Because among many peoples the bear was equated with a deity, they tried to dignify it allegorically, so as not to incur the wrath of the owner of the taiga. Specialists in the field of linguistics do not get tired of being surprised by the nicknames of this beast, in the number of which no animal can compete with it.
The word "bear" appeared in Russia not earlier than the XI century, but in fact it is one of the many nicknames of the most powerful forest dweller. Many peoples living in the regions where the bear lives, treated him as a deity, identifying the beast with their totemic ancestor. The taboo on the pronunciation of the real name is associated not only with the recognition of the sacredness of the animal, but also with the danger that came from it. This prohibition took place in Vedic culture and was passed down from century to century, so even the euphemism "bear" has received many substitutions. Only in Dahl's dictionary you can find 37 names: forester, lomaka, chiropractor, clubfoot, shaggy, Potapych, Toptygin, mishuk, bee and many others. The she-bear was often called the uterus, mother, sword, or they gave her human names: Matryona, Aksinya.
Finding the real name of the bear
Linguists are racking their brains trying to figure out the real name of the bear. To do this, they turn, first of all, to the earliest languages: Sanskrit and Latin. In Sanskrit, the bear was called bhruka, where bhr means "grumble, scold." In many languages, the name has not changed much: in English - bear, in German - Bär, in Denmark and Sweden - bjrn. It must be said that the root "ber" in the Russian word "den" is not at all borrowed from the Romance languages. So the ancient Slavs called the bear. The connection with the Germanic bero - brown is sometimes considered.
The authoritative scientist A. N. Afanasyev, in the course of his research, came to the conclusion that the name of the bear among many peoples is associated with the attitude towards him not only as a wild beast with a terrible roar, but with destructive tendencies. In Sanskrit, this understanding corresponds to ksha - literally "tormentor", and in Latin - ursus. Hence, in French - ours, in Italian - orso, in Russian - urs, rus.
Some linguists hypothesize that, perhaps, the most archaic name for the bear was "rus", which arose when the sounds or syllables were rearranged, because this can be observed even at a later stage in the development of the language (bear - witch). It is not hard to guess that this is the origin of "Rus" - the country where the sacred bear is worshiped. However, all this is just one of the many versions of scientists. It must be said that the understanding of the name of an animal as knowing honey is erroneous, since the verb “to know” means “to eat, to eat”.
Is the first pancake really lumpy
A bear in Russia, and especially in Siberia, is more than a bear. It is a national symbol of power and greatness. The ancient pagan tribes living in Siberia called the bear only the Great Kam. This can be found in Korean, where "com" is a bear. The translation from the Tungusian "kam" - shaman and from the Ainu - the spirit only confirms the attitude towards the bear as a deity. Moreover, the Ainu believed that the spirit of a hunter was hidden under the skin of a bear.
Before Christianity, all peoples of Vedic culture celebrated Kamov day. This ancient holiday was a commemoration of the arrival of spring, when the Great Kam comes out of the den. To appease the owner of the taiga, it was necessary to bring pancakes for him. This does not mean that the pancakes were brought directly to the den, but left them somewhere on the outskirts of the forest thicket. Therefore, the very first pancake went to Kamam. Over time, this proverb acquired a different meaning, quite understandable, since the first pancake is really far from always successful.
In fact, Kamov day, although it was a pagan holiday, was the prototype of the Christian Shrovetide. The holiday of the "awakening bear" - komoeditsy is also typical for the Eastern Slavs, which was usually celebrated on March 24th. The echoes of the primitive archaic are so strong that in Belarus, until the middle of the 19th century, it was celebrated on this day, even if it was fast. The celebration was certainly accompanied by dances in bearskin or the like - a sheep's sheepskin coat turned inside out.
