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The Flood in World Myth and Folklore
Northern Asia

Mansi (Vogul)

After seven years of drought, the Great Woman said to the Great Man that rains had come elsewhere; how should they save themselves. The Great Man counseled the other giants to make boats from cut poplars, anchor them with ropes of willow roots 500 fathoms long, and provide them with seven days of food and with pots of melted butter to grease the ropes. Those who did not make all the preparations perished when the waters came. After seven days, the waters sank. But all plants and animals had perished, even the fish. The survivors, on the brink of starvation, prayed to the great god Numi-târom, who recreated living things.

Frazer, 1919, 178-179.

At the time of the water, the Sygva-people escaped to the Nángkiš or Nais Nilting [mountain] on the Šortäng [a tributary of Suker-ja which empties into the Sygva]. This was not sunk, it stuck out. All gathered there. The earth, solid ground, towered like a swan neck, jutting out about two spans high. At that time, there were peoples of Suker-ja, and the Xanglä and Man-já Rivers; there they fled for their life. Directly on the course of the river (Sygva) there was then no village, only Lopmus was there, in the neighborhood of Muung-kes was Muung-kes.

Walter Anderson, Nordasiatische Flutsagen, Acta et Commentationes Universitatis Dorpatensis B IV.3 (Dorpat: Druk von C. Mattiesen, 1923), 6 (#1).

Anderson, who related this story, notes that it contain virtually nothing of the Vogul, but almost only the Russian-Christian tradition.

Recently, when the holy fire-flood broke out, Xul-ater came very soon after that, worried that Tarem well might kill him. The old man (the Vogul Noah) did not see him; the woman saw him. The old man boarded his ship; the woman stopped. The holy flood had already begun, though. The old man spoke: "Get in!" She only stood. Again he said, "Get in!" She did not get in. For the third time he shouted, "Get in, you devil (kul)!" Then the devil (Xul- or Kul-ater) crept into the belly of the woman and reached the ship. Later, though, as the fiery water went down, he (Gold-ater) looked. As the old man and his woman emerged from the poplar ship, they jumped out and so too did Xul-ater jump out; he was alive. In such a way he saved his life.

Walter Anderson, Nordasiatische Flutsagen, Acta et Commentationes Universitatis Dorpatensis B IV.3 (Dorpat: Druk von C. Mattiesen, 1923), 10-11 (#5).

Anderson notes: "very precise details prove that we are not dealing here with a common eschatological world-fire tale, but in a most peculiar way with an actual deluge tale projected into the distant future."

The created world will not be everlasting and will perish by a deluge which will arise because Numi, to become rejuvenated (which, according to what is said above he has done once already), will take a bath; after this bath the water will change into a mass of liquid fire, which will rise so high that no more than the length of a gooseneck remains to the sky.

Seven years before the occurrence of these events, all Kuls (devils) and menkvs (treewraithes) because of the great impending work, move to the underworld and eat everyone they encounter on the road. Seven days before the flood thunder will be heard continually and suffocating unpleasant odors will be felt. But as to the flood itself, it will last just as long as is needed for the cooking of fish roe, i.e. not more than an hour; thanks to this quickness almost all the people will die; only those will escape who will have had the time to make rafts from seven layers of aspen wood (after other -- larch timber) for themselves: six layers of it will burn, but leave the seventh. On these rafts there must be tents made from sturgeon- and sterlet-hide; in addition, ropes must be there which are plaited from willow twigs and at least 300 fathom long. At this time the flies, mosquitoes and ants will reach the size of sables, swim around on the surface of the water and destroy those who have not provided for the manufacture of a thick tent cover. After the deluge those whose term of the shadowy existence (the existence as is) has expired will be resurrected, those, e.g., which have passed away thirty years ago at the age of thirty years. In this way the whole world will exist from people who have escaped before the deluge and from those whose time has expired.

Then Numi climbs down from the sky and begins the court; of what kind the court will be is not exactly known, nor what rewards and punishments the sinners and fair may expect. After they have lived there just as long as they had lived on earth, the ones that remained alive as much as they had lived on earth, everything changes first into ker chomlach (small beetles) and then into dust, which will just be the sign of the final end of the world.

Walter Anderson, Nordasiatische Flutsagen, Acta et Commentationes Universitatis Dorpatensis B IV.3 (Dorpat: Druk von C. Mattiesen, 1923), 14-15 (#8).

This is a cosmogenic episode from a long song. A line near the end refers to the devil (Xul-ater) boarding the ark in the belly of the old man's wife.

Long they [the gods Sarni-ater (Gold-a) and his sister Sarni-Kaltes (Gold-K), the children of god-father Sarni Kwores (Gold-Kw) and god-mother Sarni-Sis (Gold-S)] went now, or a short time they went,

in one place, as they look down:

it is their ripe, rolling, round little Earth

by fiery water covered

to a height of seven fathoms

jumps up the tongue of fire.

Now they went back, long or short time they went,

only once, when they look down,

have their gold-handed, sacred animals

the claws of the forefeet, the claws of the hind feet

by the sacred fire-flood completely scorched.

Gold-ater took off his cap,

he stretched out his braided hair,

and so they continue.

Once only, when they look down:

it is not different [what happened, as] no forest tree remained,

even the earth disappears from sight.

Now they continued the same way.

Somewhere Gold-ater imagines:

"Without people, how can the earth exist so?

Somehow, people should originate nonetheless!"

Now his mother and father from the grave

he, weeping, conjures up:

"Gold-Kwores my daddy, Gold-Sis, my mommy,

how should I live without people?"

Gold-Kaltes, his sister, speaks:

"Little brother, what has happened to you? Why do you cry"?

"I, little sister, cry because:

on the standing holy earth,

behold! He holy fire-flood arose;

not the last forest tree remained,

not a person remained;

without people, how should I live!"

"Little brother, look; just look down!"

How he glances down:

in a sevenfold poplar wood ship

are an old woman and an old man.

Floating on the hold water, now they reach the dry,

now they rise; see there! now out they walk,

Xul-ater rises from the belly of the woman,

that navel-cut man,

their daughters and their sons,

yes, we, Russians and Mansi (Voguls) in association

all live to now.

Walter Anderson, Nordasiatische Flutsagen, Acta et Commentationes Universitatis Dorpatensis B IV.3 (Dorpat: Druk von C. Mattiesen, 1923), 9-10 (#4).

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