The Udmurts (self-named - Udmurt, outdated names - Votyaks) are the people, the indigenous population of Udmurtia (496.5 thousand people). The total number as of 1998 is 714.8 thousand. Believers are Orthodox. The Udmurt language belongs to the Permian branch of the Finno-Ugric family of languages. Writing system based on the Russian alphabet.
ESH-TEREK
In ancient times, the great batyr Esh-Terek lived among the Udmurts. In his younger years, he plowed the land, felling wood - he was a simple peasant.
He did not go to wars. And at that time there was an endless enmity with the Tatars and various tushmons, whom no one will remember now.
The villagers wanted Ash-Terek to be toro, but he refused.
I am still young, - he said, - there are people worthy of me. And they have experience, and services to the people, and wisdom, which I have not yet acquired.
But by the age of forty he was nevertheless made a toro.
Ash-Terek began to think about military equipment. He made a bow for himself from a young maple, which he uprooted from the ground. Arrow prepared birch, but the horse for him was never there. Not a single one could withstand the batyr, his legs gave way, his ridge broke. Where could one find a horse to match such a giant?
Esh-Terek came to the bank of the Kama, sits and is sad. We are on foot to fight badly against the swift-footed Tatar horsemen, but we do not know where to get a horse.
The mighty warrior sighed deeply, and the wide Kama was agitated, as if from his sigh. The waves crashed against the shore, and when they retreated, Ash-Terek saw the gray-haired Vumurta. He stood up to his waist in the water near the rocky shore and looked at the gloomy toro.
What are you grieving about, Ash-Terek? Vladyka asked.
This is none of your business, green beard. Get out!
I am Wumurt, the owner of the waters and an old friend of your fathers. I want to serve you. What do you need, speak!
I need a fighting horse. So as not to bend under me and overtake the Tatar horses. Where can you find such a horse, green beard! You only have to scare the girls and tear the nets. Get lost!
You shouldn't revile me, Ash-Terek! There will be a horse to match you. Here's my advice: sit down tonight in the reeds by the river and wait. The Keremet herd will come to the watering hole. The leader is good there - the black stallion. When the horses start drinking water, you and catch the leader. But do not forget the condition: you will bring the first beautiful Tatar woman to me as a gift ...
I agree, if the horse is worth it.
Remember: a horse for you, a beauty for me.
At midnight the herd lay in wait for Ash-Terek and caught the stallion.
The horse turned out to be a dashing horse, he carried Ash-Terek through the fields and meadows, strove to throw it off, stood up on its hind legs, dug the earth with its hooves, grinned its teeth at the rider. Then he resigned himself, seeing that he had found a worthy master. And he became a faithful friend of the famous toro.
Ash-Terek won many victories over the enemies. Rumors about him thundered along the Kama and Votka rivers, in the mountains and villages.
Once he captured the wondrous beauty of a Tatar woman, put her on a horse in front of him and goes to his home. “I will have a wife for everyone to envy,” he thinks, driving along the bank of the Kama.
He was going to swim across the river, but it raged, whirled in whirlpools, as during a flood.
He sees: Vumurt leaned out of the water up to his waist.
Have you forgotten the agreement, glorious Ash-Terek? - asks the water owner. - Give the beauty!
Full of jokes to joke, old devil, - replies Toro. - Why do you, old, a beautiful wife? If you want, I'll bring you a toothless old woman. Here are a couple! Ha-ha-ha ... - Ash-Terek laughed.
Vumurt turned gray with anger and disappeared into the depths of the river. Ash-Terek tears off his horse, grabbed his mane with his hand, and supports the beauty in the saddle with his other hand. So I swam through the raging Kama.
And in the middle, a terrible whirlpool overtook him, whirled, swept over his head ... Neither a dashing horse, nor his own heroic strength helped the young man.
Not in a bloody battle, not in military affairs, he found his death, but in the depths of water, together with a beautiful Tatar woman and a faithful horse.
And the rumor about him does not die.
AX-SAMORUB
A poor peasant lived in one forest edge. He knew little of joy in life, but he never saw happiness in his eyes. His only joy were three sons: Peter, Pavel and Ivan. They were surprisingly different. The eldest, Peter, is tall, stately and proud. The middle son was distinguished by cunning and laziness, and the youngest was so-so: short, simple in character and reliable in work.
When the time came for the poor man to die, he called his sons and said:
I have lived my life in poverty, have made nothing but calluses and sorrow. I have nothing to bequeath to you. Walk around the world, look for your own happiness, maybe you will find it.
So the three brothers went from their home to look for a good life. They walk along the road aimlessly. They look: the mountain is high, the steep slopes are covered with trees. The guys got tired and decided to relax in the shade of an old oak tree.
Just lay down on the grass, they hear: someone is chopping with an ax on the mountain, often so, quickly taps.
We ought to go take a look, maybe we will find work, - says Ivan.
My legs are not official, - replies Peter. - Yes, and this is not for me. I'll look for something to match.
I would go, brother, - says Pavel, - but I was completely exhausted. Let me rest first. - He lay down more comfortably and began to snore.
Water does not flow under the lying stone, - Ivan did not calm down. - I want to find out who works so much fun.
Ivan climbed the mountain. He climbed for a long time, stripped his hands with thorny bushes, broke his bast shoes on driftwood. But he got to the felling. Looks - there is no one, the ax is only working. Yes, he does it so famously that the guy opened his mouth.
Hey, ax, whose will you be? - Ivan was amazed.
And I'm on my own. I serve whoever loves work.
What am I to love if not work! - the poor man was delighted. - Will you go with me?
Why not go, I see you are not a quitter.
Ivan took the ax, put it in a sack and returned to the brothers. And they slept, sat, tearing their eyes.
Well, did you climb the mountain? - laughs the sly Pavel.
Legs have a hard time without a head, - says Peter.
I’m not complaining about my head, ”Ivan replied and didn’t begin to tell the brothers about the wonderful ax. They won't believe it anyway.
Eh, it works great! - Ivan praised. - That would be someone to learn from.
Go, study, if you are not tired, - says Peter. - I'll take a nap. I need a job on the shoulder.
Run away, run away, Ivan, you are young, smart! - Pavel encouraged.
I’ll go. Otherwise I won't sleep until I find out.
Ivan climbed the mountain, exhausted, barely dragging his feet.
He sees: a steel pick carves a stone, turns out hefty lumps. And not a soul around. The pick itself is working.
Hey, kitty, whose are you, who taught you to work like that? - shouted the guy.
And even if it is yours, if you are not afraid of difficulties.
Sissies are afraid of difficulties, but I am a peasant's son, Ivan replies. - Send me a good life to look for.
He took the steel pick and put it in the bag along with the ax. And below, under the tree, the brothers snore, as if thunder rolls across the clear sky. Ivan also lay down to rest, and in the morning a little light is already on his feet.
It's time to get up, lazy people, sleep happiness.
Happiness knocks at the window for the well-fed, but we don't even have a hut, '' replies Peter, stretching.
Happiness is cunning, you can't take it with your bare hands! - Pavel grinned slyly. - Well, what did you see there in the mountains? What have you found besides corns?
Ivan felt offended that his brothers were such bobaks, and he decided for the time being to hide his findings from them.
Let's move on. They wanted to drink, and there was no fontanelle or river around. The swamp has passed, but you will not drink from the rotten bog! The rain fell, but he did not quench his thirst either. The brothers were completely desperate, they almost got drunk from a puddle. Here they look - a trickle is running, clear and transparent. And the water is so tasty that you don't want to leave the stream.
It is necessary to find out the secret of water, - says Ivan, - so that you never suffer from thirst.
You talker, - says Petr, - but does the water have a secret! It flows and flows to itself, as it pleases.
In what will you go to the city? - Pavel joked. - Look, fingers are peeking out of bast shoes.
You can weave other bast shoes, - Ivan replied. - And the case may not turn up a second time.
Well, go, if you don't feel sorry for your legs, but come back for dinner, the brothers decided.
Ivan went on. He pushed his way through the bushes - the ax helped him, he climbed up the hill - the pick helped. So I got to the source of the stream. A stream came out from under a mighty rock.
I am the mistress of water, - said the rock, - I want to, I will completely block it up, and people will die of thirst.
Ivan smiled, did not argue with the stubborn rock, but only noticed the place. I took a pebble from a spring as a keepsake and went to my older brothers.
Well, freak, did you discover the secret of water? - Petr grinned.
And here he is, - Ivan showed a round piece of polished water.
Hey, brother, - says Pavel, - you need to sleep more, or you will go completely crazy. Look what you've come up with! He began to collect pebbles.
This is not a simple pebble, - Ivan objected, - it is key.
The brothers did not understand anything, waved their hand: they say, well, him, an eccentric. What can you take from him if he starts to move. And they went on.
The brothers walked for a long time and finally came to Constantinople. Crowds of people on the streets: ragged, hungry, crippled by wars and troubles.
What's going on here? the brothers ask.
But the people gathered from the king to ask for favors. Fierce hunger tortured us and endless bloody wars, people answer them. - And the king himself does not know what to do. Calls from the people of the craftsman that he could avert trouble. Many have already tried, but they all ended badly.
The brothers looked around: one unfortunate man had no ear, the other had his nose cut off ... It was a bad reward for them that came out for failure.
Eh, we must try too! - Ivan straightened his shoulders. - A person cannot be happy if unhappiness dwells next to him.
You're crazy! - the brothers were frightened. - And you will drag us into trouble, we will leave here without ears and without eyes.
No, dear ones, we must fight together with grief, one by one it will cope with everyone, - Ivan objected.
The royal servants overheard the brothers' conversation and took them to their master. "They boasted, they say, that they can help the common grief."
Well, - says the king, - if you can do it, I will reward, and for the most daring daughter I will give in marriage. If you fail, I'll chop off your noses and ears and send them to the dense forest. And what needs to be done is this: my sages established that the millennial oak is to blame: it blocked the sky from us, hid the sun, overtook the clouds. Cut it down, well done.
They gave the brothers axes, and they began to chop down the eternal oak. Peter will cut down the branch, and in its place twenty new branches will grow. The kid got tired and lay down on the ground exhausted.
Pavel got down to business. And so he was cunning and so. Out of habit and laziness, he tore off his hands in blood, but the oak stands intact.
Ivan took out his labor ax and let's fell the oak. Not only chops, but chops for wood and stacks in woodpiles. Did it lively.
The sky cleared, the sun came out, but life in the country did not improve very much.
Again the king called the brothers to the palace and said:
We have dealt with the oak, which means that you can also cope with the misfortune. But no, I will order your eyes to gouge out. Fools my sages - in vain they ruined the oak. Apparently, there is not a snag in it. Well, yes, you yourself figure it out.
You have called death upon us, Ivan, - whined Peter. He felt sorry for his nose.
You can't think of anything like that to stay whole, - Pavel thought.
We live in dense forests, - Ivan said, - we need to expand the fields. Then there will be more freedom for the peasants, we will live richer.
Is it possible for us to cope with the forest? - Petr grew stiff. “We can't see our ears.
Maybe set it on fire, forest? - said the cunning Pavel.
Why torment goodness! - the younger brother was surprised. - Let's chop wood and logs.
The brothers began to cut down the forest. One tree will be felled, a new one will grow in its place. And Ivan took out a self-ax, and when he began to chop trees to the left and to the right - in an instant he got rid of the thicket. Then the forest prayed: “Don't ruin me, Ivan, people will have a bad time without the forest. Where will they get the wood, where will they hide from the heat? And fields for dry wind will be exposed, defenseless rivers will dry up ... "
Look you! - Ivan admired. - But the forest speaks, we will really be lost without it.
The brothers spared the forest. And the felled glades were used for arable land. They began to uproot the stumps, to raise the virgin soil.
Then the king again called the brothers into the palace. And he himself has already begun to be afraid of them, he sees: great power is in their hands.
You have freed the fields, women laborers, and you are entitled to a reward, ”said the king. “What's the use of the fields if the drought is coming. The wells in the country were being raised. People have nowhere to get drunk, much less a beast. The turmoil is great. The people are dissatisfied with my rule. It is necessary to dig deep wells. Yes, such that they never run dry. Obey this command - I will make you gilded; if you do not, I will rot in the pit.
The brothers listened to the king and hung their heads.
Yours, Ivan, is to blame for everything, they say. - We were unable to find a job for ourselves. We cannot get to the deep water for all people and animals to have enough. Let's only dig a hole for ourselves.
And the secret of the stream, - Ivan laughs, - have they forgotten, or what? - And he took a smooth round from his pocket. - Here it is, the secret of water. Let's go to the stream and ask him to quench people's thirst.
There is good water in that stream, the brothers say, but it’s only enough for one royal palace.
Do not grieve, there is enough for everyone.
The brothers came to the formidable rock, bowed to the spring. And as the rock hums: “I will not give you more water. I am the mistress, I do what I want. If I want to, I will kill you all. "
Come on, pick, show us what you can do. Smash, scatter the avaricious rock, - exclaimed the younger brother, - free the deep river from eternal captivity.
As the pick began to hammer, crumble the impregnable rock, only rubble and sparks fell. And when, at last, a stone block collapsed - a stormy stream broke free, a full-flowing river flowed. Izh - her brothers named her.
The Izh-river watered people, animals, and the fields around. Then the brothers went along with other workers to receive old debts from the king. The king of such an unheard-of strength was frightened and fled. Since then, honest labor has reigned in that land. And the brothers found themselves on the shoulder.
The topic of our essay is "Gods and mythological creatures of Udmurt myths and legends." The topic is interesting and relevant. It is curious and at the same time fascinating to immerse yourself in the mythology of your people. Imagine those who were worshiped, whom they prayed, who were feared by the people who lived on the territory of modern Udmurtia. They believed in the myth, believed that everything that was told in the myth was in reality. This is the cognitive function of the myth. We know that myth contributed to the emergence of a single cultural space, and this is already the culture-forming function of myth.
The topic of the abstract is also interesting because there is no consensus on some issues. And this is quite understandable, because the myths about the creation of the earth arose more than a thousand years ago. Of course, not all myths are so "ancient", much more refers to the history of paganism. Moreover, up to 1917, on the territory of Udmurtia, along with Christianity, original forms of paganism were preserved. The upper chronological frame of the study is the pre-revolutionary stage of Udmurt history. The lower chronological line is difficult to determine, because many Udmurt myths have their roots in the general Permian or even the Finno-Ugric era. In addition, the first descriptions of the pagan religion of the Udmurts refer only to the 18th century, when the Udmurts began to accept Christianity.
The relevance, topicality of the topic lies in the fact that now in society they are seriously talking about preserving the culture of their people, their roots, about education in the spirit of respect for their people and tolerance towards others. That is why we believe that the “spiritual heritage” and “age-old experience of the people” are not “for a pretty word”, without studying which the future of our small Motherland is impossible. We conducted a selective survey of the children of our school. It turned out that we know better the Slavic evil than the Udmurt. The results of the survey are given in Appendix 1. In various television programs, in the media mass media more often you hear about the Greek, Slavic, Roman gods, the gods of the Udmurt people are not mentioned.
Udmurt myths and legends are written in an understandable, captivating language. We were able to find in the libraries of the village only four different editions with Udmurt myths and legends:
1. Melody of heavenly dew = Inwu utchan gur. - Izhevsk: Udmurtia, 1988;
2. Myths, legends and tales of the Udmurt people: Literary processing by N. Kralina. - Izhevsk: Udmurtia, 1995;
3. Udmurt folk tales. - Izhevsk: Udmurtia, 1976
4. Vladykin VE Religious - mythological picture of the world of the Udmurts. - Izhevsk: Udmurtia, 1994.
But, having read a number of articles, we learned that there were few editions of books with myths and legends of the Udmurt people.
The task of our work is to read, analyze, systematize all myths and legends in order to compile a detailed description for each god or mythological creature. Get acquainted with the research literature in this area.
Much of the mythological picture of the world has disappeared, lost forever, so there are enough contradictions in this picture. And yet it would be very interesting and instructive to restore and decipher this system of images and ideas. In Appendix 2, we tried to compile a dictionary - a directory of all the famous mythological heroes who met on the pages of scientific research literature.
Gods and mythological creatures
In this chapter of our essay, we will present the characteristics of the main triad of gods and mythological creatures that we were able to compose during the study of myths, legends and tales of the Udmurt people and the study of scientific literature on this issue.
The most striking component of any religion is its pantheon. The Udmurts revered a considerable number of gods, deities, spirits and all kinds of mythological creatures (about 40): Inmar - God of Heaven, Kyldysin - Creator, God of Earth, Kuaz - God of Atmosphere, Weather; Nyulesmurt - a goblin, wumurt - a water creature, a vozho - bath creature, etc. were also revered. But from a huge number of different mythological gods and creatures, we will consider those that are found in collections of myths, legends, and fairy tales.
"For Udmurt mythology, - writes Napolskikh V., - the concept of a three-part vertical division of the picture of the world is characteristic. The upper world is the sky, the abode of the gods; the middle is the land where people live, the lower is the underworld, where the souls of the dead go. " One of the first explorers of the Udmurts, the famous traveler Peter Simon Pallas, was invited to Russia by Catherine II (1768 - 1776). His "Journey" mentions Namar (Inmar), Mu - Kyldysin. The most complete studies on the Udmurts include the works of the first Udmurt ethnographer G. Ye. Vereshchagin. His monographs "Votyaki of the Pine Land" and "Votyaki of the Sarapul District" have not yet lost their value as a collection of very rich ethnographic material. An expert in archeology and ethnography of the Udmurt region was N. G. Pervukhin, an inspector of public schools in Glazovsky district. He considers Inmar, Kyldysin and Kvaz (Kuaz) to be the main deities of the Udmurts. The authors describe in great detail the sacrifices dedicated to these deities.
The mighty Inmar rises on the top of the Udmurt Olympus. Researchers translate the word "Inmar" in different ways: "in" - the sky, "mar" - what, that is, "what" is in the sky.
The main thing in the mythological hierarchy of the Udmurts is Inmar. He lives in heaven and his throne is the sun. Inmar gives light and warmth. The Udmurt Inmar, in a fatherly way, took care of the absurd giants - the first inhabitants of the earth, stupid, clumsy Alangasars. He is the creator of all that is good.
Many myths and legends of different collections differ significantly from each other. For example, in the legend “On the Creation of the World” Inmar told Shaitan “to dive under the water and get the earth from the bottom”. In the book “Melody of Heavenly Dew”, Shaitan, by order of Inmar, “grabbed the sand from the bottom”, and in the book “Myths, Legends and Tales of the Udmurt People” in literary processing by N. Kralina, Inmar ordered his younger brother Vukuzo “to get the earth from the bottom”. But due to the disobedience of Shaitan (according to another version of Vukuzyo), the disobedient hid part of the earth (sand) behind his cheek, and when it began to grow, he spat it out, so the unevenness of the earth formed. According to T. Perevozchikova, the motive of the creation of the earth by the supreme god and his assistant is known to almost all Finno-Ugric peoples. The motive “arose on the basis of mythological ideas dating back to the era of the Finno-Ugric community, which existed, according to scientists, approximately in the 3rd - 2nd millennium BC. e. Experts also believe that the prototype of the heavenly gods in various traditions was the Prafin-Ugric deity, whose name was associated with the name of the sky, air (ima, ĵuma). That is why the Udmurt Inmar is the brother of the Finnish and Karelian Ilmarinen (Yumal), the Sami Ilmaris (Yumbel), the Komi Yen (Yomal), the Estonian Yummal, the Mari Yumo. " This myth was found among many peoples of Siberia and North America, it was present, apparently, even in the Proto-Ural mythology.
Inmar is considered a powerful god, he personifies a good, bright beginning in the world, opposes Shaitan (Keremet, Luda), a symbol of evil. "From their relationships and oppositions everything that exists in the world arises: earth, mountains and valleys, man, people, animals and plants, creatures and misfortunes."
Inmar, according to the myth, blinded a person (uroma - a friend, adami - a person) from the earth (in other myths - from red clay). For the amusement of the man, he gave him kumyshka (an intoxicating agent), which Shaitan had defiled. When the adami told Inmar that he needed a wife, he created a woman and ordered the uroma not to drink kumyshk for a year. Shaitan instilled curiosity in the woman, and she drank a drink, treating her husband. Shaitan put death and sins into kumyshka. Inmar condemned women to childbirth and men to hard work.
In "The Tale of a Dog and a Man," Inmar blinded a man from the earth, and he himself ascended to heaven for his soul. And to protect him from Shaitan, he put a dog to him. Shaitan deceived the dog, spat poisonous saliva on a person - this is how all kinds of diseases appeared in a person.
The Udmurt legend "Heaven" says that for a very long time the beautiful heavens were extremely close to the earth, and the gods descended to people, explaining how to live. They taught people wisdom - reason, and during the prayer people put their gifts directly on the clouds. "The sky was clear as snow, white as birches." But people began to show disrespect, “they were ready to gnaw each other's throats, wild anger woke up in them and haunted them. And they began to curse the sky and the gods for nothing. " And one woman, in a mock of the sky, hung baby diapers on the clouds (according to another version, she put the defiled bread there). "The gods did nothing to her, only the white skies turned blue with resentment and slowly - slowly rose upward." So the heavens rose, so the gods departed from people, without revenge, without curses, leaving people to figure out their own affairs. And before the sky "climbed, as if on a bed."
Inmar hunts Shaitan, sending lightning bolts one after another. Hiding from lightning, Shaitan is able to reincarnate and penetrate into empty, hollow objects (scabbard, pestle, eggshell). In the myth “Inmar gives birth to Shaitan by lightning” a man was caught by a thunderstorm, he began to search everything. He looked "into the scabbard - and from there the tail of the roach sticks out." It turns out that Shaitan was hiding, turning into a roach. When the man threw the roach aside, lightning immediately struck this fish.
Description of the appearance of Inmar is not found in myths and legends. The book "Myths, Legends and Tales of the Udmurt People" gives us material, literary processed. Here we find interesting comparisons: "although Vukuzyo's beard was longer, Inmar was considered older by them, and therefore the owner of the water had to obey him"; the sky "hung so close to the water that Inmar, without going down, scooped up water with a golden ladle with a long handle and poured the clouds so that they would not dry out from the sun," etc. But we understand that these are the author's characteristics, and not a representation of our ancestors.
Kyldysin
The next in the triad of gods is Kyldysin.
In the book “The Udmurt Republic. Encyclopedia "the following definition is given:" Kyldysin, Kylchin (from the Udm. Kyldytis - creator, creator), the creator god, assisting the offspring of cattle, later - the god of fertility (Mu-Kyldysin), patron saint of childbirth, children in general (Nuny Kylchin) ".
According to linguists, the word "Kyldysin" is a general Permian word, possibly even older. "This is indicated by his analysis:" kyldis - creating, creating, fertilizing + "in" in the Komi languages, the language of the Vodi and Sami - means a wife, woman, mother-in-law, uterus, female, that is, originally "Kyldis + in" could denote a fruitful, creative feminine power. Apparently, during the maternal birth, ideas arose that characterize him as a deity - a woman. Later, these ideas are replaced by others: Kyldysin, who looks like the elder of the clan.
The image of Kyldysin, one of the oldest, was initially associated in general with creativity, creation.
From scientific literature, we learned that Kyldysin taught people cattle breeding, agriculture, weaving and other skills. He lived at a time on earth when the human race flourished, in those days heaven was close to earth and the prayers of people easily reached Inmar.
After reading the myth "Kyldysin", we learned that in ancient times this god lived among people. His image is well drawn. "Gray-haired, in white long clothes, tall." He watched with a smile how the fields were cultivated by the Udmurts, "dressed in the same white clothes as Kyldysin himself." Each fallen grain "he lifted lovingly and each spikelet that grew on the boundary, carefully walked around so as not to trample it."
He walked through the fields of the Udmurts and watched their crops. However, people multiplied, ceased to appreciate Kyldysin and his precepts. The Udmurts plowed the borders, stopped listening to God, and besides, they began to wear dyed rather than white clothes. The offended Kyldysin “left the people, retiring, according to some stories, to heaven. According to the stories of others - into the earth. "
There is an interesting legend "About ears of corn". Legend has it that earlier, when Kyldysin lived on earth, bread was extremely rich in grains. On hot days, the Udmurt women did not want to get the diapers dirty, but "tore in the field bundles of spilling ears and wiped the children with them." Kyldysin saw such disrespect for grain grains, became very angry and ordered all grain plants not to give a single grain. Only after the dog asked for food, softened by the repentance of people and their sacrifices, most of all touched by the dog's love for man, the god of fertility ordered grain to be brought "at the very top of a straw, no longer than a dog's nose" your share, but a dog's share. "
We were interested in the "Tale of how Kyldysin appeared on earth." “The Udmurts heard from the old people that when Kyldysin lived on earth, then the harvests were richer, and the hunt for animals and birds was more successful under a big birch, they decided not to disperse until Kyldysin was summoned.” People begged for a long time, and Kyldysin appeared on the birch in the form of a beautiful squirrel. People wanted to get God forever, but "only the squirrel's skin fell, and a hazel grouse was already flying across the field into the forest." The hazel grouse turned into a black grouse, the grouse into a perch and disappeared into the river.
Kuaz is the god of atmosphere and weather.
After rereading the myths and legends of the Udmurt people, we did not meet this god on the pages of books. In some scientific publications only two gods, Inmar and Kyldysin, are mentioned. “Ideas about Kuaz were prevalent mainly among the northern Udmurts. He was responsible for the middle tier of the universe. " His dwelling place is between the heavenly (upper) and earthly (lower) spheres.
We did not find information on what the weather god looked like.
V. Ye. Vladykin asserts “The opinion of N. G. Pervukhin that Kvaz was a special deity deserves interest, because other researchers adhered to a different view: in particular, Vereshchagin believed that Kvaz is the weather (usually they say:“ Kvaz zore - it's raining)". Obviously, once Kwaz really was a deity, then the idea of him as a deity was forgotten.
“Shaitan (from Tat. Shaitan - devil), devil, the deity of evil, opposes the supreme god Inmar. According to legend, the brother of Inmar, cast down from heaven for disobedience. He participated with him in the creation of all that exists: he got the earth from the bottom of the world's oceans; gave birth to "unclean" animals (goat, pig), disease and pestilence. Inmar has haunted him since the creation of the world: the avenging right hand is the lightning sent to the ground during a thunderstorm. "
Reading various collections with myths and legends of the Udmurt people, we noticed that in the book with the literary processing by N. Kralina, all the above tricks were done not by Shaitan, but by Vukuze. Among other things, Vukuzyo also created vumurta (the myth “The Second Creation of Vukuzyo) from a knotted snag from the bottom of the river, long shaggy algae, rotten fish, cosmos and other rubbish. In the collections "Melody of Heavenly Dew" and "Udmurt Folk Tales" all the bad tricks were done by Shaitan. We explain this by the fact that N. Kralina took the liberty of literary processing myths, adding an element of authorship and literature to them. In scientific research literature, the names of Luda and Keremet are equated with the name Shaitan. In the book “The Udmurt Republic. Encyclopedia ”there is no article dedicated to Vukuzyo.
It was believed that Shaitan "replaces newborns, carries away children cursed by their parents and keeps them in his service"
VE Vladykin says that Shaitan is a borrowed image. Shaitan - Satan, devil, the antipode of Inmar (compare: Tat., Kazakh., Kirg., Tur. Shaitan). Keremet - the evil spirit of Satan (Wed: Tat., Chuv., Bash., Mar.).
Mythological creatures
From the heights of pagan religion, from the triad of gods, we descend to mythological creatures that belonged neither to the underworld, nor to the sky, their place was next to people, that is, in well-known reservoirs, in dwellings and outbuildings, in nearby forests.
Each such mythological creature was represented, unlike the gods, not in the singular (like Inmar or Kyldysin), but in massive numbers: there were as many wumurts as there were reservoirs, there were as many as baths and abandoned dwellings, etc. T. Perevozchikova writes about this process: “The historical basis for the emergence and long-term preservation of such narratives was the pre-Christian beliefs of the Udmurts, which survived until recently along with the Christian faith. All nature, according to the Udmurts, was inhabited by living beings capable of helping or hindering a person. "
If the power of the gods extended, according to pagan concepts, to the whole world, then these creatures were the masters of limited territories. Nyulesmur, Palesmurt and Yagperi were the owners of their forests and were jealous of their work and their land. The ancient Udmurt was in danger at every step in his everyday affairs. People turned to the triad of gods for serious reasons, and they dealt with mythological creatures every day, their whole daily life was permeated with relations with them.
Our ancestors, who lived on the territory of Udmurtia, quite specifically imagined their appearance. We can call all these creatures anthropomorphic, that is, having a human appearance, but often - with special inhuman characteristics: fish, animal.
Scientists divide the middle world around man into two zones: the one mastered by man and the wild one. By the same principle, we will divide those mythological creatures that are found on the pages of myths and legends of the Udmurt people.
We know that the dependence of man on nature was especially strong in ancient times, and as we approach our time it becomes weaker. But in ancient times, man's dependence on the natural environment was not stronger, but more direct and immediate. In order for a person to survive, one had to be hardy, strong, courageous, and hardworking. And most importantly - to be peaceful, because one cannot do without the support of relatives, because it was necessary to lay hunting trails, uproot the forest, and build dams. The forest and the river, all nature that surrounded a person, gave people food, clothing, warmth. But she, it happened, severely punished for negligence: a lonely traveler lost his way in winter and froze, a hunter, who had forgotten about precautions, wandered into such a wilderness that it was not always possible to get out, river pools, snags, cold springs also did not let their victims go. As you know, the natural environment (climate, soil, relief, flora, fauna) serves, as it were, the background on which a mythological picture is created.
Udmurtia is rich in forests, and therefore our ancestors, who lived among the dense forests, enjoyed their benefits, but they also constantly encountered something mysterious, invisible, terrible, incomprehensible. This is probably why in the Udmurt myths there is a huge number of nyulesmurts, palasmurts, yagperi.
Wildlife perfume
Nylesmurt
“Nyulesmurt (from Udm. Nyules - forest and murt - man). A humanoid creature with a long beard and hair, covered by a hat with an open top. It is able to change its appearance depending on the circumstances: in the forest it is flush with the trees, in the meadow - with the grass, among people it is slightly taller than human growth. He dominates the inhabitants of the forest: animals and birds can mix at his order. Sometimes he himself overtakes flocks of squirrels or hares, losing them to the nylesmurt of neighboring forests. "
Nyulesmurt (Nyuleskuzyo) is the owner of the forest, and since the forest practically constituted the entire natural environment of the Udmurts, he was also in charge of all this and animals, he is the owner of animals.
In the myth "Udmurt in the battle of Nylesmurts and Wumurts" we see the enmity of the owners of the forest and water: Nyulsmurts uprooted large trees and beat the Wumurts with them, this speaks of the extraordinary strength of the owner of the forest. A distinctive quality of Nylesmurt is its ability to move quickly. He has unusual fast horses. He gives these horses for a time to the Udmurt for help: "as soon as the Udmurt sat on the cart, the horses climbed up and climbed up and rushed over the trees."
In the myth “Nyulsmurt and the Bears,” the bears themselves came to him to ask if it was time for them to lie down in their dens. "And if it's time, then where will anyone fit for the winter." Nyulesmurt, as a real owner, not only respected their request, but "showed everyone their place."
This forest man has a very interesting lesson, we learned about him from the Nyulesmurt myth: “he sits on a fir tree with a broken top and weaves his bast shoes. Nylesmurt itself is huge: above the forest. " Nylesmurt sleeps unusually. He confesses to the hunter that when he sleeps, "he has both eyes closed, and foam comes out of his mouth." In this myth, he wanted to burn a sleeping hunter with an iron bar at night, but the man guessed this and put a chock in his place.
And in the myth "The Hunter and Nylesmurt" it is said that Nylesmurt can tickle a person to death. True, the hunter turned out to be smarter and put a snag in his place. This means that we can say that Nylesmurt is a creature hostile to man. Although he is also supportive, if he receives a propitious sacrifice or help from a person. Then he helps in hunting, guides in finding treasures, and also returns the cattle lost in grazing.
Our ancestors explained the blockages in the forest by the movement of the Nylesmurt wedding train. The Udmurts believed that the owners of the forest live in families and arrange their weddings with a terrible noise. This is confirmed by the interesting tale "About the wedding of Nylesmurts" Nyulsmurt, like wumurt, can harm people, and maybe even help. Cases of mutual guesting are very common.
In terms of clothing and lifestyle, he is similar to people. He is distinguished from people by his height and black skin color.
Palasmurt
“Palasmurt (lit. half man), a mysterious mythical creature of obscure origin. Unlike Nylesmurt, it is always hostile to a person. You can hide from palasmurt only behind a mountain ash bush. It is impossible to destroy in a special way, because from every drop of the palesmurt's blood his brothers appear. "
The half forest spirit appears as the right or left half of a person attacking people.
We found very interesting information about Palesmurt in the book "Melody of Heavenly Dew". The Instruction on How to Get Rid of Palesmurt says that this half man has one eye, one hand, one leg. In the forest he goes out on a fire, and it will be bad for those who do not remember Inmar at this time. But if Inmar is remembered, then Palasmurt leaves evil, scattering the firewood.
An interesting way of getting rid of the palasmurt is offered by instruction. Since bullets do not take him, "then you need to shoot with a chip."
Reading the myths about Palesmurt, we came to the conclusion that it is in many ways similar to Nyulesmurt. He can also tickle to death, he also takes away the livestock released for grazing. The Handbook on How to Get Rid of Palesmurt offers an interesting way to find grazing livestock that got lost three to four weeks ago. It is necessary to weave a bast shoe three inches (vershok is a measure of length, equal to 4.45 cm) and go into the forest, then hang a bast shoe with the words: "Here, palaismurt, I have woven a bast shoe for you, if you hid my horse, let it out, be kind." ...
In the Fearless Man and Palesmurt myth, the one-eyed man lives in a small hut, he has his own farm - sheep, which he takes care of. He is very gluttonous: "He grabbed the one-eyed second man and ate him."
We learn about another quality - unusual power - from the myth “Palasmurt and man”. One-eyed can knock down a pine tree with one blow.
There is an interesting version from the book of V.E. Vladykin: perhaps the legends about Palasmurt reflected ancient information about some aboriginal forest tribe, which in custom had a tattoo of half of its body.
Yagperi is a mythological creature, the spirit of boron (boron is a coniferous forest). It is known that the Udmurt region is rich in coniferous forests, so the appearance of the yagperi is quite natural. In the reference book "The Udmurt Republic: Encyclopedia" we did not find information about this spirit, although, of course, it is of interest for our work.
The Yagperi myth provides interesting information about this mythological creature. The yagperi suddenly appears, causing a sudden wild fear in people: “Out of nowhere, an old man stood in front of him: he was all green, his beard was long. He didn't beat him, but looked at him with malice. The boy did not remember how he ran away from him. " Disappears, too, suddenly: "I brought them to the pit and immediately disappeared from their eyes." It possesses, like Nylesmurt, tremendous strength: "the whole forest swayed, the trees are torn by their roots, a crackling and crashing is heard from all sides." He does not like the yagperi when his lands are disturbed, and therefore he punished the hunters in this way. As we have seen, the spirit of the bora loves to play a cunning trick on the Udmurts: he took him out of nowhere, but he himself disappeared. He is characterized by rudeness, violence, savagery of actions.
“Vumurt (from Finn - Ugric * wеtε - water and Indo-Iranian. * Mеrtε - man), spirit, master of water, water - demonological character. A creature with long, dark hair, sometimes perceived as having one eye on its back. From time to time his fingers fall off and new ones grow. "
Wumurts live in families: the wumurts have a wife and children. In the myth "About the life of wumurts" it is said that they are found in the deep waters of a large river or lake, and on small rivers, they are most dear to the pool in the mill ponds. They settle in full households in favored places and raise livestock.
Wumurt daughters take great care of their appearance. "Sometimes at dusk, and in a remote place during the day, you can see how, sitting on the shore, they are combing their long black braids, from a distance, striking the eye with their white body."
From this myth, we learned that weddings are celebrated more in spring and autumn, "while the cheerful train travels as much as possible on the water, breaking mill dams on its way and raising the water in rivers."
In the legend "Black Lake" the Udmurts saw a whole family of Wumurts near a large lake. “The Wumurts sat on the leaves of grass covered with fresh dew and washed themselves. Smelling the smell of a man, they immediately disappeared into the black lake. " There were a lot of fish in this lake, but it splashed, not caught. Then it was decided to celebrate a prayer service, after which the fish began to be caught very well.
The myth of "Vumurta" is very curious in its content. From it we learn that the Wumurts are not averse to being related to people in general, they often appear among people. In the myth, the Udmurt girl was captured by the wumurts in human form. When the grandmother went to her granddaughter, "she found herself in the river, but did not drown: there is the same road in the water as on land." The withers have a special ointment: “my grandmother smeared her right eye, and suddenly a miracle happened: she became free in water and on water,” among other things, she became invisible to strangers.
According to other myths, Wumurts visit fairs, they can be distinguished from the crowd by the wet left field of their clothes, but most often they are invisible.
In the "Girl and Wumurt" myth, Wumurt told the girl Anna not to feed the horses before sunrise. It turns out "instead of horses, three girls were tied to a hitching post." It was the wumurt who lured them and forced them to serve instead of horses. "According to popular beliefs, in the guise of a horse, in the service of the wumurts, there are cursed children and mortal pledges."
Wumurt is capable of transforming into a huge pike. In "The Tale of How Wumurt Turned into Pike" it is said: "You will see a large pike on the shore at night, lying with its head to the shore, do not touch it, do not hit it with a spear - the wumurt will attract to you"
Wumurt can be good for the Udmurt, help him, come to the rescue, or it can harm, cause considerable harm. In myths, we met with cases of camaraderie, guesting. Wumurt is rich and rewards those people whom he loves with wealth: he drives fish into the nets to the fisherman, leads the grinders to the miller. If he dislikes someone, he drowns that person's cattle in a swamp or river.
In Udmurt mythology, several images have been preserved that personify the element of water. “Variations of basically one mythological image are recorded - wumumy (mother of water), wumurt (master of water), vukuzo, wuperi - the deity of water (peri - Arabic borrowing through the Turkic). The anthropomorphic image should have apparently been preceded by a zoomorphic image. According to archaeologists, the process of anthropomorphization of deities in the Urals by the predecessors of the Udmurts and Komi began early, as early as 1 millennium BC. e ".. The fact that the resettlement of the lakes is a relic of the mythological worldview is confirmed by the legend of the Black Lake." A gypsy woman washed diapers in the lake. At night, bulls came out of it and dragged it to another place.
Spirits that live within the assimilated world
“Vojo (from the common perm. Vεž - envy, anger), an evil spirit, the deity of the transition period - winter and summer solstice (lord, invojo), twilight and night. Vojo is the creator of fear and disease stemming from fear. By the name of this creature, two periods of time in the year are called - after the summer and winter solstices. In "Vozhodyr" (this is the name of this time), one should not make noise near the water (swim, dance in circles, wash, cross the river with songs) in order not to undergo various kinds of misfortunes.
They live in baths and abandoned houses. Dangerous for a person who does not follow the instructions and taboos of the winter and summer solstice; punishes those who defile the water by bathing or washing at noon, visiting the bathhouse after midnight "
In the myth "The soldier is a werewolf and a vojo" we found typical vojo behavior with the coming of night. “A lot of vozho came to the hut, they started jumping, pushing. Hide in corners, climb benches and floors, sing and scream in different voices. " But vozho disappear with the appearance of the first roosters, they rush into the water.
And in the myth “Vozho and the marriage of an Udmurt”, when the guy threw the bride - from the bridge into the river, she turned into a block.
Vozho's appearance is special. They are small shaggy, black creatures. But there are times when vojo helps a person. The myth "Vojo - the benefactor of an orphan" tells how a mother sent her unloved daughter to the bathhouse at dusk for a cross that her beloved daughter had forgotten. “The girl opened the window, quietly, so as not to disturb the vozho, felt the cross and wanted to go back. Suddenly I wound a whole bunch of gold pieces around her arm. " And her beloved daughter, who went to the bathhouse with abuse, barely survived.
Munchomurt, munchukuse, munchuknik, kuz 'yyrsi, tödy murt - this is a special anropomoric spirit. The Udmurts believed that he lived in a dark corner behind the stove. The northern Udmurts saw the bannik as a middle-aged peasant dressed in white clothes, and the southern Udmurts - as a shapeless mass like a jelly, without bones, with long hair, "with one huge eye like a moon." He can scream and cry like infant... The nature of the gidmurt is not easy. Has a habit of making fun of the washable: hiding clothes, turning them inside out, tying the sleeves. He does not like those who come to the bathhouse after midnight, since “others” are already washing themselves, that is, representatives of the other world.
Gidmurt
An important part of the Udmurt economy was the breeding of livestock: horses, cows, sheep, pigs, and a small number of goats.
Gidmurt is a mythical creature living in a barn (barn is a house for livestock). In the dictionary "Udmurt Republic: Encyclopedia" we did not find information about this spirit, but it is found in Udmurt myths.
The main concern of a gidmurt is horses and cows. He can be the culprit of all the troubles that befell the cattle. Gidmurt can drive a horse all night long, which makes them lose weight and grow weak.
In the myth of the same name, Gidmurt disliked one black horse, and everyone rode it. Then the owner rubbed the back and sides of the horse with tar so that the hydmurt would stick. And so it happened. On his horse sat "a little old man, no more than half-arshin (arshin is a measure of length equal to 0.71 cm)."
“It can be assumed,” writes L.A. Volkova, “that the anthropomorphized appearance of the Gidmurt appeared much later, almost as a result of contacts with the Russians, while the mythologized image of the bear seems to be very ancient. Probably, he “moved” from the forest, where a very real predator ruined food supplies (the wealth of Luda or Nyulesmurt) stored in buildings - storerooms or hunting huts, lifted up livestock grazing in the forest ”. There was a mixture of images, functions and the destroyer turned into a keeper. " Volkova L. A asserts that if the gidmurt is favorable to animals, then it gives water and feeds, even carries food from neighboring barns. Love for a horse is expressed in combing and braiding the mane and tail. If the owner or his cattle dislikes, then do not expect good, will not take care of, feed, "the cattle will be skinny as a skeleton," the horse's mane will be tangled, because his barn owner is tormenting "either traveling whole nights or carrying different weights "
Each nation has something special that is of general interest. Studying the myths and legends of your people is not only interesting, exciting and informative, it is a discovery of your people, but through your people humanity becomes dearer and more understandable.
The ecological niche of the Udmurt ethnos is quite complex. This is predominantly a zone of northern coniferous, then still impassable forests with harsh, long winters, sudden temperature changes, and unbalanced rainfall. The forest influenced and even determined many aspects of their economic activities, everyday life, material and spiritual culture, and even character traits. Harmonious fit into a very inharmonious habitat, almost optimal life activity in far from optimal conditions, in a complex ecological niche of a risky agriculture zone, contributed to the development of such traits as amazing vitality, perseverance, unpretentiousness, ability to be content with little, frugality and endless and unlimited patience among the Udmurts. Here are the origins of the great Udmurt patience, one of the most important components of their tolerance.
All this affected the life, culture, physical appearance and psychological makeup of the people, and hence the images of the Udmurt pantheon. As noted by pre-revolutionary researchers, "Udmurts were not noted for their heroic physique, but they were surprisingly strong and hardy, unpretentious in food and clothing." They also note their peacefulness, honesty, hospitality, simplicity, superstition and laconicism.
We found that all gods and mythological creatures behave like people, surprisingly absorbing the life and psychological way of the Udmurt people. The gods are hardworking, they teach, give advice, they are caring mentors, help as parents to their children - people. We can say that the people endowed their gods with humanity, philanthropy, ingenuity, they do not have aggression, arrogance, arrogance, resourcefulness, cunning, selfishness. But if people break their covenants, the gods take offense, punish people. This applies to both Inmar and Kyldysin.
Mythological creatures also have their own character. Someone is petty and envious, someone is stupid and angry, someone is smart, but prone to meanness. Mythological creatures hostile to the Udmurt behave like modern criminals. They can deceive, make a cruel joke, they can attempt on life, and in isolated myths a person is killed.
But most of all, both gods and mythological characters have in common with man that they constantly work, work. They do the same things as people: keep pets, salt fish, sew bast shoes, put things in order in their lands and dwellings. It is absolutely safe to say that the ancestors who lived on the territory of modern Udmurtia were extremely hardworking. This is one of the main features of the people, this is the basis of their way of life. Not to sit without occupation, to be in constant motion - this is the core of the way of life.
Nowadays, the Udmurt region occupies one of the leading places in suicide. There are various explanations for this phenomenon. We think that the violent breaking of the way of life, the dramatic deformation of consciousness has torn the creed and shattered the backbone of spirituality. The people fell seriously ill, because the connection between times and generations fell apart, and as a result - unbelief, social apathy, mass alcoholism and suicide.
The modernity and relevance of the work is that globalization leads to the fact that all peoples are adjusted to one common template, the consequence of this phenomenon can lead to the loss of identity, one's own face and the loss of roots, the loss of ethnocultural potential.
Our ancestors, who are on the verge of civilization, do not have the passions of Greek mythology, the Udmurt pantheon is less militant than the Slavic. But we can say that the Udmurt pantheon has its own analogy in the Slavic pantheon: Inmar = Perun, Kyldysin = Veles, wumurt = water, yagperi + palesmurt + nyulesmurt = goblin, gidmurt = khlevnik, vozho = bannik. There is a lot in common between representatives of Udmurt and Slavic mythology. Unfortunately, according to the available sources, we were not able to make a good comparative description of the pantheon of the two cultures.
This work will be useful in the lessons of local history, as the material on the Udmurt mythology has been analyzed and systematized. We are sure that our work will be interesting not only for local history teachers, but also for those who are fond of literature and mythology of other peoples.
Dictionary - reference book of mythological heroes
The mythological creatures listed below are not limited to the pantheon of Udmurts. The system of paganism over a thousand-year history has developed such a number of images that they filled almost all natural-ecological and socio-cultural "niches".
Vorshud - patron saint of clan and family
Wumurt, Vukuzo, Wuperi - the master of water
Korkamurt - brownie
Korkakuzyo - brownie
Gondyr (bear) is a relative of Korkamur. He is in charge of supplies, lives underground, in barns.
Gidkuamurt (lit.: courtyard, estate man)
Obinmurt - the barn person
Munchomurt, munchouzyo, munchuknik, kuz yyrsi, todi murt - the bath man
Obinmurt (barn person) - creatures "inhabiting" directly the Udmurt dvoritsa
Ludmurt - field, meadow
Nylesmurt, Nyleskuzho - forest man
Tolperi - the spirit of the wind
Tedimurt (tedi - white) is a spirit that lives in a dark corner on a shelf in a bathhouse. His activity is making fun of people in the bath.
I was looking for pydo murt - a creature, the upper half is human, the lower half is cow
Kuz pinyo murt is a bloodthirsty creature with long teeth, lives in the forest and eats human meat
Kukri - baba - something like Baba Yaga
Albasty - demonic female creature
Aktash - an evil spirit, lit. White stone
Akshan - evil spirit of twilight
Busturgan - witch
Keremet - evil spirit, Satan, enemy of Inmar
Resentment - a goblin, often in the form of a woman, with huge breasts, long hair and shaggy fur
Shaitan is satan, damn
Shayan - the good or bad spirit of the dead
Yagperi - mythological creature, spirit of bor
A group of spirits associated with various diseases
Kutys (kuyny - to catch) lives in the sources of rivers, streams, sends diseases, mainly scabs.
Kyzh is something dirty, unclean (to be sick, toil, wither)
Keul - an evil spirit
Myzh is a disease, damage, regarding a sacrifice that was promised by someone
Day - a spirit in charge of such diseases as a boil, hernia
Cher (Chur) - an evil spirit of contagious, serious diseases, epidemics.
UDMURT MYTHOLOGY
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Melody of Heavenly Dew
Udmurt legend
Once upon a time, a wise old Spruce lived in a dense forest. Her name was Mudor-Kuz- Les's mother. They say that the Forest began with her, and maybe the Earth itself. The sun rested on its branches. From under its roots a timid spring was born, then to turn into the mighty White Kama.
From afar people came to bow Mudor-Kuz... But one day the stepmother of the Sun, Evil Lightning, scorched with a terrible fire Mudor-Kuz... The spruce is dead.
But a man came and revived her. He made a Gusli out of her- Krez and put his human soul into them. This is how people got Bydzim Krez- Great Gusli. When they sounded, the Sun approached the Earth to listen to them. When they sang " Inwu Utchan Gur"-" Melody of Heavenly Dew ", The sky was crying like rain.
How the earth was created
The creation myth
It was so long ago that no one even remembers when it was. No earth, no people in the whole world: only sky, water and sun. The master of the sky lived in the sky Inmar... His very name consists of the words "in" and "mar". Anyone who learns to understand the Udmurt language learns in “in” - heaven, and in “mar” - what. That which is in the sky is Inmar.
And the owner of the water lived in the water Vukuzo... The sky was clear, clear, like snow, white and white like a birch. It hung so close to the water that Inmar Without going down, he scooped water with a golden ladle with a long handle and watered the clouds so that they would not dry out from the sun. The master of the sky knew no worries. And Vukuzyo did not know any work, all he did was dry his green beard all day: he hung the end of his beard on a cloud, and he lay down on the water and lay to himself, dozing.
Although the beard Vukuzo was longer Inmar was considered older by them, and therefore the owner of the water had to obey him. So they lived in the neighborhood for many centuries. One grazed the clouds, the other dried his beard and muddied the water from time to time.
Once I felt sad Inmaru, and it occurred to him to change his occupation. He hung the ladle on his favorite cloud, which he always kept close at hand, took off his beard Vukuzo from the cloud and told him to dive deeper - to get the earth from the bottom.
Did not like Vukuzo, what Inmar prevented him from drying his beard and getting warm in the sun as much as he could, but did not dare to contradict the elder. To obey - obeyed, but harbored resentment. "Look, since he Inmar agay(Udmurt - older brother), then he pushes! - he thought, sinking to the bottom. - Get him the earth and give it back to the grain. Everything to him, but to me, take out(Udmurt - younger brother) - nothing? " He took two handfuls from the bottom and, to hide from Inmar, put part of the earth on his cheek and emerged.
Inmar he carefully took the delivered earth, put it on his palm, leveled it, waited until it dries up, and then began to blow it away in all four directions. Falling on the water, warmed by the sun and the breath of Inmar, the earth began to swell and grow and expand. It became more and more, so much that the end-edge could not be seen. Although it was visible from a distance: the earth turned out to be smooth, smooth, like a frying pan - no mountains, no hills, no ravines, no swamps.
The earth began to swell, too, Vukuzo hid it behind his cheek. She grew, grew - just about to blow her head. It would have happened, probably, you wouldn’t have guessed Vukuzo spit that there is strength. And that land scattered in different directions, fell on the flat land of Inmar in mountains and swamps, hummocks and ravines. Don't cheat, don't disobey Vukuzo Inmara, the land would go to people completely flat - without hills and lowlands, without mountains and swamps.
Inmar, pleased with the commission of an accidental idea, did not even notice the change that happened to the land due to Vukuzo... He had already started his usual occupation: he began to drive the clouds from place to place. I just noticed that they do not whip well, they curl a little, it’s time to know the time to pour water on them. Took Inmar a ladle with a long handle, drove away the clouds so as not to interfere with scooping water. Only then did I see what had become of the earth, only then did I understand why the clouds had become crumpled and torn: the mountains scratched their belly, crumpled and tore them apart. Whose trick it was, there was no need to guess: only two lived in the world. “Well, a bum, well, a bum! Wait! " - got angry for the first time Inmar... He left everything and began to think how to teach a lesson once and for all Vukuzo, so that it was discouraging to be arbitrary.
Description of the presentation MYTHOLOGY OF ANCIENT UDMURTS The main deity of the Udmurts-pagans Inmar on slides
The main deity of the Udmurts-pagans. Inmar. This is the source of all that is good; he is the creator of the sky, lives constantly in the sun, - so kind that the Udmurts are not afraid of him. Only thanksgiving sacrifices are brought to him.
Etymology of the name In the 19th century, the most widespread etymology was in + mar “sky-what”. Some scholars believed that the name Inmar comes from Inmurt "heavenly man". But according to M. G. Atamanov, the word Inmar arose as a result of the merger of the Udm. in (m) "sky" and ar "man" (from the Bulgarian). Currently, the most acceptable hypothesis is that the ancient suffix - * r has been preserved in the word Inmar, and the word itself comes from the Finno-Permian name of a heavenly deity (* ilmar, cf. Ilmarinen).
Thus, the most appropriate name for our ancestor is Ilmar. In the Russian Orthodox tradition, he was replaced by Ilya the Prophet, who gallops in a chariot across the sky in the rain and the roar from this chariot generates thunder. A distant descendant of Ilmar - in the sense of the generative and etymological - is Ilya Muromets - Il-Mar.
Vukuzyo ("master of water") - in the myths of the Udmurts - the ruler of the water element, an inhabitant of the primary ocean. In dualistic cosmogonic myths, Vukuzyo is the opposite of Inmar, who pulled the earth from the bottom of the ocean. According to the myth, Vukuzyo will spoil the giants-alangasars created by Inmar by deceiving the dog guarding them. Imitating the creation of Inmar - a dog, he created a goat, and then the water spirits of the wumurts. Wukuzo was represented as an old man with a long green beard.
Everyone knows a fun holiday - Neptune Day, but not everyone knows Vukuze Day, which is celebrated in Izhevsk for the second year in a row in the middle of summer! Vukuzyo ("master of water") in the myths of the Udmurts - the ruler of the water element, settled in our city. This summer, Vukuse and his friends can be met in the Summer Garden, in his renovated house.
Nyules-Murt (nyul - forest, thicket) lives in the forest, has its own household and family. In terms of clothing and lifestyle, he is similar to people. As humans, Nyules Murtas arrange marriages and feasts. The path taken by the Nyules-Murt wedding is marked by many broken trees. They are distinguished from the people of Nyules-Murta by their high growth (the growth of the tallest trees) and black skin. Nyules-Murtas allow animals to lie in holes and dens; they send prey to hunters, cattle - food, help the army to win, thanks to their special ability - to produce wind and throw sand in the eyes.
Nyulsmurt stood out in importance among all other creatures of the Udmurt mythology. Sometimes he was called "Great grandfather, father." Some researchers even believed that “the first and most important god in the galaxy of pagan gods of the Ugaz Votyaks is the god of forests and winds. All this is explained by the huge role of the forest in the life of the Udmurt traditional culture. Nyulesmurt is the owner of the forest, and since the forest practically constituted the entire natural environment of the Udmurts, Nyulesmurt was in charge of all this, he is the owner of animals, hunters turn to him for help and assistance in hunting. The welfare of livestock also depended on Nylasmurt. Sometimes he was even somehow connected with deceased ancestors. The road of Nyulesmurt was called the rubble of the forest, where the hurricane, tornado passed, that is why sometimes Nylesmurt was considered the deity of the wind.
Lud-Murt (lud - field) is a field worker. This is a small person, no taller than a five-year-old child. Its growth can vary depending on the place where Lud-Murth is located: between the tall ears of Lud-Murth is higher, in the young grass of the meadow it is very small. In the spring, when pasturing cattle in the field of Lud-Murtu, a prayer is read: "Take good care of the animals, lead them well into the field, do not give them to the animals (wolves)".
Korka-Murt (korka - hut) - a spirit like a brownie (among Russians), in charge of male and female work performed in the hut. Sometimes he performs work for the mistress of the house - pinching a torch, chopping wood, spinning and so on. Korka-Murtas sometimes replace their children with people.
Outwardly, Korkamurt looks like an elderly man in a sheepskin coat turned out with the wool. If Korkamurt moved with the owners from the old hut, they call him. Vuzhmurt (at dm. Old man). The transition from the old hut to the new Uudmurts was accompanied by a special rite in honor of the Korkamurts, the new settlement was called the Korka axis, the Murt Sectans "treating a brownie". In the form of a remnant in this rite, the memory of the sacrifice of the korkamurtuba was preserved when moving to a new house.
Wu-Murt (wu - water) - water man; all waters on earth are subject to his jurisdiction; he lives in lakes, small rivers, ponds, mostly in deep places. He has a wife, extraordinarily beautiful, sons and daughters. Their sons Vu-Murts marry the daughters of Vu-Murts of neighboring waters; weddings rule for the most part in autumn and spring, and the wedding train, guiding its way through the water, breaks the mill dams and raises the water level in all oncoming rivers. Wu-Murtas are not averse to being related to people, and in general they often appear among people.
Vumurt (Udmurt wu - "water", murt - "man") - in Udmurt myths, a water spirit with long black hair, sometimes in the form of a pike. Created by the "master of water" Vukuzo. Lives in the depths of large rivers and lakes, but likes to appear in streams and mill ponds. It can drown people and send diseases, flush dams, exterminate fish, but sometimes it helps a person. In the water he has his own house, great wealth and a lot of cattle, a beautiful wife and daughter. Wumurt appears among people at fairs, where he can be recognized by the wet left field of his caftan, or in the village at dusk; his appearance portends misfortune. Wumurt is chased away, knocking with sticks and axes on the ice. To buy off the wumurt, they sacrifice animals, birds, and bread to him.
Lopsho Pedun is a fabulous hero of the Udmurts. According to legend, a long time ago a man lived in one of the Udmurt villages. Life was difficult for him, but fun, because once he learned the secret of life. The Udmurts know that a long time ago they had a Holy Book on which they built their lives. Over time, it was lost, the leaves of the Holy Book scattered all over the world. During his next visit to his family, he was lucky to find one of the pages of this wise book, on which it was written: "Do not take everything to heart, look at everything merrily, and luck will not bypass you." Since then, any work in his hands has argued, and he has become a source of inexhaustible humor, wit, everyday cunning. The people called him Lopsho Pedun.
KREZ is the name of a traditional song, as well as a musical instrument of the GUSLEY type among the Udmurts. With the modern growth of national self-awareness, the traditional instrument is more and more interesting and becomes known to a very wide circle of listeners. Before our eyes, this amazing instrument is being revived from virtually complete oblivion. With joy, one can observe how krez is becoming an integral part not only of Udmurt musical folklore, but also of cultural life in general, and in the near future it will enter every Udmurt house, as it was at the beginning of the last 20th century.