Lichomanka dolls are one of the Slavic amulets. In ancient times, it was used to protect oneself and loved ones from diseases. Changeling dolls diverted the attention of dark forces, helping people avoid illness. Nowadays this type of reel is not very well known, but previously they could be found in every home.
We will introduce you to the history of the origin of these protective dolls and tell you how to use them correctly. And, using the simple step-by-step master class at the end of the article, you can make rag protectors yourself.
What does motanka mean? ↑
This ancient amulet is made from a piece of fabric, it is folded in a certain way. The way this fabric is folded is also considered symbolic. She wraps herself in coils.
Our Slavic ancestors knew and believed that the Universe itself was built in similar turns. Such twisting coils symbolize the energy bodies of people, which include the physical body, mental and etheric. Similar turns are used in many ancient magical rituals. Development also occurs in similar turns, the multiplication of all things. Some experts suggest that the Universe itself was created from one great revolution.
The doll must be made without a face designation
Such a doll is a health amulet and is certainly made without a face designation. The ancestors believed that if you depict a face on the amulet, it would seem to bring a soul into the doll, which means that a demon could move into it. And if the doll does not have a face, then it only repels negative energy from itself. Only a cross can be depicted on the face of such a talisman. It is embroidered with contrasting threads. The cross, in principle, has a symbolic meaning; it also repels any negative energy. Thus, people seemed to mark the end of their own problems.
What types of Lichomanka dolls are there?
Slavic mythology does not give an exact answer to the question of how many Lichomanas there were from the very beginning. Their number varied depending on the region - somewhere there were 9 dolls, somewhere 40, and in some places - all 77. Later sources, from the time of mixing paganism and Christianity, claim that there were 13 Fevers.
The name of each doll hides the illness from which it protects.
Here are their names:
- Shaking or Tryasovitsa - from the word “to shake”.
- Fire - heat, temperature.
- Ledea saves from chills, which is why they sometimes call her that - Chills, Chills.
- Gnetea - depresses the body, suppresses appetite, causes vomiting.
- Chest - develops diseases associated with the chest. It causes hoarseness and mucus that you have to spit out.
- Deafness, accordingly, causes deafness.
- Lomea, also known as Kostolomka, leads to back pain, crunching of bones and diseases of the spine.
- Puhea - its distinctive signs are swelling and swelling.
- Yellowing - makes the skin yellow.
- Korkusha - cramps the veins, writhes.
- Looking - it can be called insomnia, because it does not allow a person to close his eyes, falling into the world of dreams.
- Neveah (Deadly) - if this spirit moves into a person, he can no longer avoid death.
- Kumokha is the largest doll of the Lichomaniacs, and for good reason, because there is more evil in this demoness than in all the rest combined. She controls her “younger” sisters, inciting them to riot, and she herself brings the spring cold.
There are several types of these dolls: Winter fever dolls were made of wood. Spring ones were made only from fabric; they lived in a bunch, hanging on one thread.
How to make a motanka doll correctly? ↑
In order for such a health amulet to serve you well with your own hands, you need to create it according to certain rules:
- The most important principle when creating such an amulet is that when creating the amulet, scissors, knives, needles or other sharp objects should not be used. The fabric must be torn by hand.
- You can only create a motanka doll on your lap; it cannot be placed unfinished on the table.
- It will be better if you create the doll in one go. But if you didn’t have enough passion for one time, then try to finish the doll in seven days. Otherwise she will lose her magic.
- For fabric for this amulet, try to take clothes that one of the older relatives wore; it could be a dress or skirt of an older relative. Thus, you will endow the amulet with even greater power; maternal energy will be present in it. Such a talisman will be especially strong against generational curses.
- Just don’t choose the dress or skirt that your relative wore during a difficult period in her life. Otherwise, this energy will be absorbed by the amulet too.
- When you create a talisman, make sure that there are no knots on it. A single knot can only be created at the very end of the work.
- Another place where knots can be created is when creating handles for a doll.
- It is important to create a talisman only in a special mood.
Features of making the amulet doll Herbalist
Making a Herbalist doll with your own hands is not difficult - even young needlewomen can do it. The main thing is to be patient. Wrong actions while working on the amulet can nullify all your efforts.
To avoid making mistakes, pay attention to several features. Taking into account all these nuances, you will create a truly strong amulet.
Protective doll's headdress
The Kubyshka amulet reflects the traditions and even fashion of the ancient Slavs. Women of that time always wore hats. This was done in order to preserve vitality and health. It was customary to hide your hair from strangers, preventing them from causing harm.
Traditionally, a warrior was worn under the Travnice scarf, which helps protect the hair from tangling and protect the main headdress from rapid contamination.
Herbalist's Breasts
The folk doll Herbalist was always made busty. In this way, the Slavs depicted a woman’s fertility - one of her main advantages received from nature.
Particularly careful attention to this detail should be paid to those who have female health problems. Give your doll a curvy, even shape without any defects and soon you will be able to feel the long-awaited joy of motherhood.
The Herbalist's breasts are sure to be made lush
Apron
The Kubyshka doll always wears an apron. This seemingly ordinary item was given special attention when making the reel. To fulfill her duty to the Family, the Herbalist was given a long apron. The longer it is, the more children there will be in the family.
There were no specific instructions regarding the pattern on the fabric, but if stripes were chosen, they had to be horizontal. It was believed that vertical stripes would lead to all the wealth flowing out of the house right along the lines from the apron.
How is the intention put into the amulet? ↑
In order for such a talisman to help you improve your health, when creating it, it is important to put such a mental image into it.
Even before you choose the fabric for the amulet, be sure to think about why you are creating it. If you want to improve your health, then think about what exactly you would like to get rid of, what you want to improve.
You must have a strong desire to improve your health. After this, you can choose the fabric for the amulet. Sit down to make an amulet only in a good mood. Only with great faith that he will help you. If you are in a bad mood or feel tired, then put it off until next time.
You can pray before sitting down to create the amulet. When you sit down to work, put a cloth on your lap, close your eyes and think about your health.
Think about what doesn't suit you about it. What emotions do you experience when you think about your illnesses: anger, sadness, frustration. If there are pain symptoms in the body, then concentrate on them.
When making a doll, imagine yourself to be absolutely healthy.
After this, you need to imagine yourself completely healthy. How then will you feel in your body, what will you experience? What will appear? Lightness, flexibility? What emotions will this lightness and flexibility most likely cause? It will be joy, a feeling of freedom, gratitude to higher powers for the fact that you feel this way. Imagine that you are already healthy, feel flexibility in your body and joy for this flexibility. It is important to develop these sensations as much as possible.
And in such high spirits, start creating an amulet. It is very good if you completely immerse yourself in these feelings. In ancient times, the Slavs believed that when creating this amulet, a person is between two worlds, the real and the world of spirits.
In ancient times, a doll with a specific mental image was created from a specific material. If you decide to create an amulet for health, then it is best to use flax for this.
Master class on creating a Herbalist doll with your own hands
Many experts are inclined to believe that amulets made with one’s own hands are stronger than purchased ones. Therefore, a hand-made Herbalist's Egg will become a good amulet for the home. Lyalka will make the residents of the house happier, monitor their health, and protect everyone from the evil eye.
Materials for making a talisman
The amulet doll Kubyshka Herbalist is made only from natural materials. Under no circumstances replace them with artificial ones - this will ruin all the work.
To work you will need:
- A piece of fabric 20x20 white - for the face.
- Two colored pieces for the chest - also 20x20 cm.
- Two square pieces of takani for bags of herbs that the kula will hold in her hands.
- Pieces of cloth 30x30 cm for hands. Same or different color as for the chest.
- Two pieces of fabric 40x40 cm - one white for the bottom bag, the other colored for the top.
- Triangle format 25x35x25 for a scarf.
- A skein of red thread.
- Leaves, roots or stems of herbs, or collection.
The material is linen or cotton, and the threads should be wool. Take fabrics without dark colors - let them be bright, variegated, and attract attention - this will strengthen the positive properties of the amulet.
Step-by-step instructions for creating a Herbal Pot
First of all, fill the bags for the chest and head with grass.
- To do this, take white pieces of fabric and fill them evenly with dried herbs. Gather the resulting white bags into a bun, tying them with thread. To prevent the herbs from showing through, tie a colored cloth over it, repeating the manipulation with the thread. The white fabric for the head needs to be filled and tied in the same way. After that, we join hands.
- Take the fabric for the hands and fold it into a triangle. This action must be repeated several times until you get a triangle with an obtuse angle. Then fold the top down. Now you can combine all these elements into one shape.
- Cross the triangular arms so that the part where the folded piece does not reach the edge is on the bottom. Place the head bag on top, and the chest bags underneath, tying it all together with thread. When the base is ready, you need to make the main bag with herbs.
- Take a white cloth for the largest bag and fill it with herbs. After tying it with thread, attach it to the workpiece. You need to tie the bag directly on your belt. The edges sticking up will be hidden by the fabric of the skirt.
- Usually the lower garments are tried on inside out and then turned inside out, tied with thread. This should be done with both the skirt and the apron.
- We collect two small bags of herbs and attach them to our hands with red thread.
The doll is almost ready. All that remains is to figure out the headdress, and then read the plot and you can use the Herbalist for its intended purpose.
The magical properties of flax ↑
A protective doll that you create with your own hands for your health; if it is made of linen, then it has even more magical power. Linen is chosen for this because the ancients believed that it absorbs all the negativity that comes to the house or person to whom the talisman is enchanted.
If you create this amulet with your own hands for health, then be sure to add a flax braid to the doll’s image. It is believed that such a braid helps to take away all the sores.
A flax braid helps to take away all the sores.
You need to braid a braid from flax threads and at the same time whisper: “To your health, to your health.”
You can create such an amulet with your own hands not only for yourself, but also for a close relative whom you wish for recovery. Then, when creating a mental image, you need to think about this relative, and not about yourself.
Where to place Likhomanok dolls
The finished doll amulet can be attached to the place allocated for it. Previously, Lichomaniacs were hung near the stove. The pagans believed that evil spirits could sneak into the house through the chimney. In modern homes, stoves and fireplaces are often absent - they have been replaced by stoves.
Traditionally, fevers are hung near the chimney; if there is no such thing in the house, choose any suitable place.
If you don’t want to attach the amulet above the stove, where something is constantly splashing, find another place for it - for example, in the living room or in the hallway. Strangers who come to visit often bring negative emotions with them. An abundance of negativity can make the person you envy sick, but Fever will protect you from any misfortune!
The amulet will sooner or later wear out and then you will have to get rid of it. Some of them were destroyed as they became exhausted, while others were destroyed only on special days. Lichomaniacs were burned in the spring, on Maslenitsa. You can replace them with a doll of the same name.
The Slavs preferred not to treat the disease as it appeared, but to prevent illnesses. Now, with their knowledge and skills, you too can make a doll amulet. The amulet will help protect family and friends, placed in a prominent place; it will ward off trouble, taking all the troubles upon itself.
Forces of nature in the amulet ↑
Even if you decide to create a talisman where the intention is not health, but something else, make sure that it contains symbols of the four elements.
The skirt, which is necessarily present on the doll, is a symbol of the Earth, thus the power of this element comes into the amulet.
The amulet must contain symbols of the four elements
The connection with the element of water in the amulet is made by a wavy pattern. The element of fire in the amulet is represented by the color of the outfit. It can be orange, red.
And the connection with the sky in the amulet is represented by the doll’s headdress. It could be just a scarf, it could be a beautiful kokoshnik, but it must be there.
Charging and activating the amulet
At the time of making dolls, there should be no strangers near the craftswoman. Feverish dolls are not the only dolls that require work alone. It was not customary for the Slavs to interfere with women when they were reading conspiracies or making amulets. And working on Lichomaniacs involves both.
The Feverish amulet is activated by a special spell.
When making jerks, give them names. Of course, you can’t take absolutely any name. This should be a traditional name, embodying one of the ailments from which our ancestors protected themselves.
At first, a separate plot was read for each of the Lichomaniacs and only then they were put together. But the traditions have changed a little. Now they use one plot, reading it while connecting the dolls in a row.
What spell should you use:
I protect (name) from twelve ailments: from Shaking, Ogneya, Chills, Gnetea, Breasts, Deafness, Bonesbreaker, Pukhneya, Jaundice, Corchea, Glyadea, Nevea. Let all these ailments go away, roll away, move away from (name), leaving him in health and happiness today, tomorrow, always. My word is strong, no one will change it. Let it be so.
Feverish dolls can be made for one person, but usually a bunch of dolls were made for the whole family. If this option is yours, simply list in the spell the names of all loved ones living with you. It is important that the last words of the plot coincide with the tying of the last knot.
