Aquatic ecosystems: spatial representation of spiritual universe (study of ethnographic materials of Sakha people)

This article considers the water bodies as dominant symbols of the space from the perspective of Yakuts' world outlook beliefs. The author notes the universal value and the ambivalence of the water in folk cultures: the water acts as a vital source of all things, but at the same time it has a semantic connection with the afterworld. The paper investigates the concept of "sea", "lake", "river", describes some customs, ceremonies, rituals, symbols, myths of the Sakha people.