‘And the ‘Bad’ Neck We Shall Leave Back at Home...’ (Symbolism of Sheep Neck Bones within Kalmyk Wedding Rites Revisited)

The article examines the symbolism of sheep neck bones in Kalmyk wedding rites. According to present-day wedding procedures, sheep neck bones should by all means be left behind within home space which results from a belief that those are somewhat ‘bad’ meat unsuitable for any ceremonial meals, and can be consumed as routine food only. The available sources on Kalmyk ceremonial culture contain no data that would clarify the role of sheep neck bones and related procedures. Still, an insight into wedding rites of the Turco-Mongols (viewed as comparative reference materials) made it possible to reveal the semantics of neck bones attributed to sacrificed animals and, thus, reconstruct some related activities in the context of traditional wedding rituals.
Ceremonial cultures of the Turco-Mongols — including that of the Kalmyks — associate the seven neck bones with the image of the Ancestor, the seven generation of ancestors and close relatives, and the atlas (the first cervical vertebra) stands for the progenitor (clan founder) as such. The animal’s aorta to be ruptured during a ritualistic sacrifice slaughter lies along the spine (‘pillar / axe / vertical support’) which is a bridge between the three worlds, and, so, the former semantically acts as a ‘fatal thread of life’. Neck bones join the head and the body: the head is a sacral center (the top of the axe) to contact the Heaven, Gods and protector-deities; the body stands for the middle world of humans, relatives (each part of the animal to be strictly delivered to certain relatives); the lower part of the body, legs, are related to the earth with animal and human off-springs, and also viewed as an entrance into the ‘other’ world.
The first cervical vertebra is the founding element of the ‘axe / pillar’, and once it gets destroyed the ‘thread of life’, ‘breath of life’ comes to its end. The paper concludes that the allocation of neck bones throughout the traditional home during ritualistic wedding offerings of the Kalmyks was actually determined by ancient beliefs about interrelation between a sacrificed animal and the cult of ancestors, especially the ongons that had been eradicated by Buddhist clerics by the late 19th century.
The numerous patterns of use of sheep body parts in different wedding ceremonies indicate that inter alia those serve to ‘reconstruct’ the ancestor’s body and thus establish a ‘channel’ to deliver requests for protection, vitality, childbirth, and assistance in building connections between the newly married and multi-leveled Gods, protector-deities which would guarantee happiness for the young family in future. So, the neck bones are ‘responsible’ for sound human life and activities. As a result, ethic culture of the Kalmyks developed a layer of beliefs according to which neck bones serve as symbolically open (energy) channels of the human body that require both real and magic protection means.
The fact that contemporary Kalmyk wedding rites include no rituals to use animal neck parts and the stipulation to leave (consume) the latter behind in home space only testifies of a loss of once tabooed initial knowledge.

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