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THE CULT OF FIRE IN THE EVENS TRADITIONS
Abstract
Even, as well as other nations, traditional lifestyle, worshiped fire. According the belief of the Evens, the spirit of fire was called - Tov hinkenni (hinken muhon), consulted with him, "treated" after a successful hunt, or have been asked to them luck to home and the spirits of the locality took them well. The hearth was located in the midst of the tent, and in the way, hunting or fishing for cooking a fire was near the tent. Fireplace served as the sacred center of the home, the abode of the spirits of the house (Dew) and family (nimeer). To propitiate the lmistress of the fire they permanently maintain a fire in the tent, they sacrificed the most titbits (semse) of meat produced on the hunt animals slaughtered or home ritual deer. With the spirit of fire they consulted and talked, asked for protection and good luck in life. In turn, the spirit of their special fire crackling informed about the dangers of diseases, troubles and failures on the hunt. There were a number of prohibitions which are strictly complied with: do not defile the center, swear words against fire, to give the fire foreigner, incinerate sharp objects, to step through the fire (do this only allowed during a meeting of the sun and the New Year, when the heavenly gates opened once a year), spit in the fire. The fire was the patron and protector of the family, clan and tribe (Tegen). There were purification rites, which are aimed to removing a person, animal (domestic deer, including reindeer Kuday) or the subject of spiritual contamination.The tent (chum), household goods, hunting equipment, people were fumigated, throwing into the fire rosemary, thyme, rhododendron and other plants, fat or butter. To reflect the negative.
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References15
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