Archaic elements in the cult of gods and keremet in the Eastern Mari of Bashkortostan according to sources from the 16th to the mid-19th centuries and in the light of modern data

The subject of this article is the cult of gods and keremets (nature spirits and ancestral deities) among the Eastern Mari living in the territory of Bashkortostan, based on sources from the 16th to the mid – 19th centuries. The aim of the work is to identify archaic elements in the cult of gods and keremets during this time period and to compare them with contemporary data. The research tasks include an overview of the existing ethnographic literature on the beliefs of the Eastern Mari of Bashkortostan from the 16th century to the mid-19th century, analysis of the most ancient religious complexes related to specific gods and keremets, as well as associated cults and customs, and the extrapolation of historical data onto modern beliefs of the Mari to determine the direction of the evolution of Mari traditional religion. The methodological basis of the article includes a comparative-historical approach, the method of ethnographic parallels, and etymological analysis. Additionally, the author utilized materials from their own field research. The novelty and results of the study lie in the identification of certain archaic elements in the traditional ethnic beliefs of the Eastern Mari. In particular, the author proposed the existence during the 16th to the first half of the 19th centuries of an orgiastic cult of female deities involving prayers and sacrifices. The article also noted the presence in the past among the Mari of idols, fetishes, structures, and opposing keremets—evidence of a more ancient pantheon. The author of this work identified the existence of specific and subsequently vanished deities (including keremets), proposed etymologies for a number of theonyms, clarified the functions of these deities and the composition of sacrifices, revealing their connection to the elements of forest, water, wild animals, and birds. The article also uncovered the underlying beliefs of the solar-lunar cult of the goddess Kéche Ava (Tyltze Ava), who likely originally appeared in the form of a water nymph and an owl. When comparing historical data with contemporary information, the author noted that during the 20th and the first quarter of the 21st centuries, the role of women in prayers and sacrifices has increased: currently, men and women pray together in sacred groves, and women often become organizers of prayers. The cult of keremets demonstrates a certain resilience.