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Krasheninnikova Yu. Elijah’s Day and St. Elijah in the Beliefs of the Russian Mining Population of the Komi Republic

Yu. Krasheninnikova
Institute of Language, Literature and History Federal Research Center of Komi Scientific Center of Ural Branch of the RAS
Syktyvkar, Russia
ORCID: 0000-0002-2045-4486
E-mail: krasheninnikova@rambler.ru

 

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ABSTRACT. This article presents materials recorded between 2008 and 2023 from the descendants of Russian settlers who worked in iron foundries and iron-smelting production established in the mid-eighteenth century in the present-day Komi Republic. The study analyzes beliefs surrounding St. Elijah and Elijah’s Day, emphasizing its significance as a transitional holiday marking the boundary between summer and autumn. The image of the Prophet Elijah riding a fiery chariot has evolved over time. The adjective “fiery” has largely disappeared from descriptions of the chariot, and the perception of Elijah as a deity associated with fire has diminished. St. Elijah is widely regarded as a controller of rain. He is also considered a fortune teller, with strong thunder signifying a long and prosperous life. His role exhibits functional similarities with summer saints such as St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Procopius. The actions of the apostles Peter and Paul and those of the Prophet Elijah follow the same interpretative model: “the saint feasts → thunder rumbles” (where thunder signifies a saint’s feast). Among the inhabitants of Nyuchpas village, St. Elijah and St. Procopius are believed to brew beer and ride chariots on their feast days, which are consequently marked by thunderstorms. Their actions are described using the models “chariot ride → thunder” and “brewing beer → thunder”. A distinctive feature of local traditions is the absence of certain elements commonly found in other Russian folk beliefs about St. Elijah. Specifically, no texts have been recorded portraying Elijah as the patron saint of hunting and forest animals. There is no evidence of collective meals or rituals involving the slaughter of sacrificial animals. Furthermore, the figure of Elijah does not appear as a harsh, punitive saint; local traditions lack motifs related to his wrath, such as the burning of haystacks prepared on Elijah’s Day or injuries and deaths resulting from violations of the prohibition against working on this day — these elements that are more characteristic of peasant cultures.

 

KEYWORDS: Russian migrant culture, mining traditions, Komi Republic, ritual calendar cycle, folk orthodoxy, Elijah’s Day, Prophet Elijah

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8600-2025-1(27)-100-119
UDC 394. 2 (470.13)

 

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