Shtatol also called Erzyan shtatol (Erzya: Štatol, ěrzäń štatol) is a wax candle supported by an ornamented wooden vessel used in traditional Erzya rituals (erzja Ineškipazněń Kemema).^[1]

The term "shtatol" (from Erzya: šta ('wax') and tol ('fire'). The oldest known use of this term in a non-Erzya source is in the Russian-language Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language published by Russian lexicographer Vladimir Dal in 1863.^[2]

Shtatols symbolize life, ancestor reverence, and the passage of time. The wooden vessel in which the candle is placed is called a jandava (Erzya: jandava). Jandavas are carved from solid linden trunks and are vaguely duck-shaped. Shtatols and jandavas are commonly used during Ras'ken' Ozks, Verya Ozks and other Erzya rituals.^[3][4]