E-Book Overview
The Nart sagas are to the Caucasus what Greek mythology is to Western civilization.Tales of the Nartspresents a wide selection of fascinating tales preserved as a living tradition among the peoples of Ossetia in southern Russia, a region where ethnic identities have been maintained for thousands of years in the face of major cultural upheavals. A mythical tribe of tall, nomad warriors, the Narts were courageous, bold, and good-hearted. But they were also capable of cruelty, envy, and forceful measures to settle disputes. In this wonderfully vivid and accessible compilation of stories, colorful and exciting heroes, heroines, villains, and monsters pursue their destinies though a series of peculiar exploits, often with the intervention of ancient gods. The world of the Narts can be as familiar as it is alien, and the tales contain local themes as well as echoes of influence from diverse lands. The ancestors of the Ossetians once roamed freely from eastern Europe to western China, and their myths exhibit striking parallels with ancient Indian, Norse, and Greek myth. The Nart sagas may also have formed a crucial component of the Arthurian cycle. Tales of the Nartsfurther expands the canon of this precious body of lore and demonstrates the passion and values that shaped the lives of the ancient Ossetians.
E-Book Content
TALES OF THE NARTS
TALES OF THE ♦ NARTS ANCIENT MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF THE OSSETIANS
TRANSLATED BY WALTER MAY EDITED BY JOHN COLARUSSO AND TAMIRLAN SALBIEV
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS ♦ PRINCETON AND OXFORD
Copyright © 2016 by Princeton University Press Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TR Published in cooperation with Proekt Press press.princeton.edu Jacket design by Chris Ferrante; front cover art courtesy of The Nart Sagas, ed. North Ossetian Research Institute, 1975. Bærzæfcæg Library, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Colarusso, John, 1945– editor. | Salbiev, Tamirlan, editor. | May, Walter, translator. Title: Tales of the Narts : ancient myths and legends of the Ossetians / edited by John Colarusso and Tamirlan Salbiev ; translated by Walter May. Description: Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2015042349 | ISBN 9780691170404 (hardback) Subjects: LCSH: Ossetes—Folklore. | North Ossetia (Russia)—Folklore. | Tales—Caucasus. | Tales—Russia (Federation)—North Ossetia. | Mythology, Ossetic. | Mythology, Caucasian. | Ossetic language. | BISAC: LITERARY COLLECTIONS / Russian & Former Soviet Union. | SOCIAL SCIENCE / Folklore & Mythology. Classification: LCC GR203.2.O88 T35 2016 | DDC 398.209475/2—dc23 LC record available at
http://lccn.loc.gov/2015042349 British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available This book has been composed in Brill with Albertus for display Printed on acid-free paper. ∞ Printed in the United States of America 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 ISBN : 978-1-400-88112-3
Preface - John Colarusso, English-language Editor Commentary - Tamirlan Salbiev, Ossetian-language Editor A Short Biography of the Translator
IX XV XIX
Guide to the Names and Terms, translated from Skazanija iz Nartov Walter May
XXI
Introduction - The Ossetian Epic “Tales of the Narts” Vasily Ivanovich Abaev PART 1 - WARKHAG AND HIS SONS
XXIX 1
1 The Birth of Akhshar and Akhshartag
3
2 Akhshar’s Sword
4
3 The Apple of the Narts
7
4 The Beauty Zerashsha
9
5 The Death of Akhshar and Akhshartag
11
6 Th