“Forest Nose”, “Nose of Wind”, “Curse of Water”: Mythology at the Service of the Nomination (Vepsian Names for Diseases Emanating from Forest Spirits, Water and Wind)

Abstract

Vepsian designations of some diseases, according to popular beliefs, sent to a person by three active elements — forest spirits (mec), water (vezi) and wind (tullei) — for disobedience, bad behavior in the forest, in the water, in nature are considered. The authors note that all names are complex words with a mythological background that are of interest in relation to the principles of the nomination. It is indicated that the first components of such words are usually referred to as “subject of influence”; the second components are the naming of the “result of the action”: -/nena ‘nose; letters. edge of impact’, -/išketiž ‘impact, blow’, -/tegend ~ -/tegotiž ‘directed punishment, deed’, -/ehtind ‘sending illness’. The presented analysis results indicate that only the components -/kibu, -/kibuine ‘pain’ and -/pagan ‘rotten; pagan’ (< paganyi (nasty) Russian) are neutral and, obviously, their activation is due to the spread of Christianity. It is emphasized that, most likely, for this reason -/pagan has become quite often replaced by all other parts of complex names of diseases. The question is raised that the studied Vepsian names of diseases, in addition, can be considered as a kind of moral code of behavior of the ancient Vepsians, since they illustrate the punishments that could be imposed by the elements of the forest, water and wind for inappropriate human behavior.

Keywords

• vepsian language
• nomination
• etymology
• mythology
• folklore
• language contacts