Ossetian mythology orAlan mythology (Ossetian:Ирон мифологи, Дигорон митологи,romanized: Iron mifologi, Digoron mitologi) is the collective term for the beliefs and practices of theOssetian people of theCaucasus region, which contains several gods and supernatural beings. The religion itself is believed to be ofScythian origin, but contains many later elements fromChristianity, with Ossetian gods often being identified withChristian saints. The gods play a role in the famous stories about a race of semi-divine heroes called theNarts.
Hutsau orXucau (Ossetian:Хуыцау, Хуцау,romanized: Xwycaw, Xucaw). The chief of the gods.
Uastyrdzhi or Wasgergi (Ossetian:Уастырджи, Уасгерги,romanized: Wastyrdži, Wasgergi), also known as Lagtydzuar or Lagdzuar, more rarely as Uastylag. Named afterSaint George, he is the patron of males and travellers, and the guarantor of oaths. Main patron ofNorth Ossetia–Alania.
Uacilla (Ossetian:Уацилла, Уацелла, Елиа,romanized: Wacilla, Wacella, Elia). Named afterSaint Elijah, also spelledWatsilla. God of rain, thunder and lightning. As protector of the harvest he is known asХоры Уацилла (Hory Uacilla, "Uacilla of the wheat"). Anyone struck by lightning was considered chosen by the god and, if they survived, a sheep was sacrificed in their honour. His festival was celebrated in the summer with the sacrifice of a lamb and a bull and the drinking of specially brewed beer. On that day women baked bread in silence as a mark of reverence.[1]
Safa (Ossetian:Сафа,romanized: Safa). God of the hearth chain. The most important domestic deity for Ossetians.
Donbettyr (Ossetian:Донбеттыр, Донбеттæр,romanized: Donbettyr, Donbettær). Lord of the waters. He is named afterSaint Peter, and is a fusion of the Ossetiandon (meaning water) and Peter. He uses his chain to drag down those who unwarily go swimming too late to his realm at the bottom of the sea. He has many beautiful daughters, comparable to theRusalki ofSlavic mythology. Up to the 19th century, his day was celebrated on the Saturday followingEaster by young girls.
Dzerassae (Ossetian:Дзерассæ,romanized: Dzerassæ), one of Donbettyr's daughters, the mother of many Nart heroes.
Fælværa (Ossetian:Фæлвæра,romanized: Fælværa). Possibly named afterFlorus and Laurus. Fælværa was the protector of sheep and his festival was celebrated before sheep-shearing in September.[1] He only has one eye. He is often the enemy of Tutyr.
Kurdalægon (Ossetian:Куырдалæгон, Курдалæгон,romanized: Kwyrdalægon, Kurdalægon). The heavenlysmith. A close friend of the Narts.
Satana (Сатана). Mother goddess, mother of the Narts.
Saubarag (Ossetian:Саубарæг or Сау бæрæджы дзуар, Сау бæрæги дзиуарæ,romanized: Sawbaræg or Saw barædžy dzwar, Saw bærægi dziwaræ,lit.'"black rider"'), the god of darkness and thieves.[3]
Huyændon Ældar (Хуыæндон Æлдар). Lord of the fish. A great magician and a spirit who behaves like an earthly chief ("ældar"). His name means "lord of the strait" according to Abaev; this is most probably the Cimmerian Bosphorus, the modernStrait of Kerch.
Barastyr (Ossetian:Барастыр, Барастæр,romanized: Barastyr, Barastær) Ossetianpsychopomp. The ruler of theunderworld who assigns arriving dead souls to eitherparadise or his own realm.[4]
Aminon (Ossetian:Аминон,romanized: Aminon). Gatekeeper of the underworld.
Theuac- prefix in Uastyrdzhi and Uacilla has no synchronic meaning in Ossetic, and is usually understood to mean "saint" (also applied to Tutyr,Uac Tutyr, perhapsSaint Theodore, and toSaint Nicholas,Uac Nikkola). The synchronic term for "saint", however, issyhdaeg (cognate to AvestanYazata). Gershevitch (1955) connectsuac with a word for "word" (Sanskritvāc, cf. Latinvox), in the sense ofLogos.
Among them there are also some old men and women who, on theeve of Saint Sylvester, fall into a sort of ecstasy, remaining motionless on the ground as though asleep. When they awaken, they say they've seen the souls of the dead, sometimes in a greatswamp, alternatively, astride pigs, dogs or rams. If they see a soul gathering wheat in the fields and bringing it to the village, they detect the omen of an abundant harvest.[6][7] Julius Klaproth 1823
Kurys (DigorBurku) is a dream land, a meadow belonging to the dead, which can be visited by certain individuals (theshaman-like Kurysdzauta/Burkudzauta) in their sleep. Visitors may bring back miraculous seeds of luck and good fortune, sometimes pursued by the dead. Inexperienced souls may bring back fever and sickness instead. Gershevitch (withV.I. Abaev) compares the nameKurys to the mountainKaoiris inYasht 19.6 (Avestan*Karwisa), which might indicate that the name is a spurious remnant of origin legends ofAiryanem Vaejah of theAlans.
^Chaudhri, Anna (1996), "The Caucasian hunting-divinity, male and female: traces of the hunting-goddess in Ossetic folklore", in Billington, Sandra; Green, Miranda (eds.),The Concept of the Goddess, Routledge, pp. 167–168,ISBN9781134641529
Dumézil, Georges, ed. (1965),Le Livre des héros: légendes sur les Nartes, Paris: Gallimard
Foltz, Richard (2019). "Scythian Neo-Paganism in the Caucasus: The Ossetian Uatsdin as a 'Nature Religion',"Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature, and Culture". Vol. 13, no. 3. pp. 314–332.
Gershevitch, Ilya (1955), "Word and Spirit in Ossetic",Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies,17 (3):478–489,doi:10.1017/S0041977X0011239X.
Миллер, Всеволод,Осетинские этюды [Ossetian Studies] (in Russian) , published in 3 volumes
Осетинские тексты, vol. I, 1881 , folklore texts
Исследования, vol. II, 1882 , phonetics and grammar of Ossetian; religious beliefs
Исследования, vol. III, 1887 , history and ethnography, proverbs
Hübschmann, H. (1887), "Ossetische Nominalbildung",Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft (in German),41 (2), Harrassowitz Verlag:319–346,JSTOR43361867 , based on Miller's 1881 work
Мелетинский, Е. М. (1990),МИФОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ СЛОВАРЬ [Mythological Dictionary] (e-text) (in Russian) , e-text based on theru:Мифологический словарь (1990) with articles on various figures from Ossetian myth
