ört

ört, in Finno-Ugric religion, a shape or shadow that corresponds to the individual soul. The Mari people believe that the ört is “free”—i.e., it can leave the body and wander about during dreams or trance states. The concept of a free soul is common to all Finno-Ugric peoples. The Votyak urt and the Zyryan ört, as well as the soul of the Sami shaman, are also believed to be capable of visiting places far distant from the body. Dreams, unconsciousness, severe illnesses, and the shaman’s trances are explained by this concept of the free soul temporarily leaving the body. Many Finno-Ugric peoples believe that, upon liberation from the body, the ört can appear in the shape of various animals or insects. Although the ört does not directly support life, as does the lélek, the vital principle of the body, a person cannot survive long without it. Upon a person’s death the ört is said to hover about the place where the body has been buried.