Kharakternyky as Ukrainian warrior-sorcerers
Who were these mysterious Ukrainian warrior-sorcerers, the kharakternyky? They were kozaky (Cossacks), fierce defenders of Ukrainian lands in the 15th to 18th centuries who, some believe, possessed unique knowledge and supernatural powers. But first, let’s explore some background.
1st October, known as День захисників та захисниць України (Ukrainian Defenders’ Day), is a national holiday in Ukraine. On this day, the nation honours all who defend Ukraine, both in times of war and peace. This date is not coincidental. It aligns with the Feast of the Protection of the Holy Virgin, or Pokrova. Historically, it was a significant holiday for the Ukrainian kozaky, who regarded the Holy Virgin as their Protectress.
The Ukrainian kozaky had a rich belief system filled with superstitions, prayers, and legends, often blending religious and mystical elements. They even practised spells. If you’ve read our publication of Petro Yefymenko’s A Collection of Ukrainian Spells, you’ll recall that it includes many spells from old manuscripts. One notable example is an 1843 manuscript containing 18 spells. It belonged to Taras Mamai, a kozak from Poltava.
It’s no surprise that the kozaky had their own masters of the mystical arts, known as kharakternyky. These enigmatic figures are often described as “sorcerers,” “wise men,” or “seers,” not limited to just kozaky. However, in modern Ukrainian culture, the kharakternyk is most commonly associated with the image of a mystical sorcerer among the kozaky. Kharakternyky continue to live on vividly in the realms of literature and folklore, where their supernatural abilities have become legendary.
Kharakternyky in Literature
“…Tell me, man, what are you in this world? Are you some kind of kharakternyk, or maybe the devil himself?” (from “Marko the Damned”, our forthcoming publication)
Our upcoming publication marks the first English translation of Ukrainian author Oleksa Storozhenko’s novella Marko the Damned (1879). This literary work is one of the few that mentions kharakternyky, placing them alongside devils and witches.
Interestingly, another of Storozhenko’s works serves as the foundation for one of the encyclopedic definitions of a kharakternyk. In fact, Yevhen Onatskyi references Memoirs of Mykyta Leontiyovych Korzh (Споминки про Микиту Леонтійовича Коржа). There, kharakternyk possesses the power to cast protective spells against bullets. Additionally, they could bewilder enemy armies with illusions, making it so the enemy wouldn’t even notice an approaching attack.
Here is an excerpt from Memoirs of Mykyta Leontiyovych Korzh (1863):
…A scribe named Popovych came with them, a very intelligent and literate man, and on top of that, he was a great kharakternyk. He knew everything that happened and everything that would happen, thanks to a book he had, where the fate of every person was recorded… Even then [200 years later], the scribe Popovych was still alive, as he was a kharakternyk. Every ten years, he would disappear somewhere, and after a month, he would return, looking younger and healthier. When the kozaky asked where he had been, he would answer, “I went to drink the water of life”…
“When there will be neither an army nor kozaks, I won’t want to wander around the world anymore; there will be enough scribes without me because there will be so many of those scribes that it’ll drive you crazy!” And with that, he died. Everything happened just as Scribe Popovych had said: the Sich was destroyed, there was no army, no kozaky, and there were no longer people like there used to be!..”
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Additional reading:
- Pokrova: The October Spell to be Wed
- Witchcraft:
- What is so Special about Ukrainian Witches?
- Fortune Telling: 7 Rituals to Perform on St Catherine’s Eve
- Sova Books publications on otherworldly:
- New Release – “A Collection of Ukrainian Spells“
- New Release – “Notes on Ukrainian Demonology”
- The Witches of Kyiv – Orest Somov’s Gothic Ukraine