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One of the most common ways of choosing the future shaman is through an encounter with a divine or semi-divine being. This encounter may occur during a dream, illness, or other circumstances, where the being reveals to the individual that they have been "chosen" and encourages them to follow a new standard of life. Frequently, it is the souls of the shaman ancdeliverjust who deliver this message. This tradition suggests a connection with the cult of ancestors. However, as Sternberg warns, the ancestors themselves were likely "chosen" by a divine being at the dawn of time. According to Buryat tradition, shamans once obtained their utcha (the shamanic divine right) directly from celestial spirits. However, in modern times, they receive it from their ancestors. This belief coincides with the general belief in the decline of shamans, observed in Arctic regions and Central Asia, where the "first shamans" were said to possess powers beyond those of their current descendants.
**Siberian Myths about the Origin of Shamans**
Some legends attribute the decline of shamans to the pride of the "first shaman" who dared to challenge God. In the Buryat version, the first shaman, Khara-Gyrgän, claimed unlimited power, prompting God to test him. God trapped a girl's soul in a bottle, and the shaman, upon reaching the heavens on his drum, transformed into a yellow spider to free her, stinging God in the process. This act enraged God, leading to the limitation of shamanic powers. According to Yakut tradition, the first shaman's arrogance led to a confrontation with God, resulting in the emergence of "demons" that bestowed powers upon subsequent shamans. The Tunguses of Turukhan tell a different tale, where the "first shaman" gained power through his own strength and the aid of the devil.
These myths reflect a dualistic conception, likely influenced by Iranian beliefs. While some legends connect shamans with darkness and the devil, most depict the Supreme Being or their representative, such as the Eagle or solar bird, directly intervening. According to Buryat tradition, the gods sent the Eagle to provide humans with a shaman to combat disease and death. However, humans initially misunderstood the Eagle's intentions until it returned to Earth and bestowed shamanic gifts upon the first person it encountered, or in another version, impregnated a woman who later gave birth to the "first shaman."
The protective female spirits associated with shamans operate within a similar mythical framework as "heavenly wives." While they do not directly consecrate the shaman, they assist in his instruction and ecstatic experiences. Often, the intervention of the "heavenly bride" is accompanied by sexual emotions, as ecstatic experiences are prone to such manifestations. However, it's crucial to recognize that erotic elements in shamanic rites extend beyond shamanic relationships.
Among the Kumande of the Tomsk region, horse sacrifices are accompanied by the exhibition of masks and wooden phalluses carried by young men, evoking erotic imagery. Similarly, during ascension rituals among the Teleutes, the shaman sings an obscene song after reaching the third tapty, aimed at enhancing male sexual potency. Such rites, found in various cultures, including the Caucasus and ancient China, integrate symbolic actions with the cosmological significance of horse sacrifice, symbolizing the renewal of the world and life.
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New shaman
They teacher & new shaman
do not rest until the apprentice's eyes become clairvoyant. At the end of the third day, they return to the jungle to search for new herbs. If by the end of the seventh day, the young man sees the spirits of the forests, the ceremony concludes. Otherwise, the seven days of ceremony must be repeated" (Loeb, Shaman and Seer). This entire long and tiring rite aims to convert the apprentice's initial ecstatic experience and magical experience (the experience of "choice") into a permanent ability, allowing them to "see the spirits" and become part of their spiritual nature.
Auxiliary Spirits
This becomes even clearer when examining other categories of "spirits" that also play a role, either in the shaman's initiation or in triggering their ecstatic experiences. As mentioned earlier, there exists a relationship of "familiarity" between the shaman and their "spirit." Ethnological literature often refers to them as "familiar spirits," auxiliary spirits, or spiritual custodians. However, it's important to distinguish between familiar spirits proper and another category of stronger spirits known as protector spirits. Furthermore, it's necessary to differentiate between these and divine or semi-divine beings that shamans evoke during sessions. A shaman is someone who maintains concrete, immediate relations with the world of gods and spirits; they see them face to face, speak to them, ask for their guidance, and implore them. However, they only have influence over a limited number of them. Any god or spirit invoked during a ceremony must be identified by the new shaman.
Therefore, a shamanic session is not solely for the benefit of the shaman's familiar or auxiliary spirits.
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Let's revisit the role of the "heavenly wife": Interestingly, similar to late variants of myths, the shaman appears to be both aided and hindered by his áyami. While she protects him, she strives to keep him solely for herself in the seventh heaven, tempting him with a celestial meal that could potentially separate him from his earthly wife and human society during his celestial ascension.
Ultimately, the protective spirit (áyami, etc.), often conceptualized as a celestial spouse, plays an important yet not decisive role in Siberian shamanism. The crucial element remains the initiatory drama of death and ritual resurrection, involving illness, dismemberment, descent into hell, and ascent to the heavens. Sexual relations attributed to the shaman and his áyami are not inherent to his ecstatic calling. Furthermore, sexual elements present in certain shamanic ceremonies extend beyond shamanic relationships and serve communal purposes, enhancing sexual vitality.
The protection afforded to Siberian shamans by their áyami mirrors the role of fairies and demigoddesses in instructing and initiating heroes, reflecting matriarchal conceptions. The "Great Mother of Animals," with whom Siberian and Arctic shamans share strong relations, embodies archaic matriarchy. Similarly, female protective spirits provide shamans with auxiliary spirits crucial for their ecstatic journeys, akin to the role of the Great Mother of Animals granting men the right to hunt and consume animal meat.
The Role of Deceased Souls
It has been observed that the future shaman's vocation can be triggered by chance encounters with semi-divine beings, ancestors, animals, or extraordinary events like lightning strikes or accidents, often leading to a close bond between the future shaman and the spirit that determines his path. Let's now closely examine the involvement of deceased souls in recruiting future shamans. Frequently, the souls of ancestors "possess" a young individual and initiate them, rendering resistance futile. This pre-election phenomenon is widespread in northern and arctic Asia.
Once consecrated through this initial possession and initiation, the shaman becomes a receptacle for other spirits, typically souls of deceased shamans or other spirits who served ancient shamans. For instance, Tüspüt, a renowned Yakut shaman, recounted how the spirit of a deceased Tungus shaman took hold of him during a mountain journey, leading him to speak Tungusic words during sessions, alongside other spirits like Russians and Mongols.
The role of deceased souls in selecting future shamans is also significant outside Siberia. In North American shamanism, Eskimos and Australians, among others, lie near graves to become doctor-men, a custom also present in historical cultures like the Celts. In South America, initiation by deceased shamans is common. For instance, Bororo shamans are chosen by the soul of a deceased person or a spirit. The revelation often occurs when the chosen one encounters mystical phenomena in nature, returning home trembling and uttering unintelligible words, emitting a scent of decay.
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and playing their bells. They do not rest until the apprentice's eyes become clairvoyant. At the end of the third day, they return to the jungle to search for new herbs. If by the end of the seventh day, the young man sees the spirits of the forests, the ceremony concludes. Otherwise, the seven days of ceremony must be repeated" (Loeb, Shaman and Seer). This entire long and tiring rite aims to convert the apprentice's initial ecstatic experience and magical experience (the experience of "choice") into a permanent ability, allowing them to "see the spirits" and become part of their spiritual nature.
Teachings of the historian Mircea Eliade
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