The field of the forest and waters is the house of wild creatures upon whom
man relies to outlive. Creatures are known as amitan, “having an ami soul”,
because like people they possess an ami body soul which supplies the
breath and heat from the living body. Ami souls of creatures usually
reincarnate as newborn people of the species, so deer return as increasing numbers of
deer, seals return as seals, or bears reincarnate as bears. Given that they have
souls creatures are thought to possess personalities, language, as well as
psychic abilities must.
The actual spirit of all of the hunting creatures is called Bayan Ahaa (wealthy
older brother). Hunters attract him for fortune to find game. The
greatest ranking creatures from the wild would be the Siberian tiger, the snow
leopard, and also the bear. Buryat call the tiger Anda Bars (closest friend tiger)
and pray to him permanently hunting. In a lot of Siberia the bear is viewed as a
master from the creatures and revered being an ancestor. Many Siberian tribes have
special events for honoring the bear after he’s wiped out.
Because creatures possess reincarnating souls, there are lots of rules regarding
the killing of game to ensure that their souls won’t be offended. Otherwise,
they might become angry and refuse to go back to the tribal hunting grounds or
tell other animal spirits to step back. Whenever a large animal is wiped out or perhaps a
large fish is caught, the hunter or fisherman may cry over its dying to
appease your pet spirit. Hunters also apologize to creatures when they’re
wiped out, stating that they have to go ahead and take meat and conceal for his or her
survival. Domestic creatures will also be wiped out inside a sincere manner. Heads
aren’t chopped off because cutting the throat injures the ami soul. The
mind, throat, lung area, and heart, that is with each other known as the zuld, is
the residence of the animal’s ami and really should be taken off your body as you
piece. When a pet is wiped out for any sacrifice the hide and also the zuld are
stuck on rods pointing to paradise. After bears are eaten the skull or
sometimes the entire skeleton is positioned on the pole or platform within the forest.
This respect for animal spirits dictates certain rules for hunting. First,
when entering the forest you ought to act reverent and never laugh, run or
yell, but move lightly and sneakily as an animal. Tossing sticks within the
forest is definitely an insult to Bayan Ahaa and also the forest spirits and for that reason taboo
(nugeltei). Urinating or tossing rocks into physiques water is
forbidden. Creatures will not be wiped out aside from food or fur, also it
ought to be done inside a fast and humane way. Game should be shared within the
community and never hoarded, and also the carcass should be butchered inside a customary
(yostoi) manner. Following these simple rules ensured the return of game
along with a good relationship using the animal spirits
Rivers, ponds, streams, and also the sea may be the residence from the water creatures
in addition to a passageway for spirits traveling between your worlds. The loon
and goldeneye duck are regarded as special water wild birds. There’s a
legend among many Siberian peoples that within the very earliest time our planet
was engrossed in water, which the loon and goldeneye duck introduced up dirt
from the foot of the ocean and stacked up until land made an appearance. The loon is
a really special water bird due to its diving habits. Water is filled with
spirits and also the loon most importantly other wild birds is considered to talk with
the souls within the water. The cry from the loon is often imitated within the
songs of Mongolian and Siberian shamans. One of the fish the pike is
considered effective and pictures of the fish are utilized in shaman rituals from
the Samoyed in the western world towards the Tungus in eastern Siberia.
Creatures who come in nature are occasionally shamans taking on animal forms
on a trip in spirit to work. They might take the type of
wild birds, mammals, reptiles or perhaps fish. Some tales recount occasions where
a pet continues to be wiped out with a hunter along with a shaman falls dead while
performing a ritual since the animal had really been his soul. Ancestor
spirits or ordinary people’s souls might also from time to time undertake animal
make up the Dagur Mongols state that the porcupine, snake, fox, weasel, spider,
and pheasant are specifically apt to be shamans who’re soul traveling
many of these aren’t normally eaten.
Certain creatures are regarded as totems or symbolic ancestors for
tribes or clans. The favourite are Blue Wolf and Red Deer, the mythical
ancestors from the Mongols. The Buryat also recognize a bull his or her
ancestor. Throughout Siberia the bald eagle can also be considered a totemic
ancestor, as well as in Mongolia the bald eagle is connected using the shaman
tradition. One of the Yakut individual clans recognize a particular mammal or
bird since it’s totem animal. The specific animal is taboo which is
known in everyday speech by other names. In Mongolian the possible lack of a
literal reputation for the bear is most likely for this reason custom since the bear
is known as an ancestor by just about all Siberian peoples. In Mongolia
the specific wolf can also be taboo among many groups.
Animal spirits will also be guides and teachers for shamans. Based on Yakut
tradition, when a shaman has contacted his shaman spirit, it’ll introduce
him towards the power animal which is his guide. This animal is known as the
“animal double,” or “animal mother.” From that point forward not just would
the shaman be trained through the animal, but would also undertake its form while
driving spirit. Like a shaman grows in power he’ll increase his
assortment of power creatures. A shaman’s outfit commonly has whole skins or
bits of fur from the 3 different types of creatures that are ongon
spirit houses for that power creatures that they belong.
- Father Sky, Mother Nature, and Heavenly Objects
- The Ancestors
- Tenger, Chotgor, along with other Nature Spirits
- Spirits of Creatures, Totems, Animal Guides, and Hunting
- Sacred Mountain tops and Trees
To Table of Contents for Mongolian Cosmology
Resourse: http://buryatmongol.org/a-course-in-mongolian-shamanism/the-natural-world/spirits-of-creatures-totems-animal-guides-and-hunting/