Dogs in the traditional worldview of the Chuvash people //Archaeology, Ethnology and Anthropology of Eurasia. Novosibirsk, 2011. N 1: 124-128.
The dog has undergone a long process of domestication and in the mind of man has become a positive figure: people swore to dogs, composed eulogies to dogs and have created rules concerning the handling of dogs; dogs were even considered a means of delivering sacrificial gifts to the recipients. Etymologists associate a number of corresponding Turkic words with the Chuvash word jytă (dog). However, it is also possible that the etymology of the word jytă goes back to the Sanskrit idā, the name for food that modern Zoroastrians in Iran still feed dogs after the death of a relative. The dog is one of the most symbolic characters in the traditional beliefs of the Chuvash. It is believed that the dog is directly connected with the supreme deity Tură. At the semantic level, it has much in common with the wolf and man. The dog may be used as a sacrifice. According to traditional beliefs, the dog can also serve as a substitute for ancestral spirits and can communication with the other world.
The traditional beliefs of the Chuvash are saturated with animal symbolism, and with dog symbolism in particular. The dog has a direct relationship with the supreme deity Tură. On a semantic level, the dog has much in common with the wolf and man. The dog can be used as a sacrificial gift. It serves as a substitute for the ancestral spirits and is said to be in communication with the other world. It is also possible that the etymology of the word jytă, “dog” is related to the Sanskrit idā.
The structure of the article:
Introduction
Wolf – Dog – Man
Conclusions
References
