Sihirtia () or Sirtia () were a mythical people who lived in the

tundra In physical geography, a tundra () is a type of biome where tree growth is hindered by frigid temperatures and short growing seasons. There are three regions and associated types of tundra: #Arctic, Arctic, Alpine tundra, Alpine, and #Antarctic ...

before the arrival of the

Nenets The Nenets (; ), in the past also called 'Samoyeds' or 'Yuraks', are a Samoyedic ethnic group native to Arctic Russia, Russian Far North. According to the latest census in 2021, there were 49,646 Nenets in the Russian Federation, most of them l ...

. The name is often encountered in the folklore of the Nenets. According to legends, Sihirtia were of a very short statue, wearing beautiful clothes with metal pendants. Tall sandy hills served them as homes. They came out to the surface of the tundra at night or in the mist; they lived under the ground, where they traveled on dogs and pastured

mammoths A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus.'' They lived from the late Miocene epoch (from around 6.2 million years ago) into the Holocene until about 4,000 years ago, with mammoth species at various times inhabi ...

("earth deer"). Sihirtia were skilled

smith Smith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England ** List of people ...

s and good warriors. Meeting a Sihirtia brought either misfortune or good luck. There were cases of marriage between Nenets and Sihirtia. The folklore image of Sihirtia might have mythologically imprinted features of a real people (probably of Samoyedic or

Paleo-Siberian The Paleo-Siberian languages are several language isolates and small language families spoken in parts of Siberia. They are not known to have any genetic relationship to each other; their only common link is that they are held to have antedated ...

origin) who lived in Europe and West

Siberia Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has formed a part of the sovereign territory of Russia and its predecessor states ...

n tundra in antiquity. According to archeological data, the predecessors of the Nenets were not

shepherds A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

–

reindeer herders Reindeer herding is when reindeer are herded by people in a limited area. Currently, reindeer are the only semi-domesticated animal which naturally belong to the North. Reindeer herding is conducted in nine countries: Norway, Finland, Sweden, Russ ...

, but engaged in fishing and hunting wild reindeer and sea mammals.

References

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Sources

* Уральская историческая энциклопедия. Изд. 2-е, перераб. и доп. / Гл. ред. В.В. Алексеев. Екатеринбург: Академкнига, 2000. 640 с. Mythological peoples Ancient peoples of Russia Dwarves (folklore) Nenets mythology

See also

References

Sources