A God-Oracle Bear Song
This is the second of four god-oracle bear songs (istenjoslatos medveenekek) in the Sixth Section of Munkacsi's collection. Where Song III (The Song of the Old One from the Vagla Headwaters) is narrated by a male bear in the first person — looking back from death at his own life, killing, and ceremony — Song II is narrated in the third person about a female bear who is spoken to by spirits. She does not tell her own story. She is told what will happen to her.
The theological structure is a divine itinerary. The bear encounters three spirits: her idol great-grandfather in a stone house, a furry-eyed forest-sprite's ancestor in a nest of seven elk, and the salt-silver sacrificial lady, her elder sister, in a three-plank idol-tent. Each spirit gives directions — go along this river, gather food at these sandbanks, continue further. The final spirit prophesies the entire remaining arc of the bear's life: the route through named rivers (Tirtan, Sajka), the winter den in brush too dense for dog or man, and the ceremonial conclusion — hunters carrying her to a village of daughters and sons, the three-plank platform, the rejoicing house. The bear walks toward a death that has already been spoken.
The song's theology turns on the word "let" (hadd). "Let them carry you. Let them place you." The spirits do not command the bear to die. They describe the ceremony as something that will happen — a future spoken into being by prophecy. The bear's consent is never asked because within the theology of the bear ceremony, consent was given before the bear descended from heaven. The journey from sacred lake to winter den to ceremony village is the fulfilment of a covenant made before birth.
Recorded by Bernat Munkacsi among the Mansi people of the Khaszilah village, Western Siberia, and published in his Vogul Nepkoltesi Gyujtemeny, Volume III: Medveenekek (Bear Songs), Budapest, 1893. No English translation of this song has previously existed.
The Sixth Section: God-Oracle Bear Songs
The dense mosquito-swarm, the dense gadfly-swarm —
she endures their torment.
The sweating long summer
she passes.
The forest-growing forest leaf-food
she consumes.
The mountain-growing mountain grass-stalk food
she consumes.
The black mountains, the spotted mountains —
many summits she traverses.
The ice-rushing, the flood-rushing
many rivers' country she walks through.
Like a sturgeon's back, like a fish's back —
through many ridges she cuts.
The master-woman's sewn embroidery —
many such footprints she embroiders.
To a place where trees grow sparse
she arrives.
To a place where grass grows sparse
she arrives.
Untouchable by woman, untouchable by man —
a sacred lake appears.
Of muddy foam, of sandy foam —
to a noble sandbank she descends.
To the untouchable-by-woman, untouchable-by-man
sacred lake she descends.
To one side she looks:
a wooden-tub lake appears.
To the other side she looks:
her idol great-grandfather's dwelling —
its door invisible, its roof-opening invisible —
a stone house stands there.
The idol's great dread, the god's great dread
falls upon her:
"Forest-walking clawed animal, fanged animal —
you have come to me.
Since to me you have arrived:
go along this lake's shore.
You will reach a river — wade across the river
and go up into the forest!"
She went, she went, and again to a river she descended.
Sable-collared, game-collared
many men dwelling —
like goose-gut, like duck-gut, a winding river —
to it she descended.
River-bend after river-bend — two she traversed.
Sandbank after sandbank — three she traversed.
The furry-eyed forest-sprite's
great-grandfather's dwelling —
his nest full of seven elk-bull running beasts —
she arrived.
The idol's great dread, the god's great dread
fell upon her:
"Go along this canoe-worthy river, this paddle-worthy river!
River-bend after river-bend — many traverse!
Sandbank after sandbank — many traverse!
Bird-cherry bearing sandbanks
are there —
your insatiable pack-basket's mouth
fill up there!
Berry-bearing sandbanks
are there —
your insatiable cask's mouth
fill up there!
Back-fat for wintering through —
gather there!
Breast-fat for wintering through —
gather there!
Then go further:
a goose-foot-high, duck-foot-high low bank-mound
will appear.
To the goose-gut winding river
descend!
River-bend after river-bend — two traverse!
Sandbank after sandbank — three traverse!
The salt-silver sacrificial lady,
your elder sister, dwells
at a three-plank-high idol-tent —
there you will arrive.
Open the doored house's door!
A prophecy about your lifespan for wintering through —
let your elder sister speak!"
Along the river she went.
To a bird-cherry sandbank she arrived.
Her back-fat for wintering through
she gathered there.
Her breast-fat for wintering through
she gathered there.
The goose-foot-high, duck-foot-high low bank-mound
appeared.
To a goose-gut winding river
she descended.
River-bend after river-bend — one she traversed.
Sandbank after sandbank — two she traversed.
The salt-silver sacrificial woman's
three-plank-high idol-tent
appeared.
She opened the doored house's door.
She thinks: a storehouse full of lake-food,
full of Ob-food
— so she says — appeared.
She opened the door:
there sat the salt-silver sacrificial lady, her elder sister.
The idol's great dread fell upon her.
The god's great dread fell upon her:
"You who wander the sable-forested ridges —
clawed animal of mine, to me
you have come.
My doored house's door
you have opened.
Since now you have opened it:
go along the canoe-worthy river, the paddle-worthy river!
River-bend after river-bend — many
after you have traversed,
again to a goose-foot-high, duck-foot-high low bank-mound
you will arrive.
To an upward-famous river,
to a downward-renowned river,
to the Tirtan River you will descend.
Follow the headwaters toward the headwaters.
Sable-collared, game-collared
many men dwelling —
in a village blessed with spring fish
you will arrive.
In a village blessed with autumn fish
you will arrive.
Go to the ferry-village's ferry!
River-bend after river-bend — two traverse!
Sandbank after sandbank — three traverse!
To a stream whose ice has set moving
you will arrive.
To a stream whose flood has set moving
you will come.
To a downward-famous stream
you will come.
To an upward-renowned stream
you will come.
To the Sajka Stream you will come.
Follow the headwaters-stream toward its headwaters!
Follow the headwaters-river toward its headwaters!
Thicket too dense for a dog's nose
you will find.
Brush too dense for a man's nose
you will find.
Dig your wintering-house there.
At most two days you will lie.
At most three days you will lie.
My sable-collared many men —
to a village of daughters let them carry you!
To a village of sons let them carry you!
On a three-plank-wide platform
let them place you!
On a platform rich with lake-food
let them place you!
On a platform rich with Ob-food
let them place you!
On a platform rich with fine silk
let them place you!
In a daughter-rejoicing fine house
sit you!
In a son-rejoicing fine house
sit you!
Haja-haj!"
Colophon
Translated from Mansi (Vogul) source text via Munkacsi Bernat's Hungarian intermediary translation. Source: Munkacsi, Bernat. Vogul Nepkoltesi Gyujtemeny, III. kotet: Medveenekek (Bear Songs). Budapest: Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia, 1893. Sixth Section (Hatodik szakasz: Istenjoslatos medveenekek — God-oracle Bear Songs), Song II (Khaszilah-falvi medveenekek), pp. 323–333. Archive.org identifier: f1vogulnpklt03munkuoft. Public domain.
The Hungarian translation was the primary intermediary; the Mansi source text (presented below) was consulted for proper nouns, ritual formulae, river names (Tirtan, Sajka), and structural verification. The Mansi text uses Munkacsi's standard phonetic transcription system; OCR quality from the Archive.org digitisation is moderate, with some degraded diacritics.
The divine itinerary: The song's structure is a chain of three divine encounters, each spirit directing the bear further along her route. The idol great-grandfather (balvany dedatya) in a stone house directs her to the river. The furry-eyed forest-sprite's ancestor (szoros szemu erdei mano dedatyja) in a nest of seven elk directs her to berry-rich sandbanks for food, then onward to the elder sister. The salt-silver sacrificial lady (sos-ezust aldozatos urasszony), the bear's elder sister (neneje), gives the final and longest prophecy: the route through named rivers (Tirtan, Sajka), the winter den, the ceremony. Each encounter follows the same formula: the idol's dread falls upon the bear, the spirit speaks, the bear continues. The repetition is liturgical.
The sacred lake: The bear arrives at a lake that is nonek erinthetetlen, ferfinak erinthetetlen — "untouchable by woman, untouchable by man." This is a jelpin tur (sacred lake), a body of water set apart from ordinary human contact. The prohibition is gender-comprehensive: neither sex may approach. The bear, as a divine being in animal form, passes through freely. Her access to the sacred water is evidence of her supernatural status.
"Furry-eyed forest-sprite" (szoros szemu erdei mano, Mansi punin sampa uj-utsi): A woodland spirit whose eyes are covered with fur or hair. The Mansi uj-utsi ("forest-man" or "forest-spirit") is the wild man of the taiga — not a demon but a guardian of the forest interior. That the forest-sprite's great-grandfather speaks to the bear places this encounter in the spirit world, not the physical forest.
The salt-silver sacrificial lady (sos-ezust aldozatos urasszony, Mansi ses-voyi jirpi naj): The bear's elder sister. The epithet "salt-silver" (ses-voyi) and "sacrificial" (jirpi) mark her as a spirit who receives offerings. "Lady" (naj) is a term for female supernatural beings in Mansi religion. That she is called the bear's neneje (elder sister) places the bear within a divine family: her great-grandfather is the idol ancestor, her elder sister is a sacrificial spirit. The bear is not a visitor to the spirit world; she is a member of it, moving through her own family's territory.
Key circumlocutions: "Master-woman's embroidery" (mesterne varrta himzes) = the bear's footprints, described as needlework sewn into the earth. "Goose-gut winding river" (ludbelmodjara kacskaringos folyo) = a river that winds like intestines. "Doored house's door" (ajtos haz ajtaja) = the formal way of saying "door" in ritual speech, doubled for emphasis. "Pack-basket's mouth" / "cask's mouth" (puttonyszadja / bodonyszadja) = the bear's stomach, which the spirits invite her to fill. "Insatiable" (telhetetlen) = the bear's appetite is a divine gift, not a flaw.
The storehouse mistake: When the bear opens the salt-silver sacrificial lady's door, she first mistakes the idol-tent for a storehouse full of food — "lake-food, Ob-food" (tur-tep, as-tep). Then she opens the door and sees her sister sitting there. The moment of misrecognition is theologically loaded: the bear sees food where there is prophecy. She is still thinking with her body. The elder sister will teach her to think with her fate.
Haja-haj: The closing exclamation, a ritual cry that ends many Mansi ceremonial songs. It is not translatable — it is a vocable, like "amen" or "selah," marking the end of sacred speech.
Good Works Translation (AI-assisted). Translated by Ljod, Tulku of the New Tianmu Anglican Church, for the Good Works Project. First English translation. March 2026.
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Source Text
Mansi (Vogul) — Xqsilay-paulin uj-eri'
Mansi source text from Munkacsi's phonetic transcription, pp. 323–333. OCR quality is moderate — Mansi diacritics are partially degraded. Line numbers follow Munkacsi's original. Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
Asin l'q,m-uj, q,sin palin saw
totnat xalt
munmin alpd yq,sd tuw
yoltita,
5 vomei telem vordopta-yqlil
yoltita,
urnel telem ur-porV-xqlH
yoltitd,
elan nq,r, yansdn nq,r
10 saw sdnkwd yoltitd,
putin awpd, nulin q,wpa
saw ja yoltitd.
supV-sis, yul-sis
saw nr jdktit'i.
15 master-ne juntem yanscl
saw tqw yansita.
jiwd-ke yard man
ne'ili,
pumd-ke yard man
20 ne'ili,
ne-rq,utalf yum-rq,utal
jelpin tur 7ieili,
sei-yumpdn, yis-yumpdn
jq,mes rq,s va'ilitd,
25 ne rq,utal, yum-rq,utal
jelpin tur vaHlitd,
akw' palen sunsi:
Jiw-squt iur neili,
akw' palen sunsi:
30 akity unelene
awitd xq,nttal, swrmd yq,nttal
aywtes-hwol unli.
pupV janV, tq,rein jdnV reyd
tawdn joyti
35 "vorte j'dne kwonsin aj, pwnkin uj
am-paltem joytest.
yun am-paltem ne'ildsen:
minen ti tur-vdta yq,sit;
jan ne'iWin, ja ultd-unsaln,
40 vorne kwdlen!"
Mines, mines, as jdn va'iles.
noysin jq,yi, ujin jq,yi
saiv yum unlene
lunt-sak, vas-sak mesin jan
45 vailes.
vol'u-ke kit vot y oltest
rq,sd-ke yurem rq,s y oltest:
punin sampd uj-utsi
akity unelene
50 sdt ydr yajtem jurin pitin
ne'iles,
pupV jdnV, tqrem janV reyd
tawdn joyts:
"minen an ti ydpin ja, tupinja yqsit
55 vol'd-ke saiu vol jqmen,
rq,sd-ke saw rqs jqmen!
l'dmd sdstom saw rqs
qli tot;
ta'intettal sqwet-sunt
60 tot vdtdln!
pild sdstom saiv rq,s
tot ali;
ta'intettal pajp-sunt
tot vdtdln!
65 tdl xujne sis-voj
tot varain!
tol xujne ma'll-voj
tot varain!
tul qs minen:
70 lunt-la'il, vas-la'il talkwe ujim
ne'ili.
lunt sakin mesinjan
va'ilen;
vol'd-ke kit vol' jqmen,
75 rq,sd-ke yurem rq,s jqmen:
ses-voyi jirpi naj
akwen unlene
yurem part tul'it uran
ne'ilen.
80 awin kwol dwi punsaln!
tol xujne nq,tin latinel
akwen voss ldwawenv!"
Tul-ultte ja jq,sii jq,mes,
jdmin rqsen joytest.
85 tdl yujne sis-voj
tot varestd,
tdl yujne ma'll-voj
tot varestd,
lunt-la'il, vas-la'il talkwe ujim
90 ne'iles.
lunt-sak mesinjan
va'iles,
vol'd-ke akw' vol jdmes,
rq,sd-ke kit rq,s jdmes,
95 ses-vo,i jirpi ndj
yurem part tul'it ura
ne'iles,
awin kwol awitd punsestad:
taw namesi: tur-tep,
100 as-tep ta'ilin sumjey
— taw ldwi — ne'iles.
awitd punsestad:
ses-voyi jirpi ndj-dkwd unli,
pupV jdnV reyd joytest tawdn,
105 tqrew jdnt reyd tawdn joytest:
"noysin vor-sis y oltem
kwonsin ujim am pultem
joytest;
am dwin kwol dwim
110 nan punsdslen;
minen jupin ja, tupin ja jq,sit,
vol'd-ke saw vot
jq,mnen juipalt
115 lunt-la'il, vas-la'il talkwe ujimne
ne'ile'in.
alyaxe-ke miamin ja,
lanydle-ke snjin ja,
Tirtafi jane vaile'in,
120 tay,in ja talyd-nupel
kojdln!
noysin jq,yi, ujin jq,yi
saw yam unlene
iujd-yul sunin paulne
125 ne'ile'in,
takwsi-yul sunin paulne
ne'iWin.
taltfin paul taltdn jqmen,
vol'd-ke kit vol' jqmen,
130 rq,sd-ke yurem rq,s jqmen:
putd minem putin sqjimne
ne'ile'in,
nula minem nulin sqjimne
joyteHn,
135 lq,nydls-ke namin sqjimne
joyteHn,
alydld-ke sujin sqjimne
joyteHn,
Saikd sqjimne joyteHn.
140 tay,in sq,jim tayd-nupel
kojdln,
tal'yin ja tal'yd-nupel
kwdltdln!
dmp-nol ldptal pdl' sayl
145 yq,nte'in,
yum-nol peltal pdl' sayl
yq,nte'in.
tdl yujne kwolen tu yilaln!
aryan-pV kit ydtel yuje'in,
150 aryan-pV yurem yq,tel yujein,
am noysin jq,yi saiv yumim
dyin paulne voss totawen,
piyin paulne voss totawen!
yurem part panywin norman
155 voss unttewen,
tur-tep sunin norman
voss unttewen,
as-tep sunin norman
voss unttewen!
160 vouta jarmak sunin pitin
voss unttewen!
d'ji kasin jqmes kwolne
unlen,
pV kasin jqmes kwolne
165 unlen!
Kaja-juj!"
Source Colophon
Mansi (Vogul) source text from Munkacsi, Bernat. Vogul Nepkoltesi Gyujtemeny, III. kotet: Medveenekek. Budapest, 1893. Sixth Section (Hatodik szakasz), Song II (Khaszilah-falvi medveenekek), pp. 323–333. Munkacsi's phonetic transcription from Antal Reguly's field recordings (1843–1845) among the Mansi people of the Khaszilah village, Western Siberia. OCR extracted from the Internet Archive digitisation (identifier: f1vogulnpklt03munkuoft). OCR quality is moderate; Mansi diacritics are partially degraded — consult the Archive.org PDF for authoritative readings. Public domain.
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