Margarita - a witch of Russian descent

      I assume that I have special relations with this book . Its incredible author M. A. Bulgakov created a  genius novel, which has been interest of many researchers for over sixty years. "The Master and Margarita" novel was introduced to me by my mom long before I studied it at school. The novel seemed to me strange, I didn't understand it completely and couldn't give value to its language and plot.
     Later, when I read the novel with the full awareness about its contents, I started enjoying it much more, liking certain chapters and details. Then I realised that I fell in love with it forever. No wonder "The Master and Margarita" became one of the subjects of my final diploma project in the university. This is when I started exploring the novel from a scientific point of view, discovering more and more beauty in it and getting to know new things about the world of the novel created by Bulgakov.

an illustration to the novel The Master and Margarita

      The topic I am raising today is quiet broad nevertheless interesting and directly related to the idea of my blog. I am going to make few posts telling the story of Margarita - a witch of Russian descent.
     Margarita is the most famous witch of Russian, and perhaps, World literature. There are numerous books written about her character and I in turn would like to concentrate on her witchy side.
       As soon as it is a novel I am talking about, there is a great love story in it and Margarita is a part of it. She is pictured as an ordinary woman living an ordinary life with a husband she doesn't love. The routine life makes her to search for a wonder of love. And she finds it... or it finds her?
       Margarita means "pearl" (derived from a Greek word "margarites"). Pearl is a talisman of arts, inspiration and spiritual perfection and besides is used in witchcraft.  Margarita is a symbol of  Master's renewed belief in creation, this is she, who saves few pages of Master's novel he intents to burn, and also a symbol of sacrifices done in the name of love.
       I used to tell in the first posts, that a witch plays a dual role in humans' life: good and bad. Witchcraft helps people get what they want. Margarita decides to become a witch and makes a deal with Devil  in order to find her lover Master who seemed to be lost somewhere.
     Though it seems that Margarita is chosen by Woland (Devil in Bulgakov's novel) randomly, it is not so. She was always meant to be someone else. Margarita has a squinting eye which is considered to be a mark of a dark power, she has black hair and she wears preferably black attire - a color of witchcraft; she sees prophetic dreams and is very sensitive towards the meaning of the signs around her. Her soul feels that something is going to happen.
     Bulgakov describes how Margarita turns to a witch. But why turns? Because her very appearance changes when she applies a cream given by one of the servants of Woland, Azazello, on her face and body. She becomes a twenty years old instead of thirty, her eyes turn greener and she feels like... laughing! She gains strength and happiness she never knew before. Here we see one of the attributes of a witch: a magical ointment. Moreover, Margarita's initiation into a witch happens during a full moon when most of the important magical  rituals are done.

Margarita in modern art

    Our Russian witch is now ready to act, she is awaiting for signal to move out of her boring house... After a call Azazello gives her, she hears a strange knocking behind the door of her room. When she opens it, a floor broom comes out jumping and eager to fly away through the window. So here comes a necessary tool of a witch  a broomstick, though a bit modified. Margarita then heads  to a gathering of the witches called Sabbath (rus. Shabash) naked what once again refers to a usual practice of witchcraft.
     I have tried to explore which features and attributes of a "typical" witch Margarita is bestowed by Bulgakov. Among them are magical tools like broomstick and ointment, a ritual of initiation during a full moon, features of Margarita which make her look like a witch before and after initiation. I am going to continue with the novel The Master and Margarita in my next post. There is plenty to tell about :)

Yours sincerely,

Witchcraft and Literature

The Spring Ball of the Full Moon

If you were following the ventures of Margarita, you must be knowing that she is now getting ready for the so-called Spring Ball of the Full Moon (or the Ball of the hundred kings) held by the devil himself, Woland. Margarita is told by one of his servants to be a mistress there, Queen of the Ball. This is the price she has to pay for returning her Master. I won't be getting into the implication of the name of the ball. You can read about it  here. I would like to see the novel as a completely magical composition right now. The ball is held at the midnight and Margarita is led by Koroviev and cat Begemot to the dark hall, where she steps into the swimming pool and is bathed in blood and rose oil,  then rubbed with some green leaves. "A force picked her up and placed in front of the mirror, and the Queen's diamond diadem glittered in her hair. Koroviev appeared from somewhere and hung on Margarita's breast a heavy, in the oval frame, picture of the black poodle on the massive chain. This jewelry has burdened Queen immensely. The chain started rubbing a neck suddenly , the image drawn her to bend. But something rewarded Margarita for all these inconveniences, which were caused by this chain with the poodle.  This was that reverence Koroviev and Begemot began treating her with". Then someone makes rose petal shoes for Margarita, which lock with golden buckles on their own.

The first detail of this transformation of Margarita into Queen of the Ball is an oval-framed picture of the poodle which is hung on her neck. This is a reference to the Goethe's Faust, where Mefistopheles appears to Faust as a  poodle. She wears the poodle picture as she is the Woland's mistress at the ball. Koroviev suggests her to give special attention to each of the guests, as they may feel hurt otherwise. "You have to love, love him, Queen. The mistress of the ball will be handsomely rewarded for this!"

   The ball at Satan's, as described by Bulgakov, is the most fascinating I have ever read about in literature and I doubt there is another one. It began with the cat Begemot's scream "Ball!".  Music and different flavors suddenly fell on Margarita and she saw herself in the tropical garden. Margarita followed Koroviev and Begemot along the wall of the white tulips which appeared all of a sudden. She saw an empty hall, with "the columns made of some sparkly yellowish stone". All the musicians in the orchestra stood up to greet Queen and  the kapellmeister "bowed low with wide spread arms, and, Margarita smiling, waved..." Later she gets to know that the kapellmeister is Johann Strauss... 

Her walk is not over, and the next hall she flies into, has three fountains, which are pouring champagne into the pools. Finally they arrive onto the platform where Margarita stands beside the low amethyst pillar under her left hand.  One of the black-skinned boys lays a cushion embroidered with a golden poodle under Margarita's feet. An invisible force bends her knee and puts her right foot on the cushion. Now she has to meet the arriving guests and let them kiss her knee. The guests are not common as they are those who went to Hell after their death. They are mostly murderers, thieves, sinful women...

Margarita, Queen of the Ball, cat Begemot and Koroviev

 The Margarita's mission on the Ball in the novel never leaves readers indifferent. She becomes pale as blood is streaming under her diadem and the oval-framed poodle image draws down more and more, her knee swells because of the numerous kissed from devilish guests, still she remains strong and replies that everything is all right when asked by Koroviev. She has to accomplish the duty with grace. Neither cut off head of Berlioz turned into a skull chalice which is filled with baron Meigel's blood, nor all those scary guests can make her change her mind. 

Margarita's truly queen nature saves her from faults as she internally senses what and how to speak with Woland. After Margarita's duty is fulfilled she is asked by Woland what does she want in  return, but even now she leaves her selfishness and asks for one of the guests Freida to be freed from the punishment of putting a handkerchief, with which she strangled her baby, beside her bed every morning as a reminder of her crime. Woland says that Margarita is just too generous and that this doesn't count, she can now ask for herself. Obviously that this time she requests to give her Master back and he suddenly appears in front of her, straight from the mental hospital... Further destiny of Master and Margarita is not  a "happy end" in mundane impression, it is something like eternal life without others around and peace...

Woland is not pictured as "good evil" which helps two lovers to finally be together. Woland is cruel, firm, he is testing mortals in the worst situations for them to check their greed, lust, in one word, provoking them to sin.  He succeeds as the people haven't changed much since the times of Jesus...
Margarita becomes witch because of the "misery and despair" as she herself explains it. Being a part of a dark side she now in fact can see the light, can see purpose of life in protecting her master and living with him in peace. Bulgakov doesn't mean that the dark side has to be your choice, he doesn't say it about the light as well, but he promotes values of human life like love, passion,dedication, honesty, and one of the main themes of the novel as freedom of spirit, freedom of  expression. 

Yours Sincerely,
Witchcraft and Literature

  

Master and Margarita - In the Woland's Apartment

The novel The Master and Margarita is rich in symbols and ambiguous interpretations of the events. Speaking about the witchcraft framework in the novel, I shall say that of course, this is not what the novel is about, but it is very important for the development of the characters. The elements of magic create a surreal world in which you have to find the real meanings. 

 "The room appeared to be not very big. Margarita saw a big broad bed with creasy and crumpled bed sheets and a pillow. An oak wood table with carved legs, on which was placed a chandelier with sockets in the shape of clawed bird's paws, stood in front of the bed. The thick wax candles were lit in these seven sockets. Besides this, a big chess board with the figures, remarkably adept, was on the table. A small bench stood on a shabby carpet. There was one more table with some gold chalice on it and another chandelier, branches of which were made in the shape of the serpents. The smell of sulfur and resin was in the room, shadows from the lamps criss-crossed on the floor...", - as seen by Margarita when she has her first meeting with the devil before the Spring Ball of the Full Moon.

We can see that the room is full of symbolic objects and details. There are seven lit candles. No need to say that the number seven is one of the most powerful and known for its magical properties. Number seven is associated with Venus and more recently with Neptun. This is the number of feelings and of instincts. Remember that we are talking about the novel and a love story in it?

Another object of interest for us is the chalice, which properties are known from the Meet witches' tools post. The chalice can be a part of Hella's altar (Hella is a witch and a vampire from the Woland's retinue). The animalistic details like bird's claws and serpents are those which belong to the dark symbols. Especially the serpent as the devil's disguise in the Old Testament. 

The chess board represents spiritual life and the choice. Playing chess with the Devil stakes your life. Even the chess party in Harry Potter, though wasn't with the devil, nevertheless was supposed to reward the winner. The smell of sulfur is traditionally associated with the Devil, evil spirit.

The room, where Woland resides, speaks for itself and gives hints that it is habitation of the dark power. Margarita's sight was attracted to the bed where Woland sat and Hella was applying some ointment onto his aching knee. The aching knee, limping is a reference to the fall of Satan from Heaven after which he damaged his leg. However Bulgakov's Satan Woland appeared in front of Margarita with very human features too: "he wore a long night gown, dirty and with patches on the left shoulder", "his face was skewed and a mouth was drawn down, there were cut deep wrinkles parallel to his sharp eyebrows on his high bald forehead".    

Margarita also notices that "the skin on the Woland's face seemed to be burned evermore", what refers to the fire of Hell, because even Woland's hands seem to be very hot when he makes Margarita sit beside him on the bed. Margarita notices "a beetle, skillfully carved from a dark stone, on the golden chain and with some script on its back" on the hairless Woland's chest, which is definitely is an Egyptian scarab.

Woland greets Margarita and excuses for his "homely look" , he has a very low quality of voice. Woland is very frustrated (!) because of his knee as he has to participate in the upcoming ball. When Hella is told to do preparations for the ball, Margarita willingly offers her help to apply the ointment on the Satan's knee. The ball is going to start at the midnight which is nee, Woland suggests Margarita to be calm and not to drink anything except water during the ball. Let's see what other witchcraft elements are used by Bulgakov at The Spring Ball of the Full Moon .

One more interesting note: Margarita was surprised that the chess figures were alive! They were moving, fighting, getting upset... about 70 years prior to that idea of Harry Potter magical chess :)!
P.S. the passage describing the room and  other snippets of the novel are translated by me.

Yours sincerely,

Witchcraft and Literature

Margarita's First Flight and Sabbath

Margarita applying a magical ointment

 In connection with the guest post "Margarita - a witch of a Russian descent" I continue to follow the venture of Bulgakov's character.

Margarita the witch

As it had been told, a newly turned witch Margarita heads towards the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a gathering of the witches during the full moon. This event takes place in the novel somewhere on the open grounds, far from  the Moscow city (this is where the story occurs), and Margarita has to reach it by riding her floor broom (a modified broomstick). While flying above the Arbat street she finds out that she is invisible and it gives her a certain amount of confidence. Margarita in anger breaks one of the street signs as she accidentally bumps into it, then flying further and higher she notices a "mass of a eight-storeyed house perhaps a newly built one", she is reminded of something by the board on it and enters the house's premises. She destroys the apartment of a critic who was involved in failure of the Master's writing career.

We can see that Margarita's nature changes. The belonging to the world of dark art makes Margarita to free herself and do things she always wanted to do but was afraid of even attempting. She becomes bold, defiant and even vengeful. This might be considered as a characteristic of a bad witch, however won't you behave the same in order to save your beloved?
The flight of Margarita is described by Bulgakov with such energy and beauty that many times while reading it I wish to try it once in a life myself... Margarita flies above the forests, fragrant meadows, cool ponds. The full moon is escorting Margarita all the way, after a fast ride she feels the proximity of water and later on sees a river and a glimpse of bonfire with small moving figures on the other bank. She then swims in the river's warm water and continues her way to another coast - towards the bonfire of Sabbath. Though Bulgakov doesn't call it so, I think that it is what meant to be.

an image to illustrate the story - couldn't fine the one with the full moon and fire

  As soon as Margarita appears the march is being played in her honour and all the witches bow, moroever she is called the Queen Margo now. The Sabbath gathers such creatures as goat-footed who offers Maragrita champagne, the mermaids (rusalka in Russian), the singing frogs and the witches themselves. The Sabbath in the novel presented as a cheerful event, where the participants dance, consume some wine, mermaids make roundelay and overall atmosphere is quiet pleasing.
Margarita is not at all scared of the sudden change of her life, she accepts it and goes with the flow. As I had told in the previous article, she seems to be a random choice of Woland but Koroviev (from the retinue of Woland) says to her: "... because you are yourself of the royal blood..." and gives few more hints which reveal that Margarita has one of the French Queens of XVI century as her ancestor! There are actually two French Queens who it could be related to: Marguerite de Navarre and Margaret of Valois. However, the latter is considered to be the one chosen by Bulgakov.
Our heroine lived one of the necessary events of the witches' life - Sabbath. Bulgakov's focus nevertheless is not on the witchcraft. itself but on the interpretation of powers hidden within us and the way we use them (or don't). The Margarita's journey hasn't come to an end yet as she still has a task to do after which she will get her Master back.
Bulgakov certainly knew a lot about witchcraft and described so many details of the rituals conducted during the Margarita's turning into a witch and afterwards. Sabbath was one of them. Another one called the great Ball at Satan's will be a culmination and one of the best written places in the novel. You are invited there too.

Yours sincerely,

Witchcraft and Literature

My first guest post on A Witchy Life by Sita

 I am very much excited about first guest writing experience for a blog A Witchy Life by Sita. You can find the article here. The name of the post is "Margarita - a Witch of Russian descent". It narrates a  story of a witch from the novel by M.A. Bulgakov "The Master and Margarita". I hope you will like it and I am going to post about Margarita in my blog as well as her story still continues.

Yours sincerely,

Witchcraft and Literature