THE SHRINE OF GERBERVOS’ (GUBERVOS’) OF THE NORTHERN (GLAZOV) UDMURTS: TERM ETYMOLOGY, HISTORY, LOCATION, SOCIAL STATUS
Keywords:
fortified settlement of Nikulchino, medieval shrine, Northern Udmurts, Cheptsa River, sanctuary of Gubervos’/Gerbervos’, social significance, Christianization, destruction of the sacred place
Abstract
The paper deals with the history of the sanctuary Gerbervos’ / Gubervos’ used by Northern (Glazov) Udmurts in their religious practices. There were two medieval Udmurt shrines on the Vyatka River: one of them, earlier located in the Vyatka fortified settlement in the territory of present-day city of Kirov, was later transported to the north-east to the vicinity of the Omsino and Krasnogorye villages (Slobodskoy district of the Kirov oblast); the other one was located in the Nikulchino (Chud-Bolvansky) fortified settlement and performed the functions of both a tribal shrine and “an observatory” for the local population. A massive agrarian praying event was held in honor of the deity Mu-Kylchin there. After the capture of Chud-Bolvansky settlement, the shrine was moved by Udmurts to the east, initially to the lower reaches of the Ubyt’ River, in the vicinity of the modern Glazov city, and then to the headwaters of the Ubyt’ and Parsi Rivers, in the vicinity of the Parzi Uchkhoz settlement. In academic literature this shrine is known as Gubervos’ (‘provincial praying’). In its new location the shrine lost its function as “an observatory”, although preserved its status of a sanctuary of special significance among Northern (Glazov) Udmurts. The paper analyzes the stages and methods of destroying the shrine during the Christianization of Northern Udmurts as well as the practice of fighting against traditional rituals and cults. The paper contains an attempt to interpret the name of the shrine as the modification of the word Udmurt ‘Gerbervos’ which means a massive praying event during the summer feast of Gerber organized to mark the end of ploughing period; the interpretation is supported by the appropriate arguments.
References
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2. Balyberdin A. G., prot. Solntse nad Viatkoi ili kak Svistopliaska stala svistun’ei [The sun over Vyatka or how Svistoplyaska became Svistun’ey]. Obretenie sviatykh - 2015 [Finding Saints - 2015]. Kirov, Loban’ Publ., 2016, pp. 77-83. In Russian.
3. VladykinV. E. Religiozno-mifologicheskaya kartina mira udmurtov [Religious-Mythological World-View of Udmurts]. Izhevsk, “Udmurtia” Publ., 1994. 384 p. In Russian
4. Viatskaia eparkhiia. Istoriko-geograficheskoe i statisticheskoe opisanie [Vyatka eparchy. Historical, geographical, and statistical description]. Sost. N. V. Kibardin, V. I. Shabalin. Viatka, 1912. 665 p. In Russian.
5. Gavrilov B. Proizvedeniya narodnoy slovesnosti, obryady i pover’ya votyakov Kazanskoy i Vyatskoy guberniy [Specimen of Folk Literature, Rituals and Beliefs among Votykas
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7. Ivanov A. G. Etnokul’turnye i ekonomicheskie svyazi naseleniya basseyna r. Cheptsy v epokhu srednevekov’ya (konets V - pervaya polovina XIII v.) [Ethnocultural and economic contacts of the Cheptsa River basin population during the Middle Ages (late 5th - the first half of the 13th centuries]. Izhevsk, Udmurt Institute of History, Language and Literature, Ural Branch Russian Academy of Science Publ., 1998, 309 p. In Russian.
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9. Karpova L. L. Leksika severnogo narechiya udmurtskogo yazyka: Srednechepetskii dialect [Lexicon of the Northern dialect of the Udmurt language: Middle Cheptca dialect]. Izhevsk, 2013. 581 p. In Udmurt and Russian.
10. Kochin G. A. Sud’ba Sviato-Troitskogo khrama sela Verkh-Parzi Glazovskogo uezda Viatskoi gubernii [The fate of the Holy Trinity Church in the village of Verkh-Parzy in the Glazov County of the Vyatka Province]. Obretenie sviatykh - 2015 [Finding Saints - 2015]. Kirov, Loban’ Publ., 2016. pp. 139-149. In Russian.
11. Kreknin S. Votiaki Glazovskogo uezda i kratkii ocherk khristianskoi missii sredi nikh [Votyaks
12. Kutiavin A. N. Glazovskaia (Parzinskaia) nizshaia sel’skokhoziaistvennaia shkola I razriada [The Glazov (Parzi) lowest agricultural school of the first category] // Udmurtskaia Respublika: Entsiklopedia [Udmurt Republic: Encyclopedia]. Izhevsk, Udmurtiya, 2000, p. 275. In Russian.
13. Luppov P. N. Khristianstvo u votyakov v pervoy polovine XIX v. [Christianity among the Votyaks
14. Luppov P. N. Materialy dlia istorii khristianstva u votiakov v pervoi polovine XIX v. [Materials on the Christianity history among the Votyaks
15. Luppov P. N. Khristianstvo u votiakov so vremeni pervykh istoricheskikh izvestii o nikh do XIX v. [Christianity among the Votyaks
16. Makarov L. D. Otchet ob issledovaniiakh na Srednei Viatke v predelakh Slobodskogo, Kotel’nichskogo, Khalturinskogo i Iur’ianskogo raionov Kirovskoi oblasti, provedennykh letom 1979 goda [The report on the investigations in the Middle Vyatka within the Slobodskoj, Kotelnich, Khalturino and Yur’ya districts of the Kirov province, conducted in the summer of 1979]. Arkhiv IA RAN. R-1, № 7465. In Russian.
17. Makarov L. D. Otchet ob issledovaniiakh na Srednei Viatke v predelakh Slobodskogo, Kotel’nichskogo i Darovskogo raionov Kirovskoi oblasti, provedennykh letom 1981 goda [The report on the investigations in the Middle Vyatka within the Slobodskoj, Kotelnich, and Darovskoy districts of the Kirov province, conducted in the summer of 1981]. Arkhiv IA RAN. R-1, № 8613. In Russian.
18. Nizov V. V. Nebesnye pokroviteli novgorodskikh ushkuinikov [Heavenly patrons of the Novgorod ushkuyniks] // Tserkovnaia arkheologiia [Church archeology]. S-Petersburg: Pskov, 1995, pp. 119-125. In Russian.
19. Ostanina T. I. Kirbinskoe gorodishche na r. Meshe [The Kirbi fortified settlement at the Mesha River] // Finno-Ugrica. 2001-2002, № 1 (5-6), pp. 15-43. In Russian.
20. Ostanina T. I. Kul’tovyi pamiatnik okolo d. Gavrilovki na r. Sive (Votkinskii raion Udmurtskoi Respubliki) [Cult monument near the village of Gavrilovka at the Siwa River (Votkinsk district of the Udmurt Republic)]. Kul’tovye pamyatniki Kamsko-Vyatskogo regiona: Materialy i issledovaniya [Cult monuments of the Kama-Vyatka region: Proceedings and Reseaches]. Izhevsk, Udmurt Institute of History, Language and Literature, Ural Branch Russian Academy of Science Publ., 2004, pp. 67-89. In Russian.
21. Pervukhin N. G. Eskizy predanii i byta inorodtsev Glazovskogo uezda [Sketches on legendry and everyday life of minorities of Glazov county]. Sketches. The 1st Sketch. 105 p.; The 2nd Sketch. 141 p. Vyatka, 1888. In Russian.
22. Povest’ o strane Viatskoi (Viatskii letopisets) [The story about the Vyatka country (The Vyatka chronicler)] // Trudy vyatskoy uchenoy arkhivnoy Komissii [Proceedings of Vyatka Scholarly Archive Committee]. Vyatka, 1905. Vyp. III. Otdel II, pp. 22-53. In Russian.
23. Pozdeeva T. K. Zagadka nashego kraia [Riddle of our land] // Idnakar. Obshchestvenno-politicheskaia gazeta severnykh udmurtov [Idnakar. Social and political newspaper of the northern Udmurts]. 23 April 2009, № 28, p. 6. In Russian.
24. Pozdeeva T. K. Poselok bez nazvaniia [The settlement without name] // Idnakar. Obshchestvenno-politicheskaia gazeta severnykh udmurtov [Idnakar. Social and political newspaper of the northern Udmurts]. 24 Jule 2008, № 54 (2010), p. 7. In Russian.
25. Pravoslavnye khramy Udmurtii: Spravochnik ukazatel’ po dokumentam Tsentral’nogo gosudarstvennogo arkhiva Udmurtskoi respubliki [Orthodox churches of Udmurtia: Directory index of documents in the Central State Archives of the Udmurt Republic]. Sost. I. N. Zaitseva, G. I. Samartseva. Izhevsk, Udmurtiya, 2000. 480 p. In Russian.
26. Piatnitskaia tserkov’ v Viatke [Pyatnitsky church in Vyatka] // Arkhitekturnoe nasledie [Architectural heritage]: URL: https://arch-heritage.livejournal.com/1161889.html (accessed 03.04.2018.) In Russian.
27. Spitsyn A. A. Priural’skii krai. Arkheologicheskie rozyskaniia o drevneishikh obitateliakh Viatskoi gubernii [Cis-Ural region. Archaeological investigations about the ancient inhabitants of Vyatka province ancient inhabitants in the Vyatka province] // MAVGR. Moscow: E. Lissvera, Iu. Romana, M. G. Volchaninova Publ., 1893, Vol. 1. 222 p. In Russian.
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29. Farmakovskii M. S. Iz otcheta Glazovskogo missionera za 1878 god [From the report of the Glazov missionary for 1878]. Viatskie eparkhial’nye vedomosti [The Vyatka eparchial news]. 1879. № 19, pp. 481-497; № 20, pp. 507-520; № 21, pp. 523-542. In Russian.
30. TsGA UR [Central State Archive of the Udmurt Republic]. F. 189. On. 1. D. 56. Blagochinnyi Glazovskogo Preobrazhenskogo sobora g. Glazova. Raporty sviashchennikov, vedomosti o nravstvennom sostoianii udmurtov [Head of Glazov Transfiguration Cathedral of Glazov city. Official reports of priests, sheets about moral state of Udmurts]. Vol. 2, 1852-1854, pp. 76-77. In Russian.
31. Shutova N. I. 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, Udmurt Institute of History, Language and Literature, Ural Branch Russian Academy of Science Publ., 2001, 304 p. In Russian.
32. Shutova N. I. Problema izucheniya sakral’nogo landshafta v Kamsko-Vyatskom regione [Problem of study on the sacral landscape of the Kama-Vyatka region] // Geokul’turnoe prostranstvo Evropeiskogo Severa: genezis, struktura, semantika = Geocultural space of European North: genesis, structure, semantics. Arkhangel’sk: S(A)FU Publ. 2011. S. 119-130. In Russian.
33. Shutova N. I., Sennikova L. A. Kul’turnyi landshaft Viatskogo basseina v epokhu srednevekov’ia: k postanovke problemy [Cultural Landscape of the Vyatka Basin in the Middle Ages: to the Problem Statement] // Pomorskie chteniia po semiotike kul’tury: Vyp. 3: Sakral’naia geografiia i traditsionnye etnokul’turnye landshafty narodov Evropeiskogo Severa [Pomor Readings on the Semiotics of Culture: Vol. 3: Sacral geography and traditional ethno-cultural landscapes of the peoples of the European North]. Arkhangel’sk, Pomorskii university Publ., 2008, pp. 299-313. In Russian.
Received
2018-04-25
Published 2018-06-25
Published 2018-06-25