Sirin bird

The motif of the raw bird is common in Slavic art. Muscovites for some reason believe, that this image is characteristic of n art, from where he got to Ukraine. But, they traditionally steal someone else's history. Image of birds with female heads on gold earrings, colts, pendants and medallions of the XI-XII centuries refute these "staples" and testify to their spread in the times of Kievan Rus and their continued existence until the XIX century.. The prototype of sirens were ancient Greek sirens, whose magical singing had a detrimental effect on sailors. In the Middle Ages, this singing was interpreted as a symbol of worldly goods, losing their souls. Over the centuries, the image of sirens has changed, but the main thing remained - their connection with water and magic singing. In the Greco-Roman tradition, the siren took on the image of a half-female half-bird, which penetrated into the culture of Kievan Rus. In the popular consciousness, he combined with ideas about mermaids. B. Rybakov believed, that the raw materials on ancient Russian jewelry are still pagan pitchforks, and since Russia at that time had already been baptized and with manifestations of paganism, the church was a fierce struggle, over the heads of birds-virgins placed halos, camouflaging them in this way under the birds of paradise. This is how they were embroidered on Chernihiv works of the XVIII century - a towel and the edges of sheets from the museum collection.. At the same time, the placement of cheese among the vegetation, and most importantly - flowering branches in the hands indicate their pagan nature as moisture providers, which contributes to the exuberance of vegetation.

The museum collection includes a towel of the late XVIII - early XIX centuries with a raw bird over a flowering tree, under which - two female figures in sundresses. It differs from Ukrainian counterparts in style and composition, the raw has no halo and arms with flowering branches.

Віра Зайченко. Embroidery of a Cossack sergeant of the XVII-XVIII centuries. Каталог колекції Чернігівського історичного музею імені В.В. Tarnovsky. – 2001 - Rodovid Publishing House.

Віра Зайченко. Вишивка Чернігівщини. – 2010. - Rodovid Publishing House.

Віра Зайченко. Вишивка Чернігівщини. Рушники. Каталог колекції Чернігівського історичного музею імені В.В. Tarnovsky. – 2018 - Rodovid Publishing House.

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