The article discusses a horn amulet cut from a broken comb with a drawn pattern. It presents a well-known plot with a horseman, a bird of prey and luminaries, both from medieval images of the Urals and from ethnographic materials. Most authors compare it with the image of the sky rider, a cultural hero, a character in the Ob Ugrian mythology. The unique drawing on the amulet is that the rider is shown jumping through the sky, and not on the ground, as in all known images. This composition illustrates the narrative of myths about how the hero "travels around the world at the height of clouds." The drawing on the amulet complements our understanding of the peculiarities of the formation of the cult of the heavenly horseman among the Ugric peoples of the Urals and Western Siberia.

Keywords: Perm Krai, Rozhdestvenskoe gorodishche, medieval period, amulet, image of a horseman, Mir-susne-hum, Ugric mythology.

The largest medieval monument of the Perm Region is the Rozhdestvensky archaeological complex (two ancient settlements, an undefended posad, and two burial grounds) on the Obva River. The central place in it is occupied by the Rozhdestvenskoye settlement , a trade and craft proto-city of the late IX-XIV centuries, which corresponds to the well-known town of Afkula from Arabic written sources (Belavin and Krylasova, 2008). As in any medieval city, the population here was multiethnic: local Finno-Ugric (mainly Ugric) - carriers of the Lomovatovo-Rodanov culture, artisans and merchants from Volga Bulgaria, immigrants from neighboring Finno-Ugric territories, from Northwestern Russia, etc.

In 1992, a very interesting horn amulet was discovered at the excavation of the V Rozhdestvensky settlement in the upper layer of the XII-XIV centuries. At first, it was interpreted as a "square amulet with a carved head", referring to the Bulgarian charms-amulets [Belavin, 2000, p. 123, fig. 61, 11], which became widespread due to the Islamization of society, had Arabic prototypes and served as rosary separators [Zakieva, 1988, p.235]. Then this object was assigned to the group of amulets-combs, widely represented in the Urals [Krylasova, 2004, p. 55, Fig. 1, 17]. The find was stored in the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography of the Urals of Perm State University for 15 years. And once, during the next disassembly of the collection in a certain light, a semi-erased drawn drawing was accidentally noticed on the object, including a composition with a rider [Belavin and Krylasova, 2008, p. 399, Fig. 194, 22; 195].

The amulet is a sub-trapezoidal horn plate (width 2.2-2.7 cm, height 2.5, thickness 0.6 cm) with a diamond - shaped finial (Fig. 1). Along the lower edge on both sides there are short vertical notches, which gave reason to assume that this object is an imitation of a comb (Krylasova, 2004). However, over time, we began to view their origin differently. It is probably more logical to assume that the amulet was cut from a broken comb, as indirectly indicated by the presence of a horizontal strip along the incisions on the reverse side of the object. Such bands, are-

page 58

Fig. 1. Horn amulet from the Rozhdestvensky settlement.

Figure 2. Drawing the amulet.

Most of the known bone ridges of the Permian Pre-Urals are marked for cutting teeth. Moreover, most likely, the secondary product was made for the sake of preserving the drawing that was available on the subject. Plot drawn drawings are known on the ridges from the settlements of Idnakar and Anyushkar. Two Idnakar zoomorphic crests feature compositions with anthropomorphic figures. One of them, according to researchers, has a dynamic plot: fighting anthropomorphic creatures with crossed clubs (between swastika figures); the other shows "an anthropomorphic figure in a solemn pose" (Ivanova, 1998, p. 170, Fig.70, 1, 13). On a trapezoid ridge from the Anyushkar hillfort, G. T. Lenz saw "an image of a horseman against a mountain background with unclear foreground details" [2004, p. 71, Fig. 7, 1].

The composition drawn on the front side of the amulet under consideration (Fig. 2) includes an image of a rider galloping to the right heraldic side (to the left of the viewer), followed by a bird of prey. Under the horse's feet is a support in the form of a horizontal line. The human figure is very conventional, and this is not surprising with such a small scale of the drawing. You can see that he is sitting astride in the usual position of a rider, the torso is slightly thrown back, the raised arms are spread out to the sides. The right one is raised a little higher, and there was probably some object in it, the image of which was partially erased. At the bottom of the composition, the sun is shown under a horizontal line and to the right of it is the moon, or rather, a crescent moon. Above the figure of the rider in an arc are two parallel lines made with short dashed strokes. In the upper-left corner of the plate is an image that can be interpreted as a bird flying up (swan, goose)or as a bow and arrow drawn. In addition to the main composition, there are several other signs on the amulet. On the reverse side, approximately in the center, you can see a fuzzy image that resembles a cross with the ends curving to the right (a kind of swastika?On the diamond-shaped protrusion for tying the lace, crosses are drawn on both sides, most likely being marks for a hole that for some reason was not drilled. But we can not completely exclude the possible symbolic meaning of these signs.

The composition is of considerable interest in terms of developing our ideas about the content of myths, the main character of which is the Horseman. His images are recorded on a wide range of various objects that spread in the Middle Ages on both sides of the Urals. The first people with whom the rider in the drawing under consideration evokes associations are "falconers" - images of riders with a hunting bird. The earliest of them, according to N. V. Fedorova, are recorded on silver dishes of the so-called Hungarian-Ural group of the IX-X centuries, produced somewhere in the Urals [2003, pp. 141-143]. But, probably, at the same time or even a little earlier in the Permian Urals, cult cast plaques appeared, where the figures of horsemen were also accompanied by images of birds of prey (for example: [Oborin, 1976, N 57]). Moreover, one of them shows the sun placed in front of the horse. These plaques, in turn, correlate with cast pendants of the IX-XI centuries, known in historiography as "the rider on the snake" (Smirnov, 1952, pp. 268-270; Golubeva, 1979, Table 16; Ryabinin, 1981, tab. IX; X, 1; Chindina, 1991, fig. 30, 9-13]. But most of all, the similarity in the elements of the composition can be traced with objects defined as "badges with a falconer", "medallions with a hunting plot" (Belavin, 2004). They, like the amulet under consideration, depict a rider, a bird of prey, the sun and a crescent moon (Fig. 3). In most images, the rider holds a horn in his raised left hand [Ibid., pp. 335-336]. It is possible that such a horn was in the hand of the rider in the drawing under consideration. And finally, a similar, albeit highly stylized image

page 59

Fig. 3. Badge with "falconer". Perm Region, poaching fees 2002

Fig. 4. Sacrificial blanket of the Seung Khanty with the image of horsemen (according to: [Seung Khanty, 2005, p. 223]).

It is represented in ethnographic materials on the sacrificial veils of the yalpyng-ulam of the Ob Ugrians (Fig. 4) (Gemuev and Baulo, 2001; Sinskiye Khanty, 2005).

What is the uniqueness of the composition on the amulet? First, the location of the stars attracts attention. If on the badges with the "falconer" they are placed above the figure of the rider (most often the sun on the right, the moon on the left), then in the composition under consideration they are located at the bottom, under the base on which the horse stands, the sun on the left, the moon on the right. Secondly, in most of the images (with the exception of the iconic plaques), the bird sits calmly on the crook of the rider's elbow, and in our drawing it flies behind the horse, as if catching up with the rider. Third, the rider's figure is usually (with rare exceptions) oriented to the right of the viewer, and here-to the left.

Considering the images that we have attracted as analogs, most authors (especially in publications of recent years) compare them with the image of the sky rider, a cultural hero. A similar character can be found in the mythology of various peoples of the Urals and Western Siberia. However, the presence of a number of specific attributes on the images of horsemen allowed researchers to quite justifiably compare them with the most relevant character in the Ob Ugric mythology, known by many names, of which Mir-susne-hum is more commonly used - "A man (man) inspecting the world" or "A man overseeing the world" (Gemuev and Baulo, 2001 Belavin, 2004; Kazakov, 2007, p. 27]. We will not go into all the details of the characteristics of this image, as well as arguments that allow us to correlate it with well-known medieval images, since this topic is well developed in historiography. We will touch on only one point directly related to the composition on the amulet. In beliefs and ritual poetry, Mir-susne-hum is depicted as a rider on a white (sometimes winged) horse, circling the world at the height of clouds, this is the "king of walking clouds" [Myths..., 1990, p. 18]. It was believed that he travels around the universe every day, instructing people on the right path, helping those who live righteously, punishing the guilty. Therefore, he is also called Ma-yehne-hum - "A man who goes around the earth", Vit-yehne-hum - "A man who goes around the water" [Gemuev, 1990, p. 191]. According to the beliefs of the Ob Ugrians, "when Mir-susne-hum wishes to descend to earth during his detours, his servants first place four metal plates with the image of the sun's sun on the horse's feet" (Gondatti, 1888, p. 4). 19], which must be found in Ugric sanctuaries. In all the still-known images, the rider is undoubtedly on the ground: the stars above his head, at his feet - various animals. And in the composition on the amulet, we see it directly at the moment of traveling through the sky, above the luminaries. Perhaps this is why the figure is oriented differently in the direction of the sun. As already mentioned, a horizontal line is drawn under the horse's hooves, i.e. the rider does not jump through the air, but through some firmament. This can be explained from the standpoint of Ob-Ugric mythology. According to Mansi ideas, the sky consists of three tiers, according to Khanty - from seven. It is connected to the ground by a hole [Mifi..., 1990, p. 16]. In each tier of the sky, a certain firmament is implied, along one of which the rider rides,

page 60
depicted on the amulet. Thus, this composition is another piece of the mosaic that complements our understanding of the peculiarities of the formation of the cult of the heavenly horseman among the Ugric peoples of the Urals and Western Siberia.

It is interesting to understand what kind of images are placed in the composition above the rider. Two parallel arc-shaped lines marked with dotted lines are associated with something ephemeral, barely distinguishable. In folklore, there is a mention of the Milky Way, which the Lower Kondinsky Mansi called "The Trail of the Small Prince's skis". The Lesser Prince (Vis-otyr) is a famous patron spirit, to whom, like Mir-susna-khum, horses were sacrificed [Mythology..., 2001, pp. 44-45]. Ethnographers have long noted the presence of many parallels of Ugric mythology with Iranian, in particular with Mithraism. The supreme deity of the ancient Iranians, Zrvan. The Armenian exact phonetic correspondence of the basis of the Iranian name Zrvan-tzër means "circle, arch, firmament and the great arch that encircles the Milky Way sky" (Gemuyev, 1990, p. 191). In this description, we are exclusively interested in the Milky Way, which is represented as an arch encircling the firmament, its borders. Therefore, above the dotted lines in our drawing, there is already space. There we see a figure that looks more like a bow with a drawn string and arrow, although it can also be perceived as a flying bird. The general context of the composition allows us to interpret this element as a constellation. However, if we interpret it as a flying waterfowl, we can assume that this image is one of the most common hypostases of Mir-susne-huma - goose.

Such archaeological finds show what interesting prospects in terms of studying the formation of mythology can still be expected by researchers. And the fruitful cooperation of ethnographers and archaeologists will help both to decipher and" revive " objects found in the ground that once had a special significance, and to understand the rudiments of traditional ideas that have been preserved in modern culture, but have lost their explanation.

List of literature

Belavin A.M. Kama Trade Route: Medieval Pre-Urals in its Economic and Ethno-cultural relations. Perm: Perm State Pedagogical University . un-t, 2000. - 200 p.

Belavin A.M. K voprosu ob izobrazheniyakh Mir-susne-khum iz Prikamya i Zaural'ya [On the issue of images of Mir-susne-khum from the Kama region and the Trans-Urals]. Udmurtskoi arkheologicheskoi expeditsii-50 let: mat-ly Vseros. nauch. konferentsii-Izhevsk, 2004, pp. 331-339.

Belavin A.M., Krylasova N. B. Ancient Afkula: an archaeological complex near the village of Rozhdestvensk. - Perm: Perm State University. ped. un-t Publ., 2008, 603 p. (in Russian)

Gemuev I. N. Mirovozzrenie mansi: Dom i Kosmos [Mansi Worldview: Home and Space]. Novosibirsk: Nauka Publ., 1990, 232 p. (in Russian)

Gemuev I. N., Baulo A.V. The Heavenly Horseman: Sacrificial veils of Mansi and Khanty. Novosibirsk: Publishing House of IAET SB RAS, 2001, 160 p.

Golubeva L. A. Zoomorphic ornaments of the Finno-Ugric peoples, Nauka Publ., 1979, 112 p. (SAI; issue E1-59).

Gondatti, N. L., Traces of pagan beliefs among non-native peoples of North-Western Siberia, Moscow: [Tip. Potapova], 1888. - 91 p.

Zakieva I. A. Kostoreznoe delo Bolgar [Bone-cutting business of a Bulgarian]. Gorod Bolgar: Ocherki craft'noy deyatel'nosti [The City of Bulgarians: Essays on craft activity], Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1988, pp. 220-243.

Ivanova M. G. Idnakar: Drevneudmurtskoe gorodishche IX-XIII vv. - Izhevsk: UDIIYAL UrB RAS, 1998. - 294 p.

Kazakov E. P. Volga Bulgarians, Ugrs and Finns in the IX-XIV centuries: problems of interaction. Kazan: Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan, 2007, 208 p.

Krylasova N. B. Combs from the materials of the Rozhdestvensky settlement on the Obva river as an indicator of ethno-cultural relations // Ways of medieval merchants: collection of materials of the "round table" in the framework of the International Conference on Trade and Commerce. (XVI Ural) archeol. the second one. Perm, 2004, pp. 47-57.

Lentz G. T. Grebni gorodishcha Anyushkar / / Putiami srednevekovykh torgovtsev: sb. mat-lov "kruglogo stolya" v ramkakh Mezhdunar. (XVI Ural) archeol. the second one. Perm, 2004, pp. 58-78.

Mansi Mythology: An Encyclopedia of Ural Mythologies. Novosibirsk: Publishing House of IAET SB RAS, 2001, vol. 2, 196 p.

Mifi, predaniya, skazki khanty i mansi [Myths, legends, fairy tales of the Khanty and Mansi], Moscow: Nauka Publ., 1990. - 568 p. Oborin V. A. Ancient art of the peoples of the Kama region: Perm animal style. Perm: Kn. izd-vo, 1976, 190 p. (in Russian)

Ryabinin E. A. Zoomorphic ornaments of Ancient Russia of the X-XIV centuries. - L.: Nauka, 1981. - 124 p. - (SAI; issue E1-60).

Smirnov A. P. Ocherki drevnoi i srednevekovoi istorii narodov Srednego Povolzhya i Prikamya [Essays on the ancient and medieval history of the peoples of the Middle Volga and Kama region].

Syn Khanty / ed. by A.V. Baulo. Novosibirsk: Izd-vo IAET SB RAS, 2005, 352 p. (in Russian)

Fedorova N. V. Torevtika Volzhskoy Bulgarii: Serebryannye izdeliya X-XIV vv. iz zauralskikh kollektsii [Torevtics of Volga Bulgaria: Silver products of the X-XIV centuries from Trans-Ural collections] // Tr. of the Kama archaeological and ethnographic expedition. Perm: Perm State Pedagogical University . un-t, 2003, issue 3, pp. 138-153.

Chindina L. A. History of the Middle Ob region in the Early Middle Ages. - Vol. s k: Publishing House of the Tomsk State University, 1991. - 182 p.

The article was submitted to the Editorial Board on 15.01.09.

page 61

Permanent link to this publication: