The ancient Russian word in Church Slavonic was used to denote a smooth (often flat) surface that reflects light.
This is the mirror that we know today under the name "mirror."
The word was often found several centuries ago in the titles of domestic and translated literature. Thanks to one of them, the mirror is strongly associated with the rules of decency.
Prism with an eagle, armor and a transparent ball
In the Russian Empire, that was the indispensable attribute of every state institution. In any public place there was always a prism crowned with a double-headed eagle and showing on its edges the three decrees of Peter I.
In the second meaning, the mirror indicated the Russian combat armor and its amplifier. The first mention of the word in the documents dates back to the 1490th year.
But what was Byzantine, and after it the old Russian icon painting meant by mirror? It was a symbol of divine foresight and predestination, which in the form of a transparent sphere held the depicted archangel.
Peer into the mirror
In place of the code of conduct and life that existed in Russia in the pre-Petrine era and was called “Domostroy”, the famous leadership for secular youth appeared, created by order of the Tsar Reformer. It was a set of hostel rules, standards of personal hygiene and etiquette.
“Youths an honest mirror, or Testimony to everyday routine, collected from different authors” (or briefly - “Youth an honest mirror”) - this is a monument of Russian literature of educational enlightenment. The book was first published in February 1717 and then reprinted many times.
It is interesting to see whether the teachings are relevant for the youth of the eighteenth century today?
Here are an example of several rules of conduct from the “Mirror of Youth”, translated from old Russian to modern:
- Keep yourself from gambling and drinking.
- Strongly do not praise yourself, but do not demean yourself.
- Do not go with your head hanging down and your eyes downcast. Go straight and look at people pleasantly and cheerfully.
- Do not burp or cough in the face of another.
- Do not spit either in a circle or to the side, talking with others.
Apparently, in any generation, the instructions for young people are the same, but during the time of Peter the Great, this “Mirror” along with the alphabet, arithmetic, and religious teachings was in every school and in many houses. What has replaced this work now?