The Cult of Female Fertility
Findings in the Tombs of Kurkata and Tashravata
Findings of items with female characteristics in Ustrushana and Fergana are not isolated. Several years ago, in mound No. 31 of the Tashravat burial site, located 40-60 km southeast of Kurkata, a pendant depicting genitals was found, cast from Egyptian faience. In the absence of a genital amulet, the so-called "factory" production, which apparently was not accessible to everyone, its role could have been played by cowrie shells or amulets carved from river pebbles, closely resembling genitals. In particular, over 40 such items have been discovered in the tombs of Kurkata. This is currently the largest collection of cowries found in Northern Tajikistan.
The association of the cowrie shape with the female genital organ and the cult of fertility has been preserved among the Tajiks to this day. Triangular beads with a hole in the center somewhat resemble the Tajik ritual dish "sambusai varaki" (layered sambusa), which is invariably included in the gift sent by the groom's parents to the bride's house during holidays, starting from the engagement day until the wedding itself. According to A.K. Pisarchnik's observations, the residents of Nurata prepared flatbreads called "zaboni gov" (ox tongue).
In the memories of the elderly women of Nurata, there is a notion that these flatbreads were a symbolic representation of reproductive organs and were also made for weddings as a magical means to ensure the fertility of the marrying couple. They also note that, in contrast to the Nuratis, the residents of Khufa and Leninabad prepared diamond-shaped and triangular flatbreads-cookies, fried in oil. Similar flatbreads were also made for the Navruz holiday. During the celebration, they were eaten with the wish to preserve female potency until the next year.
The cult of female fertility was also manifested in another ritual of the women of Nurata. When cutting the dress, the sides were slightly rounded, and square gussets (hishtak) were made from fabric of a different color, which had magical significance and was meant to ensure fertility.
Symbols of fertility are also represented in many patterns of Tajik embroiderers. In addition to the traditional pomegranate, for example, the patterns of the Uratyubi masters include images of worms, centipedes, and so on, which were also considered symbols of fertility. In particular, it was believed that it was enough for a barren woman to eat a few worms for conception to soon occur. In ancient times, the residents of Khojent would invariably place poppy seeds inside the girls' amulets, which were also considered symbols of fertility.
The phallus is a symbol of the productive power of nature. This is evidenced by the observation of Ibn Fadlan. Thus, the population of Bashkiria, which in the 10th century still firmly retained some tribal relations and magical forms of thinking, carved a stick the size of a phallus from tree branches and wore it around their necks as an amulet.
When Ibn Fadlan asked why they did this, one man replied: "I came from something like this and do not know of any other creator for myself besides this." In the areas located near Kurkata, many findings related to the phallic cult have been collected. For example, in one of the rooms of the Kayragach estate, a set of phalluses made of unburnt clay was discovered, neatly placed in a pit. At the Mugtea settlement, in layers from the 5th-6th centuries, an idol with an emphasized phallus in an erotic state was found. This cult is very ancient. A pestle of phallic shape originates from the settlement of Mirshade, dated to the 2nd millennium BC. The fertility demon Nerpat apparently did not yet have a well-established iconographic image. Therefore, he was depicted either as a large clay vessel with a gender attribute or as an idol with an emphasized phallus.
In the tombs of Kurkata, more than six amulets with signs of phallic shape have been found. The real cult, in various forms and variations, continues to manifest itself in many ritual traditions of the Tajiks and Uzbeks of Central Asia, which has previously received insufficient attention. In particular, until recently, in the relic dances of the residents of Khojent, especially in the belly dance, as well as during the performance of erotic spring New Year dances and songs by the populations of the Razzaq and Kalinav neighborhoods, located on the eastern and western outskirts of the city, elements of the remnants of the phallic cult were distinctly traced. According to our informants, not long ago, when a man lost his sexual potency or weakened it, his wife would usually take her husband's underwear to a midwife or bibiotun to infuse him with the "holy spirit" (literally "dam andokhtan"). When a woman lost interest in her husband, she secretly burned her husband's underwear or something from his intimate toilet in hopes that her husband would also lose interest in her.
As is known, one of the foundations of the stability of the forming family, both among Tajiks and Uzbeks and other peoples, remains the guarantee of the "innocence of the bride." If the groom, for some reason, could not engage in sexual intercourse with the newlywed according to established rules from the second night, his mother would take her son's underwear to the bibiotun to remove the supposedly "unclean spirit" that had adhered to the groom. There are many examples where the mother of the groom or bride, wishing to see their children numerous, would sew a small piece of fabric (alchik) into one of the corners of the wedding blanket. Thus, the game with alchiks, well-known from archaeological materials, also had a ritual significance. In Khatlon and other mountainous regions of Tajikistan, when preparing the wedding bed, a little millet or seeds of some plant are sprinkled between the blankets, which, according to belief, makes the newlyweds fertile.
During the wedding, millet is also used by the residents of modern Leninabad. However, they only use it during the marriage ceremony according to Muslim canon. The symbol of life and fertility was also carried by the ritual of removing the veil from the bride's face with a branch of a fruit tree.
An example of another nature, indicating the enduring nature of the understanding of marital fidelity and the unbreakable thread connecting spouses. A young man whose wife had died, before entering into a new marriage, would visit the cemetery, tidy up the grave of his deceased wife, read a surah from the Quran, and pour water on the grave mound, and then, without looking back, return home. Such behavior of the man is motivated by our informants as a desire to "calm the pain and suffering of the deceased wife" when the husband enters into marital contact with another woman.
Some aspects of the phallic cult were once discussed by the classic of Persian-Tajik poetry of the 14th century, Ubaidi Zokoni. However, this aspect of people's lives, possibly due to its intimate nature, has not yet received proper coverage in the works of Central Asian ethnographers, although archaeology has accumulated sufficient source material.
Amulets Associated with Female Fertility
