The Chotki in Slavonic Folklore

In Slavonic and Orthodox culture Chotkis (or Prayer Rope) as an important religious accessory, have always been a bit less popular than the crucifix worn on the neck. Actually in the Orthodox tradition Prayer Rope are rarely worn or paraded otherwise, but they are used a lot during the solitary praying times. Freshly-converted Slavonic monks and priests had been given Chotkis by their spiritual mentors as the "sword of faith" for in Orthodox Christianity (and other flavours of Christianity and even other religions as well) they were thought to be a spiritual weapon capable of guarding off and fighting evil spirits. Laymen in the Eastern Slavonic countries also used Chotkis to make the forces of darkness flee. The common belief had it that if your prayer rope had been placed on the belly of a woman in labour then the baby would be safe from jinx. Wearing or having Chotki with you was commonly considered a way to protect yourself from undead such as ghouls and vampires. Similar superstitions leaked from the Slavonic folklore into the Western world Romantic and so-called Gothic novels. The vampires that are so well scared away by the very sight of a rosary had been known in the Eastern Europe under the name of "upyri" - "those sucking lifeblood, ghouls". Those "upyri" were soulless dead bodies of the villains or debauched maids buried outside the holy ground of the cemetery for their evil deeds without a cross over the grave and without a crucifix or a rosary with them. Slavonic Lestovka Chotki (a praying bead of moderate size made of wood and leather, overall quite reminiscent of a staircase hence the name that can be translated as "stairs") in the Orthodox Church folklore and fables always symbolized the cross between an upwards ways leading to the holiness and pure living (speak of "Stairway To Heaven"!) of a person using them for prayers and the "Alatyr" - the centre of space and the Universe. The flat wooden beads are the steps of such staircase and the two large ornamental leather triangles symbolize the centre point of all the earthly living. The Alatyr-stone was believed to be able to cure any kind of illness so through this ancient pre-Christian belief later transferred into Christianity the power of healing as sometimes attributed to the Alatyr-like Chotkis. This traditional folklore is still popular today, people from Slavonic cultures heard these stories from their grandparents and in turn told them to their children. Their children will in turn tell it to theirs, and so the folklore luckily stays alive. Wonderful isn't it? Maximilian Miatus is a repentant who's passions are hiking, traveling, visiting orthodox monastery's, orthodox religion and world history. For authentic Chrisitan Orthodox Prayer Rope visit: -The Chotki Store or the Prayer Rope Store God Bless Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maximilian_Miatus Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6674556