The Use of Objects in Rituals Associated with Spirit “Masters” of Loci in the Tradition of the Russians of the Perm Territory (Based on Mythological Texts)

Альманах
Key words
mythological texts, Perm Territory, ritual attributes, spirit “masters” of loci
Author
Mariia A. Granova
About the Author
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2577-6652
E-mail: marjanaandreeva@mail.ru Tel.: +7 (342) 212-60-08
13a, Lenin str., Perm, 614990, Russian Federation
PhD in Philology, Researcher, Perm Federal Research Center, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Received
Date of publication
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26158/TK.2023.24.1.011
Acknowledgements

The research was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation, project 19–18–00117, “Traditional Culture of Russians in the Areas of Active Interethnic Contact Between the Ural and Volga Regions.”

Body

his article examines the objects used by the Russians of the Perm Territory in rituals associated with spirits that are “masters” of loci: the house spirit (domovoi), the bath-house spirit (bannik), goblin (leshii) and mermaid (rusalka). It is based on mythological texts recorded in the region and provides a classification of objects based on their physical and other characteristics that determine the cultural semantics of these objects and their transformation into ritual entities; further, their ritual functions are analyzed. The data from the Perm Territory is compared with the common Slavic tradition. Analysis shows that household items with particular characteristics and properties become ritual objects; these include: certain types of material (e. g., a gold chain); shapes (e. g., sharp objects, towels, tablecloths, rope); the method or time of manufacture; things with a special purpose; things that a person evaluates. This code of ritual objects in the Perm Territory generally corresponds to the common Slavic tradition. There is a tendency to modernize this code in the region, but this does not lead to the destruction of the rite: rather, modern household items are integrated into existing models of the traditional ritual usage of things with which they share similar characteristics. Within the framework of the rites under consideration, objects perform the function of a talisman, thus acting as mediators and intermediaries between a person and demons.

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For citation

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