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IMAGE AND SYMBOLISM OF THE WOLF IN THE WORLDVIEW AND RITUAL OF THE BURYATS // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2021. Issue 2 (32). P. 93-101

In modern times, the spiritual heritage of the peoples of Russia, including their traditional picture of the world, is an object of public and scientific interest. In this context, it is important to reconstruct popular views about the animal world. The purpose of the work is to identify the meaning of the wolf in the mythological judgments of the Buryats and the inclusion of this wild animal in their rituals. Various ethnographic, folklore, and linguistic materials were used as sources for the research. The paper uses the structural-semiotic method as the main one. The analysis shows that the Buryats have formed an ambiguous image of the wolf, characterized by ambivalent connotations. The special role of color symbolism is revealed in the ideas about this animal. The wolf had a heavenly (white wolf) and male symbolism. A positive connotation was also expressed in the recognition of the apotropaic function of his skin. The sacredness of his image is indicated by the custom observed by hunters of removing the skin from the killed predator with the head and some internal organs. The negative characteristic of the wolf was associated with the fact that this beast was perceived as a mediator between worlds. He was identified with trouble. It was believed that it has a demonic nature, serves as a transport for evil spirits. The chthonic origin of the predator was indicated by its relationship with the raven. The wolf also carried the symbolism of aggression and was associated with a military cult. In this context, we should consider its association with weapons and the idea of werewolves. It was found out that in the shamanic rites of the Buryats, the wolf had a sacred status, which was manifested in the poetry and attributes of the shaman (in ritual clothing, in the use of a wolf fetish). It is determined that the Buryat folk beliefs about the wolf find parallels in the traditional worldview of other peoples, which indicates universal and typological phenomena in the Buryat mythological fauna.

Keywords: the Buryats, the traditional world, the wild fauna, the image of the wolf, folklore, and ritual

THE IMAGE OF A SQUIRREL IN THE TRADITIONAL CULTURE OF THE BURYATS // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2022. Issue 1 (35). P. 106-114

The relevance of the topic is determined by the need to preserve the intangible cultural heritage of the peoples of Russia, including knowledge about their traditional picture of the world, which includes folk views about wild fauna. In the mythological representations of the peoples of Eurasia, the squirrel is a common zoomorphic image, which is associated with its wide range of habitat and the utilitarian meaning that it had as a fur-bearing animal. In buryat ethnography, this topic has not been considered before. The aim of the work is to reconstruct the complex of buryat folk beliefs about the squirrel with the definition of its symbolism and to clarify the representation of the image of this animal in their traditional rituals. The sources for the research are ethnographic-folklore and linguistic information, especially ethnographic and folklore materials collected by N. N. Agapitov, S. P. Baldaev, Ya. I. Lindenau, etc. The main linguistic material is obtained from the two-volume dictionary “Buryad-orod toil” (2010). The author's field materials are of an auxiliary nature. The main method of research is the structural-semiotic method, which provides for the determination of values, including squirrel. The methodological basis of the work was the works of A. K. Bayburin, P. G. Bogatyrev, A.V. Gura and others. It is proved that the squirrel was a revered wild animal among the buryats. It is revealed that the image of this animal is ambiguous and characterized by ambivalence of connotation. It was determined that this animal was endowed with heavenly, feminine and producing symbols, and received a positive connotation. In addition, it was found out that in the epic of the buryats, some ornithomorphism was attributed to the image of a squirrel. At the same time, he also receives a negative connotation: the motive of the soul of the enemy of the cultural hero was associated with him; he was perceived as a sign of trouble. The image of the squirrel can be traced in family rituals, in the rituals of shamans and hunters. In family rituals, fetishes are associated with it (Ekhe Toodei, Khermeshi-noyon and Bulgasha-khatan, etc.), endowed with a protective function. In shaman rituals, he is perceived as an assistant spirit, an animal dedicated to the patron spirit, and his skin was also considered an attribute of the shaman (an emblem of the clan).

Keywords: Buryats, traditional worldview, wild fauna, squirrel image, folklore, ritual

The Duck in the Mythological Views of the Buryats // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2023. Issue 4 (42). P. 76-83

Studying the symbolic complex of wild fauna as part of the general worldview of the peoples of Russia is one of the critical tasks of Russian ethnography. In order to solve this problem, fundamental studies of the material of individual ethnic groups (Russians, Veps) have been carried out. In this regard, it remains relevant to conduct further research on this topic, including the culture of other peoples. One of the central ornithomorphic images in the traditional worldview of many peoples of Eurasia is the image of the duck, which is due to its extensive habitat and the utilitarian value it has as an object of meat hunting. This image is ambiguous and characterized by an ambivalent meaning. This topic has not yet been explored in Buryat ethnography. This article is dedicated to the image of the duck in the mythological imagination of the Buryats. The work is based on folkloristic, linguistic, and ethnographic sources. The main method used in the work is the structural-semiotic method, which makes it possible to determine the symbolism reflecting the ideas about the duck. This waterfowl did not belong to the category of sacred, totemic animals, and the Buryats did not avoid its meat. It is pointed out that of the two Buryat duck names – hono and nugahan – the latter is the bird’s generic name and has a common Mongolian origin. It is emphasized that the image of the duck in Buryat mythology is polysemantic and ambiguous. According to traditional Buryat belief, the duck symbolizes the female principle. This water bird was associated with two spheres of life – the sky and the water - and served as a mediator between them. Its image was inscribed in the Buryats’ cosmogonic ideas about the world’s creation. In mythology and folklore, the duck was ascribed to a therapeutic function. The idea of a person turning into a duck is associated with a duck (turpan). The motif of the transformation of the soul of the deceased into a duck has also been passed down. In the folk symbolism of the Buryats, the duck has a negative connotation.

Keywords: Buryats, traditional worldview, wild fauna, duck image, folklore