Udmurt Vos (
Udmurt: Удмурт Вӧсь, literally "Udmurt Faith") is the
ethnic religious revival of the
Udmurts
The Udmurts ( udm, Удмуртъёс, ) are a Permian ( Finnic) ethnic group in Eastern Europe, who speak the Udmurt language. In the course of history, Russian-speakers have referred to them as ' (), Otyaks, Wotyaks or Votyaks.
Etymology
The n ...
, a Finnic people inhabiting the
republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
of
Udmurtia
Udmurtia (russian: Удму́ртия, r=Udmúrtiya, p=ʊˈdmurtʲɪjə; udm, Удмуртия, ''Udmurtija''), or the Udmurt Republic (russian: Удмуртская Республика, udm, Удмурт Республика, Удмурт ...
in Russia. Among the Udmurts, as in other Finnic republics in the
Volga
The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the List of rivers of Europe#Rivers of Europe by length, longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Cas ...
region, the revival of
paganism
Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christianity, early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions ot ...
is inextricably intertwined with the revival of national-ethnic culture and awareness.
[Filatov-Shchipkov, 1997, p. 177]
The Udmurtian Pagan revival circles sprang out of the ''Demen'' (Udmurt for "Society") movement which was established in December 1989 for the protection and restoration of the Udmurt ethnic culture. Udmurt Vos as an institution was founded in 1994.
According to 2012 statistics, 2% of the population of
Udmurtia
Udmurtia (russian: Удму́ртия, r=Udmúrtiya, p=ʊˈdmurtʲɪjə; udm, Удмуртия, ''Udmurtija''), or the Udmurt Republic (russian: Удмуртская Республика, udm, Удмурт Республика, Удмурт ...
adheres to forms of Paganism.
Victor Schnirelmann
Victor Alexandrovich Schnirelmann (russian: Виктор Александрович Шнирельман, b. 18 May 1949, Moscow; frequently spelled Shnirelman in his English-language publications) is a Russian historian, ethnologist and a member o ...
reported an adherence of 4% for the Udmurts alone.
Etymology
The
Udmurt word ''vös’'' means "prayer", "sacrifice", "religion", "faith" and as a root derives many other words in the Udmurt language, among which ''vös’as’kon'' meaning "prayer", "sacrifice", ''vös’as’'' meaning "priest", and the verbs ''vös’any'' meaning "to pray", "to sacrifice", "to hallow", ''vös’as’kyny'' that means "to pray", "to beg", and ''vös’atyny'' meaning "to sacrifice".
History
The first date in the history of
Christianisation
Christianization (American and British English spelling differences#-ise.2C -ize .28-isation.2C -ization.29, or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of ...
of the Udmurts is 1557, when
Ivan the Terrible
Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584.
Ivan ...
conferred privileges on baptised Udmurt families by imperial deed.
However, tough attempts to convert all the Udmurts were undertaken only in the middle of the 18th century, when the government began to implement measures to Christianise the population, sending missionaries who built churches and schools. Pagans were repressed, and sacred groves, prayer sites and pagan burial grounds were destroyed.
Various attempts to restore the Udmurt native religion emerged, for example the movement of the "Lime-Tree Worshippers" in 1849.
[Filatov-Shchipkov, 1997, p. 178] However, in contrast to the
Mari, the Udmurt Pagans did not display any tendency to centralise or formalise their religion.
After 1917 began a short period of national reawakening, the Udmurt Republic was created and an active national intelligentsia took shape. This helped a revival of the Udmurt Vos.
However, with the 1930s' rise of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
the Udmurt intelligentsia was almost entirely destroyed, the high priests were declared enemies of the people and subjected to cruel repression, worship was forbidden, rural holy places, temples and family shrines were destroyed, and sacred groves were uprooted.
By the ''
perestroika
''Perestroika'' (; russian: links=no, перестройка, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg) was a political movement for reform within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s widely associated wit ...
'' period, the Udmurts had very high levels of
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
and suicide, and low birth rates. Moreover,
Russification
Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...
proceeded steadily.
In the late 1980s and the early 1990s ethno-national and cultural identity reawakened, and despite the significant Christianisation the Udmurt national movement was entirely outside the framework of
Eastern Orthodoxy
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first m ...
, and even hostile to it.
The Udmurt native religion became the basis of the national movement, and in 1994 a group of
Izhevsk
Izhevsk (russian: Иже́вск, p=ɪˈʐɛfsk; udm, Ижкар, ''Ižkar'', or , ''Iž'') is the capital city of Udmurtia, Russia. It is situated along the Izh River, west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. It is the 21st-largest city i ...
intellectuals, artists, writers, scholars and entrepreneurs founded the Udmurt Vos as an institution and mass association.
[Filatov-Shchipkov, 1997, p. 179] Genuine high priests were sought, and Vasili Maksimov, a simple peasant from an Udmurt village in
Tatarstan
The Republic of Tatarstan (russian: Республика Татарстан, Respublika Tatarstan, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə tətɐrˈstan; tt-Cyrl, Татарстан Республикасы), or simply Tatarstan (russian: Татарстан, tt ...
, became the head of the new church.
[Filatov-Shchipkov, 1997, p. 180] National worship services were organised (a thing that had never happened before), and since that time these have been held yearly in different regions of the republic.
Theory
According to the theologians of the Udmurt Vos, the whole of nature is determined by the
numinous
Numinous () is a term derived from the Latin ''numen'', meaning "arousing spiritual or religious emotion; mysterious or awe-inspiring."Collins English Dictionary -7th ed. - 2005 The term was given its present sense by the German theologian and ph ...
presence of divinity, gods and spirits.
Existence has three basic levels: the cosmic, in which the central divinity Inmar takes first place; that of the aerial elements, the heavens, in which Kvaz' is dominant; and the earthly creation, the world of creatures, in which Kelchin' is dominant. Alongside the hierarchy of Inmar, Kvaz' and Kelchin', there is Lud (the world tree), the genius (breeder) of all spirits, which is neither good nor evil.
The dead actually live in another world which is a perfect mirror of our own.
According to another source (Taagepera), traditional Udmurt Vos theory follows patterns similar to the
Mari one, but in contrast to the Mari, female deities dominate. In-Mumy (Mother of the Heavens), Shundy-Mumy (Sun Mother) and (Gudyry-Mumy) are the chief deities. Male deities of the aerial sphere are Inmar (
god of the sky and air), Töl-Peri (
wind
Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...
) and Kwaz (
weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmosphere, the ...
). Earthly and chthonic gods are mostly male; they include Nulesmurt (forest man), Kyldysin (fertility and procreation), Invu (waters), and Vorshud (genius of the kins and
genius loci).
[Taagepera p. 278]
According to the movement's leaders, peoples who have renounced their own gods have no future, because their spiritual betrayal has led to deep injury of the people's soul.
They point to the
Japanese people
The are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Japanese archipelago."人類学上は,旧石器時代あるいは縄文時代以来,現在の北海道〜沖縄諸島(南西諸島)に住んだ集団を祖先にもつ人々。" () Jap ...
, who have preserved their popular faith, as a model of better prospects.
Only peoples who find in themselves the strength to take the step of returning to their roots have any prospect for the future.
One of the first Slavic
Rodnover
The Slavic Native Faith, commonly known as Rodnovery
* bg, Родноверие, translit=Rоdnoverie
* bs, Rodnovjerje
* mk, Родноверие, translit=Rodnoverie
* cz, Rodnověří
* hr, Rodnovjerje
* pl, Rodzimowierstwo; Rodzima ...
communities, the ''Tur'', first appeared in
Izhevsk
Izhevsk (russian: Иже́вск, p=ɪˈʐɛfsk; udm, Ижкар, ''Ižkar'', or , ''Iž'') is the capital city of Udmurtia, Russia. It is situated along the Izh River, west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. It is the 21st-largest city i ...
in 1994.
It is difficult to say whether or not the propaganda of Udmurt Vos played any role in its origin, but the leaders of the Udmurt Vos welcomed its appearance.
Practices
Some villages of followers of Udmurt Vos are organised to have sacrificial groves called ''lud'' in
Udmurt[Lintrop, 2002, p. 44] where often are located the "large temples" (''byd’z’ym kuala'', "large prayer house"), special buildings for worship dedicated to the spirit breeder-generator of the kin, whose worship comprises both the ideas of
genius generis and
genius loci. Both of them are connected in the Udmurt notion ''vorshud'' (formed by ''vordyny'', meaning "to hold", "to contain" plus ''shud'' meaning "happiness", "luck").
[Lintrop, 2002, 44]
The "little temple" (''pichi''/''pokchi kuala'') is a kind of worship building located in the yard of each family that maintains the large prayer house. The clergy is made up of priests (''vös’as’'', ''vösias''), local religious authorities elected amongst the males of the community for organising and performing prayers and sacrifices. They must be married and healthy, both mentally and physically.
Some of these priests may become high-priests (''tuno'').
Prayers are called ''kuriskon''.
Udmurt Vos in Tataria and Bashkiria
Northern
Tatarstan
The Republic of Tatarstan (russian: Республика Татарстан, Respublika Tatarstan, p=rʲɪsˈpublʲɪkə tətɐrˈstan; tt-Cyrl, Татарстан Республикасы), or simply Tatarstan (russian: Татарстан, tt ...
and
Bashkortostan
The Republic of Bashkortostan or Bashkortostan ( ba, Башҡортостан Республикаһы, Bashqortostan Respublikahy; russian: Республика Башкортостан, Respublika Bashkortostan),; russian: Респу́блик ...
were in ancient times areas of settlement of the Udmurt people. Many Udmurt villages are divided in these two republics. Over the centuries Udmurts there were subjected to enforced
Islamisation
Islamization, Islamicization, or Islamification ( ar, أسلمة, translit=aslamāh), refers to the process through which a society shifts towards the religion of Islam and becomes largely Muslim. Societal Islamization has historically occurre ...
by the dominating
Tatars
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different and
Bashkirs
, native_name_lang = bak
, flag = File:Bashkirs of Baymak rayon.jpg
, flag_caption = Bashkirs of Baymak in traditional dress
, image =
, caption =
, population = approx. 2 million
, popplace ...
, but they preserved strong national consciousness and Pagan faith.
[Filatov-Shchipkov, 1997, p. 181] In recent times pan-Udmurt worship services have taken place annually in
Bashkortostan
The Republic of Bashkortostan or Bashkortostan ( ba, Башҡортостан Республикаһы, Bashqortostan Respublikahy; russian: Республика Башкортостан, Respublika Bashkortostan),; russian: Респу́блик ...
, and they have been subject of repression by
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
authorities.
References
Bibliography
* Schnirelmann, Victor:
“Christians! Go home”: A Revival of Neo-Paganism between the Baltic Sea and Transcaucasia'. Journal of Contemporary Religion, Vol. 17, No. 2, 2002.
* Aado Lintrop.
The Spring Prayer Feasts in the Udmurt Village of Varklet-Bodya in Tatarstan'. ''Cosmos'' 18 (2002). pp. 43–55
* Rein Taagepera. ''The Finno-Ugric Republics and the Russian State''. C. Hurst & Co, UK, 1999.
* Filatov, Sergei; Shchipkov Alexander.
Udmurtia: Orthodoxy, Paganism, Authority'. Religion, State & Society, Vol. 25, No. 2, 1997
External links
Udmurt Voswebsite
{{Neopaganism
European shamanism
Modern paganism in Russia
Udmurt culture
Udmurt people
Uralic modern paganism