The story of the development of the legend of the phenomenon of a deer in the Vishera local tradition
https://doi.org/10.28995/2658-5294-2025-8-2-31-49
Abstract
The article is devoted to the study of one of the aspects of the genesis of the plot of the legend about the phenomenon of the sacrificial deer. Due to the fact that to date, there has been no general opinion among researchers about the emergence and spread of different versions of the legend about the phenomenon of deer among the Northern Russians, Karelians, Vepsians and the Komi, to solve the problem, it was proposed to turn to a detailed study of each individual case. Based on this, the article analyzes historical data on the Vicherа tradition of the Komi and identifies factors that contributed to the development of the legend of the phenomenon of deer in this local culture. Consideration of the history of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the revealed icon of the Mother of God of Vishera, as well as the historical and social context, allows us to conclude that the legend with the motive for the wonderful appearance of a deer in the folk culture of the Vishera Komi is associated with the Orthodox tradition. Until the early 1930s, the legend motivated the rite of sacrifice of a pet, which was held on the patronal feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in honor of the revealed icon of the Smolensk Mother of God, making up one of the vow rituals in the tradition of honoring the miraculous icon. In the oral culture of the Vishera Komi, the legend of the deer phenomenon organically fits into the circle of Orthodox folklore texts about the wonderful appearance of the icon and the miracles taking place around it. The interaction of legends about the appearance of the icon and the appearance of the deer served as an impetus for the development of ideas about the miraculous properties of the icon among the Izhem reindeer herders. In general, the analysis of the history of the development of the legend of the deer phenomenon in the local culture of the Vishera Komi is the result of an adaptation of the Christian plot in the cultural landscape of the Vishera.
Keywords
Vishera local tradition,
legend of deer phenomenon,
rite of animal sacrifice,
Christian plots,
revealed icon
Supporting agencies: The article has been prepared under assignment of research no. 121051400044-2.
About the Author
L. S. Lobanova
Institute of Language, Literature and History Komi Scientific Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Lyudmila S. Lobanova, Cand. of Sci. (Philology)
26, Kommunisticheskaya St., Syktyvkar, Komi Republic, 167982
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Review
For citations:
Lobanova L.S. The story of the development of the legend of the phenomenon of a deer in the Vishera local tradition. Folklore: Structure, Typology, Semiotics. 2025;8(2):31-49. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2658-5294-2025-8-2-31-49
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