Water will find the way. Proverbs about water

Nothing so expresses age-old folk wisdom,as proverbs. These brief, but capacious statements help out when there is no place for other words. In this case, the meaning of the same proverb can equally accurately explain completely different situations. Therefore, starting the conversation about proverbs about water, it should be understood that the meaning contained in this statement has nothing to do with the main fluid of the Earth.

Symbols of water for ancient people

In any culture of bygone eras you can findmention of the sacred attitude to water. For example, many know the hypothesis of the origin of the world from water. And this is not surprising, because the ancients always draw conclusions from what they see: children are born out of the water, rains feed plants. The power of water consisted in the fact that it can not only give life, but also take it away, for example, by the absence of rain or, conversely, by floods.

Ancient proverbs about water are ambiguousthe semantic load: "From water always wait for trouble" and "Bread - father, water - mother". The respectful attitude of the Slavs to the water as a powerful element can be traced, which can both caress, offend, and help.

Many people today do not understand the meaning of the proverb "In onethe river can not be entered twice. " What do you mean you can not? The river - it will not go anywhere. However, for the Slavs, the current of the river symbolized the flow of time. It was believed that the water drained, the river was refreshed and became another. So this proverb was born.

Stone, water - two opposing elements

Hearing the expression "Water grinds the stone" in the firstOnce, it is not always possible to immediately penetrate the depth of the utterance. There are other variants of the same proverb about water, for example, "A drop of stone is hollowing", and "Patience and work will peretrut". It becomes clear that in fact it is here that the liquid is affectionate, amorphous, soft, with a long exposure can destroy the hardest stone. Water - as a symbol of perseverance, stone - as a symbol of unshakable strength.

And here is another proverb with the word "water": "Under a recumbent stone and water does not flow." Here the call to active actions, capable to win the most adverse circumstances is expressed.

This forks on the water is written

Most often it is accepted to take literallythe expression that on the water can not remain traces of pitchfork. In fact, this proverb with the word "water" has a very interesting prehistory. The fact is that the word "pitchfork" in ancient Slavic mythology had a slightly different meaning than now. Forks are spirits of water, creatures that lived in rivers and lakes. According to legend, these spirits could predict the future, and their predictions were recorded on the water.

There is another version, which says that forkscalled circles on the water, which are formed, if it throw stones. Some peoples had such a ritual of divination, when the size and intersection of these circles determined the fate.

Since both variants of the predictions had a doubtful background, the expression "The forks on the water is written" appeared.

Why do the offended water carry

Some proverbs about water do not have a directrelationship to mythology, and related to historical events. For example, the saying "Throw water in the stupa" appeared in the Middle Ages: the disobedient monks were forced to do absolutely useless work as a punishment - to pound the water.

The history is also interesting with the offended water-carriers. It is believed that this proverb is connected with the events of the XIX century. In St. Petersburg at that time there was no clean drinking water, so it was delivered by water carriers for a small fee, which, incidentally, was officially legalized and identical for all. But, of course, there were the Dodgers, who were insulted by the prohibitively low price for the service, and they tried to overstate it. For such a violation they were deprived of horses, and the offended businessmen had no choice but to carry heavy barrels on themselves.

As you can see, the proverb is far from a mere phrase that has been accidentally taken from someone's lips. On the contrary, this is a very deep, albeit short, statement with its history and serious meaning.