E-mail: tgvladykina@mail.ru Tel.: +7 (3412) 68-78-44 4, Lomonosova str., Izhevsk, 426004, Russian Federation Full Professor (Philology), leading researcher, Udmurt Institute of History, Language and Literature of the Uralic Division, Russian Academy of Sciences
The article is supported by the Program of fundamental research of the Uralic division, RAS during 2015–2017 on the theme “Mythology of the Udmurts in the historical and cultural heritage” No. 15–13–6–8 and by the Russian Fund for Humanities
The paper aims to analyze and summarize Udmurt folk beliefs about the bee, based on linguistic data, symbolic imagery and ritual factography. Wild-hive beekeeping has been one of the most important occupations of the Udmurts since ancient times. Linguistic paleontology has demonstrated that there is a correspondence between the words “bee” and “honey” in the Finno-Ugric proto-language and the Indo-European languages. These Finno-Ugric lexe- mes were borrowed from the Indo-European languages after the Indo-European proto-language had disintegrated. Like other types of anthropogenic activities, beekeeping had a system of ritual practices that were included in the context of the annual cycle and correlated with calendar rites. The Udmurts have believed that bees belonged to three kinds, namely, heavenly, earthly and terrene. Heavenly bees were under the control of their queen and wielded immense power. Protectors of the bees were considered to be the triad of supreme gods, namely the God of the Heavens, or the Supreme God (Inmar), the Creator (Kyldysin), and the god of the atmosphere (Kuaz′), but only the last one was called “sending-guiding bees” / “ruling bees”. The host spirit of wildlife (Ludmurt) was also believed to be a bee-keeper (mush voz′mas′). The Udmurts asked the clan deity (Vorshud) and souls of ancestors to bring them good luck in beekeeping. According to genres of oral prose, a forest woman (Obyda) could be also regarded as a protector of bees. In the Udmurt culture bees symbolically correlate with people and the human family as evidenced by folk beliefs preserved in riddles and wedding songs. The predominance of female symbolism is found in the metaphorization of the queen honey bee. A young queen is usually represented as a baby, bride or young married woman. Symbolic images of bees are presented not only in calendar and family ritual songs but also in bee songs — melodies for beekeeping (“mush utyon gur”) and melodies for calling in / charming bees (“mush otyon gur / mush gur”). A distinctive feature of the bee songs is onomatopoeia and sound effects. In the Udmurt songs bees are called “bee birdies”, “sinless souls”, “golden bodies” (“zarni mugoryos”), “children brought up not by us” (vordymte nunyos). There are direct parallels between melodies for calling in / charming bees and pagan prayers (“kuris′kon”). The special status of the bee and its superiority over other insects are explained by etiological legends which were obviously influenced by apocryphal motifs. Like the bee, honey serves as a benchmark for sweetness and high quality. Such common figures of speech as “mush kad′ — like a bee”, “chechy kad′ — like honey” are used both in the literal and figurative meaning.
Borisov T. K. (1991) Udmurt kyllyukam (Tol- kovyy udmurtsko-russkiy slovar’) [Udmurt-Russian Explanatory Dictionary]. Approx. 15 thousand words. Izhevsk. In Udmurt Language and in Russian.
Boykova E. B., Vladykina T. G. (authors- compilers) (1992) Pesni yuzhnykh udmurtov [Songs of the Southern Udmurts]. Materials and Studies. Issue 1. Izhevsk. In Russian and in Udmurt Language.
Churakova R. A. (1999) Pesni yuzhnykh udmurtov [Songs of the Southern Udmurts]. Issue 2. Izhevsk. In Russian and in Udmurt Language.
Churakova R. A. (2002) Bortnich’i pesni v udmurtskoy fol’klornoy traditsii [Bee-keeping Songs in Udmurt Folklore Tratidition]. Etnomuzykovedenie Povolzh’ya i Urala v areal’nykh issledovaniyakh [Ethnomusicology of Volga the River’s Basin and the Urals in Areal Studies]. Coll. Papers. Izhevsk. Pp. 124–174. In Russian.
Dolganova L. N. (comp.) (1981). Udmurtskiy fol’klor. Pesenki, poteshki, schitalki, draznilki [Udmurt Folklore. Songs, Nursery Rhymes, Counting Rhymes, Teasers]. Izhevsk. In Russian and in Udmurt Language.
Gavrilov B. (1880) Proizvedeniya narodnoy slovesnosti, obryady i pover’ya votyakov Kazanskoy i Vyatskoy guberniy [Specimen of Folk Literature, Rituals and Beliefs among Votykas <Udmurts> of Kazan’ and Vyatka Provinces]. Kazan’. In Russian.
Gura A. V. (2009) Pchela [Bee]. Slavyanskie drevnosti: Etnolingvisticheskiy slovar’ [Slavic antiquities. Ethno-linguistic Dictionary]. In 5 vol. Ed. by N. I. Tolstoy. Moscow. Vol. 4. Pp. 366–369. In Russian.
Gura A. V. (2009) Pchelovodstvo [Apiculture]. Slavyanskie drevnosti. Etnolingvisticheskiy slovar’ [Slavic antiquities. Ethno-linguistic Dictionary]. In 5 vol. Ed. by N. I. Tolstoy. Moscow. Vol. 4. Pp. 369–372. In Russian.
Hämäläinen A. (1933–1935) Beiträge zur Geschichte der primitive Bienenzucht bei den finnisch-ugrischen Völker. Journal de la Société Finno-Ougrienne. 1933–1935. Vol. 47. Pp. 3–40. In German.
Ivanova M. G. (1985) Chepetskie drevnosti [Chepets Ancientries]. Ustinov. In Russian.
Károly Rédei (1898). Uralisches etymologisches wörterbuch. B. I: Uralische und finnisch-ugrische Schicht. Budapest. In German.
Koshurnikov V. (1880) Byt votyakov Sarapul‘skogo uezda Vyatskoy gubernii [Everyday Life of Votyaks <Udmurts> of Sarapul’ County of Vyatka Province]. Prilozhenie II k «Izvestiyam Obshchestva Arkheologii, Istorii i Etnografii pri Imperatorskom Kazanskom Universitete» za 1879 god [The 2nd Attachment to “Bulletin of the Society for Archeology, History and Ethnography of the Emperor Kazan’ University” from 1879]. Kazan’. In Russian.
Lytkin V. I., Gulyaev E. S. (1970) Kratkiy etimologicheskiy slovar’ komi yazyka [Brief Etymological Dictionary of the Komi Language]. Moscow. In Russian and in Komi Language.
Munkácsi B. (1887) Votják népköltészeti hagyományok [Traditions of the Votyak <Udmurt> Folk Poetry]. Budapest. In Hungarian.
Munkácsi B. (1952) Volksbräuche und Volksdichtung der Wotjaken. Aus dem nachlasse von Bernhard Munkácsi. Herausgegeben von D. R. Fuchs. Mémoires de la Société Finno-Ougrienne, 102. 1952. Helsinki. In German.
Nikitina G. A. (1991) Pchelovodstvo u udmurtov v kontse XIX — nachale XX veka [Apiculture among Udmurts in the End of the 19th — Beginning of the 20th Century]. Khozyaystvo i material’naya kul’tura udmurtov v XIX–XX vekakh. Sb. statey [Farming and Material Culture of Udmurts during the 19th–20th Centuries. Coll. Papers]. Comp., ed. by G. A Nikitina. Izhevsk. Pp. 87–98. In Russian
Nurieva I. M. (2004) Pesni zavyatskikh udmurtov [Songs of the Trans-Vyatka Udmurts]. Izhevsk. Issue 2. In Russian and Udmurt Language.
Osnovy finno-ugorskogo yazykoznaniya (voprosy proiskhozhdeniya i razvitiya finno-ugorskikh yazykov) [Essentials of the Finno-Ugric linguistics (Issues of Origin and Development of the Finno-Ugric Languages)] (1974). In Russian. Perevozchikova <Vladykina> T. G. (author-comp.) (1982) Udmurtskiy fol’klor. Zagadki [Udmurt Folklore. Riddles]. Izhevsk. In Russian and in Udmurt Language.
Pervukhin N. G. (1888) Eskizy predaniy i byta inorodtsev Glazovskogo uezda. Eskiz II. Eskiz III. [Sketches on Legendry and Everyday Life of Minorities of Glazov County. The 2nd Sketch. The 3rd Sketch]. Vyatka. In Russian.
Petrukhin V. Ya. (ed.), Belova O. M. (comp., comments) (2004) «Narodnaya Bibliya»: Vostochnoslavyanskie etiologicheskie legendy [“Folk Bible”. East-Slavic Etiological Legends]. Traditsionnaya dukhovnaya kul’tura slavyan [Traditional Spiritual Culture of Slavs]. Text Publication. Moscow. In Russian.
Pozdeev P. K. (1967) Mylkydez löpkyto, syulemez vyrdzyto [“I’ll Exalt my Soul, I’ll Make Heart Tremble”]. Izhevsk. In Udmurt. Shutova N. I. (2001) Dokhristianskie kul’tovye pamyatniki v udmurtskoy religioznoy traditsii. Opyt kompleksnogo issledovaniya [Pre-Christian Worship Monuments in the Udmurt Religious Tradition. Probes on Complex Studies]. Izhevsk. In Russian.
Tolstoy N. I. (2003) Pchelinye pesni v serbskoy i makedonskoy narodnoy traditsii [Bee Songs in Serbian and Macedonian Folk Traditions]. Ocherki slavyanskogo yazychestva. (Traditsionnaya dukhovnaya kul’tura slavyan. Sovremennye issledovaniya) [Essays on Slavic Paganism [Traditional Spiritual Culture of the Slavs. Contemporary Research]. Moscow. P. 410–427. In Russian.
Toydybekova L. S. (2007) Mariyskaya mifologiya: Etnograficheskiy spravochni [Mari Mythology. Ethnographic Guide-book]. Yoshkar-Ola. In Russian. “Vatka no Kalmez”. Udmurt kalyk legendaos no predanios (“Vatka i Kalmez”. Udmurtskie le- gendy i predaniya) [“Vatka and Kalmez”. Udmurt Legends and Tales] (1971). Izhevsk. In Russian and Udmurt Language.
Vereshchagin G. E. (1995) Sobranie sochineniy. T. 1: Votyaki Sosnovskogo kraya [Collec- ted Works. In 6 vol. Vol. 1. Votyaks <Udmurts> of Sosnovkiy Territory]. Issue ed. by G. A. Nikitina; pref. and thematic index by V. M. Vanyushev, afterwords by V. M. Vanyushev and G. A. Nikiti- noy; comm. by V. M. Vanyushev, T. G. Vladykina, M. V. Grishkina, L. N. Dolganova, M. G. Ivanova, G. A. Nikitina, G. N. Shushakova. Izhevsk. In Russian.
Vereshchagin G. E. (1996) Sobranie sochineniy. T. 2: Votyaki Sarapul’skogo uezda Vyatskoy gubernii [Collected Works. In 6 vol. Vol. 2. Votyaks <Udmurts> of Sarapul’ County of Vyatka Province]. Issue ed. and pref. by L. S. Khristolyubova; comm. by T. G. Vladykina, L. S. Khristolyubova. Izhevsk. Izhevsk. In Russian.
Vereshchagin G. E. (2000) Pchelovodstvo u votyakov [Apiculture among the Votyaks <the Udmurts>]. Sobranie sochineniy [Collected Works in 6 vol.] Ed. by V. M. Vanyushev. Vol. 3. Etnograficheskie ocherki [Ethnographic Essays]. Book 2. Issue 2. Issue ed. by G. K. Shklyaev; preface by V. M. Vanyushev; appendix by V. V. Napol’skikh; thematic index by G. K. Shklyaev; comments by T. G. Vladykina, V. I. Kapitonov, N. Yu. Suntsova, G. K. Shklyaev. Izhevsk. Pp. 148–152. Izhevsk. In Russian.
Vereshchagin G. E. (2001) Sobranie sochineniy [Collected Works. In 6 vol.]. Ed. by V. M. Vanyushev. Vol. 3. Book 2. Issue 2. Ocherki russkikh Vyatsko-Prikamskogo kraya [Essays on Russians of Vyatka-Kama Territory]. Issue ed. by G. K. Shklyaev; pref. by V. M. Vanyushev, thematic index by G. K. Shkyaev and T. G. Vladykina. Izhevsk. In Russian.
Vershinina E. B., Vladykina T. G. (authors-compilers) (2014) Pesni yuzhnykh udmurtov [Songs of the Southern Udmurts]. Issue 3. Izhevsk. In Russian and in Udmurt Language.
Vladykin V. E. (1994) Religiozno-mifologicheskaya kartina mira udmurtov [Religious-Mytho- logical World-View of Udmurts]. Izhevsk. In Russian.
Vladykina T. G. (1998) Udmurtskiy fol’klor: problemy zhanrovoy evolyutsii i sistematiki [Udmurt Folklore. Problems of Genre Evolution and Systematics]. Izhevsk. In Russian.
Vladykina T. G. (2006) Atributivnye i verbal’nye paralleli v udmurtskom i russkom svadebnom ritualakh [Attributive and Verbal Parallels in the Udmurt and Russian Wedding Rituals]. Russkiy Sever i vostochnye finno-ugry: problemy prostranstvenno-vremennogo fol’klornogo dialoga [The Russian North and Eastern Fenno-Ugric People: Problems of Spatial and Temporal Folklore Dialogue]. Proceedings of the 1st Interregional Conference and the 7th International School for Young Folklore Researchers. Ed. by V. M. Gatsak, T. G. Vladykina. Izhevsk. Pp. 50–57. In Russian.
Vladykina T. G., Glukhova G. A. (2011) Argod- bergan: Obryady i prazdniki udmurtskogo kalendarya. (“Udmurtskaya obryadovaya azbuka”) [Ar-god bergan: Rituals and Fests of the Udmurt Calendar (“Udmurt Ritual Alphabet”)]. Izhevsk. In Russian
Wichmann Y. (1893) Wotjakische Sprachproben I. Lieder, gebete und zaubersprüche. Journal de la Société Finno-Ougrienne, XI. Helsingfors. 1893. In German.
Wichmann Y. (1901) Wotjakische Sprachproben II. Sprichwörter, rätsel, märchen, sagen und erzählungen. Journal de la Société Finno-Ougrienne. Helsingfors. 1901. In Geman.
Zagrebin A. E. (1999) Finny ob udmurtakh: Finskie issledovateli etnografii udmurtov XIX — pervoy poloviny XX v. [Finns about Udmurts: Finnish Researchers on Ethnography of Udmurts in the 19th — the 1st Half of the 20th Centuries]. Izhevsk. In Russian.