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ined as a long-armed naked woman by the Kumandines... The Tuvans used
to believe in the spirit owners of the waters. They made an ovaa of stones and
dry branches for her, too, on the riverbanks, and near the fords. This looked
like a hut, and they placed the sacrificial objects in it: stones, rags, horsehair

etc. Before crossing the river they usually performed a sacrifice." 125
The Shamans’ perverse belief in this imaginary water goddess is
reminiscent of other pagans’ belief in the so-called prosperity goddess.
Anthropologist S. M. Malinovskaya syas: “Before Shamans began fish-
ing at a certain spot, they were making offerings or sacrifices to the
mythical water goddess.” 126

The “fire cult” is part of perverse Shamanism’s culture just like in
many other pagan religions. Shamans believe that fire has a spirit
which must be placated, to which end they traditionally make perverse
offerings or sacrifices to fires.
The totem-worshiping Samoyeds also ignorantly believed that fire
was a living being, notably an old woman. The licking flames of the fire
are her movements, and she is the guardian of the tent, who immedi-
ately gets angry if someone throws trash or trodden wood shavings, or
spits into the fire, or hits it. When children lost their teeth, they were

told to throw the teeth into the fire, so that “Old Grandmother Fire”
would give them new ones . They where awed by fire, and respected
its power so much that they ignorantly swore by it, saying "May I be
devoured by Old Grandmother Fire if I am guilty!" 127
Among the Turkic peoples of Siberia the Tuvans held the compul-
sory family holiday "fire-feast," which meant that under the direction of
the most powerful shaman, they perversely sacrificed a lamb or a calf
to the fire. They fed the fire with oil and butter, so that for the follow-

ing year the spirit would provide the family members with both health
and happiness. 128

Islam And Far Eastern Religions