Stone labyrinths of the Solovetsky Islands. Solovetsky labyrinths

“The cosmic mystical encoding of spiral symbols and labyrinths is beyond doubt.”
Valery Demin, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor

An increasing number of serious scientists are inclined to believe that numerous megalithic monuments, preserved on the territory of modern Karelia and created thousands of years ago - this is a coded ancient knowledge, inherited from our distant ancestors. Traditions that arose in the depths of centuries and millennia were passed on from generation to generation, enshrined in stone and ritual symbolism, demonstrating the unity of man and higher cosmic forces.

Among the archaeological monuments of a cult nature located in the North of Russia, apparently, there are none that, like stone labyrinths, have aroused the keen interest of many researchers for about two hundred years. Stone labyrinths- these are structures with a diameter of five to thirty meters, made of small natural stones in a repeatedly twisting line, forming a spiral figure. They are known on Kola Peninsula, Solovetsky Islands, the White Sea coast of Karelia, as well as on a number of islands White Sea.

Many explanations have been proposed regarding the functional purpose of the Solovetsky stone spirals: burial grounds, altars, models of fishing traps...

However, spiral images are found almost all over the world. It seems that the image of the spiral acts as a kind of code that was passed down from generation to generation, from people to people, despite cultural and religious differences. However, the knowledge contained in them was long ago - long lost, the key to deciphering was lost.

The spiral is one of the deepest symbols of the Universe. The spiral acts as a single code of a single world, which is laid by Mother Nature in the foundation of all living and nonliving things.

According to the views of Moscow professor V.N. Volchenko and other Russian scientists, the basis of the universe is the so-called torsion (“twisted”) fields, allowing the instant dissemination of any information. According to this theory, the Universe as a “Supercomputer” forms a single biocomputer with the human brain, working, speaking in simple language, according to the principles of the same twisted spiral.

But if we learn about this at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, then how did our distant ancestors know about this thousands of years ago, who folded stone spirals, reminiscent in their appearance of the modern classical form of wide-frequency transceiver antennas and used them as a single communication channel with the universe? Since ancient times, stone labyrinths have been revered as indicators of the proximity of other spaces and dimensions.

In Rus' northern labyrinths were called "Babylons". But why “Babylons”? Generations of stone labyrinth researchers have tried to answer this question. Why did the city of Babylon, mentioned in the Bible and only discovered by archaeologists at the very end of the 19th century, give its name to these strange structures?

In Celtic mythology, the island city of Avalon is known, inhabited by fairies, the island of the blessed, which was revealed only to a select few. Therefore, most likely, the Pomeranian name for the stone labyrinth - “Babylon” - is a distorted Celtic word, transferred, but not meaningful, to Russian soil.

This is all the more surprising since the traditions and legends of the northern peoples connected stone spirals with the existence of fairy-tale peoples: “wondrous people,” elves, gnomes and similar inhabitants “ underworld" Moreover, as historian and archaeologist A.L. notes. Nikitin, it is labyrinths in legends and tales that are indicated as “entrances” and “exits” to the underground, otherworldly kingdom, open only to those who know the magic key to this, figuratively speaking, secret door.

The following fact is very interesting: there is a local Karelian-Finnish myth about the so-called “wild people”. These creatures live in mountains and caves and have a kind of power reminiscent of electricity. They are small in stature, very beautiful and have a pleasant voice. “Divya people” are predictors. Only a select few - people with pure souls and thoughts - can hear and listen to them.

In other words, at first glance, “divine people” most resemble gnomes or dwarfs. Of course, the descriptions of appearance do not match, but many other features coincide: mountain talents, the gift of providence, some actions, etc.

Dwarfs are given amazing speed, for which there is no space: in one leap they can be transported from one mountain to another, even if there is a distance of several hours between the tops of these mountains - today they are here, and tomorrow in another part of the world. They have the gift of supernatural wisdom and foresight: they know the future and everything that happens in this world. They have knowledge of languages and understand runes, they know the healing properties of plants and stones.

By the way, just like the mighty giants, dwarfs have occupied a worthy niche in the mythological tradition of both the Slavs and other peoples, in particular the Karelians and Finns. However, the whole point is that in ancient Slavic mythology, dwarfs are creatures that live, rather, near humans. But in Finno-Ugric mythology, for example, dwarfs are often residents of places that are difficult for humans to reach.

The Scandinavian Eddas describe dwarfs as master blacksmiths who transform into gods and individuals with titanic strength. These images are invariably characterized by arrogance, at times by greed, and often by arrogance and pride. According to the texts of the Edda, dwarfs are flesh of the flesh of this world. They appeared immediately after the birth of the gods from the same primordial material as the earth, water and sky of the Universe - from the flesh of the god Ymir. When the young gods spread it with fertile lands, life arose there. Its first sprouts were dwarfs. They are the oldest population on earth. In the Edda, the first dwarfs are likened to larvae crawling into the light from decaying flesh. The dwarves, the children of the earth, were completely faceless at first. However, the gods in the Upper World sensed the birth of a new life and endowed the dwarfs with speech, wisdom and appearance. The gods left most of the dwarfs in the depths of the young earth, crevices, caves and grottoes.

Then the time of people had not yet come, and the dwarfs reigned supreme over the vast expanses of the earth. The children of the earth - they gratefully accepted her gifts, kept her secrets, fed on her wisdom. Earth and wisdom are often identified in myths.

Ritual ceremonies held in and around these stone sanctuaries allowed ancient peoples to experience altered states of consciousness and explore the other world of spirits - a source of enlightenment and strength.

The magic of stone labyrinths!

I shot this video while in Germany, Externstein, in front of one of the real stone labyrinths.

In the northern tradition, labyrinths made of stones of power are considered the key to the transition to other worlds . And also, the key to special magic, when we can, being in another world, change what happens in our denser, rougher world.

To create such labyrinths we used special stones, special places.

But! In order to take advantage of the magic of the labyrinth, it is not at all necessary to go somewhere, for example, to Karelia or Germany. You can create a labyrinth like this at home from special power stones and use it as needed. It is believed that when a person is in such a place in a special state, singing a special sound combination or playing a magical instrument, he changes not only oneself, but also the world around.

You can apply the image of a stone labyrinth to clothing or interior items, thus creating magical protection of yourself and your home .

Gateway to another world

Stone labyrinths are very ancient creations. In such mazes it is used all the strength and power of mother nature. And their origin is still shrouded in speculation and conjecture. Labyrinths captivate and attract with their energy and beauty.

There are a lot of versions of creating labyrinths, one more beautiful than the other, but one thing is certain - this is a special place, here magical rituals were performed.

Labyrinths come in different forms, but their main element is spiral, and the shape in which the spirals are laid out is resembles the structure of the human brain. In such labyrinths there is only one entrance (the exit is in the same place as the entrance).

The labyrinth is place of transition to other worlds. They were used to carry out cult rites and healing rituals. Special rituals were held here, after which the initiates received magical power and ability communicate with this and other worlds.

This is a labyrinth magical place, maximizing human capabilities, his intuition and abilities. Whether or not to enter such a labyrinth is up to you. But if you have entered, then all you have to do is obey the turns of the labyrinth, its bends, and go to the end - to the cherished goal - finding a new self.

We have the most famous labyrinths in Russia - Solovetskoe cluster, Arkaim(labyrinth of desires), labyrinths of the Kola Peninsula.

Write in the comments!

Friends, write in the comments under this article, what other topics of Shamanism and the Northern Runic Tradition do you want to learn and study??

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Stone labyrinths on Bolshoi Zayatsky Island are a group of 13 or 14 labyrinths (low spiral-shaped stone pavements of round or oval shape, with a diameter of 3 to 20 meters) on Bolshoi Zayatsky Island, one of the Solovetsky Islands in Arkhangelsk region in Russia.

The question of the purpose of the ancient Solovetsky labyrinths has not been completely resolved. A number of scientists consider labyrinths to be places of entertainment and round dances of a cult nature or sites for military sports games. Some archaeologists attribute to them a practical purpose - models of fishing traps or fishing structures themselves. Most researchers consider labyrinths to be objects of cultic and religious purposes.

In addition to 13 or 14 labyrinths on this island there are more than 850 man-made piles of boulders, mounds, stone displays, and a number of other notable stones, such as a stone with a painted symbol with radial rays, possibly representing the sun ("solar rosette"). In addition, there are dolmens on the island. All labyrinths are concentrated on an area of just 0.4 km2 in the western part of the island on the slopes of the low Signal Mountain.

Why were labyrinths built on Bolshoi Zayatsky Island?

To explain the vigorous activity of the inhabitants of the Solovetsky Islands, who built stone labyrinths back in the Neolithic era, many hypotheses have been put forward.

In the 1970s the main hypothesis was the assumption N. Gurina that the labyrinths served as fish traps. This is supported by the fact that all the labyrinths in this area were built near the shore, and the water level 5000 years ago(and this is their approximate dating) was much higher. The fish swam into the maze, and the fisherman simply collected it from the trap. However, a refutation of this hypothesis may be that there are many labyrinths in the world located at a distance from bodies of water.

Researcher L. Ershov put forward another theory. Ershov believed that the lines of the labyrinths repeated the orbits of the Sun and Moon, thus they were used as calendars. However, this is a controversial statement, since labyrinths vary in entrance location and orientation.

Today, particularly in esoteric circles, there is a popular theory that the labyrinth is ancient symbol integrity. It combines the shape of a circle and a spiral into an intricate path. It symbolizes the journey to the center of our spirit and subsequent return to the real world. Navigating the labyrinth can be thought of as an initiation to awaken knowledge. It is believed that passage through a labyrinth helps to achieve an altered state of consciousness and a change in the perception of time and space. Indeed, Vlad Abramov, who explored the labyrinths of Bolshoy Zayatsky Island, described the surreal experiences he experienced while passing through the intricate passages of the labyrinth.

“Having entered the labyrinth and walked several times in a circle towards the center, you exit through its entrance. After a few passes, you forget exactly how many times you did them, and how many times you have left to go through. Subjective time stops, but the clock shows that you have been walking through the labyrinth for 15 minutes. It becomes difficult to think about anything coherently; The path is narrow and you must constantly look at your feet. The course of the labyrinth turns first to the right, then to the left. And now, finally, there is a way out; and you're glad that little trip finished"

In addition to the above theories, there are many others. Nowadays, the theory of Karl Schuster and Edmund Carpenter especially stands out. Its essence is that the construction of labyrinths is associated with religious beliefs. Prehistoric labyrinths most likely functioned as traps for evil spirits, set a pattern for ritual dances, and/or marked the boundary between this world and the other world. The issue of using these labyrinths in rituals for the passage of the souls of dead people to the afterlife is discussed. Archaeologist A.L. Nikitin suggests that labyrinths, as mentioned in legends, indicate "entrances" and "exits" to underground kingdom, and they could only open to those who were given a “magic key” to their doors.

This assumption is caused by the widespread belief in the “three worlds” in prehistoric cultures, according to which our ancestors believed that the Universe was divided into the Lower World, where the souls of the dead ended up, Middle World, which includes physical plan existence, and the Upper World of stars, heavens and gods.

Still deleted northern islands Russia attracts travelers and scientists who want to solve their mystery and understand the meaning of the labyrinths.

Writes skanek, who visited the island:

The Big and Small Zayatsky Islands are located 5 km from the Big Solovetsky Island and cover an area of only about two and a half square kilometers. There are several versions of where this name came from - Zayatsky. Perhaps it is due to the fact that sometimes sea hares (one of the species of White Sea seals) made their camp there. Another version is more interesting than the previous one: in the 16th century, the Solovetsky Monastery was rebuilt from stone, this was under Metropolitan Philip (does everyone remember the film “Tsar” by Pavel Lungin?). It was then that the famous Filippov brick was made, which had high strength, which confirms its good condition in our time. So, it seems that the composition of this brick is still not known (which I have little faith in), but there is an assumption that eggs of northern birds were added to it, perhaps eiders, which nested on this island in large quantities. Accordingly, the monks went there FOR EGGS, hence the analogy - Zayatsky. In general, this is such an interesting story.

So why is the Zayatsky Islands so interesting? The first is its nature, which is strikingly different from the nature of the Big Solovetsky Island. There are no forests or lakes here, all the vegetation is low-growing, the type of nature is very similar to the tundra, i.e. low bushes, gnarled small birches, mosses, lichens and, of course, stones. The beauty is incredible.

The second and probably most important thing that Zayatsky Island is famous for is its labyrinths. I want to dwell on them separately. The labyrinth is one of the most mysterious and ancient symbols, about which there is still debate about what it means, why, when and by whom it was first invented. Images of labyrinths have been found in many countries; in Russia they are found in Dagestan and the Russian North. On Bolshoi Solovetsky Island there is the Cape of Labyrinths, but the labyrinths there are a “remake”, restored recently, and it is here, on Zayatsky Island, that the largest concentration of labyrinths in the entire Northern Europe. They are stone displays of various shapes with a diameter of 3.5 to 40 meters and a height of up to 50 cm with stone embankments in the middle. There are also isolated stone mounds.

In total, the island has 13 labyrinths and about 850 stone mounds dating back to approximately the 2nd millennium BC (!!!). The most popular version of what kind of labyrinths these are says that this is an ancient cemetery. This is explained by the fact that when archaeological research On the islands, burnt animal and human bones were found under stone embankments. But why on the island? Here's why. The burial of a person has at all times been considered a special rite, a ritual, and the island is the place that is most suitable for it. All 4 elements are united on the island: Water (washes the island from all sides), Earth (the island itself), Air (wind blowing through the open part of the land) and Fire, which was lit by the person himself before performing the ritual. But some mounds remained empty during their excavations. This was explained by the fact that there were cases when a person went on some kind of voyage, for example, to hunt, and never returned, there was no body, but the ritual had to be performed.

Everything seems to be clear with the stone embankments, but what is the labyrinth itself for, given that nothing was found under the stone embankment in the center of the labyrinth itself?

The version of this is as follows: after performing the burial ritual, by burning the deceased and burying him under a pile of stones, the soul had to go into the labyrinth, get lost there and no longer appear to the living relatives of the deceased. It was written somewhere that those who come to Zayatsky Island experience peace and a sense of solitude. I don't know, maybe it was because of the rainy and gray weather, but I felt more uncomfortable and restless. As I said above, there are a lot of stones on the island, among which there is quite beautiful White Sea quartz. I took one such white pebble, sparkling in the light, with me and put it on the nightstand near the bed. This may of course be a coincidence, but for three nights in a row I was tormented by nightmares until I threw out that pebble, after which I became calmer.

There is also a version that Manala (Tuonela), the land of the dead, described in the Karelian-Finnish epic “Kalevala”, is Solovki:
"...He walked with quick steps,
I walked through the bushes for a week,
Through the thickets - another,
Juniper came third;
He sees the island of Manala
Tuonely he noticed the hill..."

These two features coincide with the description of Solovki. In Kalevala, Manala is an island, like Solovki. There is a hill on the island, like Mount Sekirnaya (73 m) on Bolshoi Solovetsky Island, which is good weather visible almost from the mainland and in general, when you approach Solovki from the sea, the first thing that appears on the horizon is Sekirka.

Labyrinths beckon with their mystery, you want to know as much as possible about it, this desire is addictive. As the Pole M. Wilk said in his book “Wolf Notebook”: ".... Our ancestors, their spirits, live in stones, as well as in words. The Sami also knew this... We reached Cape Labyrinths. We sit down on the stones and light a cigarette. - If you want to leave here, Don't look into the Sami labyrinths - you'll be lost. That's how I...." A very good book that I purchased on Solovki. It's called "The Path of the Labyrinth", it contains many versions, stories, photographs and diagrams of the labyrinths of the White Sea region and around the world, I recommend it in general.

A small wooden church on Bolshoi Zayatsky Island - St. Andrew's Skete. In August 1702, the first Russian Emperor Peter the Great arrived in Solovki with a squadron of 13 warships, who came to pray. During the 10 days that the royal ships were near the Zayatsky Islands, the chapel on the island was rebuilt into a temple consecrated in honor of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. It was here that the first St. Andrew's flag of the Russian fleet was consecrated and for a long time the sailors considered this temple to be theirs until the Naval St. Nicholas Cathedral was built in Kronstadt in 1913. Peter's visit to the Solovetsky archipelago also served as a diversionary maneuver for the Swedes during Northern War. From

White Sea squadron was dragged to Lake Onega by land (by the way, then the beginning of the White Sea-Baltic Canal passed along this path) and the Swedes were struck in the rear, later the fortresses of Oreshek (Noteburg), Nyenschanz and Landskrona were captured, after which the mouth of the Neva at the destroyed Nyenschanz and Landskrona Peter I 16 ( 27) May 1703 laid new town St. Petersburg, which became the port of the Moscow State on the Baltic Sea - the so-called “window to Europe”. There is a version that, by analogy with Zayatsky Island, the island in St. Petersburg was named Zayachiy, on which the Peter and Paul Fortress was located.

Also on Zayatsky Island in the 16th century, under Metropolitan Philip, the first closed stone harbor of the Russian North was built, which has survived to this day. It is one of many 16th-century structures built by hand by monks and laborers. One can only imagine how difficult and long the work was. Here it is, a small piece of land in the cold White Sea, I will try to convey all this beauty with photographs.

Solovetsky labyrinths - monuments of pre-Christian culture

The Solovetsky Islands are considered a place of Orthodox Christian tradition, however, in these places there is also numerous evidence of pagan pre-Christian culture. And this, of course, is not surprising, because the history of Solovki is much older than the history of Christianity.

There are very ancient buildings on the Solovetsky archipelago - mysterious stone labyrinths. By whom, when and for what were they created? There are many versions. From the most prosaic (used for fishing) to the mystical (“places of power”, points of transition to the afterlife).

To explore the labyrinths Solovetsky archipelago let's go to one of its islands called Bolshoi Zayatsky, for it is on this island, with an area of no more than 1.5 square kilometers The main part of the Solovetsky cluster of labyrinths is concentrated.

On Bolshoi Zayatsky Island

But first, I propose to digress a little from the topic of labyrinths and pay attention to the Bolshoi Zayatsky island itself. It is incredibly picturesque, with a history full of bright, sometimes funny, and more often dramatic events.

We got from Bolshoi Solovetsky to Bolshoi Zayatsky by boat. I walk for about forty minutes.

On the main island of the archipelago it was warm and sunny, and on Zayatsky it was drizzling. They say this is a common occurrence. And the distance between the islands seems small, about five kilometers, but the weather on Zayatsky is colder, windier and rainier.

Getting to know Bolshoi Zayatsky Island begins with a stone harbor.

It was built back in the 16th century on the initiative of the great (I’m not afraid of this word) abbot Philip Kolychev. It was under his direct leadership that the Solovetsky Monastery was rebuilt, and channels were dug between lakes, and dams were laid from island to island. It was thanks to Abbot Philip that the harbor on Bolshoi Zayatsky Island was built so that merchants and pilgrims arriving at the monastery could find salvation from the storms of the turbulent White Sea. There was a very convenient fairway in this place, without pitfalls. Over the centuries, of course, the harbor has been destroyed, and the fairway has become shallow, but, nevertheless, this is the only harbor in Russia that has survived since the 16th century (at least, that’s the information I have).

From the same times, outbuildings have been preserved on the island for housing and feeding people arriving on the island, ancient and at the same time very picturesque.

Quite a lot historical events connected to Bolshoi Zayatsky Island. During the years of the “Solovetsky sitting”, archers were stationed here, sent to pacify the rebellious Solovetsky monks who did not want to recognize Nikon’s reforms.
At the very beginning of the 18th century, this island was visited by the tireless Peter the Great (certainly the Great), and it was from here that he set off to capture the Oreshek fortress. Peter I, by the way, visited Zayatsky Island several times, on which, by his order, a church was erected in the name of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

As you know, this holy apostle is considered the patron saint of the fleet, and it is in honor of St. Andrew the First-Called who was crucified on an oblique cross that now a similar cross is depicted on the naval flag.

One can also recall the embarrassing siege Solovetsky Monastery by English ships during the Crimean War of 1855. They still managed to land on Bolshoi Zayatsky Island; among the main successes of the English army were the looting of the church and the shooting of the island's sheep. Although, they say, the British got a few sheep. Most The herd was prudently dispersed across the island by its leader, a wise old goat. Maybe since then, the unkind Anglo-Saxons have harbored a grudge against the Russian world.

In the thirties of the 20th century, there was a women’s punishment cell on Bolshoi Zayatsky Island. But I don’t want to raise the ELEPHANT topic now, it requires special attention.

Solovetsky labyrinths: versions of origin and purpose, scientific and not so

There is, as I said, a lot of information on this topic. People more erudite on this issue than me wrote books, made films, put forward hypotheses, and conducted research. I am simply systematizing what I saw, heard and read, because it is interesting.

So here it is. On a small area of Bolshoi Zayatsky Island, researchers counted 13 labyrinths and more than 850 boulder mounds.

The labyrinths date back to the 1st-2nd century BC. e. They say that similar megalithic structures found in different countries world, for example, in Ireland, Scandinavia, France. Maybe once upon a time there lived a single civilization on these lands?

Among the various versions of the origin of ancient labyrinths, let's start with the most prosaic. There is a hypothesis that labyrinths are “fish traps”. Everything is very simple. During low tides, the fish did not have time to find a way out of the labyrinths, which was what the cunning fishermen needed. But there are some inconsistencies here: a considerable number of labyrinths were built far from the water and are not filled with water at all. Yes and knowledgeable people they say that in the area of the Solovetsky Archipelago there is not and has not been any fish that could be caught in this way.

Then the following hypothesis arises: these are still “fishing nets,” but not simple ones, but magical ones. That is, they served to carry out certain magical rituals related to fishing.

Further, the thought of labyrinth scientists developed in the direction that a labyrinth is a magical tool of shamans and that labyrinths are nets, but not fishing nets, but “protective” nets, designed to intimidate the souls of dead people so that they cannot return to their present time. still alive. Following the spirals of the labyrinth, the soul of the deceased had to “lose its bearings” and never find a way back.

But nothing is clear here at all. Labyrinths have one entrance, which is also an exit. If you enter the labyrinth and do not cross the boundaries, that is, walk strictly along the grooves, then after some time (for some labyrinths this time is 5-10 minutes, for others - more than half an hour) you will come out in the same place where you entered.

That is, if the human Mind is able to get out of the labyrinth, then why is it not possible for the human Soul? But let’s not delve into such jungle. Here you have to either believe or not believe, because this is the basis of any religion. And if you, like me, question existing dogmas, then you are an atheist-atheist, and this is not fashionable now.

However, after analyzing all versions of the origin of the stone labyrinths on the Solovetsky archipelago, a conclusion can be drawn. Most of them are within the framework of the “cult of the dead” concept. The logic of reasoning develops in the following directions. On the one hand, the stone labyrinth is a symbolic entrance to the “other world”, to the “kingdom of the dead” (I liked the expression of Professor Zhizhin - “a model of the soul draining into the other world”), on the other hand, these are unique funeral structures, and even sanctuaries, funeral altars associated with the world of the dead.

So Pavel Florensky, a philosopher and priest, a prisoner and victim of ELEPHANT, assumed that the design of labyrinths is connected with the cult of the dead and is intended to prevent the soul of the deceased, buried in the center, from coming out. And the archaeologist Bryusov (the brother of the famous symbolist poet) agreed with this assumption, arguing that the labyrinth was the place where the burial ceremony was carried out. True, later he himself refuted his hypothesis when he participated in the excavations of one of the labyrinths and did not find any traces of ancient burials.

“Labyrinths are nothing other than Saivo, sacred mountains, where the souls of the departed live, enjoying bliss. The very appearance of the ridges of the labyrinths already gives an idea of the ridges of the stone mountains.”

(N.N. Vinogradov, Solovki. Late 1920s)

Solovki. Stone labyrinths

Purpose of stone labyrinths

N. Vinogradov associated them with the cult of the dead (Vinogradov N. Solovetsky labyrinths. Their origin and place in a number of homogeneous prehistoric monuments. SOK materials. Issue 4. Solovki, 1927). The Babylonians are associated with the rite of initiation and the “lower world” (Kabo V. Origin and early history aborigines of Australia. M., pp. 309–304. 1969), with cult-trade magic (Gurina N. Stone labyrinths of the White Sea. M., pp. 125–142. 1948), with a visit to the Solovetsky Islands by residents of the White Sea to perform primitive religious rites of burial of the dead (Kuratov A. Ancient labyrinths of the Arkhangelsk White Sea. Collection of historical and local lore. Vologda, pp. 63–76. 1973).

Stone Babylons of Solovki. Bolshoi Zayatsky Island.

These were rituals of “... burial and sacrifice (calcified bones of humans, feast animals, birds and fish), sacred rites associated with totemism and cult-trade magic (figurines of sea animals), worship of the Sun (“solar rosette” and circular spiral labyrinths), initiation and, perhaps, others, not yet understood, but associated with the beliefs of the White Sea aborigines.”

... built, according to the ideas of the ancients, on the border of two worlds - the “middle” and the “lower” - the labyrinths most likely symbolized either the lower - otherworldly - world, inhabited by dead spirits hostile to man, or a confusing path into it. One function of the labyrinth, therefore, was to ensure the transfer to the lower world of the souls of the dead and buried according to the rite, which included cremation.

...on the other hand, labyrinths were, apparently, the instrument with the help of which ritual actions were performed. (Martynov Alexander. The archaeological past of the Solovetsky archipelago: continent - sea - islands. Almanac "Solovetsky Sea". No. 1. 2002)

“Most scientists are inclined to think that labyrinths are associated with religious beliefs ancient man(maybe with an astral cult), others see in them a ritual, ceremonial purpose (for example, to test a person) or grave markers over burials... N. Gurina suggested considering labyrinths as plans for complex tools fishing, which the ancient inhabitant of these regions first depicted on land, for clarity (at the same time endowing these images with magical powers), and then transferred “to nature” - to the sea. The question of labyrinths has not yet received a final scientific solution. However, the presence of these mysterious ancient structures on the Solovetsky Islands indicates a close connection in ancient times between these islands and the surrounding coastal areas and the unity of their ancient historical destinies. (Boguslavsky Gustav. Solovetsky Islands: Essays. 3rd ed. Arkhangelsk; North-West book. publishing house, 1978. – 173 p.: ill.)

Stone Babylons of Solovki. Big Solovetsky Island.

Two Solovetsky snakes

“To answer the questions about what internal meaning the stone labyrinths conceal, whether they are really connected with the cult of the dead, what the stone piles in their center and the surrounding ribbons of stone displays mean, it is important to once again turn to both the structure of the labyrinths themselves and to mythology of the peoples of the North. First of all, it is important to analyze the slightest nuances of the stonework of the most common so-called bispiral horseshoe-shaped circular labyrinths of the classical type, and then pose the question: what figurative series can lie behind all this?”

five main features of the shape of masonry labyrinths

The main element of the labyrinth is a spiral, most often composed of single boulder stones in a long row.
Throughout its entire length, the spiral in some areas has an expansion and thickening in the form of a round-oval stone heap. At the ends of the spirals, thickenings are also noticeable, structurally indicated by piles of stones or larger stones.
A single spiral was laid in the form of a line unwinding from the center.
The arrangement of two spirals inscribed one inside the other has the appearance of an intertwined ball.
In the center of the labyrinths there is a cluster of stones in the form of a slide (the slide in the center of the Great Solovetsky Labyrinth was destroyed and is not indicated in the given figure in the work of N.N. Vinogradov).

If we leave aside the traditional dry “constructivist” approach and look at labyrinths from an artistic point of view, the first thing we can see in the labyrinth diagram is a ball of two coiled snakes. The images of snakes with longitudinally elongated heads and rounded tails are presented especially clearly and expressively in the Great Solovetsky Labyrinth, which we took as an example.

The fact that the reptile appears frozen in stone is not surprising, because in the primitive consciousness of man, who deified and spiritualized the world around him, there was no clear boundary between living and inanimate nature. The stone was perceived by him as component of this world, people and animals could accept stone exposure. As an example, it is enough to cite the seids, which were an integral part of the Sami culture. According to the mythology of many northern peoples, epic characters, including people and animals, were turned into stone.

Unlike the Great Solovetsky Labyrinth, in other similar structures the image of a snake can be expressed more schematically and less plastically. To designate a head, sometimes one large stone or a pile of stones at the end of a stone spiral ribbon is enough. The thickening at the opposite end indicated the tail of the snake. There are also quite conventional images of a snake in the form of a ribbon.

A single spiral is a single snake represented in stonework; a labyrinth, including two spirals, denoted a ball of two coiled snakes, the heads of which are located in the very center of the labyrinth, almost opposite each other. In this case, the ball could have two different forms:

1) the correct horseshoe, when between two lying non-contacting snakes there was a passage through the entire labyrinth;
2) horseshoes with a cross-shaped intersection of the “torsos” of snakes, when the path through the labyrinth led to a dead end.

The thickening of the ribbon of stones in one of the sections of the labyrinth now receives a fairly clear interpretation - this is a swallowed victim. It is noteworthy that in the indicated Solovetsky labyrinth the extension of the snake’s body is placed directly opposite the entrance. Anyone entering the labyrinth was threateningly reminded of the real danger.

The artistic expressiveness of the image of snakes in labyrinths, despite the primitiveness of the means used (ordinary boulder stones), is undeniable. We have the right to conclude that the northern stone labyrinths can be classified not only as archaeological monuments, as was previously believed, but also as works of primitive art, since they represent a very distant prototype of modern installations - compositions from individual objects.” (Burov Vladimir. On the semantics of the stone labyrinths of the north. Ethnographic Review, No. 1, 2001)