Russian Pharaohs: The Memory of a Precedent Text and Extra-Textual Cultural History in the Fate of a Name

This article explores the Russian collective nickname faraony ‘pharaohs’ (39 recorded designations across different regions). Approximately three quarters of these nicknames refer to territorial communities, while ten anthroponyms denote groups united by a social characteristic. An analysis of the underlying semantic and motivational framework reveals the following recurring motifs and meaning components: “The water element (sea, river, lake); flooding → water demons”; “Foreigners, mythical outsiders”; “Witchcraft”; “A vaguely remote past → eradication, extinction”; “Police, military ← pursuers, persecutors”; “Wealth, affluence → ‘gentry-like’ behaviour, idleness”; “Association with glass production”; “Vehicle (chariot)”; “Distinctive headgear”; “Card game”; and “General negative evaluation”. These motifs point to a precedent text — the Old Testament (the Pharaoh of the Exodus pursuing the Israelites with his army — the pharaonites — and their subsequent drowning), as well as to episodes and details from the broader cultural history associated with Ancient Egypt. For instance, the residence of certain groups labelled pharaohs in flood-prone river plains provides a basis for precedent-based naming (the inhabitants “drown” in spring, like the pharaonites); likewise, the employment of some pharaohs in glassworks alludes to a well-known historical fact — the emergence of early glass production in Egypt. Old Testament allusions, however, appear to be the most significant, with the motif of drowning clearly acting as the primary impetus behind the emergence of the nickname. It is also noteworthy that the geographical distribution of these “pharaonic” nicknames correlates with areas of particularly active settlement by Russian Old Believers, especially the bezpopovtsy, and — in particular — the Pomors. This cultural milieu was characterised by a high level of liturgical literacy and a relatively strong preservation of biblical narratives, owing to its broader religious conservatism, and thus by a close familiarity with the Old Testament. It is also relevant that Pharaoh was regarded as a hypostasis of the Antichrist, the latter being the central figure of a doctrine that occupies an important place in the beliefs of the bezpopovtsy. In this light, Old Believers may have been especially active agents in the process of naming, initiating or sustaining the naming tradition described.