Nart Sagas From the Caucasus (ebook)

Argumento de Nart Sagas From the Caucasus (ebook)

"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

"A new, important resource for those with a general interest in the lore of the North Caucasus, in comparative mythology, and in linguistics. . . . Colarusso's familiarity with the Indo-European traditions is seen in the copious commentaries and notes accompanying the sagas. Meticulous and at times very detailed, they not only serve as a guide to a better understanding of the sagas themselves, but provide an introduction to the vast field of Eurasian myth. . . . Colarusso is to be congratulated for this splendid contribution to the field, for his scholarship, for his devotion to the subject, and for bringing this collection of Nart sagas to us."--Patricia Arant, Slavic and East European Journal

"An excellent translation of a rare standard of Eurasian mythology, the work blends annotation and commentary to demystify the complex philosophical text."--Library Journal0Preface 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
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