I35B. Copper Sky .14.17.27.29.31.32.34.
The sky is considered metallic. The process of creating it resembles metal forging.
Ancient Egypt, Old Testament, Ancient Greece, (Karachays and Balkarians?) , Ossetians, Ingush, Chechens, Tabasarans, (Aguls), Georgians, Scandinavians, Karelians, Finns, Komi, Kazan Tatars, Khakas, (Teleuts), Tuvans.
North Africa. Ancient Egypt [The first corpus of pyramid texts, i.e. Unis mentions the copper sky (PT 257): "Unis grabbed the sky, divided it by "copper/metal". In the later building, Pepi I also has the phrase "he goes to the sky, crosses "copper" (PT 509). Approximately since Unis or even the previous reign of Iseshi (i.e. around 2450-2300 BC), the mention of "the peaceful crossing of "copper" (sky)" has been mentioned in Saqqara's private tombs in the same way as PT 509]: E.V. Aleksandrova, personal communication, 20.10.2021; Ancient Egypt (Heracleopolis period, 10th-11th dynasties, 22-21st centuries BC) [in the text of the inscription on the lid of the sargophagus from Asyut, the dead man calls for help from "Anubis from the Hall of God, Lord of the Field" or "Osiris, Lord Busiris, Gentimentiu, Lord Abydos, wherever he is", "so that his Ka took him to clear places in the sky so that he would land on the shore [that is, be buried] and crossed the "copper", and "guided by the beautiful roads along which the pious led"; the same is reflected - at least towards the end of the Heracleopolis period - in prayer for the "intersection of the "copper", that is, following the phraseology of the "Texts of the Pyramids", the sky, and sometimes instead of the old poetic "Copper" it is said directly: "sky"; since the 11th dynasty and at first, probably, in the Theban region, the old formula has been decorated with metaphorical parallels like: "so that it crosses the "copper" and "cross the "far" ( texts from Qurna, Gebelein, Moalla and Thebes)]: Kees 2005:283.
Crossing Asia. Old Testament: The term "VZ" is used in the OT solely to refer to nab in Gen. 1:6-20, psalms depending on this text (Ps 19:2, 150:1), as well as in Ezek 1:22-26, 10:1. The verb in Pi. denotes a method of processing metal, probably flattening, making plates (Ex 39:3 - gold is flattened and cut into threads for ephode, Number 17:3-4 - from copper censers forged sheets to cover the altar, Isa 40:19 on processing gold for making idols, Jer 10:9 about processing silver for making idols. Iof 37:18: Iof #1425; Did you trample on together with Him, clouds\ sky, solid as a cast mirror?). Clines: "a solid, but thin, sheet of beaten metal", Stadelmann: "firm" in the shape of a beaten out hemispheric dome stretched across the sky" ,4 HALOT "the beaten metal plate, or bow" (s.v.). The curse formula in Leo 26:19 and Deut 28:23: I will make the sky like iron and the earth like copper\ I will make the sky copper and the earth iron (there is an Akkadian parallel).
The Balkans. Ancient Greece ["<... > then the Achaeans/White became white from the dust that horses raised their hooves to the multicopper sky" (trans. V.V. Veresaeva); in the original - polykalkos orans 'multicopper/multi-bronze sky']: Hom. Il. V. 503-504; ["This is how they fought among themselves, and iron thunder ascended /Through the spaces of barren ether to the copper sky" (trans. V.V. Veresaeva); in the original - 'copper/bronze sky']: Hom. Il. XVII. 424-425; ["The bright sun, having left the beautiful bay, rose /To the multicopper sky so that its light on the fat earth/Shed for immortal gods and people born to die" (trans. V.V. Veresaeva); in the original - polykalkos orans 'multicopper/multi-bronze sky']: Hom. Od. III. 1-3; [Eumey to Odyssey, who returned and remained unrecognized: "What if you suddenly wanted to be confused by the crowd of suitors, /whose impudence, violence, goes back to the iron sky!" (per. V.V. Veresaeva); in the original - Sidres Oranos 'iron sky']: Hom. Od. XV. 328-329; [Odysseus Eumey: "However, I am very afraid of the crowds of her violent suitors:/Their impudence and violence go back to the iron sky!" (per. V.V. Veresaeva); in the original - Sidres Oranos 'iron sky']: Hom. Od. XVII. 564-565; [elegies by Theognids Megarsky (6th century BC): "May horror fall on me from above the vast sky/copper, earthly people/if I do not help those who I love, /and enemies on the mountain and great annoyance" (trans. A.K. Gavrilova); in the original - 'copper/bronze sky']: Theogn. I. 869-872; [Pindar's Pythian Songs (c. 522 - c. 443 BC); about the winner of the Pythian Games and his father: "The Copper Sky /Will not open before him-/But what concerns a mortal tribe, /Including it swam its brilliance to the limit" (trans. M.L. Gasparova); in the original - 'copper/bronze sky']: Pind. Pyth. X. 27-29; [Pindar's Nemean Songs: "There is a tribe of men, /There is a tribe of gods, /The breath in us comes from a single mother, /But we have different strength:/Man is nothing/ And the copper sky is an unshakable abode/Vo forever and ever" (trans. M.L. Gasparova); in the original - 'copper/bronze sky']: Pind. Nem. VI. 1-4; ["The Wings of Eros" by Simius of Rhodes (circa the second half of the 4th century BC), included in the Palatine Anthology: even the Earth, with the depths of the Sea and the bronze sky, obeys Eros; in the original - "copper/bronze sky"]: Anth. Gr. XV. 24. 11; ["On the Creation of God" Lactantius (c. 250-c. 325): "After all, if anyone tells me that the sky is copper or glass {aeneum esse coelum aut uitreum}, or, as Empedocles says, is frozen air, would I immediately agree with this on the sole grounds that I don't know what matter the sky consists of? Because as I don't know one thing, I know another" (trans. V.M. Tyuleneva)]: Lact. De opif. Dei. 17.6; (cf. ["Commentary on Plato's Parmenides" by Proclus (5th century): "However, it will not be surprising that they also have reasons that are demons called art trustees. At the same time, it should be noted that some demons care about some arts, others care about others, and that they were the ones who gave such arts to people. The arts under discussion are somehow associated with the gods only symbolically. For example, it is claimed that the patron saint of blacksmithing is the demon Hephaestus, which contains eidos corresponding to this art; however, the greatest Hephaestus could be said to be using the symbolic speech that he is forging the sky. Similarly, one of the demoness from the family of Athena is the trustee of the weaving industry, and Athena herself is praised as the one who weaves the arrangement of clever species in some other, demiurge, sense" (trans. L.Yu. Lukomsky)]: Procl. In Parm. III. 829).
Caucasus - Asia Minor. Ossetians (Western 1870) [from a conversation on a village hill (a place of public gatherings): "How does the sky work?" - the same curious person asked {the old man}. "There are five heavens: the first is ice, the second is copper, the third is silver, the fourth is gold, and the 5th is pure diamond." "Why doesn't the icy sky melt from the sun?" - the same person questioned me. "And that's how God arranged it," another expert explained with importance. "Why does the thunder happen?" - "It's hard to explain... They say that rocks are rolling across the sky, but this is hardly the case... But have you heard about this miracle: where thunder strikes, there is often a steel chain"]: Kanukov 1875:16; Ingush: Dalgat 1972 [Pirya was at odds with God over the throne. He built a kind of sky out of brass and rolled barrels over it (imitation of thunder), poured water on top (imitation of rain) and said: "Am I not god, don't I make thunder rattle, don't I send rain?" But God tolerated him, because he had three virtues: he respected old people, loved children, appreciated bread, and even picked up crumbs. But Satan played an insidious joke on him, and Piraa gave up these three virtues (it is not said how it happened). Then God punished him at the 500th year of his life]: 423; Malsagov 1983, No. 176 [Pieron argued with God. At the edge of the universe, he made bronze awnings like the sky. He noisily rolled barrels on them, poured water out of them (i.e. simulated thunder and rain), and boasted that he was a thunder. P. lived for 500 years. Although he quarreled with God, he forgave him everything, because Piryon had three virtues: he considered his elders, caressed children, and took care of bread. Piryona has decided to kill din. She came to him and said: Do you know that people laugh at you? - Why? - Because you respect unfit old people who belong in the cemetery. - I won't respect them anymore. - People also laugh at you because you caress dirty, snotty children. I'll caress them more." They still laugh because of your greed, you take too much care of bread, even collect crumbs. "I won't do that anymore," said P., and immediately gave up his breath]: 307-308; Chechens [Piryon ("Pharaoh") created the brass vaults of heaven. He forced women to go up to the makeshift vaults of heaven and pour water from there; claimed that he was one god in heaven and on earth, made everyone work for themselves; once a woman was forced to climb the vaults of heaven and from there pour water; she cursed P. (May God punish you!) , God immediately killed P.]: Malsagov 1983, No. 174:307; Tabasarans [god Umchar created seven heavens from gold, silver, copper, iron and other metals (substances); at sunrise, the sun is at the first heaven, by lunchtime, rises to seventh; the earth also consists of seven layers]: Khalidova 2012, No. 8:34; (cf. agula [riddle: "There is variegated roasted grain on a copper tray, what is it?" (stars of heaven)]: Shahumyan 1941:122); Georgians: Bardavelidze 1952 (Kartli) [Gmerty (demiurge deity) forged the sky]: 302-303; 1957 (Pshavas) [episode of the "sacred text": "Gmerty created the earth, covered it with copper sky, illuminated it with the sun and moon, created creatures and people on earth, grew greens for their food"]: 24; Surguladze 1980 [Gmerty forged the sky, created the earth's firmament and waters, illuminated them with light sun maidens; thunder lord; manages the affairs of the universe and people]: 307.
(Wed. Iran - Central Asia. Avesta [according to Zaratushtra's teachings, "first, an egg-shaped sky was created from sparkling metal"]: Butanayev 2003:45).
Baltoscandia. Scandinavians (Younger Edda, 'Gulvi's Vision') [One 'forged heavens and earth and air']: Blažek 2009:402 {in Younger Edda 1970:15 translated as "He created heaven and earth, and air, and everything that belongs to them"}; (translated by Ilya Borisovich Gubanov: "⁄á mælir Jafnhárr: "Hann smíðaði himin ok jörð ok loftin ok alla eign țeira"; "Then Equal-High says: He forged the sky and the earth and the air that and everything that belongs to them"]; Karelians [the story of the mythical blacksmith Ilmarinen, who forged the sky, is mainly included in the texts, in generally not cosmogonic content; in the Olonets range, the hero is only referred to as a "divine iron forger"]: Kundozerova 2015:134; Finns [Ilmari became identified as tajvahan tagoja (the blacksmith who forged the sky); and the poetic equivalent of "sky"]: Frog 2012a: 217; Kalevala [ Väinämöinen: "I can't tie Sampo, /Decorate the lid with a colorful lid/But when I get home, /I'll send Ilmarinen:/Let him miss Sampo, /Make a colorful lid, /Let him get your daughter,/ Let her be happy./He is a blacksmith and the first in the world/He is the first master in art. /After all, he has already forged the sky, /He bound the roof of the air, /So that there are no traces of forging/ And no traces of ticks are visible" ( rune 7:325-338); Ilmarinen: "Of course, I'll wear Sampo, /I'll decorate the cover with a colorful lid/Taking the end of the winch's feather, /Milk of soft cows, /From a lamb of summer wool, /I added grain to barley. /I forged the same the sky, /I bound the roof to the air/Before any beginning, /Before anything happened" (rune 10:271-280); Ilmarinen: "There is no miracle here/That I am a real blacksmith, /If I forged the sky, /The roof I arranged the air" (rune 49:341-344)]: Kalevala 1977:97, 125, 552.
Volga - Perm. Kazan Tatars [riddles: "Nails are gilding under the blue hill", "The silver cauldron is overturned, copper nails are sticking out" (sky and stars)]: Makhmutov 2013, No. 14-15:36; Komi [senior Mistletoe made copper skies and for three years not a drop of rain could fall to the ground; the Lord sent Mikhail Arkhangelsky; he could not get to him - he was burning with fire; the Lord went by himself, began to sparkle with lightning and thunder, the skies of Mistletoe began to fall; horned mistletoe fell from them to the ground for three years; therefore, there is evil spirits in the earth and water]: Limerov 2005, No. 20:35.
Southern Siberia - Mongolia. Khakas [according to heroic legends, the earth was created alloyed with copper, the sky arose from tin, and the sun and moon were born together with silver and gold]: Butanayev 2003:44-45; (cf. Teleuts [when the world ends, the sky will become iron and the earth will be copper; one prince will hate another, one nation will rise against another; hard stones will split, hard wood will crack; a person will be the size of a splint, as tall as a thumb; the bridle will be short; who was nothing (Wer night ein Napf ist) will become master, the father will not know the son, and the father's son will grow up on his head garlic; a piece of gold the size of a horse's head will be less valuable than a bowl of (plain) food, gold will be lying under your feet, but no one will be able to pick it up]: Radloff 1866:185); Tuvans : Kenin-Lopsan 1995 ["My sons, you came out of the Kurbus steel embankment! /When you walk, you can imagine thunder./Red lightning damp is your whip terrible..."; {the epithet "steel" is also used for other objects; but in relation to the sky it is the only one the case in this text}]: 22; Orus-ool 1997 [episode of an epic tale; "And then Hunan Kara managed to capture Demir-moge. So what is it? He swirled between the white and black clouds, and threw it - the black earth trembled, the steel sky rang - sat on it."]: 227.