Nart Sagas: Ancient Myths and Legends of the Circassians and Abkhazians
The sagas of the ancient Narts are to the Caucasus what Greek mythology is to Western civilization. This book presents, for the first time in the West, a wide selection of these fascinating myths preserved among four related peoples whose ancient cultures today survive by a thread. In ninety-two straightforward tales populated by extraordinary characters and exploits, by giants who humble haughty Narts, by horses and sorceresses, Nart Sagas from the Caucasus brings these cultures to life in a powerful epos.


In these colorful tales, women, not least the beautiful temptress Satanaya, the mother of all Narts, are not only fertility figures but also pillars of authority and wisdom. In one variation on a recurring theme, a shepherd, overcome with passion on observing Satanaya bathing alone, shoots a "bolt of lust" that strikes a rock—a rock that gives birth to the Achilles-like Sawseruquo, or Sosruquo. With steely skin but tender knees, Sawseruquo is a man the Narts come to love and hate.


Despite a tragic history, the Circassians, Abazas, Abkhaz, and Ubykhs have retained the Nart sagas as a living tradition. The memory of their elaborate warrior culture, so richly expressed by these tales, helped them resist Tsarist imperialism in the nineteenth century, Stalinist suppression in the twentieth, and has bolstered their ongoing cultural journey into the post-Soviet future.


Because these peoples were at the crossroads of Eurasia for millennia, their myths exhibit striking parallels with the lore of ancient India, classical Greece, and pagan Scandinavia. The Nart sagas may also have formed a crucial component of the Arthurian cycle. Notes after each tale reveal these parallels; an appendix offers extensive linguistic commentary. With this book, no longer will the analysis of ancient Eurasian myth be possible without a close look at the Nart sagas. And no longer will the lover of myth be satisfied without the pleasure of having read them.


Excerpts from the Nart sagas


"The Narts were a tribe of heroes. They were huge, tall people, and their horses were also exuberant Alyps or Durduls. They were wealthy, and they also had a state. That is how the Narts lived their lives. . . ."


"The Narts were courageous, energetic, bold, and good-hearted. Thus they lived until God sent down a small swallow. . . ."


"The Narts were very cruel to one another. They were envious of one another. They disputed among themselves over who was the most courageous. But most of all they hated Sosruquo. . . . A rock gave birth to him. He is the son of a rock, illegally born a mere shepherd's son. . . ."

In a new introduction, folklorist Adrienne Mayor reflects on these tales both in terms of the fascinating warrior culture they depict and the influence they had on Greco-Roman mythology.

1122844185
Nart Sagas: Ancient Myths and Legends of the Circassians and Abkhazians
The sagas of the ancient Narts are to the Caucasus what Greek mythology is to Western civilization. This book presents, for the first time in the West, a wide selection of these fascinating myths preserved among four related peoples whose ancient cultures today survive by a thread. In ninety-two straightforward tales populated by extraordinary characters and exploits, by giants who humble haughty Narts, by horses and sorceresses, Nart Sagas from the Caucasus brings these cultures to life in a powerful epos.


In these colorful tales, women, not least the beautiful temptress Satanaya, the mother of all Narts, are not only fertility figures but also pillars of authority and wisdom. In one variation on a recurring theme, a shepherd, overcome with passion on observing Satanaya bathing alone, shoots a "bolt of lust" that strikes a rock—a rock that gives birth to the Achilles-like Sawseruquo, or Sosruquo. With steely skin but tender knees, Sawseruquo is a man the Narts come to love and hate.


Despite a tragic history, the Circassians, Abazas, Abkhaz, and Ubykhs have retained the Nart sagas as a living tradition. The memory of their elaborate warrior culture, so richly expressed by these tales, helped them resist Tsarist imperialism in the nineteenth century, Stalinist suppression in the twentieth, and has bolstered their ongoing cultural journey into the post-Soviet future.


Because these peoples were at the crossroads of Eurasia for millennia, their myths exhibit striking parallels with the lore of ancient India, classical Greece, and pagan Scandinavia. The Nart sagas may also have formed a crucial component of the Arthurian cycle. Notes after each tale reveal these parallels; an appendix offers extensive linguistic commentary. With this book, no longer will the analysis of ancient Eurasian myth be possible without a close look at the Nart sagas. And no longer will the lover of myth be satisfied without the pleasure of having read them.


Excerpts from the Nart sagas


"The Narts were a tribe of heroes. They were huge, tall people, and their horses were also exuberant Alyps or Durduls. They were wealthy, and they also had a state. That is how the Narts lived their lives. . . ."


"The Narts were courageous, energetic, bold, and good-hearted. Thus they lived until God sent down a small swallow. . . ."


"The Narts were very cruel to one another. They were envious of one another. They disputed among themselves over who was the most courageous. But most of all they hated Sosruquo. . . . A rock gave birth to him. He is the son of a rock, illegally born a mere shepherd's son. . . ."

In a new introduction, folklorist Adrienne Mayor reflects on these tales both in terms of the fascinating warrior culture they depict and the influence they had on Greco-Roman mythology.

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Nart Sagas: Ancient Myths and Legends of the Circassians and Abkhazians

Nart Sagas: Ancient Myths and Legends of the Circassians and Abkhazians

Nart Sagas: Ancient Myths and Legends of the Circassians and Abkhazians

Nart Sagas: Ancient Myths and Legends of the Circassians and Abkhazians

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Overview

The sagas of the ancient Narts are to the Caucasus what Greek mythology is to Western civilization. This book presents, for the first time in the West, a wide selection of these fascinating myths preserved among four related peoples whose ancient cultures today survive by a thread. In ninety-two straightforward tales populated by extraordinary characters and exploits, by giants who humble haughty Narts, by horses and sorceresses, Nart Sagas from the Caucasus brings these cultures to life in a powerful epos.


In these colorful tales, women, not least the beautiful temptress Satanaya, the mother of all Narts, are not only fertility figures but also pillars of authority and wisdom. In one variation on a recurring theme, a shepherd, overcome with passion on observing Satanaya bathing alone, shoots a "bolt of lust" that strikes a rock—a rock that gives birth to the Achilles-like Sawseruquo, or Sosruquo. With steely skin but tender knees, Sawseruquo is a man the Narts come to love and hate.


Despite a tragic history, the Circassians, Abazas, Abkhaz, and Ubykhs have retained the Nart sagas as a living tradition. The memory of their elaborate warrior culture, so richly expressed by these tales, helped them resist Tsarist imperialism in the nineteenth century, Stalinist suppression in the twentieth, and has bolstered their ongoing cultural journey into the post-Soviet future.


Because these peoples were at the crossroads of Eurasia for millennia, their myths exhibit striking parallels with the lore of ancient India, classical Greece, and pagan Scandinavia. The Nart sagas may also have formed a crucial component of the Arthurian cycle. Notes after each tale reveal these parallels; an appendix offers extensive linguistic commentary. With this book, no longer will the analysis of ancient Eurasian myth be possible without a close look at the Nart sagas. And no longer will the lover of myth be satisfied without the pleasure of having read them.


Excerpts from the Nart sagas


"The Narts were a tribe of heroes. They were huge, tall people, and their horses were also exuberant Alyps or Durduls. They were wealthy, and they also had a state. That is how the Narts lived their lives. . . ."


"The Narts were courageous, energetic, bold, and good-hearted. Thus they lived until God sent down a small swallow. . . ."


"The Narts were very cruel to one another. They were envious of one another. They disputed among themselves over who was the most courageous. But most of all they hated Sosruquo. . . . A rock gave birth to him. He is the son of a rock, illegally born a mere shepherd's son. . . ."

In a new introduction, folklorist Adrienne Mayor reflects on these tales both in terms of the fascinating warrior culture they depict and the influence they had on Greco-Roman mythology.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780691169149
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication date: 06/07/2016
Pages: 456
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

John Colarusso is professor of anthropology and modern languages and linguistics at McMaster University, and one of the world's most distinguished scholars of comparative linguistics. Adrienne Mayor is a research scholar in classics and history of science at Stanford University.

Table of Contents

Preface xiii

Introduction to the Paperback Edition xix

Symbols and Abbreviations xxv

Maps xxx

Introduction 1

A Selection of the Circassian Nart Corpus 9

1. If Our Lives Be Short, Let Our Fame Be Great 11

2. The Tale of How Warzameg and Yimis Came to Be 12

3. How Warzameg, Son of Meghazash, Won the Damsel Psatina 17

4. Setenaya and Argwana 34

5. The Blossom of Lady Setenaya 48

6. Why the Sun Pauses on the Horizon at Sunset 49

7. Lady Setenaya and the Magic Apple 50

8. Lady Setenaya and the Shepherd: The Birth of Sawseruquo 52

9. How Setenaya Was Led Astray 55

10. The Childhood of Shebatinuquo 56

11. How Far-Seeing Setenaya Rescued Warzameg 67

12. The Ballad of Warzamegyuquo Shebatinuquo 79

13. Setenaya and the Great Nart Warzameg 85

14. Nart Wazarmeg and His Friends Decide What to Do about a Black Fox 87

15. The Old Age of the Great Nart 91

16. How They Made Tlepsh Fashion the First Sickle 96

17. Tlepsh and Lady Tree 99

18. The One Who Committed One Hundred Sins 104

19. The Lament for Nagura Tlepshuquo 106

20. How Nart Tlepsh Killed Bearded Yamina with the Avenging Sword 107

21. Tlepsh’s Gold Cellar 107

22. The Story of Nart Totaresh and the Chinta Leader 109

23. Two Fragments of the Ballad of Sawseruquo 112

24. The Ballad of Sawseruquo 125

25. How the Horse of Setenayuquo Sawseruquo Was Killed 129

26. Lady Nart Sana 129

27. Adif 131

28. Wardana and Chwindizh Dwell in the White-Haired Forest 134

29. Warzamegyuquo Yasheruquo’s Search for Courage 138

30. How the Nart Khimish Married and How He Was Killed 139

31. The Ballad of Khimishuquo Pataraz 143

32. How the Narts Sought to Reach the Sky 153

33. How Khimishuquo Pataraz Won the Three Magical Whetstones 154

34. How Pataraz Freed Bearded Nasran, Who Was Chained to the High Mountain 158

35. Bound Nasran 168

36. An Old Man Chained to Elbruz 169

37. A Cyclops Bound atop Wash’hamakhwa 170

38. How Bearded Nasran Visited Ashamaz 171

39. The Ballad of Ashamaz 172

40. Lashyn’s Satirical Couplets about the Nart Men 175

41. Hymn to T’haghalej 176

42. The Shiblawuj, a Round Dance to the God of Lightning 177

The Abaza Nart Corpus 179

43. The Time of the Narts 181

44. The Burial Ground of the Narts 182

45. The Golden Apple Tree of the Narts 183

46. Satanaya 184

47. How Sosruquo Was Born 185

48. Satanaya and Bataraz 188

49. Satanaya and Tlepshw 190

50. Sosruquo’s Sword 192

51. How Sosruquo Attended the Council of the Narts 196

52. How Sosruquo Brought Fire to His Troops 200

53. How Sosruquo Brought Back the Seeds of the Millet 202

54. Shardan 215

55. How Sosruquo Brought Sana to the Narts 216

56. Sosruquo and the Blind Ayniwzh 219

57. Sosruquo and the Inquisitive Ayniwzh 222

58. Sosruquo and the Giant’s Skull 227

59. Sosruquo and Six Men 228

60. Sosruquo and Sotrash 236

61. Sosruquo and Sosranpa 244

62. Qaydukh of the Narts 249

63. Qaydukh Fortress 257

64. The Doom of Sosruquo 259

65. Sosran of the Narts 267

66. The Nanny Goat of the Narts 269

67. Badan and Badanoquo of the Narts 270

68. Badanoquo of the Narts 275

69. How the Barrel of the Narts Was Set to Boiling 277

70. The Dream of Ayniwzh, Nana’s Son 279

71. Tataruquo Shaway 281

72. Chwadlazhwiya’s Tale 290

73. Nasran and Shamaz 296

74. Khmish and Bataraz of the Narts 302

A Selection of the Abkhaz Corpus 321

75. The Mother of Heroes 323

76. The Birth of the Valiant Sasruquo 329

77. How Sasruquo Plucked Down a Star 335

78. The Ayirgs’ Sister, the Sister-in-Law of the Narts 344

79. Sasruquo’s Sorrow 352

80. The Light-Giving Little Finger 356

81. How Sasruquo Tamed the Wild Stallion 360

82. How the Narts Cultivated Fruit 361

83. Khozhorpas 364

84. Narjkhyaw 366

85. An Account of the Narts 379

The Ubykh Nart Corpus 385

86. The Birth of Soseruquo 387

87. Another Birth of Soseruquo 397

88. The Death of Soseruquo 399

89. Yarichkhaw 401

90. Three Brothers, Their Sister, and a Nart 406

91. The Adventure of Marchan Shaghy 409

92. A Marvelous Sword 411

Appendix: Specimen Texts 415

A. Kabardian East Circassian 417

B. Bzhedukh West Circassian (Adyghey) 455

C. Ubykh 490

D. Abaza (Tapanta Dialect) (“Northern Abkhaz”) 500

E. Bzyb Abkhaz 526

Bibliography 543

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"There is no comparable book in English. The translation looks quite fine! This is quite original work by one of the most prominent scholars of the Caucasus in this hemisphere, one who is also most knowledgeable in Indo-European mythology and is an accomplished linguist."—Edgar C. Polomé, author of Indo-European Religion after Dumeziland Language, Society, and Paleoculture

"Reminiscent of the Grimm fairytales and the Icelandic Eddas, these lively tales abound with giants and witches and dwarves and mountain-sized monsters born of rock, ice, and fire. This is a major new resource for students in mythology, linguistics, and folklore, for which John Colarusso provides a sober and expert commentary as guide."—Elizabeth Wayland Barber, author of The Mummies of Urumchi

"This book will introduce a wide readership to a unique and ancient relic of human lore still tenaciously preserved in the North Caucasus—a fabulous world of gods and goddesses, demigods and antigods, monsters and ogres, giants and lilliputians, witches and warlocks, Caucasian Medusas and tree-ladies. Further, it is timely in that the Northwest Caucasians are stirring from a long slumber and are grappling to reforge their identity and find their place in the comity of nations. Professor Colarusso has rendered this culture a great service, enriching world culture in the process."—Amjad Jaimoukha, author of The Circassians: A Handbook

"The translations offered by Colarusso include fascinating, strange, and sometimes grotesque mythic tales that show amazing parallels with Classical and other Indo-European stories. The characters are enormously interesting, especially the figure of Satanya, a powerful female heroine/goddess, which will have an instant appeal to those, scholars and general readers alike, now discovering Goddess myths. As pure narratives, these stories, with their tales-within-tales, giants, stolen brides, and wise elders, also command attention."—Richard P. Martin, Stanford University

"Reading this book was an exciting intellectual experience. These tales are extremely rich and thought-provoking. Doubtless many other readers will respond just as enthusiastically as I have, and recognize the importance of the Nart corpus—and Colarusso's commnentary on it—for their own research. This represents the first compendium in any language, to my knowledge, of Nart sagas from all of the Northwest-Caucasian-speaking peoples."—Kevin Tuite, Université de Montréal

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