professor of Physics at the Royal College of Science in Dublin for 37 years. He said the following: “I am absolutely convinced that those who once lived on earth can communicate with us.”
Oliver Lodge (1851-1940) is known for his studies of life after death. He began studying this phenomenon in the 1880s. From 1901 to 1903 he was president of the Society for Psychical Research. Also Oliver Lodge is the author of the book "Raymond, or
Life and Death", which talks about contacts with the spirit of his son Raymond after his death at the front.
Lycanthropy
Lycanthropy is Paranormal Activity, causing metamorphoses in the body, due to which a person turns into another creature (most often a wolf). Many werewolves only change into one specific animal.
But! Scientists call lycanthropy special mental state, in which a person, although he considers himself a werewolf, is actually not one, since he does not modify his physical form. At the same time, the lycanthrope is extremely dangerous for society, since it shows aggression and indomitable strength.
Stories about werewolves
According to legend, in the middle of 1760, in one of the central parts of France, a certain beast was frightening local residents. Livestock and people began to disappear every day. Witnesses described him as a wolf large sizes by giving him a name Loup Garou . They tried to shoot him, but the werewolf turned out to be immortal. It all ended with the hunters killing him with a silver bullet right in the heart.
Robert Fortney from Michigan in 1938 encountered creatures that looked like werewolves. As he claimed, five animals attacked him at once. He even shot one of them, but he was seized with horror when the most ferocious beast stood on hind legs and looked at him with a grin.
Let's look at a relatively recent case. Truck Driver Scott On August 27, 2005, a strange incident was reported on the radio, and company director Ian Pannett had already told everyone about what had happened. Moving along the highway, the driver saw some kind of animal tormenting a dead deer on the side of the road. According to him, the beast was not like any known one: a mixture of a wolf and a monkey.
Today, such a wide popularity of lycanthropy is facilitated by a huge number of films about werewolves and vampires.
Telekinesis
Telekinesis is the ability to move objects with the power of thought. This ability requires an understanding of energies, which not many people can learn.
These people concentrate on the object, which encourages it to move without being touched. People who know how to learn telekinesis practice a lot and do not stop there. They can even do this all their life and not truly master this ability.
Telekinesis in France
A recorded case of telekinesis occurred with a French woman Angelique Cotten at the age of 14 years. On January 15, 1846, she and three other friends were engaged in embroidery. Suddenly the embroidery fell out of the girls’ hands, and the lamp flew into the corner.
Her friends did not hesitate to blame Angelica for what had happened, since strange events often occurred in her presence: furniture moved away or chairs flew around the room.
Telekinesis in Russia
Most famous case telekinesis in the history of Russia is called the “Kulagina phenomenon”. In the sixties of the last century, experiments were carried out involving Ninel Sergeevna Kulagina , which made objects move and changed the trajectory of their movement.
The supernatural has always attracted the attention of many people of all nationalities on all continents. This inexhaustible, permanent interest invariably influenced the myths religious ideas, folklore and even the ordinary everyday life of every nation. We can study and discuss this entire heritage endlessly. In this article we will touch on this phenomenon only from one side - from the side of the inhabitants of what we usually call “supernatural beings”. A list and description of all such creatures in full would form an entire library, so we will limit ourselves to the most famous and popular in modern culture creatures.
Gnomes
The word "gnome" translated from Latin means underground inhabitant. These creatures are known in almost all regions of the earth where there are mountains or deserts. The traditional, familiar image of a gnome comes from German-Scandinavian folklore, but is also known among the Slavs (for example, Polish dwarfs are relatives of gnomes). Their own dwarf people, living in mountain dungeons, are also found in the Urals, where they are called either Chud or Chuchka. According to popular legends, these supernatural beings are engaged in jewelry making, mining all sorts of treasures and, among other things, have significant knowledge of medicine.
Nature of the gnomes
The word “gnome” itself, according to one version, began to be used in the 16th century by Paracelsus, the famous European doctor and occultist. He used it to designate the spirits of the earth - elementals. The latter are supernatural beings that set the world around them in motion by influencing one of the four primary elements - earth, air, fire or water. So, the spirits, called gnomes by Paracelsus, lived in the element of earth. Later, this term began to denote the entire list of supernatural creatures that, according to legend, live underground and are united by common features - appearance, crafts, etc.
Goblins
Goblins are another category of supernatural neighbors of humans. In general, they can be considered as distant relatives of gnomes. They also live underground, in mountain gorges dotted with caves. Like gnomes in many legends, goblins do not tolerate the light of the sun. But if gnomes are representatives of Scandinavian and German folklore, then the goblin is a character from Romanesque culture. These supernatural creatures got their very name from the Old French language.
The appearance of goblins is described in legends very differently. But the constant feature of all of them is incredible ugliness. Goblins are similar to humans and can range in height from thirty centimeters to two meters. When necessary, they know how to turn into beautiful people. But they are always given away long ears, claws on his hands and sinister animal eyes. The only exception to the rule is the English hobgoblins, who play the role of cute brownies in British folklore, which we will talk about next.
Brownies
The creatures that are known in Russia as brownies are perhaps the most widespread character in world folklore. Of course, they are described differently and interacted with differently, but everywhere these creatures top the list of supernatural beings. IN Slavic tribes they were also called the Kut gods. The brownie lives with the family in their home and monitors the housekeeping, safety and favorable atmosphere. However, if the owners are careless, then he can appear as a formidable, frightening creature. There was no consensus on where this guardian of home comfort came from. Someone believed that this was a manifestation of the first ancestor, the progenitor of the family. Others insisted it was a deceased family member. With the Christianization of Rus', the belief in brownies did not disappear, but the people’s opinion began to prevail that this was either a spirit sent by God, or, conversely, little devil, settled by the devil in order to harm the inhabitants as much as possible. However, there was also a belief that unrepentant sinners become brownies, whom God sends as punishment to serve people as protective spirits.
Russian brownies
One way or another, the brownie was the one on whom the well-being of the family depended. Therefore, they always tried to build a good relationship with him. It was customary to feed the brownie by leaving a plate of food for him in a special place. The grateful spirit protected the home from thieves, from fire, and warded off troubles and misfortunes. The brownie was especially concerned about livestock, and mainly horses. It was believed that at night he tinkered in the stable, making sure that the horse did not remain hungry or unkempt. Like other supernatural creatures, in Russia it was believed that the brownie could predict the future. For example, if at night you hear roaring, howling, crying and similar ominous signs, then you have to expect trouble. If at night there is quiet laughter, joyful exclamations and the like, then the family will be in for a pleasant surprise.
Some legends also feature female brownies. In some cases, we are even talking about entire families of brownies. However, this is much less common in folklore.
Dragons
Very popular supernatural creatures, the list of which includes hundreds of varieties around the world, are dragons. Currently, their popularity is increasing, thanks to the massive passion for the fantasy genre in art. Legends about supernatural creatures, similar in appearance to huge lizards, cutting through the air and breathing fire, are known literally on all continents among all tribes and peoples. Story line in them can be very different, accordingly different and cultural codes and the symbols they carry. In Asia, for example, dragons are the wisest creatures who came down from heaven and gave people knowledge, culture, medicine, taught them magic, agriculture and morality. In the West, on the contrary, they were chthonic monsters, bringing with them only death and destruction. In Christian times, the dragon was often associated with the devil, but at the same time it was a favorite heraldic symbol. A battle with him to save a woman or acquire wealth is a typical plot for European as well as Slavic folklore.
Unicorns
Our list of supernatural creatures continues like this interesting character like a unicorn. He is usually depicted as a horse with a beautiful straight horn growing from his forehead.
The earliest images of this animal come from India, and their age is estimated at four thousand years. Gradually from Asia this character penetrated into ancient Greece and Rome. However, there he was considered a very real animal. Such beliefs spread among the Greeks thanks to a doctor named Ctesias, who spent many years in Persia, and upon returning to his homeland in Hellas, described in his writings massive Indian donkeys with a horn growing on their foreheads. This all took place in the 5th century and was later popularized by Aristotle. The traditional equine appearance of the unicorn today was not originally taken for granted. He was imagined with the body of both a goat and a bull, and according to some descriptions, this creature looked more like a rhinoceros.
Unicorns in later legends
In later Western European myths, the unicorn was represented as a ferocious creature, meeting which promised death. But, being the personification of morality and holiness, this creature could only be tamed by a virgin and kept in submission only by a golden bridle. It is not surprising that with the spread of Catholicism, this animal became one of the emblems of the Virgin Mary. His enemies were elephants and lions. The belief in them was so strong in Europe and Russia that as early as the 19th century, naturalistic research was carried out to find out whether supernatural creatures called unicorns actually existed or not. Some European monarchs, including those, were proud that their staffs - attributes of royal power - were made from the horn of this animal. There was even a European market for the purchase and sale of these horns, in which Russian merchants (mostly Pomors) played an important role. Today it has been established that these horns actually belonged to narwhals.
Werewolves
Werewolves are another supernatural creature, the list of varieties of which exceeds all imaginable limits. But they all have common feature- they have the ability to transform from people to animals, and vice versa. Most often these are wolves, but in fact there are legends in which heroes turned into birds, fish, and other animals. The difference between werewolf transformations and other magical transformations is that they do this either of their own free will or certain conditions, but in any case they turn back into people. In Russian mythology, even one of the heroes named Werewolf had this ability, according to folk legends, and prince Similar stories are extremely popular in Indian, Scandinavian and Celtic mythologies. In addition, the ability for such transformations was almost everywhere assigned to sorcerers and witches. During the Inquisition, the accusation of such an act served as a reason to initiate an investigation into connections with the devil.
Sometimes a distinction was made between werewolves from birth and those who became one for some reason. A werewolf could be born if a person whose mother ate the meat of an animal killed by a wolf during pregnancy, or who bore the curse of werewolf herself. And one could acquire the ability to turn into animals either magically or become an apostate. It was believed that in the latter case a person becomes a werewolf, albeit after death. The latter also include children who died unbaptized. Accordingly, some werewolves experience this ability as a curse, others use it as a magical gift and know how to control this ability.
Ghosts and ghosts
Ghosts are perhaps the only supernatural creatures whose list and photos can be viewed from a strictly scientific point of view. This phenomenon is so unprecedented that it goes beyond the boundaries of myths and legends and is part of Everyday life. And these days there are a lot of people, even those who grew up in advanced civilization, but who are confident in the existence of ghosts. Moreover, a huge number of eyewitnesses claim to have had or are in contact with them. It's about not only about mediums and parapsychologists, but also about specialists within the framework of strict academic science. However, the number of the latter is small. But the quantity testimony, mysterious photographs and video materials depicting ghosts are enormous.
According to the most common beliefs, ghosts are the souls of dead people. Why they appear in this world and what their nature is - there is no consensus. But almost no one doubts that the dead appear in the form of translucent silhouettes.
Mermaids
Finishing our list of supernatural creatures are mermaids. In modern culture, this is a very ambivalent character. It must be said right away that beautiful maidens with fish tails are not mermaids, they are sea maidens. Mermaids are completely girls human form, originating from Slavic legends. In pre-Christian times, they were considered the spirits of rivers, and after Christianization, the belief spread that drowned women who committed suicide became mermaids. They are not accepted in the afterlife, and therefore they are forced to serve their punishment on earth, living at the bottom of the river. The only night when mermaids come ashore is night
Conclusion
As already mentioned, the characters listed above are not all supernatural creatures. The list can be continued to tens and hundreds of thousands of names, if you delve into the beliefs of each people in detail. Those who are curious will no doubt be able to do this and find a lot more new unknown material.
Mysterious events that defy rational explanation constantly occur in all corners of the planet. (website)
However, not all of them receive worldwide fame. Only the most amazing supernatural cases become the subject of conversation among residents of all countries. So, everyone knows about the American Area 51, where the military studied an unidentified flying object they had shot down with an alien corpse on board, or about Egyptian pyramids, near which trees grow several times faster, and the water purifies itself.
Undoubtedly, in such a large and eventful country as Russia, there were also many paranormal events that captured the imagination of not only the Russians themselves, but also all earthlings. Therefore, many of us may ask a logical question: what supernatural phenomena that happened directly to our people are best known abroad?
Tunguska meteorite
This amazing event took place back in the days Russian Empire. On the morning of June 30, 1908, in the area of the Siberian river Podkamennaya Tunguska, a colossal explosion with a capacity of fifty megatons of TNT occurred, which is comparable to the power of the largest hydrogen bomb. As a result of the explosion, trees were toppled over an area of over two thousand square kilometers, and windows flew out of houses within a radius of several hundred kilometers from the epicenter.
The event, accompanied by an intense glow in the sky, was recorded by all observatories on the planet. According to official version, exploded over Siberia, but for some reason its fragments were not found. Many experts suggest that it was not the meteorite that was to blame, but Russian testing secret weapon, or the experiments of the legendary physicist Nikola Tesla, or the tricks of aliens. To this day, this incident is shrouded in mystery, and world scientists are still scratching their heads over it.
Soviet cosmonauts, as pioneers of space research, had a hard time, since due to imperfect equipment, emergency situations arose very often. Space flights were further aggravated by the fact that our astronauts suffered from aliens who flew close to them. Many Soviet cosmonauts who returned from orbit reported that unidentified flying objects were approaching their ships.
