Mother-Goddess of Birth

Erzya ⟨Анге Патяй⟩ Ange Patjaj (patjaj 'elder woman/auntie'). The figure is best documented through Melnikov-Pechersky's 19th-c. account and treated cautiously in modern scholarship; flagged here as a contested elaboration.

Domains

• birth and fertility
• motherhood of the gods

Powers

• bestows children and watches over the newborn
• Maintain life and aid women in childbirth

Sources

• Harva (Holmberg), Uno. Die religiösen Vorstellungen der mordwinischen Völker. FF Communications 142. Helsinki, 1952.
• Sarv, Mari. 'Some Aspects of Mordvin Mythology.' Folklore 17, Tartu, 2001.