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 ...
people 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, ...
(
Chechens
The Chechens (; ce, Нохчий, , Old Chechen: Нахчой, ''Naxçoy''), historically also known as ''Kisti'' and ''Durdzuks'', are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group of the Nakh peoples native to the North Caucasus in Eastern Europe. "Europ ...
and
Ingush) were
Islamised
Islamization, Islamicization, or Islamification ( ar, أسلمة, translit=aslamāh), refers to the process through which a society shifts towards the religion of Islam and becomes largely Muslim. Societal Islamization has historically occur ...
comparatively late, during the
early modern period, and
Amjad Jaimoukha
Amjad Jaimoukha ( Circassian: Жэмыхъуэ Амджэд, ; sometimes quoted as "Амыщ", the Circassian personal name) was a Circassian writer, publicist and historian, who wrote a number of books on North Caucasian – specifically Circ ...
(2005) proposes to reconstruct some of the elements of their pre-Islamic religion and mythology, including traces of
ancestor worship
The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of t ...
and
funerary cult
A funerary cult is a body of religious teaching and practice centered on the veneration of the dead, in which the living are thought to be able to confer benefits on the dead in the afterlife or to appease their otherwise wrathful ghosts. Rituals w ...
s.
[
] The
Nakh peoples
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 ...
, like many other peoples of the North Caucasus such as
Circassians
The Circassians (also referred to as Cherkess or Adyghe; Adyghe and Kabardian: Адыгэхэр, romanized: ''Adıgəxər'') are an indigenous Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation native to the historical country-region of Circassia in ...
and
Ossetians
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 no ...
, practised
tree worship
Trees are significant in many of the world's mythologies, and have been given deep and sacred meanings throughout the ages. Human beings, observing the growth and death of trees, and the annual death and revival of their foliage, have often seen ...
, and believed that trees were the abodes of spirits. Vainakh peoples developed many rituals to serve particular kinds of trees. The
pear
Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the family Rosaceae, bearing the p ...
tree held a special place in the faith of Vainakhs.
Comparative mythology
K. Sikhuralidze proposed that 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 ...
region shared a single, regional culture in ancient times.
Careful study of the
Nakh
Nakh may refer to:
* Nach (Bible acronym) (NaKh), an acronym for ''Nevi'im'' ''Ksuvim''/''Ktuvim'' (the Prophets and (Holy) Writings of ''Tanach'')
* Nakh languages, a group of languages within Northeast Caucasian, spoken chiefly by the Chechens a ...
and
Kartvelian mythologies reveals many similarities.
Jaimoukha (2005) adduces comparison with the
Circassians
The Circassians (also referred to as Cherkess or Adyghe; Adyghe and Kabardian: Адыгэхэр, romanized: ''Adıgəxər'') are an indigenous Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation native to the historical country-region of Circassia in ...
, but also more generally with the Iron Age mythology of western Indo-European cultures, especially emphasizing parallels to
Celtic polytheism,
[Jaimoukha, Amjad. ''The Chechens''. Pages 8; 112; 280]
such as the worship of certain trees (including, notably, a pine tree on the
winter solstice
The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the winte ...
, supposedly related to the modern
Christmas tree
A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, or an artificial tree of similar appearance, associated with the celebration of Christmas. The custom was further developed in early modern ...
, reconstructed calendar festivals such as
Halloween
Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...
and
Beltane
Beltane () is the Gaelic May Day festival. Commonly observed on the first of May, the festival falls midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The festival name is synonymous with the month marking the ...
, veneration of fire, and certain ghost related superstitions).
Pantheon
Jaimoukha (2005) on page 252 gives a list of reconstructed "Vainakh deities".
*Dal (Chechen), Däl (Ingush), or Dala - The supreme god. Equivalent to Greek Zeus, Roman Jupiter, Germanic Wodan and Circassian Theshxwe.
[
]
*Gal-Yerdi or Gela - Sun-god and patron of cattle breeders.
Worshipped on the Nakh New Year's Day, and offered metal orbs and candles, as well as animal sacrifices at times.
*Hela - God of darkness.
*Seela or Sela - God of stars, thunder and lightning.
Sela is often portrayed in Vainakh myth as an evil and cruel god. His skein (a loose bag made of animal skin) held the "night" (stars, lightning and thunder). He lives on the top of
Mount Kazbek
Mount Kazbek or Mount Kazbegi is a dormant stratovolcano and one of the major mountains of the Caucasus, located on the Russian-Georgian border - in Russia's North Ossetia region and Georgia's Kazbegi District.
At 5,034 m (16,515 ft) high, it ...
with his fiery chariot. It was he who chained
Pkharmat
Pkharmat ( ce, Пхьармат , translit=Pẋarmat , lit=creator of the nation/language/land) is a legendary hero of the Vainakh people who stole fire for mankind, thus allowing them to forge metal, cook food, and light their homes, and uniting ...
to a mountain for stealing fire, and for this reason, on the Wednesday of his month in the old Vainakh calendar, it was forbidden to carry embers or ashes. During the era of
Christianization
Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
in Chechnya and Ingushetia, he was (like the Ossetian Watsilla and the Russian Ilya-Muromyets) identified with the prophet Elijah, thus keeping his status. He is also, like the Greek Zeus, unable to control his desires for human women (much to the dismay of his wife, Furki), and one episode with a mortal maiden resulted in the birth of a daughter goddess, Sela Sata.
*Sata or Sela Sata - either wife or daughter of Seela, according to different versions;
a goddess of artisanship and especially female crafts, corresponding to
Northwest Caucasian
The Northwest Caucasian languages, also called West Caucasian, Abkhazo-Adyghean, Abkhazo-Circassian, Circassic, or sometimes ''Pontic languages'' (from the historical region of Pontus, in contrast to ''Caspian languages'' for the Northeast Cauc ...
Satanaya
Satanaya ( Adyghe Сэтэнай ; Kabardian Сэтэней ; Ubykh ; Ossetian Сатана Satana) is a mythological figure who appears in many cycles of the Nart sagas of the North Caucasus.
Satanaya is the mother of the Narts, a fertility ...
. Her face is described as shining like the sun with beauty.
She helps
Pkharmat
Pkharmat ( ce, Пхьармат , translit=Pẋarmat , lit=creator of the nation/language/land) is a legendary hero of the Vainakh people who stole fire for mankind, thus allowing them to forge metal, cook food, and light their homes, and uniting ...
steal Sela's fire for the Earth's inhabitants by guiding him to the peak of Mount Kazbek.
*Maetsill - God of agriculture and the harvest and protector of the weak.
*Ishtar-Deela - Lord of life and death and ruler of the underworld
("Deeli-Malkhi"), responsible for punishing the wicked.
*Molyz-Yerdi - The war god
who brought the Vainakh victory.
*Elta - God of the hunt
and animals and - before Maetsill took over his role - the harvest. He was blinded in one eye for disobedience by his father, Deela.
*Amgali(-Yerdi) - A minor deity.
*Taamash(-Yerdi) - ("lord of wonder") Lord of fate.
Usually tiny in size but becomes gigantic when angered.
*
Tusholi Tusholi (Тушоли) is a goddess of Spring (season), Spring and Fecundity, fertility in Vainakh mythology, Ingush and Chechen mythology and the daughter of the supreme god Dyala.
She was the best-loved goddess of the Vainakh peoples before their ...
- Goddess of fertility,
A greater protector of the people even than her father, Deela. She is believed to dwell in the sacred
Lake Galain-Am. According to scholars, in earlier beliefs Tusholi was the dominant deity. People petitioned her for healthy offspring, rich harvests and thriving herds of cattle. In later times Tusholi was mainly the object of worship of childless women. She had a holy day, Tusholi's Day, on which women would bring offerings of the horns of red deer, bullets and candles to her sanctuary on Mount Deela T'e (which non-priests could enter only with the explicit permission of the priesthood and within which it was forbidden to fell her trees). Nowadays her day is considered "Children and Women's day." The
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 ...
, known as "Tusholi's hen" was considered "her" bird and could not be hunted except with permission from the high priest and for strictly medicinal purposes.
*Dartsa-Naana ("Blizzard mother") - Goddess of blizzards and
avalanche
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.
Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...
s.
She dwells on the snowy summit of
Mount Kazbek
Mount Kazbek or Mount Kazbegi is a dormant stratovolcano and one of the major mountains of the Caucasus, located on the Russian-Georgian border - in Russia's North Ossetia region and Georgia's Kazbegi District.
At 5,034 m (16,515 ft) high, it ...
around which she has traced a magic circle, which no mortal of any sense dare cross. Should any be foolhardy enough to do so, Dartsa-Naana will cast them into the abyss and bring tumbling down upon them the death-dealing snows of her mountain home..
[Первобытная религия чеченцев. Далгат Б.]
*Mokh-Naana - Goddess of the winds.
*Seelasat - ("
Oriole") Protectress of virgins
(possibly identical to Sata / Sela Sata, see above).
*Meler Yerdi - God of plants and cereal beverages.
*Aira - Patron of eternal timeline.
[Lecha Ilyasov. ''The Diversity of the Chechen Culture: From Historical Roots to the Present.'' ]
* Mozh - Evil sister of the sun and moon. Mozh devoured all their other relatives in the sky, and now constantly chases her celestial siblings. Eclipses occur on the rare occasions when she catches up with them and takes them prisoner. Mozh will consent to release the sun and the moon only after it has been so requested by an innocent first-born girl.
* Bolam-Deela -
Not much is known about him/her. He/she may or may not have been equivalent to Deela-Malkh.
[
* Khagya-Yerdi or Maetskhali - Lord of the rocks.]
* Mattir-Deela - Another little known deity.
* P'eerska - (Friday) The keeper of time.[
]
Supernatural creatures and heroes
*Nokhcho, mythical founder of the Vainakh people
*Pkharmat
Pkharmat ( ce, Пхьармат , translit=Pẋarmat , lit=creator of the nation/language/land) is a legendary hero of the Vainakh people who stole fire for mankind, thus allowing them to forge metal, cook food, and light their homes, and uniting ...
(or ''Kurk'o''), demi-god Nart
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 ...
who stole fire from the cruel god Sela.[
][
] Equivalent of Greek Prometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titan god of fire. Prometheus is best known for defying the gods by stealing fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, know ...
, and Georgian Amirani
Amirani or Amiran ( ka, ამირანი) is the name of a culture hero of a Georgian epic who resembles the Classical Prometheus. Various versions of the myth reveal a process through which the myth was transformed over time, but the legend ...
.[
Anciennes Croyances des Ingouches et des Tchétchènes.Mariel Tsaroïeva
] He is also equivalent to the Circassian Pataraz.
*Pkhagalberi tribe. Mythological dwarf race, Pkhagalberi translated as Haareriders. They were invulnerable to any kind of weapons their enemies the Narts
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 ...
had.
*Turpal, a free-roaming horse who came to help Pkharmat in his journey when he called him. "''Turpal always roamed free, grazing among seven mountains, and drinking sea-water.''"
*Uja. A cyclops
In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...
, faithful servant of Sela. He chained Pkharmat to the summit of Mount Kazbek
Mount Kazbek or Mount Kazbegi is a dormant stratovolcano and one of the major mountains of the Caucasus, located on the Russian-Georgian border - in Russia's North Ossetia region and Georgia's Kazbegi District.
At 5,034 m (16,515 ft) high, it ...
.
*Ida. King of birds, - a falcon who comes every morning to tear Pkharmat's liver.
*Spirit of Galain-Am Lake, a mythologic bull protecting sacred Galain-Am Lake from pollution and from unfaithful acts.
*Melhun, the fallen angel.
* Nart
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 ...
, a mythical race of giants. Separately from the mythology of other peoples of the Caucasus, in Waynakh mythology Narts could be both good and evil.
* Almas, evil forest spirits. They can be both male and female ''almases''. Almas-men covered with hair, a terrible kind, fierce and insidious; on the chest of them is a sharp axe. Female ''almases'' have an extraordinary beauty, but also evil, insidious and dangerous. Sometimes they seem terrifying creatures of enormous growth with huge breasts, thrown over his shoulders behind his back. Favorite theirs occupation - dance: throwing his chest behind his back, raising his hands up, they dance in the moonlight. ''Almases'' live in the woods, on the highlands. They are patronized by wild animals and sometimes come with a hunter in a love affair. Luck on hunting, according to legends, depends on the benevolence of an ''almas''.
* Ghamsilg (or Gham-stag) was a witch who could leave her body and enter into an animal. If in her absence to turn the body, then, on his return from travels, it will not be able to return to his body and dies.
* (Jinn
Jinn ( ar, , ') – also Romanization of Arabic, romanized as djinn or Anglicization, anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources)
– are Invisibility, invisible creatures in early Arabian mytho ...
). In perceptions of Chechens and Ingush good and evil spirits are between angels and devils. Good and evil ''djinim'' together are in the same hostility as angels with devils. Through deceit or eavesdropping, they steal the innermost secrets of the future of man and tell their friends of the earth. Falling star - a star angels cast during eavesdropping. Contact with a ''djinim'' leads to insanity.
* Taram, invisible guardian spirits that protect his master from all sorts of disasters. On representations of the Nakhs, every person, every household (family), all natural objects had a Taram.
* Uburs, the evil, bloodthirsty spirits, entered into any animal. Close to the vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
in Slavic mythology
Slavic mythology or Slavic religion is the religious beliefs, myths, and ritual practices of the Slavs before Christianisation, which occurred at various stages between the 8th and the 13th century. The South Slavs, who likely settled in the B ...
(cf. pl, upiór, ua, upir).
* Hunsag (or Hunstag), the patron spirit of the forest and forest animals. Hunsag seeks to destroy every hunter who encounters him in the woods, using the bone axe which protrudes from his chest. The forest animals, birds, trees, grass rise to defend Hunsag.
* Batiga-Shertko a shamanic figure with the ability to cross over into the underworld in order to ascertain how the deceased loved ones of his clients are faring in the afterlife - often with an animal sacrifice as payment. The spirit of the animal offered was then believed to come into the possession of the dead kinsman or kinswoman.[Jaimoukha, Amjad. ''The Chechens: A Handbook''. Page 118]
See also
*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 ...
* Malkh-Festival
*Ossetian mythology
Ossetian mythology is the collective term for the beliefs and practices of the Ossetian people of the Caucasus region, which contains several gods and supernatural beings. The religion itself is believed to be of Scythian origin, but contains many ...
*Germanic mythology
Germanic mythology consists of the body of myths native to the Germanic peoples, including Norse mythology, Anglo-Saxon mythology, and Continental Germanic mythology. It was a key element of Germanic paganism.
Origins
As the Germanic language ...
*Caucasian neopaganism Caucasian Neopaganism is a category including movements of modern revival of the autochthonous religions of the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus. It has been observed by scholar Victor Schnirelmann especially among the AbkhazSchnirelmann, pp. 2 ...
*Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the body of myths belonging to the Celtic peoples.Cunliffe, Barry, (1997) ''The Ancient Celts''. Oxford, Oxford University Press , pp. 183 (religion), 202, 204–8. Like other Iron Age Europeans, Celtic peoples followed a ...
References
Sources
*Amjad Jaimoukha ''The Chechens: a Handbook'' (Routledge/Curzon, 2005) pp. 109–111 and appendix pp. 252–253
External links
Mythological dictionary in Russian with articles on Waynakh gods
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waynakh Mythology
European mythology
Chechnya
Ingushetia
Nakh peoples
Nakh culture