John Abercromby.

“ The earth bends as she walks along, and should she tread on a stone the print of her foot remains behind. Occasionally she is seen on earth, sometimes in the shape of a great white bird with a golden tail, dropping seed from its golden beak upon the fields and pastures; sometimes in the form of a snow-white dove that showers down flowers for bees to gather honey from and grains of corn for her beloved hens. For the most part men only see the shadow of this benevolent divinity, when she is going to look at the meadows. ”

“ Nishki Pas, Svyet Vereshki Velen Pas, protect us. Ange Patyai Pas, mother, most holy mother of God, pray for us."
The names of the divinities are pronounced slowly, but the words "have mercy upon us, defend us, protect us, pray for us," are slurred over quickly and imperfectly. The prayer is repeated several times, and meanwhile the vosatya descends from the tree and stands on the table, or on the seat at the foot of it. On one side of the seat is the barrel of beer (puré) called "the sovereign's barrel," as it is an offering for the welfare of the sovereign. ”

“ Every child has one who watches over its health. From other sparks every dwelling has obtained its own Karda syarko ozais, who keeps the household and the domestic animals from all harm, whose office it is to maintain family peace and the general welfare of the home. It dwells in the middle of the court-yard in a hole under a stone which is called after it, Karda syarko (the stall nit) . This divinity is assisted by Yurma ozais who protects the household goods ; Kyolyada ozais (birch tree ozais) , who protects the cattle, especially Ange Patyai's favourite animals, sheep, pigs, and hens. ”

“ He dwells in the sky, but how no one exactly knows. He rules the earth, and all creation takes its origin from him, even the good and evil spirits. Though he is the creator and protector of the universe, he arranges everything by means of ministerial gods and goddesses. Cham Pas loves what he has made, and from him all good issues. But, that men should not forget him, he allowed Shaitan to create evil beings, and placed them in morasses and deep waters. If a man does anything against Cham Pas he allows him to be tormented by an evil spirit ”

“ On New Year's Eve the well-to-do, who have many pigs, slaughter one with almost the same ceremonies as on Christmas Eve. The destined pig is kept in a room till the other is killed on Christmas Eve. It is then taken to a separate sty, where it is fed till December 31, but a macerated bath-switch is not used on this occasion when it is slaughtered. Those who cannot afford to kill two pigs in close succession keep over from the kyolyada festival the trotters, as they are an obligatory article of food, in order to cook them on New Year's Eve. ”

“ According to the Mordvins, Ange Patyai lives both in the sky and on the earth. Her house is high up behind the clouds, and is filled with unborn human souls and with the growing corn on which wild and domestic animals are nourished. Thence she pours down on the earth the forces that sustain life, sometimes in the form of morning dew, sometimes as rain and snow, at other times as lightning. ”

“ The next creation of Cham Pas, after that of Shaitan, was Ange Patyai [4] (mother goddess) . She is the source of life, of begetting children, and of the fruitfulness of the earth. These two minor deities are equally powerful and are incessantly at war. Ange Patyai gave birth to four gods and four goddesses.
Her eldest son, Nishki Pas, [5] is god of the sky, the sun, of fire and light. He is the chief protector of bees. At his place in the sky there are many habitations, where the souls of good men live. ”

“ Ange Patyai is also well disposed towards onions and garlic. The former are, therefore, placed by the Mordvins under the pillows of sickly or restless children, who are also smoked with cloves of garlic. She does not like hops, as they have grown from a shoot given to man by Shaitan. The Mordvins, therefore, never use hopped beer at their festivals in her honour, but only pure, or wort mixed with honey. The birch is her favourite tree, because it is more fertile, and spreads more than other trees. No festival is held to her without eggs, millet, and birch trees. ”

“ He lived on the earth in the form of a man, and assisted the people in everything. If anyone became ill, Nishki Pas immediately cured him. If prayer was made to Cham Pas for rain or for dry weather the request was granted forthwith. Among men there was neither war nor strife, for Nishki Pas drove it all away by passing from village to village, and teaching men goodness. But Shaitan in his wickedness appeared to a certain old man, gave him a till-then-unknown plant, and said:
"Plant this shrub in the ground, and fence it round with long stakes, but don't say a word about it to Nishki Pas." ”

“ The beauty of the legs consists in their thickness and their firm gait. The women therefore bind several ells of fine well-bleached linen as smoothly as possible round their legs. They are noted for the briskness of their gait, always hold their heads well up, look straight before them, and never turn their eyes to the ground.
When the girls have collected enough eggs, butter, and meal, they start off, as evening approaches, for some river, watercourse, or spring near the village, carrying their bedizened birch trees, and singing as they step along. ”

“ All domestic animals are used for sacrifice, and the number slaughtered depends on how many families take part in the festival. There are no special ceremonies, but all must appear in holiday attire. The flesh of the animals is boiled in kettles, but the entrails, bones, &c., are thrown into the fire. When the meat is cooked it is cut up and eaten. Women are not allowed to be present. It was formerly the custom to hang up the hides on the trees in the keremet, but not now, as they were stolen by the Russian peasants. ”

“ On the eve of the festival, or on the eve of the Russian Semìk (the seventh Thursday after Easter) , the girls of all the villages assemble and go in procession from house to house, with wreaths on their heads, holding birch branches in their hands, and singing lustily to Ange Patyai for protection and to Nishki Pas to send them husbands. Men are not allowed to take part in this procession. If any reckless youth ventures to intrude upon their company they cuff and tickle him till he promises to buy them about a dozen fresh eggs. ”

“ According to their conception, there is a vast number of these beings or spirits, who, like mankind, increase by procreation. In every place there is some invisible divinity, who rules that portion of nature assigned to him. Though all sections of the Mordvins believe this, the notions of the Ersa and Moksha regarding the minor gods and their participation in the government of the world is dissimilar.
The Ersa and Teryukhans know that, when Cham Pas had resolved to create the world, he first created a spirit, almost like himself, to aid him in forming and ruling it. This was Shaitan. ”

“ During the summer festival girls and widows go about with fresh birch trees, but as these are not obtainable in winter the Mordvin women soften bath-switches of birch in boiling water, into which they put milk, a handful of millet, and break a few eggs. Some of the water is given, as we have seen, to the pig. Children's cradles are also washed with it, and women about to be confined are sprinkled with some. ”

“ Scarcely had he spoken this, when the sun at once became seven times darker than before ; the winter became seven times more severe ; the earth began to require cultivation with hard work, and after all gave but a small return, sometimes none at all ; added to which nearly all the cattle died. To maintain order among men, and to settle their disputes, Cham Pas then instituted kings or czars, princes and judges. He gave them power to imprison and flog men for their evil deeds, and for the worst kind of crimes to punish them with death. ”

“ If the person loses it he brings on himself many misfortunes and loses the favour of the goddess.
As millet is also dear to Ange Patyai, sick children are fed with millet groats boiled in sheep's milk. Similar groats are eaten by newly-married couples at their wedding, At the gatherings on the occasion of the birth of a child—nowadays at the christening—the midwife gives groats of this description to all present. Widows offer the same to Ange Patyai at "the festival of aged women." ”

“ They are placed on trees in the forest, where beehives are kept, that the bees may be more productive, and chickens are fed with them, accompanying the action with a prayer to the goddess, that they may become good layers of eggs when full-grown. These eggs are also eaten by barren women, and by those whose children have died young. If a plague has broken out among the cattle or other domestic animals, especially if the sheep die, such eggs are broken and scattered about the cow-houses, and the cattle are smoked with the burnt egg-shells and cloves of garlic. ”

“ When it rains the goddess is sprinkling down milk from her home in the sky, and if these "milk-drops" fall upon cows, their yield of milk is increased. Of all mammals the dearest to the goddess are sheep and pigs, from their greater reproductiveness. On this account the Mordvins offer up to her in summer a white sheep and in winter a pig, in lieu of hens and eggs.
Of agricultural products she especially loves millet and flax, as they yield more seed than other plants. ”

“ The rainbow is the hem of Nishki Pas' shirt, which his mother sewed for him. [25] If a woman is in the family-way and Ange Patyai is specially well-disposed towards her, she orders her daughter to weave a shirt for the infant, and sends it to the earth to the Ange ozais. Such children are born with a so-called "lucky cap." They are considered fortunate, and live all their lives in the goodwill of the goddess. ”

“ Men and young women of the same village now come on the scene, and something is given them to eat. The women then collect what remains and go home. In the districts of Alatirya, Kurmusha, and Ardatova, in the government of Simbirsk, the aged women, on their return home, bury one portion of the remains of the groats in the west corner of the sheep-pen, another portion they put under the Kardo syarko stone, and what is left they eat next day with the people of the house. A birch tree is placed in the sheep-pen, and perches for the hens are put in the branches. ”

“ Yurtava ozais is the special guardian spirit of the dwelling-room. The names of the deities recited by the yanbed vary according to whom it is proposed to sacrifice. The dwelling-rooms of the Mordvins were formerly somewhat differently constructed to those of the Russians. The fireplace was at the left-hand corner of the hack-wall, and therefore faced the door.
When the yanbed opens the door, the collectors enter the room and remain standing at the door, the one holding a vat, the other the knife, while they repeat prayers to Cham Pas, Ange Patyai, and Yurtava ozais. ”

“ They ask the pryavt on each occasion what day he will fix upon for holding a festival in honour of this or that divinity. Since the spread of Christianity, however, he has begun to inquire of Russian priests on what day the feast of this or that saint is celebrated. On this account Mordvin feast-days are now partly held at the same time as the Russians hold theirs; and the native divinities are getting confused with the saints of the orthodox Church. But the nature and character of each particular god determines the season of year in which he is fêted. ”

“ He took away its wings, and replaced them by bare pinions like those of Shaitan, and moreover gave it the same kind of shoulders as his.
Men increased exceedingly after the creation of the world. Then Cham Pas divided them into nations, giving each jiits language and religious belief. Men have one and the same God, but they believe in different fashions. A Mordvin says, as each tree in the forest has its peculiar foliage and blossom, so each people has its religious belief and language. All beliefs are acceptable to God, because he gave them himself ”

“ Then looking at the river or spring, they pray:
"Water, dear mother, give health to all baptized people. Whoever drinks thee, whoever eats, give him health; and to whoever bathes to him grant refreshment and joy. Give health also to the cattle that drink thee."
Approaching the food laid on the ground, they say:
"For thee, Lord! Take the pap, omelet, pancakes, and sour cream, but grant what we ask for. ”

“ The young married women, dressed in their best clothes, give from the window eggs garnished with cloves of garlick, pork sausages stuffed with millet groats, sweet pancakes of milk, butter, eggs, &c.; and the so-called kyolyangemen, or pies stuffed with millet, groats, and eggs, and made into the shape of sheep, pigs, and hens. The children put these donations into the sack. When they have made the round of the village they assemble in some room, set the great decorated bath-switch and the lighted candle in the front corner, and eat their supper. ”

“ He revenges himself on man by scourging them and their cattle with misery and diseases. Generally he lives in the forest, or in the small groves of oak or lime trees, which are termed keremets. He also frequents lakes, springs, watercourses, &c. If a village migrates, the keremet migrates also; if a portion only of the villagers takes their departure a new keremet is obtained from the mother-village keremet, for keremets marry and have offspring like the gods. Money is also offered to Keremet, who in this regard is termed silver or copper Keremet. ”

“ In the Ersa language a pig is called taun, in Moksha, tuon; [26] from this the name of the festival is derived. Mordvin influence on Russian customs is attested by the fact that the Russians, or rather the Russianised people of the governments of Ryazan, Vladimir, Tambof, the northern parts of Saratof, and in some parts of the governments of Penza and Samara, still preserve the Mordvin ceremonies of Taunsyai, under the name of tausen or avsen. ”