Involved in the birth of a new life: blacksmiths in the mythological representations of the Selkups
English
journal number:
Journal’s Subject Headings:
History, ethnography, archeology
About author:
Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation, [email protected]
ABSTRACT
Introduction: the article considers the problem of the image of a blacksmith in Selkup mythology. This image has not yet been subjected to investigation; in the materials, available in Selkup mythology, it is not accented, not visible, and requires identification and disclosure. The research is carried out within the framework of a fundamental and at the same time utilitarian tasks: it contributes to the formation of a new ethnicity of the modern Selkups and creates a description of one of the elements of traditional Selkup culture.
Objective: to identify and consider the image of a blacksmith in the traditional representations of the Selkups.
Research materials: the work is based on the materials of Selkup mythology contained in the works of E.
D. and G. N. Prokofievs, G. I. Pelikh and other scholars, as well as on the basis of folklore texts collected by the author during expeditions to the Selkups. The reference point in the theme space was a series of publications about blacksmiths in the mythological systems of the peoples of the world.
Results and novelty of the research: the study revealed that the main blacksmith in Selkup mythological ideas is a woman – the supreme deity, the mother of all, sunny and fire old woman, the ancestor of the Selkups. Being the mistress of fire world, she forges a human soul crossing the border of the worlds at the moments of his birth and death with a blacksmith’s hammer and tongs. All other mythical blacksmiths adopted her qualities giving life to people. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that the article first considers the image of a blacksmith in Selkup mythology.
Key words: Selkups, mythological ideas, the image of a blacksmith, blacksmithing, blacksmiths shamans, the image of the sun, the image of fire, the image of an old ancestor woman.
Acknowledgеments: the author expresses deep gratitude to all informants, as well as anonymous reviewers of the work.
For citation: Stepanova O. B. Involved in the birth of a new life: blacksmiths in the mythological representations of the Selkups // Vestnik ugrovedenia = Bulletin of Ugric Studies. 2019; 9 (3): 557–566.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: the article considers the problem of the image of a blacksmith in Selkup mythology. This image has not yet been subjected to investigation; in the materials, available in Selkup mythology, it is not accented, not visible, and requires identification and disclosure. The research is carried out within the framework of a fundamental and at the same time utilitarian tasks: it contributes to the formation of a new ethnicity of the modern Selkups and creates a description of one of the elements of traditional Selkup culture.
Objective: to identify and consider the image of a blacksmith in the traditional representations of the Selkups.
Research materials: the work is based on the materials of Selkup mythology contained in the works of E.
D. and G. N. Prokofievs, G. I. Pelikh and other scholars, as well as on the basis of folklore texts collected by the author during expeditions to the Selkups. The reference point in the theme space was a series of publications about blacksmiths in the mythological systems of the peoples of the world.
Results and novelty of the research: the study revealed that the main blacksmith in Selkup mythological ideas is a woman – the supreme deity, the mother of all, sunny and fire old woman, the ancestor of the Selkups. Being the mistress of fire world, she forges a human soul crossing the border of the worlds at the moments of his birth and death with a blacksmith’s hammer and tongs. All other mythical blacksmiths adopted her qualities giving life to people. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that the article first considers the image of a blacksmith in Selkup mythology.
Key words: Selkups, mythological ideas, the image of a blacksmith, blacksmithing, blacksmiths shamans, the image of the sun, the image of fire, the image of an old ancestor woman.
Acknowledgеments: the author expresses deep gratitude to all informants, as well as anonymous reviewers of the work.
For citation: Stepanova O. B. Involved in the birth of a new life: blacksmiths in the mythological representations of the Selkups // Vestnik ugrovedenia = Bulletin of Ugric Studies. 2019; 9 (3): 557–566.
