Section VI of Votják Népköltészeti Hagyományok (1887)

The Udmurt pre-Christian world is not empty. Every body of water has its Vu-murt — the Water Man, who lives with his family beneath the surface of lakes and rivers, keeps his own herds, and trades with humans on terms that are always double-edged. Every forest has its N'ulas-murt — the Forest Man, who whistles like the wind, carries travellers on his shoulders, and prizes horse skulls above silver. These are not metaphors. To the Udmurt villagers of the Kama and Vyatka river basins in the nineteenth century, the Vu-murt and the N'ulas-murt were neighbours — powerful, unpredictable, and bound by a logic of their own.

The four tales collected here belong to Section VI (Mesék a vízi és erdei manóról — Tales of the Water and Forest Spirit) of Munkácsi's 1887 collection. They form a cycle: in the first two tales, clever young men outwit the Vu-murt through bluff and guile — threatening to drain the lake, sending the spirit to wrestle a bear, racing him against a hare, tricking him with a bottomless hat. In the third, a woman enters the Vu-murt's household, heals his wife, and receives the dangerous gift of spirit-sight — which the Vu-murt revokes by plucking out her eye at the market. In the fourth, the dynamic reverses: the N'ulas-murt enlists a human soldier as his ally against the Vu-murt, and wins — but the soldier's wife outwits the Forest Man in turn, trading a horse skull for silver.

The syncretism is everywhere. The Vu-murt dies when a Christian cross blocks his return to the lake. The N'ulas-murt rewards in silver and is cheated with an animal skull. The fool outwits a spirit whose family operates like an Udmurt household — with elders, a chain of command, and a concept of debt. These are not pagan tales contaminated by Christianity, nor Christian tales with pagan flavouring. They are the lived religion of a people who saw no need to choose between the two.

These tales were recorded by the Hungarian linguist Bernát Munkácsi during his 1885 fieldwork in the Malmis district of Vyatka Governorate. Tales 1, 3, and 4 were recorded in Malmis villages from local narrators; Tale 2 was recorded in Kazan from the Udmurt intellectual Nikolaj Ivanov. No English translation of any of these tales has previously been published.

I. The Fool and the Water Spirit's Son

A man had three sons. This man planted potatoes by the lake with his sons. When the potatoes grew, someone stole them every night. The father sent his eldest son out: "Guard them through the night!" The eldest son kept watch all night but saw no one. The next day the father sent his middle son: "Go and guard!"

"Father!" said the youngest son, "I will go."

"Bah!" said the father. "Where am I to send such a person — you are a complete fool!"

Having spoken thus, the father would not let the youngest go and sent the middle son. Just like the eldest, the middle son saw nothing. On the third day it was the youngest's turn at last. The father sent him out: "Well, fool — if you want to go, go. You only lie about idly anyway!"

The fool went to the lake shore and began spinning rope. The Vu-murt's son saw him spinning rope and came out of the lake.

"Why are you spinning rope like that?" he said.

"Someone keeps stealing our potatoes. I mean to catch them — I will turn this lake upside down and drain it dry!" said the fool.

"Don't disturb the lake! Whatever you ask for, I will give it!" said the Vu-murt's son.

"As many potatoes as you have eaten," said the fool, "bring me that much gold. Until you do, I will not leave your lake."

"Wait now — I will go to my elders. What will they say?" said the Vu-murt's son, and went to his elders.

His elders told him to give the fool as much gold as he had asked. The Vu-murt's sons brought out so much gold that the potato field disappeared beneath it. Then the fool went home.

"Come!" he said when he arrived. "Let us go fetch gold — harness three troikas!" His brothers did not believe him. "Let us at least bring back the remaining potatoes!" they said, and went with three troikas to the potato field. There, seeing that everything was as their youngest brother had said — the whole potato field covered with gold — they rejoiced greatly. Loading their three troikas with gold, they headed home.

"If anyone meets us," his brothers instructed the fool, "don't say 'we're bringing gold' — say 'we're bringing potatoes.' Understand!"

"What potatoes?" said the fool. "This is gold!"

While they talked, the priest came toward them.

"What are you bringing?" the priest asked.

"Potatoes," said the fool's brothers.

"No, no — don't believe them — we are bringing gold!" shouted the fool.

The priest lifted the covering and saw the gold. "Where are you bringing gold from?" he said. "I will go there too."

"Go then," said the fool. "Or do you think I won't cut off your head?"

But the priest went all the same. The fool followed him. When they reached the lake shore, the fool struck the priest down, threw his body into the lake, and carried the head home in a sack. At home he placed the sack under the bench and climbed to the top of the stove.

The priest's wife came searching for her husband: "Has my priest come this way?"

"His head is under our bench; his body is in the lake," said the fool from the stove-top.

The priest's wife only laughed at the fool and did not believe him.

After the priest's wife left, the fool's brothers looked under the bench — and there lay the priest's head. Terrified, they put a goat's head in its place.

The priest's wife, unable to find her husband, came again. "Where is the priest's head?" she said. "Show me!"

The fool climbed down from the stove, pulled out the sack, and said: "Here it is!" He began shaking the sack — and a goat's head tumbled out.

"Well, well!" said the fool, laughing. "How did this happen? It was a priest's head, and now a goat's head has appeared!"

"Oh, fool, fool!" said the priest's wife in a rage. "Talking with you, I am going mad myself! I must leave!"

Recorded in the village of Multán, Malmis district, from the account of Makszim Alekszejev, edited by Nikolaj Ivanov; 19 July 1885.

II. The Water Spirit and the Rope-Maker

A man was spinning rope on the lake shore. While he spun, the Vu-murt came out of the lake to him.

"Man, why are you spinning that rope?" he asked.

"To turn this lake bottom-side up!" said the man.

"You must be very strong indeed, boasting so! Don't boast — let us rather wrestle first, and then we'll know which of us is the stronger."

"How could you wrestle with me?" said the man. "First wrestle with my old grandfather!"

Having said this, he sent the Vu-murt into the forest — to the bear. The bear, seeing the Vu-murt: "Why have you come here?!" it roared in its rough voice. Hearing this, the Vu-murt began trembling violently and nearly fell off his feet. Then, head over heels, he fled to the lake.

There, seeing the man on the shore, he said: "Now I believe you are very strong. How fearsome your old grandfather alone is — and you yourself must be stronger still! So let us try a race next. Whoever gets ahead will be the winner."

They agreed to run three times around the lake. But when they began running, the man mounted his horse and left the Vu-murt far behind.

Seeing this, the Vu-murt said: "Well, well — it seems you truly are very strong! You squeezed that horse between your legs as though it were nothing and ran very fast. I can never catch you. So let us try on foot!"

"Why keep running?" said the man. "I would leave you behind regardless. Go rather and race with my little brother. If you can get ahead of him, then I will race you myself."

"Where is your brother?" asked the Vu-murt.

"Go to the forest's edge, clap your hands, and shout: 'Hey, man's little brother — let us race!' He will run."

The Vu-murt went to the forest's edge as the man had said, and clapping his hands, a white hare came bounding out. This is the man's little brother! thought the Vu-murt, and began chasing the hare. He ran and ran until he lost all sight of it. At last, exhausted, he gave up.

He returned to the man and said: "Truly, you are stronger than I. Therefore I ask you — do not disturb my lake! I will give you money, as much as you wish to take."

The man asked the Vu-murt for only one hatful of money. The Vu-murt agreed: "So be it."

Then the man went home and dug a great pit in his yard. He covered the top, leaving only a hole the size of a hat-bottom, and over this hole he placed his bottomless hat. After some time, the Vu-murt came with the money. The man told him to pour it into the hat. The Vu-murt poured and poured — but the money vanished from sight. The man told the Vu-murt to bring more money to fill the hat. The Vu-murt brought more, but the hat was not full. He brought again — still not full. He carried and carried money, and only on the seventh day, with great effort, did he finally fill the pit.

From that time on, the rope-maker began to live well. One holiday I went to visit him — he lives very prosperously.

Recorded from the account of Nikolaj Ivanov in Kazan, May 1885.

III. The Water Spirit and a Woman

In ancient times, a woman walked along the waterside. The Vu-murt saw her and called her to his dwelling. The Vu-murt's wife lay ill. Twelve piglets were suckling at her breast. The Vu-murt had gone out. The woman smeared something from a half-glass into the sick wife's eyes. In return, the Vu-murt gave her a full basket of charcoal.

"Place these at home beneath your Vorsud-pillar!"

She did not dare take them all. She took only three pieces. In the morning she went to the Vorsud — and the charcoal had become money. She went back for the rest. The charcoal was gone.

Later, the woman saw the Vu-murt at the market.

"With which eye do you see me?" the Vu-murt asked.

"With the left," said the woman.

The Vu-murt pushed her left eye and plucked it out. After that, the woman never saw the Vu-murt again.

Recorded in the village of Sakta-pi (Bolshaya Ucanpi), Malmis district, from the account of Szemjon Vasziljev Chorosavin; 22 July 1885.

Munkácsi's note: This tale is the only one in the section presented in "unedited" form — the narrator's raw words without smoothing. He includes it for the insight it gives into the Vu-murt's domestic life: that the Water Spirit has a wife, and that she nurses twelve piglets.

IV. The Forest Man's Fight with the Water Man

Once the N'ulas-murt wanted to fight the Vu-murt. Who would defeat the other? he had been thinking for a long time. How to begin this matter?

One day he saw a soldier and said to him: "Come — let us go fight the Vu-murt!" The soldier agreed.

Arriving at the lake, they shouted: "Vu-murt, come out and fight!" The Vu-murt came out of the lake and began fighting the N'ulas-murt with stones. The soldier threw a cross into the lake, and the Vu-murt could not re-enter the water. The Vu-murt perished on the shore.

The N'ulas-murt took the soldier on his shoulders, gave a whistle, and — strong as the wind — carried him away. The soldier's cap fell from his head. The N'ulas-murt turned back for the cap, picked it up, and they continued.

Arriving at his home, the N'ulas-murt gave the soldier a capful of silver as a gift. The soldier went home.

That evening the N'ulas-murt came and asked for the silver back. The soldier's wife gave the N'ulas-murt a horse skull instead of the silver. He took the horse skull gladly and went away.

This tale was originally published in Russian by G. Vereshchagin in "Votjaks of the Sosnovka Region." Translated into Udmurt by Ivan Michailov. Recorded from this Udmurt version by Munkácsi.

Colophon

Four tales from Section VI (Mesék a vízi és erdei manóról — Tales of the Water and Forest Spirit) of Bernát Munkácsi, Votják népköltészeti hagyományok (Udmurt Folk Poetry Traditions), Budapest: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, 1887, pp. 108–117. The collection presents each text first in Udmurt phonetic transcription and then in Hungarian prose translation. Source accessed via archive.org (identifier: votjknpklt00munk).

Collector's notes (Munkácsi): Tale I was recorded on 19 July 1885 in the village of Multán, Malmis district, from Makszim Alekszejev, edited by Nikolaj Ivanov. Tale II was recorded in Kazan, May 1885, from Nikolaj Ivanov. Tale III was recorded on 22 July 1885 in the village of Sakta-pi (Bolshaya Ucanpi), Malmis district, from Szemjon Vasziljev Chorosavin — presented in Munkácsi's "unedited" form, preserving the raw texture of fieldwork dictation. Tale IV was originally published in Russian by G. Vereshchagin and translated into Udmurt by Ivan Michailov.

These are the first known English translations of these tales. Together they form a cycle of Udmurt spirit-world encounters: two trickster tales in which humans outwit the Vu-murt through bluff and guile (the fool's rope-threat, the rope-maker's bear-grandfather and hare-brother and bottomless hat), one eerie encounter in which a woman gains and loses the ability to see spirits, and one tale of inter-spirit warfare in which a Christian cross defeats the Water Man while a pagan Forest Man rewards — and is tricked by — a human soldier.

The trickster pattern in Tales I and II is widespread in Uralic folklore: the human threatens to destroy the water spirit's lake, the spirit attempts to prove his strength through contests (wrestling, racing, load-bearing), and the human substitutes animals or devices in his place. The bottomless-hat trick (Tale II) and the hare-as-brother motif are attested across Finnish, Estonian, and Russian tradition. Tale III preserves a variant of the fairy-ointment motif known across northern Eurasia and the British Isles: a mortal heals a supernatural being, gains second sight, and is punished when the spirit catches her seeing him among humans. The Udmurt detail — charcoal that becomes money when placed beneath the Vorsud household idol — anchors the tale in specifically Udmurt sacred practice.

Blood Rule declaration: Translated from Udmurt source text (Munkácsi's 1887 phonetic transcription) using his Hungarian prose translation as the primary interpretive bridge. The derivation is Udmurt → Hungarian (Munkácsi) → English. No published English translation of these tales exists or was consulted. The translation follows the gospel register: plain, direct, warm.

Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.

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Source Text: Mesék a vízi és erdei manóról

Udmurt source texts in Munkácsi's phonetic transcription, from Votják népköltészeti hagyományok, Budapest, 1887, pp. 108–117. OCR retrieved from archive.org djvu text layer; some diacritical marks may be degraded. For precision, consult the digitised PDF scan. Both Udmurt and Hungarian originals are presented for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.

I. Udmurt: Viétdmin Vu-murt-pian

Ódig adamilán kwiú piez viliim, so ad'ami pijosiniz ti-durá kartopka merttdm. potdm-beraz ta kartopkddz olo-kin ujli-bidd lueskani disdm. sóin ajiz pa istoz ini badgin pizá: «uj-bit vogma!» — sasa. badgin pi uj-bit vogmasa ne-no-kind-no adjilimta. kajta nunalaz ajiz sordti pizd istoz: «min» — suoz — «vogma!» «vd'ad'a!» — suoz polcéi piez — «mon minő!» «dj» — suoz ajiz — «kitci siea adamijdz kjom, cilkak viétam-no ton?!» oji susa ajiz pokcizd legtak sordti pizd istoz. uj-bit badginez-samán sordti piez-no ne-no-mirá-no adgilimtá. kmnmáti nunalaz cerod pokci pili vud ini. «uójdo, minod-kd min víztani, tozo tdk kuWiskod!» — susa istoz ajiz pokci pizd.

viztam pi ti-durd vusa, gozi punni kutkdni. ta gozi-pundmzd adjisa tiis Vu-murt-pi potoz. «mali-o» — suoz — «ton osi gozi punkod?» «uniéstim kartopkamaz olo-kin lukka-no sojd ta tidz kotirtisa, kirasztisa kutni odjasko!» — veram viztam pi. «tidz an isa, mar-ka kurod, sojd éotom!» — suoz Vu-murt-pi. «ama-minda kartopkamdz siidi» — suoz viztam pi — «so-minda zárni pottitdkadi mon ti-bordié ug kuéki». «sil al'i, vogma! mon peresjos-dori vetlo, sojos mar suozi?» — susa Vu-murt-pi peresjosiz-dóri minoz. peresjosiz kosozi viztdmli kurdmez-minda-ik zárni sotni. Vu-murt-pijos kartopka-mudz adjkontdm zárni pottilíam. soki viztam pi gurtaz bertoz.

«ójdo-ld» — suoz gurtaz vusa — «zárni vájni minőm, kivin tirojka-val kukah» nunjosiz ug osko. «wo kot' kildm kartopkddz-no vájom!» — susa kwin tirojka-valdn kartopka-mu-vild minilíam. tátin vinzi-uin veramez-samán ves kartopka-mudz zarnijdn xogiskdmzd adjisa, tuí sum-potilíam. Jucin tirojka-valzas tirmilía, ta zarnijdn gurtazi berto ini. «kin-kd pufiita sed'iz-kd; an vera ,zarni vajkom,' susa, ,kartopka vajkom' su, jáva!» — dajato nunjosiz viztamzás. «mar kartopka ta?» — étid viztam pi — «ta zárni!»

veraékdm-berazi sojosin pop jntniskiz. «imája vajkodi tagi?» — susa, jua sojosles pop. «kartopka» — suo viztdmleé nunjosiz. «tóvel, evel, an oski, mi zárni vajkóm!» — kesiská viztam. pop sobirdtdz ustisa zarnijdz adjam. «kitis» — sua — «ta zárni vajkodi, mon-no minő otcit.» «min ajit» — sua viztam — «mon tostid jirda ug vandi-ama!» pop mínoz sodaki otci, so-sori viztdm-no minoz. ti-durd vusa, viztam popleé jirzd vanddm-no mugorzd tid kustdm. jirzd meéókin gurtaz nuam. gurun ta mesokdz jus-uld ponsa, aciz gur-vila tuboz. pop-kísno kartsd utcasa, taas-dord líktoz, «minam popd oz vuili-a tatcí?» — sasa jualoz. «jiriz mil'am jus-ulami, mugoriz tiin» — suoz gur-vilis viztam. pop-kisno viztdmli serdkjaz-giná, oz oski.

pop-kisnoldn koskdm-beraz viztámlan nunjosiz jus-ula uckitíam-no pop-jir pd otin kilíd. tuz kiskasa, pop-jir-intijd jus-ula kec-jirdz ponilíam. popsd settitdk pop-kisno nos-ik tatéi liktd ini. «kitin» — ma viztdmli — «paplan jiriz? vogmatüt.» viztam gur-vilistiz vaskisa, mesokdz pd póttá ini. «utáni!» — susa mesokdz sezjani kutkdm-no otis kec-jir usdm. «dj, aj!» — suoz viztam serdkjasa — «kíjí-os ali ta oji luiz, pop-jir val-no kec-jir Midiz?» «aoj viztam, viztam!» — suoz pop-kisno lek lusa — «monánid veraskisa, acim-no viztdmmisko ini; koskono!»

II. Udmurt: Vu-murtan gozi-punis ad'ami

Ódig ad'ami ti-durin gozi pundm. punikiz so-dord Vu-murt potdm. potsa, tagi juam: «ad'ami, ton mali puniékod ta gozidd?» «ta tiled pidásasa vattán puktini!» — sudm ad'ami. «ton tuí-ama batir, ukir usjaskiskod; an usjaski, lucce acmdos niris úurjaskom, soki todomi kudmi kuSmoh» «tonid kitin mondn nurjaskini, minam peres d'adadnim ríurjaski niris!» — sudm ad'ami.

táji susa, Vu-murtnz tahi gondir-dorá istdm. gondir Vu-murtdz adjisa: «mali ton tatéi liktid?!» — keskdm sotám kwarádniz. tája kilsa, Vu-murt tuz kicalaktini kutkdm-no pid-jüistiz eSit-gind pogiramtá. so-berd jirzd-no pid kársa tiá pegjam.

tátin ti-duris adamijdz adjisa, tagi sudm: «ta-berd oskiéko: ton tuz batir; peres ajid-gind tinad koéd koskdmit, acid ukata tuz kuzmo lo. sóin ta-berd acmdos bizsa utcalom, kin-ka aüo potiz, so-ik vormoz.» ti-kotirti kwin-pol biésa vetlini tupatkillíam.

tagi ti-kotirti biéilni kutkikizi ad'ami val-vilá pukéám-no Vu-murtáz tuí kid'oká kelteim. tája adgisa Vu-murt nos-ik «oj, oj ton tuí kufmo, seelká!» — veram ad'amili — «valáz ton pici meijá-ká-sedn-giná pid-kuspad paékatid-no tuí gog biéiel; mon ogi-no tana ej sut, sóin ta-berá piáin biéilom!» «máli-gina tan esjo biéilni edjaékod-na, mon toná koéckigi-no keltőt» — mám ad'ami — «minam pici vininim bizsa éoéatkini min ali lucce, soles eijzá bastid-ká, soki acim minőn.» «vkitin tinad vinid?» — sasa juam Vu-murt. «atáH-durá minsa kizá-no éapküsa tátié kesci: adj adamilán pici viniz, ójdo biésa éoéatkom!, soki so bizoz» — valaktam ad'ami Vu-murtlí.

Vu-murt adamilán kiljaz tül-durá koskám-no kizá éapküsa tátié ted'i-ak lud-kec patám. «ta adamilán pici viniz!» — sasa Vu-murt lud-kec-éori biíni kutkám. biésa, biésa, lud-keéáz kabzá éinmiétiz utam. pum-alzad'sa, so biéámié dugddm.

so-berá nos-ik ad'ami-dorá minsa, tagi éuám: «zám-ik, ton kuémo meétim; sóin mon teétid kuriéko, án isa meétim timá! vot, mon tenid ukéo éoto, kena-ka baétini miied potá, so-minda-ik.» ad'ami Vu-murtleé ukéozá aslaz islapa-tiraz-giná karám. Vu-murt «jaraloz!» — suám.

so-vajsin ad'ami gurtaz bertisa, azbaraz badgin gu gudgám. so-berá soleé vilzá isl'apaí-pidás bidja-giná paé kel'tisa, éoksam. so paéá pidástám isl'apazá puktám. kena-ká ortcisa, Vu-murt ukéoániz ad'ami-dórá liktám. ad'ami ukéozá islapaaz kiétini koseim. Vu-murt kiékasa, kiékasa ukéozá adgilimtá-ni. ad'ami islapazá tirmitni nos-ik ukéo vájni kosám Vu-murtU. Vu-murt vajam: isl'apüáz tirmitimtá; nos-ik vajam: nos-ik tirmitimtá. oji nullisa, nullisa guáz siéimáti nunalá mirdán tirmitüm. so-tiriá gozi-punié ad'ami gec ülni kutkám, ódig juon-dirja mon so-dorá vuili; tuí sudo ulá.

III. Udmurt: Vu-murtan-no kisno-murtan

Vaékala-dirja kisno-murt vu-durti vetlá vilám. se'á Vu-murt adjam, kisno-murtáz doraz éortam. Vu-murtlán kisnoez visa vilam. se'á dós-kik pars-pi noná vilám. Vu-murt pedlo minőm vilam. kisno-murt sinmaz zirjám pol stopis. soli Vu-murt sotám pester-tir ágir. «se'á gurtad Vossud-jibo-idad pon!» so cisto nuni distimta. so kuinza-giná nuám. mk-ajaz Vossud-dorá minám-no ukso luam. kil'amez-dori. ovol-ni so ágir. so kisno-murt Vu-murtaz adjam bazarisdn. «kudinidz sinminid adjiskud?» — sudm Vu-murt. «pattandnim» — sudm kisno-murt. Vu-murt pattan sinzd dongisa, pilk pottdm. so-berd kisno-murt Vu-murtaz adjitl'amta-ni.

IV. Udmurt: N'ulas-murtlan zugiskonez Vu-murtan

Odik-pol N'ulds-murt Vu-murtan nalpaz éugiskéné. «kiú kinti vormoz?» — suésa nalpaz so kema. kizé kuckéné ta ujáz. odik-pol saldataz adjam-no sole «ójdo ménom Vu-murtan zugiskéné!» — suésa veram. saldat tupackiz. tü-dorá vuésa: «Vu-murt pot zugiskéné!» — keéaéko. Vu-murt tűié potiz-no N'ulds-murtdn izdn zugiskéné kuckie. saldat tiá kros kustiz-no Vu-murt üz bégaté ini tijii péréné. Vu-murt dar-d'éld kuliz.

N'ulds-murt saldataz pehpuh-délaz bastésa, sultiz-no kiée tül, so-kdm kuzmo, nuiz sod. saldatldn d'ér-véliskéz iéiez usiz. N'ulds-murt saldatldn iziezlé berackésa, bastiz soa-no nos-ik ménéiíam. N'ulas-murt-dord vuésa, N'ulds-murt saldatlé iéé-téros azves kuzmaz. so-berd saldat gurtaz berdckiz.

zét-azd N'ulds-murt saldat-dord léktd-no kúra azvessd berdn. saldatldn késnoez azves-intijd val-d'érdz sotiz N'ulds-murtlé-no so ta val-dérdz daratésa bastiz-no koskiz.

Source Colophon

Source text from Bernát Munkácsi, Votják népköltészeti hagyományok (Udmurt Folk Poetry Traditions). Budapest: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, 1887, pp. 108–117. Public domain (author died 1937; publication 1887). Accessed via archive.org (identifier: votjknpklt00munk). OCR from archive.org djvu text layer; some phonetic diacritical marks may be degraded. For precision, consult the digitised PDF scan at archive.org. Staged by Source Text Scout, 2026.

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