ABOUT NAVIA
Navi (navii) - spirits of the dead. This name comes from an Indo-European word that originally meant a funeral rite or a river through which the deceased sail to the realm of the dead. In Czech, for example, "nava" means a grave. There is a strange expression that still circulates among people, giving goosebumps: "to see in Navia" - meaning to wait for death or be on the verge of death. However, there is a hopeful proverb: "Rise from Navii" - meaning never lose hope.
It was believed that navii could influence the lives of the living, either helping them or causing illness and natural disasters. In the "Primary Chronicle," an epidemic in Polotsk was attributed to the dead, who were said to ride through the streets on invisible horses, shooting arrows at the living: "Navii strike the people of Polotsk" - meaning the dead attack the people with the arrows of the plague. To protect dwellings from navii, amulets, charmed objects, and the like were necessary. Clothing often featured special embroidery with protective symbols against navii. However, it is important to remember that although navii are hostile to the living, simple folk are best to keep their distance from them. For example, excessive grief over the deceased was condemned, as it was believed that one could call upon navii through one's sorrow, essentially surrendering oneself to their power. Death is irreversible, it cannot be fought against, and the past cannot be undone. The realm of the dead belongs to the dead, while the realm of the living belongs to the living.
Navii were often depicted as birds or hairy creatures with tails. Sometimes navii are manifested in the form of navno (namno) - a malevolent spirit that attacks a sleeping person and torments them, leaving bruises and bruises on their body by morning. Such a person is doomed to fall ill soon, or even die.
Among the Slavs, there were two days dedicated to appeasing and remembering navii. The first falls in the middle of the Easter week and was called the "Great Navia Day." On this day, it was imperative to leave at least a little water in the bottom of a barrel in the sauna after use to entertain the deceased, who could take pleasure in the sauna just as they did in life. The second day is still observed today and is called "Navia Day" or Radunitsa, a day to honor parents, where it is customary to visit the cemetery with food and drink to share with the departed. On this day, it is advised not to climb over fences, as it could lead to the growth of a "navia bone" in the shin or wrist, believed to be an omen of misfortune. This bone never rots in a corpse.
Southern and Western Slavs believed that navii could determine a child's fate. They thought that invisible navii gathered at the bedside of a woman in labor and decided whether the child would live or die. Those for whom death was ordained were marked with an invisible "navii sign."
ARTICLE CATALOG
Navi (navii) - spirits of the dead. This name comes from an Indo-European word that originally meant a funeral rite or a river through which the deceased sail to the realm of the dead. In Czech, for example, "nava" means a grave. There is a strange expression that still circulates among people, giving goosebumps: "to see in Navia" - meaning to wait for death or be on the verge of death. However, there is a hopeful proverb: "Rise from Navii" - meaning never lose hope.
It was believed that navii could influence the lives of the living, either helping them or causing illness and natural disasters. In the "Primary Chronicle," an epidemic in Polotsk was attributed to the dead, who were said to ride through the streets on invisible horses, shooting arrows at the living: "Navii strike the people of Polotsk" - meaning the dead attack the people with the arrows of the plague. To protect dwellings from navii, amulets, charmed objects, and the like were necessary. Clothing often featured special embroidery with protective symbols against navii. However, it is important to remember that although navii are hostile to the living, simple folk are best to keep their distance from them. For example, excessive grief over the deceased was condemned, as it was believed that one could call upon navii through one's sorrow, essentially surrendering oneself to their power. Death is irreversible, it cannot be fought against, and the past cannot be undone. The realm of the dead belongs to the dead, while the realm of the living belongs to the living.
Navii were often depicted as birds or hairy creatures with tails. Sometimes navii are manifested in the form of navno (namno) - a malevolent spirit that attacks a sleeping person and torments them, leaving bruises and bruises on their body by morning. Such a person is doomed to fall ill soon, or even die.
Among the Slavs, there were two days dedicated to appeasing and remembering navii. The first falls in the middle of the Easter week and was called the "Great Navia Day." On this day, it was imperative to leave at least a little water in the bottom of a barrel in the sauna after use to entertain the deceased, who could take pleasure in the sauna just as they did in life. The second day is still observed today and is called "Navia Day" or Radunitsa, a day to honor parents, where it is customary to visit the cemetery with food and drink to share with the departed. On this day, it is advised not to climb over fences, as it could lead to the growth of a "navia bone" in the shin or wrist, believed to be an omen of misfortune. This bone never rots in a corpse.
Southern and Western Slavs believed that navii could determine a child's fate. They thought that invisible navii gathered at the bedside of a woman in labor and decided whether the child would live or die. Those for whom death was ordained were marked with an invisible "navii sign."
