People-shadows, beliefs and archetypes: how they perceived the human shadow

The mythology dedicated to the forces of light and darkness has a long history of study. However, there are some topics that have not been talked about so much. For example, the history of shadows. The shadow of a person is much more important than it seems at first glance.

Romanian witches often used dolls in their rites. With their help, they hoped to influence the human condition. It was believed that by harming the shadow, it could be done poorly to its owner. Medieval treatises argued that by destroying one's shadow, one can get rid of an unwanted person.

In our language there are many phrases and expressions associated with this concept. For example, this: "Afraid of your own shadow." Who needs to be afraid of her? This expression has existed in the language since ancient times. The ancients believed that the shadow of man is his guardian. Thus, it affects his fate and condition.

Some medieval works interpreted the meaning of shadow in different ways. Mystics claimed that demons are afraid of people, but most of all they are afraid of powerful shadows. Between shadows and people, in their opinion, there is a significant difference. If people cannot exist without a shadow, then the shadows are quite capable of living forever even after the death of people.

Each shadow has its own power and strength. In antiquity, it was believed that when representatives of the afterlife came to pick up the soul of a person, then first of all they had to agree on this with his shadow. If the shadow refused them, then they left with nothing.

In the treatise of the Dutch anatomist Frederick Ruysch Opera Omnia, one of the volumes is completely devoted to shadows.

The founder of one of the first anatomical museums in Europe claimed that the shadow is that substance that exists between the world of the dead and the living, between good and evil. A shadow protects a person from the attack of demons and other supernatural beings. Moreover, it does this during the life of a person and after his death.

The ancients clearly distinguished the world of shadows, the world of angels and the world of demons. They exist on the border between good and evil, maintaining balance, but cannot enter either heaven, hell, or purgatory.

In mythology, there are references to the "shadow people", or, in other words, about the "shadow people". As a rule, they are seen with peripheral vision. They can take different shapes of animals or people, change shape or location.

Such phenomena are reflected in the beliefs of many peoples. Among the Chuvash people this condition is called "Wupar pusat". Wupar (also Wubar) is one of the demons of Chuvash mythology. The phenomenon is characterized by a causeless attack of fear and suffocation, as well as a feeling of someone's constant presence. If this happened before bedtime, then people would put a knife or an ax under the pillow.

From a scientific point of view, this is due to the fact that the human brain sometimes incorrectly interprets images located in the peripheral vision zone.

Great attention was paid to the shadow of the philosopher and psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung. He believed that there are individual shadows and collective. Moreover, the shadow is the dark side of the person himself. Recognizing its presence is the first step towards self-knowledge. He coined the term in psychology. Shadow, from Jung's point of view, is something that we ourselves really do not like, and therefore we strive to drive the dark sides of our soul deep into the unconscious. The power of the shadow is the power of the unconscious, and it consists in the fact that we do not always realize our own actions. So from the point of view of psychology, the shadow guides a person.

Scientists have repeatedly tried to conduct experiments and identify the possibility of the influence of shadow on a person. Italian experimenters put several people against the sun and stuck needles into the hands of their shadows. Imagine their surprise when living people at the same time experienced pain.

Remember that even when you are alone, you are always two. Try not to quarrel with your own shadow :)