Sosruko, Sosruquo, or Sosriqwa (; os, Сослан, ''Soslan''; kbd, Сосрыкъуэ, ''Sosryqwa''; krc, Сосурукъ/Сосуркъа, ''Sosuruq/Sosurqa'') is a central character in many cycles of 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 ...

s of the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

. Sosruko is a powerful but devious man who is the smallest of the Narts; as a character, he is sometimes cast in the light of the

trickster In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story ( god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwi ...

god, comparable to the

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

n Loki (who finds a closer parallel in the Nart Syrdon, however),

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

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 ...

, or the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

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, kn ...

. It is possible that at least in the latter case, Sosruku served as a direct inspiration. In Circassian mythology, it was the Nart Sosriqwe, minion of the gods and his doting mother, Lady

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 ...

, who stole fire from the giant.

Etymology

One folk etymology states that Sosruko [] is from Circassian language, Circassian "sword" + "hit" + "heat" + "son"; hence literally “The son of the fiery sword hit”. Other variants are: ab, Sasərqwa, ady, Саусэрыкъо , kbd, Сосрыкъуэ [], Ubykh language, Ubykh: [], Digor dialect, Digor os, Sosruqo, Sozyryqo, Sozuruqo and Sozyruko. In Ossetian, the name Soslan etymologically came from Turkic languages: Nogai language, Nogai ''suslan-'' "to look menacing", ''suslä'' "menacing, gloomy" (hence os, Soslan). Another plausible etymology is that the Ossetic term "Sozyr" in the regional variant "Sozyryqo" is cognate with the Persian language, Persian "Sezavar", meaning "He who is worthy", with the Suffix being of exogenous origin, this would explain why in the notably conservative Digor-Ossetic dialect, the name Sosruko is preferred over the Turkic name Soslan, and why the name "Sozyr" without the suffix, is so common among Digor-Ossetian elders.

References

External links

Nart Tales of the Circassians
- Reocities personal page
The Circassian Nart Epos
- International Centre for Circassian Studies Trickster gods Caucasus Circassians Circassian mythology Ossetian mythology Mythological characters {{Europe-myth-stub