Kalinov Bridge meaning. Kalinov Bridge over the Currant River in Slavic mythology

Fire River (Smorodina River with Kalinov Bridge) and Baba Yaga

In fairy tales we're talking about O border river with burning water. A humpback bridge was used to cross the river. This bridge was built by the wave of Koshchei’s magic towel. Bridges over such a dangerous river could constantly burn down and be rebuilt. I assume that the names Smorodina and Kalinov Most are not fruit and berry names at all, but have the same roots with the words: death, pestilence, kalit (burn in fire).
The origin of the Fire River is not so magical, although the water itself burns in it, which is unnatural under normal conditions. Up the river, on one of its tributaries, is a city with a telling name: Urus-Martan. My free translation from Alano-Caucasian: tan (river), Mar (death), Urus (Russian). All together and will give us Currants.
A bridge that appears at the wave of a magic towel, and of the required width, looks more magical. Although if, at a signal with a towel, a team of well-trained builders got into action, who also used prefabricated bridge structures or simply built a drawbridge, then the magic disappears here too.
The burning waters of the river are explained as follows: physical processes, such as the saturation of water with flammable gases in the upper reaches and the combustion of these gases during degassing of water. Degassing of river waters may well be caused by a simple increase in their temperature. It is also possible that a mixture of gas and air could spontaneously ignite in a hot climate on a sunny day, and that it could be deliberately set on fire by border guards guarding the bridge from strangers. Due to poor controllability natural phenomenon the burning river was equally dangerous for both “ours” and their opponents, as well as for the bridge itself.
Let's consider geological phenomena in the region we are considering, they can create a magical River of Fire. We know that according to the testimony of Pliny the Elder, the Terek River in its upper reaches was a stinking river (hydrogen sulfide, which has an odor rotten eggs is also a flammable gas).
Similarly, the Black Sea can catch fire when the boundary of a water column saturated with hydrogen sulfide reaches its surface. Now this border is at a depth of 200 meters.
A similar phenomenon can be seen in the breakthrough of flammable gases through the Sarmatian limestones during the earthquake in 1904 on the western coast of the Caspian Sea. If this breakthrough had been confined to the river, then our contemporaries in 1904 would also have observed the river water seething from the release of gas. A flammable mixture of escaping gas and atmospheric air would ignite at the slightest spark.
The release of gas among the rocks did not then give rise to a “miracle” - the burning water of a fiery river, but were used in economic activity for firing rocks and receiving building materials due to the free energy of the region's underground resources.
According to fairy tales, across the River of Fire there was Baba Yaga's hut. On modern map beyond New Terek, right on the road along our route to the kingdom of the Fiery Shield, the Flaming Copy, we see the city of Babayurt, and then Khosavyurt and Kizilyurt. As you can see, all three cities have the same names and end in “yurt”. Is a yurt a nomadic dwelling - a hut? Dogwood - probably from the name of the fruit-bearing fruit tree near the yurt. I don’t know what Khosav is. And Babayurt came in very handy! We have a city that received its name from the yurt of the founder, who guarded the crossing over the River of Fire - the Baba Yaga of Russian fairy tales?!

There are a lot of references to the Kalinov Bridge. These names appear in fairy tales, epics, and conspiracies. “Just as a red-hot bridge is thrown across a river of fire, so I will walk across that bridge, lead the illness-illness by the hand, send the illness-illness to the dark shore, say goodbye to it with strong words: you, illness, leave the body (the name of the patient), get out , illness, to your dark shore. »

The Kalinov Bridge connects two worlds - the world of the Living (Yav) and the world of the Dead (Nav), which are separated from each other by a river of fire. There are many versions about its name. One of the most common says that its name comes from the words “red-hot”, from the verb “to heat” or “to heat up”. If you follow another version, then the bridge spanning the River of Fire is so named because it itself is viburnum in color, bright red. Some suggest that the name came from the fact that the bridge itself over the Fire River was woven from viburnum branches.

Overcoming the Kalinov Bridge is not so easy; on the way to the kingdom of Morana, fairy tales often depict the most dangerous obstacles. One of the most common is the terrible guard - the Serpent. In fairy tales and epics, heroes and heroes often fight with this snake. Such legends include: “The Battle on the Kalinov Bridge.”

Konstantin Vasiliev. Dobrynya's fight on Kalinov Bridge. 1969

Kalinov Bridge - in Russian epics connects the banks of the Smorodina River: on one bank - Good, on the opposite - Evil (in another interpretation - this bridge connects the world of the living and world of the dead) .
Those who set foot on the Kalinov Bridge - a border, a boundary, no longer have time to think; the choice between Good and Evil has already been predetermined by their entire previous life. It is no coincidence that Kalinov Bridge in folklore is the site of battles between knights and evil spirits.

Its name has nothing to do with the viburnum bush. In the Old Russian language, the word “viburnum” meant something very hot, red-hot. One can only guess what the bridge spanning the river of fire was actually made of, but it is obvious that the flames raging below made it red hot. However, in conspiracies, sometimes, along with the name “Kalinovy,” the name “copper” is also mentioned, that is, copper: “a river of fire flows, and there is a copper bridge across the river of fire.”

The one who steps onto the Kalinov Bridge - a border, a milestone, has no time to think, the choice between Good and Evil has already been predetermined by his entire previous life. It is no coincidence that Kalinov Bridge in folklore is the site of battles between knights and evil spirits.

Currant (Fire River) - in Slavic mythology the river separating the world of the living from the world of the dead; an obstacle that a person or his soul must overcome on the way to the “other world”.
The name of this river does not come from a berry bush, but from the Old Russian word “currant”. It was used in Rus' in the 11th-17th centuries and meant a strong, pungent odor, stench, stench. Later, when the meaning of the name of the mythical river was forgotten, a distorted and ennobled name appeared in fairy tales - “Currant”.

The fiery river Smorodina and Kalinov Bridge are often mentioned not only in fairy tales, but also in conspiracies. However, there the river is more often called simply fire or tar, which fully corresponds to its descriptions in fairy tales: “It is not the water that runs in the river, but the fire that burns, the flame blazes above the forest.” Only resin can burn so effectively. Sometimes, especially in epics, the fiery river is called the Puchai River, apparently because the boiling surface of the river bubbles, seethes, and swells.

In the fairy tale: “there are human bones all along the shore, everything around is burned with fire, the whole earth is watered with Russian blood. Near the Kalinov Bridge there is a hut on chicken legs.”

The ancient Slavic goddess Morana (Mara, Morena) is a powerful and formidable Deity, the Goddess of Winter and Death, the wife of Koshchei and the daughter of Lada, the sister of Zhiva and Lelya. Among the Slavs in ancient times, Marana was considered the embodiment of evil spirits. She had no family and wandered in the snow, visiting people from time to time to do her dirty deed. The name Morana (Morena) is really related to such words as “pestilence”, “haze”, “darkness”, “haze”, “fool”, “death”. Legends tell how Morana, with evil minions, tries to watch and destroy the Sun, but each time retreats in horror before its radiant power and beauty. Its symbols are the Black Moon, piles of broken skulls and the sickle with which it cuts the Threads of Life. The domain of Morena, according to Ancient Tales, lies beyond the black Currant River, dividing Reality and Nav, across which the Kalinov Bridge is thrown, guarded by the Three-Headed Serpent.

In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived a king and a queen. The queen had a favorite girlfriend - the priest's daughter, and the queen had a favorite servant - Chernavushka. It didn’t take long before each one gave birth to a young son. The Tsarina has Ivan Tsarevich, Popovna has Ivan Popovich, Chernavka has Vanyushka, a peasant son. The kids began to grow by leaps and bounds. They grew up to be mighty heroes.

Once they were returning from a hunt, the queen ran out of the hut and burst into tears:

My dear sons, our terrible enemies, fierce snakes, have attacked us, coming at us across the Smorodina River, across the clean Kalinov Bridge. All the people around were taken captive, the land was ravaged, and burned with fire.

Don’t cry, mother, we won’t let the kite cross the Kalinov Bridge.

In short, we got ready and let's go.

They come to the Smorodina River and see that everything around is burned with fire, the whole Russian land is watered with blood. Near Kalinov Bridge there is a hut on chicken legs.

Well, brothers,” says Ivan Tsarevich, “we can live and guard here, and not let enemies cross the Kalinov Bridge.” It's your turn to keep guard.

On the first night, Ivan Tsarevich began to guard. He put on golden armor, took a sword, and went on patrol. Waiting - waiting - quietly on the Smorodina River. Ivan Tsarevich lay down under a broom bush and fell asleep in a heroic sleep. But Vanyushka can’t sleep in the hut, he can’t lie down. Vanyushka got up, took an iron club, went out to the Smorodina River and saw Tsarevich Ivan sleeping and snoring under a bush.

Suddenly the waters in the river became agitated, the eagles screamed in the oak trees: Miracle Yudo, a six-headed snake, was leaving. When he blew in all directions, he burned everything for three miles with fire! His horse stepped onto the Kalinov Bridge. Vanyushka jumped up, swung his iron club - he knocked off three heads, swung it again - knocked off three more. They put their heads under the bridge and pushed their bodies into the river. I went to the hut and went to bed.

In the morning, Tsarevich Ivan returned from patrol. His brothers ask him:

So, Tsarevich, how did the night go?

Quietly, brothers, not even a fly flew past me. Vanyushka sits and remains silent.

The next night Ivan Popovich went on patrol. Waiting - waiting - quietly on the Smorodina River. Ivan Popovich lay down under a willow bush and fell asleep in a heroic sleep. In the middle of the night Vanyushka took an iron club and went to the Smorodina River. And near the Kalinov Bridge, under a bush, Ivan Popovich sleeps and snores, like the forest is noisy.

Suddenly the waters in the river became agitated, the eagles screamed in the oak trees: Miracle Yudo, a nine-headed serpent, was leaving. Under him, the horse stumbled, the raven on his shoulder perked up, and the dog behind him bristled. The nine-headed snake got angry:

Why are you, dog meat, stumbling, you, crow feather, trembling, you, dog hair, bristling? There is no enemy for me in the whole world!

The raven from his right shoulder answers him:

There is an opponent in the world for you - a Russian hero, Ivan - a peasant son.

Ivan, the peasant’s son, was not born, and if he was born, he was not fit for war, I’ll put him in the palm of my hand, I’ll slam him with another, it’ll only make him wet.

Vanyushka got angry:

Do not boast, enemy power! Without catching a clear falcon, it’s too early to pluck feathers, without fighting with a good fellow, it’s too early to brag.

So they came together and hit - only the earth around them groaned. Miracle Yudo - the nine-headed snake drove Ivan ankle-deep into the ground. Vanyushka got excited, went wild, swung his club, and blew off three snake heads like heads of cabbage.

Stop, Ivan - the peasant's son, give me, Miracle Yudo, a rest!

What a rest for you, enemy power! You have nine heads - I have one!

Ivanushka swung and took off three more heads, and Miracle Yudo hit Ivan and drove him knee-deep into the ground. Then Vanyushka contrived, grabbed a handful of earth and threw it into the Snake’s eyes.

While the Serpent was rubbing his eyes and clearing his eyebrows, Ivan the peasant son knocked off his last three heads. They put their heads under the bridge and threw their bodies into the water.

In the morning, Ivan Popovich returned from patrol, his brothers asked:

So, Popovich, how was your night?

Quiet, brothers, only the mosquito squeaked over your ear.

Then Vanyushka led them to the Kalinov Bridge and showed them the snake heads.

Oh, you sleepy sleepyheads, should you really fight? You should be lying on the stove at home!

On the third night, Vanyushka goes on patrol. He puts on cowhide boots, puts on hemp mittens, and punishes his older brothers:

Dear brothers, I am going to a terrible battle, lie down, sleep, listen to my scream.

Here Vanyushka stands at the Kalinov Bridge, behind him is the Russian land. Time passed after midnight, the waters on the river became agitated, and the eagles began to scream in the oak trees. The Serpent Gorynych, the twelve-headed Miracle Yudo, leaves. Each head sings with its own tune, flames blaze from its nostrils, smoke pours out of its mouth. The horse under him has twelve wings. The horse's fur is iron, its tail and mane are fiery.

The Serpent drove onto the Kalinov Bridge. Then the horse stumbled under him, the raven started, and the dog behind him bristled. Miracle Yudo whips a horse on the hips, a crow on the feathers, a dog on the ears.

Why are you, dog meat, stumbling, you, crow feather, trembling, you, dog hair, bristling? Ali, do you think Ivan is the peasant’s son here? Yes, if he was born, and even fit for war, I just blow - his ashes will remain!

Vanyushka got angry and jumped out:

Without fighting with a good fellow, it’s too early, Miracle Yudo, to brag!

Vanyushka swung, knocked off the Snake’s three heads, and the Snake drove him ankle-deep into the ground, picked up his three heads, struck them with a fiery finger - all the heads grew back as if they had never fallen. He breathed fire on Rus' - he set everything on fire for three miles. Vanyushka sees that things are bad, he grabbed a pebble and threw it into the hut - give a sign to the brothers. All the windows flew out, the shutters were smashed to pieces - the brothers were sleeping, they couldn’t hear.

Vanyushka gathered his strength, swung his club, and knocked off six heads of the Snake. The snake struck with a fiery finger - the heads grew back as if they had never fallen, and he drove Vanyushka knee-deep into the ground. He breathed fire and burned the Russian land for six miles.

Vanyusha took off his forged belt and threw it into the hut to give a sign to his brothers. The plank roof fell apart, the oak steps rolled down - the brothers were sleeping, snoring, the forest was noisy.

Vanyushka gathered his last strength, swung his club, knocked off nine of the Snake’s heads. The whole earth trembled, the water shook, eagles fell from the oak trees. The serpent Gorynych picked up his heads, struck his fiery finger - the heads grew back as if they had not fallen for centuries, and he himself drove Vanyushka waist-deep into the ground. He breathed fire and burned the Russian land for twelve miles.

Vanyushka took off his hemp mitten and threw it into the hut to give a sign to his brothers. The hut rolled over the log. The brothers woke up and jumped out. They see: the Smorodina River has risen, blood is running from the Kalinov Bridge, there is a groan on Russian soil, a raven is cawing on foreign land. The brothers rushed to help Vanyushka. A heroic battle ensued here. Miracle Yudo burns with fire and smokes. Ivan Tsarevich hits with a sword, Ivan Popovich stabs with a spear. The earth groans, the water boils, the raven croaks, the dog howls.

Vanyushka contrived and cut off the Snake’s fiery finger. At this point the brothers began to beat and stab, cut off all twelve of the Snake’s heads, and threw the body into the water.

We defended the Kalinov Bridge.

11.10.2015

In Russian folk tales More than once you can see the Kalinov Bridge on the Smorodina River, where the hero fights with the monster: “The Battle on the Kalinov Bridge”, “Ivan Bykovich”, “Ivan, the peasant’s son and a peasant himself with a finger, a mustache for seven miles”, etc. With a light hand The scrupulous researcher of fairy tales V.Ya. Propp was led to believe that the Smorodina River represents the border between worlds. Therefore, the bridge across it is a transition from one world to another.

Bridge as a symbol of unity

A bridge (like a rainbow) in many cultures symbolized the transition between worlds - between Earth and Heaven.

The Kalinov Bridge in ancient Russian epics connects the two banks of the fiery Smorodina River. On one shore is the world of the living, on the other is the kingdom of the dead. The bridge is guarded by the personification of evil - the Three-Headed Serpent, with whom the epic heroes fight for the triumph of Good.

The rainbow bridge Bifrost in German-Scandinavian myths connects the world of people (Midgard) and the world of gods (Asgard). The god Heimdall protects him from the ancient giants. When he blows the horn, then it will begin last fight between gods and giants, which will end one stage of the life of the world and begin a new one.

In China, the bridge symbolized the union of heaven and earth. The Islamic tradition describes a bridge leading to heaven, which is located over hell; by the will of Allah, the souls of the dead cross it or end up in the underworld. For the ancient Jews, the bridge acted as a sign of the Covenant made by God with His people. In Finnish mythology, a rope bridge or a thread bridge leads across the river separating the lands of the dead from the lands of the living.

In Iranian mythology, the Bridge of Separation (Chinvat Parvata) between the world of the living and the world of the dead is thrown over the Darkness and leads to the Heavenly Kingdom of Garodman. It is made of light and is like a multifaceted ray. Along its wide edges, righteous people pass into the Heavenly Kingdom, and from its narrow and sharp edges, like a dagger blade, sinners are cast into Darkness.

Japanese myths tell: standing on the Sky Bridge, the spirit of air Izanagi and the goddess of clouds Izanami create the world. In search of land, they lower a spear into the swirling clouds and discover the ocean below. The water flowing from the spear freezes and the first island is formed, on which the gods settle and create the rest of the world.

In medieval knightly legends, Lancelot must cross a “smooth sword sparkling in the sun” - a bridge - to the place of Guinevere’s imprisonment. Crossing this bridge is “full of torment and suffering.” But as soon as the knight fearlessly passes the test - he crosses the bridge to the other side, the ferocious lions waiting for him there disappear or turn into harmless lizards.

Smorodina River and Kalinov Bridge

The Currant River is one of the main symbols of our Ancestors. The River of Fire, which is crossed by the Kalinov Bridge, is the subject of endless discussion. They looked for currants among real rivers and even found some matches; she is credited with exclusively fairy-tale origins; it is considered a river around the world of the dead; the Smorodina River is considered a transcendental, mystical manifestation, and so on. But first things first.

WITH. Panasenko "Bridge over the Smorodina River"

Fire River

The Currant River is the Fire River. The name “Currant” itself has an ancient interpretation. Currant - red or fiery color. There is another interpretation of the etymology of the word “Currant”. There is an assumption that it came from the ancient Russian word “currant”, which meant a strong and pungent smell, sometimes stench, stench, and sometimes a very pleasant strong smell; for example, even incense was called “currant”. Dahl in his notes calls the currant berry a river berry, that is, growing along the banks of rivers. The same applies to Kalinov Bridge. Viburnum is a bright red color, fiery, incandescent. Both viburnum (berry, shrub) and Kalinov bridge have the same origin and refer to the word “heat”, “heat”, “heat”, i.e. something very hot and red-hot. Thus, the bridge can be called that because it is red-hot, and because it is red-hot, and because it is thrown over a hot or red river. In addition, in conspiracies the bridge over the river is also called copper.

The Smorodina River separates the world of the living from the world of the dead. It is possible to overcome it only by crossing the bridge, which is called Kalinov. It is worth saying that the river of the dead exists in other ancient beliefs. For example, the ancient Greeks had the river Styx (the river along which souls are transported to the kingdom of Hades), which the dead crossed not on a bridge, but in the boat of the ferryman Charon, as well as Leto (the river of oblivion) ​​and Acheron (the river of sorrow). At its core, the river, which is called fiery, is an obstacle on the path of the Soul, which it must overcome in order to leave the border of the world of the living and enter the world of the dead, separated from each other by an insurmountable wall of fire.

So, Kalinov Bridge connects two worlds. However, overcoming it is not so easy. On the way to the kingdom of Morana, fairy tales often depict the most dangerous obstacles. One of the most common is the terrible guard - the Serpent. In fairy tales and epics, heroes and heroes often fight with this snake, which is the personification of the battle of good and evil.

In epics and fairy tales, Baba Yaga is often mentioned, who lives next to the river and bridge, and is probably a later replacement for the Serpent or Miracle Yud. Although, it may be that everything is quite the opposite, and initially it was the goddess, who is popularly called Baba Yaga (a kind of fairy-tale version of Morana), who guards the Kalinov Bridge or helps the Soul pass from one world to another.

Kalinov Bridge symbolizes not only physical death, as the transition from earthly life to the afterlife, but also symbolic death. For example, Kalinov Bridge was often used in ritual wedding songs: the bride symbolically died, leaving her old life behind, crossed the symbolic Kalinov Bridge and entered into new life, as if being reborn, having overcome the River of Fire.

There were traditions associated with the Smorodina River in the funeral rites of the ancient Slavs. Performing special funeral rituals, people symbolically crossed the Kalinov Bridge. In addition, another fire was lit around the funeral pyre, which covered the central fence. It is this engulfing fire that researchers attribute to the beliefs about the Smorodina River and its importance in life after death. The ancient tradition of burning the dead in boats and boats also relates to crossing the afterlife river after death.

And in the battle between the hero and the monster on the border of the worlds of Life and Death, and during the transition from girlhood to marriage, the death of the previous state and the birth of a new one took place. Both a feat of arms and a wedding are initiation, dedication.

Geographical search for the Smorodina River

Many researchers have tried and are still trying to find in the Smorodina River and Kalinov Bridge not just a mythological image, but a real hydronym, that is, a really existing river, which served as the basis for the creation of myths. For example, there is an assumption that the Smorodina River refers to one of the rivers in the vicinity of St. Petersburg, which is called the “Sister” river. The fact is that the original name of the river is Sisterjoke, which is translated from Finnish as the Currant River, Sister - currant, yoke - river. This assumption is also confirmed by a message from legends that the Smorodina River is turbulent, and there are marshy swamps around it, which we can observe on the Sestra River. Another version real prototype legendary river is the Pochaina River Nizhny Novgorod and Kyiv. Researchers came to the conclusion that they are identical because in many epics and myths Smorodina is referred to as the Puchai River, which is very close in similarity to Pochaynaya. There are also opinions that the real Smorodina: the Kyzyl-su river in the Elbrus region, on the banks of which there is even a Kalinov bridge; Smorodinnaya River in Bryansk region near the village of Nine Oaks; Sneporod (left tributary of the Dnieper); Moscow River (in the recording of Kirsha Danilov (XVIII century) the hero of the song “A young soldier drowned in the Moscow River, Smorodin”) and so on. Be that as it may, none of these assumptions could take a strong position and so far they exist only in the form of versions.

Inner battle

To look for a fiery river and a bridge across it as some kind of symbolic boundary, overcoming which one can find oneself in a completely different world-space, is meaningless in geographical latitudes, because they are located in the consciousness of every person and all nationalities. And each hero has his own hour of battle with the monster in an attempt to move to a new side of existence. Our past mistakes, our bad habits thinking have tenacious paws and toothy mouths - they will fight with us for life or death. It's an internal battle. And it will happen over and over again, either increasing the intensity, or weakening its grip, giving a respite - an opportunity to comprehend what is happening, until you become a winner in it.

Thus, the Kalinov Bridge over the Smorodina River is a mandatory test that all travelers who want to go beyond the veils of this world go through... Not in the sense of getting from the world of the living to the world of the dead, but, having overcome some personification of evil within themselves, to reach new level existence, understanding, vision...

Good luck.

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The Smorodina River and Kalinov Bridge are often mentioned in Slavic mythology. In fairy tales and epics, this is the place of battles of heroes and princes with the Serpent Gorynych and Baba Yaga, and in historical legends this is a certain boundary between the two worlds of Reality and Nav.

What is Kalinov Bridge?

Fairy tales and beliefs different regions describe this boundary between worlds in different ways. In the western regions, Kalinov Bridge is:

• purgatory through which the soul enters;
• the boundary between the domains of death (Nav) and living people (Yav);
• possessions of evil power;
• kingdom of Morena;
• the place where witches draw their power;
• the path along which evil spirits come into the human world on the eve of the holiday of Ivan Kupala.

The ancient Slavs believed that only the path along the Kalinov Bridge determines whether a soul is worthy of going to heaven or its place in the fiery hyena. If during life the soul did not live by the law of God and did not adhere to the commandments, demons stopped it in the middle of the bridge and took it not into the Light, but into the Darkness. Slavic mythology does not tell us exactly where Kalinov Bridge is located; all information boils down to the fact that it is located at the end of the world.

Kalinov Bridge - what is it among the Slavs?

The Slavs believed that Kalinov Bridge was not just a transition between two worlds, but a place of atonement for deadly sins. According to legend, the bridge itself was not in Russian lands, but distant lands in the thirtieth kingdom. The pantheon of the Ancient Slavic Gods is diverse, but Morena, who has the power to decide to take a person’s life or leave him on earth, demanded worship and personal possessions. The Kalinov bridge is the path along which the goddess of Death visits the world of the living in search of new subjects.

Who guards the Kalinov Bridge?

The Winged Serpent Gorynych and Kalinov Bridge are tied together. Thus, Slavic mythology calls the place where the Smorodina River and Kalinov Bridge are located a transition between worlds, and the Serpent as a destroyer, because no one who has not completed his earthly journey can enter the territory of Morena. Zmiy Gorynych himself is also not a simple character, he:

• Three-Headed Immortal Monster;
• fire-breathing dragon;
• guardian of the gate to Nav;
• Morena's chained dog;
• stealer of beauties;
• relative of Baba Yaga.

Where the Smorodina River and Kalinov Bridge are mentioned, the Serpent Gorynych is always present. IN Ancient Rus' There were fairy tales and legends that the heroes fought the Beast and he killed many knights. They say that the square in front of the Kalinov Bridge is strewn with the bones and remains of reckless daredevils and “the monster destroyed many souls of the righteous and the unrighteous,” but there was always someone who managed to defeat the Monster and cross the border.

Kalinov Bridge - a legend

Kalinov Bridge over the Smorodina River has rich history. Some sources say that initially there was no border between the worlds, but the living and the dead did not adhere to their territory. This led to women giving birth dead babies from dead men, and dead women took living guys into their possessions and they became half-dead. Hordes of these roamed the territory of Yav, and the ground under their feet burned with hellish fire. The world of the living gradually fell into decay, and people prayed to the great gods with a request to separate the two worlds with a barrier insurmountable for both the living and the dead.

The Supreme Gods gave the order to gather all the living on one bank, and all the dead on the other. It was decided to dig a ditch between the worlds, but since a transition to the world of the dead from the world of the living was needed, a fragile bridge was laid between the sides of the ditch. This structure was so thin that it could only support a soul, not a living body. When the construction was completed, the gods gathered all the half-dead and threw them into the ditch. They walked in a circle, and a fire burned under their feet, and soon the entire area was engulfed in flames. This is how the fiery river, or Currant River, appeared.

Kalinov Bridge - ritual

The mythology of the Slavs will make Kalinov Bridge part of it over time. Yes, on the way funeral procession They artificially created a small puddle, and above it they built an imitation of a bridge from wood chips. This masonry symbolized the very Kalinov Bridge among the Slavs, which is the last frontier of life. They believed that if the deceased was carried over a symbolic bridge to the other world, then it would be much easier for his soul to pass through purgatory and get to the Gods.