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INTRODUCTION
This project is dedicated to the history of my people - the Kabardians. The population of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic as of January 1, 2017 is 862,050 people. according to Rosstat data on the preliminary population estimate as of 01/01/2017.
I, Gonibova Lalina, am a representative of the Kabardian family, people from the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, the village of Upper Akbash.
Russia is a multinational state. Representatives of more than 100 different peoples live in it. A people and a nation are called a community of people that has developed over a long time in a certain territory, which has its own special language, culture, and economy. The belonging of a person to a certain people is called nationality. A person inherits nationality from his parents.
In my work, I would like to draw the attention of the public to the development of the cultural traditions of my people.
Starting work on this project, I set myself the goal of learning as much as possible about the traditions of my people. While working on the project, I studied various literary and documentary sources, which helped me learn a lot of useful information. I learned to analyze and draw conclusions. To search for answers, I turned to the explanatory dictionary for help, talked with the elders of the village, met with school and village librarians, visited Internet sites, and turned to the teacher for help.
On September 1, 1921, the Kabardian Autonomous Region was formed as part of the RSFSR, and in January 1922 - the unified Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Region, which was transformed in 1936 into the Kabardino-Balkarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
Kabardino-Balkaria is one of the most picturesque corners of the North Caucasus. The main wealth of the republic is its people: hardworking and brave, generous in friendship and hospitality, severe with enemies. The workers of Kabardino-Balkaria have turned the formerly backward region into a powerful industrial region of the country. New power plants, factories and plants peacefully coexist with the remains of ancient battle towers, monuments to ancient folk heroes - defenders from foreign aliens.
The very name of the republic suggests that two peoples live here - Kabardians and Balkars. These peoples speak different languages, but since ancient times they have been united by a common historical destinies, the closeness of their everyday way of life. There are many similarities in the oral literature of the Kabardians and Balkars - in their folklore.
Kabardians call themselves "Adyghes". "Adyge" is the common name for two other peoples related to the Kabardians - the Adygei and the Circassians, who live in the Adygei and Karachay-Cherkess autonomous regions. In the distant past, the Adyghes, Kabardians and Circassians were one people. They also created a common folklore, known as the Adyghe.
Majestic tales about heroes - narts, songs about fighters for the people's cause - the brave Aydemirkan, Hatkha Kochas and other folk heroes, sincere lyrical songs, various fairy tales - all this is the common property of the three peoples.
Objective of the project: get acquainted with the history of the Kabardian people and explore the peculiarities of cultural traditions.
Project objectives:
Learn from various sources the history of the development of the Kabardian people; explore the main stages in the development of cultural traditions.
Present national crafts and features of homemade culinary products.
Tell about the national traditions of your family.
Relevance:
Russia is a huge, big country. And in this vast country there is a beautiful corner called "Kabardino - Balkaria". Each person should know well about the place where he was born and lives. Everyone has the right to be proud of their history. Everyone has their own, unique, special, original. Year after year, it was formed, created by dozens of generations. What we inherited from past generations was obtained with incredible efforts, sweat and blood of our predecessors. Therefore, we remember them with gratitude, carefully preserve everything that they left us.
Today, the issue of preserving the customs and cultural traditions of peoples is very acute in the world. It is necessary to draw public attention to the development of cultural traditions of different peoples living on the territory of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.
Hypothesis: the ability to preserve and increase the traditions and culture of one's ancestors, representatives of different nationalities is not only the ability to honor the past and present, but also the ability to educate a cultural, tolerant society for the future generation of our country.
Customs and traditions of the Kabardians: fidelity to the principles of Adyghe Khabze.
Object of study:
My family, my classmates, the Kabardian people.
Subject of study:
History and culture of the Kabardians.
Research methods:
Collection of information.
Work with the Internet - resources.
Analysis of the received materials.
Chapter 1.
1.1. History of the Kabardians.
Since ancient times, until the end of the XIV century, all the Adygs (Circassians) (including Kabardians, Circassians of the KChR and Adyghes) have a common history.
Kabardians are the most numerous branch of the Circassians (Circassians). Of all the mountain tribes, the Kabardians have won the loudest fame, thanks to their warlike spirit, courage, as well as their dominant position in the North Caucasus. In Russian history, they are known under the name "Pyatigorsk Circassians", which comes from the name of the mountain Beshtau (in Russian - Pyatigorye), in the vicinity of which they live.
The ancestors of the Kabardians from time immemorial lived on the eastern shores of the Black Sea. But only from the middle of the 15th century did Kabarda and the Kabardians appear on the historical scene, so named after the leader of the people, the semi-legendary Prince Idar (Kabardei). Subsequently, the Kabardian princes held in tributary dependence the neighboring mountain tribes - the Ingush, Ossetians, Abaza, mountain Tatars.
All the highlanders of the North Caucasus, and after him the Russian Cossacks, borrowed from the Kabardians the form of clothing, weapons, and riding a horse. Kabarda was also a school of good manners and manners for the highlanders.
In 1722, during the Persian campaign of Peter I, the Kabardians, despite the threats of the Crimean Khan, stood on the side of Russia. Their complete unification took place after a series of Russo-Turkish wars. Friendship with Russia contributed to the strengthening of the influence of the Kabardians in the North Caucasus. In 1991, the Kabardian Autonomous Okrug was formed as part of the RSFSR, later the united Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.
I learned that Kabarda has the best pastures in the Caucasus. Carps, pikes, trout are found in rivers and streams, but the fish of the Caspian Sea rises along the Terek only to Naur or Mozdok. This region lacks only a large population to turn it into one of the most beautiful provinces of Russia. The rivers and streams that irrigate the plains of Kabarda are very numerous. Here is their list: Podkumok, Stok, Zaluk, Malka, Kura, Kish-Malka, Baksan, Chegem, Cherek, Nalchik, Urukh, Psydaha, Shugolya, Durdur, Psykhuz, or Belaya, Ardon, Fiak-don, Gezeldon, Arkhon, Mostchaya and Kurp.
I also learned that nature has generously endowed our land: high mountains crowned with snowy peaks, fertile plains, dense forests. In Kabardino - Balkaria there is the highest peak in Europe - Mount Elbrus (in Kabardian - Oshkhamakho, which means "Mountain of Happiness") and the famous Blue Lakes.
1.2. How did the Kabardians live and what did they do.
Young Kabardians of the noble class have been engaged in their physical development since childhood. Thus, the ideal of the Kabardian was developed, who has broad shoulders and a narrow waist, a powerful neck, like an ox, sharp-sighted eyes, like a falcon, and strong hands, like a wolf's mouth. Love for sports (although there is no adequate word in the Adyghe language) found a fantastic reflection in the Nart legends. Every year, the Narts (the legendary heroes of the Kabardians) organized heroic games with the Steel Wheel. He was lowered from the top of the mountain, and one of the heroes met him at the foot and drove him back to the mountain with a blow of his foot or palm. The Narts loved multi-day races, wrestling, the purpose of which was to drive the enemy into the ground up to the very neck. For the Kabardians, the sledges were an unattainable ideal.
Kabardian sport did not know mountaineering, but the greatest mountaineering feat in the Caucasus belongs to the Kabardian Kilar Khashirov. On July 10, 1829, without prior training, he was the first in the world to conquer Elbrus. The ascent was organized by the commander of the Caucasian line, General Emanuel. Scientists - a geophysicist, a geologist, a physicist, a zoologist, a botanist, as well as an escort team consisting of Kabardians, Balkars and Cossacks - were involved in this expedition. However, most of the climbers were forced to descend from a height of 4270 meters, unable to withstand mountain sickness. Some did not reach the summit by only 210 meters. Only Kilar Khashirov continued the ascent alone. General Emanuel, who was watching the storming of Elbrus through a telescope, saw how he ascended to the very top of the eastern peak. this modest stone will pass on to posterity the names of those who were the first to pave the way to reaching Elbrus, which is still considered unapproachable!
1.3. crafts
Kabarda and Cherkessia were not areas of wide development of crafts, as, for example, Dagestan.
Most of the local crafts are related to the processing of agricultural products and served the needs of the inhabitants of their village. Only the famous Kabardian cloaks and saddles were sold outside of Kabarda and Circassia, especially among the Terek and Kuban Cossacks.
Existing among the Kabardians and Circassians in the 19th - early 20th centuries. industries can be divided into two groups:
1) women's household crafts (women worked for their families, and in the feudal period for the owner's family);
2) handicraft and handicraft production, serviced by male labor.
Cattle breeding provided the main raw material for women's household crafts, and the first place was occupied by wool, from which cloaks, hats, felts, cloth, ropes, etc. were made. . In the household, women were also engaged in the processing of sheepskins and leather, from which clothes and shoes were made. Along with this, for a long time there were leather craftsmen who made leather for shoes and, in particular, belts for horse harness.
Women were also engaged in weaving mats from reeds. In the life of Kabardians and Circassians, things woven from willow and hazel twigs are widespread. Weaved the walls of the house and outbuildings, hedges, part of the body of the cart, hives-sapets and all kinds of baskets. Weaving was done by men.
Chapter 2. Cultural traditions of the Kabardians.
2.1. Cloth.
For a long time, Kabardians and Balkars lived in friendship, repelling the onslaught of numerous enemies by joint efforts. In severe battles, these peoples managed to preserve their language, customs, rich folklore.
The national clothes of the Kabardians and Balkars have evolved over the centuries. In the traditional clothes of the Kabardians and the Balkars, there was a great similarity. This community has developed over a long historical period. The general military life also mattered.
MEN'S CLOTHING
Men's clothing of Kabardians and Balkars was basically the same. To a large extent, it was made from local materials: sheepskin, cattle skin, wool was processed into felt, from which hats, cloaks, and homespun cloth were made. Silk, velvet, cotton fabrics were obtained by Kabardians and Balkars through developed trade relations.
Men's clothing of Kabardians and Balkars was not only well adapted to local conditions, but also distinguished by its beauty, grace and original elegance. It fully corresponded to the highlanders' idea of the beauty of a male figure, emphasizing broad shoulders and a thin waist, its harmony and smartness, dexterity, strength. And the cattle breeder, and the hunter, and the warrior, and the rider felt equally comfortable and free in clothes that fit exactly to the figure and did not restrict movement.
The clothes of the Kabardians and Balkars were also a kind of decoration. These qualities of the national dress provided her with universal recognition in the Caucasus.
WOMEN'S CLOTHING
The clothes of Kabardians and Balkars had much in common with men's, which testifies to the unity of their fundamental principle. There were, of course, significant differences. The ideal of female beauty in the Caucasus was considered to be a thin waist and a flat chest. To achieve such a figure, kabardians and balkars from the age of 10-12 wore morocco corsets with wooden planks worn on the naked body and tightly clasping the entire bust of the girl. This ensured the subtlety and harmony of the girl's figure. The corset was pulled together with laces and was removed only on the wedding night.
Over the corset they put on an undershirt, which had the same cut as the men's. But it was longer and went down below the knees. Her sleeves were also straight and wide, long, sometimes covering her hands. The women's shirt also had a straight slit and a small stand-up collar fastened with a button. Shirts were sewn from cotton or silk fabric of various, sometimes bright, colors. Much attention was paid to the choice of material for the dress shirt, as the collar, front slit and sleeves peeked out of the dress. The custom of Kabardian and Balkar women to decorate these parts of the shirt with embroidery and beautiful narrow galloons was connected with this. Old women wore shirts made of white or somewhat darkish cotton fabric, while young women sewed them from dark red, blue, brown, etc. The shirts of older women did not have decorations or embroidery.
2.2. Food.
Circassians always approached the issues of food and its intake very seriously. It is no coincidence that in connection with this they developed a special etiquette - table etiquette. This etiquette was taught to children from early childhood, because it was not just a meal, but a whole school that required concentration, attention, self-control.
Meat dishes were a common traditional food of the Kabardians. They were prepared from lamb, beef, poultry and game - from fresh, dried, smoked, boiled meat. The carcass was carefully butchered along its joints. First of all, the spine was cut into small pieces, the ribs, loin, shoulder blades and hind thighs were separated. If it was not necessary to boil the entire carcass of a ram or goat, i.e. food was prepared only for family members, then first of all they cooked pieces of the spine, part of the ribs, shoulder blade, liver, lungs, heart. The last four parts were fried separately in oil. The head and legs were tarred and thoroughly washed in hot and cold water; the insides (offal) were also very thoroughly washed and, at the same time, they were cooked separately with the head and legs. Before cooking fresh meat, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse it in cold water and lower it into a container with already hot, but not yet boiled, salted water and cook, periodically removing the foam. For 30-40 minutes before full readiness, an onion or a bunch of peeled green onions is lowered into the broth, other spices to taste. The cooked meat is taken out, and the broth can be used separately. Kabardians always ate boiled and fried meat with pasta. An obligatory condition for the use of boiled meat was that for normal digestion it was washed down with either broth or another hot drink, but in no case - with cold water. As a rule, meat was eaten hot and with "shyps" (gravy with garlic on a different basis - broth, sour milk, sour cream, a mixture of sour cream and sour milk).
2.3. Culture.
The culture of any nation is eternal. It will remain for humanity even if its creator disappears from the face of the earth. In the system of Caucasian civilization, a significant and worthy place is occupied by the culture of the Kabardian people. The whole world knows the Adyghe etiquette (a set of unwritten laws of the Adyghes) - one of the remarkable monuments of the spiritual culture of the Adyghe ethnic group. The national form of clothing of the Circassians was adopted by almost all the peoples of the Caucasus, as well as the Don, Kuban and Terek Cossacks. Historically, it so happened that the Kabardians were engaged in agriculture and cattle breeding.
The Kabardians raised sheep, cattle and horses. Kabardian horses have always been famous both in Russia and abroad. The famous breed of the Kabardian horse is not only the personification of beauty and endurance, it is very popular among connoisseurs and lovers of equestrian sports; many give her preference because of her unpretentiousness and practicality in the household. The monumental Nart epic is a significant part of world culture.
Today, after more than 100 years, there has been such a close merging and mutual enrichment of the cultures of the peoples of Kabardino-Balkaria that it is difficult to separate the samples of their song creativity from each other. They are perceived as a single culture. Therefore, in this work, Kabardian and Balkar music will be discussed as a single whole.
Kabardians carefully preserve the traditions of their ancestors. In their life, an important role is played by "Adyghe Khabze" - a set of norms and rules of behavior that has been established for centuries. Honoring the elders is one of the main rules of "Adyghe Khabze". It is no coincidence that an eloquent saying has long been preserved in Kabarda: "The power of the elder is equal to the power of God." Indeed, the elderly are the most respected people among relatives and villagers. The elders are always given emphasized signs of attention, they are never objected to. In the company of the elders, the younger ones never speak first, do not interrupt them, and even more so they will never smoke in front of them. With respect for the elders in Kabarda, only a guest can be equal. Hospitality among the Kabardians is virtuous, because it is believed that the guest is the messenger of God. Folk wisdom says: "The guest of the Adygei is sitting in the fortress." The holy commandment of the Kabardian is to receive a guest at any time, feed and arrange him in the best way. A family that is not able to fulfill the duty of hospitality is condemned by fellow villagers.
2.4. The history of the Lezginka dance.
Lezginka is familiar to everyone. This dance is danced at concerts, city squares, weddings and just on the road. He inspires someone, annoys someone, but people who are indifferent to Lezginka simply do not exist. The peoples of the Caucasus have many common features determined by their genetic affinity - from the famous "mountain temperament" to linguistic and cultural proximity. One of the most famous common symbols of the culture of the peoples of the Caucasus is the Lezginka dance, which traditionally symbolically expresses all the diversity of the mountain worldview.
Lezginka has a deep symbolic meaning - the ancient basis of the dance is a story about an eagle and a swan. In the form of an eagle, a man dances, alternating the pace of the dance from slow to swift, like an eagle, now soaring, now diving, and spreading his arms as if they were wings. The woman opposite moves smoothly, imitating the swan's stature and grace, gradually accelerating, following her partner. Men compete with each other, trying to show the best dexterity and the most incredible movements at maximum speed.
Lezginka can also be performed with weapons, which gives it additional militancy. Lezginka performance techniques exist in many variations, and each nation dances it in its own way. However, three types of dance can be distinguished, each of which is distinguished by its unique performance.
Chapter 3. Practical work.
Making a national dish.
To learn how to prepare gedlibzhe I asked my grandmother to tell me about the peculiarities of preparing the national dish.
Goedlibzhe- one of the most common dishes of the Adyghe cuisine, without which not a single feast can do. Gedlibzhe is prepared for every day, and for the festive table, and for the commemoration. This is lightly boiled and then stewed chicken in a creamy sauce. We lower the chicken for this dish into cold water, bring to a boil, salt and cook over low heat until almost cooked. Then cut into small portions. To speed up the process a little, take the chicken fillet and immediately cut it into thin slices along the fibers, and then cook. Boiled chicken meat, divided into portions, transfer to a frying pan. There, fill it with a mixture of cream and broth and simmer.
One serving will require 200 gr. chicken fillet, 120 gr. cream with a fat content of 33% and 50 gr. strained broth. 10-15 minutes - and the dish is ready. Of course, we serve it with the indispensable pasta.
Conclusion.
Summing up the work, I want to note that the preservation of the diversity of national cultures is an important task of modern society.
The level of national relations, the measure of their humanity and respect depend on the correct idea of another nation, its culture. A person who is included in the culture of his own people, thinking about its origins, cannot but treat another culture with good interest and trust.
This work helped me learn the history of my people and tell my peers about it and its traditions. I believe that the more we know about the peoples living in our country and abroad, the less there will be interethnic conflicts on our land.
Let's summarize.
Working on the project, I learned the history of my people, how my people fought for the right to live, observing the traditions of their ancestors. I learned a lot about the development of the culture of the Kabardian people.
The Caucasus is one of the areas of the world where the folk costume is distinguished by exceptional diversity, colorfulness and decorations. I learned that one can study the history of a people by the national costume. I also learned to independently analyze, evaluate the facts and events of the history of my native land.
References:
"Traditional hospitality of Kabardians and Balkars" A.I.Musukaev. 2008
"Traditional culture of Kabardians and Balkars" G.Kh.Mambetov. 2008
"Narts" The heroic epic of the Balkars and Karachays. A.I.Aliyeva. Moscow 1994.
4. Internet resources.
Kabardino-Balkaria is one of the most picturesque corners of the North Caucasus. Nature has generously endowed our land: high mountains crowned with snowy peaks, fertile plains, dense forests, sonorous mountain rivers. In Kabardino-Balkaria there is the highest peak in Europe - Mount Elbrus (in Kabardian - Oshkhamakho, which means "Mountain of Happiness") and the famous Blue Lakes. Even on a rainy day, the water in them is blue-blue, as if the sky of a sunny summer day was forever reflected here.
But the main wealth of the republic is its people: hardworking and brave, generous in friendship and hospitality, severe with enemies. The workers of Kabardino-Balkaria have turned the previously backward region into a powerful industrial region of the country. New power plants, factories and plants peacefully coexist with the remains of ancient battle towers, monuments to ancient folk heroes - defenders from foreign aliens.
The very name of the republic suggests that two peoples live here - Kabardians and Balkars.
These peoples speak different languages, but since ancient times they have been united by a common historical destinies, the closeness of their everyday way of life. There are many similarities in the oral literature of the Kabardians and Balkars - in their folklore.
For a long time, Kabardians and Balkars lived in friendship, repelling the onslaught of numerous enemies by joint efforts. In severe battles, these peoples managed to preserve their language, customs, rich folklore.
Kabardians call themselves "Adyghes". "Adyge" is the common name for two other peoples related to the Kabardians - the Adygei and the Circassians, who live in the Adygei and Karachay-Cherkess autonomous regions.
In the distant past, the Adyghes, Kabardians and Circassians were one people. They also created a common folklore, known as the Adyghe.
Majestic tales about heroes - narts, songs about fighters for the people's cause - the brave Aydemirkan, Hatkha Kochas and other folk heroes, sincere lyrical songs, various fairy tales - all this is the common property of the three peoples.
Our book includes fairy tales recorded on the territory of Kabardino-Balkaria, told in the Kabardian language, and therefore it is called so: “Kabardian folk tales”.
The oldest inhabitants of the North Caucasus, the Kabardians, did not have their own written language before the October Revolution.
That is why the most important historical events in the life of the people, their national customs, and their ideas about the ideal hero-bogatyr are imprinted in the oral folk art of the Kabardians.
Everyone knew fairy tales - both old and small. Long evenings on high mountain pastures, during agricultural work, they were told to each other.
Kabardians held in high esteem people who skillfully performed various works of oral folk art. They were called "jeguaco", which literally means "playing", that is, an artist.
Not a single national holiday could do without the participation of the jeguaco.
The fame and influence of the prominent dzheguako were exceptional. They were greatly loved by the people. Dzheguako carefully kept the works of folklore, passing them from generation to generation.
The hero of Kabardian fairy tales always defeats his enemies - cruel, envious and swaggering princes, terrible monsters. Heroes fight with giants - inyzhs. Inyzhi are endowed with great power. They are both good and evil, and smart, and stupid. But always a person turns out to be both stronger and wiser than these giants.
Kabardian fairy tales tell about the struggle of the people not only with foreign invaders, but also with the local rich who oppressed the working people. The protest against social injustice that was ripening among the people is heard in many fairy tales, even in fairy tales about animals, which, according to A. M. Gorky, "reveal the social relations of people, which is usually not seen in fairy tales about animals."
As a rule, the faithful assistant of the fairy tale hero is his horse. He gives the batyr wise advice, helps in the most difficult moments. The life of a hero is inseparable from the life of his horse. In some songs and fairy tales, the heroes are drawn rooted to the saddle, they even sleep while sitting on a horse. And this is not accidental: the Kabardians have been engaged in horse breeding since ancient times. The breed of Kabardian horses is world famous.
The Kabardian people have always appreciated a joke, a sharp word. That is why the tales of the tricks of Khozha, known among other peoples under the name of Khoja Nasreddin, enjoy great love.
Another favorite hero of folk tales is Kuitsuk, which means "Little Baldhead". Unsightly in appearance, always hungry and ragged, Kuitsuk turns out to be smarter than his enemies - princes and inyzhi - and always wins.
Kabardian fairy tales not only tell about the entertaining adventures of fairy-tale heroes, but also teach how a person should be: kind, sympathetic, hardworking, modest. The tale of the martial arts of a mosquito with a mighty lion is noteworthy: as soon as the mosquito became arrogant, imagined itself stronger than anyone in the world, it died - it fell into the web of a spider.
Kabardian folk tales have already been published in their native language. In Russian and in processing for children, Kabardian folk tales were first published by the publishing house "Children's Literature" in 1969.
My grandfather used to tell this story often. He heard it from his grandfather, and he heard it from his. And the great-great-grandfather seemed to have himself witnessed what it tells about.
Whether it was or not, I don't know. Some khan attacked Kabarda. It is located on the banks of the fast river Baksan. The enemy was very strong, and the Kabardians did not dare to engage in open battle. The Khan was also in no hurry to start the battle and sent his ambassadors to the Kabardian prince.
Our Khan does not want bloodshed, the ambassadors said. - Let two strongmen fight - yours and ours. If our strong man wins, the Kabardians will have to pay the khan such tribute as he appoints. And if your strongman wins, the khan with the army will go to his place.
The prince asked to give him a three-day deadline.
He called the elders for advice. The wise elders thought for a long time and finally decided that they should accept the Khan's offer. Previously, in the Caucasus, the outcome of the battle was often decided this way: whose strongman wins, he is the winner.
They began to think about who could engage in single combat with the khan's strong man, and they chose Kurgoko, the son of the old man Khata.
They called Kurgoko. The young dzhigit was boastful and arrogant.
I'm not afraid of any strong man! I rely on myself,” he said.
If you are not afraid, then in two days be ready for battle, - the prince told him and sent his ambassadors to the khan to notify that a duel would take place in two days.
On the same evening, the Kabardians heard a terrible roar in the Khan's camp.
Who is that roaring? they asked each other.
It turned out that it was not the beast that roared so terribly, but the Khan's strong man - a hero of enormous growth and with an ugly face.
He was chained to a post and fed only raw meat.
Hearing these stories Kurgoko got frightened. He regretted that he then boasted to the prince. Kurgoko did not rely on his own strength - he said so to his father.
The old man thought.
Kurgoko's wife entered the saklya. Her name was Lashin.
What are you thinking about? What trouble did you have?
Shut up, don't ask! Kurgoko answered her. - If we think, then there is a big reason for it.
What is it? Maybe I can help you?
Kurgoko laughed.
It is not a matter of the female mind - we are talking about the fate of our people. Your job is to raise children, milk cows, cook dinner.
Lashin was offended, did not say a word to her husband, and went to milk the cow.
Old man Hut needed something in the yard, he went out after his daughter-in-law and sees that one cow does not allow herself to be milked. Lashin got angry, grabbed her with one hand under her belly and threw her over the wattle fence.
Khatu was surprised at the heroic strength of his daughter-in-law, rejoiced, and quickly returned to the saklya. The thought came to his mind - that's who will help out his son!
Father, teach me how to be? Tomorrow is a duel. I'm afraid I won't be able to defeat the enemy hero, - said Kurgoko.
The musical culture of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic is rooted in the depths of the history of the Kabardians and Balkars. Over the centuries-old history of existence, these peoples have created a rich and original song folklore, heroic epos, and instrumental music.
The origins of this culture date back to ancient times.
Judging by some songs of the most ancient origin, it can be argued that the Kabardian and Balkar vocal art was developed everywhere and their expressive means were far from primitive. Song art was one of the most accessible and reliable forms of storing historical information. The song made it possible to judge not only about historical and political events, but also about life, household, clothing, customs, etc., thus being the most valuable ethno-informational source and cultural monument.
In this work, the term "Adyghe culture, Adyghe music" and so on will repeatedly occur. In this regard, it is necessary to explain who the Circassians are.
The peoples living in the North Caucasus call themselves Adygs. They were known to Russia, European, Middle Eastern and neighboring Caucasian peoples under the name of Circassians. Modern Circassians are settled as follows: Kabardians live in the KBR (the capital is the city of Nalchik), Mozdok Kabardians in the Kursk district of the Stavropol Territory and in the city of Mozdok SOA. The Circassians and Beslaneyites, having merged, formed the modern Circassian nation living in the KChR (the capital is the city of Cherkessk), the Abadzekhs, Bzhedugs, Temirgoys, and Shapsugs formed the modern Adyghe nation living in the Republic of Adygea (the capital is the city of Maykop). Part of the Shapsugs lives on the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea (Lazarevsky district of the Krasnodar Territory).
During their centuries-old history, the Adygs have created a rich and original folklore, heroic epic and instrumental music.
If the language of the Adygs belongs to the Abkhaz-Adyghe group of languages, then the language of the Balkars belongs to the Turkic-speaking group, which is similar to the language of Tatars, Bashkirs, Kazakhs, Karachays, Nogais, etc. Scientists from Balkaria and Karachay A. Kholaev, Kh. Malkanduev, F. Urusbiev actively worked in the field of studying the Balkar people of song creativity.
In the very first, ancient samples of Balkar music, according to researchers, there was a pentatonic scale, characteristic of the music of the peoples of the Turkic-speaking culture.
But due to the historically established close residence of the Adygs and Balkars, the cultures of these peoples interpenetrated. In the first publications of samples of Balkar folklore associated with the names of the Urusbiev brothers, dating back to the period of the 1880s, elements of the pentatonic scale are no longer present.
In a note by S.I. Taneyev, who visited Balkaria in 1885, for the first time speaks of Karachay-Balkar song folklore.
Today, after more than 100 years, there has been such a close merging and mutual enrichment of the cultures of the peoples of Kabardino-Balkaria that it is difficult to separate the samples of their song creativity from each other. They are perceived as a single culture. Therefore, in this work, Kabardian and Balkar music will be discussed as a single whole.
Perhaps, not many nations have a song captured so vividly and tangibly by the typical features of the national spirit, as among the Adygs. They are so closely connected with life, and so strongly imbued with its dominant direction, that if there were no other traces left from the Adyghe tribe for posterity, except for their songs, then from them alone one can form a certain concept of the life and activities of these tribes.
Truvor Karlovich Sheibler, a well-known musical and public figure in Kabardino-Balkaria, an expert on the musical folklore of the Kabardians and Balkars, divided the songs into seven types:
1) Labor songs.
2) Ritual songs.
3) Nart songs.
4) Historical and heroic songs.
5) Songs - laments (gybze).
6) Comic - satirical songs.
7) Lyric songs.
(see appendix p.1-7 no. 1-7; p.11 no. 15, 16, 17).
Scientist - musicologist Tamara Blayeva chose the method of system analysis in the study of the Adyghe song. She divided the tunes of traditional genres of vocal music of the Circassians according to the principle of textural difference into proper vocal and vocal-instrumental. Vocals are represented by three types:
1) Single (solo) performed by one singer.
2) Group, performed only by a group of singers.
3) Solo - group (with differentiated parts of the soloist and accompanying group).
The Nart heroic (mythological) epic, the formation of which dates back to the era of the tribal system and class formation, occupies a significant place in the traditional folklore of the Circassians. The plots of the Nart epic are grouped around its main characters Sosruko, Orzames, Bataraz, Lashgen.
For us, the Nart epic tales are of interest, like the Greek epic, and give a clear picture of the life and customs of the entire people.
Ritual songs belong to an extensive group of songs, whose origin can be attributed to ancient times.
Heroic, laudatory and lamentable songs, along with the Nart ones, are the most numerous and socially active type of Circassian songs. It is they who become the leading historical genre of folklore from the 16th century with the formation of the Russian centralized state. Approximately the same period can be attributed to the promotion of the genre of heroic-historical laudatory songs among the Circassians. But no matter how rich the musical folklore of the Circassians was, it was not studied or processed for a long time, but simply passed on by storytellers from generation to generation, being interpreted depending on the talent of the performers on folk instruments. And this is not surprising, since before the revolution there were no professional musicians and musicologists in the Caucasus at all.
Interest in the culture of the Adyghes in general and in their folk poetry in particular, appeared among the advanced part of the Adyghe intelligentsia, mainly starting from the first half of the 19th century. This was due to the awakening of national consciousness among the progressive part of the Circassians in connection with the aggravation of hostilities in the Caucasus.
The first historians from the national environment were Shora Nogmov (1796 - 1844), who wrote the "History of the Adyghe people" and a prominent collector of poetic texts of Kabardian folk songs, Colonel of the Russian army Sultan Khan - Giray (1802 - 1846). As well as Talib Kashezhev and Pago Tambiev, who published the best examples of Adyghe folklore. Shora Nogmov, like Sultan Khan - Giray, drew attention to the social functions and conditions for the performance of historical songs. With their help, social disputes were resolved. He put Shor Nogmov and folk singers high, their priceless creations, which bring great aesthetic pleasure to the people. These singers, called "dzheguako" - translated - buffoon, singer, improviser. They were people not literate and of a simple rank, but gifted with a poetic imagination. They instantly composed songs, poems, speeches on the go, depending on the events that were happening at the moment. They could accompany the army to war, talking about the exploits of heroes, or, conversely, ridiculing cowards, they talked about both good and bad deeds of people, self-interest and self-sacrifice, hospitality and stinginess, the beauty of love and light morals. For example: according to Khan - Giray, lamentable songs - gybze - "are made up of warrior's friends"; description of battles - zeue uered - such songs were composed after each famous battle, warriors sang marching songs when they went on raids, they were intended to arouse in riders a desire to experience danger and become famous.
These "jeguacos" (singers) enjoyed great respect in society.
N BALKARSEV
§ 1. The Nart epic and its historical and cultural significance.
§ 2. Traditions, legends, fairy tales are the most important genres of oral folk art of the Circassians and Balkars.
§ 3. Institute "dzheguak1ue".
§ 1. The Nart epic and its historical and cultural significance
In the 19th century began a large-scale study of the history and culture of the peoples of the North Caucasus, including the Circassians and Balkars. It was then that the study of oral folk art, the richest cultural heritage of our peoples, began.
The first Adyghe and Balkar educators launched an unprecedented and difficult work to collect samples of oral folk art. Invaluable assistance was provided to them by representatives of the progressive Russian intelligentsia, who visited the Caucasus. They not only provided theoretical and literary assistance to the mountain intelligentsia, but also contributed to the processing and publication of the collected materials. In fact, all the collected materials were published in central and local history Russian publications. In such periodicals as "Russian Bulletin", "Library for Reading" and in specially established Caucasian publications - "Collection of materials for describing localities and tribes of the Caucasus", "Collection of information about the Caucasian highlanders", "Tersky collection", "Caucasian collection”, newspapers “Kavkaz”, “Terskiye Vedomosti”, “Stavropol Gubernskiye Vedomosti”, etc.
Nart legends, legends, fairy tales, songs and other genres of oral folk art of the highlanders of the North Caucasus were printed. Thanks to them, the Russian and world community got acquainted with the unique culture of the highlanders. The oral folklore of the Circassians and Balkars occupies an exceptionally important place in their spiritual culture. For centuries it has been the only and most important "tool" for educating the younger generation in the spirit of patriotism and courage. Through the heroic Nart epic, fairy tales, tales, legends, proverbs and sayings, the main stages of the history of the people are traced. The folklore of the Circassians and Balkars reflects their vision of the surrounding nature, the history of their relationship with other peoples. In oral folk art, we see not only legendary heroes, but also real historical figures who played an important role in the fate of their people. These heroes have served as an example in the upbringing of the younger generation for centuries. Folklore reflects not only the main milestones in the history of the people, but also folk wisdom and his talent.
One of the main genres of oral folk art is the heroic Nart epic. Its importance in the upbringing of the younger generation only increases over time. It is a real golden fund of the spiritual culture of our peoples. The Nart epic is not only the story of heroes, but also folk wisdom, a school of courage and diligence.
The heroic epic always occupies a special place among folklore genres. The epic, more than any other genre, is connected with the historical destinies of peoples, and it expresses the national self-consciousness of the people more vividly than in any other genre. The main content of the heroic epic is always a struggle, moreover, a struggle that has not personal, but social and national significance. The heroic Nart epic is the focus and repository of the wisdom of the people, it reflects the moral image of the people, understanding of the world around us and the world of man himself, his spirit in all its variety of manifestations. The Nartek epic shows how the spirit and character of its heroes are “forged”. Therefore, the Nart epic is, first of all, a code of heroism. It sings of a man, his good and heroic deeds. In the Narthek epic, we find traditions and customs that regulated the relationship of people. It can be said that the traditional culture of the people is presented in all its diversity in the narthek epic. It clearly shows how it was modernized taking into account changes in the socio-economic and political conditions of the life of the people, who, creating their heroic epic, embodied their life, their character and spiritual warehouse in monumental epic images and thus made their unique contribution to the treasury of world culture. . Therefore, it is no coincidence that in his inspired poems dedicated to the millennium of the epic "David of Sasun", the Armenian poet A. Isahakyan wrote:
In the tales of these majestic
The people gained immortality.
This is extremely fair. It is noteworthy that the people have always believed in the historical reality of the images and events of the epic and have always clearly distinguished between a legend and a fairy tale. All peoples who have a heroic epic clearly distinguish between these two genres and designate them by different names. However, it should be noted that epic stories are often very close to fairy tales (an example is the common story about Odysseus and the Cyclops) and are “dressed” in the same fantastic outfit. But the people have always put the epic above the fairy tales, treated it with particular seriousness. This happened precisely because in the epic, in its images and paintings, the people really saw through the fantastic shell the echoes of their real past, their augmented life. That is why the folk epic is deeply national in character. And all the epic monuments, including the Nart ones, cannot be torn off from the national soil that gave birth to them. A fairy tale can be, usually painlessly, "transplanted" from one national environment to another, changing only some details or even changing nothing. With the epic, such a movement is impossible to do.
It should be noted here that the heroic Nart epic in the Caucasus is widespread among the Adyghes (Circassians), Abkhazians, Karachays, Balkars, Ossetians, and partly among the Svans, Ingush, Chechens, and Dagestanis. Even a cursory acquaintance with the Nart tales of various peoples of the Caucasus convinces us that, despite their closeness, these tales of each nation retain features of deep originality and originality. But there is no doubt that the Nart epic has one original core with its own single space and creator people. And then this epic was perceived by other neighboring peoples, and incrementally it moved away from the original core, changing, filling in with national features and characteristics of the peoples,
those who perceived it. Therefore, the commonality and closeness of the national versions of the Nart epic can be explained not by one reason, but by several. In this regard, we can agree with V.I. Abaev, who explains this by several reasons.
First, if these peoples are genetically related to each other, then the common can be inherited from those times when these peoples still lived together and made up one people. Thus, the common features connecting the Abkhaz epic with the Adyghe epic are explained by the unity of their origin and a certain common space that they occupied during the formation of the Nart epic. It is the space on which the ancestors of the Abkhaz-Adygs lived in antiquity that is the place of its formation. This is eloquently evidenced by the numerous names of places, rivers, mountains and other toponymic names that are found in the Nart legends.
As for other peoples of the Caucasus, which are not related to the Abkhaz-Adygs on any grounds, moreover, some of them are alien peoples and formed as a nationality much later than the Abkhaz-Adygs (for example, Ossetians and Turkic peoples), then it must be assumed that they adopted the epic from the Abkhaz-Adygs. Therefore, secondly, here one has to reckon with one more important factor - the substrate. Being non-Abkhazian-Adyghe in language, some Caucasian peoples, for example, Ossetians, Karachays, Balkars, etc., were formed on the Caucasian substrate, and a lot of their language and folklore exists from this Caucasian substrate, which brings them together, in particular , with the Adyghe-Abkhazian, Georgian group of Caucasian peoples. For example, in the Nart legends and other epic songs, "the Ossetian songs, the god of hunting Afsati appears ("pset": from the Adyghe "pse" - the soul, "tyn" - to give), this image is alien to Iranian mythology. But without exception, Western Caucasian peoples: Kabardians, Circassians, Abazins, Svans, Mingrelians - they know this deity well, and among the Svans it even has a name close to the Ossetian: Apsat. It is quite obvious that the image of Afsati penetrated into the Ossetian ethsos from the Caucasian substrate. The substrate is the second, along with genetic unity, a moment that must be taken into account when explaining common elements in the folklore of the peoples of the Caucasus.
Thirdly, the reason why we often find striking closeness in mythology, folklore motifs and plots of the most diverse peoples is the typological unity associated with the specifics of folklore as a form of social consciousness. The same conditions of material and social existence necessarily give rise to the same forms of their fantastic reflection in the minds of people. There were and are many such typological coincidences among the peoples of the Caucasus, who have been living for more than one century in the same conditions.
Finally, fourthly, the reason for the appearance of similar elements in the folklore of different peoples is the borrowing by one people from another of many elements of material and spiritual culture as a result of a long neighborhood and maintaining close economic and cultural contacts. So, in the end, we can say with confidence that the creator of the heroic Nart epic of now many peoples of the Caucasus is the Abkhaz-Adyghe ethnic group. All other judgments regarding the fact that its creators are supposedly other peoples are untenable. Confirmation of this is the Abkhaz-Adyghe roots of the names of the main heroes of the Nart epic.
One of the specialists in the Vart epic, Doctor of Philology A. Gutov, writes that, recognizing the likelihood of a number of borrowings from peoples of non-Caucasian origin, one can consider the opinion about the local nature of the main core of Nart legends to be legitimate. This opinion is decisive for the authors of the collection "The Legend of the Narts - the epic of the peoples of the Caucasus", published by the Institute of World Culture. A. M. Gorky of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR on the basis of the materials of the RS and the allied scientific conference devoted to the problems of studying the Nart epic, and, therefore, reflects the views of the majority of leading nartologists. However, it should be noted that there is a fundamentally different point of view on this issue. For example, V. I. Abaev and the French scientist J. Dumezil in their works try to carry out an opinion about the Scytho-Alanian origin of the core of Nartiada. And such, no less authoritative scientists from Abkhazia, as Inal-Ipa, Sh. X. Salakaya, A. A. Anshba, and from Adygea - A. M. Gadagatl, are of the opinion that the main legends of the epic about Narts originated among the Abkhaz -Circassians. At the same time, it should be noted that the point of view of the first three scientists coincides with the opinion of such prominent Caucasian scholars as E. I. Krupnov and E. M. Meletinsky, and A. M. Gadagatl defends the “Adygocentric” theory of the origin of the Nart epic
The researcher N. R. Ivanokov, using the example of comparing the names of the main heroes of the Nart epic, in our opinion, convincingly proves that the core of it is precisely the Adyghe ethnic group. True, he sometimes argues with the largest and most authoritative specialist of the Nart epic A. M. Gadagatl. In particular, he writes that the Nart epic exists only in the North Caucasus. The scope of the epic from the people who consider themselves its sole creator (Ossetians) makes such a statement doubtful to a certain extent: among the peoples living next to the Ossetians (Ingush, Chechens, peoples of Dagestan, Georgia), the epic is presented noticeably less in all respects than among located at a respectful distance of the western Circassians. It is appropriate here to recall the insightful remark of the noble and no less pragmatic P. K. Uslar: “As we move away from the Central Caucasus to the east, the Nart epic is forgotten, and the heroes themselves turn into giants.” It is also noteworthy that there are no traces of the Nart epic in the places of the former residence of the Ossetians. None of the Turkic peoples have it, except for the Balkars and Karachays, i.e., who live in close proximity to the Circassians.
The formation and development of the Nart epic covers more than one century. Its formation began at the earliest stage of human development ~ the primitive communal system and continued up to feudalism. Each historical epoch left a certain imprint on the Nart legends. From their contents it is clearly seen under what social conditions this or that event occurs, which is described in the legends of the Narts.
Before the advent of the Nart epic, there were certain forms of artistic thinking. This is evidenced by the most ancient poems and songs that have survived to this day, which were composed in honor of pagan deities and patrons, as well as various labor songs.
Folklore is, as it were, a "pre-Nart" genre of culture. The ancient folklore of the Circassians, like that of other peoples who stood at the stage of patriarchal-clan relations, does not appear independently, but in its syncretic unity, when its various elements - songs, dances and music - formed a single whole. Ritual and artistic forms of folk spectacles, calendar labor festivals and religious ceremonies are the same for all Circassians. In the Adyghe (Circassian) folklore, many ritual and calendar songs, khokhs, melodies of symbolic and magical significance and stimulating recitatives have been preserved. A special place in folklore is occupied by ancient songs and khokhs dedicated to various kinds of labor activity of people. Labor songs, khokhs and musical works of the Circassians are performed during the “melegazhe” (pasture of the flock), “vak1ue dek1” (the beginning of plowing), etc. Songs, khokhs and recitatives at that time did not yet have an independent artistic and aesthetic content, the main thing their purpose was to ritually decorate labor celebrations, to have a magical effect on people. The syncretic primitive ideology also gave rise to the syncretic unity of song and hokha, dance and music. This ideology was expressed not only and not so much in religious ideas, but in the primitive materialistic understanding of natural phenomena by ancient man, when the original materialism acted as myth-making, when art and poetry served the common goal of society - the collective principle of labor. This "spirit of collectivism" is clearly expressed in many ancient Adyghe songs and khokhs. The Hunting Song, for example, says:
Oh, hunter, you are a far-sighted hunter,
What will take your eye - will not go away,
Whose gray dog drags its tail on the ground,
What we got ~ we all have equal food,
What remains in the holes - we are all equally prey,
What is hidden in the stubble is equally game for all of us.
In the Adyghe folklore, there are many different types of ritual and cultural ceremonies dedicated to various deities - the patrons of the animal and plant world. In addition, there are many rituals associated with birth and death, weddings, healing the sick, consecrating tracts, etc.
Many pagan gods have their own hymns. They exalt their strength. Here are the names of some of these gods: Mazitha (god of forests and hunting), Amysh (patron of cattle breeding), Tkhagolej (god of fertility), Tlepsh (god of blacksmithing), etc. In the hymns to them there are elements of artistic typification of the image. Pagan gods-patrons over time, with the development of the artistic thinking of people, became the patrons of certain varieties of labor activity. In folk poetry, they acquired some features of artistic concreteness and often became characters in the heroic Nart epic. In particular, the images of such pagan patron gods as Mazitha, Tlepsh, Amysh and Tkhagolej were subjected to such a transformation.
On the example of the pagan god Tlepsh, the patron of fire and blacksmithing, one can clearly trace the evolution of his image in becoming one of the main characters of the Adyghe (Circassian) Nart epic. Beli in the pagan hymns Tlepsh appears as a “fire god”1, later this “fire god”, which had a very vague expression in the cult poetry of the Adygs, acquires the specific features of a “patron of metalworkers and peasants”, whom he supplies with a “plough and hoe” 2.
Here in the legend "Tlepsh and the old woman Uorsar" it is written:
Tlepsh retired to the smithy.
Flattened the iron with a hammer,
He arched his cock's tail,
What - from the inside memorized,
I fitted the handle from a chock,
He came out with a gift, and the sledges Squeezed the rich millet with the first sickle in the world.
In the Nart epic, Tlepsh retains all the attributes of the patron of blacksmithing and at the same time is the first blacksmith of the Nart epic. In the epic, Tlepsh appears in specific life circumstances as a completely specific person-image with all human passions; he turns from a god into an earthly man. In other words, in the epic Tlepsh is already an artistic image. Therefore, in the folklore of the Circassians (Circassians), the heroic epos "Narts" occupies a central place. According to many authoritative experts, Narts are one of the most ancient epics in the world. One of the major Caucasian scholars of the XX century. V. I. Krupnov argues that the main cycles of the Nart epic originated “precisely in the initial Iron Age”, even before the Scythian invasion and the appearance of Iranian-speaking tribes in the North Caucasus, on the local tribal substrate, primarily the ancestors of the Abkhaz-Adygs.
Indeed, many Nart legends point to this circumstance. And this once again proves that it was on the territory of the settlement of the ancestors of the Abkhaz-Adygs that the Nart epic arose, and then it was accepted by those tribes that appeared here later, in their immediate neighborhood. In the Nart epic, one of its main characters, Sosruko, occupies a central place. On the example of this hero, how he was born, what feats he performed and how he was killed, one can determine the time of formation of the Nart epic. He was born from a stone and tempered by Tlepsh, after which he becomes an "iron man". All this speaks in favor of the fact that the Nart epic was really formed during the period of transition from stone to metal. However, this does not mean at all that later social formations were not reflected in the Nart epic. On the example of such Nart heroes as Shauei and Kuitsuk, we see the existence of property inequality among the Narts, although legends about them originated along with legends about other heroes.
With all the diversity of the content of the Nart epic, one of its central places is occupied by the theme of selfless love for the Motherland, the fearlessness and courage of the heroes in its defense. At the same time, such vital themes as diligence, respect for women, care for
the younger generation and its upbringing, i.e. those problems to which the Adyghe habze pays special attention, and which are its main content.
Narts often repeated: “What is eternal life for when it is inglorious? Better death and eternal glory. It was in this spirit that young people were brought up in the Land of the Narts.
There were speeches on Khas Narts About a formidable heroic battle,
About impassable paths
About tireless horses,
About famous raids,
About invincible jigits,
About mighty, brave people,
What a majestic feat the song of glory deserved J.
So, on the example of formidable and fearless knights, the younger generation of Narts was brought up. In the Yart epic, not only a man-warrior ~ defender of the Motherland is sung in songs and glorified in khokhs, but also a man-worker. They are equally honored in the Country of Narts. Therefore, in the "Narts" the material basis of life is presented in full. In particular, iron, its cult, is present in many Yart legends. Iron tools are widely represented. In this regard, a good example is the legends about Tleit, where he tirelessly works with iron and tools and iron weapons. This is not accidental, because, as we know, the ancient ancestors of the Abkhaz-Adygs were pioneers in obtaining iron from ore.
The horse is especially often mentioned in many Nart legends. He is an inseparable friend of any Nart hero. He is more for the sled than a horse. This animal in the Narthek epic is as omnipotent as the hero himself. The horse, which has incredible powers and capabilities, in the epic acts as a man, as a speaking supernatural force. The horse is an aristocrat among all animals, endowed in the epic with a human language and talking to a person. The horse, until he tests his master for loyalty in friendship, his courage, will not trust him. He does not allow the weak and cowards to approach him.
This is how the horse, which Sosruko saddled for the first time, is described in order to prove that he became a real dzhigit to perform great deeds for the benefit of the Narts: “Tell you, Sosruko, you can sit on this horse,” his mother Sataney tells him, “it will be yours.” After these words, Sosruko jumped on the ridge of the horse with one jump, grabbed the mane, how he cried out: “Hey, zhigits, beware!” - and galloped along the gorge. But before the mother had time to look after her son, the horse soared like a star, and, like a star, disappeared behind the clouds. There, in the sky, the horse decided to throw off the rider so that he fell to the ground and crashed. Whatever the horse did! And he reared up in the air, and threw himself headfirst into the abyss, and again soared up, and jumped upside down, and Sosruko kept holding on to his mane, did not fall. And the horse either rushed into the ocean to throw it off, then galloped along steep cliffs, then along dark gorges, then flew through mountain rings. In the end, he realized that he could not throw off Sosruko, and then he spoke in a human language: “I swear by Amysh, the god of animals, I will be your faithful horse if you become a real Nartom. The life of a Nart was unthinkable without a faithful horse. Almost not a single Nart accomplished a single feat without him. Later, this attachment to this "great creation of nature" was passed on to the descendants of the Narts. Many reputable scientists, including E. P. Krupnov and E. P. Alekseeva, believe that the cultivation of the famous Kabardian breed of horses began in ancient times in the Bronze Age - in the VIII-VII centuries. BC A. Thus, the Circassians for many centuries in the most difficult conditions tirelessly worked on the creation of their eternal life partner - horses. The Circassians had a whole system of raising and keeping a horse. The very fact that they bred the famous Kabardian breed of horses, which is now considered one of the most enduring at long distances among all horse breeds on the planet, is eloquent proof of the great love of the Adyghe ethnic group for the horse. According to many foreign authors who have been to Circassia, a Circassian not only never parted with his weapon and horse, but would not exchange it for anything. Thus, a horse for an Adyghe is a part of his culture, it is his national treasure. His attitude towards this noble animal is as strict and respectful as towards man himself. The Circassian will most likely starve himself, rather than leave the horse without food.
In the narthek epic, not only the courage and love of heroes for their homeland are sung, not only diligence is promoted, it has found a worthy place and the upbringing of a sense of beauty in a person. The country of the Narts was proud not only of its brave warriors and skilled farmers and shepherds, but it was also rich in skilled dancers, singers and musicians. At Nart gatherings - khasakhs - not only competitions in horse riding, archery, stone throwing, wrestling, but also dancing, singing, eloquence and ingenuity were organized. By this, the Narts paid great attention not only to physical training, but also to moral and intellectual education.
In this regard, a striking example from the Nart epic are the images of its young heroes: Ashamez and Malechikh. In the tales about them, and not only about them, but also about many other heroes of the Nart epic, we often see how the Narts show wit, ingenuity, and sing of physical beauty:
Her face is like the sun
Her camp is similar to a poplar.
Renowned for soft skin
Clever, diligent reputed \
These words describe the physical beauty and mind of Ahumida in the legend “The Song of Ahumida and Ashamez”. This once again confirms that the Narts attached great importance to these qualities.
Elsewhere in the same story we read:
Ashamez took the just source of Life - a flute,
Quietly sang his happy
Your soulful tune.
He plays the flute
And the earth comes alive
Valleys, fields bloom,
Faces smile again
Happy animals and birds
Rekag is flowing again.
Ashamez is endowed with a high sense of beauty. His flute divinely influences the world around the Narts. Ashamez plays it so skillfully that everything around comes to life. Even nature cannot remain indifferent to the soulful melody and the playing of the flute. This suggests that the Narts not only bravely defended their homeland, were skilled riders, but could also sincerely sing and play musical instruments, perform incendiary dances, that is, they also had a high internal culture.
A careful study of the Nart epos and its legends reveals almost all the elements of the Adyghe Khabze, all aspects of which are presented in detail in it. This also applies to family and marriage relations, wedding ceremonies, the principles of hospitality and the upbringing of children, etc. Even such a detail of the Adyge Khabze is reflected in the Nart epic: according to custom, a few days after the birth of children of different sexes, they made a notch in the presence of relatives and friends and betrothed babies with the obligatory condition of their marriage upon reaching the age of majority, a solemn feast was arranged. So, in the legend “How Malechiph and Panuko danced uj we read:
In my cradle Have made a notch for a long time.
Nart Panuko, you're different Choose your dove!
As you can see, the Nart epic is a wonderful monument of the oral-poetic creativity (folklore) of the Circassians. Before the emergence of writing, oral poetry was the only way for the Circassians to express their attitude to the phenomena and events of reality. Nart legends among the Circassians were preserved in poetic (singing) and prose (narrative) forms. The plots of the Circassian epic are grouped into cycles. Historically, Nart legends reflected the process of transition from matriarchy to patriarchy, the emergence of military democracy and the transition to a class society, they also have elements of feudal relations. In the Nart epic, there is always a struggle between evil and good, where good always wins. In the legends, the theme of the motherland, its protection from external enemies is widely represented. Heroes of the Narts - knights - are, first of all, the defenders of their native land from the hated chints and giants. Heroes protect not only their homeland, they make fire for their compatriots, they free Nasrenjake, the Nart thamada, from captivity. In addition, they return to their compatriots the seeds of millet - the main agricultural crop of the Narts, which was the basis of their economy. The epic sings not only the hero-knight, his exploits, it widely shows what place a woman occupies in the life of the Narts. The main character - a woman Sataney - acts as the mother of all the Narts. Men turn to her for advice. In addition to her, other women are sung: Dakhanago, Adyuh, Malechiph, who are distinguished by their beauty and charm. They are universally respected. They are not only smart and beautiful, but also kind. All this speaks of the great authority of women that existed in the Country of the Narts.
A careful analysis of the Nart legends allows us to conclude that the Narts live mainly according to laws similar to the unwritten code of laws of the Circassians - Adyghe Khabze. In addition, it should be noted (this can be seen from the Nart legends) that the ancient Narts maintained extensive and long-term contacts with many other peoples. The area of action of the Nart epic covers a vast area. This is, first of all, the territory of the settlement of the ancestors of the Abkhaz-Adygs or related tribes, including the Hutts and Kasks - the closest relatives of the Sindo-Meot tribes. Therefore, it is no coincidence that we observe parallels between the Nart epic and the mythology of Asia Minor in the 3rd-2nd millennia BC. e. For example, the birth of a hero from a stone and his death from a wheel takes place in the Narthek epic and the folklore of Asia Minor, the homeland of the Hutts. Serpent-fighting motifs of the epic and some plots associated with the blacksmith god Tlepshy are equally ancient in their origins. , served as a tool for fostering a sense of kindness, intransigence to injustice, the keeper of folk wisdom. The Nart epic is not only the history of the people and folk art, it is also the guardian of the Circassian etiquette, their culture in general.
Throughout the centuries-old history of world civilization, peoples had contacts with each other not only during the period of devastating wars, but when they eventually ended these military clashes, they established peaceful economic, political and cultural relations among themselves. There was mutual influence, interpenetration of their ways of life and cultures. We find traces of this influence of one culture on another in the material sphere, and in the spiritual life, and in the artistic thinking of peoples.
A vivid example in this regard is the mutual influence of Greek and ancient Adyghe cultures. We can judge this more fully if we compare the Adyghe Nart epic with ancient Greek mythology, which are the basis of the spiritual culture of these peoples. Thus, many parallels can be drawn between the Nart epic and Greek mythology. Let's compare the images of Prometheus from Greek mythology and Nasrenzhak from the Nart epic. Prometheus - the mighty titan, against the will of Zeus, stole fire from Olympus and gave it to people; he gave them knowledge, taught them agriculture, crafts, ship building, reading and writing; with this, Prometheus made people's lives happier and shook the power of Zeus and his assistants - the Olympic gods.
It should be borne in mind that in Greek mythology itself, the place where Prometheus was chained is the Caucasus Mountains. This is not accidental either. We read about Prometheus: “Far beyond the rocks, the snowy peaks of the Caucasus Mountains are visible ... Here, to the ends of the earth, the servants of Zeus, the chained Titan Prometheus, were brought to chain him with indestructible chains to the top of the rock.”
And in the Nart legend “How Bataraz freed Nasren, who was chained to the top of the mountain,” it is written that the god-like Paco took the fire from the Narts and, turning to Nasrenzhaka, says:
You will bear punishment today, recalcitrant, - On the top of the mountain I will shackle you,
On a high mountain you will be lonely, live until death as a prisoner of mine.
He tied Nasren with an iron chain,
He chained him tightly to Oshkhamakho *.
Both Prometheus and Nasrenzhak were not only chained to a rock, but they were both equally tormented by an eagle. In the legend of Prometheus, we also read: “Every day a huge eagle flies, rustling with mighty wings, onto a rock. He sits on the chest of Prometheus and torments it with claws as sharp as steel. And in the Narthek epic we read:
Paco's eagle howled, bloodthirsty predator,
He his, malevolent, released now.
A predator flies on the thamada of the Narts,
Tearing the chest of the hero with its beak,
He drinks the blood from the heart of the proud Nasren,
The liver pecks furiously with its beak *.
The same parallel can be drawn between many other heroes of the Nart epic and Greek mythology: the images of the Nart Tlepsh and the Greek god Hephaestus, the patrons of blacksmithing and metallurgy, are in many ways similar. Both of them act as blacksmith gods. In many ways, they both have the same skill, have the same power. As for the main characters, Sosruko and the Greek Achilles, here we find a lot in common, in particular, both have the same vulnerable spot (unhardened part of the body) - the legs, from which both died. Here is what we read in the Nartek legend about the death of Sosruko: “And when zhan-sherkh (“zhan” - sharp, “sherkh” - wheel, i.e. “steel wheel” - K.U.) flew up to Sosruko, he hit the wheel with his thighs - and the wheel cut off both his legs. The fact is that when Sosruko was born, Tlepsh hardened him, and the hips, by which he held the child's body with his tongs, remained unhardened and vulnerable. We also read about Achilles: “Covered with a dark cloud, invisible to anyone, he (Apollo. - K. W.) sent the arrow of Paris, and she hit Achilles in the heel, where only the great hero could be hit.” The fact is that Thetis immersed the baby Achilles in the underground river of the kingdom of Hades - Styx, and held him by the heel, from this the body became hard as iron, but the water of the Styx did not touch the heels, and she remained vulnerable (hence the famous expression "Achilles heel ”- K. W.). In general, if we look more closely at the customs and traditions of the ancient Narts and Greeks, we find a lot in common. This also applies to the methods of raising children, and the relationships of family members, and many other moments of life. For example, let's take one of these "narrow" issues of life, which, however, is of great importance in the relationship between spouses, like their appearance in public.
Among the Circassians and among the ancient Greeks, a married man did not appear in public with his wife. They did not see her during the day. In a word, the laws of the legendary Spartan legislator Lycurgus, which regulated in detail the life and personal life of people, and the Adyghe Khabze, who also regulated and regulates the life of the Circassians in no less detail and at the present time, are largely similar. We find a more detailed similarity between the laws of Lycurgus and the uerk habze (noble etiquette) of the Circassians. The Adyghe researcher Atek Namitok in his work "The Origin of the Circassians" noted the identity of many other Spartan and Circassian customs: raising children from strangers (atalyism), wearing red clothes during military campaigns, the right of all citizens to punish other people's children if they committed any some misdeeds, etc. The same author notes what a remarkable role the swing played among both the Circassians and the Greeks. The fact is that the swing among these peoples had a magical-cult content. Circassians placed sick people in the spring in a swing, and the swing was accompanied by singing and spells addressed to the deity of this disease. The ancient Greeks also had an institution like the Adyghe horsemanship. For example, in ancient Sparta there was a so-called. corps of "horsemen", a kind of corporation of peers among young people at the age of 20 years. Service in the corps was a school for educating young people. They, like the Adyghe riders, raided neighboring lands *.
similar corps of Adyghe youth was written by the Italian Xaverio Glavani (beginning of the 18th century) in his work “Description of Circassia”. In general, the Circassians retained many memories of the ancient Greeks, whom they called "Alyj", reflected in legends, names, toponymic names. The word "alyj" is mentioned many times in the Nartek epic. The word "alyj" ~ from the Greek "Hellenes".
Among the Circassians, the supreme god (“Tkheshkhue”) lived on the top of Elbrus (“1uashkhemahua”), among the Greeks, the gods also lived on the top of Mount Olympus. For both of them, the mountains played a sacred role, and not only everything around the mountain is shrouded in mystery, but all issues of the life of compatriots are decided on it. Competitions are held on it in strength, dexterity, eloquence, etc. Knights disputes are resolved on the mountain, duels are held. “Herame 1uashkhe dyzekhuip1a-l’eshch” (We’ll meet on Mount Harama, we’ll sort things out. - K.U.), the knights said during a dispute.
Both in Greek mythology and in the Narthec epic, the horse occupies a special place. As we said above, the horse in the epic is endowed with mental and moral qualities. So, for example, the horse Sosruko, nicknamed Tkhozhey (“Thuezhya”), like the horse of Achilles from the Iliad, gives advice to the hero.
