Fly agaric songs of the Koryaks-Nymylans

Abstract

The tradition of singing songs under the influence of fly agaric intoxication has been recorded among many peoples of Siberia. However, this topic still needs to be studied, with publications of texts, translations, and sheet music being scarce. This paper presents samples of Koryak-Nymylan fly agaric songs recorded in the 1990s–2000s in the Karaginsky and Olyutorsky districts of Kamchatka. There are two types of songs associated with different stages of interaction with fly agarics. When fly agarics are found, special songs-dances of a joyful character are sung due to the beliefs about the correct behavior of welcoming a mythical tribe of dancing fly agaric women. When using fly agarics, personal songs are performed, manifested in the commonality of poetic texts and melodies. This paper describes for the first time the modal-melodic structure of the melodies and the versification of the Koryak fly-agaric songs. The specificity of the flapper songs is caused by the special state, reflected in the timbre change of personal songs and the inclusion of “fly agaric” themes in the texts. The following semantic markers can be distinguished: the statement of the fly agaric state, the traditional speech dialogue with people from the real world, the transmission of messages from deceased ancestors, the description of the fly agaric dance, and the elements of the fly agaric journey. Fly agaric songs should be considered in the context of mythological representations of interaction with other worlds where deceased ancestors and special fly agaric creatures live.