The paper summarizes research results on the subject of folk demonology, conducted by the author. On the basis of a large number of folklore and linguistic sources, etymological interpretation of naming of demons is given and mutual inter-textual relations, as well as local specificity of mythological views, associated with Yuletide-Christmas cycle, are examined. Evidently, calendar “plot” forms a basis, common to all micro-local traditions of the Komi people and it is manifested through clear relation with the given date, overall chronotopos of events and general demonic motifs. Probably, this basis can be dated back to the time of accession of the Orthodox calendar tradition into the folk culture of the Komi-Zyryans. However, there in the folklore of the Komi-Zyryans conception of Yuletide spirits is characterized with exceptional diversity and multiplicity. These demons appeared in special Yuletide game “of spirit’s banishment”, calendar ritual songs, even in the plots about spirits’ lamentation during Yuletide. Variation of the views is demonstrated by diversity of local nomenclature (over 30 variants of naming). Variants of names, related with the calendar terminology (“kuttya” — ritual grain pudding; “vezha” — term for Yuletide of the Komi language) reflect the most outward level of mythological views. Some local nominations of Yuletide spirits contain onomatopoeia and imitative meanings. Sphere of concepts over Yuletide spirits include specific mythological image of the Crackling Frost. It gets the most evident in the most northern local tradition of the Izhma Komi. The author presumes, that appearance of the Frost image was provided by folklore and linguistic reflection of weather parameters of the Yuletide. Due to semantic transformation, Yuletide turns into metonymic designation of frosty weather, activation of Yuletide spirit reflects exasperation of cold, “woody noise” denotes Yuletide frost metonymically, crackling sound of snap of twigs mark revival of the Spirit.
The paper summarizes research results on the subject of folk demonology, conducted by the author. On the basis of a large number of folklore and linguistic sources, etymological interpretation of naming of demons is given and mutual inter-textual relations, as well as local specificity of mythological views, associated with Yuletide-Christmas cycle, are examined. Evidently, calendar “plot” forms a basis, common to all micro-local traditions of the Komi people and it is manifested through clear relation with the given date, overall chronotopos of events and general demonic motifs. Probably, this basis can be dated back to the time of accession of the Orthodox calendar tradition into the folk culture of the Komi-Zyryans. However, there in the folklore of the Komi-Zyryans conception of Yuletide spirits is characterized with exceptional diversity and multiplicity. These demons appeared in special Yuletide game “of spirit’s banishment”, calendar ritual songs, even in the plots about spirits’ lamentation during Yuletide. Variation of the views is demonstrated by diversity of local nomenclature (over 30 variants of naming). Variants of names, related with the calendar terminology (“kuttya” — ritual grain pudding; “vezha” — term for Yuletide of the Komi language) reflect the most outward level of mythological views. Some local nominations of Yuletide spirits contain onomatopoeia and imitative meanings. Sphere of concepts over Yuletide spirits include specific mythological image of the Crackling Frost. It gets the most evident in the most northern local tradition of the Izhma Komi. The author presumes, that appearance of the Frost image was provided by folklore and linguistic reflection of weather parameters of the Yuletide. Due to semantic transformation, Yuletide turns into metonymic designation of frosty weather, activation of Yuletide spirit reflects exasperation of cold, “woody noise” denotes Yuletide frost metonymically, crackling sound of snap of twigs mark revival of the Spirit.
Batalova R.M., Krivoshchekova-Gatman A. S. (comp.) (1985) Komi-permyatsko-russkiy slovar’ [Komi-Permyak-Russian Dictionary]. Moscow. In Russian and in Komi.
Bondaletov V.D. (2004) V.I. Dal’ i taynye yazyki v Rossii [V.I. Dahl’ and Secret Languages of Russia]. Moscow. In Russian.
Chistalev P.I. (1980) Komi narodnye muzykal’nye instrumenty [Komi Folk Musical Instruments]. Syktyvkar. In Russian.
Dahl’ V. I. (1989) Slovar’ zhivogo velikorusskogo yazyka [Explanatory Dictionary of the Alive Great-Russian Language. In 4 vol.]. St. Petersburg. Vol. 3. In Russian.
Dahl’ V. I. (2001) Slovar’ zhivogo velikorusskogo yazyka [Explanatory Dictionary of the Alive Great-Russian Languag. In 4 vol.]. Moscow. Vol. 4. In Russian.
Filippova V.V., Kaneva T.S. (comp.) (2002) Traditsionnyy narodnyy kalendar’ komi: Materialy [Traditional Folk Calendar among the Komi. Materials]. Ed. by A.N. Vlasov. Syktyvkar. In Russian.
Kaneva T.S., Panyukov A.V., Savel’eva G. S. (2011) Kalendarno-obryadovyy fol’klor [Calendar Ritual Folklore]. Kompleksnyy atlas Respubliki Komi [Complex Atlas of the Komi Republic]. Syktyvkar. Pp. 406–408. In Russian.
Kokkonen P. (ed.) (2006) Syrjänische Texte. Gesammelt von T.E. Uotila. Helsinki. Bd. 5. In German and in Komi.
Kolegova N.A., Baraksanov G.G. (1980) Srednesysol’skiy dialekt komi yazyka [Middlecourse of Sysola the River Dialect of the Komi Language]. Moscow. In Russian.
Konakov N.D. (1993) Ot Svyatok do Sochel’nika: Komi traditsionnye kalendarnye obryady [From Yuletide to Christmas Eve: Komi Traditional Calendar Rituals]. Syktyvkar. In Russian.
Konakov N.D. (1999) Kuttya [“Kuttya” the Grain Pudding]. Mifologiya komi. Entsiklopediya ural’skikh mifologiy [Komi Mythology. Encyclopedia of Uralic Mythologies]. Moscow. Vol. І. Pp. 219–220. In Russian and in Komi.
Konakov N.D., Ulyashev O.I. (1999) Köch [The Hare]. Mifologiya komi. Entsiklopediya ural’skikh mifologiy [Komi Mythology. Encyclopedia of Uralic Mythologies]. Moscow. Vol. І. P. 209. In Russian and in Komi.
Kudryasheva V.M. (comp.) (1993) Komi narodnye primety [Komi Folk Omens]. Syktyvkar. In Russian.
Kuznetsov S.A. (ed.) (1998) Bol’shoy tolkovyy slovar’ russkogo yazyka [Big Explanatory Dictionary of Russian Language]. St. Petersburg. In Russian.
Limerov P.F. (1998) Mifologiya zagrobnogo mira [Mythology of the Otherworld]. Syktyvkar. In Russian.
Lytkin V.I., Gulyaev E.S. (1999) Kratkiy etimologicheskiy slovar’ komi yazyka [Brief Etymological Dictionary of the Komi Language]. Syktyvkar. In Russian and in Komi.
Morozov I.A., Sleptsova I.S., Gilyarova N.N., Chizhikova L.N. (2001) Ryazanskaya traditsionnaya kul’tura pervoy poloviny XX veka: Shatskiy etnodialektnyy slovar’ [Ryazan’ Traditional Culture of the 1st Half of the 20th Century: Shatsk Ethno-Dialect Dictionary]. Ryazan’. In Russian.
Panyukov A.V. (2003) Roch ‘russkiy’ v komi traditsionnoy kartine mira [“Roch” (the Russian) in the Komi Linguistic World-View]. Lokal’nye traditsii v narodnoy kul’ture Russkogo Severa. (Materialy IV Mezhdunarodnoy nauchnoy konferentsii “Ryabininskie chteniya — 2003”) [Local Traditions in the Folk Culture of the Russian North (Proceedings of the 4th International Scholarly Conference “Ryabinin Readings — 2003”)]. Petrozavodsk. Pp. 216–219. In Russian.
Panyukov A.V. (2012) Prazdnichnye obkhody territoriy v lokal’nykh komi traditsiyakh [Festive Circuition of a Territory in Local Komi Traditions]. Etnograficheskoe obozrenie [Ethnographic Review]. 2012. No. 1. Pp. 72–85. In Russian.
Panyukov A.V., Savel’eva G. S. (comp.) (1999) Traditsionnaya kul’tura komi: Etnografiya detstva. Materialy fol’klorno-etnograficheskikh ekspeditsiy 1995–1998 gg. [Traditional Culture of the Komi People: Ethnography of Childhood. Field Materials of Folklore and Ethnogprahic Expeditions 1995– 1998]. Syktyvkar. In Russian and in Komi.
Panyukov A.V., Savel’eva G. S. (2006) Khramovye i zavetnye prazdniki v Komi krae [Temple and Pledge Fests at Komi Territory]. Paleoslavica. Cambridge; Massachusetts. 2006. Vol. IV. Pp. 262–286.
Panyukov A.V., Savel’eva G. S. (2007) Traditsionnyy kalendar’ v Komi krae [Traditional Calendar at Komi Territory]. Paleoslavica. Cambridge; Massachusetts. 2007. Vol. XV. No. 2. Pp. 261–294.
Rochev Yu. G. (comp.) (1994) Chelyad’ s’ylankyv”yas da moydkyv”yas (Detskie pesni i skazki): Uchebnoe izdanie [Children’s Songs and Fairy-Tales: Teaching Edition]. Syktyvkar. In Komi. Russkie prazdniki i obryady [Russian Fests and Rituals]. Home Page of the Russian Museum of Ethnography. URL: http://www.ethnomuseum.ru/ section62/2092/3933.htm (retrieved: 01.10.2012). In Russian.
Sorvacheva V. A. Beznosikova L. M. (1990) Udorskiy dialekt komi yazyka [Udora Dialect of the Komi Language]. Moscow. In Russian.
Ulyashev O.I. (1999) Muti [Water Spirit]. Mifologiya komi. Entsiklopediya ural’skikh mifologiy [Komi Mythology. Encyclopedia of Uralic Mythologies]. Moscow. Vol. І. Pp. 252–253. In Russian and in Komi.
Vakhrushev V.M. (ed.) (1983) Udmurtskorusskiy slovar’ [Udmurt-Russian Dictionary: about 35 000 words]. Moscow. In Russian and in Udmurt.
Zhilina T.I. (1998) Vymskiy dialekt komi yazyka [Vym’ Dialect of the Komi Language]. Syktyvkar. In Russian.
Zhilina T.I. (1985) Luzsko-letskiy dialekt komi yazyka [Luza-Letka Dialect of the Komi Language]. Syktyvkar. In Russian.
Zhilina T.I., Sakharova М.А., Sorvacheva V.A. (comp.) (1961) Sravnitel’nyy slovar’ komizyryanskikh dialektov [Comparative Dictionary Komi-zyryansky dialects]. Syktyvkar. In Russian and in Komi.