Chinyaikha ( rus, Чиняиха), or Chinyayev, Chinyayevsky, is an island on
Lake Chany
Lake Chany (russian: озеро Чаны) is a lake in Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia.
The lake extends across five districts of Novosibirsk Oblast: Zdvinsky, Barabinsky, Chanovsky, Kupinsky and Chistoozyorny.
Geography
Lake Chany is one of t ...
, which is located in
Novosibirsk Oblast
Novosibirsk Oblast (russian: Новосиби́рская о́бласть, ''Novosibirskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast) located in southwestern Siberia. Its administrative and economic center is the city of Novosibirsk ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
.
Archaeological excavations
In 1928, Omsk archaeologist Varvara Levashova investigated two burial mounds and the ancient settlement on the island.
[Mermaids and lake folk – a mystery of clay toys of Chinyaevsky Island. Vecherny Novosibirsk. Русалки и озерный народец — загадка глиняных игрушек Чиняевского острова. Вечерний Новосибирск.](_blank)
November 22, 2019.
Clay toys
Fragments of children's clay toys are found on the island, which have a number of features: they are compressed vertically, the hands are pressed and folded on the stomach. The Chinyaev toy appeared in the 18th century as a folk memory of unusual creatures that, according to local legends, lived on the islands of Lake Chany. There are toys depicting birds, animals, mythological characters (
vodyanoy
In Slavic mythology, vodyanoy or vodyanoi ( rus, водяно́й, p=vədʲɪˈnoj; lit. ' efrom the water' or 'watery') is a water spirit. In Czech and Slovak fairy tales, it is called ''vodník'' (or in Germanized form: ), and it is conside ...
s,
rusalka
In Slavic folklore, the rusalka (plural: rusalky/rusalki; ; pl, rusałka}) is a typically feminine entity, often malicious toward mankind and frequently associated with water, with counterparts in other parts of Europe, such as the French Melus ...
s, the most fantastic forms of fish etc.). These toys have a terrible and gruff appearance. In 2014, the toy was presented at The First All-Russian Festival of Folk Culture in Sochi.
Legends
There are two versions of one legend about this island.
Legends of the Yarkul storyteller. Folk Chronicle of Novosibirsk Oblast. Легенды яркульской сказительницы. Народная летопись Новосибирской области.
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References
{{Reflist
Islands of Lake Chany