Tales of the Narts: Ancient Myths and Legends of the Ossetians

598 Pages·2016·3.915 MB·English

by  John Colarusso, Tamirlan Salbiev, Walter May

TALES NARTS
OF THE
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 IX
Commentary - Tamirlan Salbiev, Ossetian-language Editor XV
A Short Biography of the Translator 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 XXIX
PART 1 - WARKHAG AND HIS SONS 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 The Birth of Urizhmag and Khamis 14
7 How Urizhmag and Khamis Found Their Grandfather, Warkhag 16
PART - 2 URIZHMAG AND SHATANA 19
8 The Birth of Shatana 21
9 How Shatana Became Urizhmag’s Wife 22
10 Urizhmag and Kharan-Khuag 25
11 Urizhmag and the One-Eyed Giant 27
12 How Urizhmag Parted from Shatana 33
13 The Nameless Son of Urizhmag 34
14 Shatana’s Son 46
15 Who Won the Black Vixen? 53
16 Urizhmag and Three Inquisitive Guests 61
17 How Black Beer Was Brewed 63
18 Urizhmag’s Last Campaign 64
PART 3 - SHOSHLAN 71
19 How Shoshlan Was Born, and How They Tempered Him 73
20 What Gifts the Heavenly Gods Bestowed upon Shoshlan 75
21 Shoshlan Seeks Someone Stronger than He 78
22 Shoshlan and the Goomag Man 82
23 Shoshlan in the Land of Goom 86
24 Shoshlan and Warkhag’s Unknown Son 92
25 Shoshlan and the Sons of Tar 97
26 How Shoshlan Wed Kosher 110
27 How Shoshlan Slew Telberd’s Three Sons 113
28 Shoshlan’s Campaign 116
29 Nart Shoshlan and the Giant Bizhgwana 118
30 Why Shirdon Became Shoshlan’s Enemy 121
31 Little Arakhzau, Son of Bezenag 122
32 The Death of Arakhzau 134
33 How Shoshlan Wed Vedukha 140
34 How Shoshlan Saved Shatana from the Lake of Hell 148
35 Shoshlan and Totraz 151
36 Shoshlan in the Land of the Dead 160
37 The Death of Shoshlan 181
38 Aishana 192
39 Aishana and Shainag-Aldar 197
PART 4 - SHIRDON 201
40 The Birth and Marriage of Shirdon 203
41 A Nart Expedition 205
42 How the Twelve-Stringed Harp Appeared 215
43 Shirdon Again Deceives the Narts 219
44 How Shirdon Tricked the Giants 221
45 How Shirdon Held a Memorial Feast for His Ancestors 222
46 Why Shirdon Was Called a Liar 223
47 Your Cloth Is in Your Hands 225
48 Who Deceived Whom? 226
PART 5 - KHAMIS AND BATRAZ 229
49 Khamis and Batraz: Arkizh’s Tooth 231
50 How Khamis Was Wed 234
51 The Birth of Batraz 240
52 How Batraz Was Lured Out of the Sea 241
53 The Games of Young Batraz 243
54 Batraz, Son of Khamis, and Arakhzau, Son of Bezenag 247
55 Batraz and the Giant with the Mottled Beard 249
56 How Batraz Hardened Himself 251
57 How Batraz Saved Urizhmag 253
58 How Nart Batraz Found Burazag 257
59 Batraz and Tykhyfyrt Mukara 260
60 Batraz and the Arrogant Son of the Giant Afsharon 264
61 How the One-Eyed Giant Afsharon Took Revenge upon the Narts 268
62 How Batraz Saved the Eminent Narts 269
63 Nart Uraz and the Giant Akhshualy 271
64 Batraz and the Aldar 275
65 How Batraz Stormed the Khizh Fortress 276
66 Batraz and the Narts’ Bowl, Wasamonga 278
67 The Narts’ Round-Dance, the Shimd 279
68 How Batraz Beat the Spirit of Fertility 289
69 Who Is Best among the Narts? 290
70 The Death of Khamis 297
71 How Batraz Avenged His Father’s Death 299
72 The Death of Batraz 307
PART 6 - ASAMAZH 311
73 Asamazh and the Beauty Agunda 313
74 Nart Shidamon and the Giant Shkhuali 323
PART 7 - SHAUWAI 329
75 The Birth oF Shauwai 331
PART 8 - VARIOUS STORIES ABOUT THE NARTS 347
76 The Narts and Wadmer’s Bones 349
77 Nart Shibals, the Son of Warkhtanag 352
78 Washtirji and Nart Marguz the Noseless 356
79 Nart Zili and His Son 365
80 Alimbeg’s Daughter and the Alita Family 373
81 The Beauty Wazaftau, Daughter of Adakizh 380
82 The Nart Named Solitary 386
83 Nart Zhivag, the Lazy Lout, and Agunda, Daughter of Burafarnig Borata 392
84 The Elder and the Younger Share 398
85 Nart Bzhar and His Son 403
86 How Nart Eltagan Was Wed 410
87 The Narts and the Black-Headed Giants 413
88 The Sword in the Lake 418
89 The Downfall of the Narts 421
Epitaph 425
Appendix of Names 427
Bibliography 437