Tusholi (Тушоли) is a
goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...
of
Spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...
and
fertility
Fertility is the capability to produce offspring through reproduction following the onset of sexual maturity. The fertility rate is the average number of children born by a female during her lifetime and is quantified demographically. Fertili ...
in
Ingush and Chechen mythology and the daughter of the supreme god
Dyala.
She was the best-loved goddess of the
Vainakh
The Nakh peoples, also known as ''Vainakh peoples'' (Chechen/Ingush: , apparently derived from Chechen , Ingush "our people"; also Chechen-Ingush), are a group of Caucasian peoples identified by their use of the Nakh languages and other cult ...
peoples before their adoption of Islam, revered as the patroness of her people and believed to intercede on their behalf with her father, the more aloof Dyala. The ancient
Ingush and
Chechen peoples prayed to her for healthy offspring, abundant crops and the fertility of their livestock.
Tusholi was the only deity of the Vainakh pantheon who was depicted regularly in an icon - usually a wooden or silver belt ornament depicting a woman with a tear on her cheek. Tusholi is also often depicted on the building stones of Chechen and Ingush towers.
In the Ingush calendar the month of April was named in her honour. The goddess was also worshipped by childless women. Ingushetians and Chechens celebrated the Spring Festival of Tusholi at the time of the annual return migration of
hoopoe
Hoopoes () are colourful birds found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, notable for their distinctive "crown" of feathers. Three living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many years all of the extant species were lumped as a single ...
from warmer climes (the hoopoe, known as ''Tusholi-kotam'' (= Tusholi's hen) was believed to be the companion of the goddess and considered highly sacred
[Jaimoukha, Amjad. ''The Chechens: A Handbook''. Page 119]).
In 2010, the Spring Festival of Tusholi was celebrated for the first time in Ingushetia since the adoption of Islam by the Ingushetians.
Further reading
* Mythological Dictionary / E.M. Meletinsky, - Moscow. Soviet Encyclopedia, (1990) - 672 page.
* Myths of nations of the world / S.A. Tokareva, - Moscow, Soviet Encyclopedia, (1992) - Volume 2 - 719 page.
* Ingush goddess Tusheli in the book: Proceedings of the Ingush A.A. Zakharov, Research Institute, v. 4, Ordzhonikidze, 1934.
* The Cult of Tusholi among the Ingush, in : ''Religious beliefs of the peoples of the USSR'', E. Schilling, v. 2, Moscow-Leningrad, 1931, p. 32-34.
References
External links
Article about the goddess Tusholi online "Mythology"Reports of TV channel "Culture" of the Spring Festival "Tusholi" in Ingushetia
{{Authority control
Fertility goddesses
Chechnya