In ancient times, in the interfluve of the Volga and Oka rivers, where Moscow is now located, Meria lived. This Finno-Ugric tribe was subsequently assimilated by the Eastern Slavs and together with them formed the basis of the population of Muscovy.
More than France
In history, there is practically no reliable information about the language, culture, life and customs of the disappeared Meri people.
Back in the 6th century, the Gothic chronicler Jordan, among the tributaries of the Gothic king Germanarich, names a certain people of Merens. Many researchers believe that in this case we are talking about Mary.
Later, information about this tribe appears in Russian chronicles. According to The Tale of Bygone Years, the Varangians imposed a tribute on the Merians in 859. In 882 the Meryans participated in the military campaigns of Prince Oleg to Smolensk, Lyubech, Kiev, and in 907 to Constantinople. But since then Merya as a separate people has not been mentioned in historical sources. What happened?
Meryan lands - Merovia - were located on the territory of modern Tver, Vladimir, Moscow, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Vologda, Ivanovo, Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod regions. At the end of the first millennium of our era, the colonization of these lands by the Eastern Slavs began. She walked in waves from three directions. First, from the north-west and west, from the direction of present-day Veliky Novgorod and Smolensk, Ilmen Slovenes and Krivichi came here. Then Vyatichi, northerners and Radimichi arrived from the south. And during the time of the Old Russian state, mass migration of residents of southern and southwestern Russia began to the territory of the Volga-Oka interfluve.
The colonization of the center of the future Muscovy by the Slavs proceeded slowly, without major wars and conflicts. And literally in 100-200 years, the Slavs, having assimilated the indigenous population, began to dominate this vast territory, which is larger than modern France.
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Scientists argue that such a rapid assimilation of the Meryans by the Slavs occurred because the territory of the Upper Volga region and Zalesye was poorly populated. The Meryans were allegedly inferior to the Slavs not only numerically, but also in social organization, as well as in economic and technical development.
It is difficult to agree with this hypothesis. A stormy life was in full swing in Merovia, and the Merians were the leaders of the Finno-Ugric world. They built dozens of cities, the main of which were the capital of the Meryan land, Sar and Suzhdal (which later became Suzdal). On the basis of the Meryan fortified settlements - fortified settlements - such Russian cities as Moscow (from the Meryan "mosk" - hemp), Uglich, Vladimir-on-Klyazma, Kleshchin (later - Pereslavl-Zalessky), Rostov, Galich Meryansky, Ples developed.
On the banks of rivers, lakes and near fertile opolines, there were thousands of villages and towns. There were sacred centers of Meryan paganism: Blue Stone on Lake Pleshcheevo, temples on Lake Nero, and hundreds of others.
The Meryans were engaged in agriculture, hunting and fishing, and traded with many countries of the West and East (as evidenced, for example, by Arab coins found by archaeologists during excavations). They lived in log cabins with stove heating, washed in baths. We went on tarantasses, carts, tarataikas (these are all Meryan names). They drank healthy intoxicating drinks: weak rye beer and buzu - a strong beer made with rye malt. And the most festive, the most luxurious drink was puré - honey mash, mead.
The cult of the gray duck
There were much fewer Slavic aliens than the indigenous population. But they were better organized, united, and relied on the support of the most powerful state in Eastern Europe - Kievan Rus. And they brought with them the Christian religion, the advantages of which in the administration of their subjects were quickly appreciated by the rulers of Merovia.
The Meryan elite fell under the charm of ancient Russian culture, adopted the style of dress, language, and customs from the colonialists. Gradually, the Old Russian language established itself in all strata of the population of Merovia, becoming the language of interethnic communication, interregional trade and a new religion. And the language of the Merya people (in which there were many dialects) was forgotten over time and died out by the beginning of the 18th century.
That is, almost the same thing happened to the Merians as to the Irish, who switched to English 300-400 years ago. Only the Irish remained Celts, and the Meryans lost their national identity, becoming, together with the Eastern Slavs, the basis for the formation of the core of the Great Russian people. Note that other Finno-Ugric peoples, in particular, the Vepsians, experienced a similar process of assimilation. If the older generations of Vepsians spoke their native language back in the 20th century, today's youth speaks exclusively Russian.
Before the establishment of Christianity, the Meryans were pagans. Their beliefs are largely similar to the beliefs of other Finno-Ugric tribes. The supreme deity of the Merians was Yumol - the god of the sky, the creator of the Universe. The earth he created was covered with a solid surface of water. Shaitan (who was called Keremet) helped Yumol to create the firmament. The dark spirit turned into a gray duck and began to dive to get a pinch of earth from the bottom of the ocean. The duck dived three times, and only the third time did it manage to bring the earth in its beak, from which Yumol created continents and islands. As a reward for this service, Keremet reprimanded God for the right to rule over the Earth.
Since then, it has become the custom: Yumol is engaged in heavenly affairs, and Keremet establishes its own rules on earth. Isn't that why life on our planet is so unsettled ?!
The cult of the gray duck became dominant in the religion of Mary. This is evidenced by the numerous decorations in the form of ducks found in various regions of Central Russia. The cult of the sacred bird was not accidental, since it is the only living creature capable of moving in any direction through air, water and land. In addition, it is associated with ideas about fertility, life cycles of plants, animals and humans.
The main sacred center of the Meryan people was the area around the sacred lake Nero (south of the present Yaroslavl region). The Meryans worshiped the Blue Stones, located on a small island in the middle of the lake. And the island itself played an important role in pagan rituals, since the Meryans saw in it some kind of pristine land. From the south, the Sara River flows into the lake, which was considered the border separating life and death.
The worship of the Blue Stones is associated with the name of Ukko, the supreme deity of the thunderstorm, who was nicknamed "The Blue Cape" because he wore blue clothes. The veneration of the "footprints" and "bowls" depressions often found on the Blue Stones is probably associated with the cult of ancestors.
The Christianization of Merovia was not as painless as some historians try to imagine. The lives of bishops Fedor, Leonty, Abraham, Isaiah and in the "Tale of the Establishment of Christianity in Rostov" mention the end of Peipsi in Rostov the Great, where the stone idol of Veles stood, which was worshiped by local pagans until the beginning of the 12th century. They repeatedly expelled the sent bishops and, according to some reports, even killed them.
Merya was part of the population of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, which revolted in 1071 and 1088 against the spread of Christianity. The "History of the Kazan Kingdom" mentions the Cheremis (probably Merians) as the indigenous inhabitants of Rostov, who did not want to be baptized and therefore left the city, went east, to the Bulgar land and the Horde.
With the establishment of Christianity, the Meryans finally merged with the Slavic population, became part of the Russian people. And now only toponyms that are clearly non-Slavic in origin remind of the former Merovia: Moscow, Oka, Nero, Kineshma, Kostroma, Chukhloma, Palekh, Valdai, Seliger, Klyazma and many others.
Nikolay MEDVEDEV