Bird Gamayun in Slavic Mythology

In Russian folklore there are many fairy and mysterious creatures, endowed with certain abilities and are harbingers of future events. Here also the bird Gamayun portrays the chosen individuals for supremacy and happiness, although in some sources it is called a mourning sadness and death.

Who is the bird Gamayun?

The name itself has an Iranian origin and is translated as "blessed", "noble", "royal". The first mention of it in Russian bookishness can be found in the treatises of Kozma Indicoplova, which arose in Russia not later than the 15th century. In them, Gamayun is a bird visiting mythical islands in the eastern sea near the paradise and exuding a wonderful fragrance. Then it was depicted without paws and wings. She flew, using her tail for tacking and never touching the ground, clinging to the branches of the trees with feathers, when she wanted to rest.

Such a delusion has certain origins. The fact is that in the beginning of the 16th century, stuffed birds without paws and wings began to bring to Europe. Traders called them birds of paradise and explained how they fly and live. Later it became known that locals simply cut off body parts and used them as amulets . But the mythical image has already been formed and found its reflection in culture, fine arts and poetry as a symbol of eternal flight and prophecy.

What does the bird Gamayun sing about?

This mythical being knows about everything in the world and is able to tell a lot, it:

Brings power to those over whom she will fly very low, almost touching her wings with her wings.
The bird Gamayun knows how to foresee the future and its outcome.
She can warn of the danger, protect, protect.

It is depicted on many flags and coats of arms as a symbol of rebirth and renewal, happiness and miraculous power. After the appearance of V. Vasnetsov's picture "Gamayun the Bird Waging", which he depicted as a black-winged woman with a gloomily beautiful woman's face, she was given a tragic meaning:

Elegant, but horrified face with gore blood foretells hunger and fire, execution, death.
The gloomy image of a bird-prophet is used in his work by poets. A. Akhmatova gives her sadness and the ability to reduce the traveler from the right path.
V. Vysotsky shows it as giving hope for the awakening of the Motherland from a dream. In the future, artists depict her with a woman's head and chest.

Gamayun Symbol

There is a myth that if you go after the feather of this bird, you can get to the magic country. There are a lot of legends and parables, in which the pen of the bird Gamayun appears. Here is one of them:

The hunter wanted to shoot this bird from a bow, not only receiving its feathers, but also the body. She put him to sleep and offered "truth" and "untruth" as a reward. He chose the latter and traveled a lot throughout the world, but when he returned, he did not find his home. For a long time he mourned for loss, and suddenly he saw on the tree where he had last seen a bird, the inscription: "You will bypass the whole world, yes, you will not return."