We, modern people, uttering certain words, we can’t even imagine how closely they connect us with the spirits of our ancestors. This applies to a large number of words and phraseologisms, saturated with Slavic mythology and deep meaning. Historians and linguists argue that the branches of the Slavs still use a lot of spoken or magic words that have a sacred meaning. The theme of our article was the mysterious word "chur", firmly entrenched in our lives. What does it mean? And in what sense is it applied?
Mythology of the ancient Slavs
Our ancestors lived on the earth and received from it practically all the blessings of life. Therefore, it is not surprising that they deified many natural phenomena and made sacrifices to them on different holidays. Protective household spirits enjoyed special honor. The most famous is the brownie. He kept order in the hut, drove over the threshold of strangers and looked after the little kids. It was believed that in a clean and hospitable house, the brownie will always help the owners not only with protection, but also with actions. Can save milk from souring or find a lost expensive thing. But when everything is in somersault in the house, this testified to the anger of the brownie at the negligent owners. Here all the households tried to appease the spirit, otherwise they would not see peace and peace in the family.
In addition to the well-known brownie, there were other protective spirits; they lived in a bathhouse, in a farmyard and in a house. Unfortunately, their names are unknown to modern people. But chur is now mentioned quite often. What is this deity that has retained its significance for centuries?
Chur - what is this "beast"?
Historians have more than ten guardian spirits, not the least among which was Chur. This deity was revered by all the farmers without exception, because it was the land that was under the jurisdiction of this spirit. In the literal translation, the word "chur" is "border", "boundary" or "trait". It clearly separates landlords from the rest of the hostile world. Therefore, in Slavic mythology, Chur is a deity protecting the borders of the court. This spirit constantly circumvents the land allotment around the perimeter and protects the land of its owner from neighborly treacherous attempts or accidental interference from strangers coming.
The cult of chur in ancient Slavic mythology
Of course, it cannot be said that Chur is a deity of a high rank, but its significance in the life of our ancestors is difficult to overestimate. After all, absolutely all Slavs, without exception, believed in the power of this spirit. It was believed that anyone who violates the territory protected by chur will immediately receive punishment. It could be expressed in a sudden illness, crop failure or a large number of troubles, literally falling down on the head of the offender.
In order for everyone to see where the border of protected lands passes, the Slavs dug several small mounds of land on the boundary, which were enclosed with thin stakes. From this moment on, the territory was considered protected, and if one of the neighbors accidentally touched such a hill, then he tried to immediately return everything to its original state.
On some days, the oldest man in the family walked around the perimeter, glorifying the chur and driving the animals that were sacrificed in front of them. Often, large stones and trimmed logs were installed on the land border. For their installation, deep holes were dug, they were filled with grain, wine or honey. This sacrifice was supposed to please the chur, and only in this case he fulfilled his duty to protect the land.
Chur: how the deity was portrayed
It was not customary for the Slavs to endow pagan spirits with human traits. Therefore, their appearance has a very distant resemblance to people. The chur statue was made of a small wooden stump the thickness of an adult's arm. In the upper part something similar to male features was carved, then the idol was placed at the gate so that it was always in the field of view of neighbors and passers-by.
Some linguists argue that it was from this idol that the words "chock" and the phrase "block of woods were insensitive" came from, because, despite its small size, the spirit was a very vindictive and formidable guardian of the household borders.
“Chur me!”: What does this expression mean?
In everyday life, we often call an ancient deity, not realizing what we are doing. Judge for yourself. When we learn some news that could harm us, we often unknowingly say: "Chur me!" What does this phrase mean? What do we want to say with it and why do we repeat it in different life situations?
The fact is that the Slavs considered the Chur not only the guardian of the borders of the yard territory, but also a spirit that could protect against many troubles. Therefore, in case of danger, it was always him who was called to guard. The cherished phrase, evoking the spirit, was the well-known exclamation "Chur me!" When you pronounce it, you ask the spirit to protect you from impending danger and not to let it into your life.
Surprisingly, centuries later, the descendants of the ancient Slavs subconsciously turn to the faith of their ancestors in the most difficult situations. This proves the version of linguists about the collective memory of the people that we are all endowed with. It contains the most important information that allows you to save the nation.
The word "too": meaning and history of occurrence
Often, when we want to say that something is becoming too heavy or impossible for us, we use the word "too much." Everyone understands that it means extreme severity. We can say that this is a line that has already been crossed. Linguists cannot determine where this word came from in our language. In itself, it carries no meaning. But only until you divide it into two parts. Then everything instantly falls into place. Let's check.
If instead of the usual “too” we say “over the top”, then the meaning of phraseology becomes extremely clear. After all, the chur, perceived as a guardian of a certain border, does not allow anyone outside to cross through it. An unauthorized intrusion is something incredibly scary; it is an unimaginable act for the ancient Slavs. Therefore, the word "too" denotes a measure of misconduct or any action with a bright negative coloring.
Using a word in a game
Have you ever watched a children's game? “Chur, don’t touch!”, “Chur, don’t follow me!” - These phrases are often heard in the process. Moreover, the game can be absolutely any, but the words do not change. What do they mean in this case?
When the word "chur" is used in such a context, it has a prohibitive meaning. It is as if the child draws an invisible border and marks it with the help of a sacred word, he enters into an oral agreement with another participant in the game, and an ancient deity invisibly stands here. After the spoken phrase, the border becomes unbreakable, in case of non-compliance with the conditions, the game instantly stops. Its meaning is completely lost.
Today we firmly believe that we are very different from our ancestors. We seem smarter and more enlightened, but for some difficult times something ancient wakes up in us, ready to call all pagan spirits that can help in absolutely any situation. So, maybe you should not lose touch with ancestors?