Xucaw or Hytsau (
Ossetian: Хуыцау) is the supreme god of the
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 ...
, who rules over all the heavenly spirits and deities (called ''zædtæ'' and ''dawĝytæ'').
His name is often being considered a cognate of Iranian
Khuda
Khuda or Khoda ( fa, خدا) is the Persian word for "Lord" or "God". Originally, it was used in reference to Ahura Mazda (the name of the God in Zoroastrianism). Iranian languages, Turkic languages, and many Indo-Aryan languages employ the word. ...
(see
Sogdian Xutāw,
Khwarezmian Xudāw), although some other scholars claimed that it has Caucasian roots (see
Lezgin xucar "god"), which, in turn, may have Iranian origins.
He is known by a number of epithets:
* Styr Xwycaw (Стыр Хуыцау, the Great God)
* Duneskænæg (Дунескæнæг, Creator of the Universe)
* Me Skænæg Xwycaw (Ме Скæнæг Хуыцау)
* Xwycæwtty Xwycaw (Хуыцæутты Хуыцау, God of the Gods)
He is still worshipped as the supreme creator god in
Uatsdin
Assianism (, ''Watsdin'') is a modern Pagan religion derived from the traditional mythology of the Ossetians, modern descendants of the Scythians of the Alan tribes, believed to be a continuation of the ancient Scythian religion. The religion is ...
, and is believed to reside in every living being, and to manifest in mankind as consciousness and worthy action.
[Schmitz (2015), p. 1.]
References
Sources
* Schmitz, Timo.
Etseg Din – Caucasian paganism from Ossetia. 2015.
Ossetian mythology
Sky and weather gods
{{Europe-myth-stub