Mythical Bird Humay in the Traditional Worldview of the Bashkirs

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the image of Humay, that is one of the key characters in the oral folk art of the Bashkirs. In the mythology of the Bashkirs, Humay acts as a mythical swan bird, the mistress of the bird kingdom, possessing the gift of reincarnation. Humay-swan is a divine bird. She is not only the daughter of the Sun and the solar deity Samrau, but she herself is the incarnation of the Sun. As the wife of the the hero-ancestor and the god-demiurge Ural-batyr, Humay gives him the heavenly horse Akbuzat and the magic damask sword. She participates in the creation of nature and fauna of the Southern Urals and fights demonic forces. In mythology, Humay is recognized as the foremother of the Bashkirs. In the oral literature of the Bashkirs, remnants of reasoning about the Humay bird as a benefactor of people are found. As a mother-goddess, Humay patronizes the creation and preservation of family relationships, the fertility of women, and is the intercessor of women in childbirth. In the folk art of the Bashkirs, she acts as the patroness of heroes, the giver of happiness and wealth, and can also regenerate a person in a new quality. The image of the female deity Humay / Umay is found in the mythology of a wide range of peoples of the world.