Blond Sirte: the vanished people of the shamans who lived in the Northern Arctic
Among the Russian who migrated to the North, there existed legends about the mysterious people of the white-eyed Chud, who was involved in the mining of precious metals. Once all of the ancient miners went underground, hiding there with their untold wealth. This ancient myth has a basis. In the past the vast territory of the Arctic from Kola to gydansky peninsulas inhabited by the mysterious people of small stature, of which the Nenets of the tundra was called the blond Sirte.
The memory of the people who dug the mines, smelted metals, and lived under the earth, was preserved not only in Russian folklore. In Scandinavia they were called "Dirhami" and Poland "krasnoludek". Remember the mysterious dwarfs in Finland, great Britain, Germany, the Baltic States. Nowadays they are called dwarves.
In the Russian stories referred to are a mysterious people — Chud ferruginous, characterized by low growth. Its members were skilled blacksmiths, looking for mines of precious metals and hid under the ground, leaving no trace. Centuries later, the Ural and Siberian mines, where they mined metals, called Chud, and in the Northern Urals was discovered Chud fortresses, tombs and settlement.
Picture Of Nicholas Roerich. "Underground Chud"
Read more about all the dwarves-the wizards stated in the myths of the Nenets, who called them blond serta or shirta. In the legends they are described as fair-haired people with white eyes. Perhaps the name comes from serta Lenskogo of the verb: "sihirli" — to avoid, or from the name of the beetle "si", which according to legend is transformed soul of a deceased person.
Serta wore splendid clothes, decorated with metal pendants, and even a very high Nenets, remember the little people. Biology known phenomenon of growth reduction, which is the adaptation of the organism to low temperatures and shortage of vitamins. In the tales of the Nenets serta shamans took revenge for grievances, imposing a curse from which the offender died. About sirta described as the custodians of the metals and skillful blacksmiths.
It happened that they gave "real people", namely the so translated the word "Nenets", beautiful knives, ladles, thimbles, made of metal. Hunted and fished serta only at night, and an unexpected meeting with the Nenets often ended in bloodshed. During the wars of the underground inhabitants known not strength and courage, and the ability to disappear and reappear in the most unexpected places. The Nenets and today remember that on the shores of the Arctic they are aliens, it was once Sirte. When outsiders became too much, the mysterious folk had gone underground.
In 1929, the search for the mythical people began Sirte archaeologist Valery Chernetsov, who discovered the proof of his existence. On the banks of rivers and on the coast he found traces of encampments, where they lived a settled Sirte. Home for them were huts covered with turf. Sometimes their size is up to 150 square meters. In archaeology of the vanished people known as "Ust-poluyskoe culture", existed in the period from IV century BC to II century ad
Bronze plaque with anthropomorphic image
On the territory of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous district and the Yamal Peninsula was discovered thousands of finds. The real sensation was the ancient sanctuary on the river Poluy, was found four kilometers away from Salekhard, as well as the remains of a large bronze casting workshop. Archaeologists have dug up shape models, many cast marriage — all this testified to a high level of metallurgical production Astypalaia.
Finds Ust ' -poluyskoe culture:
In the altar on Angelscom Cape from the ground raised artistic metal figurines representing animals and people. Finds turned the scientists ' ideas about the cultural development of the Arctic. It turned out that in ancient times it was not deserted desert, and a center developed by the standards of that time and culture.
Serta disappeared because of the conflict with the Nenets. When the Ural Nenets tamed deer, from hunters they became nomads. In search of food for their herds, they moved to the North where in those days the climate was milder. Land settled Sirte steel deer pasture in the Nenets-nomads. Because of the constant skirmishes Sirte were forced to hide and eventually went to live underground. By day they sat in the dugout and came out only at night.
For the Nenets house was a tent, where did the myth that Sirte lived underground. During the years of fighting the aliens destroyed or assimilated the local inhabitants. Among the Nenets survived the family, remembering that in their family there is blood Sirte, and only through the maternal line.
It turned out that the stories of the Nenets about the strange people have a real basis. A myth is not always "grandma's tales", it can be the interpretation of the past by the mouth of the people. Fate Sirt similar to the story of the Guanches a blond giants, who formerly inhabited the Canary Islands, but was destroyed by the Spaniards.
Keywords: Arctic | Archaeology | Legends | Myths | Nenets | North | Folklore | Yamal