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DOI: 10.46698/x5251-7191-1718-x
THE MILITARY CUSTOMS AND RITUALS IN THE OSSETIAN NART EPIC: THE ORIGINS AND PARALLELS
Chibirov, Lyudvig A. , Volnaya (Kertseva) Galina N.
Izvestia SOIGSI. 2020. IIS 37 (76).
Abstract:
Currently, significant historical, linguistic, archaeological, ethnological material has been
accumulated on the military rituals and customs of the Ossetians, which makes it possible to
consider some of the storylines of the Ossetian Nart epic from new points of view. The novelty of the
research lies in the fact that the article uses complex and interdisciplinary methods; the new material
examines the historical origins of military customs and rituals traced in the Ossetian Nart epic, as
well as their historical and ethnographic parallels. The aim of the study is to search for the origins of
customs and rituals characteristic of the social stratum of male warriors described in the Ossetian
Nart epic, as well as their parallels in historical descriptions and burial rites recorded by archaeology.
The Nart epic describes the related customs of chopping off the enemy’s head, scalping and cutting
off the right hand. The Nart warriors are characterized by the rite of twinning, the dedication of a
horse to the dead, and the veneration of a banquet bowl. To reconstruct ancient military customs
and rituals in a comparative historical context, the authors analyzed data from archaeology, ancient
and eastern sources, folklore and the Nart epic of the peoples of the Caucasus. Ethnological methods
make it possible to reveal the remnants of military customs described in the versions of the Nart epic
that exist among the peoples of the North Caucasus. Based on the analysis of the epic and comparing
it with historical sources, the authors come to the conclusion that the Nart legends of the Ossetians
reflect the social relations, customs and rituals of a militarized society. Similar customs and rituals
were typical in ancient times for many Indo-Iranian peoples, including the Persians, Scythians,
Sarmatians, Alans, and others at the stage of the disintegration of the tribal system, when military
campaigns were the main factor in the economic stability of society. Some remnants of customs were
preserved in the ritual practice of the Ossetians until the beginning of the 20th century (twinning,
dedication of a horse to the dead, a glass of honor).
Keywords: Ossetian Nart epic, military squad organization, military customs and rituals, cult of the wolf, scalping, cut off the head or hand of the enemy
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