Dwellings and material remains of Chud and Sirtya
For the first time, authentic Nenets legends about Sirtya - nomadic hunters of the tundra and sea coast, who hunted wild deer, fish and sea animals, spoke a language different from Nenets, and disappeared forever underground, were recorded by A. Schrenk, who made a long trip across the Bolshezemelskaya tundra in 1837. During this trip, in the lower reaches of the Korotaikha River, which flows into the Barents Sea east of Varandey and west of the Yugra Peninsula and the Pai-Khoi ridge, he discovered “Chudi caves” with the remains of material culture, unfortunately, irretrievably lost to science).
In the notes of the missionary Benjamin (1855) we find: " The Korotaikha River is remarkable for its abundance of fisheries and Chud earthen caves, in which, according to legend, Chud once lived in ancient times. These caves are ten miles from the mouth, on the right bank, on a slope, which from ancient times was called Sirte-sya in Samoyed - “Mountain Peipus”.
Academician I. Lepekhin, knowing the legends about the “Chud people” widespread in the European North, sought to find their real traces in the form of archaeological monuments. Thanks to reports from informants, I. Lepekhin was able to make the following remarkable entry in 1805: “The entire Samoyed land in the Mezen district is filled with desolate dwellings of the once ancient people. They are found in many places: near lakes, on the tundra, in forests, near rivers, made in the mountains and hills like caves with openings like doors. In these caves they find ovens and find fragments of iron, copper and clay household items.".
IN Soviet era the problem of orphans was developed by V.N. Chernetsov, who, having visited Yamal, not only collected various legends about Sirtya, but also discovered monuments ancient culture, left rather by the Sirtya than by the later Nenets. According to the legends he published, the Nenets who came to Yamal met a population there who lived on the coast in earthen houses and hunted sea animals. These were the Sirtya, who did not know reindeer herding, with whom the Nenets had to fight, and sometimes even marry. The Nenets were convinced that the last Sirtya, 4-6 generations before the present day, were found here and there in Northern Yamal, and then completely disappeared. V.N. Chernetsov twice published (1935, 1957) important archaeological material from dugouts on Cape Tiutei-sale at the confluence of the Ser-yakha and Tiutei-yakha rivers (on the western coast of Yamal at 71 ° 30 "N), which he dated VI-IX centuries and attributed to Sirtya.
Unique finds of the Yamalo-Ob expedition
Further searches for evidence of Sirtya were carried out by the Yamalo-Ob expedition of the Department of Ethnography of Moscow State University under the leadership of L.P. Lashuk in 1961.
An abandoned sacred place. According to local residents, this hill once hidstrange "little people"
, which have long since “gone” to another more distant hill, leaving in the same place only “syadeev” - images of gods and various things. Old women even now do not allow children to run along the hill: " Trample, they say, sitting down, and this is a sin"The very name of the hill indicates that there was once not only a sacrificial place on it, but also housing.
As a result of the excavations, it turned out that in addition to finds dating back to late times (bone artifacts, wooden objects, remains of vessels, etc.), some discovered objects have typological similarities with finds from the pre-10th century. dugouts on Cape Tiutei-sale, left by people of non-Samoyed origin, although involved in the formation of modern Nenets. The main finds made on the Kharde-Sede hill were attributed to the era of the developed Iron Age. On the hill, traces of metallurgical production were discovered in the form of iron slag and sand fused into a glassy mass, underlying the upper peat layer. Structural analysis showed that the slag comes from a raw iron furnace.
The study of the strata on the Kharde-sed temple clearly shows the continuity of its use from the 1st millennium AD. e. and until the early 30s of the 20th century, which could hardly have happened if there had been no genetic connection between the early inhabitants of these places (Sirtya) and the later ones (Nenets).
The Tiutey-Salinsky and Khard-Sedeysky monuments arose in the subpolar tundra at a time when there was not even a hint of the reindeer herding way of life of the population or any traces new culture, brought from the southern part of the Ob-Yenisei interfluve - the most likely ancestral home of the reindeer. There is no particular reason to count the latter among the creators of the Tiutei-Sala culture of tundra wild deer hunters and seaside hunters, although, having spread over time throughout the Far North, the Samoyeds, through the mediation of the aborigines (Sirtya), became the successors of this culture.
In the same Nakhodka, the expedition of L.P. Lashuk recorded the following tales about the natives of Yamal. The Sirtya are people of very short stature, but stocky and strong, who lived a thousand years ago. In everything they differed from the Nenets: they did not keep domestic reindeer, they hunted “savage” deer, they wore different clothes: for example, yagushki (swing women's clothing made of reindeer skin), like the Nenets, did not have, they dressed in otter skins (a hint of closed outerwear). One day, big water appeared, flooding all the low-lying places in Yamal. The subsoil of the elevated hills-sed became the dwellings of the sirty.
According to another version, the Sirtya “went to the hills” because with the advent of “real people” - the Nenets - the former land turned upside down.Having become underground inhabitants, the Sirtya were henceforth afraid to go out into the daylight, which made their eyes burst. They began to consider the day as night, and the night as day, because only at night could they leave the hills, and even then when everything in the surrounding area was quiet and there were no people.Now there are few orphans left, and they come to the surface less and less often. Only a shaman can determine which hill has Sirtya and which does not.
As L.P. points out. Lashuk (1968), there is undoubtedly a realistic basis in these legends and is confirmed by scientific data, but the legends do not give a specific answer about the ethnicity of the Sirtya.
Lake Peipsi retained in its name the memory of the tribe that took part in the Battle of the Ice, but then gradually disappeared from the historical arena.
In the Urals, and in Siberia, and in the north of Russia, and even in Altai, many legends say that once lived in these places ancient people called "chud". Legends about the miracle are most often told in places where Finno-Ugric peoples live or previously lived, so in science it was customary to consider the Finno-Ugric people to be the miracle. But the problem is that the Finno-Ugric peoples, in particular the Komi-Permyaks, themselves tell legends about the Chud, calling the Chud another people.
When people who live here to this day came to these places, the Chud buried itself alive in the ground. This is what one of the legends, recorded in the village of Afanasyevo, Kirov region, tells: “...And when other people (Christians) began to appear along the Kama River, this miracle did not want to communicate with them, did not want to be enslaved by Christianity. They dug a large hole, and Then they cut down the pillars and buried themselves. This place is called the Peipsi Coast.”
Sometimes it is also said that the Chud “went underground,” and sometimes that it went to live in other places: “We have the Vazhgort tract - the Old Village. Although we call it a village, there are no buildings there. And it is not visible that someone lived there, but the old people claim that ancient, miracle people lived there for a long time, they say, they lived in that area, but newcomers appeared, they began to oppress the old residents, and they decided: “We have no life, we need to move to.” other places." They gathered their belongings, they said, took the guys by the hands and said. "Goodbye,
Old village! We won’t be here - and there won’t be anyone!" And they left the village. They go, they say, they’re leaving their homeland and they roar. Every single one of them left. Now it’s empty."
"Wonderful" secrets.
But when she left, the Chud left behind a lot of treasures. These treasures are enchanted, “cherished”: a covenant has been placed on them that only the descendants of the Chud people can find them. Chud spirits in different guises (sometimes in the guise of a hero on a horse, sometimes a hare or a bear) guard these treasures: “Sluda and Shudyakor are Chud places. The heroes lived there, were thrown from village to village with axes. Then they buried themselves in the ground and took the gold with them. They took away the ingots-pillows at the Shudyakorsk settlement, but no one will take them: the horsemen are standing guard. Our grandfathers warned us: “Don’t walk past this settlement late at night - the horses will trample you!”
In the text of another ancient entry in the village of Zuikare, Vyatka province, it is written about the “Chudskaya treasure” in the Chudskaya Mountain on the right bank of the Kama. A huge, slightly crooked pine tree grows here, and at a distance from it, about four arshins away, stands a rotten stump up to two meters in diameter. They tried to find this treasure many times, but when they approached it, such a storm arose that the pine trees bent their tops to the ground, and the treasure hunters were forced to abandon their enterprise. However, they say that some treasure hunters still managed to penetrate the secrets underground inhabitants, but it cost them very, very dearly. The appearance of the “eccentrics” is so terrible that some treasure hunters, having met them in the dungeons, came out completely insane and could not recover for the rest of their lives. It was even worse for those who came across the bones of a “buried alive” miracle in the Chud graves - the dead, guarding their treasures, suddenly came to life as soon as someone approached their treasures...
In 1924-28, the Roerich family was on an expedition to Central Asia. In the book “The Heart of Asia” Nicholas Roerich writes that in Altai an elderly Old Believer led them to a rocky hill and, pointing out the stone circles of ancient burials, said: “This is where Chud went underground. When the White Tsar came to Altai to fight and how it bloomed white birch in our land, Chud did not want to stay under the White Tsar. Chud went underground and blocked the passages with stones. You can see their former entrances yourself. But Chud is not gone forever. When happy times return and people from Belovodye come and give to all the people great science, then Chud will come again, with all the treasures obtained." And even earlier, in 1913, Nicholas Roerich wrote a painting on this topic, "Chud Has Gone Under the Ground."
Riddles and more riddles.
In the Urals, stories about miracles in to a greater extent widespread in the Kama region. Legends indicate specific places where the Chud lived, describe their appearance (and they were mostly dark-haired and dark-skinned), customs, and language. Legends have even preserved some words from the Chud language: “Once in the village of Vazhgort a Chud girl appeared - tall, beautiful, broad-shouldered. Her hair was long, black, and not braided. She walks around the village and calls: “Come visit me, I’m cooking dumplings.” !" There were about ten people willing, everyone went after the girl. They went to the Peipus spring, and no one returned home, everyone disappeared somewhere. The next day the same thing happened again. It was not because of their stupidity that people fell for the girl’s bait, but because she had some kind of power. Hypnosis, as they say now. On the third day, the women from this village decided to take revenge on the girl. They boiled several buckets of water, and when the miracle girl entered the village, the women poured boiling water on her. ran to the spring and wailed: “Odege! Odege!" Soon the residents of Vazhgort left their village forever and went to live in other places..."
Odege - what does this word mean? There is no such word in any of the Finno-Ugric languages. What ethnic group was this mysterious miracle?
Since ancient times, ethnographers, linguists, and local historians have tried to solve the mystery of the miracle. There were different versions about who the Chud was. Ethnographers of local history Fedor Aleksandrovich Teploukhov and Alexander Fedorovich Teploukhov considered the Ugrians (Khanty and Mansi) a miracle, since there is documentary information about the presence of the Ugrians in the Kama region. Linguistic scientist Antonina Semenovna Krivoshchekova-Gantman did not agree with this version, because in the Kama region there are practically no geographical names, deciphered using Ugric languages; she believed that the issue required further study. Kazan professor Ivan Nikolaevich Smirnov believed that the Chud were the Komi-Permyaks before the adoption of Christianity, since some legends say that the Chud are “our ancestors.” Latest version became most widespread, and most ethnographers adhered to this version until recently.
Discovery in the Urals in the 1970-1980s ancient city the Aryans of Arkaim and the “Country of Cities” of Sintashta somewhat shook the traditional version. Versions began to appear that the Chud were the ancient Aryans (in a narrower sense, the ancestors of the Indo-Iranians, and in a broader sense, the ancestors of the Indo-Europeans in general). This version found many supporters among scientists and local historians.
If linguists have previously recognized that there are many “Iranianisms” in the Finno-Ugric languages, then in recent years an opinion emerged that the Finno-Ugric and Indo-Iranian languages have a very large common lexical layer. A version has emerged that the names of the rivers Kama in the Urals and Ganges (Ganges) in India have the same origin. It is not for nothing that in the Russian North (Arkhangelsk and Murmansk regions) there are geographical names with the root “gang”: Ganga (lake), Gangas (bay, hill), Gangos (mountain, lake), Gangasikha (bay). No wonder the geographical names are Nakar
(Kudymkar, Maykar, Dondykar, Idnakar, Anyushkar, etc.) cannot be deciphered in any way using the local Permian languages (Udmurt, Komi and Komi-Permyak). According to legend, in these places there were Chud settlements, and it is here that bronze jewelry and other objects are most often found, conventionally united by the name Perm animal style. And the “Iranian influence” on the art of the Perm animal style itself has always been recognized by experts.
Another people.
It is no secret that there are parallels in the mythology of the Finno-Ugric and Indo-Iranian peoples. The legends of the ancient Aryans preserve memories of a semi-mythical ancestral home located somewhere far to the north of India. The Aryans who lived in this country could observe amazing phenomena. There, seven heavenly sages-rishis move around the North Star, which the creator Brahma strengthened in the center of the universe above the World Mount Meru. Beautiful celestial dancers - apsaras - also live there, shining with all the colors of the rainbow, and the sun rises and shines for six months in a row. The seven rishis are probably the constellation Ursa Major, and the apsaras are the embodiment of the northern lights, which captured the imagination of many peoples. In Estonian myths, the northern lights are heroes who died in battle and live in the sky. In Indian mythology, only magical birds, including the messenger of the gods Garuda, can reach heaven. In Finno-Ugric mythology, the Milky Way, which connected north and south, was called the Road of Birds.
There are similarities directly in the names. For example, the god of the Udmurts is Inmar, among the Indo-Iranians Indra is the god of thunder, Inada is the foremother; in Komi mythology, both the first man and the swamp witch bear the name Yoma; in Indo-Iranian mythology, Iima is also the first man; The name of the god is also consonant with the Finns - Yumala, and among the Mari - Yumo. “Aryan influence” even penetrated into the ethnonyms of the Finno-Ugrians: the Tatars and Bashkirs of the Udmurts, their neighbors, call the ethnonym “Ar”.
So who was called a miracle in the Urals? If Aryans, then the question again arises: why was there confusion about who was considered Chud, and why did the ethnonym Chud “stick” specifically and only to the Finno-Ugric peoples? What is the relationship between the Indo-Iranian and Finno-Ugric peoples? Apparently, here we should remember the opinion of Lev Gumilyov, who believed that a new ethnic group, just like a person, is born from two ethnic parents. Then it becomes clear why the legends call them either “another people” or “our ancestors.”
And yet, what did the miracle girl scream, doused with boiling water? Maybe the word "odege" is in the Indo-Iranian languages? If we open the Sanskrit-Russian dictionary, we will find there a similar sounding word - “udaka”, meaning “water”. Maybe she was trying to run to the Peipus spring, the only place where she could escape?
From Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains - numerous Finnish and Ugric tribes lived in the north of European Russia. Some of these peoples have survived to this day, while others have disappeared, leaving behind legends, traditions and ancient burial mounds from the Volga and Vyatka to the Urals!
One of these peoples is the ancient Chud, which is known from Lake Peipus in the west to the Peipus settlements and caves in the Northern Urals. There are many legends about both the miracle itself and the underground cities of this people, about their mysterious treasures, burials and mysteries. The Chud are often remembered in the legend about their departure to the underworld, where they supposedly closed themselves until other times...
The popular version says that the Slavs christened certain tribes Chudya, because their language seemed strange and unusual to them. In ancient Russian sources and folklore There are many references to the “chud”, which “the Varangians from overseas imposed tribute on.” They took part in Prince Oleg’s campaign against Smolensk, Yaroslav the Wise fought against them: “and defeated them, and established the city of Yuryev,” legends were made about them as about the white-eyed miracle - an ancient people, akin to European “fairies.”
They left a huge mark on the toponymy of Russia; Lake Peipus, the Peipsi shore, and the villages: “Front Chudi”, “Middle Chudi”, “Back Chudi” are named after them. From the north-west of present-day Russia to the Altai mountains, their mysterious “wonderful” trace can still be traced. For a long time it was customary to associate them with the Finno-Ugric peoples, since they were mentioned in places where representatives of the Finno-Ugric peoples lived or still live. But the folklore of the latter also preserves legends about the mysterious ancient Chud people, whose representatives left their lands and went somewhere, not wanting to accept Christianity.
There is especially a lot of talk about them in the Komi Republic. So they say that the ancient tract Vazhgort “Old Village” in the Udora region was once a Chud settlement. From there they were allegedly driven out by Slavic newcomers. In the Kama region you can learn a lot about miracles: local residents describe their appearance (dark-haired and dark-skinned), language, customs.
The Chud settlements were located on hills, recorded in modern toponymy as “Chudi” (there is also information about Chud lakes). The dwellings of the Chud were caves, often dugouts or pits, the roof of which was supported by four pillars.
There is even a legend that “the Chud went underground”: they dug a large hole with an earthen roof on pillars, and then collapsed it, preferring death to captivity. But none popular belief, no chronicle mention can answer the questions: what kind of tribes were they, where did they go and whether their descendants are still alive. Some ethnographers attribute them to the Mansi peoples, others to representatives of the Komi people who chose to remain pagans. The boldest version, which appeared after the discovery of Arkaim and the “Land of Cities” of Sintashta, claims that the Chud are ancient arias.
In general, the history of this people is somewhat reminiscent of V. Maigre’s books about the Vedrussians. Many people perceive these books as a miracle.
The Chud tribe is one of the most mysterious phenomena on the territory of our country. Its history has long been overgrown with secrets, epics and even rumors, both quite plausible and completely fantastic. Not much is known about this tribe to judge from this information full history its representatives, but quite enough to give birth to the most incredible legends. Scientists and researchers have tried and are trying to unearth evidence of that era, to decipher that amazing world, full of mysteries, which the Chud tribe gave us.
The Chud tribe is sometimes compared to the Mayan tribe of American Indians. Both those and others suddenly and unexpectedly disappeared without a trace, leaving behind only memories. In official history, the term "Chud" is considered Old Russian name several Finno-Ugric tribes. The very name of the tribe Chud"is also not entirely clear. It is popularly believed that representatives of these tribes were named this way because of their incomprehensible language, which they spoke and which other tribes did not understand. There is an assumption that the tribe was originally Germanic or Gothic, which is why they were called Chud. In those days, “Chud” and “Alien” were not only of the same root, but also had the same meaning. However, in some Finno-Ugric languages, the name Chud was used to name one of the mythological characters, which also cannot be discounted.
This tribe, which suddenly disappeared, is mentioned in the Tale of Bygone Years, where the chronicler directly narrates: " ...Varangians from overseas imposed tribute on Chud, Ilmen Slovenes, Merya and Krivichi..."However, not everything is so simple here either. For example, the historian S.M. Solovyov made the assumption that in the Tale of Bygone Years the inhabitants of the Vodskaya Valley of Pyatina were called Chudya Novgorod Land- Vod. Another mention dates back to 882 and refers to Oleg’s campaign: “ ... went on a campaign and took with him many warriors: Varangians, Ilmen Slavs, Krivichi, all, Chud and came to Smolensk and took the city...".
Yaroslav the Wise undertook a victorious campaign against Chud in 1030: “and he defeated them and established the city of Yuryev.” Subsequently it turned out that the miracle was called a whole series tribes, such as: Esta, Setu (Chud Pskov), Vod, Izhora, Korely, Zavolochye (Chud Zavolochskaya). In Novgorod there is Chudintseva Street, where noble representatives of this tribe previously lived, and in Kyiv there is Chudin Dvor. It is also believed that the following names were formed on behalf of these tribes: the city of Chudovo, Lake Peipus, and the Chud River. In the Vologda region there are villages with the names: Front Chudi, Middle Chudi and Back Chudi. Currently, Chudi’s descendants live in the Penezhsky district of the Arkhangelsk region. In 2002, Chud was included in the register of independent nationalities.
Of particular interest, in addition to the historical, is folklore, in which the tribe appears as the White-Eyed Chud. Strange epithet " White-eyed", which the representatives of the Chud were dubbed, is also a mystery. Some believe that the white-eyed Chud is because it lives underground, where there is no sunlight, while others believe that in the old days, gray-eyed or blue-eyed people were called white-eyed. Wonderfully white-eyed, how mythological character, found in the folklore of the Komi and Sami, as well as the Mansi, Siberian Tatars, Altaians and Nenets. To explain it in a nutshell, the white-eyed miracle is a vanished civilization. Following these beliefs, the legendary white-eyed Chud lived in the north of the European part of Russia and the Urals. Descriptions of this tribe include descriptions of short people who live in caves and deep underground. In addition, chud, chud, shud - a monster, and meant a giant, often a cannibal giant with white eyes. People who, with the adoption of Christianity in Rus', did not accept the new religion and went underground are often called miracles. Thus, it turns out that the white-eyed Chud is a demonized tribe that did not accept Christianity and is therefore considered unclean.
One of the legends, which was recorded in the village of Afanasyevo, Kirov region, says: " And when other people began to appear along the Kama, this miracle did not want to communicate with them. They dug a large hole, and then cut down the pillars and buried themselves. This place is called - Peipus Coast". The mistress of the copper mountain, the tale of which was told to us by the Russian writer P.P. Bazhov, is considered by many to be one of that same Chudi.
Judging by the legends, a meeting with representatives of the white-eyed miracle, who sometimes appeared out of nowhere, came out of caves, appeared in the fog, could bring good luck to some and misfortune to others. They live underground, where they ride dogs and herd mammoths or earthen deer. The mythical representatives of the white-eyed miracle are considered to be good and skilled blacksmiths, metallurgists and excellent warriors, which can be compared with the belief of the Scandinavian tribes in gnomes, who are also short in stature, are good warriors and skilled blacksmiths. Chud white-eyed (they are also Sirtya, Sikhirtya) can steal a child, cause damage, and scare a person. They know how to suddenly appear and disappear just as suddenly.
Testimonies from missionaries, researchers and travelers have been preserved about the earthen settlements of Chud. For the first time, A. Shrenk spoke about orphans in 1837, who discovered Chud caves with the remains of a certain culture in the lower reaches of the Korotaikha River. Missionary Benjamin wrote: " The Korotaikha River is remarkable for its abundance of fisheries and Chud earthen caves, in which, according to Samoyed legends, Chud once lived in ancient times. These caves are ten miles from the mouth, on the right bank, on a slope, which from ancient times was called Sirte-sya in Samoyed - “Chudskaya Mountain”". I. Lepekhin wrote in 1805: " The entire Samoyed land in the Mezen district is filled with desolate dwellings of the once ancient people. They are found in many places: near lakes, on the tundra, in forests, near rivers, made in mountains and hills like caves with openings like doors. In these caves they found ovens and found fragments of iron, copper and clay household items.". This same question was once puzzled by V.N. Chernetsov, who wrote about the Chud in his reports of 1935-1957, where he collected many legends. In addition, he discovered monuments of the Sirtya in Yamal. Thus, the existence of a tribe that really once existed in these places, it is documented. The Nenets, whose ancestors witnessed the existence of a mysterious tribe in these places, claim that it went underground (into the hills), but did not disappear. And to this day you can meet people of small stature and with. with white eyes, and this meeting most often does not bode well.
After the Chud went underground, after other tribes came to their lands, whose descendants live here to this day, they left many treasures. These treasures are enchanted and, according to legend, only the descendants of the miracle itself can find them. These treasures are guarded by miracle spirits, who appear in a variety of guises, for example, a hero on a horse, a bear, a hare and others. Due to the fact that many would like to penetrate the secrets of the underground inhabitants and take possession of untold riches, some are still taking various steps to search for these caches full of gold and jewelry. There are legends, tales and tales about daredevils who decided to search for miracle treasures. great amount. All, or most of them, end, alas, in tears for the main characters. Some of them die, others remain crippled, others go crazy, and others go missing in a dungeon or caves.
He also writes about the legendary miracle Roerich in his book "Heart of Asia". There he describes his meeting with an Old Believer in Altai. This man took them to a rocky hill where there were stone circles of ancient burials and, showing them to the Roerich family, told the following story: " This is where Chud went underground. When the White Tsar came to Altai to fight and as the white birch blossomed in our region, Chud did not want to stay under the White Tsar. Chud went underground and blocked the passages with stones. You can see their former entrances yourself. But Chud is not gone forever. When the happy time returns and people from Belovodye come and give great science to all the people, then Chud will come again, with all the treasures obtained". A year earlier (1913) of these events, Nicholas Roerich, being an excellent artist, painted the painting “The Chud went underground.” Be that as it may, the mystery of the Chud tribe still remains open. The official history in the person of archaeologists, ethnographers, and local historians believe Chud are ordinary tribes, for example, Ugrians, Khanty, Mansi, who were not different in anything special and left their habitats due to the arrival of other tribes on their lands. Others consider the White-Eyed Chud to be a great people who have the gift of magic and magic, who live deeply. in caves and underground cities, which from time to time appear on the surface to warn people, warn, punish or protect their treasures, the hunters for which will never decrease.
"“But somewhere to this day,” says Vasily, “the Lapps believe not in Christ, but in “chud.” Eat high mountain, from where they throw deer as a sacrifice to the god. There is a mountain where a noid (sorcerer) lives, and deer are brought there to him. There they cut them with wooden knives, and hang the skin on poles. The wind shakes her, her legs move. And if there is moss or sand below, then the deer seems to be walking. Vasily has met such a deer more than once in the mountains. Just like alive! It's scary to watch. And it can be even more terrible when in winter a fire sparkles in the sky and the abysses of the earth open, and monsters begin to emerge from the graves."
Chud Zavolochskaya- this is the ancient pre-Slavic population of Zavolochye, which to this day is in some way historical mystery. This term was put into use by the 11th century chronicler Nestor in The Tale of Bygone Years. Listing peoples in your work of Eastern Europe, he named this nation among other Finno-Ugric tribes of that time: “...in the Afetov part there are Rus, Chud and all the pagans: Merya, Muroma, Ves, Mordva, Zavolochskaya Chud, Perm, Pechera, Yam, Ugra”
Residence map of Chudi Zavolochskaya.
Historians claim that they were an unliterate people and did not leave behind them any chronicles or any other documents.
They did not survive as a people, they did not leave their customs or language to this day, the Chud disappeared without a trace among the Russian newcomers and neighboring peoples. Only legends and names once given to the rivers and lakes among which they lived remind us of the Chud tribes.
We know that the people, called the Chud of Zavolotsk by the Novgorodians, lived in the basins of the Mezen and northern Dvina rivers, along the banks of the Luza, South, and Pushma. In terms of language and culture, the Chud belonged to the Finno-Ugric peoples. Once upon a time, Finno-Ugric peoples inhabited the entire northeast of Europe, the Urals and part of Asia.
They spoke a language close to the language of modern Vepsians and Karelians.
All information about the life, clothing and appearance of the Chud tribes is known only from the results archaeological excavations. Archaeologists usually search in areas with some “wonderful” name. They find either traces of a settlement, or a settlement, or a Chud burial ground - an ancient cemetery. Based on the finds, one can determine whether it was a Chud, or another Finno-Ugric tribe, or the Scandinavians and Slavs who came to this land later.
Chud and other Finns can be confidently distinguished from others by two types of finds: by the remains of their pottery and by jewelry. Pottery is usually molded without potter's wheel, manually, with thick walls, often it has not a flat, but a round bottom, because food was cooked in it not in stoves, but in hearths, over an open fire. The outside of such dishes is decorated with ornaments pressed into wet clay using sticks and special stamps; such an ornament is called pit-comb and is found only among the Finno-Ugric peoples.
These were people of average and above average height, presumably fair-haired and with light eyes, in appearance most reminiscent of modern Karelians and Finns.
Because of its appearance, there is another name for this people - white-eyed Chud.
The Chud tribes were masters of pottery and blacksmithing, and knew how to weave and process wood and bone. They were familiar with metal not so long ago: many tools made of bone and flint are found in settlements.
They lived by hunting and fishing. They were also engaged in agriculture, growing unpretentious northern crops: oats, rye, barley, flax. They kept domestic animals, although during excavations of settlements in Zavolochye they find more bones of wild animals than domestic ones. They hunted not only for meat, they also hunted fur-bearing animals. In those days, fur was in use along with money. It was also just a commodity; it was traded with Novgorod, and with Scandinavia, and with Volga Bulgaria.
In connection with the development of trade in Zavolochye, ancient portage routes arose. Most likely, they were laid not by Russian newcomers, but by the local population, and only then they were used by the Novgorodians and Ustyug residents.
Chud disappeared with the advent of Christianity. Their own religion was pagan.
All the legends about the miracle say something like this. Chud lived in the forest, in dugouts, and had her own faith. When they were asked to convert to Christianity, they refused. And when they wanted to baptize them by force, they dug a large hole and made an earthen roof on the pillars, and then everyone went in there, cut down the pillars, and they were covered with earth. So ancient miracle went underground.
In fact, the Chud of Zavolotsk shared the fate of the Finnish tribes, who disappeared among the Russian newcomers and neighboring peoples: the Muroms, Meri, Narovs, Meshchers, Vesi. They were all once mentioned in Russian chronicles next to the miracle. Some of them that resisted the Russian invasion were apparently exterminated; some accepted the Christian faith and merged with the Russian population, gradually losing their language and almost all customs; and a considerable part united with neighboring, largely related peoples.