The Image of the Snake in the Folklore and Beliefs of the Siberian Tatars
DOI: 10.23951/2307-6119-2026-4-98-110
The snake is one of the oldest and most extensively studied figures in world mythology and folklore, appearing in virtually all religious systems and folk traditions. Snake imagery carries rich symbolism: the snake is a sacred being surrounded by taboos and endowed with contradictory meanings. It is both repellent and attractive and may have positive or negative associations. Among Siberian Tatars, snake imagery is a complex, multilayered phenomenon reflecting ancient mythological conceptions of chthonic forces, death and rebirth, wealth and danger. Representations of the snake persist in folk culture across genres, from older forms such as dastans and legends to later forms such as everyday narratives and proverbs, as well as in scattered accounts and other materials. Despite their fragmentary nature, these sources allow the development of snake imagery to be traced from its mythological origins to contemporary local interpretations. Comparison with the folklore of other Turkic and Slavic peoples reveals parallels in representations of the snake. The findings offer a fuller understanding of the ethnocultural distinctiveness of Siberian Tatars and contribute to the study of mythological imagery in the traditional cultures of Siberia. Further research requires additional field materials and comparative evidence covering all groups of Siberian Tatars.
Keywords: Siberian Tatars, snake, chthonic imagery, linguistic taboos and euphemisms, naming practices in Siberian Tatar
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Issue: 4, 2026
Series of issue: Issue 4
Rubric: ANTHROPOLOGY
Pages: 98 — 110
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