Thunder and Elijah the Prophet

August second in the church calendar is Saint Elijah the Prophet’s day. Saint Elijah is a popular prophet and is common to the religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. In the secular world, August second falls smack in the middle of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and after Lammas or harvest time on August first. Unfortunately, this also means that winter will be creeping up on us.

Inevitably, I always remember my Babushka’s -- Grandmother Anna’s -- words on this day. Thunderstorms evoked a great fear in her, and she passed this on to me. She’d witnessed deaths in Russia from lightning, so her fear was justified.

“Annushka,” Babushka would remind me, “don’t forget that on St. Elijah’s day, August 2nd, there will always be a thunderstorm. Remember, this is St. Elijah, “Ilya Prorok” riding through the heavens on his chariot, pulled by a mighty horse. You must be careful: watch out for the lightning, close the windows and the doors, and pray. Da, yes, pray for your safety.”

These words left a permanent impression on my brain, and a fear of the prophet known as “Ilya Gromovnik” -- Elijah the Thunderer. St. Elijah ascended to the heavens in a chariot pulled by three fiery horses.

We’d be in our small house in the hot and humid Jersey summer, sans air conditioning, with a fan or two blowing around the air. The sky would grow dark and stormy, with the distant boom of thunder approaching.

Babushka began the preparations: closing doors and windows, crossing herself and praying. I’d get so frightened that I’d crawl under the covers or even the bed and barely breathe. Each peal of thunder would be pure terror.

Thankfully, my astraphobia or fear of thunder has faded, but thunderstorms still fascinate me, as they’ve fascinated humans since the dawn of time.

Fascinations need explanations and mythological figures serve this purpose. In ancient Russia, pre-Christianity, it was Perun who was the ruling god of thunder and lightning. In the nearby Scandinavian countries, Perun was known as Thor.

As humans evolved, these ancient gods morphed into more acceptable forms. Perun became Saint Elijah. In his prophetic role, he’s said to be a harbinger of the Messiah and in the Gospels, John the Baptist is asked if he is the reincarnation of the prophet.

I reserve the highest reverence for St. Elijah. Who knows, I may even get a glimpse of him, riding through the heavens on his chariot , pulled by his fiery team of horses. Just to be safe, though, I’ll be sure to stay inside during the summer tempests.