Deiba-nguo (the benevolent creator and culture-hero)
Nganasan · deity · Nganasan traditional religion; continuing · deity
Deiba-nguo (also Dyoyba-nguo, Dyaiba-nguo) is the benevolent creator and culture-hero of the Nganasans, distinct from the female 'mothers of the world'. Conceived as an 'orphan' or poor-fellow god, he is the principal protector and patron of humankind: in the tales and traditions of the Taymyr Samoyeds he shapes the features of the land, wins benefits for people and intercedes against hostile beings. A modified, more trickster-like form of the same hero appears under the name Dyayku in Nganasan oral narrative. He is one of the central figures of recorded Nganasan mythology.
Domains
creation and culture hero
protection of humankind
Powers
to shape the land and protect humankind
Epithets
Dyoyba-nguo
Sources
Gracheva, G. N. (1983). Traditsionnoe mirovozzrenie okhotnikov Taymyra [The Traditional Worldview of the Hunters of Taymyr]. Leningrad: Nauka.
Dolgikh, B. O. (1976). Mifologicheskie skazki i istoricheskie predaniya nganasan [Mythological Tales and Historical Traditions of the Nganasans]. Moscow: Nauka.