The book is dedicated to mythological stories about sorcerers, wizards, and their equivalents (healer, witch, wizard, seer, diviner, fortune-teller, fortune oracle, gamka, yarestun, expert, izvodchitsa, hiccuper, kilyatnik, klohtun, sorcerer, lomotnik, trikh and others) in the Russian mythological tradition. The formation of these images is determined by the notions of the heirs of the volkhvs-priests or their equivalents. These characters are understood as the primary cause of everything that happens in the existence of man–society–universe. In addition, the meaning of sacred loci (Lysa Mountain, crossroads, etc.) where rituals are performed to ensure the successful course of existence and stable balance in the universe is revealed. These investigations provide a key to understanding mythological images, mastered not only in folklore but also in literature and art. The author conducts for the first time a comparative analysis of a very large volume of scientific data in the fields of ethnography, folklore studies, history, linguistics, art studies, literary studies, folk medicine, and botany.
