ANIMALS AND BIRDS CULT
ANIMALS AND BIRDS CULT, zoolatry, religious veneration based on the concept of a certain kinship between man and a totem animal or bird, endowing supernatural properties to it (ref. Totemism, Cult of ancestors). Having changed, it partially survived and found reflection in the various aspects of culture.
The most revered animals of the Bashkirs were wolf, horse, bear, and deer. Parts of animal bodies were endowed with miraculous properties. Fangs, claws and hair of the wolf and bear were used as amulets to protect pregnant women and children. Bile was used in folk medicine for the treatment of various diseases. A wolf head was buried under the foundation of the house to protect the owners from evil incantations, “evil eye” and misfortune. According to the belief, the horse’s eye is able to see what is hidden from a person;
foam and sweat of a horse help in cases of ailments, protect against snake bites, evil eye, etc. In order to banish evil spirits, a horse was brought into the house and its skull was placed over the hives, on the stakes of fences and gates; the ropes made of horse hair or leather were used as a talisman. Deer horns also served as amulets: they were attached over the door for safe development of the fetus, for protection of the baby from evil spirits, evil eye, for abundance and prosperity in the house; it was believed that the decoction from the
crushed deer horn would help a woman to get pregnant, prolong life and bring happiness. Until the beginning of the 20th century, holiday Aiyu Tuyi (Bear Festival) was celebrated after a successful bear hunt: the most honourable hunters wearing bear skins or fur coats performed dances, imitating the behaviour of a bear.
The most revered birds were swan, crane, cuckoo, crow, golden eagle, eagle, and duck. Some birds were ongons: Crane — with the Burzyan, Gaina, Kanly tribes; Crow — with Tamians, Golden Eagle — with north. Tangaurs; Eagle — with Subi-mins; Hawk — with Ilkey-mins and the mins, etc. It was forbidden to kill the totem birds, destroy nests and eat their meat and eggs. In the Bashkir folklore, a crane acts as a patron and defender of the family; its nest on the roof of a dwelling symbolized well-being. According to beliefs, the cries and games of cranes near aul were considered to be the premonitions of tragic events. The Bashkirs’ belief in the possibi lity of a man turning into a bird were reflected in legends and myths, in which a swan was depicted as a young girl turning into a bird, a cuckoo — as a woman who abandoned her children, etc.
It was believed that claws, fluff, feathers, stones from the stomach of some birds, etc had magical properties; they were used as amulets, in folk medicine.
According to the epic Ural-Batyr, the ancestor of the Bashkirs was the sacred bird Humai, the daughter of the Sun and the king of birds Samrau. Holidays Kargatuy (Crow Wedding) and Kyakuk Saiye (Cuckoo Tea) are associated with the cult of birds. The distribution of A.b.c. in the territory of the South Urals in ancient times is confirmed by archaeological findings of the objects depicting animals and birds, mentioned in the records of Ibn Fadlan and other travellers and explorers, in Bashk. legends. The A.b.c. was characteristic for many Indo‑European, Caucasian, Ural‑Altai and other peoples.
