Nart sagas from the Caucasus : myths and legends from the Circassians, Abazas, Abkhaz, and Ubykhs

577 Pages·2002·7.024 MB·English

by  Colarusso, John, Hewitt, B. G.

NART SAGAS from the CAUCASUS

COPYRIGHT © 2002 BY PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PUBLISHED BY PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS, 41 WILLIAM STREET,
PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY 08540
IN THE UNITED KINGDOM: PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS,
3 MARKET PLACE, WOODSTOCK, OXFORDSHIRE OX20 1SY
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
NART SAGAS FROM THE CAUCASUS : MYTHS AND LEGENDS FROM THE
CIRCASSIANS, ABAZAS, ABKHAZ, AND UBYKHS / ASSEMBLED,
TRANSLATED, AND ANNOTATED BY JOHN COLARUSSO
WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF B. GEORGE HEWITT . . . [ET.AL.].
P. CM.
INCLUDES BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES.
ISBN 0-691-02647-5 (CLOTH : ALK. PAPER)
1. TALES–CAUCASUS. 2. MYTHOLOGY, CAUCASIAN.
3. CIRCASSIANS–FOLKLORE. 4. ABKHAZO-ADYGHIAN LANGUAGES.
I. COLARUSSO, JOHN, 1945–
GR276M95 2002
398.2(cid:2)09475–dc21 2001036861
BRITISH LIBRARY CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA IS AVAILABLE,
PUBLICATION OF THIS BOOK HAS BEEN SUPPORTED BY A GRANT FROM
THE LOCKERT LIBRARY OF POETRY IN TRANSLATION, MADE POSSIBLE
BY A BEQUEST FROM CHARLES LACY LOCKERT (1888–1974)
THIS BOOK HAS BEEN COMPOSED IN DANTE TYPEFACE,
AND IPA TIMES FROM ECOLOGICAL LINGUISTICS
PRINTED ON ACID-FREE PAPER. (cid:2)
WWW.PUP.PRINCETON.EDU
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
To my very own Satanaya,
Linda,
for her endless patience and invaluable support,
and to the memory of
Hans Vogt,
an esteemed colleague and friend whom I never had the pleasure
of seeing but without whose encouragement and help
none of this would ever have transpired


C l
Preface xiii
Symbols and Abbreviations xix
Maps xxiv
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

viii
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
Contents ix
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