From the history of the place

The Maryino Gorge is located in the Isetsky district of the Tyumen region, 7 km northwest of the village of Minino, 4 km southeast of the village of Bortniki. The total area is 26,878 hectares.

The mythologization of this place is rather weak, and it concerns mainly toponymic tradition. In all the stories, the name of Maryina Gorge is associated with the name of a woman and the events of the Civil War.

Apparently, the most complete version of the origin of the name is given by Iset local historian Anatoly Lavrentievich Yemelyanov. According to his assumption, the legend of the peasant woman S. is connected with Mary's Gorge. Krasnogorsky Marya Stepanovna.

During the Civil War, she became a partisan, a member of the Volrevkom, then the Council. Marya died in 1921. Her body was found in the gorge, later named by Maryin: "She must have annoyed someone very much she, once on the body counted two dozen wounds" [Yemelyanov, 2002. p. 118]. According to the informant A.L. Yemelyanov, initially Mary was buried at the place of death, then her ashes were transferred "to a mass grave that stands in the middle of the village, put together with comrades who died in the same brutal days at the hands of the rebels" [See the full version of the legend in the book: Emelyanov A.L. Essays the history of the village of Krasnogorsky and its district. Tyumen: Publishing House of Yuri Mandrika, 2002. pp. 110-118].

According to the information of the employee of the Iset Museum of Local Lore Yu.V. Likhanov, there is no female name in the list of those buried in the mass grave of the village of Krasnogorsk. Due to the fact that Marya's surname is not it is established, we cannot say for sure whether she was listed among the members of the Krasnogorsk volost Revkom. The list is given from November 9 to November 25, 1921, it contains the following surnames: Solovyov, Makhalova, Busygin, Tatarenko, Muravyev, Bayasenova, Andreeva, Filippova, Zyryanov (Chairman of the volrevkom), Chetverkin [GATO. F. R-667. Op. 1. D. 3. L. 2].

According to our informant A.L. Zyryanov, Marya is a native of Krasnogorsk "Marya, her husband was commander. The whites came, she hid in the gorge with her daughter, and someone proved from our, from our villages. They are (white. - - E.E.) let's go, they tied [Mary. - E.E.] on a birch tree there, tore it up. In what way!". There is another option, which is given by the correspondent of the newspaper "Tyumen News" L. Kiselyova: "A married couple lived in Botniki - Marya and Grigory. When the Civil War began, Grishka went to fight with the whites, his wife - with the reds. When the White Guards came to the village, Marya I hid from them in the gorge. Whether she was found there or not, no one really knows, everyone has their own ending offers" [Kiseleva, 2007].

Judging by these stories, most likely, the legend of Mary was born in Soviet times: The "positive" character Marya stands for the "reds" and accepts martyrdom at the hands of "white", among whom could be her husband-the villain. The legend of Mary at one time performed educational function. So, 5 km north of the Maryina Gorge, in the forest there was a pioneer camp "Prometheus", where the guys rested in the summer. They regularly went camping overnight in Mary's Gorge, we burned bonfires and listened to the legend of Mary. Local schoolchildren held mayevki there, pine trees were planted by their own hands (About the organization of a natural monument in the Iset district).

The fact that the legend of Mary, and this woman herself is fictitious, is indicated by numerous toponyms, including the name Mary: Maryin log, Maryina Grove, etc. All of them the map of the Russian Federation is literally littered. And in Belarus there is a city - Maryina Gorka.

Topography of the source

As follows from the Regulations on the monument "Maryino Gorge", it includes the following objects and natural complexes: "the landscape, which is a fragment of the ancient terrace of the Iseti River with a height difference of more than 60 m, steep (up to 45°) slopes and deep gullies; hydrological object (spring); woody, shrubby and grassy vegetation represented by steppe and forest formations; rare and endangered species of plants and animals, medicinal plants; archaeological sites (3 burial mounds and a settlement)" [Resolution of the Administration Tyumen region dated 04.04.2005 No. 61-pc (ed. dated 18.07.2008)].

Maryino Gorge is known for four archaeological sites located on a high terrace the Iseti River and the burial mounds of Maryino Gorge 1, 2, 3 and the settlement Maryino Gorge 4 [Database of archaeological monuments of the Tyumen region. Isetskiy district].

Maryino Gorge is a place where plants and insects included in the Red Book grow and live Tyumen region. As noted by biologist P.S. Sitnikov, one of the participants of the zoo-geobotanical scientific research of the Maryina Gorge, "about 400 were identified within the natural monument species of higher vascular plants, including 26 rare species of flora". Also, "it was the only place in the Tyumen region where all 4 Siberian species are officially recorded venus's shoes: swollen (Cypripedium ventricosum), real (C. calceolus), speckled (C. guttatum) and large-flowered (C. macranton)" [Sitnikov, 2010].

Maryino Gorge is a favorite vacation spot for residents of the Iset district. Those who come here, be sure to take photos for memory, capturing themselves against the background of the floodplain of the Iseti River (apparently, the height difference is especially attractive to our "plain" residents). They know about the Mary Gorge in other parts of our region. Previously, the website "Tourist Resources of the Tyumen region" was posted information about the ecological tour "Maryino Gorge": "Maryino Gorge is one of the most protected natural territories of the Tyumen Region, which has a unique flora and fauna. Ecological the tour allows you to get acquainted with the most beautiful and unique natural monument in the south of the Tyumen region. The walking route of the excursion involves acquaintance with rare species of flora and fauna, listed in the Red Book of the Tyumen region and includes two options for its implementation: the first - climbing a steep path to the height of a 25-storey building; the second is observation from the observation deck" [Active recreation and eco-tourism].

In April 2005, the Maryino Gorge was almost completely burned out due to a bonfire built by "wild" tourists. The fire, although not as strong as the first one, was repeated in 2008 [Sitnikov; Sitnikov, 2010]. Traces of the fire are still visible: trunks disfiguring the surroundings rise on its slopes burnt trees with traces of soot. Apparently, no one has carried out a sanitary sweep of this place conducted. As P.S. Sitnikov notes, "the restoration of the aesthetic appearance of the natural monument will be continue for several decades" (2010).

However, people come to Maryino Gorge not only for the sake of admiring the natural beauty, but also for, to tie a ribbon on a tree near the spring, as well as to the spring itself. The spring is leaking from a small gap at the very base of the terrace. Now it represents a very small stream. The water flows along an almost flat channel at the bottom of the beam, its speed is low. On micro -elevations, water stagnates, there is mud. A little further from the water outlet to the surface, the streambed narrows to about 20-30 cm, becomes a little deeper and then goes into the forest - swampy birch. Really this place is described in the cadastre of a specially protected area "On the organization of a natural monument in Iset district": "At the foot of the terrace within the protected area there is a spring from which water flows in a swampy telipteris-mnium birch. Birch is the dominant of the first tier here fluffy with an admixture of aspen 12-15 m high, IV-V classes of bonus. The undergrowth is represented by sparse thickets of bird cherry, ash and three-staminate willows, brittle buckthorn and viburnum. The shrub layer consists of black and red currants, a needled rosehip. In the herbaceous tier is dominated by ferns: telipteris marsh, Chartres and combtree, female stalk with an admixture of marsh grass: long-leaved and golden buttercups, raven's eye, vyazolistnaya meadowsweet, southern reed. The soils are covered with green mosses. Here 2 species from the orchid family that are subject to protection have been found: marsh dormouse Epipactis palustris (L.) Crantz. and the egg-shaped hiding place Listera ovata (L.) R.Br .".

In recent years, the spring water began to stagnate, while back in 2005, according to the memoirs of Tyumen archaeologist S.V. Berlin, the water was better. This is due, in her opinion, to the lowering of the groundwater level. As the informant K.I. Latysheva told us, in the Maryin Gorge there is another spring, but only "locals" know about it. It comes out of the ground a little further from the first source, birch trees grow near it. The water there is as clean and good as in this well-known spring.

Residents of the village of Krasnogorsky, who remember these places, say that the spring used to be called Vedeneyev well, named Vedeney Sanchuk, who "hunted" in these places. In the Maryin Gorge there was even his hut. According to one of the versions told by O. S. Filippova, it was in this "hunting hut" that Marya lived, after whom the gorge is named. K.I. Latysheva saw this hut around the mid-1950s. A.L. Yemelyanov also remembers her in a book dedicated to history villages of Krasnogorsky and its environs (2002. p. 111). Now there is no structure: it was broken. So as the terrain here is quite steep, then earlier, for convenience, there was a well from a high terrace a staircase was made (apparently in the form of depressions in the slope for steps). Most likely, she was arranged by the Management itself. The ladder was also willingly used by those who from the village of Krasnogorsky mowed grass in these places for personal subsidiary farming. K.I. Latysheva remembers that in the lowland there was a lot of raw pears.

The Vedeneyev well itself was surrounded by a fence. The water in it was clean, good. When mowing the grass, it was taken for drinking. The well has been fenced off for many years. Now there are no traces of the fence left. The spring is surrounded on one side by flat stones overgrown with moss and trampled into the ground. Already after the fire, the approaches to the spring were ennobled by the Iset Forestry [Sitnikov, 2010]. Its depth is about one palm (in earlier photos posted on the Internet, a hole deeper). At the outlet of the spring from the ground, there is a small ceramic statuette on a sandy island a rooster covered with multicolored glaze (perhaps it is no longer there now). Next to the spring on several trees are tied with ribbons, rags of various colors and for various purposes. According to S.V. Berlin, who conducted archaeological excavations here, in 2000 there were no "ropes" at this place, in 2004 they were already hanging.

Here you can see: handkerchiefs, nylon threads, cell phone laces, braid, wrappers, napkins, bandages, ropes, various laces, St. George ribbons, gauze scraps, sanitary napkins, waffle towels, kerchiefs, socks, band-aid, a cap for closing hair, nylon stockings, etc. All this is tied mainly to the two growing next to the spring is a low spreading shrub of bird cherry.

Interestingly, one of the shrubs adjoins the trunks of two trees - aspen and birch, apparently, burned during the fire. I think it has a symbolic meaning, taking into account that audience, who visits Maryino Gorge, and the goal she pursues. Attracts attention, that the shrubs to which the patches are tied are branched, and the patches themselves and other artifacts are either white (less often blue, pink), or black (there are fewer of them). The patches are tied with a knot, less often with a bow, and close to the branches or trunk of shrubs.

Pilgrimage to the source

There is a certain ritual of staying at Mary's Gorge, in addition to the almost mandatory photographing. In principle, even someone who visits this place for the first time can reconstruct its elements: if there is water, you need to drink it, if there are ribbons, you need to tie your own.

People come to Maryino Gorge in small companies - family circle or with friends. Here, unlike the religious calendar and calendar holidays, it is not a specific day that is important, but a warm one the time of the year is late spring, summer, early autumn.

Most of our informants noted that the water from the spring has never been considered holy or healing. It should be noted that elderly people talked about this. However, we have information, that some consider it curative. This information was voiced by young people - high school students, students. Apparently, the attitude to water is connected precisely with the different ages of informants and the mythologization of Mary's Gorge, which occurred under the influence of new knowledge, modern culture. Perhaps there was a need for a sacred landscape object that would satisfy actual spiritual needs of a certain age group. None of the informants connects the peculiarities of the veneration of this place with one or another denomination, does not consider it holy (the water here is curative, but not holy). Its sacredness is due to other reasons.

When visiting Mary's gorge at the spring, they make a wish, and then to the branches and trunks nearby trees and shrubs, or just on sticks lying not far from it, are tied a ribbon or something that can replace it. Now, tying a ribbon, they make a wish. Earlier, as told by Z.I. Buchaeva, who in the 1960s, together with her students, went to Marino the gorge, the ribbons were tied "in memory of myself." Interestingly, then the guys tied pioneer ties. A.L. Emelyanov also notes that "pioneers as a sign of respect and memory the dead were once tied with red ties on old birch trees, near which, they say, there was Mary was killed" (2002. pp. 110-111). Some throw small change into the spring (during visual inspection of coins I didn't find them; maybe they are being sandbagged or, more likely, they are being collected). Informant O.S. Filippova (born in 1993) found it difficult to determine for what purpose this is being done.

Thus, the "power" that fulfills desires is rather not water from a spring, but binding ribbons. Perhaps it is appropriate to talk about the mutual influence and support of the sacredness of the place by both objects. Most likely, if the spring was full-flowing, water would play a big role when visiting Mary's Gorge. At least, the water would be collected and taken away with them (as on others sources). Currently, the water that flows out of the spring now is only enough for, to wash with it and drink a few sips.

Feeds on the source

The reasons why the above-mentioned ritual, in fact, are carried out in the Mary Gorge magic, actions, and why the main target audience of this place is young people (children, teenagers, young people, thirty-year-olds), I think there may be several.

The influence of the legend of Mary on tying ribbons to a tree is not excluded: she was tied to a birch tree. In general, tying ribbons is not typical for a complex of ritual actions associated with veneration of water sources of the Tyumen region. However, all the water bodies examined by us are somehow connected with religious rites, where there are or were their own attributes of veneration, in particular, icons, their legends with a deep religious meaning. Not a single similar story, similar to the history of the Maryina gorge, we have not recorded.

Perhaps the tradition of tying ribbons or pioneer ties in the middle of the XX century it has been transformed into modern forms, and thus we can talk about continuity the rite.

It is also possible that this feature of the pilgrimage to the Maryino Gorge can be combined with Z.I. Butayeva said that earlier, when escorted to the army, handkerchiefs were necessarily tied to the post to which the gate is attached, or directly to the house. the memory of a soldier. This tradition used to exist in many areas of the south of the Tyumen region. In some localities, she is still alive to this day. For example, in the village of Vikulovo Vikulovsky the area, according to my observations, on individual houses you can see strongly faded or recently hanged handkerchiefs (2010). On the outskirts of the village of Ryabovo Vikulovsky district grew "soldier's birch" (i.e. recruit's tree) - a friend of the recruit tied a ribbon to it. In the local club there was a branch with 12 "soldier" scarves. The recruit nailed a handkerchief to the house himself ((informant S.V. Lobzikov). We also note that both pioneer ties and "soldier" scarves they were tied "for memory".

The archaeological camp "Isidon" contributes to the maintenance of the "youth image" of this place, the main participants of which are high school students of the Iset district schools conducting excavations under by the leadership of Tyumen archaeologists (also young) in the vicinity of the Maryina Gorge and on it the most.

In the context of the Maryina Gorge, it is impossible to pass by such a phenomenon as the veneration of trees, symbolizing and satisfying different human needs. The most famous of these objects are the tree of goals, the tree of desires, the money tree, the tree of life, the tree of happiness, the tree of love, wedding tree (the tree of the newlyweds). We can talk about "real" (which can be symbolic), and about "virtual", "growing" on the Internet, desire trees. On one of them, the tree of love, confessions are left. The creators of the site report: "The tree of love provides an opportunity to confess a feeling to another person without spoiling the environment and to do it beautifully, modernly and elegantly, by placing icons in the form of hearts, ribbons, fruits, emoticons, locks (highlighted by me. - E.E.) and others on the "Tree of Love". graphic elements" (Tree of Love). On the "Tree of desires" "grows" 8 "large" branches and many "small" branches. The very first one is the "branch of global desires"", other branches are: "branch love", "real estate branch", "means of transportation branch", "travel and recreation branch", "branch wishes of happiness and every success", "branch of grief and troubles", "branch of all desires" (Tree desires).

The "real" "trees" are approached with a request, "fixing" it with the offering of an object, and especially - according to the degree of frequency - there are patches (ribbons) and locks that they are tied into a knot and locked with a key (it is customary to throw the keys into the water). If we talk about the appearance of such trees, then they are all branched, with a large number of leaves. These are and shrubs with ribbons on Mary's gorge.

Let's turn to the nearest geographical context. In Tyumen, on the "Alley of the Newlyweds" (opened in 2003), an arch is decorated with ribbons - they are tied by the newlyweds "for luck". On the "Bridge of Lovers" (a cable-stayed bridge over the Tura River, named so in 2003), the newlyweds fasten the locks, and throw away the keys on Tour, "never to part" (Bridge of Lovers (Tyumen)). At the bridge visitors there is an opinion that if you make a wish here, it will come true. In fact, the bridge grilles they perform here (and in all similar places) the role of tree branches, and the locks are functionally identical tapes.

In the Ishim district, the territory of the nature monument of regional significance "Ishim hills - Mountain Love" is visited on the wedding day by newlyweds who are tied to two tall birches, standing next to the cliff, colorful ribbons in memory of themselves [Mountain of love in Sinitsinsky forest under Ishim; Resolution of the Administration of the Tyumen region of 04.04.2005]. It is believed that the "Tree Love" the tape should be tied by a witness and as high as possible so that the relationship is stronger (Kiselyov), life was happier (informant N.S. Golovin). This custom exists, according to our informant N.S. Golovina, since the mid-1990s, i.e. relatively recently.

Tied ribbons in Tyumen (on the "Alley of the Newlyweds") and in Ishim are of very different colors: red (there are most of them), white, blue, green, yellow, orange, etc. There are single tapes black color. Some of them are signed with the date of the wedding and the names of the newlyweds. The ribbons are mainly made of satin or silk. On the birches near Ishim and on the arch in Tyumen , several are attached locks (they are attached to a chain with which tree trunks are tied). You can also see other objects on them: a horseshoe, a laser disc, flowers from a floral ribbon, handcuffs, a chain. some ribbons are additionally tied with knots.

According to P. S. Sitnikov, in recent years in the Maryino gorge, namely to the spring, "have become the newlyweds of the Iset district often visit. They created their own "tree of happiness" there, hanging it with bright ribbons" (Sitnikov). Researcher of the Iset Museum of Local Lore N.S. Prokop notes that the newlyweds do not tie ribbons at this place. Note also that tying ribbons or fixing locks is associated with mandatory photographing on their background, whether in Tyumen, near Ishim or Maryin gorge.

In general, all the listed trees (real, living and symbolic) can be attributed to ceremonial trees that were traditionally decorated. Some of the items listed below can be found on these trees in our time: "wrapped the trunk with other greenery or straw, tied to branches or hung flowers (live and artificial), brooms, eggshells, small bread products, fruits, fruits, vegetables; ribbons, beads, towels, women's clothing items, yarn, linen; a doll, a flask of wine, a basket of food, etc. could be placed on top" [Agapkina et al., 1999. p. 74].

In the traditional culture of the Eastern Slavs, ribbons, as well as trees, branches were directly they are associated with the wedding ceremony and maiden (maiden) beauty - the material symbol of the bride. In the monograph by G.V. Lyubimova "Age symbolism in the culture of the calendar holiday of the Russian the population of Siberia. XIX - the beginning of the XX century" provides examples of the subject embodiment of "girlish beauty" in the specified region. She notes that, in addition to the hairstyle or headdress, "there were other forms going back to the image of a tree"...;: it could be either a real tree decorated with beads, flowers and ribbons (highlighted by me. - E.E.), or the objects that were his symbols were a branch, a broom, and even an ordinary wand (cf.: in a wedding ceremony, "the beauty could be a wand with ribbons and paper flowers attached to it" ... According to the Belarusian immigrants living now in the Maslyansky district Novosibirsk region, "girlfriends brought a Christmas tree (spruce, spruce) decorated with colored with paper and ribbons; the bride sat under the Christmas tree all through the wedding, and the girls with matchmakers sang "..."". Similarly, a birch bath broom was decorated, which played the role of a "ritual tree" [2004. pp. 69-70].

In addition to the wedding tree, the Trinity tree is also known, which is based on the material of the Tyumen county N.A. Gorodtsov wrote. So, at the beginning of the XX century. in Trinity week, girls dressed up a birch tree: a birch tree with with a forked top, "excess knots are cut down and cut off from it; its forks are bent in the form of a tourniquet or an ordinary wreath; this is done to depict the head of a birch tree. A stick is tied across the birch tree, or two opposite knots for hands are removed on it. Then the birches are put on the head headdress: a kokoshnik, a net or a handkerchief; in the upper part, a jacket is put on a birch tree, and in the lower part - - skirt and apron; the neck of the birch is decorated with coins and beads; in addition, the head of the birch is decorated ribbons (highlighted by me. - E.E.) and wildflowers. When the birch is ready, then under the skirt of the birch a teenage girl, 10-12 years old, crawls up" [1916. p. 6].

In general, the wedding tree (or its equivalent) is, according to the observation of I.M. Kolesnitskaya and L.M. Telegina, "a symbol of fertility and well-being" [Lyubimova, 2004. p. 72]. It seems that basically such thoughts are visited by the newlyweds (and other interested persons) during the ceremony tying ribbons on the tree of happiness.

A wedding is a special ceremony that "accompanies the transition from one state to another, from one the world (...) in another" (A. van Geppen, 2020. p. 15). This rite is directly related to the border, denoting the transitional state of the bride and groom. It is not by chance that ribbons and locks are not hung not only on wedding trees, but also on the borders of Europe and Asia, the Urals and Siberia. So, on the border In the Urals and Siberia (Perm and Tobolsk provinces, respectively), passing along the Mezhnitsa River ((administratively since the XVIII century), you can see a bench and overhanging it. This construction is hung colored scraps of fabric, including wedding ribbons (with the names of the newlyweds). It is noteworthy that nearby, again, there is an outlet of spring waters flowing down the pipe into the river.

The tradition of tying ribbons (cloth) is characteristic of different ethnic groups holding different religious views. The Khants have a custom at "women's" holy places to tie scraps of cloth with a coin wrapped inside to the branches of trees. On the sacred birch tree in the archaeological museum-reserve on Lake Andreevskoe Khanty and Mansi, living in the city of Tyumen, or a hotel cities are also tied with scraps of cloth (the informant is a museum employee I.E. Dovgulevich).

Finally, the ritual tying of ribbons and making wishes is the result of the influence of modern media culture and publishing business with their hypertrophied attention to magic, the occult, esp, shamanism and other practices that can be touched in mass society each.

So, the target audience - young people - determines the nature of the veneration of Mary's Gorge, ritual behavior on it.

The power and means of fulfilling desires are not so much water from a spring, which is typical for other revered sources, as tying ribbons. This ritual practice and that role, which she performs, comes into contact with the essence of the concept of religiosity, enters his circle, including through the belief in "the possibility of magical effects on objects and phenomena of the world" (Pankov). Tying the patches is a magical effect on some higher forces, "stated" in a verbal and functional form.


Elena ERMAKOVA,
Candidate of Philological Sciences,
Associate Professor of Tyumen State University,
city of Tyumen

How to get to Mary's Gorge?

Go by car from Tyumen to the south to the village of Isetskoye. After crossing the Iset River over the bridge, turn left. After about 9 kilometers, a dirt road leading to Mary's Gorge goes into the field. There is also a road from the village of Krasnogorskoye. By public transport, you can take buses: from Tyumen or Kurgan to Isetskoye, then from Isetskoye to the village of Krasnogorskoye. From the village on foot to the gorge