The article examines the process of a mythologization of mass consciousness which became one of factors of social and psychological crisis in Russia in the years of World War I. In research focus there are rumors interpreting internal and external events in a folklore key. The author pays attention to the general and special in rural and city rumors and makes the conclusion about their merge at a certain stage of world war. It is noted that the mythologization of mass consciousness reduced ability of different sectors of society adequate rationally to estimate an internal political situation in the country that escalated confrontation and brought closer revolution.