Sirte in memory remained only in the form of figurines made of walrus bone

Oral works: fairy tales, songs, legends, legends, myths - every nation has. They arise at the dawn of the life of the people and live, passing from generation to generation.

In the myths, the Nenets people reflected their ideas about the origin of the earth and the phenomena of the surrounding nature, about the origin of the spirits with which the people endowed the surrounding nature. But, unfortunately, today very few people are familiar with the myths and mythological stories of the Nenets.

One of the most famous myths is a legend about a small people - Sikhirta or Sirtea, who lived in the polar tundra before the arrival of the Nenets - "real people".

Sikhirta are described as stocky and sturdy people of very short stature, with white eyes. According to legends, in time immemorial sikhirta came to the polar tundra from across the sea.

Their way of life was significantly different from the Nenets. Sirtea did not raise deer, but instead hunted wild ones. This little people dressed in beautiful clothes with metal pendants. In some legends, sikhirta are described as keepers of silver and gold or as blacksmiths, after whom "pieces of iron" remain on the ground and underground, their houses-hills seemed to be iron ropes attached to the permafrost.

One day the Sirte moved to the hills and became underground inhabitants, emerging on the surface of the tundra at night or in fog. In their underworld, they own herds of mammoths ("I am chora" - "earth deer").

Meeting with sirtya brought grief to some, happiness to others. There are known cases of Nenets marrying Sirta women. At the same time, sirtya could steal children (if they continued playing outside the chum until late), send damage to a person or frighten him.

There are also mentions of military clashes between the Nenets and the Sikhirta, while the latter were distinguished not so much by military valor as by the ability to unexpectedly hide and suddenly reappear.

THE LEGEND OF THE SIKHIRT TRIBE

They say that a long time ago, small people - sikhirta lived in our northern regions. They lived, according to legend, underground, in caves, under high hills. Quite scanty information about this small people has reached our days. Legends say that Sikhirta had a developed culture. Outwardly, they looked like Russians: blond, light-eyed, only very short. Sikhirtya fished, hunted, and so they lived. Oddly enough, the people of this tribe slept during the day. Life boiled over at night. They also say that sikhirtya possessed supernatural powers. According to legend, ordinary people who saw sikhirta soon died.

In ancient years, my fellow tribesmen found shards of beautiful pottery, bronze women's jewelry and other painted household items near the cliffs or crumbling mounds.

According to one legend, an argish was driving past a high hill. And it was in the summer. Passing by the hill, people decided to make a halt, to give the reindeer a break. We decided to explore the hill. Suddenly, a small sleeping girl was found near a grassy bump. The girl was very beautiful. She was wearing clothes decorated with painted buttons and silver plaques. There was a cloud near the girl - a sewing bag. The newcomers have never seen such unprecedented beauty. The bag was decorated with shiny beads sparkling in the sun, beads. Openwork bronze pendants emitted a subtle melodic ringing. Then the girl woke up, jumped to her feet and instantly disappeared into the nearby bushes. They only saw her. The search for the wonderful stranger gave no results. Like it fell through the ground. People turned back and forth. There is no it and that's all.

We decided to take a cloud-bag with us. They got under way and drove on. By the end of the day we arrived at the place, set the plague. And closer to night, a woman's plaintive cry began to be heard: "Where is my cloud?" "Where is my cloud?" They say that screams rang out until morning. No one dared to come out of the chum and take a sewing bag somewhere in the tundra, as you might have guessed, sikhirta girls. The family that had this beautiful handbag died soon after. And the relatives still kept this precious find. (They say that this cloud is still in the sacred sled of one inhabitant of the Nakhodka tundra).

As I said, sikhirtya had supernatural powers. This bag also became a sacred attribute. During a person's illness, relatives hung this cloud on the trochee, until the patient recovered.

We do not know whether such small people really lived in our area. But from generation to generation, small legends about the mysterious people, Sikhirta, are passed down. Perhaps they lived here, since a song called "The Cry of the Sikhirta Girl" has survived to our times. After all, legends are often based on real ground.

Elena Vanuito
Consultation for teachers “From the history of Yamal. Legends about the Sikhirta tribe "

Consultation for teachers"Of stories of Yamal ... Legends about the Sikhirta tribe ...»

Sirtea (as well as sirtya, sikhirta) - in the Nenets mythology, a mythical people who now live underground, afraid of daylight, who lived in the polar tundra before the arrival of the Nenets - "Real people"... Sirtha are described as very short people. The name of the people exists in various options: in short form - "Sirtya", "Sirchi"; in full form - « sikhirta» , « sihirchi» ... The Nenets do not give a translation of this ethnonym. There are various etymologies of this mythonym: as a derivative of a verb « sikhirts» (acquire an earthy complexion, avoid, avoid, "Si" (hole, hole, from the name of the beetle "Si" .

By yamal legends, in time immemorial sikhirta came to Yamal from across the sea... First they settled on the island, and then, when its shores began to collapse under the blows of storms, they crossed over to the peninsula.

nenets sikhirta are described as keepers of silver and gold or as blacksmiths, after which they remain on the ground and underground "Glands", their houses-hills seemed to be attached to the permafrost with iron ropes.

Once the Sirtia moved to the hills and became underground inhabitants; they come to the surface of the tundra at night or into fog. In their underworld, they own herds of mammoths ( "I-chora" - "Earthen deer").

The legend about the people of sikhirta

From generation to generation, the indigenous peoples of the Polar Urals pass on legends about those who "Gets an earthy complexion" and "Like beetles, it hides in burrows and lives under the hills"... About those who own herds of mammoths.

The name of this mysterious people exists in various options: in short form - "Sirtya", "Sirchi"; in full form - « sikhirta» , « sihirchi» ... The Khanty call them siirta, the Zyryans call them sirtya, and the very name they say was sikhirta. Yamal The Nenets do not give a translation of this ethnonym.

There are various etymologies of this mythonym: as a derivative of a verb « sikhirts» ("Acquire an earthy complexion, shun, avoid", from "Si" ("Hole, hole", from the name of the beetle "Si" (into which the soul of the deceased turns).

Scientists suggest that in legends about sikhirta told about the people, who lived in the Polar Urals before the arrival of the Nenets ( "Real people"). The so-called pre-Alenaean, or pre-Samodian, period Yamal is thousands of years old. By legends, in time immemorial sikhirta came to this peninsula from across the sea.

survivors of myths and lore

Sirtea are described as stocky and sturdy people of very short stature, they were white (most likely light) eyes, and they spoke, stammering slightly.

Their lifestyle was significantly different from nenets: They did not raise deer, instead hunted wild ones, wore beautiful clothes with metal pendants. In some legends sikhirta described as guardians of silver and gold or as blacksmiths, after which on earth and underground remain "Glands", their houses-hills seemed to be iron ropes attached to the permafrost.

Meetings with these gnomes of permafrost and Nenets elves brought grief to some, happiness to others. There are known cases of Nenets marrying Sirta women. At the same time, sirtyas could steal children (if they continued playing outside the chum until late, send damage to a person or scare him.

There are also mentions of military clashes between the Nenets and the Sirte, while the latter were distinguished not so much by military valor as by the ability to unexpectedly hide and suddenly reappear.

Scientists admit the presence of such a nation in ancient times - as prehistoric tundra population... This people belongs to the Ust-Poluy archaeological culture of the Iron Age (IV century BC - II century).

Gnomes, Zettes, Seeds and Luds

Legends about"Stony" under the rays of the sun, dwarfs, inhabitants of the underworld, great wizards and sages, ethnographers recorded many. "Day people" at times have had "Night" quite mutually beneficial trade relations, but more often they fought, pursuing and exterminating dwarfs.

Legends about the dwarf inhabitants of the dungeons are common on almost all continents and in all countries, including Polynesia and Australia. Everyone knows European gnomes, Norwegian zettes, Irish seeds, Lapland chakli are slightly less popular. In the Caucasus, the Bicenta Lilliputians are the builders of the famous megalithic structures - dolmens. Undersized "Children of the dungeon" the Russians also knew. The famous ethnographer A. N. Afanasyev at work "Tree of life" wrote:

"The Luzic people call dwarfs lads: They are underground spirits that inhabit mountains, hills and dark caves. Ludki are skillful musicians, they love dancing and come for country holidays. They give gifts for services, and when they are annoyed, they repay them with cruel jokes. "

You can also remember the famous legends about "Chudi white-eyed", which was driven out by Slavic settlers and "Went to the ground".

IN "Beasts" Ivan Sanderson gives another historical evidence:

". in 1632 the captain of an English ship "Charles" stated that while sailing in the Arctic, he went to the island, where there were many small graves in which skeletons of four feet each rested (about 125 cm - Auth., and there were bows, arrows and bone spears around).

IN "Library of Russian Folklore" noted:

“Divya people live in the Ural Mountains; they have access to the world through caves. Their culture is the greatest, and the light in the mountains is no worse than the sun. Divya people are small in stature, very beautiful and with a pleasant voice, but only a select few can hear them ... "

Oral works creativity: fairy tales, songs, legends, legends, myths - every nation has. They arise at the dawn of the life of the people and live, passing from generation to generation.

One of the most famous myths is legend about the little people - Sikhirta or Sirtawho lived in the polar tundra before the arrival of the Nenets - "real people".

Sikhirta are described as stocky and sturdy people of very short stature, with white eyes. By legends, in time immemorial sikhirta came to the polar tundra from across the sea.

Their way of life was significantly different from the Nenets. Sirtea did not raise deer, but instead hunted wild ones. This little people dressed in beautiful clothes with metal pendants. In some legends sikhirta are described as keepers of silver and gold or as blacksmiths, after which "pieces of iron" remain on the ground and underground, their hill-houses seemed to be iron ropes attached to the permafrost.

One day the Sirte moved to the hills and became underground inhabitants, emerging on the surface of the tundra at night or in fog. In their underworld, they own herds of mammoths

("I-chorus" - "earthen deer").

Meeting with sirtya brought grief to some, happiness to others. There are known cases of Nenets marrying Sirta women. At the same time, sirtya could steal children (if they continued to play outside the chum until late, send damage to a person or scare him.

There are also references to military clashes between the Nenets and sikhirta, while the latter were distinguished not so much by military valor as by the ability to unexpectedly hide and suddenly appear again.

THE LEGEND OF THE SIKHIRT TRIBE

They say that a long time ago, small people lived in our northern lands - sikhirta... They lived, according to legend, underground, in caves, under high hills. Quite scanty information about this small people has reached our days. Legends tellwhat do sikhirta culture was developed. Outwardly, they looked like russians: blond, light-eyed, only very short. Sikhirta fished, they hunted, so they lived. What's strange, people of this the tribe slept during the day... Life boiled over at night. They also say sikhirta possessed supernatural powers. According to legend, ordinary people who saw sikhirtasoon died.

In my old years tribesmen found near cliffs or crumbling mounds shards of beautiful pottery, bronze women's jewelry and other painted household items.

One by one legend, an argish rode past a high hill. And it was in the summer. Passing by the hill, people decided to make a halt, to give the reindeer a break. We decided to explore the hill. Suddenly, a small sleeping girl was found near a grassy bump. The girl was very beautiful. She was wearing clothes decorated with painted buttons and silver plaques. There was a cloud near the girl - a sewing bag. The newcomers have never seen such unprecedented beauty. The bag was decorated with shiny beads sparkling in the sun, beads. Openwork bronze pendants emitted a subtle melodic ringing. Then the girl woke up, jumped to her feet and instantly disappeared into the nearby bushes. They only saw her. The search for the wonderful stranger gave no results. Like it fell through the ground. People turned back and forth. There is no it and that's all.

We decided to take a cloud-bag with us. They got under way and drove on. By the end of the day we arrived at the place, set the plague. And closer to the night, a female plaintive began to be heard scream: "Where is my cloud?" "Where is my cloud?" They say that screams rang out until morning. No one dared to come out of the chum and take a sewing bag somewhere in the tundra, you guessed it, girls– sikhirta... The family that had this beautiful handbag died soon after. And the relatives still kept this precious find. (They say that this cloud is still in the sacred sled of one inhabitant of the Nakhodka tundra).

How I told before, sikhirta had supernatural powers. This bag also became a sacred attribute. During a person's illness, relatives hung this cloud on the trochee, until the patient recovered.

We do not know whether such small people really lived in our area. But from generation to generation, small legends about the mysterious people - sikhirta... Perhaps they lived here, since a song called "The cry of a girl - sikhirta". Indeed, often legends have real ground under them.

Educator additional education

The Nenets Autonomous Okrug has its own legends and myths. One of the most famous is the story of a small people - Sihirta or Siirta. According to the legend, he lived in the polar tundra before the Nenets ("real people") appeared there. Sikhirta are described as stocky and sturdy people. They were allegedly very short, with white eyes. Sikhirta came to the polar tundra from across the sea.

The way of life that they led was different from the Nenets way of life. They did not raise deer, preferring hunting and fishing for wild animals. Sikhirtya are sometimes described as guardians of silver and gold; in some legends they are called blacksmiths, after which "pieces of iron" remain on the ground and underground.

During the development of the North, the Russians called the local population by the collective name Chud, while highlighting the White-eyed Chud, who was engaged in the mining of gold and silver in the mountains. The ancient mines in Siberia, where gold, silver and copper were mined, were popularly called the Chud mines. It is believed that Sikhirta inhabited vast areas from the Kola Peninsula to the Gydan Peninsula. As for short stature (scientifically "nanism"), according to the modern views of scientists, nanism is an adaptation to various environmental factors, including low temperatures. Sikhirta lived in large peat-sod houses, shaped like a hill. It is assumed that they were sedentary. The entrance to the houses was located at the top. Probably for this reason, the Nenets, who first saw Sikhirta, had the impression that they were hiding, going underground.

Legends about dwarfs living in caves or underground existed among all Finnish peoples, of which the Laplanders are the most ancient inhabitants of the North. The latter were nomads. Having spread the dwelling in a convenient place, they sometimes heard vague voices and the clink of iron from under the ground. Then the yurt was moved to another place, since it closed the entrance to the Uldr underground dwelling.

Legends about underground inhabitants who knew how to process iron and possessed supernatural abilities have survived among all the peoples of the North of Russia. According to legend, miracles were magicians and could see the future. An echo of the legends about sikhirta among Russians is a wise and good-natured old man in fairy tales, who helped Ivan Tsarevich with the help of a magic ball find his way to the beauty kidnapped by Kashchei.

The reason for the departure of the Sikhirt underground is the invasion of the Nenets reindeer herders. It is believed that interethnic conflicts erupted between them. At the same time, there was an exchange of goods between peoples, marriages were concluded. The languages \u200b\u200bof the Nenets and Sikhirta were related. According to one version, sikhirta lived among people until the 20th century.

For example, the article “Blond Sikhirta: The Lost People of the Arctic” published by the resource “Krasnoyarsk Time” describes the recollections of one of the inhabitants of the North. “Some of my classmates themselves descended from sikhirta - but for some reason all of them had roots in the female line (sikhirta was a grandmother or great-grandmother, but I never met any mention of sikhirta-grandfather). As a rule, these guys and girls differed from the rest in their short stature and roundness of facial features, especially pleasant for girls - such, you know, a cardioid - i.e. the face is heart-shaped. All this was taken for granted by me. "

Unlike modern local residents of the tundra, who roam behind reindeer herds and live in tents, ancient people lived in semi-dugouts, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich sometimes reached 150 square meters. This suggests that they were sedentary. Sikhirt's companions were a dog. Sikhirta settled in families and had strictly limited land, such a management system did not facilitate communication between residents.

There were many legends about sikhirta. On one of them, once the Nenets drove past the hill, who decided to make a halt and give the reindeer a break. They went into the hill, finding there a sleeping girl of small stature. She was very beautiful and dressed in clothes decorated with painted buttons. A cloud lay beside the girl - a sewing bag decorated with beads and beads sparkling in the sun. Openwork bronze pendants emitted a subtle melodic ringing. When the girl woke up and saw the strangers, she jumped up and instantly disappeared into the nearby bushes. The search for the stranger was unsuccessful. People decided to take a cloud-bag with them. They continued on their way and after a while they put the plague in a new place. And closer to night, a woman's plaintive cry began to be heard: "Where is my cloud?" "Where is my cloud?" They say that the cry was heard until morning, but no one dared to take a sewing bag to the tundra. The family that took the pouch died soon after. And the relatives kept this precious find anyway. The pouch has become a sacred attribute. During a person's illness, relatives hung this cloud on the trochee, until the patient recovered.

It is not known for certain whether the Sikhirta lived in our area, but small legends about a mysterious people are passed down from generation to generation.

"The Legend of Narein"

A long time ago, far, far, in the snowy tundra, in the middle of the wide laida, the old man Irimbo's chum stood alone. And he had a beautiful daughter Nara (Spring).

The years flew by like swift-winged birds. The days flew by like a sled following a fast team of reindeer.

In a dark winter time, when wolves howled behind the hills, when the night, like two crow's wings, embraced the world, and even during the day it was dark, dark, when an evil blizzard howled and sang in all voices, rejoicing in its power over people , then it became scary and terrible in the plague of old Irimbo.

However, old man Irimbo was not a shy man. He lived in the world openly, walked confidently and boldly, never cursed his fate, no matter how difficult it was for him.

Irimbo's arrows were always sharp, sharpened. The bowstring is strong. It is unlikely that there would be a man in the tundra who would be able to shoot from a bow as well as old man Irimbo, a brave and successful hunter.

They also knew in the tundra that Irimbo was a skilled craftsman. Whether to make sledges, or to scrape them out, to make poles for a plague, to make a harness, to gouge a boat, to make skis - Irimbo, a craftsman of the tundra land, can do everything.

And Irimbo also knew how to catch a running deer with a lasso on the move. More than once he beat a bear alone, on the fly, he shot ducks well. In the winter he put nets under the ice, trapped sturgeons the size of a man's height, fat, weighty cheers, a peled with wide sides, silvery whitefish, ruddy taimen.

Irimbo knew how to sing songs to the sound of a tambourine. And when his tunes swept along the endless tundra laida, over the thick thickets of willows and alder forests, tundra woodlands, over the hills, when the songs flew across rivers and lakes - the troubles that Irimbo and his daughter were watching at every step, were carried away from the plague, lost in the snow, drowned in rivers and lakes.

Days passed by, summer followed by winter. Snow fell to the ground more than once, and for more than one year the ice flow carried it to the cold sea-ocean.

In the neighboring camps, they heard about the old man do cheri, about the beautiful Nara, about Narein, young guys. By this time, the girl had grown taller than a larch. Bro vi at Nara - like semicircles of a bow, eyelashes longer than arrows, Slimmer chorea was Nara's body, and her face lighter than dawn. On her breast, two tight black braids fluttered like two rivers. The oleshka ran faster to Nareine, and sings - in the neighboring camp you can hear. Good, to everyone's wonder, to the joy of her father, was the girl Vesna, the daughter of old Irimbo.

Here grooms began to call in to the old man's tent.

Once a white blizzard poured snow on the tundra path - a handsome rue-cheeked man arrived on a team as fast as the wind. "You can't see his team from behind." "The guy raises the snowstorm with his feet." Okay, fast, touchy, sharp-eyed, what a peregrine falcon for you.

About himself he said: “There is no more daring, more courageous, stronger than me in our tundra neither far nor near. I recently defeated one bear. "

Can you compare with the sun? - asked him the girl-Vesna. And she added: - The sun is better than you!

The broad-shouldered young man was embarrassed by such an answer-hello, fell silent, and left in silence, with nothing.

The next spring, another fiancé came to Irimbo's tent to woo. He was even tighter than the first. Tall, slender, eyes burn with fire. The step is firm, as if he can walk around the entire tundra on foot, faster than on reindeer. Not only fast on my feet, but my mind too.

There is no faster in the world than me and my deer! - FSUs went to old man Irimbo and his daughter. - If you want, I'll reach the stars, grab one star and come back!

But the sun is still better than you! - answered the Nara. The brave rider fell silent at these words and left for

your camp with nothing.

The third groom also came once. He said so; “Beauty Nara! Look for at least a hundred years, look for at least two hundred, but you will not find a guy with a voice louder than mine, more beautiful than my voice. "

To which the beautiful Nara replied: "Can you compare with the sun itself?"

Lowering his eyes to the ground, this groom also left

Days and nights fly by, winter is replaced by summer. Snow fell on the ground more than once, for more than one year it carried river ice to the sea-ocean.

And once the father said to his beautiful daughter: “I see that your heart does not know love, your heart does not want to love anyone. This is bad, daughter. I'm already old. The time is not far off when I will forever go to the tundra, "for cloudberries." So my mind goes: “Which of the heroes will replace me? Will there be a man in your plague? "

To which Nora told her father: “You, father, are strong as the wind. You, like the moon, can with yourself, with your brilliance,

darken the stars in the sky. I want to find a groom who would be like you in mind, who, like you, could do everything in the world. I would give people light and joy. I love only the sun itself. Day and night, winter and summer, autumn and spring, I think only about him, about the Sun! "

When Nareine went to the tundra, when the clear-faced sun warmed the earth day and night, the girl tirelessly whispered: “I love you, Sun! I love you, O Sun! Come down to me and give your love! "

For a long time the girl stood by the old larch, about strength, begging for happiness with the Sun. I sat for a long time on the bank of the river, admiring the reflection of the Sun in the water. Podol gu walked along the tundra, jumped over bumps, wandered along the hills and did not get tired of shouting, raising her hands to the Sun: “O Sun! Come to me! Give me love! O Sun! I only love you! "

But in spring, at times, the solar ball began to stir, go left and right, as if trying to break away from its familiar place. Here the sun rolled, it began to draw nearer. Closer and closer, lower and lower the Sun began to descend.

Seeing this, the dark Night became very angry and went away. And streams, rivers and rivers, on the contrary, began to sing, rustle, shone, purred, ran more merrily to the sea. Flowers bloomed on the tundra hills, on laids, on the banks of rivers and lakes, grasses, shrubs, dwarf birches, and tundra larch trees came to life. As if they were all awakened from sleep, light and warmth woke them up. Winters and frosts, blizzards and cold have gone far, far beyond the frozen seas. The earth revived, blossomed!

All over the tundra, merriment began to play and talk: “It was done by Nara - a girl named Vesna! Nara brought joy to the earth! Thank you, Spring Girl! "

And Nara, like a light-winged, swift-winged bird, shone all over, overflowing with happiness, youth, life, on the wings of Love flew up to the groom-Sun.

In vain did the old man Irimbo call his daughter, in vain did he call her days and nights - the spring girl did not answer. And then, from longing and grief, the old heart of Irim Bo could not stand - he turned to stone, turned into a stone cape. And with its face, this stone cape is turned to the Sun - the light. Every day, every year, the sun's rays warm and caress him.

Every year in the month of calving the deer, in May, the beautiful Nara dances the dance of happiness at the Spring and Sun Festival. The sun warms tenderly, there is a lot of light around. The sun warms the earth In spring, greenery, grass, flowers, all life on earth will be born on the earth. The sun moves life itself. Cape of stone - old man Irimbo - smiles under the warmth of the sun, glad to see his daughter, and it seems that he is reviving again.

Every year Nara has a Spring Festival. Everyone is cheering, everyone is singing, dancing at this holiday. People have a wider and faster step. There is happiness in the eyes. New excitement is everywhere. With spring, people are getting better and more successful in hunting, hunting for game, fish, grazing reindeer. All the work in their hands is arguable. Strength in a person is added. Since spring, a person "walks a little higher than the earth." In my soul - song, joy, new thoughts, new deeds. Good!

Only the Old Woman-Night forgot to invite the beautiful Nareine to the holiday. Therefore, in the spring and summer there is no night in the North.

And Nara - Spring has become a symbol of life, love, happiness, light and joy on earth ...

SELKUPSKAYA TALE

Mistress of fire

They say it happened a long time ago. It happened in that camp where seven

clans lived where seven tents stood!

Once all the men gathered to hunt. We went. Left alone

women and children in the camp.

We lived for three days, everything was fine. On the third day in the evening, this is what happened. IN

in one plague a woman cooked her own food. I threw more firewood into the hearth, a boiler with

hung with reindeer meat over the fire. She herself sat down with her little child to

closer to the hearth. The child laughs on her lap, the woman smiles at him.

Suddenly a log cracked, sparks flew from the hearth, one hit the child on

hand. The child began to cry. Fire woman reproaches:

What are you doing this ?! I feed you with wood, take care of you, and

you offend my child!

The child of the mother's cry was frightened, and began to cry even more. Wears it

a woman with a plague, shaking in her arms, but he does not calm down. From pity, from annoyance

slapped by a toddler woman. The child is completely addicted. The woman should blame herself, but

she is all angry at the fire.

See what you've done! - shouts. - There will be no firewood for you, I will chop you up,

pour water!

She put the child in the cradle and grabbed the ax. He cuts the fire with an ax.

Then she took water into a ladle, splashed it on the hearth - the fire hissed, went out.

The woman says:

Now you will know how to offend my son! Not a single light

not a single spark is left of you!

The fire does not burn. It's dark, cold in the chum. The child cried pitifully: cold

The woman came to her senses. She bent over the hearth, raking the ashes. So in fact

she herself said that she would not leave a single spark. And she didn't.

And the son is still crying. Mother thought: I'll run to the neighbor's chum, take fire,

fire up the hearth.

She ran. I only entered the neighbors - the flame hesitated in their hearth,

began to sit down. Then the last blue light let out a stream of smoke and went out.

The woman ran to other neighbors. She opened the door a little - and they did not

became fire. She did not even enter them, she immediately closed the door. Bypassed everything

camp, and everywhere the fire went out. In only one more, the last plague is burning.

The old woman lived there, lived a century. I knew a lot, I saw a lot. Stood

a woman in front of a plague, afraid to enter. What to do? Her little son at all

can freeze. I entered.

The fire puffed, smoked and went out. The woman began to cry. And the old woman ashes

raking, looking for a spark of coal in the ashes. There is neither coal nor

sparks. The hearth is cold, dark.

This has never happened before, ”said the old woman. - I am my fire

shore, I feed him his fill. I go to bed and cover the coals with ash. Why fire

went out? Have you done something, cold frog? Have you offended

fire in your hearth?

The woman bowed her head, is silent.

So it is, - said the old woman. - What to do now? Well let's go to

your chum, we'll see.

We came out of the plague together. They go to the camp. Quiet everywhere, dark. As if left

camp people, as if it died out.

In the woman's plague, the child was screaming all over, and already could not cry.

The old woman took the sulfur tree and began to make fire. Worked for a long time - not

a fire is kindled.

The old woman lowered her tired hands, and again said to the woman:

Holy fire in the hearth, gives life to all of us. Shines, warms and feeds.

The fire went out - it was like the sun went out. Freeze, perish, evil death

will take us.

The old woman got up on her knees and then she saw the Mistress of the fire. She sits in

corner of the hearth. Her clothes are gray like ash, and her skin glows like coal,

that covered with ash.

The Mistress of Fire swayed back and forth, said to the old woman:

Why are you trying? There will be no fire for you. The woman offended me greatly.

She cut my face with an ax, flooded my eyes with water, screamed evil words!

The old woman began to ask:

Don't be angry, Mistress of Fire! Have pity on us! This stupid woman

is to blame, others are not to blame.

The Mistress of Fire shakes her head, her hair, like blue smoke, fluctuates.

And the old woman again begs:

Tell me what to do so that the fire burns in the hearths again? We will do everything

what do you order. The mistress of the fire replied:

There are no such words, neither me nor you have such power to fire

flamed like before. Now it is possible to light it only from the human heart.

A young woman sits, presses the baby to her breast, crying.

The old woman says to her:

See what you did? All seven kinds of people because of you,

unreasonable, must be lost! The hunters are brave as angry bears

strong as moose will die. Hardworking women will wither away from the cold

foci. And small children will die, and old people and old women. Because there is no life without

The woman's tears dried up. She got up, gave the child to the old woman,

Keep him safe!

And she threw herself on the stones of the hearth. The mistress of the fire with a finger to her chest

touched, a flame shot up at once, buzzed, a fire raged in the hearth.

Only one could see how the Mistress of the Fire wrapped her arms around the woman and

together with sparks she carried it away into the smoke hole.

And the old woman said:

From this plague will go a fairy tale-legend about how fire from a living heart

lit up. The Selkups will forever remember what happened in our camp. Will

keep the fire in the hearth!

TUVINIAN FAIRY TALE

Seven Mouse Brothers

Once upon a time, seven brothers-mice lived on earth. They had their own yurt
the size of the palm.
One morning they woke up and saw that during the night the snow had piled up -
the walls are hidden! The brothers made wooden shovels and began to shovel the snow.
We worked all day and were very hungry.
And suddenly, in the place where they had just shoveled off the snow, everyone saw a piece
oils. He was lying right in front of the Youngest Brother's nose. Didn't have time for everything
reveal how he ate this oil.
The Eldest Brother shouted:
- What have you done?! I ate everything myself! Here I am now!
And in front of the frightened mouse brothers, he jumped and swallowed Himself
Little Brother right with a ponytail. Then five brothers pounced on him,
tied up and dragged to the court to the khan. We walked for a long time, very tired, until we got there
to the khan. The bound brother was left at the door, and they themselves entered the yurt.
The khan sat majestically on the throne. He looked with a grin at
sweaty, out of breath mice.
“Where did you come from?” Asked the khan.
- We came from behind seven rivers, because of seven passes, - answered the mice.
“You can see how the tongues are stuck out!” The khan remarked.
“There were seven of us,” said the mice.
“Wow, how many!” The khan laughed.
“We had our own yurt the size of your palm,” said the mice.
“Big yurt!” The Khan chuckled.
- When we shoveled the snow, our Youngest Brother found a piece of butter
and ate it. And then the Eldest Brother swallowed it right with a tail!
- Oh, how terrible he is! Where is he? - asked the khan.
- We tied him up and dragged him to your trial. He lies outside the doors. is he
very big. When we found him, he was very small, we took him to
themselves and began to call our Youngest Brother, but he grew faster than everyone, and soon
we began to call him our Oldest Brother. He began to sleep no longer in a yurt, but
outside.
"Get him here," ordered the khan. The mouse brothers dragged the bound
The Oldest Brother.
- Ha-ha-ha! - the khan laughed. - Why, it's a cat! - And he began to untie
blades of grass that have entangled the cat's paws.
“Khan, how will you punish him?” Asked the mouse.
- And here's how: untie and let go. He did well to eat the mouse! Let it go
he will devour all of you! ”shouted the khan.
Brothers-mice got scared and scattered in all directions.
And the Khan made their Elder Brother his cat.
Since then, the cat has not been friends with mice. He remembers how they dragged him
connected, through seven rivers, through seven passes to the court to the khan.
And the mice were offended by the khan that he justified the criminal cat, and began
carry grain, flat cakes, bacon, butter from the khan.
Since then, mice have become enemies of people, and cats have become enemies of mice.

KHAKASS TALE

Fox and columns

Columns lived on the top of the tall larch. They had small children.
The fox got into the habit of walking under the larch. Will come and say:
- Columns, columns, so I came. Throw me one cub.
- Go away. We won't give you our children, the columns answered.
- Will you? But I'll take it anyway.
- Where can you get us on the tree!
- And here I will get it, - said the sly fox, - I will run away, jump onto the clouds and
from there I will fall on you. And then not only your cubs, but yourself
eat.
The speakers got scared, they believed the fox and threw one cub to her. A fox
grabbed him and ran into the forest. The speakers are sitting on the tree, crying.
The next day the fox came again. Again requires:
- Throw it faster, otherwise I'll jump to the moon, from the moon I'll go down to you and everyone
I'll eat you.
I had to give another fox cub to the stupid speakers.
The speakers are sad, crying. The cranes flew in, sat on the larch,
ask:
- Why would you cry?
- The fox got into the habit of walking to us. Frightens, carries away our cubs.
- How does the fox scare you?
- He threatens to jump up a tree and eat us all. The cranes laughed:
- A fox will never climb a tree. Yes, it is higher than a birch stump and not
will jump. And if it still scares you, you tell her: "Come on, jump" - and
see what happens.
The cranes rose from the tree and flew low along the slope. Loudspeakers
sitting, waiting for the fox. The next day the fox came running, out of breath, cub
requires.
- Throw it as soon as possible, otherwise I have no time today, - said the fox and
licked her lips.
The speakers sit and are silent, they look scaredly at the fox.
- Well, what are you? - the fox urges ... - And then I will jump on a tree - it's bad
will be.
Then the column-father plucked up courage and says:
- Jump try ...
The fox wagged its tail in anger, ran away, strained all its forces, but
I did not jump above a birch stump ... I fell and lies.
The speakers look at her and laugh. The fox became ashamed, she began around
tree run. How long, you never know, ran, asks the speakers:
- Who told you that I can't climb trees?
- The cranes said.
- Where are they?
- We flew down the slope.
"Well, okay. I'll pay off with them," thought the fox and ran like a crane
look for. How long, you never know, ran, sees: the cranes are flying low. Behind them
the sunset captured half the sky. The fox shouted:
- Look around, cranes, fire! We run to my hole to save ourselves.
The fox ran. The cranes flew after her. We flew to the hole. Become
to argue who to climb the hole forward.
- Climb, - said the fox, - and I will stand at the entrance; if big
the fire will come here, I will shout to you.
The cranes conferred and climbed into the hole. The fox immediately sat down at the entrance to the village.
- Well ... what did you say to the speakers? - the fox asked sarcastically.
now say?
The cranes say:
- What can I say now. Guilty. At least give us before we die
light to look, at least from under your feet.
The fox could not stand it, raised one leg. The cranes gathered like light
look, as they themselves fell on the fox, pushed it and flew away. Two
the young cranes did not have time to fly away: the fox blocked their way out.
“I'll show you the light,” said the fox.
- Don't be angry with us. Do you want us to carry you across the sea on wings
and you will catch up with the whole flock? - said the young cranes.
- Okay, carry it, - agreed the fox.
Both cranes crouched down, joined their wings, and put the fox on them
and flew. We flew, flew, flew to the sea. Above the sky, below the water.
The cranes flew into the middle of the sea. Over the deepest place, they flew into
sides. The fox fell into the sea and drowned.

In many cultures, white is considered the color of death and evil. After visiting the far north, it's easy to see why. The polar night steals the sun. The icy desert stretches in all directions in the false light of the moon and the aurora. The frost burns, the blizzard howls like a horde of ghosts. And there are no flowers other than white on the frozen ground covered with snow. Snow and white in the dark.

Demons of the Siberian taiga

The North stuns not with its beauty or splendor, but with its grandeur. Taiga and tundra are like the ocean. Tibet and the Norwegian fjords can be hidden here and no one will find it. But even in populous England, where in the Middle Ages there were twenty inhabitants per square kilometer, there was still room for the people of the hills and bizarre forest creatures. What then can be said about Yakutia, where the population density is even today a hundred times less?

People have never really owned this land. Handfuls of hunters and pastoralists fought for existence in a vast world owned by ghosts. In a country where snow lies seven months a year, and the temperature in winter drops below minus 60 degrees, the invisible rulers of the taiga did not forgive insults and could dictate conditions.

Taiga master Baai Bayanai

The bulk of the ghostly population of Yakutia are ichchi, the spirits of nature. Like Japanese kami, they can be both personifications of mountains, trees and lakes, and patrons of the area, the embodiment of ideas and phenomena. But if in Japan the old pine becomes the embodied idea of \u200b\u200ba tree, then in Yakutia spirits are not identified with objects. Ichchi just lives in a tree and, if his house is cut down, he will not die. But he will be very angry.

Fortunately for the lumberjacks, only some of the trunks are "occupied" by the perfume. But the taiga, meadows, swamps, mountains, river floods and lake expanses are so tightly controlled by the icchi, as if Yakutia is one big sacred grove for them. Until now, trees decorated with ribbons can be seen along the roads of the republic. Spirits collect a small tribute from people - it can be a souvenir, a coin or a sip of kumis. Tribute is not taken for the use of land, but simply for entering the territory.

The disembodied, invisible and unseen ichchi managed to survive even the Christianization of Yakutia without loss. Traditional means of exorcists do not work on them - the spirits of the taiga have developed full immunity to holy water, the cross and prayers. But luckily, the icchi are not evil. The most powerful of them, the ruler of the forests and prankster Baai Bayanai, even patronizes hunters. Even if not for everyone, but only for those who are worthy, who have passed the necessary tests and who observe customs. True, this god has a specific sense of humor, and even the worthy are not always protected from his jokes.

The real evil spirits of the Yakut expanses are ghosts-abases. They are also incorporeal, but unlike ichchi, they can be shown to people in a varied, invariably frightening guise. Classic Abases prefer the appearance of the Irish Fomorians - one-legged, one-armed and one-eyed giants. In the last couple of centuries, they say, the shape of a three-meter, impenetrable dark, often headless silhouette has come into vogue. If the abases appear during the day (and they are not afraid of the light), then you can see huge black eyes on a deathly white face. Abasa, as a rule, do not have legs - ghosts simply glide over the ground or gallop along the roads on monstrous horses. And in any form, the Abases emit an intolerable smell of decomposition.

One can escape from the abas. His main weapon is fear, and if the ghost fails to frighten the victim and put him to flight, then he himself becomes confused.

Abases illustrated by Elleya Sivtseva

Ghosts of this type know how to manipulate gravity - make a weapon or a load incredibly heavy, or even press a person to the ground. The most dangerous thing is that the Abases are capable of drinking the soul. People who encounter evil spirits in a forest or in an abandoned house die without receiving any external damage. But the consequences for the victim can be even worse than death. Sometimes an evil spirit enters a devastated body, and a thief - a zombie appears.

The Siberian dead are so harsh that African zombies are no match for them. The scoundrel is not only bloodthirsty and incredibly strong - he is also fast as lightning. It is very difficult to stop him: the warrior has never heard of silver, garlic and holy water, but he, as befits a zombie, is philosophical about bullets and ax blows. To incapacitate a fighter, he must at least be beheaded. And so that the dead man does not become a fighter, he must be beheaded and buried with his stomach down, holding the severed head between his legs. Fortunately, the fighter is short-lived. The presence of the abasa accelerates the decay of the corpse so much that the zombie is literally rotting before our eyes.

Figure: Eve Wilderman

Even more dangerous are the Yakut ghouls - yuyors. Buried without the necessary rituals, suicides and criminals return as a bizarre cross between a vampire and a werewolf. During the day, the yuyor lives under water, where he cannot be reached (Dracula would never have thought of that!). Going out on a night hunt, the ghoul takes on a human form and without much difficulty persuades the victims to let him spend the night. Well, at the moment of the attack, the yuyor turns into a monster covered with wool, which is almost impossible to kill. The wounds only force the yuyor to retreat.

Not all Siberian scum is indifferent to Christian relics. The Syulyukyuns, an analogue of Lovecraft's Deep Ones, who live in the cold lakes of Yakutia, converted to Orthodoxy. And now on Christmastide, when all the water becomes holy, they have to evacuate to dry land. And since, together with religion, the syulukyuns borrowed water vices and a way of life from the Russians, fishmen spend their time on the shore playing cards. In the underwater mansions, they leave sacks of gold, which a clever diver can try to snatch away.

This pandemonium is ruled by Ulu Toyon, the god of death and evil, who lives high in the icy mountains. In the guise of impenetrable fog, he sometimes descends into the valleys to destroy forests in fierce storms and send pestilence to herds. Ulu Toyon devours the hearts of the captives and turns the souls of people into his tools, instilling them into the bodies of predators. This is how possessed bears appear, ready to attack a person. Or Bigfoot.

Chuchuna

Legends about the "Bigfoot" usually describe two types of this creature: Bigfoot and Yeti. But in the mountains of Yakutia and further south to Sikhote-Alin there are legends about the third, unique species - chuchunu. Chuchunu is distinguished from other "relict hominids" by its long, flowing hair. Slender, of average height and athletic build, among other "snowmen" he stands out for his civilization. Chuchuna is covered with wool and is afraid of fire, but wears coarse clothes made of skins and hunts using weapons - stones, bone knives, and sometimes bows. And if Bigfoots and Yeti are always silent loners, then chuchuns usually appear together or three, talking with the help of a piercing whistle.

The horrors of Chukotka

In the game "Berserk" rakken for some reason turned out to be a swamp creature

The Norwegian sagas mention the Utburds - the undead, which are transformed into babies abandoned in the forest during the years of famine. In Chukotka, such demons are called angyaks. But compared to the Arctic, Norway can be considered a resort. Even an adult exile cannot survive in the icy desert. Therefore, on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, there are also wreckens that have no analogues in warm Scandinavia.

Rakkens are people expelled from the camps for greed, anger or cowardice. Upon death, the criminal transforms into a gnome with an extra mouth on his stomach. The details of the description depend on the area: black-headed dwarfs hide under the hills, gray-headed dwarfs in the rocks, blue-headed dwarfs in the sea. Sometimes crab pincers are mentioned among the signs of rakken.

Of course, wreckens hate people. And they invent much more sophisticated forms of revenge than those of the Angyaks and Utburds. On tiny sledges pulled by invisible ermine-sized dogs, they carry diseases and other misfortunes to camps. And there is nothing worse than a disease for the warlike Chukchi. After all, only the one who died in battle can get into the Arctic Valhalla - "Cloud Country". Men who die in bed go to the frozen Netherworld.

The horse in Yakutia is a sacred animal. Good gods are most willing to take on the appearance of undersized and shaggy horses.

Bestiary of Canadian Eskimos

Inupasukugyuk as seen by Larry MacDougall

The Eskimos-Inuit, whose settlements are scattered from the Chukchi Peninsula to Greenland, are the most numerous people in the Arctic. They came closest to the Pole, surviving in conditions that the Nenets, Evenks and Chukchi would find too harsh. But the Tuniites were even braver. This legendary tribe, according to the legend of the Eskimos, in ancient times lived on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, and with the advent of "real people" (Inuit) retreated into completely lifeless icy deserts. It was two thousand years ago. Nevertheless, it happens that even today northern hunters meet tall, incredibly muscular outsiders, using the rough tools of the Paleolithic era and dressed in unstitched skins. The primitive language of the Tunisians is like baby talk. Tunisians fall into rage easily, but are generally peaceful.

It is much more dangerous to meet the giantesses of Inupa-Sukugyuk. They are so powerful that they kill a bear with a throw of a stone, and at the same time are so simple-minded that they take people for living talking dolls and try to play with them. The giantesses value their toys, so the hapless hunter cannot escape from captivity for many days. It is difficult to say how dangerous a meeting with a male inupasukugyuk is, because until now no one survived after it and talked about their adventures.

But there are also benefits from giants. Great luck if you can tame their dog - then you won't need a kayak. A huge dog can swim in the sea with a hunter on the back of his neck and carry killed narwhals to the shore, like a spaniel dragging ducks from a lake. True, the happy owner of the mighty beast will have to lead a secluded life, the giant dog will certainly eat its neighbors.

In contrast to the giants, there are tiny ishigak - gnomes that do not reach a person's knee. But they are difficult to find because dwarfs leave no footprints in the snow. Despite their small stature, ishigak are great bear hunters. They defeat the beast by cunning: first they turn the clubfoot into a lemming, then they kill, and only after that they turn it back.

Ishigak, Arctic gnomes (Fig. Larry MacDougall)

Eskimo monsters have one thing in common: they are all dangerous, but not evil. The monsters of the ice world do not wage war against people - they leave this concern to the harsh nature. They only pursue their own goals, not always clear. So, kvallupilluk (or aglulyk) - skinny, scaly aquatic, living in polynyas - often steal children who play by the cold sea. But they do not eat them, as one might think, but, on the contrary, they use witchcraft to protect them from the cold and feed them. Therefore, in times of famine, the Eskimos voluntarily give their babies to the inhabitants of the waters, and then occasionally see their children when they go ashore to play. Kvallupilluk are not indifferent to young animals, they fiercely protect young animals from hunters. But to people who hunt for an animal in the proper season, aquatic are inclined to help.

The Takrikasiuts are not evil - people-shadows living in a parallel world, similar to the wonderful country of the British fairies. But hearing their voices, let alone seeing a takrikasiut, is not good. This means that the border between the worlds has become thinner. One more step - and you can leave the familiar reality forever, there will be no turning back.

Kvallupilluk can be trusted with their own children. Really!

The werewolves of the Iyrat, who know how to take the guise of a raven, polar fox, bear, caribou deer, or human, are not evil, but they always give themselves away with the glow of blood-red eyes. They often harm people, but not of their own free will: the iyrat fulfill the will of the spirits of the Inuit ancestors. The source - a gigantic, all-seeing flying eye - circles over the tundra, looking out for taboo violators. The ancestors send iyrat to those whom he complains about. First with a warning. Then with evidence that the warning was worth heeding.

Even the mad demon mahaha is angry in a special way, atypical. White-haired, blue-skinned, wiry and practically naked, armed with impressive claws, he pursues victims among the ice with laughter. And when he catches up, he tickles them with cold fingers until the unfortunate ones die with a smile on their face.

Mahaha is the only tickling demon in the world. Even his name hints at something

Only the Amarok, a giant wolf that devours hunters - foolish enough to go hunting alone, seems to be a typical monster. But the descriptions of this beast are so detailed that many consider the amarok not a mythical creature, but a cryptid - unknown to science, but a real or recently extinct beast. It could be canis dirus - "dire wolf" - or an even more ancient predator, the common ancestor of canids and bears.

Giant dog in the service of the Eskimos

Tuunbak

The Demon Bear in Terror is a Dan Simmons invention, but based on real Inuit folklore. The name of the monster, Tuunbak, means "evil spirit", and its prototypes can be considered mythical giant bears - nanurluk and ten-legged kukueak. And an ordinary polar bear makes an impression on the Inuit - his name is nothing but "Nanuk", which means "respected."

World floors

The mythology of the tribes, whose camps are separated by hundreds of kilometers of tundra, are related only by the most common motives. Shamans too rarely meet each other to work out a uniform version of the adventures of their ancestors. As a rule, the legends of different tribes are united by cosmogony - fundamental ideas about the structure of the world, as well as the key characters of the legends - heroes and deities. They remain recognizable, despite the inconsistency in the descriptions of appearance, details of the biography and assessment of actions.

The cosmogony of the most ancient peoples usually states that souls complete a cycle of rebirth without leaving the material world. Later concepts were supplemented by parallel dimensions: the "upper world", inhabited by the spirits of ancestors, and the "lower" - a dark abyss that gives rise to monsters. The views of the peoples of the Arctic belong to the second category and stand out in only one. Here in the underworld there is no change of seasons.

According to the Chukchi legend, the northern lights flare up in the sky when dead children play with a ball. Figure: Emily Feigenschuch

It is always summer in the upper world, horses and deer are always galloping through the flowering meadows. Only the astral counterparts of shamans have a way to a happy country. On the sacred sharp mountain in the Lena delta, where the waters of the great river flow into the icy ocean, there are the guards of the upper world - giants with bear heads, birds with human faces and brass people. They meet those who are worthy to enter the first of the nine layers of the heavenly kingdom, located beyond the ordinary visible sky. The Chukchi describe the afterlife in a similar way, placing the worthy dead in the "Cloud Country".

The Yakut underworld is located underground and, because of the pitch darkness reigning there, has been extremely poorly studied. Much more interesting is the underworld of the Inuit - Adlivun. Winter reigns here, but the darkness of the polar night is softened by the radiance of the stars and the undying northern aurora. Not fiery furnaces, not sulfur smoke, but eternal cold and blizzard fill the hell of the northern tribes. The frozen desert is the purgatory through which the tupilac - the souls of the dead - must pass before they find peace in the silvery light of the moon.

The upper, middle and lower worlds of the Yakuts. Illustrations by Elya Sivtsev for the epic "Olonkho"

The nether world is ruled by Sedna, the “Lower Woman”, who is served by werewolf-adlets with human faces and bodies, but wolf legs and ears. From Adlivun she sends demons to the land - tuurnaite. Those called pumpkin are the personification of frost. Others, like the Chukchi rekken, bring disease and failure on the hunt until shamans drive them out.

In the view of the peoples of the Arctic, every living creature and every object is endowed with its own soul, which the Eskimos call anirniit. At the highest level, the ideas of creatures, objects and phenomena are combined into Silla - the world soul, which gives form and meaning to matter.

Sedna is a cross between the Scandinavian Hel and the sea queen

Pohjola

The Kola Peninsula is not only a deposit of apatites, but also Pohjola from Finnish mythology, a country ruled by powerful shamans, from where cold and disease come to the world. At the same time, however, Pohjola and the "thirtieth kingdom" - a world where magic is as common as the polar lights. Somewhere out there, in the midnight mountains, the World Tree connecting the upper and lower dimensions pierces the Earth. Climbing the branches of the tree, you can get to Saivo, the abundant "land of the eternal hunt", inhabited by the spirits of virtuous ancestors. She can sometimes be seen reflected in the crystal surface of sacred lakes. From below, stunted wizards and blacksmiths, like the Nenets sikhirta, make their way into the world of the living. There are other guests, much more unpleasant: rabbis, Sami ghouls, spirits of evil shamans. As befits the undead, the Ravk is incredibly strong, afraid of the light and always tormented by hunger. Unlike European vampires, the ravk is not limited to blood and devours his victim with bones.

Even the vicious tuurnaite is part of Sillu. The world is one, which means that it does not require management. The concepts of justice and goodness do not apply to him. Sedna, the strongest of evil spirits, mistress of sea animals, and Tekkeitsertok, the patron saint of caribou deer, are hostile to people, since deer and walruses have no reason to love hunters. But at the same time they are revered as gods - givers of food. Life and death are parts of cosmic harmony. And so it was conceived.