Those who have heard about the premiere of the series "The Witch" are certainly familiar with the name Mortyr Sea. Who she is is of interest to many. Unfortunately, most of the people who answer this question are wrong and provide a deliberately false answer. So who is she?
Series
This picture was shot in 2015 by Ukrainian directors and is currently available for viewing on many sites. The creators position their offspring as "unparalleled".
"The Witch" belongs to the genre of drama with elements of mysticism and consists of 20 episodes.
The multi-part film tells about a girl named Nadezhda (she will later be called the Sea Mortar). Who it is and where it came from, it becomes clear not from the first series, since the second performer of one of the main roles finds her under rather strange circumstances.
Series plot
The action takes place in a remote provincial village, the inhabitants of which voluntarily gave up the benefits of civilization in order to avoid the bustle of the city. central figurebecomes a mysterious stranger who is fished out of the river by a local blacksmith. The girl is so weak that she cannot connect a word, so the man does not think of anything better than to take her home.
The blacksmith takes care of Nadia, but she is in no hurry to leave his home, because she does not remember anything about how she ended up in the village. Meanwhile, the girl’s relations with the population do not add up: she has such a stunning charm that local single guys cannot bypass her.
Because of this, women begin to accuse Nadezhda of witchcraft, and her fortune teller friend gives her the nickname "Sea Mortar" - a witch.
About the main character
In the series, the performer of the role should play a rather kind and gentle girl. Nadezhda is charming in her confusion and simplicity, so it's no surprise that the male half of the population likes her.
Despite the seemingly false accusation of witchcraft, the girl really opens up the ability to divination and white magic. Contrary to the opinions of others, Nadezhda is a good witch, although this does not save her from universal condemnation.
As the story progresses, the negative attitude towards the girl only grows stronger, because the blacksmith's wife unexpectedly returns to the village, who lives with a young witch. She turns out to be a hereditary witch and with might and main uses her abilities against her rival.
Sea Mortar: who is it
Initially, the creators of the series wanted to draw a parallel withSlavic goddess of death and harvest - Morena. But, apparently, the name turned out to be too simple, so it was turned over to a European motif.
In fact, however, from Latin Mare (or the Sea) is translated as "sea", "reservoir", so it is rather difficult to say what prompted the scriptwriters to name the main character this way: the desire to Europeanize the Slavic name or a well-thought-out move hinting to the opening scene of the appearance of the girl in the series.
Mortar from ancient Greek means "sufferer", which, in principle, fits into the overall plot picture.
Morena
This name is a very negative character of Slavic mythology. Morena (Mara, Morana, Marzhena) - the goddess of Winter, harvest and death. The annual withering of nature and the cruelty of frost were associated with its arrival on earth.
For the Slavs, she was the embodiment of unclean forces, pestilence and other misfortunes. When strong blizzards began, people hid in their homes and tried not to go out until the bad weather subsided. It was believed that Morena was circling her possessions on a sleigh, and the one who caught her at that moment would be very unlucky.
Thus, this character has nothing to do with the definition of "good witch". Although it cannot be called outright evil: according to myths, Mara only fulfilled the duty assigned to her by Rod. The death that this goddess brings is not the end - it is an intermediate stage, the transition to a "new Beginning".
The same can be said about the helpers of the mistress of Death, although for the most part they did not carry significant physicalharm to others. But they could scare with their ugly appearance, so the Slavs tried to avoid meeting with them, not going out into the yard at night.
For a long time, Mara remained a character used to frighten naughty children. And even now the memory of her has not outlived its usefulness, because it is her effigy that is still burned on the Maslenitsa holiday.
The myth of the appearance of Morena
There are several versions: in one of them, Morana is the only daughter of Koshchei, in the other, Lada's sister. In the most popular variation, Mara is also related to Lada by family ties, but in her she is the mother of the goddess of Death. Sisters of the future villainess - Zhiva and Lelya, mistresses of life and spring.
Morena herself enchants Koshchei and becomes his wife, but instead of shrouding the world with darkness, the goddess deceives her husband in one of the castle's rooms, and temporarily becomes his sole mistress. Thus, the goddess is also very cunning, therefore she is identified with fog and darkness, unknown forces that lead a person astray.
Given these facts, the parallel between the Sea Mortar (who it is, described above) and the mythological character is practically not traced. Of course, the heroine of the series is also beautiful, but even her appearance has nothing to do with the canonical goddess, and Nadezhda does not shine with special cunning.
Conclusion
So, in fact, from everything presented above, it turns out that the Sea Mortar is a fictional character, invented specifically for the series"Witch". It has nothing to do with the Slavs, or with their additions. Therefore, the frequently asked question regarding the Sea Mortar ("who is this in mythology?") is obviously incorrect.
