About Female Deities in the Mythology of Finno-Ugric Peoples

Abstract

The most widespread female deity in world mythologies is the God- dess of the Earth, known among Finno-Ugric peoples as Mother Earth. Re- search presumes that the cult of Mother Earth is relatively recent in origin, and somewhat associated with and related to the development of agriculture. Still, the religion of Finno-Ugric peoples comprises abundant other female deities whose help and assistance women can account for when in need. Moreover, among those Finno-Ugric peoples whose tillage culture is less developed, the Goddess of the Earth can sometimes obtain even cosmogonic functions. The article gives an overview of Finno-Ugric female deities, their functions and the ways to sus- tain the favour of gods. The most prevalent deity in world mythology is the Goddess of the Earth - fertile, giving birth and devouring. This Great Mother combines both the sur- face of the earth, giving benefits to people, and the world of death underneath. The attaining of immortality in paganism is associated with the cult of the goddess personifying the archetype of motherhood, making it possible for the people to become one with the god. Among the majority of Finno-Ugrians, it is the figure of the Mother Earth who represents this archetype. Researchers presume that the cult of the god- dess, Mother Earth, does not go back to distant history, being of much more recent origin than that of other peoples involved in the cultivation of arable lands, for example the Slavic people. In the case of certain Finno-Ugric peoples (e.g. the Mordvins) the development of the cult of Mother Earth has evidently become more pronounced once agriculture became their prevalent field of sub- sistence. In the case of others (e.g. the Khanty and Mansi), natural conditions have added the motif of fertility to the cult, usually expressed in honouring the earth and associated with the meaning of the earth as the giver of life. This motif, however, has been borrowed as the land in these habitats would not provide a vitally necessary and expedient fruit of crops (Karjalainen 1995: 236- 237).