On the question of pagan beliefs and cults of the Finno-Ugric tribe Merya

Based on the analysis of archaeological research materials of Meryan pagan sanctuaries and burial grounds of the 9th - early 11th centuries, as well as the text of the "Life of Abraham of Rostov" and the folk legend "The Tale of the Construction of the City of Yaroslavl", a historical reconstruction of the pagan beliefs and cults of the Finno-Ugric tribe of Merya, who inhabited the Rostov, Yaroslavl, Suzdal and Kostroma lands in the 9th - early 11th centuries, was carried out. The study also analyzes the Meryan traditional ideas about the afterlife.