Transcription
Foreign, they were beings whose sorceress powers transcended the physical realm, wielding sorceress powers to combat wicked spirits that wrote Havoc upon the fertile lands. With an affinity for the elements and the kinship with the storm raging dragons, these shamans stood as the protectors of their people, the role in the cosmic struggle paramount. Their mastery of the elements allowed them to summon thunderstorms and bolts of lightning, quell the turbulent winds, and harnessed the raw might of dragons to vanquish their foes. In a realm of fable and myth, where the natural world was as treacherous as it was enigmatic, the weather shamans stood as a beacon of hope, a force to be reckoned with, whose power resonated in every gust of wind and every flash of lightning.
In this video, I explore the fascinating legacy of the Slavic weather shamans, or storm shamans, and the veiled bond they shared with the storm God. This is the third video in which we explore the traces of shamanic practices in the Slavic traditions, and I suggest you check out the previous two videos in order to gain a deeper understanding of the subject.
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Although such shamanic individuals existed in other parts of Europe, they were particularly common among the South's loves in the Slavic world. While in other Slavic regions their influence endured as a superstition about mythical creatures, the earliest record of these individuals dates back to the 10th Century, where historical accounts primarily document the prohibition of their practices, leaving much of their identity shrouded in mystery. The majority of our knowledge about them is derived from ethnographic sources of a later period.
These individuals were seen as a blessing to their homes and villages, as they were believed to be guardians of the prosperity and well-being of their region. They were also viewed as good, honest, just, and honorable people who were highly respected in their communities. They were not identified by a single name, but rather by a variety of regional names, which are significant as they provide insight into their origins. These names include: Zuhach, Vetrovnak, foreign [Music].
Zuhach comes from the word meaning spirit. Vetrovnak comes from vetar, meaning wind. Smai, with smile resume, meaning Dragon, implies dragon-like abilities. Willowbit is derived from Villa, a Slavic nymph or fairy spirit, implying similar abilities. Oblachary is derived from all black, meaning cloud, and so on.
While there are variations in their names and beliefs across different regions and periods of time, these individuals share the same abilities, functions, and attributes. In this video, I will often use these terms interchangeably, so please do not be confused.
Although sometimes addressed as women, these individuals were typically men, possessed the ability to safeguard their property, village, or region against harmful weather phenomena such as storms, hail, or heavy rainfall. It was believed that these men's spirits could depart from their bodies while they slept to confront and combat demonic entities that were taught to be responsible for adverse weather conditions. After defeating the demons and dispelling the storm clouds which they brought, the protectors would return to their bodies and wake up feeling exhausted.
The traditional Slavic culture holds that the human being is composed of both body and spirit. According to this belief, Buenas do hatch would drift off into slumber, his spirit would take flight out of his physical form, soaring into the winds. This intangible essence held sway over the movement of the winds and the patterns of the clouds. However, if the person's sleeping body was repositioned in a matter that inverted the positions of the head and feet, or if the individual was transported from where they had fallen asleep, the soul would be unable to re-enter the physical vessel, and death would be inevitable.
Following the battle with the spirits who brought the bad weather, the spirit of the veteraniac would return to his body, leaving him weak and trained upon waking up. If he was injured during the battle, his wounds would be physically visible. He would become either ill for a period of time thereafter, either until he recovered, or until he passed away if the wounds were fatal.
The source of their mystical abilities was believed to be inherent, integrated into their very being. Across many regions, it was believed that these individuals were born with distinctive physical features, such as a coal, wings, membranes beneath their armpits, a tail, or unique teeth. Upon birth, the mother would dry the coal and stitch it onto a piece of clothing, such as a pouch, that was then worn by the child, typically attached under the armpit. In some regions, the supernatural power of this duhaj could be passed down to their son, further cementing the connection between bloodline and other worldly abilities.
These individuals were known for their scapulimantic divination skills, which is the reading of the patterns and markings on animal bones for prophecy and insight, and for their gift of communicating with domestic animals, therefore forging a special bond with the creatures of the land.
The veteranak was also believed to possess the ability to manipulate the bad clouds over the property of someone he was in conflict with, as duhach was believed to have the power to command storms and hail clouds, which they could direct to the territory of another's new Hajj in order to ruin the crops of his community.
When the targeted zuhaj became aware of the impending disaster, they would take flight and confront the bringer of the bad weather. This would often result in a fierce battle between the two's Ducati as they fought to defend their respective territories. After a triumphant battle against the rivals Ducati, the victors would confiscate all of the agricultural produce from the defeated territory and transported to their own region as spoils of war.
So, this is a sort of transcendental spiritual war that took place in the clouds, that's a bit difficult to wrap your head around in these times.
Nevertheless, according to traditional beliefs, duhachi occasionally fought in groups made up of individuals from the same area, and each group had a leader who was often a renowned seer. For example, it was believed that this duhachi from Eastern Bosnia United battled those from Herzegovina and Montenegro, while those from Sanjak collaborated against Albanians. Battles between a group of zucchachi from Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Northern Albania, and the band of zucchachi from Apulia in Southeast Italy, occurred on the Adriatic Coast. So, they had battles even though they were separated by the sea.
A group of zuhachi would enter a state of sleep and a symbol at a designated location before engaging in battle. Their arsenal consisted of an array of weapons, ranging from small items like spindles, Beach Buds, and leaves, to larger objects such as huge boulders or even entire oak trees that they could uproot with ease. However, the most potent weapon at their disposal was a stick, which was called luch, which was basically a resinous wood that could be charred on both ends. Basically, if this Duke hatch was hit with this weapon, he would surely die.
These spiritual storm shamans, or weather practitioners, battled against the destructive weather patterns summoned by neighboring shamans or even by more mythical entities. In certain regions, the leader of the storm and hail clouds that the vetronac fought against was thought to be a colossal black bird. In other regions, it was taught that these clouds were brought by the spirits of the hanged and the drowned people. However, typically, these individuals fought against the same foe who brought forth the storm and hail clouds, which was referred to by various names such as Allah, arshadaya, or lamya, and was imagined as a monstrous, serpent-like creature.
For example, when a dark cloud appeared over the fields of his village, the oblachar would rush directly beneath it and begin running back and forth, waving his arms or holding a raised stick in its direction until he was exhausted and soaked. This was his way of battling against the arshadaya, which was believed to fly in low, dark clouds and spew hail from its wide mouth. If the cloud moved away without discharging hail, it was believed that the oblachar had defeated the Archdale and its followers. As a reward for his efforts, the oblacher would receive the wheat from his fellow villagers every year.
Does may, like the veteran o bloodshar and duhaj, would confront the Allah or neighboring's May when bad weather approached. To do this, he would fall into a deep sleep or a death-like trance and send his spirit in the form of a winged snake or a lizard to battle the demon. During the battle, the man's body lay motionless and vulnerable, but swinging a blade above him or placing it at his head would prevent him from harm from the hour.
In order to preserve the supernatural power of a newborn dragon—that is to say, a newborns do hatch, a newborn storm shaman—certain rituals were carried out. Velles, today is North Macedonia, 12 girls would gather cotton, spin yarn from it, weave a cloth, and make a shirt and dress the Dragon Boy in it. While in less coverts, in Serbia, three old women were attached with spinning yarn, knitting a shirt, and dressing the child in it, all within a day and night without uttering a word. These practices were believed to give the Dragon Boy the ability to defeat an hour.
It is crucial to consider a very important aspect in of South Slavic folklore when we talk about it: the Slavic dragon. [Music] The Slavic Dragon, which we know as May or smile, was originally a subterranean being and an adversary to the storm God Perun, who consumed everything in its path.
In the South Slavic folklore, this creature was often referred to by foreign names like Allah, lamya, which is derived from Greek, and arsdaya, which is derived from Persian via diottomans. Consequently, the terms May or smile, which initially represented this creature, started being used to denote its opponents and even the storm God himself. This resulted in the lamya, Allah, and ashdaya being associated with subterranean and aquatic traits, while this is Mayors May was linked with celestial and fiery characteristics.
Nevertheless, the terms May or Ismail is sometimes used for both the malevolent and benevolent beings, portraying two dragons clashing during a storm. Such is the example from the Macedonian folktale called Yanina plocha, meaning gyanas tombstone. This detail is basically told for a stone which stands in the field and is regarded as the tombstone of a mythical maiden who was called Yana. So, basically, in this tale, we see two opposing dragons fighting each other. One of them lives on a mountain peak which is called Perun, and obviously he embodies the ancient storm God, while the other, with a cattle head, dwells in the depths of a Cave's Waters.
As a result, in certain South Slavic regions like Eastern and South and Serbia, Western Bulgaria, and Macedonia, the vitrovnik was known as smai or smei, meaning Dragon, who fought against the lamia, Allah, and arshdaya, which were the sources of hail storms.
Saint Ilya, or in English pronounced Saint Elijah, the Christian successor of Perun, also fought against Allah, which is normal since he originally fought against the dragon that these names replaced. When he saw an Allah destroying crops, he would summon dragons or Dragon men—basically, this to hatch, the storm Shaman—to help him attack the demon. The dragon men would then fall asleep, and their souls would assist the saint against the Allah in the Thundering clouds, shooting fiery arrows which appeared as Lightning Strikes.
That this understanding was not a result of Christianity becomes even more apparent when we look at the Slovenian name for the vetrovnak, which is krsnik, a name derived from the mythical being cresnik, which is a local Slovenian name for Perun. Therefore, true folklore, we can once again observe the continuity of an ancient Pagan practice where the weather shamans originally aided the storm God Perun in his battle against the dragon, an epic battle which is found in various other Indo-European cultures.
As you already know, in some areas there was a belief that Dragon boys were born with small wings and were the children of dragons who were capable of fighting against the Allah, and during thunderstorms, the dragon could take their sons away with them. In other regions, it was believed that Dragon boys were born with tails and later grew Wings, which they used to fly into the sky to shoot witches with Thunderbolts.
The dragon, believed to be the father of these Dragon boys or storm shamans, was originally the storm got Perun, who was later replaced by a saint with similar characteristics as the dragon. The South Slavic Dragon, believed to be the father of the Dragon boys or the, uh, storm shamans, was originally the storm God Perun, who was later replaced by a saint with similar characteristics.
As the South Slavic Dragon, this mythological creature was envisioned as a fiery being with wings and serpent-like shape, who could also transform into an eagle or a human. Each Dragon had its own territory and was benevolent towards humans, ensuring that the right amount of rain fell in the appropriate time of crop growth, and so forth.
However, dragons had sworn enemies in the form of the lamia, Allah, and dashdaya, who led storms and hail clouds over the fields to destroy crops, consume fertility, and steal cattle. Whenever the dragons saw and Nala approaching, it would fly into the clouds to fight the demon and drive it away with fiery arrows and stones that created thunder and lightning, exactly the same way like Saint Elijah does and Perun as well.
In the ancient Slavic mythology, tales of men born from the union of women and Dragons were not uncommon. These men were endowed with incredible strength and abilities, able to turn into dragons and fly during times of crisis, particularly in battles. Serbian epic poetry tells us of two such heroes, that is, Sekula Banovic and smile organiz, whose name literally means "the fiery dragon" or "wolf the fiery Dragon," who were Medieval Nobles and the Warriors with mythical attributes attached to their stories.
The transformation of Heroes into Dragon was described in various ways, such as doning a dragon shirt, revealing hidden wings, or letting their spirit take the form of a winged snake. In some instances, the transformation was not explicitly stated, but rather implied by descriptions of the hero's fight. Additionally, the Russian epic hero Volkhov Sislaviewicz was said to be the son of a dragon and could transform into various animals, including a falcon, aurox, and a wolf, among other things, as described in the folk poems.
The legacy of the Slavic storm shamans lives on as a testament to the power of human connection to nature and the elements. As we delve deeper into the mysteries of the past, we discover a world of myths and legends that continue to inspire and intrigue us today. If you enjoyed this video, please give it a thumbs up and consider subscribing to my channel for more such content. Don't forget to hit the notification bell so you never miss an upload, and don't forget to check out my books on mythology and folklore for a deeper dive into the world of ancient legends. Thank you for watching. I will see you in the next video. Bye bye.