Shubin (ghost)
Encyclopedia
Shubin is the mythological spirit
of the mines
. The legend of Shubin is distributed mainly in the mining towns of Donbas, Ukraine
. In the north one can hear several legends about the spirit of the mines. The spirit is usually good, but can be wicked. There is no single point of view about the etymology of the word. Explanations include: (1) the nickname of a miner, whose soul, according to legend, walks in a fur coat at the bottom of the mine with a torch in his hand and burns the gas (firedamp
); (2) the name of the cruel mining master Shubin, who slew workers underground; (3) the sound from methane
(Shu-Shu), which often accumulates in the mines.
emissions. Therefore, before each shift, the master would go down in the mine and, if he felt something was wrong, he warned of the danger. Hence, the name coal miners called the spirit that comes to them to help in a dangerous hour.
In the mining towns, many stories go, people have seen this spirit with their own eyes. Once, when a man was in the mine, the lights went down.
He was in complete darkness, lost his orientation, and could not find the exit. He fell into despair but suddenly he saw lights far away. The spirit drew near, holding a flashing beacon
. The man was afraid, but obediently followed until he was removed from the labyrinth of darkness.
Some miners say that Shubin can be good or bad, depending on which person he meets.
There is a legend that once, long ago somewhere in Donbass, a man came in search of a better life. He visited the tavern
to request help in finding a job. Drunken miners said they would give him a test. The newcomer would have to go down the mine, light a torch, and walk a few meters. If he was not afraid, he could become a miner. A man did not guess the true purpose of this test. In fact, the miners wanted to determine whether there was methane in the mine, which always gave them a lot of trouble. If the gas exploded, it would save the lives of other miners who were due to work the next day. The drunken miners cynically thought it was better for a beginner to take the risk. At a certain concentration the gas (firedamp or methane) burned but did not explode. In such a case, a fur coat gave the miner some protection from skin burns. That's why the newcomer put a fur coat on. Then he did what he was ordered but, unfortunately, there was an explosion.
Since then, a man's spirit has haunted the mines, taking vengeance for the wrong that was done to him. Sometimes it is voracious and causes terrible accidents that take the lives of dozens of miners. To cast the evil spirit
from the Lugansk mines, Metropolitan Ioanniky specially descended into a shaft in the Sverdlovsk region and said prayer
s there.
. There, in some areas you can even hear the phrase "ему пришел шубин". This means that a man got into a very dangerous and desperate situation. They say that in the Urals in the 19th century lived a cruel master named Shubin, who slew people working underground. For this he was killed. Since then he haunts underground drains and is usually displayed in the image of a stooped old man in a fur coat and with pitted felt boots. They say that those who see Shubin are unlikely to remain alive.
Good Shubin from Donetsk
brewery Sarmat.
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
of the mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
. The legend of Shubin is distributed mainly in the mining towns of Donbas, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. In the north one can hear several legends about the spirit of the mines. The spirit is usually good, but can be wicked. There is no single point of view about the etymology of the word. Explanations include: (1) the nickname of a miner, whose soul, according to legend, walks in a fur coat at the bottom of the mine with a torch in his hand and burns the gas (firedamp
Firedamp
Firedamp is a flammable gas found in coal mines. It is the name given to a number of flammable gases, especially methane. It is particularly commonly found in areas where the coal is bituminous...
); (2) the name of the cruel mining master Shubin, who slew workers underground; (3) the sound from methane
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
(Shu-Shu), which often accumulates in the mines.
Shubin in Ukraine
Legends about good Shubin
According to one version, Shubin is the ghost of a dead miner. Another is that he was a mining master who worked in the late 19th century on one of the mines in the Donbass. He had a gift for predicting collapses and methaneMethane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
emissions. Therefore, before each shift, the master would go down in the mine and, if he felt something was wrong, he warned of the danger. Hence, the name coal miners called the spirit that comes to them to help in a dangerous hour.
In the mining towns, many stories go, people have seen this spirit with their own eyes. Once, when a man was in the mine, the lights went down.
He was in complete darkness, lost his orientation, and could not find the exit. He fell into despair but suddenly he saw lights far away. The spirit drew near, holding a flashing beacon
Beacon
A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location.Beacons can also be combined with semaphoric or other indicators to provide important information, such as the status of an airport, by the colour and rotational pattern of its airport beacon, or of...
. The man was afraid, but obediently followed until he was removed from the labyrinth of darkness.
Some miners say that Shubin can be good or bad, depending on which person he meets.
Legends of evil Shubin
Not all legends about Shubin depict him as the embodiment of good forces. Anthracite miners of the area claim that this ghost is vindictive and often plagues them with accidents in the mines.There is a legend that once, long ago somewhere in Donbass, a man came in search of a better life. He visited the tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
to request help in finding a job. Drunken miners said they would give him a test. The newcomer would have to go down the mine, light a torch, and walk a few meters. If he was not afraid, he could become a miner. A man did not guess the true purpose of this test. In fact, the miners wanted to determine whether there was methane in the mine, which always gave them a lot of trouble. If the gas exploded, it would save the lives of other miners who were due to work the next day. The drunken miners cynically thought it was better for a beginner to take the risk. At a certain concentration the gas (firedamp or methane) burned but did not explode. In such a case, a fur coat gave the miner some protection from skin burns. That's why the newcomer put a fur coat on. Then he did what he was ordered but, unfortunately, there was an explosion.
Since then, a man's spirit has haunted the mines, taking vengeance for the wrong that was done to him. Sometimes it is voracious and causes terrible accidents that take the lives of dozens of miners. To cast the evil spirit
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
from the Lugansk mines, Metropolitan Ioanniky specially descended into a shaft in the Sverdlovsk region and said prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
s there.
Shubin in Russia
Shubin is known in RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. There, in some areas you can even hear the phrase "ему пришел шубин". This means that a man got into a very dangerous and desperate situation. They say that in the Urals in the 19th century lived a cruel master named Shubin, who slew people working underground. For this he was killed. Since then he haunts underground drains and is usually displayed in the image of a stooped old man in a fur coat and with pitted felt boots. They say that those who see Shubin are unlikely to remain alive.
Popularity of Shubin in Donbass (Ukraine)
The popularity of legends about Shubin has led to his name being used in the Donbass region in entertainment, bars and a popular brand of beerBeer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
Good Shubin from Donetsk
Donetsk
Donetsk , is a large city in eastern Ukraine on the Kalmius river. Administratively, it is a center of Donetsk Oblast, while historically, it is the unofficial capital and largest city of the economic and cultural Donets Basin region...
brewery Sarmat.
Similar spirits
- UkrainianUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Bila Koroleva (White Queen). In the beliefs of some miners the Shubin spirit appears as a femaleFemaleFemale is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
. Once, a miner from Sverdlovsk region went missing. After a long search he was finally found in the mine naked. He went mad and was taken to a mental hospitalMental HospitalMental hospital may refer to:*Psychiatric hospital*hospital in Nepal named Mental Hospital...
. Then some other miners went mad. All of them told about the "white queen", a beautiful woman who tried to cheat them, but the miners could not bear her towering beauty and completely lost their reason. People have long mocked these stories and passed by the mental hospital where the miners were treated and said that it was the home of the white kings. Since the white queen have disappeared from the mine but no one can tell exactly when she would come again. - Polish Skarbnik (Treasurer) which inhabits the WieliczkaWieliczka-External links:***...
salt mines - Gothic KoboldKoboldThe kobold is a sprite stemming from Germanic mythology and surviving into modern times in German folklore. Although usually invisible, a kobold can materialise in the form of an animal, fire, a human being, and a candle. The most common depictions of kobolds show them as humanlike figures the size...
- a spirit guardian of underground mines and jewelry
Literature
- O.Forostyuk. Religious Luganschina: a historical and legal aspects. - Lugansk: Svitlycja, 2004.