Адыгэ пхъэлъантхъуэ / The Hearth Tree

elative (blaghe; благъэ) (subject to the ‘seventh-ancestor’ rules and
prohibitions).
The number ‘3’ is encountered in more traditional (recent) settings. Yet,
even in apparently homogeneous settings, both numbers seem to make
strong showings, for example in the Nart tales. One explanation would
be that in some tales the latter number was able to replace the former to
incorporate some cultural novelty. Perhaps number ‘3’ (a significant
number in Indo-European folklore) was one of the introductions of the
Indo-European invaders in the North Caucasus, particularly the (Iranian)
Scythians and Sarmatians (ancestors of present-day Ossetians and most
probably contributors to Circassian ethnic make-up), with whom the
Circassians had a fertile interaction for hundreds of years. The presence
of number ‘3’ in some Circassian versions of the Nart tales was cited by
the Caucasologist Georges Dumézil as evidence of the Indo-European
origin of the epos, obviously not taking into account the possible
explanation of the phenomena and processes stated here.
In each edition of this journal there shall be seven principal branches,
each forking into three articles. Symbolically, this is an amalgamation of
two cultures: the ‘seven’ of ancient Circassian traditions is seamlessly
intertwined with the more recent folkloric significance of the number
‘three’.
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