Earth-Mother of the Mordvins

Erzya/Moksha ⟨Мастор ава⟩ Mastor ava (mastor 'earth' + ava 'mother'). The title-figure of A. M. Sharonov's 1994 Erzya literary epic Mastorava. Distinct from the male earth-keeper Mastoron-kirdi and the underworld-god Mastorpaz (son of Chipaz and the grain-mother Norov-ava), which are noted in the corpus under Norov-ava. Counterpart of Mari Mlande-ava and Slavic Mat' Syra Zemlya.

Domains

• earth and soil
• harvest and health

Powers

• gives good harvest and good health to those who till her

Sources

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