Signs and Omens
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Omens can be understood as signs of an immediate future occurrence or of things to come. Divided into bad (mu yor) and good (syan yor), omens not only reflect the Kalmyk nomadic lifestyle, traditions, beliefs, and the history of the people, but also regulate the daily activities of individuals through traditional rules and prohibitions. Many omens and signs are based on observations of the behaviour of various animals and natural phenomena such as the wind, the snow, etc. When animals behave in unusual or annoying ways - for example, when a dog barks and whines at the same time - usually it is interpreted as a bad omen. It is also regarded as a bad sign when it is windy in early spring or raining at the beginning of winter. Social occasions and rituals are also often imbued with prophetic significance for those who witness or encounter them. For example, seeing a wedding party is believed to bring good luck to the beholder. Apart from mobile signs (a dog barking, the wind blowing, a wedding party proceeding), static objects and patterns are also imbued with symbolic significance. If someone has a mole close to their mouth, it is interpreted that that person will be prosperous.
This collection hosts videos about signs, omens, dreams, numbers, characteristics of people and things, etc. that many traditional Kalmyks see as a valid and important form of traditional knowledge.
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Item Open Access Valentina Bevikova, About signs, omens and hospitality(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2018-01-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Koldaev, Tseren; Korneev, Gennadiy; Bembeev, Aleksandr; Sandzhiev, ArturItem Open Access Konstantin Dzhimbinov, About some characteristics of the Kalmyks(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-09-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Terbish, BaasanjavItem Open Access Erdni Manzhikov, Signs, omens and traditional upbringing(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-10-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Koldaev, Tseren; Korneev, Gennadiy; Koldaev, TserenItem Open Access Dmitriy Orusov, Valentina Bovaeva, Zula Andratova, Bad omens(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-07-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Terbish, BaasanjavItem Open Access Bulgun Mankirova, Sanal Badmaev, Bad omens and prohibitions(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-07-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Terbish, BaasanjavItem Open Access Bulgun Mankirova, About good signs and omens(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-07-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Terbish, BaasanjavItem Open Access Anatoliy Kekeev, About bad omens and sin(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-10-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Bembeev, Aleksandr; Bembeev, AleksandrItem Open Access Tatyana Dordzhieva, About signs and omens(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-10-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, Gennadiy; Churyumov, AntonTatyana recounts bad omens: to cross one’s arms, to see a fox crossing a road, to see a woman after setting out on an important business trip. At the end of the video Tatyana performs a song about matchmaking.Item Open Access Maria Beltsikova, About signs, omens, and prohibitions(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-12-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, Gennadiy; Churyumov, AntonIf a dog rolls on the ground, there will be a blizzard. If sparrows fly descending and ascending and changing their flight direction, expect a blizzard. It is a bad sign to cross one’s arms, embrace one’s knees, lean on one’s jaws or carry a bag on the shoulders when leaving a room (a bag should be carried in hands).Item Open Access Ivan Ulyumdzhiev, about bad omens(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2017-08-01) Terbish, Baasanjav; Korneev, Gennadiy; Churyumov, AntonIvan recounts bad omens: If an owl sits near one’s house, if someone crosses your way holding with an empty bucket, if a fox crosses the road, if a dog howls, if a ferret barks at you, if you dream of a snake. In such cases one should do the following: scare away the owl; scare away the dog; kill the ferret; spit to the ground after the fox has crossed the road.Item Open Access Yefrosinya Nimgirova, bad sings and omens(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-05) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, Gennadiy; Churyumov, Anton; Sandzhiev, ArturYefrosinya says it is a bad sign to cross one’s arms or put hands on the hip. When a dog wails, it is a sign that its owner is going to die. Hence people killed wailing dogs.Item Open Access Vasiliy Sukhotaev, signs and omens(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-05) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, Gennadiy; Churyumov, Anton; Sandzhiev, ArturVasiliy says he used to know many signs and omens, but has forgotten most of them. What he remembers are as follows: If a dog whines, there will be a blizzard. When swallows fly low, there will be rain. It is a bad sign to stand with your hands on your waist.Item Open Access Olga Budzhalova, about snakes and thunder(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-04-22) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, Gennadiy; Churyumov, AntonOlga says that in the past gigantic snakes lived on the steppe and that they chased people. She recounts a story that she heard in her childhood about an old man who was chased by a giant snake. As one should do in such a situation, the man galloped towards the sun. It is believed that these snakes could kill people with their tail. Small snakes with horns, by contrast, are beneficial to people. Kalmyks use a snake’s horn for various purposes. Olga says that Kalmyks imagine thunder as a dragon roaring in the sky and lightning as a one-legged white bird running from the dragon. The bird can get tired and sneak into one’s house through a pipe or windows. That is why it is forbidden to look out of the window during lightening. This white bird can also sneak underneath a woman’s white dress. Hence, the ban on wearing a white dress.Item Open Access Nikolai Khatuev, a story about the interpretation of dreams(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-04) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, Gennadiy; Bembeev, Aleksandr; Sandzhiev, ArturOne woman had a dream that she was breastfeeding a couple of wolf cubs. Curious about her dream, the next day she goes to the temple where she meets two novice monks. After hearing her story, the novices take the mickey out of her by saying that she will be attacked by a couple of wolves on her way home. As she sits frightened, a learned monk comes up to her to listen to her story. After listening to her, he says that she is going to have twins and advises her to stop telling about her dreams to every stranger.Item Open Access Nadezhda Tarancheeva, signs and incantations(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-05) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, Gennadiy; Bembeev, Aleksandr; Sandzhiev, ArturWhen a baby’s tooth falls out, it is wrapped in bread and given to a dog by saying: ‘Take my bad tooth and give me a good one.’ It is a bad omen to stand on the door’s threshold. If a person stumbles on his way out, this is a bad sign. In contrast, if a person stumbles while entering a house, it is a good sign. If many boys are born in the same year, this signifies a war. The birth of many girls, in contrast, is a good sign.Item Open Access Mingiyan Lidzhiev, signs and prohibitions(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-05) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, Gennadiy; Bembeev, Aleksandr; Sandzhiev, ArturMingiyan recounts traditional prohibitions:When I was a child my grandmother taught us not to do the following movements: to lift legs upwards to the sky, to whistle in bed (it is a bad omen), to cross hands (this will twist one’s guts), to hold the hand behind the back (this will bring poverty), to dress untidily, to sing or cry in bed, and to take dairy products out of the house in the evening. If two women quarreled with each other (it is believed that women do so when they are possessed by evil spirits), people cut the ends of both women’s hair. It is also forbidden to return one’s pan or cup empty, after borrowing it. Nails and cut hair should be buried. Once on the road, travelers should not look back.Item Open Access Maria Pozharova, signs and prohibitions(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-06-16) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, Gennadiy; Churyumov, AntonMaria says the following: Children’s lost teeth are wrapped in a piece of bread and given to a dog, while uttering the following incantation: ‘Dog, dog take my bad tooth and give me your sharp tooth instead’. When there is a thunder, people utter the following: ‘Om mani padme hum, may all bad things pass by without harming people’. Burning candles are used to forecast the weather. If a candle burns brightly, this means that gods are happy. If not, the winter will be harsh. During Zul it is forbidden to take out ashes for a week in order not to create obstacles on the way of Zul who is believed to be on the move. The same prohibition applies to Tsagan Sar.Item Open Access Dordzhi Nandyshev, about signs and traditional weather forecasting(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-04) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, Gennadiy; Churyumov, Anton; Sandzhiev, ArturDordzhi says the following: When a dog rolls on the ground, there will be a blizzard. If birds fly low, it will rain. In the past there were people who could foretell the weather. They were highly respected among the nomadic population who needed that kind of knowledge. People also used another weather forecasting method which consisted of putting a cup of water on the window and looking at the water for special signs. This method is called ‘tokalgn’.Item Open Access Zoya Chokaeva, signs and omens(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-04-22) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, Gennadiy; Bembeev, Aleksandr; Sandzhiev, ArturZoya says that it is forbidden to spit into a fire, toss garbage into a fire, pollute water sources, interrupt a person, cross one’s arms, and fold one’s arms behind the back. A woman should not cross a man’s way. Good sings include the rain, especially if it rains during a wedding.Item Open Access Dordzhi Barkhaev, about sings and prohibitions(Kalmyk Cultural Heritage Documentation Project, University of Cambridge, 2019-05-04) Terbish, Baasanjav; Churyumova, Elvira; Korneev, Gennadiy; Churyumov, Anton; Sandzhiev, ArturDordzhi expresses his skepticism regarding the validity of traditional signs and prohibitions: In my life I have heard a lot about signs and prohibitions. Today they have become unnecessary and obsolete, because they impede normal life. Examples of bad signs are as follows. It is a bad sign if a dog howls. It is also a bad sign when someone crosses his/her hands. Once, a person whom I knew fell ill. An astrologist said to him that this was because he went somewhere where he was not supposed to go. There are countless prohibitions and signs like this. I personally think that when god created human beings, he did not create all these bans and signs. I think that they were made up by smart people who wished to control simple folks.
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