Myths of Western Siberia. From the Ob River and Altai Mountains to the Old Man-Owl and the Golden Woman

The mythology of the peoples of Western Siberia is complex and rich. In this astonishing imaginary-poetic world, gods descend from the sky in golden cradles, a bird-demiurge dives for land at the bottom of the ocean, a drop of water... can turn into a beautiful maiden, river spirits govern the lives of people, and what seems like an incoherent infant babble is actually a conversation with a deity. The new book by Tatyana Muravyeva is partly a brief summary and partly an artistic retelling of the myths and legends of the peoples of Siberia: Khanty, Mansi, Nganasan, Nenets, Enets, Selkups, Altaians, and Shors. It contains around a hundred stories – majestic and playful, funny and poignantly sad: about the creation of the world, celestial and underground gods, talking animals, spirits, and shamans able to travel between three worlds. Who herds a flock of mammoths underground? Why do gods plug holes in the ground with copper cauldrons? Can one appease the little woman who lives in fire? How did the Ural Mountains arise? Finally, the most important question: how did people befriend reindeer? The publication is richly illustrated with photographs of everyday and ritual objects of Siberian peoples, as well as beautiful drawings by the author on mythical themes. For whom is this book intended? For connoisseurs of history and mythology. For those interested in the culture and beliefs of indigenous peoples of Russia. For those who want to immerse themselves in the past and find parallels with the present. From the author: This book is dedicated to the mythology of the peoples of Western Siberia: Khanty, Mansi, Nenets, Enets, Selkups, Kets, Altaians, and Shors. The systematic collection and study of myths, legends, and folktales of the peoples of Western Siberia began in the 19th century. Among the first to embark on this endeavor were the outstanding Finnish linguist Matthias Castren and Hungarian scholar Antal Reguli, who visited the lands of the Khanty and Mansi in the 1840s. In the 1880s, a considerable amount of ethnographic and folklore material was gathered by statistician and member of the Russian Geographical Society S. K. Patkanov, who was sent to Western Siberia to study the life of its peoples. During the Soviet era, their work was continued by B. O. Dolgikh, N. P. Dyrenkova, A. A. Popov, E. A. Alekseenko, and many others. A priceless collection of authentic mythological texts was produced by the multi-volume academic edition "Monuments of Folklore of the Peoples of Siberia and the Far East", prepared by the folklore sector of the Siberian Peoples Institute of Philology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It has been published since 1990 and currently includes more than 30 volumes. Since our book is intended for a wide audience, all the myths and mythological tales (except for those specifically noted) are presented in a literary retelling by the author, but are based on field recordings made by various researchers.