Who is the Serpent Gorynych, and what does the Scythians have to do with it?

In modern tales, the Serpent of Gorynych is often portrayed as a positive character. This is actually not the case. This Serpent for the Slavs was a symbol of evil. They defended and defended themselves from the fire-breathing dragon. Moreover, it is present in the mythology of almost all Slavic peoples. At the Poles he smokUkrainians serpent. Often add Gorynych or Gorynchishche.

One of the main features is multi-headedness. But most often there are three heads. He can fly, but as a rule little is known about wings.
Sometimes a snake lives in water, most often in the mountains, sleeps on stones. Perhaps that is why it has the nickname Gorynych. Often accompanies another evil character - Koshchei Immortal.

The fact that the Slavs really believed that it was necessary to defend themselves from the Serpent confirms the presence of "serpentine ramparts" - a defensive structure, the construction of which dates back to the period from the 2nd century BC. to the 7th century A.D. These ramparts stretch along the banks of the Dnieper tributaries south of Kiev. Their total length is more than a thousand kilometers. The idea of the Serpent was reflected not only in legends and fortifications, but also in heraldry. The coat of arms often depicted George the Victorious killing a spear with a spear.

Mother of the Scythians Api. The forehead and cheekbones. 4th century BC

So who is he, this fabulous monster? In fact, the Serpent Gorynych is a collective image of the formidable nomads, Polovtsy and Scythians.
The mother of the Scythians is the serpent goddess Api. She is the ancestor of the tribe. Her image is associated with land and water. Api was portrayed as a half-female half-snake. Another attribute associated with the Scythians is fire. It was no coincidence that the serpent was fire-breathing. The Scythians, like many other tribes, were fire worshipers. They revered fire as a reviving and purifying element. It was often used in funeral rituals. This is evidenced by archaeological excavations dating back to the 5-7th century BC.

The image of the goddess on the handle of the dish

Scythians depicted their goddess-ancestor on shields and armor. In addition, the nomads made a stuffed dragon from colored fabric, planted on a high pole and boldly rushed into battle. In the wind, during an equestrian attack, it fluttered like a living one, while it emitted a piercing whistle.
Some researchers find common features of our Serpent with a Chinese dragon. Both land and water obey them. They breathe fire, shake the earth, steal the sun and moon. Based on this, researcher A. Corinthian believes that these creatures have a common ancestral home - Asia. But if the Chinese saw an object of worship in a dragon, then our people preferred to fight with it, sent against their monsters their best warrior sons.