The tradition of singing songs under the influence of fly agaric intoxication has been recorded
among many peoples of Siberia. However, this topic still needs to be studied, with publications of texts, translations, and sheet music being scarce. This paper presents samples
of Koryak-Nymylan fly agaric songs recorded in the 1990s–2000s in the Karaginsky and
Olyutorsky districts of Kamchatka. There are two types of songs associated with different
stages of interaction with fly agarics. When fly agarics are found, special songs-dances of
a joyful character are sung due to the beliefs about the correct behavior of welcoming a
mythical tribe of dancing fly agaric women. When using fly agarics, personal songs are
performed, manifested in the commonality of poetic texts and melodies. This paper describes
for the first time the modal-melodic structure of the melodies and the versification of the
Koryak fly-agaric songs. The specificity of the flapper songs is caused by the special state,
reflected in the timbre change of personal songs and the inclusion of “fly agaric” themes in
the texts. The following semantic markers can be distinguished: the statement of the fly agaric
state, the traditional speech dialogue with people from the real world, the transmission of
messages from deceased ancestors, the description of the fly agaric dance, and the elements of
the fly agaric journey. Fly agaric songs should be considered in the context of mythological
representations of interaction with other worlds where deceased ancestors and special fly
agaric creatures live.
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