About Gamayun, things half-maiden-half-bird, epics and songs were composed. Her image is found in painting and art. It is also on the coats of arms of Russian cities. Who is Gamayun? What is its role in Slavic myths and legends?

Gamayun is a mythical magical bird in Russian culture. She lived in Bright Iria - the habitat of the Gods. The image of things of the bird Gamayun was so loved that its name was used as a personal name, the name was used as a name in toponymy. The name itself perhaps comes from “gamanit”, that is, to tell, to speak. The familiar word “gomon” is related to the word “Gamayun”.

What is the appearance of the Gamayun bird?

As we can see from numerous images, including those included in the treasury of Russian painting, Gamayun has the head and chest of a beautiful maiden, and the body of a large bird, the feathers are bright and expressive. Sometimes there are no human features in Gamayun’s appearance; she is a huge bird. Here and there there are references that Gamayun is capable of transformation and completely becomes a maiden. Many descriptions indicate that Gamayun has no legs, sometimes even wings. This is what they say about her in an ancient manuscript:

Gamayun is a bird like the mancoria, which he also calls the bird of paradise, with a majesty more than a bird’s tail, with a tail of seven spans, a leg and wings, but it constantly flies through the air with its tail, and never rests, the color of its feathers is more beautiful, and desirable for human vision.

Thus, the bird is unusual, unearthly. She is able to visit all corners of the Manifest World, sits on branches in the forest - they see her there.

Why is Gamayun a prophetic bird? What other abilities does she have?

There has long been a belief about Gamayun:

If Gamayun blows his wings on someone’s head, he will be his ruler. If Gamayun interrupts his flight, this is fraught with great troubles.

If it falls to the ground and dies, then the sign foreshadows the death of a high-ranking person, a prince. Flies from the east - a terrible storm will break out. She can also change the weather: she calls the wind, she calls for rain.

The content of Gamayun’s song also talks about the future, tells the will of higher powers. In general, everything about Gamayun is known: how the earth came into being, the people on it, the birds, the animals. By talking with the magic bird, you can learn all these secrets. Gamayun can influence people and influence people with his power. In general, Gamayun talks a lot, helps righteous people, and may even reveal a secret. Such a bird can teach magic, the ability to make predictions. Her singing inspires deeds and great achievements.

Is the Gamayun bird dangerous for people?

As a rule, Gamayun does not attack passers-by and does not show anger towards people. But the danger lies elsewhere. According to legends, Gamayun’s singing is so beautiful that people involuntarily listen to it, forget themselves, their affairs, and follow things like a bird wherever they look. However, the phenomenon of Gamayun is definitely happiness both in the present and in the future. In addition, Gamayun inspires poets, singers, storytellers - he tells them magical stories and images.

Gamayun is the embodiment of poetry, magic, secret knowledge and creativity. It is no wonder why the image of birds is so popular among poets, artists, and writers. In addition, Gamayun embodies the mystical principle in nature. Our ancestors spoke about it. Let us remember about Gamayun and other mysterious creatures while studying Slavic mythology!

Read more about Slavic mythology.

Image

Gamayun.Drawing by V. Korolkova//Great Encyclopedia of Myths and Legends [Electronic resource]2016 URL: http://www.vsemifu.com/mifu/slaviane/gamayun.php (access date: 04/16/2016).

Etymology

For decades, local historians have tried to define the original origin of the name “gamayun”. One of the first versions was put forward at the beginning of 1950 by the historian V. G. Birbkov, who wrote that Gamayuns were named so “for their melodious talk... Gamayun is a mythical bird with a woman’s head, distinguished by its love of singing.” It was this version that was leading in all subsequent years.

Obviously, due to the lack of information about the myths where the image of the Gamayun bird is present, many local historians confused it with another mythical creature similar in appearance - the Sirin songbird, which became the emblem of Russian folklore. The bird Gamayun screamed, she prophesied happiness.

No one doubts the origin of the word, since the root “gam”, which means cry, speaks for itself. Considering the fact that the drawn-out dialect of the Gamayuns is given considerable importance, as one of the characteristic features of this ethnic group, it can be assumed that perhaps there were myths in which the Slavs described the drawn-out cry of this bird, similar to human hubbub - the discordant hum of human voices, however, such information has not yet been found.

Several versions about the origin of the name “gamayun” were put forward by historians of local history expeditions of the USU in 1964: 1. Gamayun (gomoyun) - a nickname for people with acrimonious speech. “And in Mikhailovskoye, Gamayuns live.” (Pervouralsky district). 2.A nickname for speakers of a different dialect. “The Vyatka people were called Gamayuns” (Kamensk-Uralsky district). 3. Hardworking, diligent worker. The explanatory dictionary of V.I. Dahl reports - Gomoyun (m), gomoyunka (f) - this is how in Russia in the Penza, Kazan and Perm provinces they called a caring, diligent, hardworking worker. In the surrounding provinces they spoke Homoyun, in the Akaka provinces they spoke Gamayun.

The poet Nikolai Klyuev dedicated the following lines to this bird:

I love raspberry padun
Leaf fall is burning and combustible,
That's why my poems are like clouds
With the distant thunder of warm strings.
This is how Gamayun sobs in his sleep,
That the bard forgotten by the tour is mighty.

Appearance

She has a woman's face and breasts. Sometimes she is depicted simply as a large bird flying from the depths of the sea.

Origin

The image originally came from Eastern (Persian) mythology. In the mythology of ancient Iranians there is an analogue - the bird of joy Humayun. Gamayun is a prophetic bird in Slavic mythology, singing divine songs to people, foretelling the future and prophesying happiness to those who know how to hear the secret. The saying “Gamayun is a prophetic bird” is well known. Gamayun knows everything in the world and knows how to control the weather. It was believed that when Gamayun flies from the direction of the sunrise, a storm comes behind her.

Habitat

Gamayun lives on Buyan Island (in the Alatyr Sea). According to another version, its habitat is a certain Makari Island (some researchers believe that this is just another name for the same Buyan. In the ancient “Book, verb Kosmography,” the map shows a round plain of land, washed on all sides by a river-ocean. On the eastern on the side is designated "the island of Macarius, the first under the very east of the sun, near the blissful paradise; therefore it is so called that the birds of paradise Gamayun and Phoenix fly into this island and wear a wonderful fragrance. " When Gamayun flies, a deadly storm emanates from the solar east.

The bad weather has cleared up,
A menacing cloud was rising.
The oak trees made noise and bowed down,
The grass and feather grass swayed in the field.
Then Gamayun flew - the prophetic bird -
From the eastern side,
Raising a storm with wings.
From behind the mountains flew high...
Gamayun
Posted by Alena Agapova

Relatives

The bird Gamayun is the messenger of the Slavic gods, their herald.

Character traits and habits

Gamayun is one of the incarnations of the god of wisdom Veles in the mythology of the ancient Slavic peoples. It is also called the things bird or the talking bird. Gamayun received such epithets for the fact that she is a rather talkative creature, a meeting with which in most cases turns out to be some positive events for a person. In accordance with ancient Slavic legends, Gamayun is the bird of Reveal (its dark antipode is Sirin, a creature belonging to the world of Navi). Gamayun always helps worthy, sincere and honest people; she can easily suggest the most optimal solution to a problem or even reveal a secret. As the incarnation of the god of wisdom, Gamayun has a colossal amount of knowledge about all aspects of the universe, so a correctly asked question always leads to a comprehensive answer. According to ancient belief, the cry of the bird Gamayun foretells happiness. The bird Gamayun is the messenger of the Slavic gods, their herald. She sings divine hymns to people and proclaims the future to those who agree to listen to the secret. She, like a prophetess, is always alone.

Interests

Gamayun is a prophetic bird in Slavic mythology, singing divine songs to people, foretelling the future and prophesying happiness to those who know how to hear the secret. Gamayun knows everything in the world, about the origin of the earth and sky, gods and heroes, people and monsters, animals and birds. knows how to control the weather. It was believed that when Gamayun flies from the direction of the sunrise, a storm comes behind her.

Friends

Found and posted by Alena Agapova

Enemies

We did not find any mythological enemies of the Gamayun bird.

Characteristic phrases, quotes

Gamayun is a prophetic bird.

A. Block GAMAYUN - THING BIRD

Sunset in purple,
She speaks and sings
Unable to lift the troubled ones with wings...
The yoke of the evil Tatars is broadcast,
Broadcasts a series of bloody executions,
And coward, and hunger, and fire,
The strength of the villains, the death of the right...
Embraced by eternal horror,
The beautiful face burns with love,
But things ring true
Mouths clotted with blood!..

V. Vysotsky DOMES

How will I look today, how will I be able to breathe?!
The air is cool before a thunderstorm, cool and sticky.
What will I sing today, what will I hear?
Prophetic birds sing - yes, everything is from fairy tales.

The Sirin bird grins at me joyfully -
Cheers, calls from the nests,
But on the contrary, he is sad and sad,
The wonderful Alkonost poisons the soul.

Like seven cherished strings
They rang in their turn -
This is the Gamayun bird
Gives hope!

In the blue sky, pierced by bell towers, -
Copper bell, copper bell -
Either he was happy or he was angry...
Domes in Russia are covered with pure gold -
So that the Lord notices more often.

I stand as if before an eternal riddle,
Before the great and fabulous land -
Before salty and bitter-sour-sweet,
Blue, spring, rye.

Chomping greasy and rusty dirt,
The horses are tied up to their stirrups,
But they draw me in with a sleepy power,
That she was limp, swollen from sleep.

Like seven rich moons
Stands in my way -
That is the bird Gamayun
Gives hope!

A soul overwhelmed by losses and expenses,
A soul erased by the rifts -
If the flap has thinned to the point of bleeding,
I'll patch it up with gold patches -
So that the Lord notices more often!

B. Grebenshchikov SIRIN, ALKONOST, GAMAYUN

In the housing offices there is forest twilight,
On the roofs of houses there are lanterns with Egyptian darkness.
The ice has broken, this often happens in the spring
No one told those living on the ice floes
What could be so...

How do we know what a wave is?
Midday faun, the trembling of mermaids in the darkness...
Night is coming - let's start preparing for winter;
And maybe the next one to knock
At our door,
There will be a war...

I'll take over the mirrors
Someone else is hops and trembling loaches...
Everyone is already here: Sirin, Alkonost, Gamayun;
As we agreed, I will wait on that
Glass side.

A. Remizov. GAMAYUN
One hunter tracked down a strange bird with the head of a beautiful maiden on the shore of a lake. She sat on a branch and held a scroll with writing in her claws. It read: “You will go through the whole world by untruth, but you will not turn back!” The hunter crept closer and was about to pull the bowstring when the bird-maiden turned her head and said: “How dare you, pathetic mortal, raise a weapon against me, the prophetic bird Gamayun!” She looked into the hunter's eyes, and he immediately fell asleep. And in a dream he dreamed that he saved two sisters - Truth and Untruth - from an angry boar. When asked what he wanted as a reward, the hunter answered: “I want to see the whole world.” From edge to edge. “It’s impossible,” said Pravda. - The light is immense. In foreign lands, sooner or later you will be killed or enslaved. Your wish is impossible. “It’s possible,” her sister objected. - But for this you must become my slave. And henceforth live a lie: lie, deceive, deceive. The hunter agreed. Many years later. Having seen the whole world, he returned to his native land. But no one recognized him or recognized him: it turns out that his entire native village fell into the open ground, and in this place a deep lake appeared. The hunter walked for a long time along the shore of this lake, grieving over his losses. And suddenly I noticed on a branch that same scroll with ancient writings. It read: “You will go through the whole world by untruth, but you will not turn back!”
Great Book of Myths

Image in art

Gamayun, the prophetic bird, Vasnetsov - description of the painting // Museums of the World [Electronic resource]. 2016. URL: http://goo.gl/dtUPb9

Gamayun, illustration by I. Biblibin // Encyclopedia of fictional heroes [Electronic resource]. 2016. URL: http://www.bestiary.us/blogs/gaid/illjustracija-gamajun-bilibin-ivan (access date: (04/18/2016).

Gamayun the prophetic bird, A. Shishkin // Gallerix [Electronic resource]. 2016.URL:gallerix.ru (date of access: 04/18/2016).

A. Asov. Songs of the bird Gamayun. Myths and legends of the ancient Slavs. Audiobook. // Book.tr200.net [Electronic resource]. 2016. URL:book.tr200.net (access date: 04/18/2016).
Songs of the bird Gamayun // youtube.com [Electronic resource]. 2016. URL:[ (date of access: 04/18/2016).
Song of the bird Gamayun // youtube.com [Electronic resource]. 2016. URL:[ (date of access: 04/18/2016).
Song of the bird Gamayun Tangle 1 // youtube.com [Electronic resource]. 2016. URL:[ (date of access: 04/18/2016).
Information posted by Alena Agapova

Works in which the creature appears

• A. Asov Myths for children

Audiobook

It is known that if you follow the feather of the Gamayun bird, it will lead to the Magic Land. Where is this wonderful country located? Both far and close... The path to it can only be found far from big cities and highways. For example, in the mysterious forests beyond the Volga near Lake Svetloyar. After all, there, as every novice wizard knows, there is a Fire Gate leading to the invisible Kitezh-grad... Following the feather of a wondrous bird, you can go through those gates and see a lot of wonderful things behind them... There, in Kitezh-grad, myths and fairy tales come to life, dreams come true, and gods and wizards, as well as dragons, mermaids, pitchforks and elves, are encountered at every step and surprise no one. In the middle of this city rises the enchanting sight of the Seven-Domed Castle with the Tower of the Star in the middle. And in this castle, chained to the golden throne is the Star Book, which contains the tales of the Magic Land. These legends were sung by the bird Gamayun and other magical birds of her flock - Sirin and Alkonost, flying here from the transcendental Land of Happiness. And recently it happened that one boy, an ordinary Moscow schoolboy, ended up in this invisible city, about whose adventures we will tell now. He came to the village to visit his grandmother for the summer holidays and unexpectedly found himself in the Magic Land. And not only did he get there, but he also became an apprentice to the ruler of Kitezh-grad, the wizard Veliyar. This wizard taught him miracles, and he also cast a spell of silence on his lips, passing over them with the feather of the Gamayun bird. And we would never have known about the adventures of this boy and his friends if the magic bird herself had not wished for it! After all, only the bird Gamayun can lift the spell of silence... So let us follow her feather, enter the world of Kitezh legends and see how the old myth continues with a new fairy tale!..

• A. Asov Myths for children

Filmography

Similar creatures in the myths of other peoples, fairy tales, and fantastic works

According to the hypothesis of S.M. Abramzon, the fairytale bird Khumai is genetically related to the image of Umai, the ancient female deity of the Turkic peoples. Researchers also consider as a possible version of the origin of the Slavic image of the bird Gamayun from the Iranian-Arab bird Hamaya.

Noun, number of synonyms: 3 fictional creature (334) hamayun (3) cuckoo (26) ... Synonym dictionary

Noun, number of synonyms: 3 prophetic bird (3) fictional creature (334) bird (723) ... Synonym dictionary

V. M. Vasnetsov “Gamayun, the prophetic bird”, 1895 Gamayun in Slavic mythology is a prophetic bird, singing divine songs to people and foreshadowing the future for those who know how to hear the secret. Gamayun knows... Wikipedia

In ancient Russian pagan mythology, a prophetic bird, a messenger of the gods. She informs everyone who knows how to hear the secret about the origin of the earth and sky, gods and goddesses, people and monsters, birds and animals. Source: Encyclopedia Russian Civilization ... Russian History

hamayun- A noun; 209 claim, see Appendix II (in Slavic mythology: prophetic bird) gamayu/pl. gamayu/us gamayu/nov Staring with their foreheads, the herd listens to what the curly-haired man sings to them... Dictionary of Russian accents

Modern encyclopedia

Gamayun- GAMAYUN, 1) (Persian) in Eastern mythology, a sacred bird, symbolizing happiness, wealth, power (wealth, good luck, etc. await the person on whom its shadow falls). 2) In the monuments of Russian writing (from the 17th century) a bird of paradise. On the… … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

GAMAYUN- (G. and g.; according to other Russian beliefs - a fabulous bird of paradise prophet with a human face) GAMAYUN, THE THING BIRD Cap. AB899 (I,19); I am the bird of sadness. I am Gamayun. Ahm910 (344.1); Thus Gamayun sang among the black autumn branches, ib.; ... Proper name in Russian poetry of the 20th century: dictionary of personal names

Noun, g., used. very often Morphology: (no) whom? birds, anyone? bird, (see) who? bird, by whom? bird, about whom? about a bird; pl. Who? birds, (no) who? birds, anyone? birds, (see) whom? birds, by whom? birds, about whom? about birds 1. A bird is called... ... Dmitriev's Explanatory Dictionary

GOMOYUNOV The word gamayun is found in the legends of the ancient Slayans; That’s what the mysterious prophetic bird is called there. In Russian dialects, Gamayun has received very diverse meanings: talkative, fussy; finally, diligent, hardworking: He’s like that... ...Russian surnames

Books

• Blok's life. Gamayun, the prophetic bird, Vladimir Orlov. The book by the famous literary critic and writer V.N. Orlov about Alexander Blok is an artistic and documentary narrative about the life of the great Russian poet. She introduces the personality of A. Blok -...
• Gamayun - a bird of prophecy, Arkady Perventsev. Arkady Perventsev's novel "Gamayun - the Prophetic Bird" brought to the reader's attention is basically dedicated to the working class of Moscow - machine builders and metallurgists. Along with ordinary workers...

Alkonost

The wonderful bird Alkonost, or Halcyon, with a female appearance and similar to a kingfisher, lives either on the banks of the Euphrates, or on the island of Buyan, or in the ancient Slavic paradise of Iria. The fabulously beautiful creature lays its eggs on the seabed, at the edge of the sea, and for seven days, until the chicks are born, according to legend, the weather is calm and windless. Alkonost is a bird of goodness and sadness. It does not pose any danger to humans, but on the contrary, it mourns those killed on the field after the battle. And Alkonost’s singing, similar to love itself, is so beautiful that whoever hears it can forget everything in the world.

Sirin

Another bird of paradise - Sirina, reminiscent of the ancient Greek Sirens - is usually classified as a dark force. Outwardly, she is very similar to Alkonost and is his frequent companion. However, despite the fact that, unlike Alkonost, Sirin sings songs of Joy, promising soon-to-come bliss, his singing is destructive for people, because after hearing it, you can lose your mind.

Gamayun

The prophetic Gamayun bird is a wise messenger of the Slavic gods and a harbinger of happiness. Her name probably comes from the old word “gamayun”, that is, to lull. Gamayun's cry is good news, and she sings divine songs to people. Gamayun knows about everything in the world, knows the secrets about the origin of the earth and sky and is ready to tell about the future to everyone who knows how to understand the secret. In Slavic mythology, it was customary to turn to her for advice. According to popular beliefs, this miracle bird was born along with our world and its purpose is to remind people of the highest values ​​of existence.

Stratem

The mysterious and gigantic Stratim-bird, also known as the Straphil-bird, is the archetype of the progenitor, the mother of all birds. She lives on the sea-ocean and holds the whole white world under her right wing. Stratim personified the most terrible and permissive forces of nature. She will flap her wing - the sea will become agitated, she will scream - a storm will rise, and if she will fly - she will cover the white light... Ships will sink in the sea, the deepest abysses will open up, cities and forests will disappear under water.

Firebird

The most famous and late bird in the world of Russian folk fantasy is the Firebird, which has adopted some properties of many other fairy-tale birds. Its prototype was obviously Phoenix. Resembling a peacock, she also lives in the beautiful Garden of Eden of Iria in a golden cage, from which she flies out only at night. Its golden feathers are capable of shining in the darkness and amaze human vision, but at the same time, the Firebird returns the ability to see to the blind, and its singing heals the sick. At the same time, when she sings, pearls fall from her beak. The Firebird feeds on golden apples, which give her eternal youth, beauty and immortality. Perhaps that is why fairy-tale heroes hunted for her, and musicians and artists sang her in their works.

By its nature, the hamayun is not aggressive and does not pose a direct danger to humans, but it has a difficult character and therefore behaves somewhat arrogantly, treating people as beings of a lower order.

The Gamayun's homeland is Makariysky Island, but on its travels the half-bird visits almost all lands, preferring for stops light forest edges, far from human habitats; it also often visits Iriy.

Capabilities

The hamayun bird is capable of predicting the future, as well as revealing lies; it knows everything in the world: what was, what is and what will be.

How to fight?

In Slavic mythology there is no indication of the presence of supernatural vitality among Gamayuns, however, it can be assumed that, like the inhabitants of Iria, they do not age, but are vulnerable to any earthly weapon. And yet it is impossible to fight the half-bird, since it knows in advance everything that will happen, but there is no point in resisting it, since the hamayun does not attack people and does not seek to harm them.