Abstract
Abstract The article examines an unpublished apocryphal prayer against “nezhit” and traces the tradition of its origin in South Slavic medieval literature. The prayer begins “7 angels and 7 archangels walked, 7 candles carried, 7 knives sharpened …”. The “nezhit” disease is, generally speaking, a severe headache, which, according to Christian beliefs, develops into an obscure disease associated with the possession of demonic powers. In the apocryphal prayer, there is a repeated semantic dominance of the number 7, aimed at sacralization and an additional guarantee of success in the battle with diseases, since the number 7 is sacred both in pagan beliefs and in Christianity.
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