Lizard and frog in the beliefs of the Russians and Komi living in Western Siberia: comparative analysis of mythological imagery

Using author's field materials, this article presents a comparative analysis of mythological images ofthe frog and lizard among the Russians and Komi of Western Siberia. According to popular beliefs ofthe Slavs, the frog and lizard, like some other mythological creatures, belong to chthonic characters ("gady” or "creeping things”), while the Komi consider them to be the carriers of impurity ("pezh”) which can be transmitted as infection. The Komi people have preserved comparatively more archaic features in the mythological imagery of these animals. The author's field materials reveal the opposition between the frog and lizard in the Komi beliefs. Frogs are revered and protected animals and it is prohibited to kill them. The image ofthe lizard has a negative connotation, since lizards are considered harmful and it is dangerous to touch them. There is a belief that lizards can penetrate the human body and give birth to their offspring there, that lizards gnaw internal organs and cause hysteric state ("klikushestvo”). Seeing a lizard was considered a bad omen and sign ofthe imminent death of a close relative. For this reason, seeing a lizard, people tried to kill it and to dry the corpse in the sunlight. The Komi people have clearly preserved the relics of archaic ideas about the lizard as the Sun eater. Russians show ambivalent ideas about both of these characters, which generally coincide with the common Slavic beliefs. The image offrog conveys female symbolism associated with childbearing and fertility. The Komi and Russians have preserved archaic beliefs about the lizard and frog as embodiment ofthe soul of a deceased person. Witches would turn into these animals, stealing milk from cows and putting a spell on them. The soul of a witch was imagined to have the form of a snake, frog, or lizard. At the moment of witch's death, it would crawl out of her throat. It was believed that killing a frog or lizard could affect weather, for example, by causing rain. The differences described may generally indicate a greater share of archaic features in the beliefs of the Komi people, which may be explained by their later Christianization.