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    The Beliefs and Religious Ceremonies of the Mordvins (Folklore History Series)
    The Beliefs and Religious Ceremonies of the Mordvins (Folklore History Series)
    The Beliefs and Religious Ceremonies of the Mordvins (Folklore History Series)
    Ebook98 pages1 hour

    The Beliefs and Religious Ceremonies of the Mordvins (Folklore History Series)

    By John Abercromby

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    About this ebook

    The Mordvins are a unique people living in Russia. So far as is known, the Mordvins never worshipped images or natural objects as such. This interesting and well researched book is a brilliant insight to a kingdom of people that is little known in Western Europe. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900's and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPierides Press
    Release dateMay 30, 2024
    ISBN9781528799492
    The Beliefs and Religious Ceremonies of the Mordvins (Folklore History Series)

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      Book preview

      The Beliefs and Religious Ceremonies of the Mordvins (Folklore History Series) - John Abercromby

      THE BELIEFS AND RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES OF THE MORDVINS.

      SO far as can be traced back historically, the Mordvins have always occupied the territory on both sides the Surà, between the Oka and the Volga, in the governments of Nizhni-Novgorod, Simbirsk, Pensa, Tambof, and Saràtof. Their number amounts to about half a million, but they are divided into two sections, called Ersa and Moksha. The former are the more numerous, and are chiefly found in the first two governments. The Mordvins are also found in considerable numbers in the governments of Kazàn, Samara, and Orenburg, but are believed to have extended themselves so far in more recent times. From a linguistic point of view they belong to the Finns, and of all the eastern members of the family they live furthest south, and are nearest to the Finns proper as regards language. The number of words they have in common is very considerable, apart from the similarity of grammatical structure. Such are—bow, arrow, boat, oar, bear, beaver, dog, calf, skin, marrow, honey, dough, pestle, mortar, tongs, house, weaving, twisting, span, ell, summer, autumn, cloud, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, &c. Well into the last century the Mordvins were still heathens, and the last public act of sacrifice on record took place as late as the year 1813.

      The information about to be given was originally published by the late Mr. Melnikof, a great authority on everything connected with the Mordvins, in the Moscow journal Ruskii Vyastnik, during the months of June, September, and October, 1867. A Finnish translation appeared in several numbers of the Literary Monthly Paper (Kuukaus Lehti) for 1873, 1874, and this I have translated as literally as possible, though with some curtailments, owing to the diffuseness of style.

      MORDVIN BELIEFS.

      So far as is known, the Mordvins never worshipped images or natural objects as such. It is true they paid honour to sacred trees and offered sacrifices at their roots, but they never made gods of them. Though they prayed to the sun and moon, they always regarded them as creations of God.

      When they have offered up sheep, geese, &c. at the time for sowing the summer corn, they beseech God for fine weather and a productive year, and conclude with the following address to the sun.

      O exalted sun, that shineth over the whole realm, shine also over us and our crops.

      At the new year, when prayers are made at night, they terminate their offerings and prayers by an invocation to the moon.

      O moon, that shineth over the whole realm, shine also over us.

      The Mordvins believed in one supreme God, on whom the whole visible and invisible world depended. The Ersa and Teryukhans* called him Pas, or Cham Pas, i.e., supreme God; by the Mokshas he was termed Shkai.

      Their conception of him is this. He has no beginning nor end, and is alike invisible to men and to the minor deities. He dwells in the sky, but how no one exactly knows. He rules the earth, and all creation takes its origin from him, even the good and evil spirits. Though he is the creator and protector of the universe, he arranges everything by means of ministerial gods and goddesses. Cham Pas loves what he has made, and from him all good issues. But, that men should not forget him, he allowed Shaitan to create evil beings, and placed them in morasses and deep waters. If a man does anything against Cham Pas he allows him to be tormented by an evil spirit; but, if he repents and prays, the evil being is restrained and ordered to abide in the water. But private prayers* are insufficient to propitiate the exasperated supreme God: both a general and a family worship of the ministerial deities is imperative, and still more so a good life.

      The usual Moksha prayer to the supreme God is short: "Shkai! otsyu Shkai, verdu Shkai, vanimist (O God, Lord God, the original God, have mercy upon us").

      The Ersa and Teryukhans say:

      "Cham Pas, Vel Pas (God of the village community), have mercy upon us."

      In prayer the supreme God is always invoked first, but no special festival is held in his honour. (See note § 3.) Apart from him the Mordvins believe also in good and evil beings made by him. According to their conception, there is a vast number of these beings or spirits, who, like mankind, increase by procreation. In every place there is some invisible divinity, who rules that portion of nature assigned to him. Though all sections of the Mordvins believe this, the notions of the Ersa and Moksha regarding the minor gods and their participation in the government of the world is dissimilar.

      The Ersa and Teryukhans know that, when Cham Pas had resolved to create the world, he first created a spirit, almost like himself, to aid him in forming and ruling it. This was Shaitan.

      STORY OF THE CREATION.

      A priest named Fedor Shaverski, of the village of Vechkamova, in the Bugurustan district of the government of Samara, noted down in 1853 the following account of the Creation:

      Once, when there was still nothing in the world but water, Cham Pas was drifting about on a stone on the open sea, reflecting how to create the visible world and how to rule it. Then he said: I have no brother, no companion, with whom to take counsel in this undertaking.

      While speaking thus, he spat, in his anger, into the sea and drifted on.

      When he had floated for some distance he looked back and perceived his spittle had turned into a great hill, drifting in his wake. In order to destroy it he struck it with his sceptre. At the same moment Shaitan leapt out of it and said:

      Thou art grieved, Lord, because thou hast no brother or comrade with whom to consider and take counsel in the creation of the world. If thou wilt, I am ready to become thy brother.

      Cham Pas was glad of this, and said:

      Good. But be my comrade, not my brother. Let us create the earth. What shall we make it of? There is nothing but water.

      Shaitan was silent, for he did not know how the earth was to be created.

      Dive, comrade, into the sea, said Cham Pas, there is sand at the bottom. Fetch a little, and of it we shall make the earth.

      I was just on the point of making the same remark, cried Shaitan, who did not want to show that he was less clever than Cham Pas, or less exalted. Moreover, he always called Cham Pas brother, though he had only been taken as a comrade.

      Come, go to the bottom and fetch sand, said Cham Pas, but take care, comrade, that in taking the sand thou mention my name. Shaitan dived to the bottom. But in his pride he would not mention the name of Cham Pas—only his own. Accordingly, he could not get even a single grain. A flame, too, rose from the bottom of the sea and burnt him all over. Scorched, he returned to the surface.

      Brother, said he, I cannot get a single grain of sand, for a flame rises from the bottom which was like to burn me severely.

      Return, comrade, to the bottom of the sea, the flame will not touch thee if thou but mention my name.

      Shaitan went a second time, but in his pride could not bring himself to pronounce the name of Cham Pas. Again the flames burnt him on all sides. Again he returned to the surface and appeared before Cham Pas without any sand.

      "How did matters go, comrade, hast thou

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