馃嚪馃嚭 Magic in Russia
115 entries from Russia, best known first, across 15 places of magic.
Shamanism in Siberia is a diverse set of practices among indigenous groups, often blending with Islam or Buddhism. It centers on spirit journeys and healing, with distinct traditions among Uralic, Samoyedic, Turkic, and Tungusic peoples.
- Female shaman terms share a root linked to the hearth goddess Et眉gen.
- Nganasan shamans used three different crowns for different spiritual realms.
- Shamanic songs mimic animal sounds like birds, wolves, and polar bears.
- Skeleton-like dress overlays symbolize shamanic rebirth in several cultures.
- The word 'shaman' derives from Proto-Turkic *b枚g眉 via Evenk.
Overview
Siberia is considered the heartland of shamanism, where many ethnic groups maintain these religio-cultural practices today. The tradition is highly diverse, shaped by linguistic families like Uralic, Samoyedic, Turkic, and Tungusic. While some groups have adopted Islam or Buddhism, core elements remain. The practice involves communicating with spirits for healing and guidance. Female shamans are prominent, with linguistic roots suggesting women may have practiced first. The tradition shares features with neighboring cultures, such as the Sami joiks, but retains unique local characteristics in music, dress, and ritual objects.
Practices and beliefs
Shamans undertake spirit journeys to rescue lost souls, reenacting dreams from their training. Healing s茅ances involve mimicking natural sounds, such as bird calls or reindeer noises, to invoke helping spirits. Music includes overtone singing and songs that imitate animals like wolves or polar bears. Divination and contact with upper, lower, or dead worlds are common functions. Specific tools include drums with two transoms and headdresses adorned with effigies of human organs or bones, symbolizing rebirth. Songs often contain magical spell-like mumbling styles.
Rites and charms
Rites include clean tent ceremonies held after the polar night, involving sacrifices. Initiating songs describe the shaman's transformation, mentioning details like a dress with seven vertebrae. Seances are accompanied by women imitating animal sounds to provide fertility or aid the shaman's journey. Shamans wear specific crowns for different realms: upper world, underworld, or childbirth. Rituals often involve transforming into helper animals, such as a polar bear, through sound mimesis and costume.
Who practises
Practitioners include male shamans (b枚枚, saman) and female shamans (udagan), with the latter term sharing a root across many languages. Types of shamans vary by function: those contacting the upper world, the underworld, or the dead. Healers, diviners, and sacral rite specialists are distinguished. Some shamans are chosen through dreams or illness. Historical records note notable figures like Dyukhade Kosterkin. In some groups, like the Ket, shamans are associated with specific helper animals like deer or bears.
Regions and communities
Practices differ by linguistic group. Uralic speakers like the Khanty and Mansi show remnants, while Samoyedic groups like the Nganasans and Nenets maintained living traditions longer. Turkic peoples in Altai and Tuva blend shamanism with Islam or Buddhism. Tungusic groups have their own folklore, such as the Tale of the Nisan Shaman. Regional variations exist in drum structure, headdress design, and the influence of neighboring cultures like Buryat or Abakan-Turkic peoples.
The calendar
Specific rites are tied to seasons, such as the clean tent ceremony after the polar night. Childbirth occasions require specific ceremonial crowns. Life events like death and resurrection are addressed through shamanic intervention. Festivals are not explicitly detailed, but seasonal transitions and community needs drive the timing of seances and sacrifices.
Law and the state
The text does not provide information on legal status, persecution, or state treatment of shamanism in Siberia.
Today
Shamanism persists among indigenous groups, though it has declined in some areas. The last Nganasan seances were recorded in the 1970s. Folklore memories were collected in the 1960s. Some languages, like Kamassian, are extinct, affecting cultural transmission. Modern practitioners maintain traditions, while scholars study historical records and folklore to understand the belief system.
The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Shamanism in Siberia", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. EveryJaadu rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
馃嚙馃嚪 Brazil and 5 moreAmethyst
A violet quartz variety used in jewelry and historically believed to ward off intoxicationSubstance 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 4 moreFolk Orthodoxy薪邪褉芯写薪芯械 锌褉邪胁芯褋谢邪胁懈械
A blend of Eastern Orthodox doctrine and pre-Christian pagan beliefs in Slavic communitiesTradition 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚡馃嚨 Japan and 1 moreAinu religion
The animist spiritual beliefs and ritual practices of the Ainu people of Japan and RussiaTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 5 moreAmber
Fossilized tree resin used in jewelry and folk healing traditionsSubstance 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚠馃嚬 Italy and 5 moreFig sign
A hand gesture used to ward off the evil eye or as an insult in many culturesBelief 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚥馃嚱 Mexico and 3 moreFolk saint
Unofficially recognized holy figures venerated by local communities for intercession and miraclesBelief 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚥馃嚦 Mongolia and 2 moreMongolian shamanismB枚枚 m枚rg枚l
The animistic and shamanic ethnic religion of the Mongol peoples, centered on sky worship and ancestral spirits.Tradition 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚪馃嚭 RussiaReindeer in Siberian shamanism
The role of reindeer as spirit helpers, ritual tools, and burial vehicles in the shamanic traditions of Northern AsiaTradition 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚘馃嚭 Australia and 2 moreTheatrical superstitions
Beliefs and rituals among actors to avoid bad luck and ward off spiritsBelief 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 5 moreRinging Cedars' Anastasianism写胁懈卸械薪懈械 芦袗薪邪褋褌邪褋懈褟禄
A Russian new religious movement based on books about a Siberian mystic and nature worshipTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 7 moreOgnyena Maria袨谐薪械薪邪 袦邪褉懈褬邪
A Slavic fire goddess linked to lightning, rain, and seasonal fire bansFigure 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚢馃嚞 Kyrgyzstan and 2 moreAyaz Ata袗褟蟹 袗褌邪
A Turkic winter spirit who brings snow and gifts during the cold seasonBeing 路 Luck and prosperity 路 Protection Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 3 moreYehowists懈谢褜懈薪褑褘
A Russian Spiritual Christian group founded by Nikolai Ilyin in the 1840sTradition 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚥馃嚦 Mongolia and 1 moreOngon
Ancestor spirits in Mongolian shamanism, represented by consecrated idols and talismansBeing 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚙馃嚞 Bulgaria and 5 moreApocryphal prayer
A folk prayer text blending church forms with apocrypha and incantations for protection and healingText 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚪馃嚭 Russia and 2 moreBesom胁械薪懈泻
A twig broom used for sweeping, folk magic, and fire responseCharm 路 Protection 路 Wonder and entertainment Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Ognyena Maria: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Ongon: Vyacheslav Kirillin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Amber: uploaded with permission, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fig sign: Harald the Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Folk saint: Sergio Serrano, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mongolian shamanism: Enrique Bendicho, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Amethyst: JJ Harrison ( https://jjharrison.com.au/ ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ringing Cedars' Anastasianism: 袥芯斜邪褔械胁 袙谢邪写懈屑懈褉, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Reindeer in Siberian shamanism: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Ainu religion: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Folk Orthodoxy: 袥芯斜邪褔械胁 袙谢邪写懈屑懈褉, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Besom: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Cox_(artist), Public domain, source
The weekly digest
Every Monday: seven entries you may not know, what is on the calendar this week, and one rite drawn step by step.