Mother Earth (Ya-Nebya)
Nenets · deity · mythic / cosmic · Recorded classification
The Nenets earth-mother; classed 'deity'. Forms the Sky-Father / Earth-Mother pair with Num. English 'Mother Earth' leads, native Ya-Nebya in term.
Domains
- earth and fertility
- childbirth and protection of women
Powers
- stand by women giving birth
Relations
- interpretatio: Earth MotherFunctional Earth-Mother parallel across Ob-Ugric and Samoyedic; the names share no etymon (joli-torum-śań 'lower-world mother' vs ya-nebya 'earth-mother').Uno Holmberg (Harva), Finno-Ugric and Siberian Mythology (Mythology of All Races vol. 4), 1927 (secondary)
- interpretatio: Earth-Mother of the MariPan-Uralic Earth-Mother concept (an 'earth' + 'mother' calque in each branch) rather than a shared inherited theonym.Uno Holmberg (Harva), Finno-Ugric and Siberian Mythology (Mythology of All Races vol. 4), 1927 (secondary)
- spouse: Sky (Num)Reciprocal of nenets_num.spouse — Sky-father and Mother Earth form the cosmic complement of Nenets religion; Ya-Nebya is reckoned Num's wife in the recorded accounts.T. Lehtisalo, Entwurf einer Mythologie der Jurak-Samojeden (1924) (primary)
Sources
- Ya-Nebya ('Mother Earth') is a benevolent Nenets earth-goddess, consort/counterpart of the Sky-Father Num-Nisya; she rules life on earth and is the protector of women, helping in childbirth.: atlaskmns.ru, 'The Nenets. Spiritual culture' — Num-Nisya and Ya-Nebya. (tertiary); Encyclopedia.com, 'Num' — Ya-nebya and childbirth. (secondary)