Pike in the Beliefs and Folklore of the Khakass (Late 19th – Mid 20th Century)

Purpose. The purpose of the study is to characterize the image of the pike in the worldview and ritual practices of the Khakass. To achieve our goal, we analyzed the folklore and ethnographic information available and identified the key constituent elements of the creature analyzed, as well as discovered the semantic links of its image with natural objects and elements. The chronological framework of the work covers the end of the 19th – middle of the 20th centuries. The pike has never become the focus of ethnographic studies before.Results. We came to the conclusion that the pike played an important role in the spiritual culture of the Khakass. The characteristic features of the pike’s mythological image as a predatory fish were influenced mainly by its biological nature and, first of all, the morphology of its body, its behavior, lifestyle, way of hunting, and, of course, its habitat. In popular mythological consciousness, the projection of its zoological features was expressed through considering the pike as an agile, rapacious and greedy creature, as a rule. At the same time, the pike was also perceived as a wise creature possessing secret knowledge about aquatic depths and their inhabitants. In addition, in many plots the pike acted as a wonderful assistant and helped the protagonist in solving his problems. On the other hand, heroes themselves often turned into this fish in order to achieve their goals related to the other world. In the religious and mythological ideas of the Khakass people, the pike was an incarnation of the spirit of the water host – sug eezi. This deity used to play a key role in the traditional rituals of the Khakass.Conclusion. In sacral practices, the pike performed the function of a tos, a shaman’s spiritual assistant. Its image was present on their ritual paraphernalia – tambourines. Due to this, using a pike as food was strictly prohibited for the Khakass and other peoples of Southern Siberia.