MORDVINIANS  , otherwise called MORDVA, MoRDVS, or MORDVINS, a See also:

• PEOPLE

people numbering about one million, belonging to the Ural-Altaic See also:

• FAMILY

family, who inhabit the See also:

• MIDDLE

middle See also:

• VOLGA (known to the Tatars as Etil, Jill or Atel; to the Finnish tribes as Rau, and to the ancients as Rha and Oarus)

Volga provinces of See also:

• RUSSIA
• RUSSIA (Rossiya)

Russia and spread in small detached communities to the See also:

• SOUTH
• SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

south and See also:

• EAST
• EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

east of these . Their See also:

• SETTLEMENT
• SETTLEMENT, ACT OF

settlement in the See also:

• BASIN, or BASON (the older form bacin is found in many of the Romanic languages, from the Late Lat. baccinus or bacchinus, probably derived from bacca, a bowl)
• BASIN, THOMAS (1412—1491)

basin of the Volga is of high antiquity . One of the two See also:

• GREAT

great branches into which they are divided, the Erzya, is perhaps the same as the Aorses mentioned by See also:

• PTOLEMY (CLAUDIUS PTOLEMAEUS)

Ptolemy as dwelling between the Baltic, See also:

• SEA (in O. Eng. sae, a common Teutonic word; cf. Ger. See, Dutch Zee, &c.; the ultimate source is uncertain)
• SEA, COMMAND OF THE

Sea and the Ural Mountains . See also:

• STRABO (born c. 63 n.c.)

Strabo mentions also the Aorses as in-habitants of the See also:

• COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country between the See also:

• DON
• DON (anc. Tanais)

Don, the See also:

• CASPIAN

Caspian Sea and the See also:

• CAUCASUS

Caucasus . The Russians made raids on the Mordvins in the 12th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century, and after the fall of Kazan rapidly invaded and colonized their country . The Mordvins are now foundin the governments of See also:

• SIMBIRSK

Simbirsk, See also:

• PENZA

Penza, See also:

• SAMARA

Samara and Nizhniy-See also:

• NOVGOROD
• NOVGOROD (formerly known as V elikiy-Novgorod, Great Novgorod)

Novgorod, as well as See also:

• SARATOV

Saratov and See also:

• TAMBOV

Tambov . But their villages are dispersed among those of the Russians, and they constitute only ro to i% of the See also:

• POPULATION (Lat. populus, people; populare, to populate)

population in the four first-named governments, and from 5 to 6% in the last two . They are unequally distributed over this See also:

• AREA

area in ethnographical islands, and constitute as much as 23 to 44% of the population of several districts of the governments of Tambov, Simbirsk, Samara and Saratov, and only a or 3% in other districts of the same provinces . They are divided into two great laianches, the Erzya (Erza, or Ersa) and the Moksha, differing somewhat in their See also:

• PHYSICAL

physical features and See also:

• LANGUAGE (adapted from the Fr. langage, from langue, tongue, Lat. lingua)

language . The See also:

• SOUTHERN

southern See also:

• BRANCH (from the Fr. branche, late Lat. branca, an animal's paw)

branch, or the Moksha, have a darker skin and darker eyes and See also:

• HAIR (a word common to Teutonic languages)

hair than the See also:

• NORTHERN

northern . A third branch, the Karatays, found in Kazan, appears to be mixed with See also:

• TATARS (the common form Tartars is less correct)

Tatars . The language is a branch of the Western Finnish family, and most nearly allied to the Cheremissian, though presenting many peculiarities (see FINNO-UGRIC) .

The Mordvins have largely abandoned their own language for See also:

• RUSSIAN

Russian; but they have maintained a See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good See also:

• DEAL

deal of their old See also:

• NATIONAL

national See also:

• DRESS (from the Fr. dresser, to set out, arrange, formed from Lat. directus, arranged, dirigere, to direct, arrange)

dress, especially the See also:

• WOMEN

women, whose profusely embroidered skirts, See also:

• ORIGINAL

original hair-dress large See also:

• EAR (common Teut.; O.E. are, Ger. Ohr, Du. oor, akin to Lat. auris, Gr. ovs)

ear-rings which sometimes are merely See also:

• HARE
• HARE, SIR JOHN (1844– )

hare-tails, and numerous necklaces covering all the See also:

• CHEST (Gr. Kiarl, Lat. cista, O. Eng. cist, test, &c.)

chest and consisting of all possible ornaments, easily distinguish them from Russian women . They have mostly dark hair, but See also:

• BLUE (common in different forms to most European languages)

blue eyes, generally small and rather narrow . Their cephalic See also:

• INDEX

index is very near to that of the Finns . They are brachycephalous or sub-brachycephalous, and a few are mesaticephalous . They are finely built, rather tall and strong, and broad-chested . Their See also:

• CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief occupation is See also:

• AGRICULTURE
• AGRICULTURE (from Lat. ages, field, and colere, to cultivate)
• AGRICULTURE, BOARD OF

agriculture; they See also:

• WORK

work harder and (in the basin of the Moksha) are more prosperous than their Russian neighbours . Their capacities as carpenters were well known in Old Russia, and See also:

• IVAN (JOHN)

Ivan the Terrible used them to build See also:

• BRIDGES
• BRIDGES, ROBERT (1844– )

bridges and clear forests during his advance on Kazan . They now manufacture wooden See also:

• WARE

ware of -various sorts . They are also masters of See also:

• APICULTURE (from Lat. apis, a bee)

apiculture, and the See also:

• COMMONWEALTH

commonwealth of bees often appears in their See also:

• POETRY

poetry and religious beliefs . They have a considerable literature of popular songs and legends, some of them recounting the doings of a See also:

• KING
• KING (O. Eng. cyning, abbreviated into cyng, cing; cf. O. H. G. chun- kuning, chun- kunig, M.H.G. kiinic, kiinec, kiinc, Mod. Ger. Konig, O. Norse konungr, kongr, Swed. konung, kung)
• KING [OF OCKHAM], PETER KING, 1ST BARON (1669-1734)
• KING, CHARLES WILLIAM (1818-1888)
• KING, CLARENCE (1842–1901)
• KING, EDWARD (1612–1637)
• KING, EDWARD (1829–1910)
• KING, HENRY (1591-1669)
• KING, RUFUS (1755–1827)
• KING, THOMAS (1730–1805)
• KING, WILLIAM (1650-1729)
• KING, WILLIAM (1663–1712)

king Tushtyan who lived in the See also:

• TIME (0. Eng. Lima, cf. Icel. timi, Swed. timme, hour, Dan. time; from the root also seen in " tide," properly the time of between the flow and ebb of the sea, cf. O. Eng. getidan, to happen, " even-tide," &c.; it is not directly related to Lat. tempus)
• TIME, MEASUREMENT OF
• TIME, STANDARD

time of Ivan the Terrible . Nearly all are Christians; they received See also:

• BAPTISM

baptism in the reign of See also:

• ELIZABETH
• ELIZABETH (1533-1603)
• ELIZABETH (1596-1662)
• ELIZABETH (1635–1650)
• ELIZABETH [ AMELIE EUGENIE ] (1837—1898)
• ELIZABETH [1lisabeth Philippine Marie Helene of France] (1764—1794)
• ELIZABETH [PAULINE ELIZABETH OTTILIE LOUISE] (1843– )
• ELIZABETH [PETROVNA] (1709-1762), EMPRESS
• ELIZABETH, SAINT (1207-1231)

Elizabeth, and the Nonconformists have made many proselytes among them . But they still preserve much of their own See also:

• MYTHOLOGY

mythology, which they have adapted to the See also:

• CHRISTIAN
• CHRISTIAN, WILLIAM (1608-1663)

Christian See also:

• RELIGION
• RELIGION, FOLKLORE, CUSTOM

religion .

According to some authorities, they have preserved also, especially the less russified Moksha, the practice of See also:

• KIDNAPPING (from kid, a slang term for a child, and nap or nab, to steal)

kidnapping brides, with the usual battles between the party of the bridegroom and that of the family of the See also:

• BRIDE (a common Teutonic word, e.g..Goth. bruths, O. Eng. bryd, O. H. Ger. prs2t, Mod. Ger. Bract, Dut. bruid, possibly derived from the root bru-, cook, brew; from the med. latinized form bruta, in the sense of daughter-in-law, is derived the Fr. bru)

bride . The See also:

• WORSHIP (i.e. " worth-ship," O. Eng. weor8scipe)

worship of trees; See also:

• WATER

water (especially of the water-divinity which favours See also:

• MARRIAGE

marriage), the See also:

• SUN
• SUN (0. Eng. sonne, Ger. sonne. Fr. soleil, Lat. sol, Gr. ijXior, from which comes helio- in various English compounds)

sun or Shkay, who is the chief divinity, the See also:

• MOON (a common Teutonic word, cf. Ger. Mond, Du. maan, Dan. maane, &c., and cognate with such Indo-Germanic forms as Gr. µlip, Sans. ma's, Irish mi, &c.; Lat. uses luna, i.e. lucna, the shining one, lucere, to shine, for the moon, but preserves the word i
• MOON, SIR RICHARD, 1ST BARONET (1814-1899)

moon, the See also:

• THUNDER

thunder and the See also:

• FROST (a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch, vorst, Ger. Frost, from the common Teutonic verb meaning " to freeze," Dutch, vriezcn, Ger. frieren; the Indo-European root is seen in Lat. pruina, hoar-frost, cf. prurire, to itch, burn, pruna, burning coal, Sans
• FROST, WILLIAM EDWARD (1810–1877)

frost, and of the See also:

• HOME
• HOME, DANIEL DUNGLAS (1833-1886)
• HOME, EARLS OF

home-divinity Kardazserko still exists among them; and a small See also:

• STONE
• STONE (0. Eng. shin; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Stein, Du. steen, Dan. and Swed. sten; the root is also seen in Gr. aria, pebble)
• STONE, CHARLES POMEROY (1824-1887)
• STONE, EDWARD JAMES (1831-1897)
• STONE, FRANK (1800-1859)
• STONE, GEORGE (1708—1764)
• STONE, LUCY [BLACKWELL] (1818-1893)
• STONE, MARCUS (184o— )
• STONE, NICHOLAS (1586-1647)

stone See also:

• ALTAR (Lat. altare, from alias, high; some ancient etymological guesses are recorded by St Isidore of Seville in Etymologiae xv. 4)

altar or See also:

• FLAT (a modification of O. Eng. flet, an obsolete word of Teutonic origin, meaning the ground beneath the feet)

flat stone covering a small See also:

• PIT (O. E. pytt, cognate with Du. put, Ger. Pfutze, &c., all ultimately adaptations of Lat. puteus, well, formed from root pu-, to cleanse, whence gurus, clean, pure)

pit to receive the See also:

• BLOOD

blood of slaughtered animals can be found in many houses . Their See also:

• BURIAL

burial customs seem founded on ancestor-worship . On the fortieth See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day after the See also:

• DEATH

death of a kinsman the dead is not only supposed to return home but a member of his See also:

• HOUSEHOLD, ROYAL

household represents him, and, coming from the See also:

• GRAVE

grave, speaks in his name . The language is treated of in Ahlquist's Versuch einer Mokschamordwinischen Grammatik nebst Texten and Worter-Verzeichniss (St See also:

• PETERSBURG

Petersburg, x861), and their See also:

• HISTORY

history, customs and religion by Stnirnov (trans. by See also:

• BOYER, ALEXIS (1757-1833)
• BOYER, JEAN PIERRE (1776-1850)

Boyer), " See also:

• LES

Les Populations finnoises de la Volga " (in Publications de l'ecole See also:

• DES

des langues orientates, vivantes, 1898) . Much valuable See also:

• INFORMATION (from Lat. informare, to give shape or form to, to represent, describe)

information respecting customs, religion, language and folk-See also:

• LORE
• LORE, AMBROISE DE (1396-1446)

lore will be found in papers by Paasonen, Heikel, Ahlquist, Mainof and others printed in the See also:

• JOURNAL
• JOURNAL (through Fr. from late Lat. diurnalis, daily)

Journal de la Societe Piano-Ougrienne and the Finnisch-ugrische Forschungen . (C .