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Remnants of the Snake Cult Among the Khakas (Late 19th to Mid 20th Century)

On the basis of folklore and ethnographic data, some of which are introduced in this article, the Khakass mytho-ritual complex relating to the snake is reconstructed. It is demonstrated that these beliefs were central to the traditional Khakass worldview, and the snake was endowed with elaborate symbolic meanings. It was a sacred animal, associated with ideas of life and death. It played a key role in mystical initiation practices, including those related to shamanism, and it was perceived as a patron spirit. Among the Khakass traditional beliefs was the idea that the elect could marry snakes, which turned into beautiful girls. Such a union, short-lived as it was, brought wealth and luck. Also, the snake was associated with elements and landscape features, such as water and mountains, linked to the ideas of sacred center, fertility, and the ancestor cult, which were central in the Khakass worldview. This reptile was often believed to be a mountain spirit, a mystical patron, and donator of magical capacities. Thereby beliefs about snakes were part of Khakass folk medicine and domestic magic.