Apsat (also Avsati or Æfsati; ka, აფსათი) is a male

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

s and

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

s in the

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

of the

peoples of the Caucasus The peoples of the Caucasus, or Caucasians, are a diverse group comprising more than 50 ethnic groups throughout the Caucasus. By language group Language families indigenous to the Caucasus Caucasians who speak languages which have lo ...

. His name may come from the

Abkhaz language Abkhaz ( ; ), sometimes spelled Abxaz and also known as Abkhazian, is a Northwest Caucasian language most closely related to Abaza. It is spoken mostly by the Abkhaz people. It is one of the official languages of Abkhazia, where around 100,00 ...

word ''a-psaatʷ'', meaning "bird", or possibly from the name of the Christian saint with whom he was popularly associated, Saint Eustathios. Some sources regard him as responsible for all hunted

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

, while others consider him to watch over fish and birds specifically. In some cycles, he is the primary hunting god, while in others, he is part of a

pantheon Pantheon may refer to: * Pantheon (religion), a set of gods belonging to a particular religion or tradition, and a temple or sacred building Arts and entertainment Comics *Pantheon (Marvel Comics), a fictional organization * ''Pantheon'' (Lone S ...

of hunting deities. A few sources connect him with thunder and lightning.

Svan people

The

Svan people , native_name = , native_name_lang = , image = File:Kartvelian languages.svg , caption = Distribution of the Svan language in relation to other Kartvelian (South Caucasian) languages. , population = –80,00 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

regard Apsat as one among a

of hunting deities, said to be assistants of the deity Ber Shishvlish, the "Lord of the Bare Mountain". To the Svan, Apsat is the patron of fish and birds. In this capacity, he works with Dzhgyrag (the Svan name for

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

), who is associated with hunters and wolves, '' Cxek'ish angelwez'' (the Angel of the Forest) who is responsible for forest animals like bears and foxes, and the goddess Dali, the patron of hoofed mountain animals like goats. The association of Apsat with fish and birds is thought to stem from the eagle, which, as a fishing bird, is associated with both the sky and the water.

Ossetian people

To the

Ossetian people The Ossetians or Ossetes (, ; os, ир, ирæттæ / дигорӕ, дигорӕнттӕ, translit= ir, irættæ / digoræ, digorænttæ, label= Ossetic) are an Iranian ethnic group who are indigenous to Ossetia, a region situated across the n ...

, Apsat is called Avsati or Æfsati, and he is regarded as the primary deity of the hunt. He appears as such in the Ossetian epic called the

Nart saga The Nart sagas ( Abkhaz: Нарҭаа ражәабжьқәа; ''Nartaa raƶuabƶkua''; ady, Нарт тхыдэжъхэр, translit=Nart txıdəĵxər; os, Нарты кадджытæ; ''Narty kaddžytæ''; ''Nartı kadjıtæ'') are a series of ...

. Ossetian hunters referred to game as Æfsati's cattle (). Hunters would make offerings and sing hymns begging his favor, and if successful in the hunt, would offer roasted organs such as the heart or the liver for thanks. He is most commonly portrayed as elderly, bearded, and either one-eyed or blind. It was said that he dwelt in a hut deep in the forest with his wife and daughters, and would occasionally permit huntsmen to marry his daughters. Occasionally he was portrayed as a man with

antler Antlers are extensions of an animal's skull found in members of the Cervidae (deer) family. Antlers are a single structure composed of bone, cartilage, fibrous tissue, skin, nerves, and blood vessels. They are generally found only on male ...

s or an animal with a white coat.

Other traditions

The

Karachay people The Karachays ( krc, Къарачайлыла, Qaraçaylıla or таулула, , 'Mountaineers') are an indigenous Caucasian Turkic ethnic group in the North Caucasus. They speak Karachay-Balkar, a Turkic language. They are mostly situated ...

of the

North Caucasus The North Caucasus, ( ady, Темыр Къафкъас, Temır Qafqas; kbd, Ишхъэрэ Къаукъаз, İṩxhərə Qauqaz; ce, Къилбаседа Кавказ, Q̇ilbaseda Kavkaz; , os, Цӕгат Кавказ, Cægat Kavkaz, inh, ...

revered Apsat as Apsatı or ApsatƏ, god of hunting and prey. His daughter Fatima was known for her beauty. Like the Ossetian Æfsati, Apsatı often took the form of a white goat.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Apsat (Mythology) Georgian mythology Animal gods Hunting gods Fish gods Ossetian mythology Supernatural beings identified with Christian saints