Presentation on the topic of fairy tales of the Ob Ugrians. Khanty and Mansi. Origin of the sacred capes

Children's fairy tales were very popular among the Mansi people in the past. The adults enthusiastically told them to the children. The children loved to listen to them, memorized them easily and quickly, and then retold them to each other on cold winter evenings.

Mansi fairy tales for children are deeply moral and educational.

The Mansi did not have a written language until the 30s of our century, but this does not mean that they did not have creativity. It existed in oral form. Among the people, wise and talented singers and storytellers stood out. These famous singers and storytellers kept legends, traditions, myths, fairy tales, and riddles for posterity.

Mansi fairy tales are performed seasonally. They could only be told in winter, from mid-November to mid-March. At this time, severe frosts were raging, children, women and old people were at home; the days were short, the nights were long.

On winter evenings it was customary to gather together in a house. Women took handicrafts with them. There were girls and boys at these gatherings. They did not disturb the adults, did not cry, did not jump, but, huddled close to their mothers, listened to fairy tales in fascination. Usually, at such evening gatherings, children's fairy tales were told first, then fairy tales for adults.

Fairy tales for children were told by mothers or grandmothers. The language of these tales is clear and understandable to children, and the tales are usually short and simple. The surrounding world of children's fairy tales is true; children had to experience the harsh life as it is. In the fairy tales of the Mansi people, the main characters are animals and plants. In fairy tales, all animals, natural phenomena, surrounding objects and substances speak like people, they are smart. Children's fairy tales are instructive: don't be lazy; learn to live by the example of people and animals, the surrounding nature - these are your enemies, if you are stupid, but if you are smart and truthful, they are your friends. This is how adults teach a little person to live through children's fairy tales.

In the fairy tale “Grandma” I learned about the power of natural phenomena, their relationship: fire is dangerous for the forest, but water is stronger than fire, the earth absorbs water, and the earth is destroyed by the monster vitkas (water), but it can be killed by boys armed with bows and arrows, by humans may fall through on thin ice, and the sun will melt the ice, etc.

The fairy tale “Kitty” introduces the body parts of domestic animals by comparing them with objects of nature and everyday life that are close to children: a cat’s ears are leaves of a tree, a cat’s nose is a tinder fungus, etc.

In the fairy tale “The Wagtail Bird” I became acquainted with the body parts of birds.

From the fairy tale “The Cowardly Hare” I learned that for a living creature all parts of the body and organs of vision and senses are very important and necessary.

The fairy tale “The Mouse Traveler” was composed for children by people who lived on the river bank and ate inexpensive river fish (perch, ruff). Through the image of a mouse, adults teach children how to carefully eat bony fish so that the bone does not get stuck in the throat. Another important idea of ​​this little fairy tale is - don’t overeat, don’t eat so much that your stomach swells like a bubble - this is dangerous for your health.

Illustration for a fairy tale

"Mouse - Traveler"

But in the fairy tale “The Mouse and the Deer,” the mouse who deceived the gullible deer was severely punished: not only he himself, but his entire family died from gluttony.

Illustration for a fairy tale

"The Bear and the Chipmunk"

The fairy tale “The Bear and the Chipmunk” with its characters teaches to develop observation, prudence, intelligence, and condemns boastfulness. In a dispute with a bear, the little chipmunk won thanks to his intelligence and prudence, but he also provoked the bear into a fight with his behavior.

In many fairy tales, the main character is Ekva pygris (little boy). He is a smart, resourceful, determined boy. Thus, the fairy tale (“Ekva shoots an arrow”) teaches that a hunter should not be a coward and should not get lost in the face of danger. Animals help kind and honest people in trouble.

Ekva Pigris –

resourceful, determined boy

Menkvas (forest spirits) - one of the negative characters

The fairy tale “The Cuckoo Woman” teaches children that they must obey their mother and take care of her.

There are many positive, good heroes in fairy tales, but, as in any fairy tale, there are also plenty of negative and evil ones of any people. So Kompolen (swamp spirit) and Menkvy (forest spirits), vitkas (water spirit) try to harm a person, get lost in the forest, lead him off the road, scare him. But in every fairy tale, good triumphs over evil.

It should be noted that the Mansi teach children to work very early, but not in a violent manner. A little girl sweeps the floor with a duck's wing, a boy brings firewood into the house, even just one log at a time. While adults are working, children are always next to them - their elders, they look at them, learn to work.

TALES OF THE KHANTY PEOPLE

In Khanty fairy tales, the main characters are also animals and plants, as well as various deities. Some heroes are good, others not so much. According to the Khanty, the whole world is divided into three parts: the upper (heavenly), middle (earthly) and lower (underground) worlds.

The heavenly world is ruled by the supreme god Num-Torum (the son of Kurs-Torum, who created the world); underground his brother Kul; in the middle world there live many different gods and spirits - sons and daughters, as well as other relatives of Num-Torum, for example Naimi - the goddess of fire, Tilash-imi - the month, Muv-Inka - mother earth, Yan-shut-iki - the master of water and etc.

Num-Torum is the supreme deity, lord of the sky, giver of daylight, guardian of morality and law and order. He took the sun and moon from the lower world. Numi-Torum is often depicted as a majestic old man in luxurious, sparkling gold clothes, living in seventh heaven in a huge bright house full of wealth. Thus, in the fairy tale “Imi Khili” he lives in a golden house and puts “golden food” on the guest’s table. In his house there are vessels with living and dead water and water for floods. Numi-Torum observes the earth from his house through a hole in the sky. In the courtyard of his house there is a pillar around which the sun revolves in the fairy tale “Khenti power”. In fairy tales, he often appears as the Heavenly Father, a gray-haired and gray-bearded old man who gives the hero of the fairy tale good advice and help.

Naimi is the goddess of fire. She appears as a seven-tongued woman in a red dress; in many myths, it demands retribution for violating traditional fire-related prohibitions. Fire was treated with respect and care, and sacrifices were made to it. With the help of fire they guessed the future, swore on fire, and scared away evil spirits with fire or smoke.

Imi Hili - son of Num-Torum

Iink-iki is the water king who gives people fish. It lives at the mouth of the Ob in the territory of the Nenets. He has a city underwater where he lives with his entire family. It is he who sends fish to people at the appointed time. In the fairy tale “Hatd ai eviye” his image is somewhat transformed, and he appears before us as a Man with a Long Neck, who is in control of the waters of rivers and lakes.

Imi Hili is the son of Num-Torum, the ruler of people. In the fairy tale of the same name it is directly said about him: “They were healed and are now the master over us.” He is often called by other names: son of the golden light, son of a woman, grandmother's grandson. He is the youngest son of Num-Torum and often goes on journeys, during which various adventures happen to him: he fights with the Manks and defeats them thanks to his cunning and resourcefulness; he performs various feats in order to marry the king's daughter. Imi Hili is the patron and protector of people, he comes to the rescue in difficult times and restores justice. It was he who taught them the trades and gave them important knowledge and necessary skills. He was the first elk hunter and created fire. useful plants and animals, ordered birds to fly to the North in the summer.

The Manks are the first people, unsuccessfully created by Num-Torum from a larch tree and escaped into the forest. It is believed that they still live there. These are giants, similar to people, but they have pointed heads, of which there can be from one to seven, and thick eyebrows. Iron body, long claws. Their bodies are invulnerable; a person can detect a weak point only with the help of supernatural forces; Such a giant can only be defeated by cunning. Manks are often described as cannibals and werewolves. They are big and strong, but stupid and inept.

Women of the genus Mosch and Por

Mosch and Por are the names of two clans among the Ob Ugrians.

According to myth, the first woman of the Por clan was born of a she-bear who ate the Por plant. The ancient people of Por are sometimes depicted in fairy tales as cruel cannibals (unlike the Relics) and are often compared to the Mancs.

The good spirits of Mish were considered the ancestors of the Relics. Their sacred animals are the goose, frog, and horse. Researchers suggest that the division into clans reflects the origin of the Ob Ugrians: the Por clan goes back to the local tribe of taiga hunters, and Moshch – to newcomers from the south, horse breeders.

According to other legends, the families of Por and Mosch go back to two groups of ancient heroes, some of whom ate boiled, others raw meat. In fairy tales, representatives of these clans - most often women - compete and even quarrel with each other. Vont utat - forest spirits. According to the Khanty, forests and rivers are inhabited by various spirits who are not always friendly towards humans (Kar-yki, Kar-yimi). In fairy tales they are spoken of allegorically; they are not always named directly, because it is dangerous to mention them: after all, it was believed that they could be heard and harm a person. In Khanty folklore there are legends about strong and brave heroes: Tek iki and Tatya - hero.

The name of the hero Tek iki comes from the name of the Khanty village of Tegi, of which he was the patron.

Among other northern heroes, Tekiki is considered the strongest. Being endowed with magical powers, he also owns a magic word. Even his heavenly father Torum-ashi was afraid of his magic word. Using magical power, the hero moved long distances. He visited the source and mouth of the Ob River, beyond the Urals, in the southern overseas lands, from where he took wives.

In legends, the hero appears as a tall, stocky, middle-aged man. He almost always wears chain mail, and has a sword, dagger, and arrows hanging from his belt. He carries a bow and other military equipment. He has very long thick hair. Seven wives simultaneously braid seven braids for him. When he goes to bed, he lays one half of his hair under himself, and covers himself with the other half of his hair. If he asks his wives to braid his hair, it means that he is going on a long journey or to war. Thick hair was considered the wealth of a hero. Tek iki could transform into a dog, and sometimes into a red fox. Therefore, according to beliefs, it was believed that if the hero is the patron of the village of Tegi, then people living in those places should not offend dogs or wear clothes made from dog skins. Women should not wear socks made from dog fluff. The magic number of a hero is seven. He has seven wives from the seven corners of the world. They braid seven braids for him. The games in honor of the hero Tekiki last for seven days and seven nights; these games take place every seven years.

Legends about the hero Tekiki require adherence to a certain etiquette towards him. For example, you cannot talk about him in the evening and at night. If someone started telling a legend about him, then they must definitely end it. Otherwise, the hero may appear in any guise and sternly ask why they treated him so discourteously, and may even punish him.

The tales of the Mansi and Khanty peoples are very interesting, beautiful, and educational. The theme of fairy tales is varied, but each of them reflects the life of the people, the wisdom of the people, their dreams. In Mansi and Khanty fairy tales, the forces of evil are very terrible, but ultimately good defeats evil, which is necessarily punished and defeated by man.

Khanty (self-name - Khande, outdated name - Ostyaks) - live on the territory of the Khanty-Mansiysk (on the lower reaches of the Ob) and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, as well as in the Tomsk region. The population size according to 1998 data is 22.3 thousand. Believers are Orthodox. The Khanty language belongs to the Ob-Ugric branch of the Finno-Ugric group of languages. Writing is based on the Russian alphabet.

world creation

There was no land, no water, there was only one Num-Torum. Torum had a house in the air; There was a board at a distance of three arshins from the door, and only on this board did Torum walk when he left the house. And he ate and drank only honey and sur. He was at home day and night, only going out for a walk two or three times a day. When he came from a walk, he sat down on a feather bed, sat down and thought.

One day, while he was thinking, a drop fell from above onto the table. A drop rolled off the table, fell on the floor, and a baby came out - the woman Evi. The little girl opened the door and entered another room. When she dressed in this room in a dress, received from no one knows where, and went out to Num, he threw himself on her neck, kissed her and said:

We will live with you forever.

They lived long, they lived short, they had a son. The son grew up very quickly, because such people grow quickly, and one day he went out for a walk at the entrance hall. His father and mother told him:

Don't go far, you might fall off this board.

He reassured them, saying that he would not fall. Suddenly a paper came down from above directly to the son of Numa and clung to the palm of his right hand. This paper rose up with him, and he came to his grandfather. He asked him:

You came to me?

Yes, I'm here.

How are you doing?

I live nothing.

Grandfather asked him:

What do you have down there, besides the house, is it wide or narrow?

And he answered him:

I don’t know anything, broad or narrow.

Is there water or land?

I do not know anything. I look down: it’s wide everywhere, I can’t see either land or water.

Then his grandfather gave him some land and the piece of paper with which he had risen up, and brought him back to Num-Torum’s house, saying goodbye:

When you go down, throw the earth down from the vestibule board.

When he came down, he poured all the earth down and came to a house that was golden. Then his father and mother asked him where he had been going for so long. He answered them that he was on the street, on the board, and played. The next day, grandfather himself went down to the golden house of Num Torum. He was given food and drink. The grandfather asked the boy:

Do you know who is greater - the son or the father?

He answered him that the father is God above the son. Father and mother began to argue that there is one god. Grandfather told them:

You have no intelligence, the little one is smarter than you.

Then the grandfather disappeared. The next day the boy again went out onto the same board, looked down and saw the ground, but there was no forest. Then he ran to his parents and said that he saw the ground and began to ask them to take him down. They put him in a golden cradle and lowered him down on a rope. When he came down and put his right leg out of the cradle onto the ground, his leg began to sink as if in liquid. Then his father picked him back up. The boy said that he came down, but the ground was liquid. The mother began to say:

Okay, son, tomorrow we’ll go down together and I’ll see for myself.

The next morning, early in the morning, they both went down in the cradle. They both went down, and then the mother really saw that there was no land, but only a liquid swamp. She first stood on her feet, then had to bend down and grab hold of herself with her hands. And so she began to sink and soon disappeared completely. The boy stayed and cried. Finally he pulled the rope, his father lifted him up and began to ask:

Why are you crying and where is your mother?

Mother, he says, drowned in a swamp.

His father began to console him and said:

Whether soon or not soon, we will all die anyway.

Soon, however, the mother left the room laughing and began to say to her son:

Why were you crying? All the same, when there is peace on earth, children will also mourn their parents. Soon there will be trees and grass on the earth, then people will appear everywhere.

The next day, in the morning, the boy was lowered to the ground again. He came out of the cradle and ran along the ground: there was no swamp, the ground was strengthened. The boy made two people from the earth - a man and a woman. When he blew on them, they came to life. Then Torum created cloudberries and lingonberries - red berries. And Num-Torum said to the people:

Here are cloudberries and red berries for you - eat them.

Then he told them:

When I leave you, Kul will come and seduce you. Don't believe him until I come myself; When I come myself, I will say differently.

He moved the rope and was lifted up. Then Kul came to the newly created people and began to ask:

What? Did Torum command you to eat cloudberries and red berries?

And he gave them a handful of bird cherry and said:

You eat cloudberries and red berries - they don’t make you full, but if you eat this handful of bird cherry, you’ll be full forever.

They didn’t think about eating, but Kul persuaded them. They ate and felt full. Kul disappeared. They continued to eat bird cherry. When Torum came to earth and began to ask what they were eating, they showed it.

Why did you listen to Kul: he seduced you!

Torum moved their hand, they fell in different directions, dead. Torum blew on them, they came to life again. Then he told them:

I revived you. Look, Kul will come again and tempt you - don’t listen to him, eat the cloudberries and red berries that I told you to eat earlier.

Then he created a hare and said to them:

You can eat this.

Then he let them eat the raspberries.

Look,” he told them goodbye, “don’t let yourself be seduced by Kulya; After all, you were already dead, believe me, because you allowed yourself to be seduced by Kulya. Now I will leave you here again, and if Kul seduces you, do not listen to his words until I come.

And he showed them three trees: pine, larch and birch. After Torum left, Kul appeared and began to ask:

Why do you eat these raspberries, what’s filling about them? But there is a cedar - a tall tree, with cones on it. Take this pine cone and you will have a handful of nuts and you will be full.

When they ate this cone, they saw that they were naked and began to be ashamed of each other, then they were tempted by each other and sinned. After that they hid in the grass. When Torum came and began to call them, they responded barely audibly.

Why did you hide? - he asked them.

When he approached them, they were both sitting on the ground and could not get to their feet. And Torum said to them:

Behold, I created for you deer, sheep, hares, cows and horses; with their skin you will dress. I told you not to eat, you didn't listen, now stay on the ground.

Torum did not leave them either a fire or a cauldron, he left only raw meat and he himself went up to heaven. After some time, Torum looked down from the sky and saw an innumerable number of people on earth - so many that they felt crowded and began to fight with each other. “What will come of this? - thought Torum. “We need to give them winter so that they freeze.” And the people began to freeze and die from the frost. Then Torum began to wonder why there were so few people left. And he descended to the ground again.

He walked on the ground and thought. I saw a stone and put my hand to this stone, and heat came from the stone. There was a small stone lying next to him. When he took a small stone and hit it against a big one, the big one crumbled - and a fire woman came out of it. A road began from the stone, it was unknown where it led, but it was very wide. It was not a whole boat that was formed from the stone; it is unknown whether it was the bow or the stern. Torum took the stones again and began to hit each other, and fire appeared. Then Torum made tinder from birch bark, chopped up the tree, chopped firewood and lit a fire. When he lit a fire, he gathered the people and began to warm them up by this fire.

Then he began to think that people cannot live without brew, and he made a cauldron (whether it was made of iron or stone is unknown). And he brought water into this cauldron, hung the cauldron on sticks, and killed the cattle (either a cow or a sheep - it is unknown). When everything was cooked, Torum himself sat down, ate, and the food seemed tasty to him. He fed the rest of the survivors, saying to them:

Here I showed you an example of how to cook: here is fire, here is water; as I did, so do you. If you feel cold, light a fire and you will warm up. Whatever you get and what you get where - cook and bake like this. Eat the food that I advised you.

Then he showed them how to catch poultry with weights, fish with fishing rods, how to seine, how to catch fish, and all sorts of crafts. Then he said to the people:

I won't come to you anymore, so live like this.

When Torum rose up, after a while he began to look down at the ground again. He sees that the people have multiplied, everyone is working. And he began to think: “This is how many people have multiplied, the devil seduced them.” Torum called Kul to him and said:

Don't touch anyone without my permission, don't seduce anyone until I tell you. When I tell you, I point to the old or the young, you will take him. You will take half the people, and half will remain for me.

Devil and God

The devil came to God and said:

Give me what I ask of you.

God said:

Do I have this?

The devil said:

God said:

Okay, I'll give it to you.

The devil said:

Give me the sun and a month.

God gave the devil the sun and the month. The devil began to eat people in the dark. It’s easier to do dark things this way, I started committing robbery. The son came to God and said:

You gave away the sun and the month in vain, go and take it back. God says:

Yes, it’s inconvenient now, since I gave it away.

Son says:

Since you have become friends now, why is it awkward?

How will I get it?

Son says:

Previously, the devil lived without a month and the sun; he does not know what a shadow is. Ask him for shade. If he doesn’t give it back, then you take the sun and the month.

God came to hell and said:

Give me what I ask of you.

Do I have this?

Yes, says God.

They sat down and sat. God points to the shadow and says:

Give me this.

The devil caught it and couldn’t catch it. Then God took away the sun and the month, and it became light again.

Myths about creation and origins

Origin of the month

There lived one man, he didn’t have a wife, he didn’t have anyone else. Then he thinks: “Am I living alone in the forest or are there other people, I need to go and have a look.”

I thought and thought, spent the night, got up in the morning, drank tea, got dressed and went. He walked and walked and looked - there was a hut in the forest, one woman lived there. He began to live with her. He lives, he lives, he sees that this woman’s life is short, and his life is long. He thinks: “I’ll move on.”

It goes day and night. There's a hut ahead again. He came and saw: one woman lives there. He looks - again this woman’s life is short, and his life is long. And he said to the woman:

And went. It goes day and night. I again met a hut in the forest, one woman lives there. She is without a father, without parents. They began to live together. He sees that their lives are the same. Lived, lived, he says:

I'll go home to look at my hut.

But the woman won’t let him in. He got ready and went. I went, looked at the house, and went back. I met the house where the first wife lived and looked - there was no hut. From somewhere the first wife jumped out and chased him. He ran away from her. He ran and ran and looked - somewhere here the second wife lived and there was a hut here. The second wife jumped out from somewhere, and both chased after him. He ran, ran, and looked - the third wife was sitting in the hut on chicken legs, her arms and legs lowered from the door. He shouted:

Open the door!

She opened the door, he climbed in halfway, and his wives tore him into two pieces. One half remained with those two wives, the other with the third. He began to live with his third wife; he is the month, and she is the sun. When he grew up to the end, then she threw one half of her husband up. If so, let it be a month, and she herself become the sun.

Origin of constellations

There were three winged men here: one on the Vakh, another on the Ob, the third, I don’t know where, maybe on the Yenisei. They wanted to compete to see who could reach the ceiling first. The snow was three palms deep. We were running after a one-year-old elk, he is young and runs fast. They ran and ran. Vakhovsky runs and flies through trees that are waist-high to a man. Vakhovsky threw the cauldron to make it easier to escape. Vakhovsky was the first to catch the elk. Now there are three stars in the sky: these are hunters running after the elk, and the ladle is a cauldron that one of them threw.

Human Origins

One person lives not on earth, but in the sky - Kon-iki. He lives alone. He thinks that a person needs to be made. I took clay and made it. How to revive him? He wasn't breathing. I left him and went to my father.

Here, father, it is necessary somehow for a person to live.

You pump air into him, he will come to life.

When he arrived, his arms and legs were broken.

Hey, son, a person does not live forever, he will get sick. Did you do this on purpose?

How on purpose? I left him intact.

No, a person lives, lives and dies.

He came back, gave him air, the man came to life. What should I do? Kon-iki lives alone again. Teras-nai lives alone. This man went to her, and they began to live together.

There were no people on earth at all. They broke two birch branches, put them up at home, and then these branches became people.

How man became mortal

The bear was cursed, I don’t know by whom. And the dog is cursed by Torum. Previously, a person died, and then he always came to life. Once he died, and the dog went to Torum and asked how to revive him.

Torum says:

Put a stone on his feet and rotten stones on his head, and he will come to life.

The dog brought rotten things and a stone to the man, and towards the devil:

Place rotten stones on your feet and a stone on your head.

The dog did just that. When the man stood up, a stone pierced his forehead, and he completely died. The dog went to Torum again:

I put a stone on his head, and he completely died. Then God cursed her:

Wear a fur coat, and whatever the owner puts in the yard, eat it!

Previously, a dog was a real companion to a person, it ate from the same dishes with him, and was clean.

Origin of the Osprey

Torum also had a son, Syuhes. Now this is a bird that flies high - the osprey. Torum sent his son from heaven to earth to do good deeds and ordered him to dress well. He didn’t listen and said that he wouldn’t freeze. He flew up to the ground, and Torum blew frost for disobedience. The son fell. Then Torum felt sorry for him, he turned him into a bird. And now she flies high, but cannot rise to the sky.

Origin of the cuckoo

One day, Kazym-imi’s husband went fishing, and she stayed at home with the boy and girl. Kazym-imi wanted to drink and asked the children to bring her a mug of water, but the children did not bring it.

Kazym-imi turned into a cuckoo. The children chased her through the forest with a mug and asked Kazym-imi to drink water, but the cuckoo flew further and further away from them.

Suddenly Kazym-imi saw her husband returning from fishing. She sat down on his oblas, and her husband hit the cuckoo so hard with an oar that his oblas split in half and the oar broke. Since then, the cuckoo has been saying all the time:

Dit chop, loop chop - half oblas, half oar.

About the appearance of deer

Once upon a time, Kaaim-yakh and Ahys-yakh argued who would get the most deer. The owner of all the deer was Kazym-imi. There were two large deer - the important one and the chorus. They were twice the size of the current deer, and all the deer came from them. Their mistress was Kazym-imi. These reindeer were harnessed to a double-sided sled - harness it on one side or the other. The Taz and Kazym people gathered, they wanted to organize a holiday, a sacrifice; sacrifice not a person, but a deer. We argued about who to give these big deer to. The Tazovskys say that it must be given to them, and the Kazym people also demand, they have their own goddess for these two deer - Kazym-imi. Kazym people say:

This woman (Kazim-imi) belongs to whomever needs to give these deer.

So they argue. They tied these large deer with a four-fold lasso, and the deer began to jump. The deer pulled the lasso, broke it and immediately ran away towards Tarko-sale. All the little deer are behind them. At night half of the herd was returned. From this herd the Khanty got reindeer, some got one and some got ten. Large deer were taken from the Ahys-yakh, and then Kazym-imi became their owner. The Kazym people did not go in pursuit on large deer. There the herd was cut up half by dogs and driven away. This double-sided sled is called lunk-aul, you need to look for it among the Ahys-Yakhs, they still have it.

Origin of bears

I don’t know whether it’s true or not that the bear used to be a god and had children. And so (there are obedient and disobedient children) God kicked out one naughty bear cub and said:

Go wherever you want.

The little bear fell to the ground, but did not reach the ground and got stuck in the fork of a tree. Thinks; “I’ll be lost now; You can’t move up or go down to the ground. Worms will probably eat me.” Indeed, the bear died, and worms began to fall out of it onto the ground. From large worms bears with long tails grew - large taiga bears, and from small worms - small northern bears without tails.

Origin of the Pasteur people

Far to the south or not far, who knows, where the Ob begins, the ancestors of the Pasteur people once lived, maybe they still live there. One day two of them went hunting. While hunting, they unexpectedly came across beautiful game, an elk. They started chasing him. The first man, Pasteur, had wings and chased the beast through the air; the second, which had only legs, pursued him along the ground. And although he ran quickly, like a bird, he still lagged behind the elk and the winged man Pasteur. He fell so far behind that he no longer saw them both, they had overtaken him so far! But he still didn’t want to return, so he ran further after them. If he’s running, let him run, let’s see what the other one, the winged one, was doing at that time.

“Oh, how tired I am,” said the man and sat down on the ground next to the elk. While I was sitting there, I began to look around. “I left my land far behind. What kind of land is this? I don't know her! Who knows how many days I chased this elk, who counted them? And if I killed him, then the way home is so long that I will never be able to bring him home, he thought to himself and then stood up. He skinned the elk, trimmed the back fat, and stuffed it into the top of his shoe. He covered the meat with branches and twigs, and put another wicker on top. Then he went back to where he came from. In flight, he lowered one wing into the snow, flew a short distance, and then once again drew a sign in the snow with his wing.

He flew for a long time, or flew for a short time, suddenly he meets another man, Pasteur - the one who fled. He was still chasing the elk.

Did you kill the elk or did you miss it? - asked the winged man on foot.

To kill, I killed him, but so far from here that I left his meat there. “I’m flying home now, and if you need elk meat, then go and get it,” the winged man answered the man on foot.

Then he took the lard out of the boots and gave it to another, so that he would have something to eat while he found meat.

Then he continued:

When I returned, I scribbled my wing across the snow. You will wander for a long time, you will wander short, then you will find elk meat on my trail. You can eat it and, perhaps, you can even stay there, because if you walk from there you will probably never return.

The winged man Pasteur said this and flew further home, while the man on foot set off and went straight on. On the way, he ate elk fat all the time, so that he did not have to starve. He walked for a long time, or walked for a short time, and finally, when the fat ran out, he found a dead elk. “My homeland is truly far, far behind. When will I be able to get there on foot?” - he thought to himself. Then he took out the elk meat and began to eat it. He ate and ate with gusto, then began to look around. “My homeland is far from here. I will never return on foot, he thought. - There is land here too. There is fish, there is game, it will be nice here. I'll stay here." So he thought to himself, and so it happened. The Pasteur man, on foot, remained there the entire time. He soon completely forgot his former homeland.

From this man Pasteur came the Pasteur people. They had never lived here before, but how they came here is what this story tells.

About the Lar-yah people

Two heroes lived along large debris, along tall grasses, near large waters. They were brothers. And all the people of Lar-yah lived with them in large wastes, by the great water.

The heroes went hunting. One will shoot an arrow, feathered with eagle feathers, the arrow flies above the flowing cloud. Another will shoot an arrow, feathered with eagle feathers, the arrow flies above the dark clouds. They walked, walked, walked... They killed a great great eagle. They got a lot of eagle feathers for their arrows. The heroes came to the yurt at night; it was dark. As soon as the feathers were taken out of the reindeer bag, it became as bright as day in the yurt. One eagle feather burns with a fire brighter than the sun, brighter than the moon. The feather was golden. The heroes began to argue about who should take the eagle feather. One will take a golden eagle feather - the other will argue, the other will take a golden eagle feather - this one will argue.

No one knows how long they argued or fought. One hero remained on the large sora, near the large water, where they had the city of Vat-pugol. He still has a golden eagle feather. And the other hero went to another river. Half the people from the city went with him. So they began to call this people Vat-yah - people from the city.

Origin of the sacred capes

It was a long time ago. This legend is long, no one can tell it from beginning to end.

One family, headed by an old woman, decided to go down the Ob and get to Vasyugan. They say that they did not find Vasyugan, but ended up on Nyurolka and began to climb the Tukh-sige River, which flows into Nyurolka and flows out of Lake Tukh-emtor. Hunger began.

And then there was a custom: if there is nothing to kill, you must give a gift. On one cape on Tukh-sig, an old woman brought one of her sons as a gift, killed him and left him on the cape under a cedar tree, and gave him to the cape. Then the hunt went well, they got some money, and moved on. She had a large family, the supply soon ran out, and hunger began again.

We reached the island, where she sacrificed her old man. This island is still called Iki - old man. On that island there is now a fir tree and a cedar tree, and gifts are still offered there. When they began to swim up to Lake Tukh-emtor, three daughters separated from the family, the old woman separated them. A sacred cape also formed there. Only women's things were brought there as gifts: combs, braids.

The rest swam to Ozernoye, to the people. There the old woman was not accepted as a stranger, and she decided to go back down the Tukh-sig. She left three sons. She decided to dam the Tukh-shiga and flood Ozernoe. Hammers were needed to drive in the stakes. The old woman dammed the river, but the river broke through and went the other way. She sent her two sons to where she had laid the old man, and took the younger one with her. She kept wanting to get water on Vasyugan. On Lake Ves-emtor she laid her youngest son and went out across the lake into the large Lake Tukh-emtor and swam across it. In one place where she was, Cape Pyai-imi (Cape-Old Woman) was formed, where they also bring gifts. She herself again entered Tukh-siga. She had a tame elk calf with her. She brought him as a gift on Tukh-sig, and she herself made his image from a white stone. This stone elk calf has been on Tukhsig for a long time; every hunter and visitor brought him a gift. Nobody sees him, only the Ostyaks. It appears and disappears from underground.

About the origin of surnames

The old people said that people used to go to war from village to village. They lived in holes so that it was difficult to find them. Not far from the village of Letne-Kievskoye there is a place called Yal-velem-pyai. This is a small cape overgrown with young pine trees. Previously, this cape was larger, and there was a large village on it. Then one day the village was attacked by enemies. In the village there lived a hero whose son was married to a very beautiful girl. The war happened because of this beauty. When the enemies attacked (there were three times more of them), the hero made an oar as thick as a capercaillie's neck, and the son made an oar as thick as a swan's neck. They jumped into the clouds, wanting to escape from their enemies. The hero had a thick oar, and he swam far, but his son had a thin oar, the size of a swan’s neck, and when he began to row hard, the oar broke. The enemies caught up with the heroic son and killed him. The hero's daughter-in-law hid in a large swamp between the hummocks. She climbed into a large hole, and her enemies did not find her. All the people in the village were killed, only the hero and his daughter-in-law survived. The hero became friends with his daughter-in-law and began to live with her. They began to call the children Mikumin. The daughter-in-law hid between the hummocks, and the hummock in Ostyak language is mukh, mukh-pyay, hence the Mikumins’ surname. Grandfather Semyon Aptousov told this tale.

The hero had an iron hat and an iron shirt. The heroes' enemies were frightened because they saw him walking along the shore and twisting birch trees as he wanted. The enemies got scared and came back. The hero and his daughter-in-law had three sons. From these sons came three Ostyak surnames: Kalins, Mikumins, Vaskins.

Why do the Ostyaks not have their own literacy?

Once upon a time, in the old days, an Ostyak began to invite a Russian to be his comrade, so that they could go together into the forest to hunt animals. The Russian agreed to go into the forest together. Went. In the forest, in the fishery, the Ostyak and the Russian, like faithful comrades, did not leave each other and did not go far from each other, but were always together. They hunted in the forest for some time, like all ordinary fishermen, and nothing special happened to them during this time of hunting. But one day they were walking through the forest to hunt, as usual, together, when suddenly they both saw two papers falling from the sky in front of them. The Russian, when two papers fell in front of him, said on this occasion to the Ostyak:

God lowered two papers from heaven because there are two of us: one for me, and the other for you. So choose from the two papers whichever one you want, and I will take the one that remains.

Then each of them took a piece of paper. The Russian, taking his paper, held it in his hands for a while, looked at what was written on it, and put it in his bosom. Ostyak acted differently with his paper: he looked at what was written on it and put it on a stump that happened here, saying to the Russian this:

I won’t take my paper with me now, but I’ll take it later, when we go back past this place from our day’s fishing to our camp.

Ostyak, leaving his paper on a stump, went with the Russian further into the forest for fishing. At the end of the day's fishing, they returned back to their camp the same way they had gone forward into the forest to take the Ostyak paper that he had placed on the stump. But what, to the Ostyak’s surprise and misfortune, happened to his paper? There was no paper on the stump. This paper was eaten by an elk, which, in the absence of the Ostyaks and the Russians, passed by this very place, which was visible from its tracks.

That is why, - the Ostyaks usually conclude their story, - we do not have our own Ostyak charter. If the Ostyak had acted with the paper like a Russian person - he would have taken it with him, then we would have had our own certificate. Although we know that in some places there are literate Ostyaks, they still studied and are studying according to Russian literacy, and not according to Ostyak. There is no Ostyak letter; it was eaten by an elk.

World creation. The text was recorded by A. Sternberg at the end of the 19th or beginning of the 20th century. Khanty myth about the origin of the earth, humans, plants and animals, life's blessings, food prohibitions, and fishing tools. Along with the typical cosmogonic motifs of Ob-Ugric mythology (liquid shaky primordial firmament, making fire, teaching crafts, etc.), the influence of Christianity is noticeable in the myth, for example, the dispute about who is stronger - God the Father or God the Son, the episode of Kul’s seduction of the first people who sinned after they ate the forbidden fruit (here a pine cone). The main character is the son of Num-Torum; here his name is Torum, in other mythological legends he is known as the Golden Bogatyr, the Old Prince, the World Watcher, etc.

Evi - literally, “girl, girl.” Perhaps the wife of Num-Torum, named here because of the consonance of this Khanty word with the name Eva.

Origin of constellations. Recorded by N. Lukina in 1969 in the village. Korliki on the river Wow from V. Katkalev. Unlike other options, here the constellation Ursa Major is not an elk, but a cauldron abandoned by a hunter.

Human Origins. Registered by V. Kulemzin in 1974 in the village. Kayukovo on the river Yugan from A. Multanov. The text of the myth about the creation of man combines two versions: making him from clay and turning birch branches into people (birch was considered a sacred tree among the Ob Ugrians), and also contains a prediction that people will die.

Teras-nai (Charas-nai-anki) - literally, “sea-fire”, “sea-fire-mother”. According to the views of the Surgut Khanty, this is the daughter of Torum, living in that place of the sea where it becomes fiery; she gave birth to the first people.

How man became mortal. Recorded by N. Lukina in 1971 in the village. Eatery on the river Vasyugan from A. Angalina. In this myth, the origin of death is associated with the actions of Kul, who persuaded the dog to violate Torum’s orders.

Origin of the Osprey. Recorded by V. Kulemzin in 1970 in the village. Korliki on the river Wow from I. Mychikova.

Origin of the cuckoo. Recorded by E. Titarenko in 1972 in the village. Variegan on the river Agan from N. Kazymkin. The story of a woman turned into a cuckoo because of naughty children is known among many peoples. Here, however, the heroine, usually nameless, bears a name that coincides with the name of one of the most widely revered spirits, Kazym-imi. True, it is not entirely clear from the text whether this refers to a spirit or an ordinary woman living on Kazym.

About the appearance of deer. Recorded by V. Kulemzin and N. Lukina in 1975 in the village. Nomads on the river Tromiegan from I. Sopochin. Here is the folk version of the origin of reindeer husbandry among the Khanty. This issue is controversial among researchers: some consider reindeer husbandry of the Ob Ugrians to be borrowed from the Nenets, others talk about its original nature.

Akhys-yakh - literally, “grassroots people”. This is how the eastern Khanty call the inhabitants of the more northern territories, the lower reaches of the Ob, i.e. the northern Khanty, Nenets, Komi, Chukchi. Here the narrator means the Nenets from the river. Taz.

...into a double-sided sled... - This refers to a sled in which the front and rear ends of the runners are equally bent. On such a sled were placed images of the spirits Kazym-imi among the Khanty and Sort-pupykh among the Mansi. When transporting a sled with images of spirits, it was forbidden to turn it, but reindeer can be harnessed to a double-sided sled from either side without turning it.

Origin of bears. Recorded by V. Kulemzin and N. Lukina in 1973 in the village. Pim on the river Pym from M. Lempina. A brief retelling of the myth about the celestial origin of the bear. Here he is cast down by God for disobedience; the worms falling from his rotten body turn into earthly bears of various breeds.

Origin of the Pasteur people. Recorded by J. Papay. Per. from Nenets N. Lukina. The text of the myth was written down at the end of the 19th century. near the city of Obdorsk, not far from which, in the village. Pel-vosh on the river. Go and sit down. Pasherskie (Paster-Kurt) in the lower reaches of the Ob, inhabited by the Khanty social group Paster; a social group with the same name is also known among the Mansi region. Lyapin. They considered the mythical Winged Pasteur and Legged (foot) Pasteur to be their ancestors. The legend about the resettlement of part of this group from the south, from the upper reaches of the Ob, to the river. Poluy echoes the myth of the cosmic hunt; the same characters appear in the Mansi myth about the origin of death.

About the Lar-yakh people. Recorded by M. Shatilov in 1926 in the village. Nagal-yuh from E. Prasin. The widespread story about the division of the people into two halves and the departure of one of them to new territories is timed to coincide with the story of the origin of the Lar-yakhs and Vat-yakhs - social groups of the Khanty on the river. Wow.

Origin of the sacred capes. Recorded by V. Kulemzin in 1973 in the village. New Vasyugan on the river Vasyugan from P. Sinarbin. The story about the emergence of local sacred places on the small river Tukh-Sige echoes information about sanctuaries in the river basin. Nyurolki, where the Tukh-Sig flows. The main Nyurol spirit in the lower reaches of the river was considered to be the old man Elle-jung (Big Spirit); the sanctuaries of his two sons were higher upstream, closer to the confluence of the Tukh-sigi. According to the published text, the sanctuaries on Tukh-sig were created by an old woman, “separating” or “pawning” (i.e., sacrificing) her husband and children. On both rivers there were cult places where wooden hammers-clubs were given as gifts, which, it was believed, were used by spirits to hammer in the stakes of locks, as well as elk sanctuaries, where elk festivals were held and sacrifices were made in honor of this animal. Most places of worship are located exactly where they are mentioned in the text, and until recently were revered by the local Khanty.

About the origin of surnames. Recorded by E. Titarenko in 1971 in the village. Letne-Kievsky on the river. Ob from V. Vaskin. The legend about the internecine skirmishes of ancient warrior ancestors explains the origin of local names and Khanty names, which were later used as the basis for official surnames.

They lived in holes... - This refers to underground dwellings.

Yal-velem-pyay - lit. "At the War of the Cape Killed."

Why do the Ostyaks not have their own literacy? Recorded by P. Krasnov at the end of the 19th or beginning of the 20th century. on the river Vasyugan.

Myths and legends of the peoples of the world. Peoples of Russia: Collection. - M.: Literature; World of Books, 2004. - 480 p.

Lit.: Chernetsov V.N. Vogul fairy tales. Collection of folklore of the Mansi people (Voguls). - L., 1935; Balandin A. N. The language of the Mansi fairy tale. - L., 1939; Tales of the peoples of the Siberian North. Vol. 2. - Tomsk, 1976.

MYTHS OF THE OB UGRICS

What myths reveal to us The distinction that the natives make between “true stories” and “fictional ones” is significant. Two categories of narrative are “tales,” that is, they relate to a series of events that occurred in the distant, very long past. Although

Myths about the origin of the world and cosmogonic myths Any myth that tells about the origin of something presupposes and develops cosmogonic ideas. From a structural point of view, the myth of origin is comparable to the cosmogonic myth. Since the creation of the world is