Supernatural has always attracted the attention of many people of all nationalities across all continents.This inexhaustible, permanent interest has always influenced the myths, religious ideas, folklore and even ordinary everyday life of every nation.To study and discuss all this heritage can be infinitely long.In this same article, we will touch upon this phenomenon only one side - the part of the inhabitants of the other world, which we usually call "supernatural beings."List and description of all these creatures in full would have an entire library, so we restrict ourselves to the most famous and popular in modern culture there.
Gnomes
word "dwarf" is translated from the Latin language indicates an underground dweller.There are these creatures in almost all regions of the earth, where is there a desert or mountainous terrain.The traditional, all the usual image of the gnome is derived from the German-Scandinavian folklore, but is also known among the Slavs (eg, Polish dwarves - relatives of dwarves).His pygmy people living in mountain caves, and is found in the Urals, where it is called the Chud, the Chuchkov.According to popular legend, these supernatural beings engaged in jewelry business, production and all kinds of treasures, among other things, have considerable knowledge of medicine.
Nature Dwarfs
itself, the word "dwarf", according to one version, was used in the XVI century, Paracelsus - famous European doctor and occultist.He used it to refer to the land of spirits - elementals.The last - this supernatural creatures that move the world, by acting on one of the four elements - earth, air, fire or water.So, perfume named Paracelsus gnomes, just living in the element of earth.Later the term came to mean the entire list of supernatural beings living, according to legend, underground and united by common characteristics - appearance, profession and so on.
Goblins Goblins - is another category of people of supernatural neighbors.In general, they can be regarded as the extended family of gnomes.They also live underground in the mountain gorges, dotted with caves.Like many legends of gnomes, goblins can not tolerate sunlight.But if gnomes - they are representatives of all the Scandinavian and Germanic folklore, the goblin - a character from the Roman culture.Needless to its name, these supernatural beings received from Old French.
Appearance goblins described in legends is very different.But unchanging feature of all of them - it's an incredible ugliness.Goblins are like people, can be an increase from thirty centimeters to two meters.When needed, they can be converted and beautiful people.But they always give long ears, claws on hands and sinister animal eyes.The only exception to the rule - a British hobgoblins that play a role in the British folklore lovely brownies, which we will discuss further.
Brownies
creatures, which are known in Russia under the name of house - this is perhaps the most common in world folklore character.Of course, they describe different and differently interact with them, but all the creatures head the list of supernatural beings.The Slavic tribes and was called Kutna their gods.Brownie lives with a family in their home and watching the economy, security and favorable atmosphere.However, if the owners careless, he can appear formidable and frightening creature.About that, where there is this guardian of home comfort, there was no consensus.Some believe that this manifestation of ancestor, the progenitor of the genus.Others insisted that it was the deceased family member.With the Christianization of Rus' faith in the brownies did not disappear, but the people have become the prevailing view that it is a spirit sent by God, or, conversely, small demon, devil shares, to as much harm to the residents.However, vodilos also a belief that the household are unrepentant sinners whom God sent as punishment to serve the people as the spirits of the defenders.
Russian brownies
Anyway, the house was the one from whom depended on the welfare of the family.Therefore, it has always tried to build a good relationship.It was decided to feed the brownie, leaving him in a special place with a plate of food.Grateful Spirit dwelling protected from thieves, fire, averting troubles and misfortunes.Especially peksya house on livestock, and mostly about horses.It was believed that at night he was busy in the stables, taking care that the horse did not go hungry or unkempt.Like other supernatural beings, in Russia it was believed that the house can predict the future.For example, if you hear the roar of the night, howling, crying, and the like ominous signs, we have to wait for trouble.If there is quiet at night laughing, rejoicing, and the like, the family for a pleasant surprise.
Some legends appear and house female.In some cases it is even on entire families brownies.However, this folklore is much rarer.
Dragons
very popular supernatural beings, the list of which has hundreds of species around the world - a dragon.Currently, the popularity of all the increases, thanks to the massive enthusiasm for the genre of fantasy art.Legends of the supernatural beings that looked like a huge lizard, dissecting airspace and breathe fire, literally known in all continents from all tribes and peoples.The storyline in them can be very different, respectively, and different cultural codes and symbols that they carry.In Asia, for example, dragons - is the wisest beings descended from heaven, and gave people the knowledge, culture, medicine, teach them magic, agriculture and morality.In the West, on the contrary, they are the chthonic monsters, carrying with them only death and destruction.In Christian times the dragon is often associated with the devil, but at the same time, he was a favorite heraldic symbol.The battle with him for the sake of the woman or the acquisition of wealth - a typical story for the European and Slavic folklore.
Unicorns
Our list of supernatural beings continues an interesting character, like a unicorn.Depicts him, usually in the form of a horse with a beautiful straight horn that grows from the forehead.
The earliest image of this animal come from India, and their age is estimated four thousand years.Gradually the character from Asia entered the ancient Greece and Rome.But there he was considered a very real animal.Such beliefs among the Greeks spread through physician named Ctesias, who spent many years in Persia, and on their return to Greece, described in his writings massive Indian donkeys, who grows horn on his forehead.All this took place in the V century BC, and later popularized by Aristotle.The traditional appearance of a unicorn horse today was not initially taken for granted.He presented with a body of a goat, and ox, and according to some descriptions, it being more like a rhinoceros.
Unicorns in the later legends
In later Western mythology unicorn appeared as ferocious as a creature, a meeting which promised death.But, being the embodiment of morality and holiness, this creation could only be tamed virgin and retained subordinated only to the golden bridle.Not surprisingly, the spread of Catholicism this animal was one of the emblems of the Virgin Mary.His enemies were elephants and lions.Belief in them was so strong in Europe and Russia, which in the XIX century were conducted naturalistic studies to find out whether there are supernatural beings called unicorns, in fact or not.Several European monarchs, including Russian tsars, were proud that their rods - the attributes of royal power - made from the horns of the animal.There was even the European market to sell these horns, in which Russian merchants (mainly from coast-dwellers) have played an important role.Today, we found that actually belonged to the horns narwhals.
Werewolves Werewolves - is yet another supernatural beings, the list of species which exceeds all conceivable limits.But they all have in common - they have the ability to turn from people into animals, and vice versa.Most often it is the wolves, but actually known legend in which heroes and turned into birds, and fish, and other animals.Unlike reincarnation werewolves from other magical transformations it is that they produce either on their own or in certain circumstances, but in any case are transformed into people back.In Russian mythology he possessed this ability, even one of the heroes on behalf of the Volga Svyatoslavich.Werewolf was, according to popular legend, Prince Vseslav of Polotsk.Extremely popular subjects in similar Indian, Norse and Celtic mythology.In addition, the ability of such reincarnations almost everywhere appropriated witches.During the Inquisition charged with this act serve as a pretext to initiate an investigation of the links with the devil.
werewolves sometimes distinguished by birth and those who have become such by any reason.To be born a werewolf could the man whose mother during pregnancy eat the meat of an animal killed by a wolf, or bore the curse of lycanthropy herself.And to acquire the ability to apply to animals can be a magical way, or become an apostate.It was believed that in the latter case, the person becomes a werewolf, however, after his death.The latter are adjacent and children who have died are not baptized.Accordingly, some werewolves are experiencing this ability as a curse, others are used as magic gift and know how to manage this feat.
Ghosts and ghost
Ghosts - this is perhaps the only supernatural beings, and a list of photos that can be viewed from a strictly scientific standpoint.The phenomenon is so unprecedented that goes beyond the myths and legends, and is part of everyday life.And today a lot of people, even grown under advanced civilization, but, moreover, belief in the existence of ghosts.Moreover, a large number of eyewitnesses said that had or have contact with them.It is not just about mediums and parapsychology, but also specialists who are under the strict academic science.However, the number of the latter is small.But the amount of evidence, mysterious photos and videos depicting ghosts, enormous.
According to the most common beliefs, ghosts - the souls of dead people.Why do they appear in this world and what is their nature - there is no consensus.But that in the form of translucent silhouettes appear dead, no doubt virtually none.
Mermaid
completes our list of supernatural beings mermaid.In contemporary culture, it is very ambivalent character.Immediately I must say that the beautiful maiden with fish tails - this is not a mermaid, this sea maiden.Mermaids same - this girl is completely human form, derived from the Slavic legends.In pre-Christian times, they were considered the spirits of the rivers, and after Christianization widely believed that mermaids are drowned, killed herself.For the sin of suicide do not accept them in the next world, but because they have to serve his sentence on the ground, living on the river bottom.The only night when the mermaids come ashore - is the night of the summer solstice.
Conclusion As already mentioned, the characters listed above - it's not all supernatural beings.List they can continue to tens and hundreds of thousands of items, if the details to delve into the beliefs of each people.Curious, no doubt, be able to do this and still find a lot of unknown material.
